O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell, and the place where your glory abides.
Morning
Invitatory Psalm 24
The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.
You have founded it on the seas and established it on the rivers.
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in your holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of heir salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek you, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
....
Psalms 52, 53, 54
Daily Lectionary Reading, Romans 12:9-21
9 Love should be shown without pretending. Hate evil, and hold on to what is good. 10 Love each other like the members of your family. Be the best at showing honor to each other. 11 Don’t hesitate to be enthusiastic—be on fire in the Spirit as you serve the Lord! 12 Be happy in your hope, stand your ground when you’re in trouble, and devote yourselves to prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of God’s people, and welcome strangers into your home. 14 Bless people who harass you—bless and don’t curse them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and cry with those who are crying. 16 Consider everyone as equal, and don’t think that you’re better than anyone else. Instead associate with people who have no status. Don’t think that you’re so smart. 17 Don’t pay back anyone for their evil actions with evil actions, but show respect for what everyone else believes is good. 18 If possible, to the best of your ability, live at peace with all people. 19 Don’t try to get revenge for yourselves, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath. It is written, Revenge belongs to me; I will pay it back, says the Lord [Deut 32:35] 20 Instead, If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. By doing this, you will pile burning coals of fire upon his head. [Prov 25:21–22] 21 Don’t be defeated by evil, but defeat evil with good. [Common English Bible]
Today's Prayer: God of love, sometimes you ask a lot of us. We can hate evil but loving each other is not always easy. Welcoming strangers is not always easy. And, well, blessing people who harass us is just plain hard. Help us with these hard things. Don't let us be defeated with evil. Remind us the way you intend for evil to be defeated is by our being good. Amen.
Psalms 78, 79, 83, 86
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