The devotionals for this month emphasize that preparing our hearts is not just about external actions, but about internal transformation making space for Christ by addressing what blocks us from fully receiving him: pride, anxiety, unforgiveness, and closed-heartedness. Each reflection connects the ancient Scriptures with the present invitation to prepare for Christ's coming.
The Secret Chamber | A Digital Devotional December 2025 Edition
The Secret Chamber, the Department of Church Growth and Development’s daily devotional guide, is herein recognized as an aid to worship; it is also made an official periodical of the Church and listed in The Doctrine and Discipline of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in the annual report of the pastor on periodicals.
Bishop Wilfred J. Messiah, Senior Bishop, African Methodist Episcopal Church
Bishop Erika D. Crawford, Commission Chair
The Reverend Dr. Marcellus A. Norris, Executive Director
African Methodist Episcopal Church Department of Church Growth and Development
The Reverend Dr. Susan Hillary Ephraim, Copy Editor
The Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington, Graphic Editor
With the onset of growingArtificial Intelligence (AI) research, this edition provides a “ChatGPT Experience” to demonstrate how you might use AI as a resource to share encouragement with others. While AI programming provides a great shell, we recognize that nothing replaces our own voice in writing. Each Open AI ChatGPT experience included was enhanced by an actual person to fit the context of this edition. Visit https://openai.com to explore the possibilities.
Monday | December 1, 2025
Luke 17:11-19
11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten men with a skin disease approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus’ s feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? So where are the other nine? 18 Did none of them return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”
What to Do When God Grants Your Request: Keep Hoping
As believers, we live lives of hope and expectancy, always believing the best is yet to come. We desire to move forward, not remain where we are.
In our text, ten men cast out of society lived in no man's land between Samaria and Galilee. All suffered from leprosy certified lepers isolated because of their common problem. The text indicates they lived together since they shared this affliction.
Like them, many have heard about Jesus but haven't encountered him. We simply haven't met Jesus yet. These lepers met Jesus their Redeemer, Healer, and Salvation. Standing at a distance, they called out loudly, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" Their calling to Jesus is an open confession that draws his attention and brings someone near to the Lord. When we come to Jesus weary and sad, he takes our sins away and makes our hearts glad.
Jesus instructed them to show themselves to the priest. As they went obediently, they were cleansed. It is our turn to see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living. It's our time to live expecting God will answer our prayers. Let us praise the Lord and prepare our hearts to live in gratitude before him each day.
Pray: Jesus, thank you for your healing power and unconditional love. May I always be grateful for you.
Reverend Dr. Royd Mwandu New Quinn's Chapel AME Church 17th Episcopal District 19662010revrm@gmail.com
Tuesday | December 2, 2025
Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Stay Focused
During a recent cruise, I joined others for morning Bible study in a public area. Though 5,000 people were aboard, only those in our Facebook group knew about it.
One morning, a couple began playing at a nearby game table. They weren't disruptive just unaware of our study. After they left, our conversation shifted from Scripture to debating whether they were disrespectful. Finally, someone said, "Maybe it was a missed opportunity because none of us invited them to join."
That struck me. How easily we become distracted from our assignment! Distractions don't always arrive loud or obvious. They sneak in through comparison, frustration, or pride, blinding us to people God calls us to reach.
Remember Eve? She focused on honoring God until one deceptive conversation shifted her attention from obedience to temptation. The enemy still works this way, thriving in confusion and distraction.
As we prepare our hearts this Advent season, we must clear away distractions that keep us from our true purpose. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6:33: "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
Stay focused. Stay faithful. Stay ready for all God wants to do through you.
Pray: God, help me to have a greater focus on you this Advent season.
Reverend Vera Wallican Payne Memorial AME Church Waterloo, Iowa spmdced@gmail.com
Wednesday | December 3, 2025
Hebrews 6:19
We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain,
HopeAsAnAnchor
When storms rage and uncertainty overwhelm, hope becomes our anchor. But anchors don't work unless they're properly secured to something solid. Our hope must be anchored not in circumstances, wishes, or human effort, but in the unchanging character of God.
Preparing our hearts for hope means examining what we've anchored ourselves to. Have we tied our security to financial stability, relationships, health, or success? These anchors drag when storms come. True hope anchors deep into the bedrock of God's promises and His proven faithfulness.
