Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Epiphany: Year 2
Morning, Psalms 121, 122, 123; Evening, Psalms 124, 125, 126;
Proverbs 4:1 to 27; 1st John 4:7 to 21; John 11:30 to 44:
“Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.” (1st John 4: 20 and 21)
I am aware that our television news programs only lets us see the negative actions between people because for some reason we viewers have shown an appetite for the nastiness we do. This is very sad. Every day we can see where people are being mean to others whom they not only see, but see them as some kind of enemy. Too many of us don’t even consider looking at others through the lens of compassion. Love for others does not seem to be an option that we could select if we wanted to.
Most of these same people will declare some kind of belief in God. But God is love, pure love. How then do we acknowledge our belief in God and then push hate towards folks we see in our travels throughout the day? We need to make up our minds about what we really believe. We either believe in the love of God and the love God wants us to have for each other, or we don’t. To not love others is a proclamation of not believing in God. “Those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.” Let’s lose our appetite for evil actions and create a desire to see compassion. It could change the broadcast networks and what they let us see daily. “God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them;” (1st John 4:16)
As we listen to what the Spirit is saying to us, let us live to love, to serve, and to teach, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
onewhoponders 