Steadfast Love
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs reflects the universal needs of humans and human motivation. After survival, the next need is to develop relationships. These relationships can be with family, friends, romantic partners, or all three. To meet this need, a person needs to have a sense of belonging and acceptance, feel loved and valued, trust others and feel close to them, and give and receive affection.
Does this not describe what we all have when we are in a relationship with God? God so wanted to have a relationship with us that God sent God’s only begotten son, Jesus, as a mediator to ensure that we have a way to not only be in a relationship but also grow in a relationship with God, not just for a moment, but from generation to generation and forever.
Pray: God, thank you for your steadfast and unconditional love toward me.
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Jeremiah 23:5-6
5 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days, Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”
ARighteous Branch
Have you ever noticed that dangling from everyone’s family tree is someone (or maybe several someones) who demonstrates that God is a forgiving and faithful God; that someone whose life demonstrates that God can use anyone, anywhere, and at any time? Despite all of David’s indiscretions, the Lord established a lineage of righteousness through David.
David’s life teaches us that God’s greatest asset in the kingdom is not people who have it all together but those who recognize their brokenness, repent, and seek God’s face for their lives.
None of us has it all together. None of us are without sin, but each of us is a righteous Branch, just like David, through our relationship with the Lord, who is our righteousness. We find we are called to greater works in this present age through this relationship.
Pray: God, keep me focused on your righteousness so that I may do greater works in your kingdom.
| May 3, 2023 7
Wednesday
Habakkuk 2:3
For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.
It’s Coming
It is coming! Not sure what your “it” is that is coming, but just know “it” is coming. It is the promise, the vision, and even the justice that has been on the horizon. It may seem like it is alluding you, but it is not; it is yet for an appointed time. (Habakkuk 2:3)
Too often, we become concerned with the timing of our circumstances. We get fixed on when something will happen instead of that it will happen. If we understand that our time is not God’s time, we too must understand that God also moves in the sovereignty of time which is a construct difficult for human imagination. How can we grasp that all things have already happened in God’s time? Yet it is in those moments that we catch a glimpse of what shall be that can be grateful that God has sent a reminder that what God said shall come to pass.
Just wait on “it.” You shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. (Isaiah 55:5)
Pray: God, thank you for showing me the manifestation of the plans you have for me life.
Thursday | May 4, 2023
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2 Corinthians 10:3-6
3 Indeed, we live as humans but do not wage war according to human standards, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not merely human, but they have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments 5 and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ. 6 We are ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete.
Freedom
Today is Cinco De Mayo, not a day for drinking and revelry, but one, like many, that commemorates freedom. Cinco de Mayo marks the 1862 victory of Mexico over French colonialism.
Never forget that in every culture, there are brothers and sisters who have fought and are still fighting for freedom from those who seek to capitalize on the oppression of others. We need not call the role here; we know of systems that seek to oppress and subjugate. However, our freedom is not bound in what others are willing to give to us or even in the fight, but our freedom is bound in our willingness to stand courageously, as children of God, knowing that we “indeed live as humans but do not wage war according to human standards, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not merely human, but they have divine power to destroy strongholds.”
Fighting for freedom on any battlefield especially in your mind is not easy; it is not simplistic, yet it is a fight that you do not have to fight alone. Whatever your fight, God’s protection and power are always covering you.
Pray: God, give me the insight to rest your divine power instead of my human fragility.
Friday | May 5, 2023
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Saturday | May 6, 2023
Exodus 3:7-10
7 Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Now go, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”
Now You Go
Certainly, God is a deliverer. God delivered the Israelites from the hand of Pharoah. God delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace. God delivered countless men and women from sickness. God is able. And so are you!
The story of Moses is an amazing model of how God expects us to step in to facilitate deliverance. God recognizes the plight of the Israelites, and God sends the one whom God has prepared, Moses, to do the work. Verse 10 says, “I am sending you to Pharoah to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”
Perhaps the progression is one that we selectively miss, just as Moses did. Until this moment, God was always delivering. But now, God is sending Moses. In the New Testament, we see Jesus Emanuel (God with us) delivering God’s people from oppression and sickness, yet as Jesus prepares to ascend, he declares, “ Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12)
The ownness on the doing is no longer on God, no longer on Christ, but it is to manifest through us. Surely, we should wait on the Lord so that we might renew our strength, but how long does the world have to wait on you to be the answer the deliverer that makes an impact?
Remember, God has empowered you, too, to stand before the pharaohs around you. Go.
Pray: God, help me to remove the excuses that keep me from doing what you have empowered in me to do.
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John 14:9
Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
When You Know You Know
Though Thomas is regaled as a doubter, there is no secret that many of us find ourselves doubting what is right in front of us. Even when we can clearly see how God has done miraculous works in our lives, we often function from a place of disbelief. Like Phillip, when we find ourselves on the cusp of revelation, we need more evidence, guarantees, and confirmation more proof that what is before us is really before us.
