Living in the Spirit

June 23, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 30

I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up,
   and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
   and you have healed me.
 O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol,
   restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
   and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment;
   his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
   but joy comes with the morning. –Psalm 30:1-6

I do not think about having foes. I certainly know people who disagree with me on many things. Foes, though, seem to suggest some enemy that wants to harm me. My primary foes are part of me. The simple ones are the voices that whisper just one cookie will not make any difference. Or they highlight my sins of omission. Maybe I do not need to write my representative this time. Many other people are doing that, and he or she never pays any attention to me anyway. Or sitting in a meeting thinking somebody should say something because what is suggested is wrong and I sit there in silence.

I have noted a trend in our society that what we classify as the worse sins in the world are the things most of us would never do or have any reason to do. Many are not mentioned in scripture. While we ignore or at least readily assume forgiveness for us and the others in our circle, sins that are clearly articulated in the Bible are accepted as the way things are now. Of course, judging others and forgiveness of sins is not our work anyway. That assignment went to Jesus. Our task was and is to love one another no matter what. If we think about it, the people we need to love the most are those who the world considers the least of these.

What is our responsibility toward attaining reconciliation among those with whom we have markedly different understandings of God’s purpose for us? Much of Paul’s ministry was dedicated to answering that question. He sought to find the things on which they could agree and move forward from there.

Prayer: Lord of Love, forgive us for creating our misery as we try to serve you in the most convenient ways for ourselves. Guide us in stepping forth in faith to perform the way you set forth. 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.