Do No Harm – Morning Devotional From the Edges – Pastor Calvin Cook

Do No Harm – Morning Devotions From the Edges
Pastor Calvin Cook – August 30, 2024

Scripture Focus – Romans 13:10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

My night time prayer (9 PM) is usually always a time of reflection – rethinking the events of the day. Giving thanks for the places I recognized God and experienced God’s grace but also seeking forgiveness for those areas of my life that have not been pleasing to God. Last night and into this morning I was drawn to the three simple rules of the Wesleyan faith. Those simple rules are Do Good, Do No Harm, and Stay in Love with God. The Do No Harm kept circulating around in my heart and even though I had a restful night of sleep, my early morning thoughts returned to the “Do No Harm”.

I don’t think it is that we intentionally set out to do harm. We don’t plan for it, but it does seem to happen. Harm happens by our words, some of which slip out, some of which are intentional. It should bring us into check and ask the question “Is this what Jesus would say.?” Harm comes not only by the words we say but also by what we do not say. Or maybe it is because we have not leaned fully into the Spirit for guidance in all things.

Hurt is the companion of Harm. We become hurt by a person’s actions, words, even looks and as the hurt festers we separate ourselves and that becomes our focus. It is essential during these times that we allow the soothing balm of Jesus to bring healing to our hurt.

Romans 13:10 reminds us that we do harm by not loving the way God loves. When we do not love we are not fulfilling that good and perfect law whether it be by our words or actions. In essence then when we do not love, we do harm. These are the areas that I think we should seek forgiveness for the should ofs, could ofs, but didn’t! But today as we discussed earlier this week is a new day, to leave the past behind that needs forgotten, experience forgiveness and redemption, and become that new creation in the image of the living God.

As we move from the past to the new thing that God wants to do in our life. I pray we can embrace the words of Romans 15:5 “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had.”