Thursday, February 27, 2025
New Testament Reading Plan: 1 Peter 2
When we first learned about the temperament color assessment a few years ago, I thought my main color would be blue. I can be a perfectionist, and I’m skeptical and creative. But then I recalled an incident that occurred a few years prior.
I was on a tour boat, floating in a foreign sea, when I met someone who had just experienced a great loss. I asked myself the same question Jesus asked the two blind men he encountered who needed help, “What do you want me to do for you?”
Matthew 20:32-34
32 When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, “What do you want me to do for you?”
33 “Lord,” they said, “we want to see!” 34Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him.
Jesus responded with love to heal and meet the needs of these men, who would have been considered outcasts in their time. But more important than restoring their sight, Jesus encouraged them to become his followers, to join his group.
Even as the youngest in my tour group, the Holy Spirit moved me to do something bold, healthful, and helpful. Right there on the boat, I prayed with the parent who had just lost a child. I knew that God could help heal their heart, so I let my inner red shine to meet their needs in the moment.
Most “blues” wouldn’t have been so bold to respond by physically praying for someone they had just met in a foreign land. But we are rarely only one color—generally we are made up of varying degrees of all four. It’s what makes us wonderfully complex (Psalm 139:14).
This gesture of stepping out of my own comfort zone and meeting someone in theirs helped build and strengthen a relationship that, even years later, finds me praying with this family as they navigate difficulties.
No matter your wiring, Jesus’ question is an important one, “What do you (the person you’re talking to) want me to do?” You won’t always need to be as forward as a red; you have to consider what’s best for who you’re dealing with.
Red, yellow, green, or blue—we are all capable of showing people God's love by meeting their needs and pointing them to Jesus.
Questions:
How do you think your wiring would respond to the question, “What do you want me to do for you?”
What is a healthful and helpful thing you can do today to show compassion?
What do you notice about Jesus’ response in showing compassion to the blind men?
Next Steps:
Ask someone what you can do for them today, and meet them in the way they are wired.
Write down words that relate to your temperament and how God wired you. Next consider how your three closest friends are wired, and think of one way you can serve each of them according to their temperaments.
Prayer:
God, open my eyes to how you’ve wired me and those around me. Change the way that I think as you teach me to use this knowledge to respond to people's needs. Help me meet them in their wiring, being both healthful and helpful. You made me to love you and others. I pray that I can be an example of your love in all my interactions. Amen.
Series Theme Verse:
Ephesians 4:29
Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
This post was written by Becca Roberts, a West Toledo attendee, and a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.