Wednesday, January 1st

Today’s Scripture

My dearest brothers and sisters, take this to heart: Be quick to listen, but slow to speak. And be slow to become angry, for human anger is never a legitimate tool to promote God’s righteous purpose. So this is why we abandon everything morally impure and all forms of wicked conduct. Instead, with a sensitive spirit we absorb God’s Word, which has been implanted within our nature, for the Word of Life has power to continually deliver us. Don’t just listen to the Word of Truth and not respond to it, for that is the essence of self-deception. So always let his Word become like poetry written and fulfilled by your life! If you listen to the Word and don’t live out the message you hear, you become like the person who looks in the mirror of the Word to discover the reflection of his face in the beginning. You perceive how God sees you in the mirror of the Word, but then you go out and forget your divine origin. But those who set their gaze deeply into the perfecting law of liberty are fascinated by and respond to the truth they hear and are strengthened by it—they experience God’s blessing in all that they do!

James 1:19-25

Today’s Motivation

Never allow your anger to turn into hatred — it’s dangerous for you… It’s okay to hate what God hates and sometimes you’re going to get angry, but remember to never allow it to turn into hatred.

Today’s Confession

Father, I know that anger can turn into hatred and that is a dangerous place for me to be in. Help me, in every situation, to overcome all temptation to step into hatred and help me to guard my heart in circumstances where anger arises. Keep my mind and heart in perfect peace and give me the grace to overcome all hatred.