By Saron Tadesse (WITHIN Devotional Writer)

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us” - Romans 8:18
​

The other day my friend and I were having a conversation about our worries and anxieties in regards to our life. We were overwhelmed with the number of things that were going on in each of our lives and how things were changing fast. While sharing what was occupying our minds, we realized how our vision was short-sighted. We were concerned for the now, for the cares of this world. Our perspective was limited to how we can get through this life and not on how our lives will have an impact on eternity. Our next breath is not even promised yet we were living as if we were certain of the length of our days. 
The truth is, this world is not all that there is. There is more to life than just getting through the day. There is more to our present-day sufferings. If this world were the ultimate place we were destined to live, that would have been tragic. However, we are just passing through. What we think is a lifetime is nothing compared to the eternity we will get to spend with our Creator.

I was always amazed at the resilience the apostles had when they faced persecution. They would rejoice when they were flogged for preaching the gospel. They were imprisoned, stoned, hunted down, and yet the New Testament is full of hope. This is not the ordinary kind of hope we feel when we think things are going to be okay. They had the kind of hope that was unwavering regardless of the unending persecution they endured. They understood that their pain and suffering was worth the gospel. They knew that their present-day worries were just that: present day worries. They were concerned about the significance of their lives in eternity, so they chased their purpose with full intensity no matter what. 
I wonder how different our lives would be if we judged our circumstances in light of eternity. We would have a much bigger perspective on our present-day sufferings. We would understand that this world is not permanent and easily surrender our cares under the feet of our savior. We would not put our hope in our tomorrow, because we know even our next breath is not promised. We would be unapologetic with our faith because the more people added to God’s kingdom, the bigger our family in heaven will be. 
It is easy to get sucked into the cares of this world. But we are commanded to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first (Mt 6:33).. And no matter how discouraging this world gets, we can be encouraged knowing this is not our real home. We are in the world but not of it. 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The weekly devotionals seek to encourage you to dig deeper into Scripture as you take the time to daily read, meditate, and internalize the verses in the devotional, along with the passages provided below to give greater context. Take the time to read them throughout the week (repetition is important) and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp what God is showing you about Himself, about you, and how to live in light of these truths. 

Passages to read/memorize/meditate:

Colossians 3:2
Romans 8:18
2 Corinthians 4:8-9


Questions to Reflect on:

1. What areas of your life worry you the most? Would those worries affect you the same if you saw them in light of eternity?
   
2. How different would your lifestyle be if you lived everyday with the awareness that your actions today would have significance in eternity? 
   

​By Meron Asnake (WITHIN Devotional Writer)
 
​“Pay attention to the ways you’re responding to trauma. Pretending nothing happened, minimizing it, numbing out, distracting yourself, being glued to social media or television are ways some people cope.  Be mindful of your wellness.” said Dr. Thema in her latest social media post.

The pandemic, like the rest of the world, took me in a whirlwind of emotions. In addition, we, black and brown communities, are experiencing broadcasted and non-stop racial injustice in America.  Our traumas are prolonged and rerun in our social media feeds and numerous news sites. Thus, I felt as if I numbed my way through most of the quarantine. I overworked, binged watched shows, and ate a lot. As a result, I have 15 extra pounds that I fight and shimmy into, what used to be my loose-fitting jeans.  I believe I am one wrong move away from splitting in it half; the struggle cannot be more real. I believe 2020 is the year I spent less time praying and/or reading the word of God. As Dr. Thema said and quoted above, I am one of those people, who tried to escape my reality and not deal with the core problem. Hence, I failed to exercise mindfulness, which I like to parallel as our devotion (or worship).

2020 is also the year that revealed my true devotion and lack thereof. I was upset at the sovereign Lord that allowed this chaos to happen; I felt hopelessness for our communities and questioned if true change was coming. I wondered if there will be a cure for COVID and disliked our new normal. In short, I found more excuses to grumble and less reasons to be thankful as the days passed; as a result, my joy was misplaced. However, I am here to testify of the Lord’s keeping power and his unmatched grace. Because in the few times I surrendered to cast my cares onto him and be still, He encouraged and challenged me with his word in 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18. “Rejoice Always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstance for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

How on earth does one do that in a pandemic? To be honest, I could not have told you in 2020. I get the praying part but rejoicing and giving thanks were not in my to-do list. In hindsight of last year, there was, and still is so much the Lord was communicating that I overlooked by the cares of this world. For today’s devotion, let us focus on Verse 16: Rejoice always. Reread it a couple of more times. Is that a command? In whom are we rejoicing? Does it pertain to me? Is it applicable for this season? Does it really mean to rejoice, ALWAYS? I am sure you have so many questions of your own, which I encourage you to ask the Lord and get answers in His Word.

