June 1, 2023
Living in the Spirit
Scripture Reading:
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
Put things in order. Why do things get out of order? I have lived in the same house for over 40 years. I do not consider myself a hoarder, but over that many years, we just collect stuff until there is no longer any place to store new stuff. I have finally recognized that the problem needs to be addressed. What I have discovered is that as I sort through stuff, I do toss some things in the trash or donate things to organizations that distribute things to people in need. However, I just stack some things in another place and think I will decide what to do with those things later. When I read the above scripture, I wondered how much I run my spiritual life in the same way. How do we put our spiritual life in order and deal with those things we are not ready to tackle?
First, I think there are issues that we might need to set aside for a time to gain a clearer understanding. Second, I must confess there are some things I do not feel comfortable doing that I need to do. Regular communion with God is the best way to get a second opinion on our service to God. Is my reticence from God or me? The best thing about God is that the Lord will work with us to correct our route even when we take a wrong path. It is important that we learn from all our mistakes.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your patience with me and thank you for your impatience with me that gives me the impetus to do what is right even when I am hesitant to try. 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.