March 6: Walk in Love Forgiving One Another
♫ Music:
Day 22 - Wednesday, March 06
Title: WALK IN LOVE FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER
Scriptures #1: Ephesians 4:1-6 (NKJV), Ephesians 4:1-6,32; 5:1-2 (NKJV)
I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
Scripture #2: Philippians 2:1-4 (NKJV)
If there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Poetry & Poet:
“Parable of Faith”
by Louise Glück
Now, in twilight, on the palace steps
the king asks forgiveness of his lady.
He is not
duplicitous; he has tried to be
true to the moment; is there another way of being
true to the self?
The lady
hides her face, somewhat
assisted by the shadows. She weeps
for her past; when one has a secret life,
one's tears are never explained.
Yet gladly would the king bear
the grief of his lady: his
is the generous heart,
in pain as in joy.
Do you know
what forgiveness mean? it mean
the world has sinned, the world
must be pardoned —
WALK IN LOVE FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER
What is the greatest threat to the church of Jesus Christ today?
There are so many threats to choose from. The creeping relativism of postmodern thought threatens to unravel notions of truth. The sexual identity debate has turned traditional sexual norms on their head. The increasing number of millennials with no religious interest makes one wonder what the church will do for both leadership and membership in coming years. And globally, relentless persecution and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism threaten the lives of individual Christians and the very existence of the church. But without denying the significance of these threats, the greatest threat to the church today is the same as it has been in every generation since the New Testament was written––quarreling.
Persecution strengthens the church. Intellectual challenges deepen our faith and stimulate our theological thinking. Ethical commitments that conflict with the culture make us stand out as salt and light. But quarreling kills from within.
The existential threat of quarreling leaps from the text of almost every New Testament epistle. Whether the letter is long or short (I Corinthians or Philemon), quarreling is addressed. Whether the church is doing well or doing poorly (Philippians or Galatians), quarreling is addressed. Whether the tenor of the epistle is doctrinal (Romans) or personal (2 Timothy), quarreling is addressed. Clearly, the New Testament views quarreling as a life-threatening virus––it is a metastasizing cancer set on destroying its host.
In Paul’s day the church quarreled over the Jewish law and over genealogies, over meat sacrificed to idols and sabbath practices, and over favoritism shown to the rich patrons, and negligence shown to poor widows. Churches quarreled over the incarnation and the resurrection. They quarreled over which apostle was better than the others. They quarreled over race, class, and gender. Sound familiar?
Does this put into context Paul’s passionate call for unity? “Make every effort” pleads Paul, “to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph. 6:4). What will it take to keep unity? Paul provides us with a list of virtues: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Eph. 4:2). To make his list even more challenging, notice the Apostle’s qualifier—completely.
Think of the person in church who drives you crazy because of how they vote, think about race, immigration, or the unwavering stance they took during the pandemic and mask wearing? Do you have a person in mind? I do, and I can feel my heart racing just a little. Unity is fine in the abstract, but when it comes to that person it’s a different story! Yet, Paul begs us to be completely gentle and patient. How? I suggest we start with Paul’s prayer that opens his letter: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened” (Eph. 1:18). Open to what? To all the grace God gave you prior to salvation and continues to give you as you stumble in the Christian walk. In short, remembering that all need forgiveness. “Do you know what forgiveness mean?” Gluck poetically reminds us, “it means the world has sinned, the world must be pardoned.” That includes you and the person with whom you strongly disagree.
Keep in mind heart means all of you—intellect, will, and emotions. We’d be so transformed by God’s loving grace, that you’d pass it on to others—even those with whom are inclined to quarrel. Primarily, we don't do this for ourselves, but for the very unity of the church. Rather than sweeping disagreements under the rug, we approach each other with complete gentleness, patience, and most importantly, love.
Prayer
Lord, this day let the eyes of my heart be enlightened with your overwhelming love, mercy, and forgiveness. Let me comprehend it in a fresh way. Allow this enlightenment to change how I see brothers and sisters in the faith—especially those with whom I disagree. Allow me to treat them with the same grace you treat me.