Even though we know that the Lord has made way after way throughout our lives, we can easily slip into allowing circumstances to overshadow what we know about an omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent God. We know that God is sovereign. We know that God has our best interest at heart. We know that “there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.” 1 Corinthians 8:6
Today, if you find yourself looking for more, remember what you know, that God is the only assurance we need.
Pray: God, help me to trust what I know about God when facing my uncertainty.
May
Sunday |
7, 2023
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Luke 15:18a-b
I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.
The Ministry of Self-Forgiveness
The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is all about how God made way for our sins to be forgiven forever. But on the flip side, what do we do when we cannot forgive ourselves?
Many of our low self-esteem issues, jealousies, or our not being able to enjoy life, or the blessings God so abundantly bestows upon us are rooted in our inability to exercise the ministry of self-forgiveness. Whenever we think about how we messed up, we mentally kick ourselves and ask, “How could I have been so stupid, so gullible, so blind, so rash, so dumb, so out of control at that moment?” We carry a mental wish list that includes: “If I had only listened,” “If I had only waited,” “If I had done it sooner,” “If I only had known then what I know now,” “If I could turn back the hands of time,” or “If I could be given another chance.”
The one thing we must embrace in our ministry of self-forgiveness is that nobody goes through this life mistake-free. We are not the first, and we will not be the last to make a mistake, a hiccup, a blunder, a fault, an error, a miscalculation, or a goof-up. If you have repented, pray for faith and grace to forgive yourself and move on like the Prodigal Son in the prayer for faith and courage to leave the pigs and the hog pens of your past behind and seek a new future.
Pray: God, help me to remember that you are a loving, forgiving, redeeming, empowering savior.
Rev. Dr. Marietta Ramsey
Bethlehem AME Church Baltimore, Maryland
ramseyetta1@gmail.com
Monday | May 8, 2023
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Tuesday | May 9, 2023
John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
When SatanAttacks Us
The Lord wants us to prosper and live abundantly. God, in Christ Jesus, wants us to enjoy the good fruit of this world. The good shepherd cares for the sheep. As we live and move and live, Satan will attack us. It does matter our faith or the wonderful testimony we possess, Satan will attack us. Therefore, we must put on the whole armor of God.
What do we do when we are under attack? First, we must stop and reflect on our prayer life and our devotional life. As an attack wages, our prayer life must increase. Second, we must thank God for the blessings. The attacks must not hinder our praise and thanksgiving. Even in the darkest moments we must see the light of Christ. Last, we must refuse to give Satan the victory. Romans 8:37 reminds us that “in all these things we are more than victorious through him who loved us.” Satan will never win.
Pray: God, give me your Spirit of protection and safety.
Dr. Herman O. Kelly, Jr. Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church Baton Rouge, Louisiana
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hkelly1@lsu.edu
Wednesday | May 10, 2023
Daniel 1:8
But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the royal rations of food and wine, so he asked the palace master to allow him not to defile himself.
Standing Firm
The Book of Daniel, written to the people in Judah in the middle of the exile, inspires God's people to seek God and God alone as their center. It portrays serving God faithfully and persevering in hope amid world crises and hardship. Following the first invasion of Judah and the siege of Jerusalem, King Nebuchadnezzar captured a group of young Israelite nobles to ensure his continued success. He ordered his chief official to choose youth who were without defects, good-looking, and intelligent. The goal was to educate them about the Babylonian culture and gods. One of the chosen was Daniel, a youth of integrity.
Daniel refused the offer of the king's food and wine and resolved not to defile himself. Eating food prepared to Babylonian standards violated God's laws concerning unclean foods (Leviticus 7:23-27; Leviticus 11). At fifteen, Daniel had faith to choose uncompromising adherence to God's Word. When Daniel chose to put God first, God gave Daniel knowledge, skills, and wisdom; he stood out among all the others.
As an auntie and godmother, I worry about our children and youth spending too much time on social media and less time in the Christian church. My prayer is for their spiritual formation so they do not compromise the Word of God and can stand firm. Like with Daniel, God is more than able to do the same for our youth. But as followers of Christ, we are responsible for the teaching.
Pray: God, may you rule in the hearts of our children in every area of their lives, and may strong models of brothers and sisters in Christ surround them. Rev.
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Dr. Sherryl Powell Atlanta, Georgia sherrylpowell@bellsouth.net
Thursday | May 11, 2023
John 4:24
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
True Worship
As a young child, I would often hear my grandmother and my aunts talk about “worship service.” We were going to church for a “worship service.” We have “worship bulletins” and worship songs, praise and worship teams and praise and worship dancers and worship leaders…we bow down in worship, we lift our hands in worship, and we declare that we have come into the house to worship in spirit and in truth.
But…what does all that mean? What does it mean to worship?
