The writer Rudyard Kipling was born to British nationals in India, but at the age of five his parents sent him back to England to board with another family, which was the custom of the day. It was a horrible home, and Kipling endured six years of constant mental and physical abuse. “I had never heard of Hell,” Kipling later wrote, “so I was introduced to it in all its terrors.”

To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace.   Colossians 1:2

It’s an unfortunate thing when grace and peace are absent from a child’s home, and it’s also sad when those attributes are missing from the Lord’s house. In his letter to the church at Colossae, Paul prayed that they might continually receive – and give – God’s grace and peace.

Is your home such a place? Is your church? Or are they places of conflict and condemnation? As you lift up America’s leaders today, recognize that many of the problems government tries to solve are prevalent in society because Christian homes and churches have failed to embody the essential elements of God’s mercy and love. Pray that it will never be the case in your own home or house of worship.

Recommended Reading: Ephesians 4:11-16, 25-32