Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Our Reading titled God's Patient Love was written by Monica LaRose.

When I give our beautiful, fluffy Norwegian forest cat mystique belly rubs and play with her, or when she

falls asleep on my lap in the evening, it's sometimes hard to believe that she's the same

cat we met years ago. Mystique used to live on the streets, underweight, and fearful of everyone.

But that gradually changed as I started putting out food for her each day.

One day, she finally let me pet her, and the rest is history. Mystique's transformation is a reminder

of the healing that can come with patience and love. It reminds me of God's heart as described in Isaiah 42.

There, we're told of a coming servant filled with his spirit

who would tirelessly and in faithfulness

work to establish God's justice on earth.

But that servant, Jesus, would not bring God's justice through violence or

pursuit of power. Instead, he'd be quiet and gentle, tenderly and patiently caring for those

discarded by others, those bruised and wounded.

God never gives up on his children.

He has all the time in the world to care for our wounded hearts until they finally begin

to heal.

Through his gentle, patient love, we gradually learn to love and trust once more.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Isaiah chapter 42, verses 1 through 7.

Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight. I will put my spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out or raise his voice

in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.

In faithfulness, he will bring forth justice.

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