Devotion
Practice lovingkindness
David Jacobs
I love podcasts and listen to them regularly. One of my favorites is called the 'Tim Ferris podcast' with host, you guessed it, Tim Ferris. Ferris is an angel investor and all-around smart guy, constantly experimenting on himself in order to improve the way he feels, thinks, and acts. He had a Buddhist monk on the program that taught me something that I still use today: practicing lovingkindness. Every morning when the monk wakes up, he writes down a list of the first 10 people that he wants to share his love and kindness with. I started to do this, and it had a dramatic effect. Lots of the people on my list were people that I had problems with or that were on my mind. After writing their names down, the next time I saw them, it was as if the problems had melted away and been replaced with lovingkindness.
It is rather depressing to think of how few people we share our love with on a regular basis. Our love is also somewhat conditional, hinging on things like if they are faithful, reciprocate our love, or don't understand us fully. God has written His list of lovingkindness, and it contains every living thing. There are no conditions as there may be for us, but we should strive to accept God into our hearts. Until we do, we will never be able to fully love others, ourselves, or experience eternal life. His love for us is unconditional, but He gives us the choice of whether or not to reciprocate. The choice is ours; thanks be to God for giving it to us!
Prayer
Write your lovingkindness list. Who is on your list? Is God?
Night Prayer
Let me not be ashamed, O Lord; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.
Inspiration
We humble ourselves before the Lord when we come to Him with earthly burdens. We understand we do not have the power to control or fix our problems alone, so we lay our egos down and align our lives with the will of God. We are proud to be His servants and accept His help throughout our struggles. His love is unconditional, and His wisdom parallels none other.
Prayer
Dear Lord, we humble ourselves before You, seeking Your wisdom and guidance all the days of our lives. Thank You for Your presence and unfailing love. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Devotion
You are a Temple of The Holy Spirit
Frances Taylor
This is a hard saying in today's world. Sexual immorality is so rampant and public that few people believe it to be immoral! People no longer think of sexual behavior outside of marriage as wrong and, in fact, have no problem with going from one person to another quite publicly, broadcasting their behavior on social media and if you're famous enough, on twitter, on TV, in magazines, etc. What happened to "Thou shalt not commit adultery?" I guess I'm old fashioned. I'm not about to condemn anyone who truly loves another and is faithful to them regardless of marriage, but I don't understand and cannot condone random sexual encounters that are not based on love but lust, have no desire for permanency but are literally just to satisfy a sexual itch.
Sorry if I offend anyone, but if we believe that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit to be kept holy, how can we treat them as what – toys, prizes? I'm aware that women have often ...
Morning Prayer
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
Inspiration
Think of a grudge that you held on for a long time. Did you feel better from holding this grudge? Now think about this deeper: what if God held a grudge against us? Wow, how blessed we are that he forgives our sins! He leads by example, forgiving those of us that do exactly what he asks us not to do. We all should all be more forgiving, like God is to us.
Prayer
You sent your only son to the world to die so that we may be forgiven, merciful God. Forgive me, once again, for being too selfish and proud to not forgive those that trespass against me. I wish that I can sin less and ask for forgiveness and guidance when I need it. I thank you for sending your son to us, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen.