The writer of Hebrews reminds us this hope is "firm and secure" not wishful thinking but confident assurance. When we prepare our hearts by securing them to Christ, we can weather any storm. The waves may crash, the winds may howl, but our souls remain steadfast.
This week, ask yourself: What is my hope anchored to? If it's anything other than God, it's time to reset your anchor in deeper waters.
Pray: Lord, anchor my hope firmly in you alone, and prepare my heart to trust your faithfulness when storms come.
ChatGPT (Edited)
Thursday | December 4, 2025
Proverbs 13:12
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Hope DeferredAnd Fulfilled
Waiting is hard. When prayers seem unanswered and promises feel delayed, our hearts grow weary. Hope deferred does make the heart sick we feel this deeply in seasons of prolonged waiting.
Yet preparing our hearts for hope means learning to hold both the ache of "not yet" and the assurance of "but still." Abraham waited decades for Isaac. Hannah wept years for Samuel. Joseph endured imprisonment before his dreams came true. Their stories teach us that delayed hope isn't denied hope.
God is not slow; God is thorough. He prepares us during the waiting, transforming our hearts to receive what we've been asking for. Sometimes what we hope for changes as we change. Sometimes the fulfillment looks different than we imagined but proves far better.
A prepared heart doesn't give up in the delay. It trusts that the Master Gardener knows exactly when the tree of life will bear its fruit. Keep hoping. Keep trusting. Your fulfillment is growing even now.
Pray: God, sustain my hope during seasons of waiting, and prepare my heart to trust your perfect timing.
ChatGPT (Edited)
Friday | December 5, 2025
1 Peter 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Living Hope Through Resurrection
Dead things don't hope. Corpses don't anticipate. Graves don't dream. But resurrection changes everything. Peter calls our hope "living" because it's rooted in the empty tomb the ultimate proof that God specializes in bringing life from death.
Preparing our hearts for hope means recognizing we serve a resurrection God. Whatever has died in your life dreams, relationships, health, faith is not beyond his power to resurrect. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you.
This living hope breathes vitality into weary souls. It's not a faint wish but an energizing force that says, "Death doesn't get the final word. Loss isn't permanent. What seems finished can be renewed." Because Jesus rose, we can rise. Because He conquered death, our dead situations can live again.
Today, invite resurrection power into your deadest places. Let living hope breathe new life where you've only seen graves.
Pray: Resurrection God, fill me with living hope and prepare my heart to believe you can bring life from any death.
ChatGPT (Edited)
Saturday | December 6, 2025
Romans 5:5
…and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
Hope That Does Not Disappoint
We've all experienced disappointment hopes that crashed, expectations that failed, trust that was betrayed. These experiences make us cautious about hoping again. We protect our hearts by lowering expectations, afraid to be hurt once more.
But Paul declares that hope in God will never disappoint us. Why? Because this hope isn't based on human reliability or favorable circumstances. It's grounded in God's love poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. This love is the guarantee, the down payment, the proof that God will fulfill every promise.
Preparing our hearts for hope means daring to hope again despite past disappointments. It means trusting that God's track record is perfect even when people's isn't. It means believing his promises even when human promises have failed.
God will not shame your hope. He will not leave you disappointed. God’s love backs every promise God has made. Risk hoping again. Let your prepared heart believe that this hope anchored in divine love will never fail you.
Pray: Faithful God, heal my disappointed heart and prepare me to hope boldly in your unfailing love.
ChatGPT (Edited)
Sunday | December 7, 2025 | SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT
Luke 1:76-79
76
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. 78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, 79 to shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
The Prince Of Peace
Zechariah's prophetic song reminds us that Christ comes "to guide our feet into the path of peace." Yet peace requires preparation hearts must be softened before they can receive it. True peace isn't merely the absence of conflict; it's the presence of wholeness, the Hebrew shalom. To prepare our hearts for this peace, we must confront what disturbs our souls: anxieties, grudges, fears, the chaos we've grown accustomed to.
Mary and Joseph understood this preparation intimately. Their journey to Bethlehem was marked by uncertainty and discomfort, yet they remained open to God's peace transcending understanding. They prepared their hearts not by controlling circumstances, but by trusting in God's faithfulness.
This week, consider what steals your peace. Is it worry about tomorrow? Bitterness from yesterday? The relentless pace you maintain? Preparing our hearts for Christ's peace means releasing our grip on what we cannot control and receiving the gift of divine calm.
The Prince of Peace approaches. Will we make room?
