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TODAY’S WORD…

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Do not think of yourself more highly than you should.

Instead, be modest in your thinking,

and judge yourself according to the amount of faith that God has given you.

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Love one another warmly as Christians,

and be eager to show respect for one another.

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– Romans 12:3,10 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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Sincere Christian love and charity

requires that we respect and esteem all others.

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To esteem others,

we must be careful that we do not esteem our own selves too much,

nor be always sure of ourselves.

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Whoever has too high an idea of himself

is like a man who, at night, has before his eyes a source of intense light:

he can see nothing beyond it;

he cannot see the lights of his brothers and sisters,

nor their merits and values.

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Be modest in your thinking.

Rather than inflating them,

we need to be modest and minimise what we think are our own merits.

It is not a bad thing to also look more closely at

and to admit our own failings.

When we genuinely do so with all humility,

what follows naturally is that the defects we may see in others are minimised.

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Minimising the defects we may see in others

and showing respect for one another

includes not engaging in gossip.

Gossip may sometimes appear to be innocent enough,

but it is in fact one of the things that most pollutes our lives together.

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It is not enough to avoid speaking ill of others

– we must also prevent people from doing so in our presence,

making it clear, perhaps by our silence, that we do not approve.

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QUOTE…

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“Gossip is spread by wicked people;

they stir up trouble and break up friendships.”

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– Proverbs 16:28

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord Jesus, grant me humility and a heart that loves like Yours!

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