22nd. February. 2022. Daily Devotion.

Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good. ~ Romans 12:21

Though Christian charity sounds a very cold thing to people whose heads are full of sentimentality, and though it is quite distinct from affection, yet it leads to affection. The difference between a Christian and a worldly man is not that the worldly man has only affections or ‘likings’ and the Christian has only ‘charity’.

The worldly man treats certain people kindly because he ‘likes’ them: the Christian, trying to treat everyone kindly, finds himself liking more and more people as he goes on — including people he could not even have imagined himself liking at the beginning.

Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest, good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible. ~ C. S. Lewis, from “Mere Christianity”

Lord, let me remember the importance of every good choice, no matter how small. Amen.

For Courage to Speak the Truth

Holy God, whenever I am in fear that someone will be angry with me for telling the truth, let me remember that Christ did not come bearing a sword to kill his enemies, but a cross upon which his enemies would kill him. Be with me, Holy Spirit, when I am afraid to speak up against falsehood, knowing that people will be angry with me, for to follow Christ means to carry the cross.

If I know that the powerful might hurt me, I also remember that the wounds of Christ were momentary. The power of this world will fade, but your truth will remain forever and will reward me for such good and truth as I can accomplish in my life, no matter what hostility it encounters from the evil of men.

I pray you will instil confidence in the depth of my heart, dear God, utter certainty that wounds suffered in your name will be healed forever and rewarded in this life by the knowledge of your approval, and in the life to come by the peace of heaven. In Christ’s name, I pray, Amen.

For those in need

Lord Jesus, I pray for those who will be unhappy today: for parents who have no food to cook for their children; for those who cannot earn enough money for their families; for children who are sick or frightened; And for all who are alone and without people to love them. Amen

Dedication

All through this day, O Lord, by the power of your quickening Spirit, let me touch the lives of others for good, whether through the word I speak, the prayer I speak, or the life I live. Amen.