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Written by Chris Webb, a Benedictine Anglican Priest and author.

It is possible to be so self-absorbed and self-centered that we are blind to the needs, struggles, and pain of those around us; unfeeling and uncaring, we easily excuse ourselves from being involved in the lives of others. But as we are transformed into greater Christlikeness, another temptation rears its head—a more seductive and subtle temptation. We absorb ourselves in “justice,” in “society,” in “reforms.” We identify the issues and vigorously campaign. We speak out and make our voices heard. We become energetic activists for righteousness! Yet the truth is we have not learned to see, let alone love, the woman or the man—the individual human being whose life is so profoundly affected by the issues and causes over which we agitate…We need to get more personal. We need to learn to see people. I suggest spending an evening down at the soup kitchen or homeless shelter. But not cooking, cleaning, or serving. Instead, grab a bowl of soup and sit with the folks who come through the door. Chat with them. Ask about their lives. Where are they from? Where are their families? What do they do, day by day? Who are their friends? What are their interests, their stories, their memories? Begin to see them as people, not recipients or charity cases…Or perhaps you might spend a day with a drop-in for single mothers. Or in a prison. Wherever you live, there are places where you can meet the lost, the lonely, the troubled, the poor, the marginalized, the oppressed, and open yourself to their company and friendship.The compassionate life is, first and foremost, personal. It must be rooted in genuine, direct relationships, not nebulous issues. We cannot love causes. We can only love people—and this love is the root of all real, enduring justice and peace. As we walk in the footsteps of Jesus, we need to learn to see.

Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. [Luke 7:44]

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

Your creation is a magnificent unity in diversity, profound in wisdom, awesome in understanding, marvelous in purpose and rich in elegance. You revel in variety, subtlety, intricacy, information, and beauty. All things work together in both the physical and spiritual realms. I thank You for creating and calling me to become conformed to the image of Your Son, and I pray for the grace of holy desire to pursue by Your power what You have called me to become in Christ. I thank You for friendships and alliances with likeminded people, and I am grateful for the manifold gifts and ministries in the Body of Christ. Give me a growing heart for Your people so that I will be embedded in others-centered community as a lover and servant of the people You love. Amen.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. [Romans 8:28]

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Written by Grace Pouch, a contemporary writer and teacher.

My Mom was out walking on the beach one day, praying and asking the Lord to give her a fresh word of encouragement to pass along to the church that she pastors. She saw a small clump of coral at her feet, and she sensed God say, “Consider the coral.” She picked it up and studied it—as one would study scriptures—and found it packed with truth about life together as a congregation. A small piece of coral is actually made up of many tiny individual organisms. These organisms share a structural skeleton that binds them together as a living community, and these communities form a vast reef under the sea. Healthy reefs, made up of many different types of corals, bring life and vitality to the ocean, give shelter to other living things, and protect coastlines. It is a beautiful image of the Church: a vast network of congregations of all sorts and sizes, made up of millions of individual souls, united by one Lord, one faith, and one baptism to radiate God’s love to the world.

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. [1 Corinthians 12:27]

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Written by Lilias Trotter (1853-1928), a British artist and protestant missionary to Algeria.

I am seeing more and more that we begin to learn what it is to walk by faith when we learn to spread out all that is against us: all our physical weakness, loss of mental power, spiritual inability—all that is against us inwardly and outwardly—as sails to the wind and expect them to be vehicles for the power of Christ to rest upon us. It is so simple and self-evident—but so long in the learning!

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. [2 Corinthians 11:30]

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Written by Drew Dixon, a contemporary minister, spiritual director, and author.

In a world increasingly mediated by technology, incarnation is one of the most important theological categories for us to recover…When Jesus came, the transcendent God became a body—the omnipresent God became local…The glory of God was tangibly experienced through embodied reality. This was true for the gospel writers, and it is true today…Though Jesus has ascended and is seated with the Father, there is still a way in which he remains incarnate on earth. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that, “For those who belong to him, Jesus’ departure does not mean a loss but rather a new gift. For the first disciples the bodily community with Jesus did not mean anything different or anything more than what we have today.” That “new gift” is the body of Christ that we know as the Church. Despite technology’s gifts, the great temptation of our age is to become increasingly disembodied being s living through pixels on the screens. But the Word is meant to become flesh and dwell among us in our localized, embodied expressions of the Church. This is where we are meant to see the glory of God. In our incarnated fellowship, we find our truest sense of belonging as we share meals, listen to stories, and wrestle with our common faith. Being face to face forces s to reckon with our differences. In mutual presence, we learn to really see one another and be formed by one another so that, together, we become more like Christ., As we are reconciled to one another and seek to love our neighbors, we show forth the glory of God on earth.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. [John 1:14]

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Written by Gregory the Great (c540-604), Catholic Pope known for instituting the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome to convert the then largely pagan Anglo-Saxons to Christianity.

We must take note that in the sacred scriptures, the Lord sometimes calls himself “Lord,” sometimes “Father” and sometimes “Bridegroom.” For when he wishes to be feared, he calls himself “Lord;” when he wishes to be honored, “Father;” when he wishes to be loved, “Bridegroom.” As honor is more worthy than fear, God rejoices much more to be called “Father” than “Lord.” As love is dearer than honor, God rejoices much more to be called “Bridegroom” than “Father.” The Lord and the church are therefore not called “Lord” and “Handmaiden” in the Book of Songs but “Bridegroom” and “Bride” so that he may be eagerly served not only in fear and in reverence but also in love and so that a deep interior attachment to God may be aroused by this exterior language. When he calls himself “Lord,” he indicates that we have been crated by him; when he calls himself “Bridegroom,” he indicates that we have been united to him. Moreover, it is far more significant to be united to God than to be created and adopted by him. Therefore, when “Bridegroom is written, something quite lofty is conveyed since it reveals the bond of union.

