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By Meron Asnake (WITHIN Devotional Contributor)
My news feed, as most of yours, is inundated with the latest development of COVID-19. There are countless articles on caught cases, overwhelmed medical facilities and staffs, shortage of equipment and gears, lack of cure, stay at home orders, loss of jobs, stock market crash, and etcetera. The more I tuned in for the updates, the more I found myself fearful and anxious of my mortality. As a result, I have been trying to avoid several media outlets. Nonetheless, it does not stop the recommendations from coming to my news app. This time, I took the bait of a headline that read, “5 Fascinating Reads of the Weekend.” I clicked on the link and waited for stories to unravel on my phone screen; I scrolled to be captivated by their suggests as my eyes caught this article. It reads “How the Pandemic Will End: The U.S may end up with the worst COVID-19 outbreak in industrialized world. This is how it is going to play out.” What a way to click bait readers with a statement of hope, which was quickly snuffed out by a bleak subtitle. In addition, it dares to declare a step by step narrative of its prediction. At this point, I decided to not read the entire article for sanity purposes. However, it was too late for me not feel the tightness in my chest. I began wondering if that was true. “Will it get worse before it gets better? What does that even mean? There are so many moving pieces; indeed, it is a dynamic virus. How long will it take for a cure?” The thoughts raced in my head and wanted to wage war in my mind. Our nations do not have the answers, and everyone seems to scramble to find cures. But God! Amid our crisis, we have an all-knowing and all-powerful God, who is everywhere at the same time, to comfort us all. We have assurance in Lord and His sovereignty. He is NOT AT ALL surprised by the Pandemic; He is still in control, and He still reigns. We can trust in His unchanging character and allow ourselves to experience stillness in His presence. In doing so, we shall know He is God for He will be exalted among the nations; He will be exalted in the earth (Psalm 46:10). Thus, the tightness in our chest shall dissipate as we recognize God for who He is and take Him at His word as the Holy Spirit reveals. In addition, the word of God reminds us “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28 NLT). For believers, who have placed our faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, this is an assured hope during and after COVID-19. It shall also awaken a zeal to share “the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which like Paul, we too have been entrusted” (1 Timothy 1:11). Lastly, it is our responsibility to humble our hearts, pray, seek God’s face, and repent, for He will heal our lands (2 Chronicles 7:14). Let’s be intentional in our free time like no other; we must dedicate time with the Lord and seek His face, so we can come out of this season better than how we got into 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: Psalm 95 Matthew 10:28 Psalm 46:10 2 Chronicles 12: 14Questions to Reflect on:
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By Hannah Solomon Mesfin (WITHIN Devotional Contributor)
Often times, I have sat and pondered on the thought “when my life has come to an end, have I truly lived a life worthy of my calling?” In these moments of contemplation, I find myself more encouraged to push even deeper into my purpose, my call and my abilities. We can either find ourselves encouraged to live a life worthy of the call and gifting God has placed within us or we can run away from the call, dishonoring God and living in disservice to others. My husband shared a quote with me the other day that I want to share with you all. He said, “The death of a seed is the burial of a forest” (Myles Munroe). How powerful is that!? In the same way, the death of our giftings that God has given us is the burial of generations that are to follow. God has not given us giftings, talents and abilities for us to hide or keep dormant. Instead, we are to use it to honor Him and serve others. These two things go hand in hand. In 1 Peter 4:10 we see Peter encouraging believers saying, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (NIV) There are two giftings, natural and spiritual giftings. Yet, Peter does not distinguish between spiritual gifts and natural talents or abilities. He didn’t say to those of you who have a specific gifting or call out on a particular kind of people or specific group of people. He instead said that EACH of us should use WHATEVER gift we have received to serve others. We know that in “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord” (Col. 3:23). So, our natural giftings and talents are to also be used as if we are working for the Lord. And Because He Himself has given us these exact gifts, it does not become exempt or disqualified. “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.” (1 Cor. 12:4-6) I am reminded of this in the parable of the bags of gold (Matthew 25). The master gave three men different amounts of gold, each according to their ability. He then journeyed off and returned after a long time. When he came upon each of the men that he had given a part of his wealth to, the man who was given five bags of gold from his master went and gained five more. The man who was given two bags of gold went and gained two more, but the man who was given one bag of gold went and buried the gold only to give back to the master what he initially gave to him. Most of us are like the third man, burying what God has given us without producing fruit or change. We