Living in the Spirit

July 2, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 145:8-14

The Lord is gracious and merciful,
   slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all,
   and his compassion is over all that he has made.

The Lord is faithful in all his words,
   and gracious in all his deeds.
The Lord upholds all who are falling,
   and raises up all who are bowed down. –Psalm 145:8-9, 13b-14

Why aren’t we? Why do we not choose to emulate God’s graciousness and mercy, God’s anger control, and particularly God’s steadfast love? Watching the news during COVID-19 and the death of George Floyd, with its aftermath, is a study in the best of us and the worst of us. Many are taking sides. In some instances, people play their ideologies against common sense to their own health detriment and the detriment of others who may cross their paths. Others seem to have seen the light about the existence of racial injustice in our world. They struggle to understand themselves as they strive to deal with a new self-awareness that is uncomfortable and demands self-examination and change.  Many want to snap our fingers and make it all go away. We are coming to the realization that neither the COVID-19 virus nor racism is going away without our sowing better habits of the heart, loving our neighbors as we love ourselves, and realizing that all people are our neighbors. Perhaps it is good for us to shelter at home and face our selves.

The above scripture ends in hope. The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down. All we must do is seek the Lord.

Prayer: God of Grace and Mercy, let your light open our hearts and minds to following you more nearly.  Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.