The deliberate use of the word, rejoice, challenges us to dig deeper into of the scriptures. It is communicating a command and requires active participation of the hearer. It is calling us to be glad, to glory, to exult, to gladden, to cheer, and to delight in the LORD in all circumstances (Blue Letter Bible Commentaries). Philippians 4:4 reminds us to “rejoice in the Lord Always; I will say it again: Rejoice!”  Our tendencies by default are to focus on ourselves and our need to have a trouble-free life. In that fantasy world, we assume the presence of our joy, where our devotions and praises to God will not waver. Tim Keller, quoting Elizabeth Elliot, said “Joy is not absence of trouble, it is the presence of God.” There is a call for us NOT to meditate on our circumstances, but in God and His word. It is important to remember that the sovereign God did not only allow the “chaos”, but He is in control of it, especially the the pandemic and act of domestic terrorism. In finding our joy in the Lord, we discover our strength and shield (Psalm 28:7).

So, I will ask, where is your devotion?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The weekly devotionals seek to encourage you to dig deeper into Scripture as you take the time to daily read, meditate, and internalize the verses in the devotional, along with the passages provided below to give greater context. Take the time to read them throughout the week (repetition is important) and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp what God is showing you about Himself, about you, and how to live in light of these truths. 

Passages to read/memorize/meditate:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Psalm 28:7
Psalm 32:11
Philippians 3:1

Questions to Reflect on:

1. Who should be your Joy? Where does it come from?
2. Can you rejoice for, past and current life circumstances now that you have reframed your focus?

By Yodit Kifle Smith
​It’s 2021 Sisters! A Happy New Year to you all!

If you’re like me, perhaps you are joining what feels like every believer is joining… the aspiration to take part in a variation of a Bible Reading Plan. We will see how that goes for me but I am excited about beginning.
We all start with Genesis and I’ve come to realize how refreshing it is to go back to the beginning. The New Year is often a time where we can recalibrate things in our lives. So, as we enter this year, my hope is that going back to the beginning will encourage our walk with God and impact how we live.

As I started reading the first 2 chapters, I couldn’t help but pause and think about one of the most important truths that is highlighted in these chapters:

“In the beginning, God created…” (Genesis 1:1)

God is CREATOR and we are CREATED.

I believe this foundational truth not just sets the course of our walk with God but also reaffirms the dynamic of our relationship with Him as our Creator.

To know God as Creator means we understand that He was NOT created (Psalm 90:2). To NOT be created means He is not bound by anything that exists: Rather, He is the source of it all (John 1:3). He knows how it all operates. Everything must look to Him to find meaning.

However, we, who have been created think through our finite mind. For the most part, we are aware of our limitations. And our limitations and finite nature is good. They are purposeful for how God created us. But where we tend to go wrong is when we then project them onto God and how we understand Him…seeing Him as created rather than Creator.

For example, we know that we aren’t in control of time…in fact it goes on without us but sometimes we think that time goes on without God. Yet the truth that the Uncreated God created time means He isn’t BOUND by time. He sets the times and He transcends it. So, is it any wonder why He would remind us in Scripture that we aren’t to worry about the times (Matthew 6:25) but are to be aware and mindful of how we use our time (Ephesians 5:15-16, Col. 4:5, Psalm 90:12)? That is a way we worship the Giver of time.

As we grow in our knowledge of God, I believe taking the time to understand how the Uncreated, Creator God created us to be created in the fullest sense of that word (I know that was a mouthful) will help us be more in awe of Him. It will lift our eyes to see just how Good and Kind this Creator is:

To know think that He created us to reflect His image and He called us VERY GOOD (Genesis 1:31).

To know that He created us to have a relationship with Him…not just as Creator and created but Father and child (2 Cor. 6:18).

To know that He was willing to dwell among what He created and be bound by it so that we can enter His presence and commune with Him forever (Col.1:15).

To know that out of all His majestic creation that we gasp in awe of, He is so mindful of and cares so deeply about us (Psalm 8:3-4.)

Sisters, may 2021 draw us all to a deeper, awe-inspiring relationship with God, our Creator.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The weekly devotionals seek to encourage you to dig deeper into Scripture as you take the time to daily read, meditate, and internalize the verses in the devotional, along with the passages provided below to give greater context. Take the time to read them throughout the week (repetition is important) and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp what God is showing you about Himself, about you, and how to live in light of these truths. 