often think that what God has given us we can only do so little with in comparison to what God might have given the person next to us. So instead, we keep it to ourselves thinking it won’t make a difference so why waste time or we think that what we do has no impact. We even believe that the God we serve is Mighty enough and why does He need someone as insignificant as ourselves to advance His kingdom, to subdue the earth and touch the lives of those around us; He can do it all by Himself right? Consequently, we bury, we hide, we cover what He has placed in us thinking we will disappoint Him and that it is better off to leave it as “one bag of gold” versus messing up and losing the entire bag all together. Well, this couldn’t be further from the truth! We first have to understand that God gives according to our ability! The gifts He placed within you, the talents He has given you is YOURS; not your neighbors, not your friends. What you do with the gift He has given you and how you use it to serve others is also going to look different from the person next to you. For you, it might be adding five more “bags of gold”. For someone else it might be adding two more “bags”. All God cares about is that we are ADDING, we are multiplying, advancing and serving others. Don’t let the death of your seed become the burial of your forest! “Remember, my hearer, that in the day of judgment thy account must be personal; God will not ask you what your church did – he will ask you what you did yourself.” (Spurgeon) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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 4:1 1 Peter 4:10 Matthew 25 1 Corinthians 12:4-7Questions to Reflect on:
By Yodit Kifle Smith We are indeed living in interesting times. While we never fully understand why things happen the way they do, we do know one thing: God is on His throne (Psalm 47:8) and He is at work (Psalm 121:4). For those of us who have put our trust in Him, this is a time where we will see whether we trust in His sovereignty or whether we have picked when to believe in His sovereignty. All over the world, people are feeling the impact of the corona virus. We don’t have to go far to see the kind of fear and anxiety that it’s brought about in people. I’m sure we have felt them rise up in us. We know that fear is a real thing and it’s a natural response to uncertainty and feeling like we have no control. But it’s also a path that can lead us away from leaning into the Lord instead or a path that can lead us to prayer. We must look to God’s word to be reminded of the One we serve and His promises that stand beyond the chaos of the circumstances around us. And in God’s word, we are given commands that remind us that in trials and chaos, we as believers don’t have to respond in fear. In John 16:33, Jesus tells us that we will have trouble in this world but He gives us this command: “Take heart!” Why? Because He has overcome the world. We belong to the One who is sovereign over this world. While the world is in chaos, we can be in total peace. The kind of peace that Philippians 4 talks about. The second command is found there. In Philippians 4:4, Paul commands the church at Philippi to “Rejoice in the Lord, and again I say rejoice!” If I’m honest, I don’t know if there is anything about this situation we are dealing with, that would conjure up any rejoicing BUT we see that Paul wasn’t telling them to rejoice in their situations but IN the Lord. To rejoice IN the Lord is to rejoice despite the circumstances and IN the reality that God is on His throne. That God’s grace is still sufficient. That God is still provider. That God is our hope. He is still good and is always at work whether we understand it or not. As we rejoice IN the Lord, it also means we mourn with our neighbors because of the tragedies of lost lives around the world or the reality of lost jobs, bringing financial burdens on families. These two things don’t have to be at odds with each other. Moving along in that passage, Paul goes on to tell them that as they rejoice, remember that the Lord is at hand—He is at work. (vs. 5) and then he goes on in verse 6 to affirm the reality of their anxiousness and fear, but the truth that they don’t have to stay in that place. They can bring it all to the Lord in prayer. Rejoicing in the Lord pushes us to pray with thanksgiving to the Lord, while bringing about every fear, anxiety, concern, burden and care to Him because He cares (1 Peter 5:11) We have been given the incredible privilege to pray to the Creator of everything and bring our requests before Him. As we cry out, we do so, knowing that God is very much concerned with our burdens. He doesn’t tire of our crying out to Him—asking that He would cause this virus to cease and lives be healed. and government to lead well in this time. He cares about it all. He hears it all. And He will respond. As we take on the habit of making prayer our posture, Paul goes on to give them and us one of the most beautiful promises of God in His Word. In verse 7, we are given the promise of something that nothing in this world can offer. His Word promises us that God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds. This isn’t just any peace. This is a peace that transcends human’s ability to understand or make sense of things as it is in our nature to do. But we must be willing to give up our right to understand. It’s the kind of peace that others will look at and ask how can you be so certain in these times of uncertainty? How can you rejoice in these times of chaos? And the answer is because you have put your hope in not just an idea—but in the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) Himself. His