23rd. June. 2022.Daily Devotions.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2
Our physical bodies need daily exercise and activity. If we rarely stretch, exercise, do physical work, or play sports, our bodies will grow inflexible and heavy. In the long run we will risk all sorts of health problems. By midlife we will feel the aches and pains of old age prematurely.
Though we don’t often think of our spiritual life in the same way, we need to work at being spiritually fit as well. We need to exercise our souls and do faith-building exercises.
These are not exercises we do by our own strength, however. Through Jesus Christ, God has given us a “new nature” that needs to grow up and become strong. The apostle Paul explains that Christians together are like a body that needs to be attached to Christ as their Head, and “the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow” (Colossians 2:19).
As we grow in Christ, we need to exercise all the muscles of our faith. As our text tells us, we must “run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” We are called not to shuffle or trudge along in our spiritual life, but to press on, with exertion, for God’s glory. J. Zuidema
Creator God, thank you that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Help us not only to be physically fit but also to be active in your kingdom work so that we may bring you glory and honour. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Let us run the race that is set before us in the royal road of love. Let us keep an even pace rooted in the faith of the saints. Let us be grounded in true catholic love, until we are consumed by the fire of your grace for ever. Amen. John Wesley (1703-1791)
Loving Lord Jesus, help us to be as respectful of strangers as you were and to meet them as equals and valued human beings, not as objects of charity or as people to be avoided because they are different.
May we be sensitive to unknown backgrounds, aware of our own prejudices, open to and accepting of other cultures and willing to learn from them.
Help us to hear their lament for a lost country, for family left behind, for poverty or persecution in a former life – exchanged for the hostility and indifference of an unfair society, where opportunity is far from equal and judgments are made on superficial evidence.
Lord, may our welcome be as genuine, honest and loving as yours. Amen.
To Love Others
Holy Lord, give me the grace to embody love for others despite what they say or do, and to express the sacrificial love of Jesus by treating others in the way Jesus treated me. My confidence is in You, and I will steadfastly hold fast to You rather than wringing my hands over the evils in this generation. Amen.
Keep Open My Mind and My Heart
Dear Lord, I have been the recipient of so much of your goodness in my life. Please keep me open my mind and heart to receive whatever grace you wish to give me. In this time of trouble, it could be that you are giving me new eyes to see how much I have been taking for granted in my daily life and how much I have received without taking notice. When my friends and I emerge from this period of difficulty, may we truly treasure each person we know as a gift from You. I pray, in the name of Jesus. Amen.