DAILY READING Romans 15:1-2  and 4-6 ; James 5:8-9  & 2 Corinthians 13:11   REFLECTION Relationship By Todd Marti Today’s reading continues to address a topic discussed over the past two days: relationships within the church. God wants the church to be a delivery system for His love. But, because it is made up of imperfect people, conflicts and social awkwardness sometimes impede that.  These readings lay out some principles for getting past those impediments. Thursday’s reading, particularly...

DAILY READING Romans 12:3-13   REFLECTION Contributing By Todd Marti This week’s readings  have shown us what God wants from His church: that it reconciles all people to Him and each of us to each other. Today’s reading focuses on the part each of us play in bringing that about.  Let’s dig into it. First, it tells us that each of us—every one of us—is expected to contribute in some way . We are all joined into “one body,” we “belong[] to each other,” and should “be devoted to one another,” so...

DAILY READING Galatians 6:14 & 17   Reflection: Countercultural By Todd Marti “ May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world .”   ***   “. . .   I bear on my body the marks of Jesus .” Galatians 6:14 , 17  (NIV)   These statements from Saint Paul call us to an intensely countercultural world view. That becomes evident when we consider the Greek underlying them and the context in which they were written. ...