name is Jesus. This Peace—Jesus-- stands at the door of our heart and mind, guarding us from the lies the enemy would throw at us. Lies that cause anxiety to fill our minds. Lies that open the door for bitterness to creep in at the fact that we have to see this happen in our lifetime and so many people have to suffer. Lies that make you trust in your own understanding instead of trusting in God. But this Peace won’t let those lies bombard you. This Peace will “keep in perfect peace those whose minds are stayed on Him” (Isaiah 26:3). So, is your mind fixed on Him? Or is it consumed by the news? The reality is that a mind consumed by the news won’t be a mind guarded by this Peace. Nor is a mind avoiding the news consumed by this Peace. But a mind who is found fixed on the Lord through His Word, prayer and worship will be guarded by this Peace. Sisters, while this time can bring about many negative things, we must also see that He is always at work. Know that God is at work mightily—causing the church to be stripped of the things that don’t matter and focus on the things that do: loving Him and loving our neighbors. I was reminded in my church’s service this Sunday that there is still goodness to see in this time: We can see the:
Beloved, keep clinging to the One who sits on His throne! We aren’t bound by what’s happening around us but bound in the love of the One who is over all things. Take heart and rejoice IN THE LORD! -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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: Psalm 47:8 Psalm 121:4 Isaiah 9:6 John 16:33 Philippians 4:6-7 Questions to Reflect on:
By Yodit Kifle Smith
"Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial..." (James 1:12) A while back, a sister in the Lord reached out, asking me to pray for the trials she and her family were going through. In that message she wrote something that challenged and encouraged me. She wrote “instead of asking God to take it away, pray that I can endure through it.” I found myself re-reading that sentence in amazement. Regardless of how weak she felt, those words spoke volumes to me of the strength that God had already given her to ask to persevere instead of asking that God would take the trials away. None of us welcome hardship and pain with open arms. It’s not comfortable, nor is it pleasant. However, because we live in a fallen world plagued by sin, we will all go through it. It's inevitable. There are various reasons why we experience hardships and pain. Our own actions may have brought about it. Maybe our trials and pain are because of someone else’s actions or it can be things like physical illness or death where we are left without answers as to why they come. Regardless of the kind of trial, we want it to end. Now. But how many of us have uttered those words my sister did and pray that the Lord give you strength to endure the trial instead of removing it? I can’t say I have been quick to utter those words. The Bible is filled with humanity’s relationship with trials and pain. We are probably most familiar with Job’s story- an upright man whom God granted permission to Satan to test his commitment and character through pain and tribulation. The only thing was that Satan could not kill him. While there is so much in this story that God shows us about Himself, about ourselves and our understanding of God, what we do see clearly is that Job endured the trial. Yes, he cried out and doubted if God even heard him. Yes, his closest friends tempted him to look more at his trials than look to his God, but he endured. Despite the emotional roller-coaster, Job chose to look intently at God and trust in God’s goodness. At the end, he powerfully concluded that before the trials, he knew of God and had heard of His goodness, but it was through the adversity that he really saw God. He saw that though he didn’t understand all of God’s ways, He is still good. He is still worthy. (Job 42: 3-6) When Job’s story is taught from the pulpit, the focus is most often on the restoration of Job’s material wealth rather than the beautiful truth that Job wasn’t looking to see what or how God was going to repay him for going through the trial. Though with impatience and doubt, he committed to look at God because he recognized that God was his reward, even in the excruciating pain he suffered. For us who are believers, while we have the privilege of identifying with the victory we have in Christ because of His death and resurrection, we also have to understand that we are called to identify with the suffering of Christ. Paul confidently declares “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death” (Philippians 3:10). Our Lord endured so that we would be set free from the pain and destruction of sin so we can be in fellowship with God. But He also endured so that we can endure. He is our example. (1 Peter 2:21) We are not immune to hardship and suffering as Christians. In fact, the Word tells us to not be surprised when we do suffer (1 Peter 4:12), especially the kind of suffering that comes from bearing the name of Jesus. While we are not immune to suffering, being in Christ gives us the glorious hope that our suffering and trial is not the end of us nor is it in vain. Enduring is evidence that Christ is in us, working out His good will to resemble Him clearer, trust in Him deeper and cling to Him tighter. Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:1-4) We have a God who gives encouragement and perseverance (Romans 15:5). He does't leave us to our devices. We don’t have to succumb to the weight of the trial because God can lift our eyes to see that our trials, as painful as they may be, are producing in us beautiful work (2 Corinthians 4:17) that fortifies our faith. It tests the grounds we stand on, hoping that we be found standing in Christ, our Solid Rock. Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12) Sisters, I pray that as you find yourself in hardship, you will cry out like David did to God, "…from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy." (Psalm 61: 2-3) Know that you are coming out refined like gold by the work of the Holy Spirit. Don’t rush to get out of the furnace. Let it finish its work. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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: James (read through the book this week) Psalm 61 Job 42: 3-6 Philippians 3:10 1 Peter 2:21 1 Peter 4:12 Romans 15:5 2 Corinthians 4:17 Questions to Reflect on:
By Yodit Kifle Smith
One commonality among many one of us reading this is that we have dealt with and will deal with fear in our lifetime. Our fears range from spiders and snakes to rejection and loss. We live in a world that pushes the message that fear is an enemy so we should avoid it at all cost . However, we know that it’s not the easiest thing to avoid fear or overcome fear. Nonetheless, we have a God who uses fear as an instrument of grace and mercy to push us to firmer faith in Jesus. No better place to see how than in His Word. In John 6, Jesus had just finished feeding a crowd of over 5,000 people with 5 fish and 2 loaves of bread—a miracle that would yet again prove that Jesus wasn’t any old teacher or prophet. And with the intensity of the people’s desire to have Him do more miracles for their own agenda, He wanted to get away. He told his disciples to get on a boat and go across the sea to Capernaum and He would meet them there after spending time praying. So, the disciples obeyed and went before Him. However, a huge storm emerged and they got caught up in it. But here is what is fascinating. In the account that Mark (6:47-51) writes of this story, he mentions that Jesus saw them struggling out on the sea. And the reality that He is sovereign, He most likely knew the storm was coming yet still told the disciples to go ahead of Him. Here we see an example of Jesus testing His disciples. Up to this point, the disciples were still learning who Jesus was as they followed Him. They were seeing what He was doing and the things He was saying, but you also see that their faith in who He was wasn’t firm just yet. And Jesus, in His plan and sovereignty allowed this storm to see how they would respond to their fear. He wanted to use their fear to push them to deeper and firmer faith--a faith that rested on Him. As the disciples encountered this brutal storm, we read that Jesus was walking on water in the middle of the storm and the disciples noticed someone but immediately thought it was a ghost. They became more afraid and rightfully so. Can you imagine seeing a figure walking on water in the night while a threatening storm was happening? But we read that Jesus walked over to them and simply said, “It is I, do not be afraid.” (John 6: 20) What is intriguing about His response is that He didn’t calm the storm. Rather, He commanded their fear to cease because He was there. What does this show us? It shows us that His presence makes all the difference regardless if the storms in our lives are present. And we see the response of the disciples because they willingly bring Him into the boat and the account in Matthew 14:33 tells us that they worshiped Him saying, “Truly, You are the Son of God.” They began to see that this was no ordinary person. His presence provoked a different kind of fear—the fear of God that responds in worship, even in the middle of the storm. In this encounter we see the reality of fear. But what is more real than fear is the reality that Jesus is always after our faith. He’s after whether or not we believe and trust that who He says He is proves truer and greater than what’s happening around us. You see, it’s easy to live this life saying that we trust God and have our faith in Him when things are going well. But when the storms arise, it brings out deep seated fears that cause us to question and doubt if things will work out. If God will really provide. If relationships will be restored--all of which reveal who we are trusting. What we are trusting. Or IF we are trusting. Fear isn’t the enemy. Satan is the enemy. Satan wants to weaken our faith. He wants to convince us that trusting ourselves is better than trusting God. He wants to deceive us into thinking that an illusion of control is better than the freedom of surrender. But God wants to use our fears. How we respond to fear is what matters. Will we worship the ONE who commands the storms to cease or give into our finite ability to understand the things that happen to us? So as Jesus told His disciples, He tells us, “It is I. Do not fear.” But the question is, do you know WHO He is? Do you know what He’s done? Do you trust that even in the middle of the storms of life His presence makes all the difference? As we grow in our walk, these are questions that we must ask. We don’t want our faith to be built on the mental ascent of our knowledge of God or on the illusion that trusting Jesus means we won’t experience storms, but on the reality that no matter the circumstances of our lives, Who He is and what He has done has become the foundation of our life and it makes all the difference. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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: Matthew 14:33 Mark 6:47-51 John 6:20 John 14:27 Joshua 1:9 Psalm 115:11 Isaiah 35:4 Isaiah 41:10 Questions to Reflect on:
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