Amen
Tim Muehlhoff
Professor of Communication
Co-director of the Winsome Conviction Project
Biola University
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Art:
Forgiveness
Jeff Neugebauer
Oil on linen
22 x 48 in.
Artist Jeff Neugebauer recounts how he carefully conceptualized this raven-and-rose idea for a quite a while before creating this compelling image of the act of forgiveness. The concept behind the painting was forgiveness (to give before), and in the painting, a lone raven approaches a floating ring of thorns while carrying a gift of love embodied in a single red rose. The raven’s flight may present challenges and pain, but he doesn’t waver from his course to seek forgiveness.
About the Artist:
Jeff Neugebauer is an American artist. He graduated with a B.A. in fine arts from Arizona State University. He worked as a draftsman/designer through college, drawing detailed images of mechanical devices for Motorola, Kodak, and Medtronic. He also taught design at Gateway College in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1993, he founded SpiralWest, a multimedia design firm specializing in animation and graphic design. In 2005, Neugebauer made a commitment to focus solely on his passion—painting. In addition to private collections, his drawings and paintings are in the permanent collections of the Arizona State University Art Museum and the Haarmann Reimer Art Museum in West Germany.
http://www.jeffneugebauer.com/about.html
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffneugebauer
About the Music:
“Eternal Life—The Prayer of St. Francis” from the album Prayer & Plainsong
Lyrics:
Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace:
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek,
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
It is in dying that we are born into eternal life.
About the Music:
The anonymous text that is usually called the “Prayer of Saint Francis” (also known as “Peace Prayer,” “Simple Prayer for Peace,” or “Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace”) is a widely known Christian prayer for peace. Often associated with the Italian Saint Francis of Assisi (c. 1182–1226), it is entirely absent from his writings. The prayer in its present form has not been traced back further than 1912. Its first known occurrence was in French in a small spiritual magazine called La Clochette (The Little Bell) published by a Catholic organization in Paris named La Ligue de la Sainte-Messe (The League of the Holy Mass). The author's name was not given, although it may have been the founder of La Ligue, Father Esther Bouquerel. It has been frequently set to music by notable songwriters and quoted by prominent leaders, and its broadly inclusive language encouraging service to others has appealed to people of many faiths.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_of_Saint_Francis
About the Performer:
Cynthia Clawson (b. 1948), referred to as the “singer’s singer” and called "the most awesome voice in gospel music" by Billboard Magazine, has received a Grammy and five Dove awards for her work as a songwriter, vocal artist, and musician. Her career has spanned over four decades, with twenty-two albums released since 1974. Clawson has performed in many prestigious venues and with preeminent groups. Her work has been featured in a number of films, including A Trip to Bountiful. Cynthia currently resides in Houston, Texas, and is married to lyricist, poet, and playwright Ragan Courtney.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_Clawson
https://www.cynthiaclawson.com/
About the Poetry and Poet:
Louise Elisabeth Glück (1943–2023) was an American poet. Glück is considered by many to be one of America’s most talented contemporary poets. The poet Robert Hass called her “one of the purest and most accomplished lyrical poets now writing....her poetry is noted for its technical precision, sensitivity, and insight into loneliness, family relationships, divorce, and death.” Glück was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 2003 after serving as a Special Bicentennial Consultant three years prior in 2000. She won the National Book Award for Poetry in 2014 for Faithful and Virtuous Night. In addition to the Pulitzer and Bollingen Prizes, she received many awards and honors for her work, including the Lannan Literary Award for Poetry; the MIT Anniversary Medal; and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Glück taught at Yale University.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Gl%C3%BCck
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/louise-gluck
About the Devotion Writer:
Tim Muehlhoff
Professor of Communication
Co-director of the Winsome Conviction Project
Biola University
Tim Muehlhoff is a professor of communication at Biola University and co-director of the Winsome Conviction Project designed to reintroduce civility into our private and public disagreements. Tim is also an author whose latest book is End the Stalemate: Moving from Cancel Culture to Meaningful Conversations (with Sean McDowell).