Day 233: Recap!

Day 226: Unpacking Romans 12-Good Overcomes Evil

Today we finished out the "Unpacking Romans 12" series and addressed some of the issues facing our world and communities today. We talked about how love is the only way to move forward and get past all the hate be spewed by so many people. We talked about how even in the midst of all of the injustice and racial tensions we must pray for those who are persecuting us. We focused on Romans 12:21.
"The only way we can overcome the evils of this world is by doing good. Evil cannot beat good. Hate cannot beat love. Dark cannot be light. Fear cannot beat hope. So today I want to encourage the body of Christ to love in the face of hate, to do good in the face of  evil. Be a light in the dark."

Day 227: All Summed Up

Today we broke down Romans 13:8-10 and as you can read in the devo, it had me shook! We talked about how through love we are fulfilling the law set forth by God through Mosed in the Torah. We talked about how loving God and loving each other drives us to righteousness and allows us to follow the laws of God and obey all of His commandments (you gotta read it).

"By obeying these two commands we obey all ten commandments. We do not ignore the law in the name of Jesus instead we honor it by following His path. What I mean is that Jesus gave us these two great commands to love God and love people. Now if we love God, ourselves, and others these commandments are fulfilled. Simply because love is the foundation of it all. We don’t hurt the people we love, we won’t steal from them, kill them, covet what have, sow discord, because love won’t allow us to do it. It’s almost as if love obeys the commands for us. When we love God we won’t put anything before Him or use His name in vain. Love won’t allow it."

Day 228: Pass No Judgement

Today we start a three part series, kind of. We talked about Romans 14: 1-6, and for the next two day we built on this subject. Today we talked about passing judgements on others who decide to live differently than us. We were talking about those who live sinful lives as opposed to Godly lives. We talked about how we as Christians choose how we want to live our lives and that looks different for each of us. Some of us are more traditional while others are more modern or contemporary, just to name one scenario.

"All this to say, for lack of better words, don’t be petty. Don’t pass judgement on someone and doubt their devotion to Christ because their life does not look exactly like yours. We as the body of Christ should be lifting each other up, praying for one another every chance we get. That way, there’s no time or room to be petty and judgmental."

Day 229: You Decide

Today we built on yesterday's subject by talking about the lives we choose to live. We talked about how for certain areas in our lives we get to choose whether it's right or not. We talked about a number of subjects like choosing to drink or not to drink. We talked about how some things are looked down upon or deemed sinful within the Christian community but they aren't actually a sin. We also talked about not being made to feel guilty about your decisions. We focused on Romans 14:22-23 and Ecclesiastes 9:7.

" I think many times we kind of set up boundaries to keep ourselves from sinning. We live these compact lives in these boxes of comfort that will keep us out of harm's way, keep us from temptation and sin. We are so concerned with not sinning that we forget to live."

Day 230: Don't Be A Stumbling Block

Today we talked about not doing anything that will cause our brother or sister to stumble. We talked about how it's not always what we choose to do that causes someone else to stumble. But it can be our judgments and our need to look like good Christians by tearing someone else down because we don't agree with the life they are leading. We focused on Romans 14:13, 19.

"I believe there is something much bigger than whether we agree or disagree, that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that people are not turned away by our judgmental faces and comments. What matters is that we put someone’s soul before our opinions. What matters is that we do not become the obstacle someone has to get over in order to get to Christ."

Day 231: The Sheep and the Shepherd

Today we talked about following God and listening to His voice. We dove into the analogy of the sheep and the shepherd and how it is synonymous to our relationship with God. We talked about how important it is for us as the sheep to listen to God and trust Him in order to have a relationship with Him. We focused on John 10:26-27.

"I think another important message to learn here is that in order for us to follow Christ and listen to His word we must trust Him. The flock trusts the shepherd with their life, everything they are depends on the shepherd, they have learned to trust their shepherd and listen to His voice. They will not follow the wrong voice either. I believe that as followers of Christ, if we do not trust Him, we are wasting our time. When we don’t trust someone we hesitate to listen to them, we question everything they do, we will not give them a chance to be a part of our life. We cannot have a solid relationship without trust."

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 234!

Day 227: Unpacking Romans 12-Good Overcomes Evil

Romans 12:21

Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, on light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

-Martin Luther King Jr.

These wise words were spoken by Martin Luther King Jr. at a time in history when segregation, and discrimination based on race had come to a boiling point in America. Black people, and people of color in America were oppressed simply because of the color of our skin. Many were: beat, killed, lynched, jailed, raped, turned down from jobs,, spit on, hosed down with fire hoses, attacked by police, attacked by police dogs, etc. This was all because there was a hate for the color of their skin. Martin Luther King had been put in jail multiple times, led peaceful protests, and gave beautiful speeches. As a God-fearing man, he refused to fight fire with fire, but he also stood up for what he believed in, no matter the cost. Kind of like Paul.  