Pray: Prince of Peace, calm the storms within me and prepare my heart to rest in your perfect peace.
ChatGPT (Edited)
Monday | December 8, 2025
Luke 10:38-42
38 Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus’ s feet and listened to what he was saying. 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her, then, to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things, 42 but few things are needed indeed only one. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Peace Is In The Midst Of Preparation Is The Perfect Choice
When Jesus visited Martha and Mary's home, Martha opened her door but struggled to open her heart. She was "distracted by all the preparations," while Mary sat at Jesus' feet, listening.
Martha's frustration erupted: "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?"
Jesus responded gently: "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better."
This story reveals a profound truth about preparing our hearts: we can be busy for Jesus while missing time with Jesus. Martha's preparations weren't wrong, but her distraction kept her from what mattered most his presence.
As we prepare our hearts this Advent season, we face Martha's choice daily. Will we be consumed by the preparations the meals, decorations, obligations or will we sit at Jesus' feet? Preparing our hearts means choosing presence over productivity, listening over doing, being over busy. Mary understood that a prepared heart makes space to hear God's voice, for God’s word brings peace, grace, and direction.
Pray: Lord, prepare my heart to choose your presence over my preparations and to listen for your voice above all else.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Peace Beyond Understanding
In a world of political division, economic uncertainty, and social upheaval, anxiety feels justified. News cycles amplify our fears. Social media intensifies polarization. We watch cultural battles unfold and wonder where stability has gone. Yet Paul writes from prison hardly peaceful circumstances and offers this counter-cultural instruction: don't be anxious about anything. Instead, pray about everything.
Preparing our hearts for peace means choosing prayer over panic. It means bringing our legitimate concerns to God rather than rehearsing them endlessly in our minds. When we do this with thanksgiving acknowledging God's faithfulness even amid chaos something supernatural happens: His peace guards our hearts.
This peace "surpasses understanding" because it defies logic. It shouldn't exist in turbulent times, yet it does. It's not the peace of resolved problems but the peace of God's presence in unresolved situations. Practice trading your anxiety for prayer. Let God's incomprehensible peace stand guard over your prepared heart.
Pray: Prince of Peace, guard my heart with Your supernatural peace that transcends my circumstances and understanding. Amen.
ChatGPT (Edited)
Wednesday | December 10, 2025
Mark 4:39
And waking up, he rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Be silent! Be still!' Then the wind ceased, and there came a dead calm.
Peace In The Storm
The disciples panicked in the storm while Jesus slept. Their fear was reasonable they were seasoned fishermen who recognized dangerous conditions. Yet Jesus remained at peace even as waves crashed over the boat.
When he finally spoke "Be silent! Be still!" the storm obeyed instantly. But notice: Jesus rebuked the storm, not the disciples' fear. He understood their terror. He simply wanted them to understand His authority over chaos.
We live in stormy times. Cultural conflicts rage. Political tensions mount. Communities fracture along ideological lines. The boat feels like it's sinking, and we wonder if God is sleeping through our crisis.
Preparing our hearts for peace means remembering who's in the boat with us. The same Jesus who calmed ancient seas speaks peace over modern chaos. He hasn't abandoned us to the storm; He's present in it.
Peace doesn't mean the absence of storms. It means trusting the One who commands them. The winds may howl, but Christ is near, and His word still creates calm.
Pray: Lord Jesus, speak peace into my storm and prepare my heart to trust your authority over every chaos I face.
ChatGPT (Edited)
Thursday | December 11, 2025
Hebrews 12:1
Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
Pursuing Peace
Peace isn't passive; it requires pursuit. The writer of Hebrews commands us to actively chase after peace with everyone not just those who agree with us, look like us, or vote like us. This is challenging work. Pursuing peace means laying down our need to be right. It means listening before speaking. It means building bridges instead of walls. It means choosing reconciliation over retaliation.
Preparing our hearts for peace starts with examining what we harbor within: bitterness, unforgiveness, prejudice, or the stubborn belief that we're completely right and others are completely wrong. These obstacles block peace from flowing through us to others.
Notice the verse connects peace with holiness. We cannot claim to follow the Prince of Peace while sowing discord, spreading division, or demonizing those who differ from us. Holiness includes peacemaking.
This week, ask: Who have I written off? What relationship needs repair? Where can I be a peacemaker rather than a peace-taker? Then take one step toward reconciliation. Peace with everyone starts with a prepared heart willing to pursue it.