Too often, we treat worship of God like we would a concert or a Broadway show when all the “performers on stage” do a good job liftin’ us up. And then, maybe, when the curtain falls, if “the show” were to our liking, then we have “been to worship.”
Worship is more than just a liturgically sound Sunday morning church experience. Worship is in the details of day-to-day life.
Worship happens as a father prays for his son, who has wandered down the wrong path. Worship happens when we forgive. Worship happens when a child takes care of an aging parent and a couple remains faithful in marriage. It happens when we clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Worship happens as we present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy, pleasing, and acceptable unto God daily.
Pray: God, help me to recognize every part of my life as an act of worship.
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Ephesians 4:11-16
11 He himself granted that some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. 14 We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine by people’ s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.
Measure Up
In cooking, learning how to measure ingredients is essential when learning how to cook. The correct balance of ingredients is what makes food taste good. We all know when there is too much salt and can tell when something is too spicy or bitter.
Professional cooks make it look so easy by just throwing in a dash of this or a pinch of that, but they have the experience and the feel for measuring without always having to use the exact measuring tool.
To know how much of an ingredient to use, the cook had to be testing out the recipe. Someone had to try a dab of this and a dash of that, an ounce of this, and a cup to figure out what combination of ingredients would make the recipe taste good.
Our lives are quite similar. Every day we work to find the right measurement of time and action to make whatever is needed for the day to get done. Sometimes we get the measurement just right, but other times we find that we have truly missed the mark. Yet the one measurement that we will never get wrong is the amount of love God has for us despite our ability to get life right.
Pray: God, thank you for providing me with the right measure of grace and mercy for today.
Friday | May 12, 2023 16
Matthew 6:14a
“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
Forgiveness isAlways Available
Have you ever wondered what happened to Judas and Peter after Jesus’ crucifixion? Well, according to Matthew 27:1-10 after learning that Jesus was to be crucified, Judas attempted to return the money he had been paid for his betrayal, and he committed suicide by hanging. In John 21, when Jesus appeared to the disciples, Peter was restored to fellowship by Jesus even though he denied Jesus three times. Jesus also tells Peter to feed his sheep. After Jesus’ death, Peter served as the head of the Apostles and was the first to perform a miracle after Pentecost (Acts 3:1-11).
Many condemn Peter for his actions; however, the fear of men came upon him, and the weakness of his flesh overtook him. Under the pressure of accusation, his resolution crumbled. Peter even recognized his wrong and weaknesses because the Bible says, “He went out and wept.”
Beloved, when we look at the lives of these two men, it should teach us that we all make mistakes and mess up from time to time. Remember now, this is the same Peter, who lost faith and sank when walking on water towards Jesus. The flesh often causes us to make mistakes and embarrass God with our actions. When this occurs in our lives, if we do not give up on ourselves like Judas, we will find forgiveness from our Father God. Judas punished himself by taking his own life, but Peter hung around and found forgiveness from Jesus and was restored.
Pray: God, help me to remember that when I feel like I fall short and disappoint God, there is always forgiveness if we seek it.
Saturday | May 13, 2023
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Rev. Dr. Marietta Ramsey Bethlehem AME Church Baltimore, Maryland
ramseyetta1@gmail.com
1 Samuel 1:18-20
18 And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your sight.” Then the woman went her way and ate and drank with her husband, and her countenance was sad no longer.
19 They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. Elkanah knew his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. 20 In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I have asked him of the Lord.”
Stories of Love
Mothers love us through our good and bad. Mothers pray for us, encourage us, prepare us, correct us, inspire us, and challenge us, and are challenged by us in many ways.
Mothers have an instinctual love for their children. Even those who have found it necessary from their perspective to prepare for another person/family to rear their child instinctively love and cherish the child whom they birthed even though life’s circumstances may cause the situation to look and feel less than loving.
There is a national performance coalition entitled “Listen to Your Mother.“ “Listen to Your Mother” features live readings by local writers on the beauty, the beast, and the barely-rested of motherhood, in staged community shows. It presents the heart of motherhood from various perspectives abandonment, strength, encouragement, rekindled relationships hope.
Through these nationwide productions and our daily living, a mother’s heart is filled with the strongest desire and love for her child. More importantly, we find that mothers have a story to tell.
Hannah’s story reminds us on this Mother’s Day that the most significant story a mother can tell is how she has dedicated her children to the Lord. On this Mother’s Day, be encouraged by biological and neighborhood mothers who have trusted God for your development. Listen to their stories.
Pray: God, thank you for my momma. She gave me life.
Sunday | May 14, 2023 | Mother’s Day 18
Nehemiah 6:1-6
1Now when it was reported to Sanballat and Tobiah and to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had built the wall and that there was no gap left in it (though up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together in one of the villages[a] in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. 3 So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to come down to you?” 4 They sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. 5 In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. 6 In it was written, “It is reported among the nations and Geshem[b] also says it that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall; and according to this report you wish to become their king.
