Friday September 2, 2022

Today is Friday, September 2 and we are praying through the Beatitudes.

I turn to the Lord my God and ask Him to fulfill His plans and purposes for my upcoming day. I relinquish my cares, concerns and requests into His mighty hands and trust Him with every detail of my comings and goings.

Pause and Pray

Father God, I worship You in the stillness of the dawning day and seek Your abiding presence. Open the ears of my heart to receive the specific message You have for me this morning. Amen.

I rejoice in God’s steadfast love and celebrate His goodness with the words of Psalm 13.

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me. Psalm 13:5-6

Pause and Pray

In the Beatitudes, Jesus teaches me that there will never be a time when I will not need abject humility and utter dependence on God to journey toward Christian maturity and gain holiness. When I recognize my poverty of spirit, lament my deficiencies and hunger and thirst for goodness, I am filled with the grace of God leading me to love others with a pure love. In his sermon on Matthew 5:5-7, John Wesley spends the last half on a different text, Paul’s admonition for love in 1 Corinthians 13. Although this scripture is primarily read at weddings to indicate the love of a husband and wife, Wesley admonishes the believer to love other Christians with this kind of love, especially those with whom we disagree. (Upon Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount: Discourse Two by John Wesley, edited by William Abraham).

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

My love for other Christians is to be this kind of love. A love where I show patience and kindness, despite the words that might be spoken in the hallways or posted on social media. My love for my brothers and sisters in Christ does not envy their position or resent their success. My love is humble, courteous and polite. Loving the members of my congregation means I do not insist on my own way. Neither am I frustrated, irritable or rude. My love does not keep a record of wrongs. I am not pleased when I hear of another Christian who has sinned, or fallen short or failed in some way. I do not hurry to share gossip with a friend or like or comment on their misfortune. I love others with the love with which Christ loved me.

Ask: Who is difficult for me to love? How might praying the words of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 help me grow in my ability to love others – especially Christians with whom I disagree?

Pause and Pray

Precious Lord, I want to love like you love. Yet, I know I am very far from being able to do so. I pray that through the power of your Holy Spirit at work within me I might grow in my capacity to love You and others. When I am irritated, angry or disappointed with another person, remind me of these words from scripture so that I might increase my love for them. I read the words from 1 Corinthians again and listen for the message you have for me.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

I carefully consider the words which most resonate with me today. How might God want to reveal how I have treated others – in loving or unloving ways? What relationships does the Holy Spirit bring to mind as I reflect on these words from 1 Corinthians? Who in my life do I need to seek to love with this kind of love? God wants me to remember I am likely unable to do so in my own power, but I must rely on His power.

Pause and Pray

Holy Lord, your great love is beyond my capacity and comprehension. Teach me to live a life of love and reveal the places where I am lacking. I turn to you with a heart that is open, longing for your great love to fill me and enable me to live a life of love – loving God and loving others. Amen.

Jesus replied, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it – Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37-39

I leave this time of prayer and go striving to love God and love my neighbor in all that I do.

Amen