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Written by John Mark Comer, a contemporary pastor and author. This is an excerpt from his course on Practicing the Way.

It’s a great tragedy that the word justice has been caught up in the culture wars and the polarizing vitriol between Left and Right. For some, justice is the ultimate good; for others, a pariah. Of course, justice means different things to different people. (Think of how it’s used in Isaiah, versus on Twitter, versus in a Clint Eastwood western.) But this is not a word we can let secularism define (to my friends on the Left), nor is it a practice we can abandon (to my friends on the Right). Because it’s central to the heart of God… Dr. Gerry Breshears said, “Practicing justice is an act of joining God in seeing that the created order (people and everything else) receives what it is due.” And doing this no matter the pain to yourself. It means disadvantaging yourself for the advantage of the “other,” the one in need of care… Every person we meet is a God opportunity—to love and to serve. Every day is full of possible miracles. Every moment is pregnant with possibility, if only we open our eyes.

Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed.  Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. [Isaiah 1:17]

Written by Ken Boa, a contemporary author and founder of Reflections Ministry.

There is a natural human tendency to suppose that we can or must earn God’s approval, acceptance, love, or forgiveness through our own effort and achievement. It is not uncommon, even for those who understand that salvation is a gift of God’s grace through faith in Christ Jesus, to slip into the error of thinking that spiritual growth is primarily a matter of human effort and merit. Galatians corrects this error by stressing that the same principle that brings about our justification (grace through faith) also brings about our sanctification. When we walk by the Spirit, we are empowered to bear the spiritual fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. [Galatians 5:5]

Written by N. T. Wright, a contemporary theologian, author.  This is an excerpt from his book “For All God’s Worth.”

We need Christian people to work as healers: as healing judges and prison staff, as healing teachers and administrators, as healing shopkeepers and bankers, as healing musicians and artists, as healing writers and scientists, as healing diplomats and politicians. We need people who will hold on to Christ firmly with one hand and reach out with the other, with wit and skill and cheerfulness, with compassion and sorrow and tenderness, to the places where our world is in pain. We need people who will use all their God-given skills… to analyze where things have gone wrong, to come to the place of pain, and to hold over the wound the only medicine which will really heal, which is the love of Christ made incarnate once more, the strange love of God turned into your flesh and mine, your smile and mine, your tears and mine, your patient analysis and mine, your frustration and mine, your joy and mine.

Lead the life that the Lord has assigned to you, to which God has called you. [1 Corinthians 7:17]

Written by the staff at Theodyssey, an organization that helps people encounter God and be radically changed by the truth of His love. This is an excerpt from their study “When We Pray.”

Anxiety thrives when we live in imagined futures. Trust emerges when we live in the present. Jesus’ invitation to ask for daily bread is an invitation to be here – not five years ahead. When our hearts trust God as a loving Father, we know He will be with us through whatever happens. He doesn’t promise safety, comfort, and endless answered prayers. He promises to be enough for us. That allows us to slowly release anxiety and look for what’s in front of us. We see God at work and join Him. We notice a need and respond. We fully listen in a conversation and encourage. There is wisdom in stewardship and planning, yet we can be consumed by security. What would it look like to hold everything with open hands? To use every resource we have to participate in the Kingdom? That spare bedroom might be repurposed. The guests at our dining room table might look more diverse. Our calendar might have more margin to be available to our neighbors. Each conversation may feel more sacred. The invitation is for us to pursue the heart of dependence regardless of our circumstances. We become more present, available to step in where we see God at work – bringing the Kingdom into reality. We become more like Jesus for the sake of others.

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. [Matthew 6:31-34]

Written by Francois Fenelon (1651-1715), a French archbishop, theologian, poet, and writer.

Let’s live in today. Let’s receive humbly whatever comes our way, not always wondering what more we could have, and not trying to hide the truth of smallness, of how selfish and afraid we are. Just let God be God. God is at work; let him work. Abandon yourself fully to God, in this moment, in each day. Don’t hold anything back. Don’t worry about what will or won’t be. Just be present, as though this very moment encompassed the whole of eternity.

This is the day which the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. [Psalm 118:24]

Written by Doug Webster, a contemporary pastor, teacher,  and author. This is an excerpt from his work “The Lost Kingdom.”

Into the breathlessness Jesus speaks. You have found rest for your soul in me as your sufficient and good Shepherd. I have the genius wisdom and the grace-full way for you to know a good life without sacrificing your character, but rather strengthening who you are becoming as you seek in life what really matters. To your labored and ladened life, my easy and light yoke is filled with goodness and mercy to lead and guide you in my gentle and humble manner as you experience the love of the Father and of me, with me in the Yoke. It is the love and life without want in the Yoke that sheds light on your sinful, selfish, suffocating ways. When you are unburdened by the weight of being your own royalty, your self-deification to breathe, survive, live, conquer, you discover how broken you really are. In the ease of my yoke comes the awareness of the heaviness of the slavery to what and to whom you have been captive. It is here most clearly, at some point for the very first time, that you have eyes to see, ears to hear, understanding to turn and find healing in me. You hear my voice again with an invitation, “Come,” as I welcome you deeper into life with me — “Come and surrender.” For I am not only the good Shepherd to restore you, I am the sacrificial Lamb to save you, rescue you, deliver you from the dark, shadowed valley in a far away land in the pleasure pit of prostitutes and pigs, or next door in the prideful field of contempt and criticism. In surrender, you will find that all the Father has is yours, and we will always be with you.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. [Proverbs 3:5-6]

Written by Henri Nouwen (1932-1996), a Dutch priest, professor, writer, and theologian. 

