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Written by Oswald Chambers (1874-1917), an evangelist and teacher aligned with the Holiness Movement.  This is an excerpt from his book “My Utmost for His Highest.”

Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women. The one all–important thing is that the gospel of God should be recognized as the abiding reality. Reality is not human goodness, or holiness, or heaven, or hell— it is redemption. Redemption is the only reality. Personal holiness is an effect of redemption, not the cause of it. If we place our faith in human goodness we will go under when testing comes. Paul did not say that he separated himself, but “when it pleased God, who separated me…” Paul was not overly interested in his own character. And as long as our eyes are focused on our own personal holiness, we will never even get close to the full reality of redemption. God cannot deliver or transform me while my interest is merely in my own character.

The Lord’s light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive. [Proverbs 20:27]

Written by John Ortberg, a contemporary pastor, author, and speaker. This is an excerpt from his book “The Me I Want to Be.”

Many approaches to spiritual growth assume that the same methods will produce the same growth in different people – but they don’t. Because you have been created by God as a unique person, His plan to grow you will not look the same as His plan to grow anyone else. What would grow an orchid would drown a cactus. What would feed a mouse would starve an elephant. All of those entities need light, food, air, and water – but in different amounts and conditions. God’s plan for you will not look exactly like His plan for anyone else, which means it will take freedom and exploration for you to learn how God wants to grow you. Spiritual growth is hand-crafted, not mass-produced. God does not do ‘one-size-fits-all.’

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. [2 Corinthians 3:17]

Written by Mother Alice Kaholuoluna (1888-1957), a Congregational minister of native Hawaiian ancestry and the first woman ordained by the Hawaiian Evangelical Association.

Before the missionaries came, my people used to sit outside their temples for a long time meditating and preparing themselves before entering. Then, they would virtually creep to the altar to offer their petitions and afterwards would again sit a long time outside, this time to “breathe life” into their prayers. The Christians, when they came, just got up, uttered a few sentences, said Amen and were done. For that reason my people called them haoles, “without breath,” or those who failed to breathe life into their prayers.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus [1 Thessalonians 5:16-18]

Written by Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556), a theologian, leader of the English reformation, and Archbishop of Canterbury.  This is from the Book of Common Prayer.

Blessed Lord, who hast caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever. [1 Peter 1:24-25].

Written by Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), an Indian poet, writer, educator and environmentalist.  This is an excerpt from the book “The Heart of God.”

I threw away my heart in the world; you took it up. I sought for joy and gathered sorrow, you gave me sorrow and I found joy,. My heart was scattered in pieces, you picked them up in your hand and strung them in a thread of love, You let me wander from door to door to show me at last how near you are. Your love plunged me into the deep trouble. When I raised my head I found I was at your door.

As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses [2 Corinthians 6:4]

This is an excerpt from “The Bible in a Year: A 52-Week Journey Through God’s Word,” written by the Spiral Bible team.

Forgiveness is the decision to release others from the debt of their wrongs against us, reflecting God’s forgiveness of us in Christ. It frees both the forgiver and the forgiven, breaking cycles of bitterness and restoring relationships. Jesus’s sobering words about forgiveness being reciprocal reveal the serious connection between receiving and extending forgiveness. This isn’t about earning God’s forgiveness but about demonstrating that we understand its value. Like a stream that both receives and passes on water, we’re meant to be channels of forgiveness, not reservoirs.

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. [Matthew 6:14-15]

Written by Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889-1929), an Indian Christian missionary and sadhu. This is an excerpt from his book “At the Master’s Feet.”

Sin is to cast aside the will of God and to live according to one’s own will, deserting that which is true and lawful in order to satisfy one’s own desires, thinking thus to obtain happiness. Yet in so doing, one does not obtain real happiness or enjoy true pleasure. Sin has no individuality, so that no one can say of it that someone created it. It is simply the name of a state or condition. There is only one Creator and He is good, and a good Creator could not have created a bad thing, for to do so would be against His very nature. And apart from the one Creator there is no other who could have created sin. Satan can only spoil that which has already been created, but he has not the power of creating anything. So, sin is not a part of creation, nor has it independent existence such that it could be created. It is simply a delusive and destructive state of being. For instance, light is something which has real existence, but darkness has not; it is only a state, the absence of light. Thus, sin or evil is not a self-existent thing, but simply the absence or nonexistence of good.

There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. [Revelation 22:5]

Written by the staff at The Fuller Center for Spiritual Formation.

Years ago, a mentor shared with me a time when he felt hopeless. He had experienced a deep family loss and shared this loss with a student of his. This student listened and told him he would hold onto hope for him. His student became a hope holder for his teacher when he was hopeless. Hope was not lost. Hope was held in the hands of another, in love, for the sake of someone else. My mentor shared that knowing someone else held onto hope, even when he could not, encouraged and strengthened him in this season.  Hope holds, even when we cannot hold it. It holds through friendship, through our faith communities, through neighbors, and through the centuries of saints. We hold others as we listen deeply, as we use our time for good, as we enter others’ sufferings, when we think of someone and express our availability and care. And as we hold hope for others, we are reminded that Jesus holds each one of us.

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. [Romans 15:1-2]

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

In Matthew 7:12, Jesus gives us a powerful command that has become known as the Golden Rule…Many religions and cultures talk about treating others with kindness. But what Jesus says here is more than just another good rule for life. It’s a clear picture of what it means to live in the likeness of Christ, and it calls us to something deeper than we might expect. Many people are surprised to learn that Jesus’ version of the Golden Rule is actually unique. Other religions may offer similar-sounding advice, but they usually do so in the negative: “Don’t do to others what you wouldn’t want them to do to you.” That’s important, of course. But Jesus takes it a step further. He says, in effect, “Do to others what you would want them to do to you.” He’s not simply telling us to avoid doing harm—He’s calling us to actively do good. The Golden Rule invites us to step into the lives of others and love them with intention. Jesus even says this one command “is the Law and the Prophets.” In other words, it sums up the entire message of the Old Testament. Love, kindness, and self-giving toward others are not just side lessons in Scripture—they are at the heart of what God desires for His people. All of God’s commandments about how we should live in community with one another come together in this one sentence… Living out the Golden Rule in our daily lives is difficult. It means choosing patience when we are annoyed. It means showing kindness when we’ve been wronged. It means giving when it costs us something. And yet, this is what Jesus did for us. He loved us while we were still sinners. He gave Himself for us while we were still enemies of God. His love was proactive, sacrificial, and full of grace. That’s the kind of love we are called to show.

In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets. [Matthew 7:12]

Written by Laura Murray, a contemporary author. This is an excerpt from her work “Holding Hope.”

Hope is grounded in the realities of our world. It does not avoid or ignore what is real nor is it bound only to what we can see. When we hope, we consider reality and open ourselves up to possibility. And this is quite the place to be! The poets of Scripture were familiar with both reality and possibility and the tension of holding them together. And through the Psalms they invite us into their humanity and ours. The Psalms overflow with images and adjectives that hold claims of who God is as well as the challenges and choices of life. The move back and forth between confidence and cries, delight and desire, hope in God and the harshness of the world. As the Psalmist shares with us we are invited to open ourselves up to the movements within us.

The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread? When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident. [Psalm 27:1-3]