ACall to Great Work
The church is still looking for Nehemiah Leaders who are willing to do great work. In December 2019, a new coronavirus, COVID-19, kept the entire world in captivity. Thousands of loved ones died daily, unemployment percentages skyrocketed, and food pantries became the norm for feeding families that once had plenty of discretionary funds beyond the household budget.
Even today, remnants of post-pandemic trauma linger; some church doors still have not reopened. For those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, there is a resounding spiritual voice calling all pastors, officers, ministers, and ministry leaders all over the world to stand stronger than ever in the gap for the less fortunate. For such a time as this, we must rebuild our churches and ministries because people still need Jesus.
Nehemiah stands as the model for leadership in such trying times. He reminds us of the characteristics of dynamic leadership, the importance of spiritual principles, and sound administrative policies when facing trying times. As Nehemiah stood firm in his convictions, we, too, must also lead focused on God as our source so that we can overcome obstacles that try to dissuade us from the work to which we have been called.
Pray: God, keep me focused on the task before me despite my circumstance.
Rev. Fredrica Snead Associate Minister, St. Paul AME Church Stone Mountain, Georgia
Monday | May 15, 2023
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fsnead22@gmail.com
John 1:12
But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.
AMatter of Choice
Jesus Christ left heaven, came to earth, walked among us, and died on an old rugged cross just so we might have a right to the Tree of Life, yet many still reject him. The writer of the gospel of John pointed to this truth when he wrote: “He [Jesus] was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know Him. He came to what was his own, and his people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave the power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or the will of the flesh or the will of man, but of God. And the word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of the father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”
Do you ever wonder how the miracles of Jesus could be received with suspicion, rejection, hostility, disbelief, and criticism? In Matthew, even after Jesus casts out demons, he is accused of being in the devil's camp. In Matthew 13 and Luke 4, when Jesus visited his hometown of Nazareth, he was resented and rejected, despite the miraculous things his hometown people had heard he had done. Clearly, man does not accept and follow Christ because of who he is and what he has done. Faith is a matter of choice, not a matter of physical evidence or proof.
Pray: God, may my heart, spirit, and mind always serve and follow Christ.
Rev. Dr. Marietta Ramsey Bethlehem AME Church Baltimore,
Maryland
ramseyetta1@gmail.com
Tuesday | May 16, 2023
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Wednesday
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.
Who is helping you?
Really, who is helping you right now? Who is watching your back and propping you up right now? Often, when we endeavor to do something that ultimately changes our spiritual focus trajectory, we begin to see the people in our space more clearly. We see the ones who are there taking up space, but do you see the ones who are there praying for you, rooting you on, and stepping up to fill some gaps for you? Do you see them clearly? Usually, they do not make the loudest noise in your space. They are the ones who unassumingly shift the atmosphere around you. We often do not notice their impact until the shift has manifested, but they are there nonetheless.
Throughout biblical history, there have been men and women who were not prominently positioned; however, they greatly impacted those who were. Because of their courage, people like Shiphrah and Puah, midwives who feared God and did not adhere to Pharaoh’s edict to kill male children born to Hebrew women, Moses, survived. Zipporah, Moses’ wife, stepped in to save Moses when God was going to kill him because he was reluctantly returning to Egypt. Her intervention saved Moses’ life. Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, whose wisdom helped Moses become a better leader. These people were in Moses’ life in different seasons for different reasons, but each had an impact.
God keeps watch over us by placing people in our lives whose spirit God has synced to ours. You know those who call or send a message or drop an on-time meme. They may show up with a Coca-Cola when you think of one or to whom you do not need to say a word. They know in a season or for a lifetime… they just know.
May you begin to see who these people are and that their presence begins to overshadow those who are all talk but no action. May the latter hurt your ears when they speak, and the former enrich your heart with their presence.
Pray: God, open my eyes to those who are for me.
| May
2023
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21
Piddling
We spend much of our life doing what my mom called “piddling.” Piddling is playing at doing a little bit of many things. Piddling is not outcome-oriented. Piddling means cleaning up an untidy space, but when you look around, you have made more little piles out of the bigger piles. (I promise I have not been with you all week. I just understand piddling). When we piddle, we are often mindlessly moving from one project to the next, and at the end of the day, while we may be able to name all that we piddled, we may not have anything to show for it. That is piddling. I thought it was something my mother made up, but it is an actual word. It means “to spend time in a wasteful, trifling, or ineffective way.”
I am sure that we do not spend every day of our lives piddling, but what about the days that are? How much time are we spending in a wasteful, trifling, or ineffective way? What do we miss when we wake up and begin a new day without a plan? Imagine the time we have wasted, especially when creating space for God.
