Hebrews
13:1 Let mutual love continue. 2 Do not
neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have
entertained angels without knowing it. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though
you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you
yourselves were being tortured. 4 Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let
the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and
adulterers. 5
Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what
you have; for he has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you." 6 So we can
say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What
can anyone do to me?"
Followers
of Jesus live with clear intent. These are stated as values to aspire towards:
“Let...Do not neglect...Keep...be”
These are verbs, or ‘doing’ words. No one can be a Christian through
intellectual agreement. This is a life that moves beyond a good idea, to a life
that is lived, every day, in every way.
This
does not mean that Christ-followers are perfect. Our Christian prayers
acknowledge our shortcomings. It does mean, however, that we will not water
down our expectation of ourselves. We will begin each day with fresh
expectations of ourselves being better than the day before: “So we can say with confidence, ‘The
Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid’.”
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Love is the Sign
The Scripture passage for
the day is drawn from Rueben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer
for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 167.
This reflection is from my own
devotional exercises for the day.
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