Passages to read/memorize/meditate:

Genesis 1:1; 31
Psalm 8:3-4
Psalm 90:2;12
Matthew 6:25
John 1:3
2 Cor.6:16
Ephesians 5:15-16
Col. 1:15; 4:5


Questions to Reflect on:

1. In what ways have you allowed your finite mind limit God?
2. How will you meditating on the Truth that God is Creator impact your relationship with Him

By Yodit Kifle Smith

What a year! I think we can agree to that.

Some of us are sighing a heavy sigh of mental relief that we are in the last week of 2020 because we are more than ready to say goodbye! There are others of us who have experienced some amazing things despite the chaos of the year and then there are some of us who are probably thinking that not much will change in 2021 and are a bit indifferent to the year ending.

We have all experienced this year and interpreted this year differently but we know that there are lessons learned through it all.  Every devotional that has been written this year has sought to lift your eyes to Him, the One whose nearness is truly our GOOD.

Now, there’s nothing really magical that happens during the last week of the year but there is something special about being still and reflecting on God’s faithfulness, His steadfast love, His provision, His sustenance, and His nearness this year.

His Faithfulness:
Isn’t it mind-blowing that God’s faithfulness to us isn’t based on our faithfulness to Him? (2 Timothy 2:13) If I’m honest, this year has caused me to become so weary of so much and when my spirit was weak to even turn to His Word, His faithfulness drew my weary heart—even if it felt like it was dragging. I thank God that the faithful work He’s begun in us (Phil. 1:6) hasn’t taken a pause EVEN when we felt stagnant. Have you praised God for His faithfulness?
 
His Steadfast Love:
Since I’m being very honest--my love grew cold towards others this year after seeing some of the insensitivity they had towards the injustices that occurred. I found myself growing bitter towards the very things that were put in place to protect people. And the colder and more bitter I grew, the farther I stayed away from coming to the Lord. And you know what I found, that as long as I wasn’t going to the Lord, my heart became more hardened. And it was through His very Word that reminded me that God’s steadfast love isn’t threatened by a hardened heart---it welcomes it because He alone is the only that can turn a heart of stone to a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). His steadfast love loved me through the hardness and opened my heart to pray for what I grew bitter towards and that made all the difference. Have you praised God for His steadfast love?
 
His Provision:
We may not have gotten what we wanted this year but God’s provision is never truly about our wants as they are our needs. And not even the needs that we think we need but the need He knows we need. His word reminds us in Matthew 6:25-34 just how much more valuable we are than the birds of the air that have their needs met daily by our good Father. How much more  would our needs be met by the very Creator whose image we bear? Can you praise God that every need was met for you this year?
 
 
His Sustenance:
One of my favorite verses in Psalm 63:8, “My soul clings to you, Your right hand upholds me.” It’s the reminder that I may be holding God’s hand but it’s really His grip that’s sustaining me. I’m like that 2-year-old who although they are holding tight to their parent’s hand, it’s really the grip of the parent that’s keeping them from falling. And I’ve come to see that clearly this year and I’m so grateful. Have you praised God for His sustenance?
 
His Nearness:
We just celebrated Christmas, reflecting on how Immanuel, “God with us” has made all the difference in our lives. The nearness of God isn’t about an emotional experience; Rather, it’s the deep knowing and believing that His Words are true and His word tells us that He is with us—not in the “I’m with you,” that we may get from a loved one who encourages us but an actual “I live with you, abiding IN you,” kind of with you. This nearness is what the Psalmist in Psalm 73:28 acknowledges as “his good.” No other good can compare than the truth that God’s very presence no longer has to be accessed through a priest but now His presence has come to us and is with every one of us who have confessed Jesus as Lord. This presence is our comfort. Our guide. Our hope. Our very life. Have you praised God for His nearness?
 
Sisters, may our souls shout “HALLELUJAH” as we take the moment to reflect and praise for all that God is to us and all He’s done for us this year.
As we enter 2021, it’s the same GOD that goes before us and lives within us.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The weekly devotionals seek to encourage you to dig deeper into Scripture as you take the time to daily read, meditate, and internalize the verses in the devotional, along with the passages provided below to give greater context. Take the time to read them throughout the week (repetition is important) and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp what God is showing you about Himself, about you, and how to live in light of these truths. 

