Thought for the Week: ​Adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things

This is a remarkable confession from a man who observed few of society's conventions, yet somehow a little incident or encounter evoked in him a sense of unworthiness which weighed upon his mind years after the event was history.

Unwittingly, Lawrence hit upon a real issue in human relationships. Petty deeds and words harm and diminish noble characters and causes. Even some of the fellowships we read about in scripture illustrate this sad thesis; the holy huddles of Corinth and the gossiping women of Philippi surely limited the witness of the community of faith. Such revealing incidents are in the words of Solomon: "The little foxes that ravage the vines".

Edmund Burke, the 18th century statesman, wrote: "A great empire and little minds go ill together", and the mighty Kingdom of God and small-minded words and deeds also go ill together.

Jesus never stooped to such tactics in all of His dealings, Even when they hurled insults at Him, He did not retaliate. A gentle answer turns away wrath. We never have to repent of a kindness or trudging that exists an extra mile. Unremembered acts of kindness make the world go round.

The entrance gates of Trinity College in Dublin are flanked by statues of two of its most celebrated graduates - Edmund Burke and Oliver Goldsmith. The caption on the Goldsmith statue was created by Samuel Johnson and reads when translated from the Latin: "He touched nothing that he did not adorn".

The wise Apostle urged in the New Testament Titus to challenge his flock with this mandate: "Adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things".