Now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.
— 2 John 1:5-6
I’m convinced that small stones gain sentience when they come into close proximity with shoes. I don’t know how else to explain how these tiny terrors jump right up above my heel, and end up lodged in my big toe just a moment later.
You’ll have had similar experiences. One minute you’re walking, the next you’re leaning on a lamppost to steady yourself as you empty out the contents of your left boot. Stones hunt in packs, it seems.
Stones aren’t our only obstacle, there’s the roadworks, and the street we’d rather not go down, or even just the lack of motivation to leave the house to begin with.
The same is true of our walk with God. We have been commanded by the Lord to love each other, our neighbours, and even our enemies. Yet, obstacles arise and we get waylaid. So, do we get a new task? No, “this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.”
As we pray together this morning, shake the stones out of your shoes.
Think about the potential roadblocks that might get in the way of your love today.
Who can you love, and how will you love them?
Let’s pray.
Praying through the Bible
This I ask of you, Lord, help me to love.
To love you.
To love others.
Friends and family.
The enemy and the stranger.
This is no new commandment you have given, but I need new strength to carry it out.
I have had this from the beginning, and I will need you to lead me until the very end.
This is love, that I walk according to your commandments
As I have heard, so help me to walk in it.
Amen
Today’s Readings
Whether you’re ready to sit and read these now, or you think later might be a better fit, I recommend looking through your plan for the day now. If you follow this Bible reading plan, you’ll finish the whole Bible by the end of the year. We’re starting this morning with just 26 verses, across four chapters of the Bible. When will you sit down to read or listen to them?
2 John 1:4-8
Psalm 3
Psalm 4
The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim.
The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. Cush fathered Nimrod. He was the first on earth to be a mighty man.
1 Chronicles 1:6-101
Recommended Media to Start Your Day
It’s easy to get dragged into the daily news cycle, or a social media doom scroll early in the morning. Here’s some fun and edifying media to get you started instead, now you’ve finished your dawn Bible reading.
Jordyn Dunsheath is a Christian creator on YouTube with a fantastic eye for detail and a wonderfully creative mind. That can sometimes get in the way of real productivity though. In this video, Jordan simplifies everything and focusses specifically on making our ideas a reality.
The Studio is a rare gem. The channel is made by the team behind the YouTuber MBKHD, and they use it as an outlet to really let their artistic flair shine. I highly recommend checking them out.
1-2 Chronicles are two of the most overlooked books of the Bible, despite covering great swathes of history, and God’s faithfulness throughout. Each day I’ll share a short portion of these books, so by the end of the year, you’ll have read through them in their entirety.
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