Thoughts for the Day

Be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Today is an Ember Day. These are periods of prayer, and for many people, of fasting. They occur every quarter of the year in Western Churches, and this week they occur today and tomorrow. If you click on "Ember Days" at the top of this page it will give you Thoughts I have used on other Ember Days. Perhaps we might think of them as special moments of reflection about ourselves and our relationship to others and to God.

Peter is writing primarily to gentile Christians in churches in modern-day Turkey, after the Romans had destroyed Jerusalem in CE 70. He sees this as the end-times when Jesus will return to gather up the faithful, and is concerned that they use their gifts and talents to serve the Lord in the best way that they can in order that God may be glorified through the work of Jesus Christ.

Perhaps we can review how we serve other Christians today, and ask ourselves:

• Do we pray for our local (or national) Church leaders?
• Do we pray for Christians in need (locally or nationally)?
• Do we offer hospitality or help to other Christians?

Can we make one change today?

Lord Jesus Christ,
help us to review our life this day,
to reflect on how we love others,
and how we show them service.
May we not only hope to receive from You,
but recognise that we should give to others -
using the gifts You have given to us,
whether that be prayer, hospitality, or
some other loving service.
Help us to put this into action today.
Amen.