Pray: God of peace, prepare my heart to actively pursue peace with everyone, even when it's difficult or costly.
(Edited)
ChatGPT
Friday | December 12, 2025
Isaiah 26:3
Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace, in peace because they trust in you.
The Legacy Of Peace
Steadfast. The Hebrew word suggests something firmly fixed, unmovable, established. In our context, a steadfast mind isn't tossed by every news headline, conspiracy theory, or cultural shift. It remains anchored to God.
Isaiah reveals the secret: steadfast minds experience peace because they trust in God. Trust is the bridge between a chaotic world and a peaceful heart. Without trust, we're left managing our anxiety alone. With trust, we rest in God's sovereign care.
Preparing our hearts for peace means developing steadfast minds. This requires intentionality. We must guard what we consume limiting endless news scrolling and choosing truth over sensationalism. We must fill our minds with God's Word rather than the world's worries. We must practice remembering God's faithfulness instead of catastrophizing about the future.
A steadfast mind isn't naive about problems; it's realistic about God's power. It acknowledges challenges without being conquered by them. It sees turmoil but chooses trust.
Today, fix your mind on God. Let trust produce the steadfast peace that the world cannot manufacture or steal.
Pray: Faithful God, establish a steadfast mind within me and prepare my heart to trust you for perfect peace.
ChatGPT (Edited)
Saturday | December 13, 2025
Luke 1:79
To give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
The Path Of Peace
Zechariah prophesied that the Messiah would come "to guide our feet into the way of peace." This reveals something profound: peace is a path we walk, not just a feeling we experience. Many of us sit in darkness shadowed by fear, grief, confusion, or despair. We long for peace but don't know how to find it. We've tried managing our anxiety, controlling our circumstances, or avoiding conflict, yet peace remains elusive.
Preparing our hearts for peace means recognizing we need a guide. We cannot manufacture peace through willpower or positive thinking. We need the Light of the World to illuminate the path and lead us step by step. The "way of peace" isn't a destination we arrive at once and remain forever. It's a daily walk, a continuous journey of following Christ's leading. Some days the path feels clear; other days we stumble in darkness. But the Guide remains faithful.
Invite Jesus to guide your feet. Trust him to show you the next step on the path of peace, even when you can't see the entire journey ahead.
Pray: Lord Jesus, be my guide and prepare my heart to follow you faithfully on the path of peace.
ChatGPT
(Edited)
Sunday | December 14, 2025 | THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT
Luke 1:46-47
46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
The God Of Joy
"My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior," Mary declares. Her joy springs not from comfortable circumstances but from a prepared heart that recognizes God's goodness.
Preparing for joy seems paradoxical isn't joy spontaneous? Yet Mary teaches us that joy deepens in hearts attuned to God's presence. She faced scandal, uncertainty, and a long road ahead, but her prepared heart perceived God's faithfulness breaking through.
Joy differs from happiness. Happiness depends on happenings; joy roots itself in God's unchanging character. To prepare our hearts for Christ's joy, we practice gratitude even in difficulty, we choose worship over worry, we remember God's past faithfulness while anticipating God’s future goodness.
This Gaudete Sunday, the rose candle reminds us that rejoicing is central to Advent preparation. We don't prepare our hearts through grim determination but through joyful anticipation. The Savior comes! Our redemption draws near!
Joy awaits those whose hearts are ready to receive it.
Pray: God of joy, tune my heart to sing your praises and prepare me to receive the deep joy only you can give.
ChatGPT (Edited)
Monday | December 15, 2025
Luke 1:44
For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.
ElizabethAnd Mary’s Joy
When young Mary visited elderly Elizabeth, something remarkable happened. Elizabeth's baby John leaped for joy in her womb at Mary's greeting. Here were two women from different generations, both carrying impossible promises, finding joy in each other's presence.
Elizabeth didn't dismiss Mary's youth or naivety. Mary didn't disregard Elizabeth's age or "outdated" faith. Instead, they celebrated together. Elizabeth blessed Mary's belief. Mary sang her Magnificat. Their intergenerational friendship created space for mutual joy and encouragement.
Preparing our hearts for joy this Advent means following their example. Young people need older mentors who affirm their calling and celebrate their faith journey. Older believers need younger friends whose fresh passion reignites their own wonder. We often separate by age groups in church and life, missing the joy that comes from unlikely friendships. But God's best gifts often arrive through intergenerational connections wisdom meeting energy, experience meeting enthusiasm, stability meeting spontaneity.
