Living in the Spirit

August 21, 2023

Scripture Reading: Psalm 124
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side
   —let Israel now say—
if it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
   when our enemies attacked us,
then they would have swallowed us up alive,
   when their anger was kindled against us;
then the flood would have swept us away,
   the torrent would have gone over us;
then over us would have gone
   the raging waters.

Blessed be the Lord,
   who has not given us
   as prey to their teeth.
We have escaped like a bird
   from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
   and we have escaped.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,
   who made heaven and earth.

Our help is in the name of the Lord. We have a whole set of books gathered into one that tells us the story of God in history, parables, and poetry. It helps us to understand what is just and what is not. Through Jesus Christ, God gave us a human example to follow, showing us how to love and care for one another. He instilled in us the presence of the Holy Spirit to be with us and left us with the challenge to go into all the world and share God’s love.  He did not necessarily say it was easy, but he did say building the Kingdom ruled by love was worth the effort.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for being our guiding light as we strive to continue your mission in the world today.  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.