We each have the same time in a day none more, none less; however, how we allocate our time is significant. We do not owe it to anyone but God. No one has the right to mishandle it. It belongs to God. No one gets the privilege of wasting it. No one can give it back to you.
A straightforward way to not spend moments piddling is to ask God each day, “What is our agenda today, Lord?” If we take the time to hear from God daily, we will cut wasteful spending of our time, talent, and treasure. We can write list after list after list, but be sure that time with God is at the top each day. You can believe that the Lord’s agenda will fill you up until you overflow in God’s purposed abundance for your day.
Pray: God, thank you for ordering my steps for today.
Thursday | May 18, 2023 22
Luke 11:33
“No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a bushel basket; rather, one puts it on the lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.
Hatch
We miss many opportunities waiting for the right conditions. I am sure you have heard people say they are “waiting on their ship to come in” or “As soon as I find the right clothes, I am coming to church.” My all-time favorite is “It is just not the right time.” Well, when is the right time? When is the right time for you to get (insert your it) done? When is the right time to move, invest, shift, step up, and lead? I have this amazing quote from C.S. Lewis on my mirror that reminds me every day that being good is not good enough. He quipped, “It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.”
We have so much potential in us and around us, yet we settle for being a “decent egg.” It is pretty scary to think that you may just have to step out and be in the light because the back is safe and anonymously comfortable. This mentality is perhaps the greatest trick of the enemy and the highest form of hubris we can have. See, what we have in and around us is not something we have the right to hide. We do not have the right not to shine because it is not our light to shine; it is God’s.
Moses gave every excuse in the book about why he was not good enough to do what God was calling him to do. He felt guilt and shame for killing the Egyptian soldier. He thought people would not respect his leadership. Though he had been educated in Pharoah’s house, he doubted his intellectual abilities. He did not believe he could lead and did not want to step up and lead. He had many excuses. However, God gave him all the resources he needed to do the work at hand. He gave him Aron, and he gave him a staff. Those two and God were undoubtedly more than enough.
We often believe that we are not enough. You are not wrong. You are not enough, but God is more than enough. God has given you everything you need the strength (try God’s; it is pretty awesome), the knowledge (and the ability to Google or YouTube what you do not know), the support system (even if it is one person), and the equipment to move, to invest, to shift, to step up, to lead.
Pray: God, make my light shine brighter for you
Friday | May 19, 2023
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Jeremiah 29:10-11
10 For thus says the Lord: Only when Babylon’s seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For surely, I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.
Acknowledge Your Bias
In cognitive psychology, a concept called “confirmation bias” describes how our biases and desires can influence our beliefs. It occurs from the direct influence of desire on beliefs. For example, people may want something authentic and rely on their desires. When this happens, they stop gathering truth and embrace whatever confirms their dream, rejecting what brings doubt. We often believe our way is the best and then look for what confirms it. In other words, as humans, we love to consume information that supports our views and opinions.
Throughout the Old Testament, we see “confirmation bias” in the life of the Israelites. For example, while the false prophets preached God was with the Israelites, Jeremiah had to preach that the Babylonians would destroy everything. Of course, the Israelites believed the words of false prophets who told them exactly what they wanted to hear. They wanted to believe that God would destroy their captor and bring them back home quickly. They are operating in “confirmation bias,” an attitude that caused their desires to overshadow God’s truth delivered by Jeremiah. The Israelites embraced what validated their belief and rejected the message from God.
There have been times when I wanted to go, but God said to stay. When I wanted to stay, God said go. I am sure all could testify to similar experiences. We ask God to guide us, acknowledging that we are in God’s hands. We can only discern the will of God through deep prayer. What is your response when God's truth overshadows your desires? Whatever God is speaking to you in your heart, even when it does not match your belief, live with hope in God’s truth.
Pray: God, help me to trust in Your Word and hold onto the hope You give us for the future. Amen.
Saturday | May 20, 2023
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Dr. Sherryl Powell Atlanta, Georgia
Rev.
sherrylpowell@bellsouth.net
Proverbs 23:18
Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
Hope
We all know disappointment. The dictionary defines disappointment as sadness or displeasure caused by the nonfulfillment of one’s hopes or expectations.
Someone else defined disappointment as the negative emotion we feel when an outcome does not match our expectations. However, disappointment is an unavoidable part of life. Most of us would admit that we have been disappointed numerous times. Whenever we hope for something, we put ourselves at risk of being let down. However, I encourage you to still hope. Why? The Bible says, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. (1 Peter 5:10-11).
Proverbs says that our hope will not be cut off. We must know and understand that there is one hope that will never be lost. No matter how long we wait or how distant the fulfillment may seem, we will not be let down when we put our faith, hope, and trust in God. We will never be let down because God will always fulfill his plans and promises for our life.
