8th. July. 2022.Daily Devotions.

³¹ God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning – the sixth day. Genesis 1:31

The good, perfect, and loving Creator made an amazingly good world. The great song of creation in Genesis 1 closes with this resounding affirmation: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” The star-studded heavens, the warming sun and glistening moon, the lush forests and the underlying biosphere, the sea teeming with marine life, and the air humming with birds—all of it was good. And human­kind, bearing God’s image, empowered to care for God’s good earth, was also good. It was all very good.

An important word that we may not associate with this goodness is shalom. This Hebrew word, often translated as “peace,” means much more than that. While “peace” often refers mainly to an absence of conflict, shalom suggests the presence of goodness, flourishing, right relationships, and all things being as God created them to be. Shalom points to all things living in line with their character so that they can fully achieve God’s intentions for them.

Living in right relationship is essential for human flourishing—right relationship with God, with others, with self, and with God’s creation. That’s what God intended. Yet because of human sin and rebellion, those relations are twisted and spoiled. Poverty and all its limitations are the result of relationships gone wrong. Even so, God’s great work of love is to free us and his creation from the bondage of sin and to restore shalom. R. Berkenbosch

God, thank you for loving us enough to restore us and make all things new. In Jesus, Amen.

O Lord, you are the beginning of all our goodness, the wellspring of all our loving and the source of all our freedom. Let your grace continually work within us, that your will may be done through us, and that we may always rejoice in your presence; now and for ever. Amen. Mary Ward (1585-1645)

Loving God, my shield and hiding place,
give me the courage to come from behind the shield,
give me the faith to leave my hiding place,
so that I might be willing to go into every place:
places of tears and trauma, places of disillusion and despair
as well as places of fun and fulfilment.
Displace my complacency and replace it with a spirit of boldness.
May I serve you till in heaven I take my place.
Until then, I place into your hands the things I should do, safe in the knowledge that you are my abiding place,
my dwelling place and my resting place. Amen. Inspired by Psalm 8

Bless the hands
that bring wholeness
to lives blighted by sickness.

Bless the saints who
in sad and desperate places
bring a sense of hopefulness.

Bless the Christians
facing daily opposition
showing a faithful witness.

Bless the generosity
of the rich and powerful
for the gift of thoughtfulness.

Bless the peacemakers
working in conditions
that are often hazardous.

Bless the politicians
whether good or bad
for decisions affecting all of us.

Bless our words and actions
as we carry your light
into places shrouded in darkness.

Bless your children
whoever they might be
with the warmth of your love and grace. John Birch