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All Part of the Story
On the flight home from a vacation out west, my seatmate asked me what I do Read More
Jes Kast | Read Colossians 1:9-14
In a September 2023 Atlantic article by David Brooks titled “How America Got Mean,” Brooks asks two questions. Amidst outlining statistics of increasing depression rates, he asks: “Why have Americans become so sad?” His second question, rooted in stories of people leaving professions because of challenging interactions with people in...
God, wisdom is worth more than a bigger bank account. No matter the job I’m called to today, help me to be filled with your spiritual wisdom that brings good fruit. Amen.
Amos and the psalmist speak of the divine judgment of God. For Amos’ audience, judgment will come because they have ignored God’s warnings. The psalmist warns of judgment against those who oppress the weak and needy and fail to protect them from the wicked. These passages leave us with an understanding that human righteousness falls short of God’s expectations. When we read the Luke and Colossians passages in light of the Hebrew texts, we see hints as to what the rule of judgment should be—mercy and love. Live in the way of mercy and love, and you will be filled with all spiritual wisdom, as Colossians proclaims. This is the measure of a good society: mercy and love.
• Read Amos 7:7-17. Look for God’s plumb line in the world. In what ways is the ground you stand on askew?
• Read Psalm 82. If you sit on the council of the Most High, how does this change your perspective on the world?
• Read Colossians 1:1-14. Prayers of mere words are just the beginning of prayer. To what prayerful actions do your prayerful words call you?
• Read Luke 10:25-37. Consider how you live out Jesus’ call to love your neighbor.
Respond by posting a prayer.