Pray: God, help me always to hope, understanding that all things work together for them that love the Lord. Rev. Dr.
| May
Sunday
21, 2023
25
Marietta Ramsey Bethlehem AME Church Baltimore, Maryland ramseyetta1@gmail.com
2 Corinthians 4:8-10
8 We are afflicted in every way but not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair, 9 persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed, 10 always carrying around in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies.
Needed Workout
Sometimes, we must admit that we are struggling. Indeed, we press, but sometimes the weight of what we carry makes our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual muscles tremble. However, that weight is vital to our growth.
According to Ken Grall, Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and owner and operates Edge Fitness, “While some people may be content to lift the same amount of weight for months or even years on end, they are doing their body a disservice by not challenging their muscles to work harder and become stronger continually. Increasing resistance is based on the good old overload principle of strength training that states to build strength, the muscles must work harder than they are accustomed to. This “overload” will result in improved strength as the body adapts to the stress placed upon it.”
Whenever we find the weight heavier when we are in “spiritual overload,” we are assured that we are increasing resistance to the enemy’s tricks and influence. We are gaining insight, building our faith, repositioning our focus, and feeling the tension (a bugle call to spiritual battle). Grall notes, “There comes a time where lightweight can be a waste of time.” Our spiritual growth comes not just from the weight but also from an increase in weight.
I feel sore after a good workout sometimes immediately, but most often the next day. I feel the muscles I targeted during the workout more than any other in my body. It is uncomfortable, but I know those muscles are getting stronger. Likewise, every time we find ourselves in a struggle, the struggle targets some aspect of our character that needs toning. What is God strengthening in you? Second Corinthians 4:8-10 provides this encouragement for when we find our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual muscles trembling, “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed but not driven to despair. We are hunted down but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen (this means toned) in our bodies.
Pray: God, help me to see the strengthening in my suffering.
| May 22, 2023
Monday
26
Isaiah 55:8
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
Break the Routine
Should our days, habits, and attitudes be so routine, God must shake us from our complacency. No matter how dedicated we have been to our purpose and calling, COVID-19 forced us to grow beyond normalcy and experience different. I am unsure if “different” for you is good or bad. Certainly, family and friends’ deaths are not good, nor is the trauma afflicting those confined with their abusers or the financial devastation many are experiencing. None of that is good. Why, then, would we even try to consider seeing the good? Because we know that “[God’s] thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways [God’s] ways” (Isaiah 55:8)
It appears that religious people are always trying to get people to declare that our tragedies and our sufferings are a part of God’s plan. If God is a loving God, why does God allow us to walk down devastation and hardship paths? I have asked this question myself.
The reality is that God is already in the end. God is already in the outcome. God has already ordained our outcome. It took me a while to get that God has ordained the destination, not the paths we walk. The paths are our choice. The destination is not.
No one dies having not fulfilled their purpose. We may not understand the “why now” or the “how come” until we need the lesson of our experience with that person because we often feel that fulfilling our purpose is some grandiose moment or gesture or a specific lifestyle. Not so. Our purpose is revealed through various seasons along our paths toward our destination.
Growing to understand who we are and digging deep to embrace who God is in our lives is so critical. For, each day God ordains our rising, God has essentially pronounced that God has allowed our living for us to impact that day and for what purpose shall be revealed if we lend our heart to listen for God’s direction.
Pray: God, stretch me from my place of normalcy.
Tuesday | May 23, 2023
27
Galatians 3:28
There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
Perspectives Matter
We know people from many walks of life. Perhaps you have heard that phrasing before. It is undoubtedly a true one. It refers to the people we meet from different socio-economic backgrounds, cultures, professions, and the like. Connecting with people from different walks of life shapes our perspectives about ourselves and the world. Anyone who is always around the same type of people becomes numb to the uniqueness that is God’s most incredible creation humanity.
The Pharisees (who shunned those not as holy as they were) chastised Jesus for consorting with sinners and eating with them (Luke 15:2). However, Jesus’ ministry was to people from all walks of life tax collectors, adulters, persecutors, widows, and orphans, the sick and the sleeping and even to the Pharisee. Jesus ministered to the young and the old, the lame and the possessed. Jesus shared love and compassion with all of God’s people. More importantly, Jesus bore unto death the sins of the whole world for people from all walks of life.
Often in our journey, we dismiss the very people that Jesus embraced. Perhaps we do not do it intentionally, but we do. We grow to a place in our lives where we are comfortable in a particular setting, and those who do not fit in are not in the same setting. It is easy to look up and not see diversity in our space. It is easy to forget that the world is more extensive than our space. When we intentionally expand our space, we find that God’s incredible creation is merely beautiful full of creativity, alive with hope, grateful for life, struggling to find purpose and meaning just as we are, and valued by God just as we are.
Jesus knew this world was not a monolith of perspectives but a medley of unique perspectives. God uses people from all walks of life to reach people from all walks of life. Look at the Disciples. They were a true representation of people from all walks of life. Andrew, Peter, James, and John were fishermen. Matthew was a tax collector. Simon was a Zealot. Judas was a thief. And Paul, well, he was a Pharisee. Like the Disciples, Jesus uses your perspectives and those of everyone you meet to transform the world.