I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness,  and you will acknowledge the Lord. [Hosea 19-20]

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Written by Mark Roberts, a contemporary author.

One way to discern your purpose in life is by paying attention to your fruitfulness. Seeing clearly where and how you are bearing fruit that matters can help you receive, clarify, craft, and live your purpose. Then, if knowing your purpose helps you to live fruitfully, not only will this add meaning to your life, and not only will it serve your neighbors, but also God will be glorified. You might call this a win-win-win.  Sometimes our fruitfulness and our sense of purpose are in full, obvious alignment… At other times our fruitfulness can help us discern our purpose, perhaps a purpose we weren’t even expecting… Fruitfulness as an individual is not something I produce on my own. I am not a solitary grapevine, growing all by myself. And neither are you. Rather, we are branches on the vine of Christ. Our fruitfulness is a result of our connection to Christ and, through Christ, to the other branches, that is, the people of Christ.

By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be my disciples. [John 15:8]

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Written by Sarah Frazer, a contemporary writer.

Humility means we have an honest view of ourselves and God. One of the things I love about God is that He is both all-powerful and holy. We have a God who sits on the throne of Heaven, orchestrating the entire universe. Colossians says He keeps everything going by the power of His hands. Nothing escapes God’s notice, control, and wisdom. God is perfect in all His ways, and only those who are also holy are allowed to enter into His presence. Another aspect of God’s character evident throughout the entire Bible is God’s closeness to us. Our God also knows Himself, so we can understand and find Him. God is described as our Shepherd, Father, and Teacher. Having a relationship with us is a priority for our all-powerful God. God demonstrated this through Jesus, who was willing to humble Himself for our sakes. We tend to fall on one side or the other as we approach God. Either we think we need to see ourselves only as disgraced, unlovable beings before a holy, perfect God, or we call ourselves “worms” or “enemies” of God, even after we become Christians. Sometimes, we don’t speak up or speak out because we have a false sense of humility. Thinking low of ourselves is not humility. We do this because we fear the other side of the coin: pride. The Bible warns us repeatedly about pride, which is thinking too highly of ourselves…In our attempts to avoid pride, as we should, we have a false sense of humility. A correct, Biblical view of humility falls in the middle of both views. Although we recognize that we came to God from a state of utter helplessness and God is beyond our ability to reach on our own, God humbled Himself so that we now stand with Jesus as co-heirs and children of God…Yes, we are sinners in need of grace. However, as Christians, we have accepted Jesus as our Savior and understand that we are no longer enemies but friends of God. Our standing before God changes the instant we accept Christ as our Savior. Because our standing before God changes, we can now humbly come before God properly. We do not exalt ourselves above God, but we do not degrade ourselves. Humility means we let God lift us; we are one of God’s children, no matter our standing before the world.

We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who, in every respect, has been tempted as we are, without sin. Let us then, with confidence, draw near to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. [Hebrews 4:15-16]

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Written by A.B. Simpson (1843-1919), a Canadian preacher, theologian, and author.  This is an excerpt from his book “Days of Heaven and Earth.”

Often the Lord calls us aside from our work for a season, and bids us be still and learn ere we go forth again to minister. There is no time lost in such waiting hours. Fleeing from his enemies, the ancient knight found that his horse needed to be re-shod. Prudence seemed to urge him on without delay, but higher wisdom taught him to halt a few minutes at the blacksmith’s forge by the way, to have the shoe replaced; and although he heard the feet of his pursuers galloping hard behind, yet he waited those minutes until his charger was refitted for his flight. And then, leaping into his saddle just as they appeared a hundred yards away, he dashed away from them with the fleetness of the wind, and knew that his halting had hastened his escape. So often God bids us tarry ere we go, and fully recover ourselves for the next stage of the journey and work.

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. [Isaiah 40:31]

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Written by Kara Stout, a contemporary writer. This prayer is an excerpt from her book “Untroubled Heart.”

Life so often feels out of our control. In truth, most of life is out of our control. There are some painful seasons or experiences when we especially struggle with not being able to control or change our circumstances, which leaves us confused, anxious, and disheartened. From our viewpoint, it’s hard to make sense of it. I have been through a several-years-long course of learning I am not in control, from losing both of my parents to cancer, to struggling with infertility, to the ups and downs of our adoption journey. I did what I could within each of these circumstances — I prayed, researched, sought the expertise of doctors, looked into treatment plans — but ultimately, the outcome was up to God. It was hard not to desire more control. I so desperately wished there was something more I could do to make those situations feel less chaotic and heartbreaking. But I realized the best thing for me to do was surrender because, in every circumstance, each heartache was building my faith and deepening my trust in God. The more I surrendered, the more peace I felt. God is the One in control, better at governing it all than we could ever be. His ways are perfect and good. This doesn’t always mean they feel good, but we can still trust they are because God is good. He never abandons us while we wrestle to try and understand. He carries us through by His love, and He changes our perspective by His grace. He transforms us, making us more into the likeness of Christ. 

Nevertheless, not my will, but Yours, be done. [Luke 22:42]

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