Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Our reading titled God's Gentle Grace was written by Monica LaRose.

Tell all the truth, but tell it slant, the poet Emily Dickinson wrote, suggesting that because God's truth and glory is far too

bright for vulnerable human beings to understand or receive all at once, it's best for us to

receive and share God's grace and truth in slant, gentle, indirect ways. For the truth must dazzle

gradually, or every man be blind.

The Apostle Paul made a similar argument in Ephesians 4 when he urged believers to be completely humble and gentle,

and to be patient, bearing with one another in love.

The foundation for believers, gentleness and grace with each other, Paul explained, is Christ's

gracious ways with us. In his incarnation, Jesus revealed himself in the quiet, gentle ways

people needed in order to trust and receive him. And he continues to reveal himself in such

gentle loving ways,

gifting and empowering his people in just the ways they need to continue to grow and mature

so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith

and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature.

As we grow, we become less vulnerable to looking elsewhere for hope

and more confident in following Jesus' example of gentle love.

Today's Our Daily Bread Devotional Scripture reading is from Ephesians chapter 4, verses 2 through 15.

Be completely humble and gentle. Be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.

There is one body and one spirit, just as

you were called to one hope when you were called, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God,

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