He/She Cannot Speak Evil from The United Methodist Church Prays in Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Wednesday, 1 February 2017

He/She Cannot Speak Evil from The United Methodist Church Prays in Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Wednesday, 1 February 2017

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2017
A Word from John Wesley“[The Methodist] cannot, therefore, ‘lay up treasures upon earth,’ no more than he can take fire into his bosom. He cannot speak evil of his neighbor, any more than he can lie either to God or man. He cannot utter any unkind word of anyone; for love keeps the door of his lips. He cannot speak idle words; no corrupt conversation ever comes out of his mouth; as is all that is not good to the use of edifying, not fit to minister grace to the hearers. But ‘whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are’ justly ‘of good report,’ he thinks, speaks, and acts ‘adorning the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.’”[John Wesley, The Character of a Methodist, ¶ 10.]
A Hymn from Charles Wesley
1. Jesu’, if still the same thou art,
If all thy promises are sure,
Set up thy kingdom in my heart,
And make me rich, for I am poor:
To me be all thy treasures given,
The kingdom of an inward heaven.
2. Thou hast pronounced the mourners blest,
And lo! for thee I ever mourn.
I cannot, no, I will not rest
Till thou my only rest return;
Till thou, the Prince of peace, appear,
And I receive the Comforter.
3. Where is the blessedness bestowed
On all that hunger after thee?
I hunger now, I thirst for God!
See the poor fainting sinner, see,
And satisfy with endless peace,
And fill me with thy righteousness.(Collection-1781, #130:1-3)
Questions for Reflection:

1. In John Wesley’s description of the character of a Methodist above, what can you affirm and celebrate?
2. Is there anything in the description that challenges or offends you?
3. Do you agree that a United Methodist “cannot speak evil of his neighbor, any more than he can lie either to God or man. He cannot utter any unkind word of anyone; for love keeps the door of his lips.”?
4. What is the “kingdom of an inward heaven” in Charles Wesley’s hymn above?
5. Do you believe we can receive the “Comforter” today—that is the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Why or why not?
6. Do you see people hungering and thirsting for God? Do the people in your local church hunger and thirst for God? What reasons or experiences caused you to respond the way you did? Have there been other times and other experiences that would cause you to respond differently?

Prayer
God our deliverer, you walk with the meek and the poor, the compassionate and those who mourn, and you call us to walk humbly with you. When we are foolish, be our wisdom; when we are weak, be our strength; that, as we learn to do justice and to love mercy, your rule may come as blessing. Amen.
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Excerpts from the book A Disciple’s Journal—2017: A Guide for Daily Prayer, Bible Reading, and Discipleship, by Steven W. Manskar. Copyright © 2017 Discipleship Resources, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The prayer is reprinted with permission from Revised Common Lectionary Prayers, copyright © 2002, Consultation on Common Texts.

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