Now when I planned this series, never did I think that I would be addressing this specific subject on this day. I am referring to the events in Charlottesville, Virginia over the weekend. Where hate has once again led to violence, pain, and death. I’m reminded of this scripture in light of everything going on, that we as a people, the body of Christ cannot be overcome by this. Especially my brothers and sisters of color, as it can be intimidating and scary to think that the color of your skin, something God gave you and He views as beautiful, trust me it wasn’t a mistake; however it is disheartening to think that something as simple as your skin tone can get you killed. Even in this dark truth I encourage you all to find hope in the Lord. To not be overcome by the hate we face each and everyday and what we see on television and social media. The only way we can overcome the evils of this world is by doing good. Evil cannot beat good. Hate cannot beat love. Dark cannot be light. Fear cannot beat hope. So today I want to encourage the body of Christ to love in the face of hate, to do good in the face of  evil. Be a light in the dark. I know that it hurts us, and not just the black and hispanic community, but we as the body of Christ should all be grieved by the fact that our brothers and sisters are being hurt, attacked, and murdered because of hate.

We have been seeing this for centuries. Not just in American History, but the history of the world. Even in the bible, the rifts between the Jew and Samaritans. The Hebrew people who were enslaved by the Egyptians. None of this is new, but we must be able to see it through the filter of God’s eyes. I cannot tell you why this type of stuff happens or why it has to happen but I can tell you that God is bigger than all of it. God’s love and light never runs out. As long as we know who is for us, we will never run out of hope.

All this to say, even in the midst of all this, it is our job to pray for those who persecute us. To do good to those who curse us. Now is the time, more than ever, to put everything that we talk about and preach about into action. We are called to love, we know this. But please don’t let your love be tainted by hate. Don’t let the good in you be taken away by evil. I beg of you, as hard as it may be, don’t run out of hope. Don’t stop seeing the bright side, there’s always a bright side. In the face of evil, don’t forget that God is good. God is love.

Reflection

1. How are you feeling?
2. How do you feel about the state of the world?

Prayer Time

Take the time to pray for the state of our nation. Pray for those affected by racism and those who are racist. Pray that love continues to conquer hate. Have an honest conversation with God.

I love you so much! I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 228!

Day 173: One Heart, One Soul, One Love- Day 3

Romans 12:9

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

Leviticus 19:18

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

Matthew 5:44

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

Proverbs 15:1

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

In a world that’s plagued by hate a fear let’s choose to love. So many people have been harmed and lost their lives because of hate, and it’s taking a toll on every nation. It’s plaguing communities because people are now afraid of what will happen to them. The acts of hate have caused people to live in fear. People are also choosing to stand up and not be consumed by the fear or the hate. I truly believe that in these hard times we have to cling to love. We have to combat all the hate, all the evil, all the fear with love. Hate cannot win and we cannot allow it to win, we have to stand up for one another. We must stand in love together to defeat this monster that is hate. We cannot allow it to defeat us, we cannot fight back with hate either. We fight with love, we push back with love. We serve a God who is love, and if God is not, cannot, and will never be defeated, we have to stand on His word and know that neither will we.

I know it’s better said than done, with so much going on but trust me, love combats hate, love is greater that hate, and the power of love overpowers hate.

In America today, racism has become a huge issue once again. As black men, women, and children are being killed and harassed by the police daily. Black and hispanic people are harassed by other citizens because of the color of our skin and nothing else. The justice system is failing a community of people. Black and Hispanic students are being harassed and tormented everyday. As a black women I have witnessed and experienced racism first hand and how this country treats black people because I have been treated this way. It puts fear in you and torments you day and night, as we keep tabs on our black and hispanic family and friends, out of fear that they will be harmed or killed while doing something normal like walking down the street at night. All over the world people are being persecuted because of the color of their skin. One thing is true, is that God made us all in His image, and no one is better or more superior than the next. No matter the color of your skin, we are all equal and we all bleed red when wounded.

Reflection/Prayer Time

Today let’s pray for those all over the world affected by racism. Pray for those who have to deal with the hate and bigotry every day. Pray for peace in America, and all over the world. If you are affected by this, open up about it and talk about with someone, share your experiences. If you are on the other end of the spectrum, take the time to learn about these issues, listen to the stories and be open to change your heart and views when it comes to these issues.

I love you, I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Try your best to learn something new about someone else today. Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 174!