This season, reach across generational lines. Your joy and theirs will multiply.
Pray: Lord, prepare my heart to find joy in friendships that span generations and reflect your inclusive love.
ChatGPT (Edited)
Tuesday | December 16, 2025
Matthew 21:16
Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise.
Children Leading Joy
Jesus quoted this psalm when religious leaders complained about children shouting praises in the temple. While adults critiqued and questioned, children celebrated freely. Their uninhibited joy prepared perfect praise. Preparing our hearts for joy this Advent requires childlike faith. We've complicated Christmas with stress, commercialism, and perfectionism. Children remind us to return to simple wonder: lights are magical, gifts are exciting, baby Jesus is amazing.
Watch how children approach Advent. They count days with anticipation. They ask questions without embarrassment. They believe wholeheartedly in miracles. They don't apologize for their excitement. This is the joy Jesus commends.
Older generations possess wisdom, but younger generations often carry purer joy. When grandparents watch grandchildren's eyes light up at Christmas stories, that joy becomes contagious. When weary adults witness children's unfiltered worship, cynicism melts.
Spend time with a child. Let their joy teach you. Ask about their favorite part of Christmas. Watch their wonder. Let them lead you back to uncomplicated celebration. Allow children to prepare your heart for joy.
Pray: Lord, prepare my heart to receive joy through childlike faith and wonder this Advent season.
ChatGPT (Edited)
Wednesday | December 17, 2025
Luke 2:29-30
Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation.
Simeon’s Long-Awaited Joy
Simeon waited his entire life for this moment. An old man, promised by the Spirit he wouldn't die before seeing the Messiah, finally held baby Jesus. His joy burst forth in a song we now call the Nunc Dimittis "now dismiss your servant in peace." His joy teaches us patience. Some of us have waited years decades even for promises to materialize, for prayers to be answered, for joy to return. Simeon's story reminds us that delayed joy isn't denied joy. God's timing is perfect, even when it spans a lifetime.
Preparing our hearts for joy this Advent means honoring those who've waited long. Listen to elderly saints who've weathered many Christmases. Their perseverance through seasons of sorrow makes their joy deeper, richer, more profound.
Their testimonies prepare younger hearts: "Keep believing. Keep waiting. Keep hoping. The joy will come." Meanwhile, younger generations remind seasoned believers that God still moves, still answers, still fulfills promises. Every Advent celebration should include Simeon's generation those who've waited faithfully and now witness God's goodness.
Pray: Faithful God, prepare my heart to find joy in patient waiting and to honor those who've waited long.
(Edited)
ChatGPT
Thursday | December 18, 2025
II Timothy 1:5
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you.
Joy
Paul celebrates Timothy's spiritual heritage a faith passed from grandmother to mother to son. This intergenerational transfer of faith also transfers joy. When we see our children or grandchildren embrace Christ, when faith takes root in the next generation, deep joy floods our souls.
Preparing our hearts for joy this Advent means investing in spiritual legacy. Grandparents, share how God sustained you through hard years. Parents, show your children authentic faith, not performance. Young adults, honor the faith foundation your elders built. Children, ask questions and absorb the stories.
Joy multiplies when generations share faith together. Baking Christmas cookies while telling Jesus stories. Reading Scripture around the table with grandparents and grandchildren. Attending Christmas Eve service as multiple generations. Serving together at food banks. These moments weave intergenerational joy into eternal impact.
Don't let Advent be age-segregated. Blend generations in celebration. The joy of shared faith across generations reflects God's eternal family where all ages worship together. Your spiritual legacy is someone else's future joy.
Pray: Lord, prepare my heart to faithfully pass on joy-filled faith to the generations following me.
ChatGPT (Edited)
Friday | December 19, 2025
Revelation 19:7
Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready.
The Wedding Feast Joy
One day, all generations will gather at the ultimate celebration the wedding feast of the Lamb. Every tribe, tongue, nation, and age will rejoice together. The oldest saint and the youngest child will worship side by side in perfect joy. This vision should shape our Advent celebrations now. We're preparing our hearts not just for Christmas morning but for that eternal morning when Christ returns for His bride. Our intergenerational joy here anticipates our eternal joy there.
Preparing our hearts means practicing for heaven. When we gather across generations to celebrate Jesus' first coming, we rehearse for his second coming. When grandparents worship alongside grandchildren, when teenagers serve with senior adults, when children and elders sing together, we glimpse eternity.
