English: the beginning of the 1. Epistle to the Corinthians (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Devotional Thought of the Day:

 Bless your persecutors; never curse them, bless them. ¹⁵  Rejoice with others when they rejoice, and be sad with those in sorrow. ¹⁶  Give the same consideration to all others alike. Pay no regard to social standing, but meet humble people on their own terms. Do not congratulate yourself on your own wisdom.  ¹⁷  Never pay back evil with evil, but bear in mind the ideals that all regard with respect. ¹⁸  As much as possible, and to the utmost of your ability, be at peace with everyone.  Romans 12:14-18 (NJB)

⁴  Love is always patient and kind; love is never jealous; love is not boastful or conceited, ⁵  it is never rude and never seeks its own advantage, it does not take offence or store up grievances. ⁶  Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but finds its joy in the truth. ⁷  It is always ready to make allowances, to trust, to hope and to endure whatever comes.  1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NJB) 

  Never reprimand anyone while you feel provoked over a fault that has been committed. Wait until the next day, or even longer. Then make your remonstrance calmly and with a purified intention. You’ll gain more with an affectionate word than you ever would from three hours of quarreling. Control your temper.  (1)

How quickly we are ( okay – I am) to send a scathing rebuke across the cypberwaves!

We see something really idiotic, or vicious, or heretical posted, and we re-create the cyber version of MAD – mutually assured destruction.

Please read carefully, it is not that we shouldn’t respond, but it is how we should respond.  With love, with caring, with the goal of reconciliation and not just confrontation. ( Yeah I know I am preaching to me more than everyone else)  But if we don’t hear this, if we aren’t reminded to love, if we don’t bear the cross we’ve been given – for their sake, we find out that we will also suffer.

For we will have abandoned the peace of Christ, we will have walked out of the fortress, that mighty fortress that is our God.  We will have tried to become the conquering savior of FB or twitter… and chosen a path to deliver it from evil that is not the cross.   At the cost of destroying each other.

So today – if you have to do it – maybe not wait a day – but take a five minute walk… before hitting enter.

And while you do, pray,

“Lord have mercy on me… a sinner”

Godspeed

Escriva, Josemaria (2010-11-02). The Way (Kindle Locations 185-187). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.

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