23rd. July. 2022.Daily Devotions.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.8 Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
The first words in Paul’s description are, “Love is patient, love is kind.” Kindness is a widely recognized secular virtue, especially among “social Christians,” who mistake kindness for basic Christian virtue. For Christianity does not always seem kind. Remember in Matthew 10:34-35, the verses, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, . . .” Where the virtue of kindness conflicts with the truth of Christ, the truth must prevail. It is not kindness to tell someone that a sin is just fine, that they should have no concern about stealing or envy or sexual immorality.
But we are nevertheless remonstrated to kindness, and it can hardly be overdone. For it is always an attribute of human nature, that one hearing criticism hears it a hundred times louder than the person speaking it. We have to try not to be critical or negative unless it is our job, or we think we have no choice; and when we do it, we need to work hard to find a way to do it with the softest possible voice. A natural tendency to sarcasm is a red flag for prayer and change in how we speak to, and about, other people. ~Mason Barge
Lord, grant me patience and kindness, that I might show Your love. Amen.
Still within us now, O Lord, any voice but yours, lest we hear but do not receive, lest we listen but do not act, lest we know but do not love, and let your Holy Spirit turn our hearts and lives to your truth. Amen Liturgy of the French Reformed Church.
Give to us, Lord, the peace of those who have learnt to serve you, the joy of those who are glad to obey you and the delight of those who rejoice in your praise; through Christ our Lord. Amen. Aidan of Lindisfarne (d.651)
Jesus our guest, none of our communities include everyone. There are many places we set aside for our own safety, identity, or privacy, or through prejudice or presumption. We find it hard to make space for people we consider unsavoury – people who use obscene language or who hold views we find offensive. How often have we shut out others just by our presence, never mind our words and actions? Lord have mercy.
You alone will open the longed-for space for all in your commonwealth of love and grace, when you judge the nations, heal our divisions, and transform our communities. What you started in Galilee, continue now. Through your Spirit, come, be our guest. Widen our circle again. Amen
A short prayer of gratitude to God
Thank you for the blessings you give to us of comfort, warmth, and rest. Thank you for the beauty of nature, blue skies, and smiles. Lord, thank you for the pleasure of conversation, intimacy, and love, And for the sustenance of food and drink and the blessing of water. Help me to notice and value these rich blessings in my life. May I feel full, whole, and ready to give to those who have little. Amen.