Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, July 27, 2021
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Ooh. Bitterness, wrath, anger, wrangling, slander, malice! What a soap opera! Few of us would admit to such behavior, but I think we all engage in at least mild forms of it from time to time, in the interest of self-preservation (or our egos, if nothing else). Perhaps resentment, sneaky getting-even, irritation, manipulating to get what we want, gossip, and wishing that person who cut in front of you at Starbucks would spill their venti half-soy nonfat decaf organic gingerbread Frappuccino on their nice white shirt? We can joke about these things, but it’s funny because there’s some truth to it.
Kindness may not be as funny, but it is more satisfying, tenderheartedness more fulfilling, forgiving more rewarding. And all such things bring a peacefulness and joy we just can’t find by venting our negativity on others.
Where do I see bad behavior sneaking into my daily life? How can I replace it with kindness?