Pray: God, help me appreciate differences.
| May 24, 2023
Wednesday
28
2 Peter 1:1-10
1 Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith as equally honorable as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: 2 May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and excellence. 4 Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust and may become participants of the divine nature. 5 For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with excellence, and excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. 8 For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For anyone who lacks these things is blind, suffering from eye disease, forgetful of the cleansing of past sins. 10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble.
The Road Less/More Traveled
Sometimes, it is difficult to see the road when you are driving. I do not mean the spiritual road but the actual Department of Transportation roads. Sunlight, the lack of light, and fog are blinding depending on the time of day and weather conditions. Nevertheless, when we are on our way, we keep driving. We slow down or position ourselves near a truck that blocks the sun.
Nonetheless, we keep going most often because we are familiar with the road we are traveling. Why would we keep driving if it is difficult for us to see the road? The most obvious answer is that we are on our way somewhere. We have a task ahead of us to which we must attend, so we keep driving.
When we think about the roads we travel in our spiritual lives, we also find ourselves traveling familiar roads. Even though they may be difficult, we keep pressing because it is familiar. We have been there and done that. Our faith has grown strong in that area, so we find it a bit easier to handle. However, we often travel along the unfamiliar, and the situation ahead is unfamiliar. The circumstances associated with it are unclear, and the road is not clear. The mere thought of what lies ahead blinds us.
Peter reminds us in our scripture today that such blindness is not about the road, but instead, it is about the character we build. It is about how we “supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.”
We may not be able to see the road ahead. Still, the character you have built along the roads you have already traveled will allow you to keep going because whether the road is familiar or not, the character of the person traveling it makes all the difference.
Pray: God, help me build a strong character to sustain me along my journey.
Thursday | May 25, 2023
29
Psalm 13:1-6
1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I bear pain in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, 4 and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”; my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
5 But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 6 I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me.
How Long?
Theologians wrestle with the circumstances that caused David to write this poem. Some believe it was because he was tired of fighting battles for King Saul, while others believed he was tired of running and hiding from his son Absalom, who was trying to kill him because he wanted to be king. Regardless of why Psalm 13 was written, all agree that David was in a state of depression and anguish, almost in a panic.
David is wrestling with the issue of his enemies winning. Have you ever been there? You have done everything you know how to do, yet it is just not enough! It appears that the enemy still has the upper hand. I have been there more than once, more than twice; I have been there many times that I had to stop counting: I’ve looked up towards heaven with a deep-drawn sigh and asked God, ‘How long?’
• How long must I cry the same tears?
• How long will we remain complacent with business as usual?
• How will the innocent blood of children be senselessly spilled in the classroom?
• How long will the epidemic of hatred fueled by racism, sexism, ageism, and every other ism dictate our quality of life and determine who lives and dies?
• How long will we allow those who refuse to act on our behalf to remain in a position of power because we find an excuse not to go to the pole and vote?
• How long, Lord, will we refuse to use our God-given gifts for good and not evil?
Even amid a chaotic mess, there is hope: Proverbs 3:5 says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your insight. There is a way forward: II Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Rev. Dr. Pamela R. Rivera Presiding Elder Austin Capital District AME Church pam_rivera55@yahoo.com
Friday | May 26, 2023
30
Saturday | May 27, 2023
Colossians 1:17
He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
God’sAppointed Time
We operate in /chronos/. God operates in /kairos/. What is the difference? Chronos refers to natural time minutes, seconds, hours. When you look at a clock, you see the reality of /chronos/. It is measurable. /kairos/ refers to an appointed time or a fitting season. We live daily in both, and the former often frustrates us. We are unnerved when someone is late. We are anxious when stuck in traffic. We get irritated with our fast food is not fast. We even examine our watch to see if the preacher is preaching too long.
Our /chronos/ is valuable; however, we cannot get too caught up in /chronos/ when we serve a God whose idea of time is always. Yes, always. Colossians 1:17 reminds us that God existed before all things were. God was in the beginning, and God is in the end. God is always with us. Get this: As God was with our ancestors, God is also with our seed yet to be. God never was not, and God always will be because God operates in /kairos/.
When we think that even this very moment this appointed time in this appointed season that you have taken to walk by faith, this Lenten season is one appointed (and anointed) by God, too often, we get caught up in our limited, natural understanding of time, and we want to rush or bypass moments that do not appear to hold value for us. Nevertheless, we must remember that God has an appointed time for all things concerning you and me.
Pray: God, thank you for appointing and anointing every moment of my life for my good.
