Scripture: 1 Peter 4:8-11
Above all, tadalafil love each other deeply, sale because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, buy cialis as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If you speak, you should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If you serve, you should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised.

Thought for the Day: Jesus, his companions, and their new friends sat around a long, thick, heavy table that was apparently made from the repurposed bow of a boat. An occasional carpenter himself (he was also pretty good with stone), Jesus appreciated both the crafting of something old into something new (he was pretty good at that as well), and the intricate craftsmanship of the table. Someone had taken the time to carefully create something beautiful out of these old, weathered boards, rather than simply nailing some legs to pieces of driftwood. The table was a work of art, long planks combined with smaller, intricate mosaic patterns made out of many smaller pieces of wood, all polished to different shades, each piece perfectly and purposely positioned. It was a reflection of the this outpost and the diverse people who lived there, their unique gifts, all these different shades of human, serving each other to create a home.

“Who made this beautiful table?” Jesus asked. “Most people would simply burn an old boat for kindling. Who saw beauty in these old planks, then had the patience and talent to make something new and beautiful? I’d like to meet this craftsman.” There was shuffling and a confusion of murmured remarks in the back of the room, but eventually the crowd pushed the artisan forward. “I made the table,” she said, meekly. “My father was a tradesman whose furniture was in great demand by all the monarchs of the region. My father taught me how to create new things out of old things.”

“You see beauty in scraps,” Jesus said, “and you have a gift. While respecting the character of the old wood, you combine it with different pieces—pieces others would say could never fit, and you make something nobody has ever seen before. Wonderful!”

“When I was a child, I would take my father’s leftover pieces of olive wood, cypress, whatever he had lying around, and create things I could use or play with. My father encouraged me and helped me develop my talent.” Jesus laughed to himself a little and thought, my father does the same, for every one of you.

“We know full well who you are, Master Jesus,” the craftswoman who made the table said. “And while we welcome you to our trading outpost, please, tell us why you are here. We have heard fantastic, almost unbelievable tales about you. Is it true? Are you a God? A magician? A charlatan? A savior? A criminal?”

Jesus smiled, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “I’m all of those things, and none of those things. But who I am is not important. What’s more important to me is, who are you? All of you, truly, tell me. Do you know who you are?”

[To be concluded]

Prayer: Artistic God, craft my life with grace and love. You polish, sculpt, and form my soul, so that I fit perfectly into this world, one piece in billions, part of an incredible and inspiring mosaic of humanity. Help me see how beautifully I fit in this world, and how creatively you empower me to repurpose it in your image. Amen.