Heaven won't separate by age groups. Neither should our Advent celebrations. Every generation brings unique expressions of joy that enrich the whole body. Together, we reflect God's diverse, inclusive, multigenerational family.
This Advent, celebrate with every generation. Your joy today prepares you for the eternal joy coming.
Pray: Coming King, prepare my heart for eternal joy by teaching me to celebrate with all generations now.
ChatGPT (Edited)
Saturday | December 20, 2025
Deuteronomy 18:13 13 You must remain completely loyal to the Lord your God.
My Loyalty Honors
God
Ask yourself, when was the last time you gave God your complete yes? When was the last time you removed yourself from every distraction? In this season there are so many things grabbing for your attention. Yet, having the mind of Christ requires the believer to understand diversions are of the enemy. The truth is, God wants more from you and more of you. Your duty and position remain to stand firm in the edification of the things of God.
Deuteronomy 18 presents a rich text on the distinction between priests and prophets in biblical times. Our focus scripture deals with the prescription for the prophet. In sum, it asks, and ultimately answers the question of how the prophet should handle and be handled in a foreign land. The reader is reminded the prophet is about to come into the blessing of the promised land. The interesting message is when in the land there are a cadre of things the prophet cannot do if the prophet wants to stay in possession of the blessing.
After all you have endured, it is your faithful loyalty that honors God. We are reminded that no matter what blessing you receive there is a requirement you must fulfill in your faithfulness. Each new day is an opportunity to be more faithful and loyal to God’s promise.
Pray: Lord, keep me faithful to every blessing You have prepared for me.
Reverend Jarrett Britton Washington Hopewell AME Church
Hemingway, South Carolina jbrittonwashington@gmail.com
Sunday | December 21, 2025 | FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT
1 John 4:9-10
9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
The God Of Love
"This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son." The final week of Advent brings us to love the reason for everything.
God's love moved God to send God’s Son into our broken world. To prepare our hearts for Christmas, we must grasp this stunning reality: the God of the universe chose intimacy with humanity. God didn't send a message or an angel; God came.
Preparing our hearts for Christ's love means acknowledging our need. We cannot earn this love or deserve it. We can only receive it with humble, open hands. Pride closes hearts; humility opens them.
As we light the final Advent candle, we are reminded that Love is not an abstract concept but a Person who arrived as a vulnerable baby. Christ's coming reveals that God's love is tender, sacrificial, and transformative.
Our hearts are prepared when we stop striving and start receiving, when we let Love make a home within us.
Pray: Loving God, prepare my heart to fully receive and reflect the amazing love you demonstrated by sending your Son.
ChatGPT (Edited)
Monday | December 22, 2025
1 Corinthians 16:14
Let all that you do be done in love.
The Power OfAHandwritten Moment
People often ask how I find time to send so many cards. The truth is it's not about the cards. It's about the care.
In The Power of Moments, Chip and Dan Heath remind us that life's defining moments are crafted through intentional acts that make others feel seen. Small, consistent gestures of care make people feel valued as individuals. For example, a card for a birthday, a note after loss, or message saying, "I see you" makes a world of difference in someone’s life.
These small gestures carry spiritual weight because they reflect God's heart the one who writes our names on his palms (Isaiah 49:16).
Emails are efficient. Texts are instant. But a handwritten note? That's eternal. It turns an ordinary moment into a sacred memory.
As we prepare our hearts this Advent season, we're reminded that God didn't send a cosmic announcement God sent God’s self, intimately and personally that is love! We prepare our hearts by following God’s example: slowing down, seeing others, and offering presence over efficiency.
This week don't just send a message. Send a moment in love.
Pray: Lord, help me slow down to see others as you see them, and let my words carry your love and create moments that heal.
Reverend Kevin T Taylor
Israel AME Church
Albany, New York
revkttaylor@hotmail.com
www.revkttaylor.com
Tuesday | December 23, 2025
1 John 4:9
God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him.
Love Made Visible
God didn't send a message about love He sent Love incarnate. Jesus is God's love made visible, tangible, and personal. This Advent, preparing our hearts for Christ's coming means understanding that love always acts.
We cannot claim to prepare for the God of love while harboring hate, nursing grudges, or withholding forgiveness. Love requires something from us: confession of our hardness, repentance from our selfishness, willingness to extend what we've received.