Passages to read/memorize/meditate:

2 Timothy 2:13
Psalm 63:8
Psalm 73:28
Phil.1:6
Ezekiel; 36:26
Matthew 6:25-34


Questions to Reflect on:

1. Make a list of all that you believe God has taught you this year. About Himself. How you.
2. How has this devotional helped you lift your eyes to Him?

By Yodit Kifle Smith

I’ve talked to many people during this Christmas season who’ve expressed that they’ve not been able to get into the “Christmas spirit.” And given the kind of year 2020 has been, I completely relate.

Then I started to ask myself what that “Christmas spirit” was supposed to feel like. Perhaps it was being home with family. Or hosting my annual white elephant gift exchange with my sisters from church OR buying gifts for everyone I had intended. If you’re like me, I realized that I had attached the memories I made during this time to add to the significance to why we celebrate this time. 

It’s no secret that Christmas has been so romanticized that anything less than lights, decorations, presents, family, parties, white elephant gift exchanges, and eggnog (not a fan) falls short of having the Christmas spirit.
​
As we enter this week, perhaps struggling to “feel” the Christmas “spirit,” what must we remember about the real significance of this season?

1. The Christmas season is NOT about comfort and convenience. 

Can you imagine Mary’s situation? A teenage, unwed Jewish young woman who gets visited by an Angel and told that she would carry the Savior of the world? Oh, and don’t forget the shame that people would have tried to hang over her as they assumed that she broke the law by getting pregnant before marriage. On top of that, she and Joseph couldn’t even find a decent place to give birth to Jesus (Luke 1-2). Talk about discomfort and  inconvenience! 
The nature of this time wasn’t about the beautiful aesthetics of how the world should have welcomed our Savior. It wasn’t about the comfort or the convenience expected from God to fulfill His great purpose.  No, it was a reminder that in the midst of hardship and confusion and fear, God, in His rich mercy, sent Jesus to enter this world to save us. It was about using the unlikely to show forth His glory. So if we are carrying the weight of hardship, confusion and fear in this season, you aren’t alone. He is able to sympathize. If you are feeling "unlikely," His glory will show forth mightily. 

1. The Christmas season isn’t about feeling good as it is about rejoicing in a TRUE HOPE.

We aren’t missing out on the Christmas season because our emotions may not be expressing it with decorations all over the house and baking cookies and buying gifts. It’s natural to think that if we aren’t feeling “jolly” and sentimental during this time, then we must be dishonoring God. And this is really reflective of how much mainstream romanticized Christmas has wired us to feel and think. As mentioned earlier, for the believer, celebrating Christmas isn’t focused on the feelings that this year brings us or the memories we make. Truth be told, this time of the year is very hard for many who may be estranged from family or who have lost loved ones. This time, with the hardship, confusion and fear we may be feeling, should lift our eyes up to a TRUE Hope that was given to us by God our Father. His name is Jesus, the anchor of our soul (Hebrews 6:19). The One who sits with us in those moments and lifts us from being overcome by them.

1. The Christmas season is a reminder of God’s RICH Mercy.

We see the words Joy, Peace, & Love plastered all over during this season--and all are reflective of what we’ve been given in Jesus. But how quick are we to think of the word Mercy? Perhaps we’ve reserved that word for Easter. Mercy is at the very heart of this season because it’s at the heart and nature of God! Because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high (Luke 1:78) In fact, JOY should well up in us when we think about how Merciful it is for God to send His Son to be born in the conditions He was born into and endure the suffering He would experience ALL for the sake of our reconciliation with Him (Eph. 2:4-10). It’s easier to equate Easter with the Gospel message but THIS Christmas story is PART of the Gospel message too. He had to be born to die. And so this season is monumental to how we understand God’s Mercy. It is yet another reminder of how this Merciful Father loves us and made a way for us to know and love Him.
Sister, regardless of what emotional state you find yourself in this season, I pray you submit those emotions to these glorious truths and worship Him as He restores the JOY of your salvation.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The weekly devotionals seek to encourage you to dig deeper into Scripture as you take the time to daily read, meditate, and internalize the verses in the devotional, along with the passages provided below to give greater context. Take the time to read them throughout the week (repetition is important) and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp what God is showing you about Himself, about you, and how to live in light of these truths. 

Passages to read/memorize/meditate:

Ephesians 2:4
1 Peter 1:3
Titus 3:5
Luke 1-2


Questions to Reflect on:

1. Do you find yourself not feeling the “Christmas Spirit?” How have these truths lifted your eyes?