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Written by Amy Carmichael (1867-1951), an Irish missionary.

We are trusted to spread the spirit of love. Tenderness in judgment, the habit of thinking the best of one another, unwillingness to believe evil, grief if we are forced to do so, eagerness to believe good, joy over one recovered from any skip or fall, unselfish gladness in another’s joys, sorrow in another’s sorrow, readiness to do anything to help another entirely irrespective of self—all this and much more is included in that wonderful word love. If love weakens among us, if it ever becomes possible to tolerate the least shadow of an unloving thought, our fellowship will begin to perish. Unlove is deadly. It is a cancer. It may kill slowly but it always kills in the end…for we are one body—we are parts of one another. If one member suffers, all suffer loss. Not one of us lives to herself.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. [1 Corinthians 13:4-7]

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Written by Dallas Willard (1935-2013), an American philosopher and author. This is an excerpt from his book “Hearing God.”

The ideal for hearing from God is finally determined by who God is, what kind of beings we are and what a personal relationship between ourselves and God should be like. Our failure to hear God has its deepest roots in a failure to understand, accept, and grow into a conversational relationship with God, the sort of relationship suited to friends who are mature personalities in a shared enterprise, no matter how different they may be in other respects. It is within such a relationship that our Lord surely intends us to have, and to recognize readily, his voice speaking in our hearts as occasion demands. I believe that he has made ample provision for this in order to fulfill his mission as the Good Shepherd, which is to bring us life and life more abundantly. The abundance of life comes in following him.

When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. [John 10:4]

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Today’s devotion is from “The Weekly Rest Project,” published by Zondervan.

The entire world runs on cycles. Day becomes night. Night becomes day. Winter melts into spring. Spring blooms into summer. Summer fades into autumn. And autumn freezes into winter. Years pass by, and people are born and eventually die, but these cycles that God created remain the same. He set each cycle moving at creation, including the ones that govern our days. The Bible models this cycle for us. It is a rhythm of work, play, worship, and rest. Days for work, nights for rest, Sabbath each week, and everyone pausing to come together to worship and celebrate for holidays and feasts. Everything in balance to keep us healthy physically, mentally, and spiritually. The seasons have always played a role too. Work was limited by daylight and the weather until very recently. There was less outdoor work to be done in the winter and more time to rest. Now, of course, thanks to technology, we can work anytime and anywhere, even when we shouldn’t. Our modern, busy, go-go-go, I’ll-rest-when-I’m-dead mentality doesn’t truly disrupt or circumvent the cycle God provided us, even if it feels like working around the clock is some sort of cheat code to getting to the good life. It may lead to financial success, but it always comes at a cost — usually our health and overall well-being. We’ve turned away from living in community and working together to carry the load in favor of doing it all on our own, in our own ways. As a result, we’re a society of people who are sick, unhappy, burned out, lonely, and overwhelmed. And that is definitely not God’s plan for us. Prioritizing rest is about more than catching up on sleep. It’s about living our lives in sync with the rhythms God laid out for us that are designed to bring us closer to Him.

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under Heaven. [Ecclesiastes 3:1]

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Written by Andrew Murray (1828-1817), a South African writer, teacher, and pastor.

Jesus’ humility was simply surrender of himself to God. He let the Father do in him whatever he wanted. It didn’t matter what people around him said of him or did to him. It is so that we will have this same spirit that we have been allowed to share in Christ. When Jesus calls us to deny ourselves and follow him, this is what he means…We are to be and do nothing by ourselves so that God may be all. In Jesus we discover what humility means. It is because we don’t understand or seek after it that our own humility is so shallow and feeble.

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. [Proverbs 11:2]

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Written by Benedict of Nursia (480-547), a monk and founder of the Benedictines.

Father, in your goodness grant me the intellect to comprehend you, the perception to discern you, and the reason to appreciate you. In your kindness endow me with the diligence to look for you, the wisdom to discover you, and the spirit to apprehend you. In your graciousness bestow on me a heart to contemplate you, ears to hear you, eyes to see you, and a tongue to speak of you. In your mercy confer on me a conversation pleasing to you, the patience to wait for you, and the perseverance to long for you. Amen.

Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people [Psalm 100:3]

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Written by Dallas Willard (1935-2013), an American philosopher known for his writings on Christian spiritual formation. This is an excerpt from his book “The Divine Conspiracy.”

 Contrary to a popular idea, the kingdom of God is not primarily something that is ‘in the hearts of men.’ That kingdom may be there, and it may govern human beings through their faith and allegiance to Christ. At the present time it governs them only through their hearts, if at all. But his kingdom is not something confined to their hearts or to the ‘inner’ world of human consciousness. It is not some matter of inner attitude or faith that might be totally disconnected from the public, behavioral, visible world. It always pervades and governs the whole of the physical universe—parts of planet earth occupied by humans and other personal being ….So when Jesus directs us to pray, ‘The kingdom come,’ he does not mean that we should pray for it to come into existence. Rather, we pray for it to take over at all points in the personal, social, and political order where it is now excluded: ‘On earth as it is in heaven.’ With this prayer, we are invoking it, as in faith we are acting it, into the real world of our daily existence.

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit [Romans 14:17]

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Written by Gerrit Scott Dawson, a contemporary pastor and author, This is an excerpt from the book “Companions in Christ.”

Each of us has a unique combination of personality traits and gifts.  When we are able to put into practice the design that God has put within us, we find high levels of energy, fulfillment, and purpose. Ideally, what we are to do as Christians is to live in loving service to God in the world, according to the way we were created.  We share in the ministry of Jesus who gave himself completely for us.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.[1 Corinthians 12:4]

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Written by John S. Mogabgab (1946-2014), founding  editor of Weavings: A Journal of the Spiritual Life.

The kingdom of God is near, but how near? It is not easy to perceive this realm of light and life I a world so tortured by suffering. John’s Prologue offers a clue: The kingdom becomes flesh in the life of Jesus and in the lives of his followers. The story is told of a seeker who met a wise woman on the road. The seeker asked, “How do I find my way into the Kingdom?” The wise woman responded, “It’s just up the hill.” “What hill?” questioned the seeker. “The hill of your longing,” said the wise woman. “But how far is this hill?” pressed the seeker. Her reply: “How far is your heart?”

“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” [Mark 1:15]

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Written by Kwasi Kena, a contemporary professor and author. This is an excerpt from his book “The Africana Worship Book.”

An altar, a pew, a seat on the bus, a kitchen table: Today, in this holy place, God meets us, hears us and forgives us. In this holy place, God empowers us with genuine love to share with a hurting world. Be for God, a holy, loving people.

Honor the Lord! You are his special people. No one who honors the Lord will ever be in need. [Psalm 34:9]

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Written by William Temple (1881-1944), an Anglican priest and Archbishop of Canterbury.

There is the first thing—the bringing of the inner life under the control of the Holy Spirit by the perpetual discipline which brings us back, day by day, to the remembrance and companionship of Jesus Christ. Upon that everything else depends, for if the inward life is not sound you cannot do much with the outer.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you [Acts 1:8]

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