God's love came down. It got messy. It took risks. It gave everything. As we await Christmas, ask: How is my love visible? Who needs to see Christ's love through my actions? What relationship needs reconciliation? Where can I give sacrificially?
Preparing our hearts means letting God's love flow through us to others. When we love as God loved, we make room for God to dwell within us.
Pray: God of love, prepare my heart to make your love visible through my words and actions this Advent.
ChatGPT (Edited)
Wednesday | December 24, 2025
Luke 2:6-7
7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place in the guest room.
Receive Jesus
"While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born." After months of preparation, after generations of prophecy, after four weeks of Advent waiting the moment arrives. Christmas Eve sits in the sacred space between anticipation and fulfillment. Our hearts have been prepared through hope, peace, joy, and love. Now we stand on the threshold of the greatest gift ever given.
Mary and Joseph's waiting ended in a humble stable, not a palace. This teaches us that prepared hearts recognize God's presence even when it arrives differently than expected. The King of Kings enters through ordinary means a birth, a manger, the night sounds of animals. Divinity clothed in humanity.
Tonight, we wait with expectant hearts. The preparation is complete; the arrival is imminent. In these final hours, let quietness settle over your soul. Soon the waiting will give way to wonder, the longing to presence, the preparation to fulfillment.
Our prepared hearts are about to receive the one they have been waiting for.
Pray: Lord Jesus, as this holy night unfolds, let my prepared heart be still and ready to welcome You.
ChatGPT (Edited)
Thursday | December 25, 2025 | CHRISTMAS DAY
John 1:14
And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
Live In Me
"The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." The waiting is over. Emmanuel God with us has arrived. All our preparation culminates in this stunning reality: God didn't remain distant but drew near. Every valley lifted, every mountain lowered, every crooked path straightened all to make way for this moment. The prepared heart now beholds what it has longed for.
Christmas Day is not an ending but a beginning. Christ's birth inaugurates a new way of living with God present among us. Our prepared hearts now become dwelling places where Christ continues to be born anew.
Today we celebrate not just a historical event but a present reality: Jesus is here. The hope we waited for, the peace we longed for, the joy we anticipated, the love we yearned for all are embodied in this child.
The preparation was worth it. The gift exceeds all expectation. God has come to dwell with us, and our hearts now prepared can receive Jesus fully.
Merry Christmas. Emmanuel has come!
Pray: Lord Jesus, you are here fill my prepared heart completely and make your home in me forever.
ChatGPT (Edited)
Friday | December 26, 2025
John 14:6
Jesus said to him, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus The Truth-Teller
In an age of misinformation, conspiracy theories, and "alternative facts," we desperately need to know Jesus as Truth. Not just truth as a concept, but Truth as a Person who grounds us when everything else shifts.
Getting to know Jesus means learning to recognize His voice amid countless competing voices. Social media algorithms feed us what we want to hear. News outlets spin narratives. Even well-meaning people spread falsehoods. But Jesus speaks unchanging truth.
God is preparing us to navigate a world drowning in deception by anchoring us to the One who cannot lie. When we know Jesus intimately through God’s Word, through prayer, through God’s Spirit we develop discernment. We recognize counterfeits because we know the genuine article.
This week, spend time in the Gospels. Watch how Jesus responds to manipulation, half-truths, and religious posturing. Learn God’s tone, God’s priorities, God’s character. The better you know Truth, the better equipped you'll be to face today's confusion.
Pray: Lord Jesus, deepen my knowledge of You as Truth and prepare me to stand firm amid deception.
ChatGPT (Edited)
Saturday | December 27, 2025
Ephesians 2:14
For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.
Jesus The Reconciler
Our world is fractured divided by politics, race, economics, and ideology. Families split over elections. Churches fragment over secondary issues. Communities polarize into hostile camps. Into this brokenness, God calls us to know Jesus the Reconciler.
Jesus didn't come to take political sides but to demolish dividing walls. He crossed every boundary His culture erected: touching lepers, dining with tax collectors, honoring Samaritans, elevating women. He modeled radical reconciliation.
God is preparing us to be peacemakers in polarized times. But we cannot give what we don't possess. We must first experience Christ's reconciling work in our own hearts receiving His forgiveness, extending it to others, refusing to demonize those who differ from us.
Getting to know Jesus as Reconciler means learning His ministry of bridge-building. Study how he engaged opponents with truth and grace. Notice His refusal to dehumanize enemies. Watch his patience with the misguided.