31
Exodus 4:1
Then Moses answered, “But look, they may not believe me or listen to me but say, ‘ The Lord did not appear to you.’ ”
Despite the Excuses
CC Chapman said that “excuses are nothing but self-imposed roadblocks.” I thought about this from making excuses for not exercising, not going back to school, not developing healthier financial habits, not seeking professional counseling, or not going to the doctor. It is true; we make excuses to avoid things that help us improve physically, emotionally, economically, socially, and spiritually. Then I thought about how we also make excuses for many aspects of our lives when, if we planned our day differently, if we set boundaries, reclaimed the power that we have allowed others to have over our lives, or prioritized ourselves, we would not feel the need to make excuses to ourselves or others (and especially to God).
One of the biggest excuse-makers who changed the trajectory of a nation is Moses. He did not see himself as worthy of God's charge, so he built a roadblock. He did not think he had the voice of the resources. However, for every excuse, God showed Moses a means. For every excuse, God reassured Moses that God had Moses’ back. And, even more, for every excuse Moses made, we can now see, through written history, how God was true to God’s word to Moses.
Likewise, God does the same for us. Pay attention to the excuses you make today, and then listen and watch how God responds. You will see that though we make an excuse, God does make a way for us to overcome them.
Pray: God, help me to eliminate excuses.
May
Sunday |
28, 2023
32
Monday | May 29, 2023
Psalm 139:23-24
23Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. 24 See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
The Private Walk
Think about that time you misrepresented yourself. We have all done it. God could have killed you on the spot. God did it to Ananias and Sapphira when they did.
Our daily spiritual growth is about taking stock of our mind, body, and spirit. It is about removing our masks and revealing who we are at our core not to God, because God already knows, but to ourselves. It is about seeing ourselves and reorienting our steps to align with the path God has for us more precisely. It is more than appreciating the past and shouting about it. It is about more than just being thankful; it is about demonstrating thanks for the grace and mercy that God has shown us when we could have been like Ananias and Sapphira and Moses and Aaron.
Get this, the circumstance surrounding their sin was not even public knowledge. The entire community did not know that Ananias and Sapphira were dishonest only Peter, the man of God, knew, and God knew when they solidified in their spirits to conspire to lie. No big-brother cameras captured God telling Moses to speak to the rock. While the community benefited from the blessing, they did not bear the cost of Moses and Aaron’s disobedience.
Why spend time trying to save face and keep up appearances before people when God should be our only concern? We may feel the stares and hear the backlash of people, but we must answer to God. Therefore, we must always ask the Lord to search our hearts daily to purge ourselves of what is unpleasing unto God. None of us is perfect, but thank God for your grace and mercy.
Pray: God, help me be upright in public and private.
33
1 Corinthians 1:28a
God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to abolish things that are.
Remembering Empowers Growth
Remembering is the most critical aspect of reflecting. Remembering suggests that you are going to face reruns of your favorite moments as well as your flops. Though we love to rehash the favorites, today is more about seeing the flops. Today is more about seeing why you flopped and what you need to do so that you will not flop again in those areas (because no matter what, we will flop again in something). One sanity-building mantra to keep ready is, “Flops happen!”
Have you ever noticed that we can be overly critical of ourselves when it comes to our flops? We should be consistently critiquing our circumstances and consequences; however, the goal of critiquing is not just to dwell on the negative but to evaluate what growth opportunities are available so that our walk becomes stronger with each step.
Others do not know what you remember or what you consider as unworthy of God from your past. Yet, universally, we must grasp that God allowed it for a purpose in that season of your life. Perhaps the reason that God has allowed you to begin to reflect on it in this season is so that you can see your growth or show you that you still have room for growth in that area of your life.
First Corinthians 1:28 reminds us that “God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing that the world considers important.” God uses what we see as nothing, what we dismiss as detrimental, and what we interpret as foolish to bring us closer to God. Let us not use the world’s disparaging tactics as a self-deprecating excuse to brood on our criticism. Instead, let us be intentional in using what was our foolishness to bring glory to God.
Pray: God, help me to see how my flops have worked for my good
May 30, 2023
Tuesday |
34
Wednesday | May 31, 2023
Mark 6:30-32
30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.
Yes, Selah! It is a pause, a rest, a moment of reflection that leads you to release yourself for a period to inhale and liberate your anxieties.
Hopefully, you will create space to relieve yourself of the falsehood and burden of perfection. God knows your weaknesses, and truthfully so do you. Breathe. God knows your circumstance, and so do you. Breathe. God knows your limitations, but God also knows that God is limitless with wisdom, power, and direction.
Jesus himself took time to breathe. He removed himself from the hustle and bustle of being Jesus to rejuvenate and reconnect to God. He did so to prepare for the work ahead. He did so to deal with the grief of losing a friend. He did so in times of distress, and he did so to focus on prayer. It is essential for Jesus the Savior of the world, and it is vital for us as well.
Pray: God, focus my mind on my need for rest.
35
Selah!
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