Prayer is leading every sorrow to the source of all healing: it is letting the warmth of Jesus’ love melt the cold anger of resentment; it is opening a space where joy replaces sadness, mercy supplants bitterness, love displaces fear, gentleness and care overcome hatred and indifference. But, most of all, prayer is the way to become and remain part of Jesus’ mission to draw all peoples to the intimacy of God’s love.

Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. [Micah 7:18]

Written by Rick Warren, a contemporary evangelical pastor, author, and founder of Saddleback Church.

A truly successful life is not measured by pleasure, popularity, possessions, power, or position. It’s measured by your purpose. If you want to measure how successful your life has been, then you have to ask only one question: Did you fulfill the five purposes that God created you for? Of course, you can’t answer that question if you don’t know what those purposes are. They are the same for everyone: First, God wants you to know him and love him. That’s called worship. Second, he wants you to belong to his family. That’s called fellowship. Third, God wants you to grow spiritually to be like Jesus. That’s called discipleship Fourth, he wants you to serve him by serving others…That’s called ministry. Finally, God wants you to tell others the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ. That’s called evangelism. God wants you to know him, to grow in him, to belong to him, to serve him, and to share him with others. If you miss these five purposes, then you don’t have a clear, firm purpose in your life, and you’ll miss the entire reason God created you. You’ll just exist! You’ll drift through life.  But God wants more for you. He created you for  his five eternal purposes, and those purposes are never going to change. They give you an anchor in hard times, when everything around you is changing. No matter what you’re going through right now, you need to reaffirm your commitment to God’s five purposes for your life. When everything’s changing, when you’re confused, when you’re in doubt, when you need direction—you always return to the basics. You get back to the truth. God loves you. He created you for a purpose. And he will give you everything you need to fulfill your purpose as you follow him—even when it gets hard.

Give yourself completely to God—every part of you—for you are back from death and you want to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for his good purposes. [Romans 6:13]

Written by the Christianity.com editorial staff.

All Souls’ Day, also recognized as the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed and the Day of the Dead, is a holiday of prayer and memorial for the souls of those who have died…Faiths and customs affiliated with All Souls’ Day range broadly among Christian denominations…The foundation of All Souls’ Day for a general intercession on November 2 is due to Odilo, abbot of Cluny, who died in 1048. The observed date, which became essentially universal before the end of the 13th century, was determined to follow All Saints’ Day…In contemporary Western Christianity, the annual celebration is held on November 2nd and is part of the season of Allhallowtide that includes All Saints’ Day (November 1st) and its eve, Halloween (October 31st)…This prayer reminds us that those who die in faith live in Christ:

O eternal God and Father, you are not the God of the dead but of the living, and all who put their trust in you, who rest in their chambers under the earth, live in you. Be merciful to us, dear Father, do not let us be afraid of the power and sting of death, but keep us in the true faith in your dear Son, who is the way, the truth, and the life.  Uphold us with your Holy Spirit, and give us a clear conscience, that we may live our Christian lives, and finally fall asleep in peace and joy when we leave this valley of tears, and rest in peace until you open our graves and awaken us with the sound of the last trumpet; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. [Psalm 23:3]

Written by Mark D. Roberts, a contemporary pastor, author, retreat leader, and speaker. This is an excerpt from an article on “ The High Calling” website.

Today is All Saints Day, a holy day recognized by the Catholic Church and, in various ways, by various Protestant denominations …. Some Christian traditions focus on remembering special Christians on All Saints Day or bringing to mind believers who have died and gone to be with the Lord. This day offers a fine opportunity to thank God for those whose lives have honored him and made a difference to us. Yet, it’s important to remember that the biblical sense of “saint” includes all of God’s people, not just those who have excelled in discipleship… In the New Testament, believers in Jesus Christ are referred to as “saints” or “holy people” because they have inherited Israel’s divinely conferred status as people set apart by God for him and for his saving purposes. If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, you are a saint. You are a holy person. This does not necessarily say anything about your worthiness to receive this title or your exemplary lifestyle, however. I wouldn’t recommend that you go around putting “Saint” in front of your name. Rather, you are a saint because God has chosen you to belong to him and his people. He has set you apart so that you might participate in his redeeming work in the world. Remember, you are not a solo saint. There is no such thing from a biblical perspective. Rather, as a saint, you have been joined to the family of all saints, including those who live around the world and those who have gone to be with the Lord. Therefore, on All Saints Day, it is a perfect time to remember that God has made you special for him and his purposes, and that he has joined you into the eternal, worldwide fellowship of all his saints. Moreover, it’s a good day to take seriously the fact that God wants to make himself known in this world through you as a member of the family of all saints.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus. [Ephesians 1:1]