Today's world needs Christians who know Jesus well enough to reflect His reconciling love across every divide.
Pray: Reconciling Christ, teach me your ways of peace and prepare me to build bridges in fractured spaces.
ChatGPT (Edited)
Sunday | December 28, 2025
Matthew 9:36
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Jesus The Compassionate
We live in a world of immense suffering: refugees fleeing violence, children facing poverty, people battling addiction and mental illness, communities devastated by natural disasters. The needs are overwhelming. God is preparing us to face this suffering not with despair but with Christ's compassion.
Getting to know Jesus means observing how Christ responded to human pain. He didn't turn away or become numb. He felt deeply. He wept with mourners. He touched the untouchable. He prioritized the marginalized. His compassion moved Him to action.
Many of us have compassion fatigue we've seen so much suffering that we've built protective walls around our hearts. But Jesus calls us to remain tender, to keep feeling, to continue caring even when it's costly.
God is preparing us to be his compassionate presence in hurting places. Study how Jesus balanced selfcare with service, how He maintained compassion without burning out. Learn from Him how to feel deeply without being consumed. The world doesn't need more opinions; it needs Christ's compassion lived out through his people.
Pray: Compassionate Savior, soften my heart and prepare me to carry your love to those who suffer.
ChatGPT (Edited)
Monday | December 29, 2025
Matthew 5:43-44
You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
Jesus The Counter-Cultural
Every generation faces pressure to conform to cultural values that contradict Christ. Today's culture worships success, comfort, autonomy, and retaliation. Jesus offers a radically different way: servanthood, sacrifice, surrender, and enemy-love.
Getting to know Jesus means recognizing how thoroughly counter-cultural He is. He blessed the poor, not the powerful. He served rather than demanding service. He forgave rather than seeking revenge. He loved enemies, welcomed strangers, and elevated the lowly.
God is preparing us to live distinctively in a world that pressures us toward conformity. This requires deep knowledge of who Jesus is and what He values. Superficial Christianity bends to culture's demands. But those who truly know Christ stand firm because they're anchored to something Someone immovable.
This week, identify where cultural values clash with Christ's teaching. Where does Jesus call you to swim upstream? What popular opinion contradicts His Word? Choose one area where you'll live counter -culturally in the coming year. The world is watching. Will they see Jesus in you?
Pray: Radical Jesus, give me courage to follow you counter-culturally and prepare me to stand firm.
ChatGPT (Edited)
Tuesday | December 30, 2025
Colossians 1:27
To them God chose to make known how great among the gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Jesus The Hope Of Glory
Despair is epidemic. Climate anxiety, economic uncertainty, political instability, and social breakdown leave many feeling hopeless about the future. Into this darkness, God offers Christ not just as historical figure but as present reality: "Christ in you, the hope of glory."
God is preparing us to be hope-bearers in despairing times. The world doesn't need our optimistic platitudes. It needs the authentic hope that comes from knowing the Risen Christ personally and intimately. When people see that our hope isn't shaken by circumstances, they'll ask about its source.
Your deepening relationship with Jesus prepares you to face whatever comes with unshakeable hope.
Pray: Indwelling Christ, awaken me to your presence within and prepare me to share authentic hope with others.
ChatGPT (Edited)
Wednesday | December 31, 2025 | NEW YEAR’S EVE
Psalm 90:12
So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.
Trusting TheAuthor Of Our Days
As one year ends and another begins, we stand at a threshold moment. Behind us lie memories some precious, some painful. Ahead stretches the unknown full of possibility and uncertainty. In this liminal space, God invites us to prepare our hearts by surrendering our days to God. The psalmist doesn't ask us to control our days but to count them wisely. This means recognizing each day as a gift from God, numbered and known by Him. We cannot predict what the coming year holds challenges, losses, joys, or breakthroughs but we can know the One who holds every day.
Preparing our hearts for a new year means releasing our grip on outcomes we cannot control and trusting the faithful God who has carried us this far. It means confessing where we've tried to be our own gods, acknowledging our need for daily dependence on God.
Tonight, before the clock strikes midnight, reflect on God's faithfulness throughout the past year. Where did God provide? Protect? Comfort? Guide? Let those memories build confidence for the unknown ahead.
The same God who walked with you through this year will be faithful in the next.
Pray: Faithful God, prepare my heart to trust you with every day of the coming year, knowing you are already there.
