March 18, 2024
Melissa Valerio
It’s funny how time will grow the economy (mostly) all on its own. I read an article last week about the incredibly overpriced gifts the Tooth Fairy has started giving these days. Jewelry, luxury purses, lump sums of cash. When I was growing up, we put our teeth in a cup of water and hoped the Tooth Fairy would visit in the middle of the night. All the other kids I knew got crisp $1 bills under their pillows. But us poor kids got a quarter in a cup, if we were lucky. In financially stressful years, it might have been a nickel or a dime. Certainly not something that would cost more than a month’s worth of food!
Inflation hits us in all areas. Cost of food, cost of gas, cost of houses, repairs, utilities, taxes, etc. But does it hit us in meaningful ways? Does our love grow over time? What about our faith or our trust in God? Seems like if everything else keeps going up, these things should too, right? This is what the apostle Paul prayed for in 1 Thessalonians 3:12 when he said, “and may the Lord cause you to increase and overflow in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you” (NASB) We have little control over the inflation that happens all around us. From the price of a gallon of milk to the current mortgage interest rates. But we do have control over the inflation that happens IN us. As long as we stick to the Vine, the branches will continue to grow.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we know we can’t grow in any area of our lives without You. Increase our faith, our trust, our love, our obedience, our patience, our submission to You. It’s You working in us to will and to act according to Your great purposes. Do all You wish to do in us. In Your holy name, Amen.
Action: Pick one area of your character that you’d like to improve upon. Ask Jesus to help identify specific things He wants you to focus on. Maybe it’s trusting Him in a difficult situation. Maybe it’s acting in obedience in some area. Maybe it’s spending more time with Him in prayer or scripture reading. Any and all of these things help develop our character. Ask for His help in growing these areas.