Theme: Rethink: Faith and Doubt
Weekend Music links on iTunes: Hosanna (Praise is Rising) - Brenton Brown, Let God Arise - Chris Tomlin, From the Inside Out - Hillsong, Lead Me to the Cross - Hillsong
Read: Psalm 138:1-8
Think: The Rev. Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4th, 1968 in Memphis, TN. He was 39 years old. The ripples of a life well-lived reach the shores of our consciousness still today, forty three years later, encouraging us to live for a purpose higher than ourselves. He was a man who validated the inequalities and injustices of black Americans and championed the civil rights cause, long before it was popular to do so. He did it at the cost of his own life.
He once said, “To take the first step in faith, you don’t have to see the whole staircase; just take the first step.” Dr. Martin Luther King certainly couldn’t have predicted the impact that his life and death had on the American society. He had no guarantees that his efforts would fail or succeed, but step by step, march by march, he climbed that staircase.
In the final march of his civil rights career, he marched for garbage workers to earn a living wage in the southern city of Memphis. Considered to be the last man on the rung of success, the garbage worker was not respected in that time, and the black garbage worker even less so. But that is exactly who Martin Luther Jr. gave his life for. His death gives a striking picture of Jesus’ own sacrifice 2000 years before.
Jesus knew about giving up personal freedoms, rights, privileges, safety and comfort for the ultimate redemption of a people he loved. He knew about the pain and suffering of those considered “less than” by the rest of society. He was not born with earthly privilege or position, but carried an inner-freedom, faith and hope that changed the world forever. It was faith in God that inspired men and women throughout history to live out love and justice to influence a hurting world.
What small step of faith is God prompting you to take to make a difference in your world today?
Psalm 138:3 says, “One day I called to you, you answered me. You made me strong and brave.” If you are afraid to take the next step of faith in your life, call out to God for help. He will give you the strength to do it, and will make that step have eternal impact.
Do: Write down a few things that scare you about taking the next step of faith. Let go of the outcome, and accept God’s plan for your life.
Pray: Jesus, thank you for choosing love and justice over personal comfort and safety. Help me to do the same thing. Help me to love you and others so much, that my regard for my own comfort is a far second to another’s salvation.
The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.