From Psalm 85 (86)

O Lord, teach me your paths,
and I will come to your truth.
Make my heart simple and guileless,
so that it honours your name.
I will proclaim you, Lord my God,
and give you praise with all my heart.
I will give glory to your name for ever,
for your great kindness is upon me:
you have rescued me from the deepest depths.

To be a Christian means, above all else, trying (and often failing) to live the example of Christ. We strive to walk the Way of the cross. To walk in this path means dying to ourselves, and asking Christ to transform our hearts into something utterly nonsensical in the terms of this world.

In a world that calls us to be cunning and cutthroat in the cause of our own greed and fear, the path of Christ calls us to live with hearts “simple and guileless,” selflessly pouring out ourselves in love for God and for our neighbor.

This path is foolishness to this world. But, while we live, love and serve in this world, we are not of this world. We are citizens of the Kingdom of God, and we live, love and serve to build up the Kingdom in this world.

Lord God, give us the strength and courage to cling not to the ways of this world, but to strive for the path of Christ and to build up your Kingdom, through selfless love and service to You, by selflessly loving and serving all you put in our path. Amen.