By Carla Long, Presiding Bishopric

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.

Sometimes I think I’m a little flippant about the gift God gave us in Jesus Christ. I don’t recognize how incredibly deep, trusting, and compassionate this gift really is. It also shows me how fickle we humans actually are. We love and care for others until they make us angry or until they say something that we find disappointing. Then we are quick to throw that person away. In this political time, I must admit, I’ve seen it time and time again.

And that’s what we did with Jesus when he was on Earth. He was everything we wanted him to be—until he wasn’t. It took only a week to go from showering him with hallelujahs and palm leaves to screaming for his death. I sometimes wonder how God put so much trust in us. I wonder why God did what God did.

And then I remember that something amazing happens when we put Christ at the center of the church and our lives. Those moments when we are flippant and fickle become “almost” a thing of the past. When we look at each other with Christ as our lens, we see everyone for who they are—children of God and nothing less. This kind of lens has the absolute power to change everything about our lives, just as God intended.

God realized that we humans, even in our fickleness and flippancy, are made for a depth that perhaps we don’t even know, and the One being who could help bring out that depth was Jesus. Maybe God knows what God is doing, after all.

Prayer Phrase

Today, how will I courageously walk with Jesus, the peaceful One?

Spiritual Practice

Discerning Future Leadership

Pray: Prayerfully explore the church’s current situation and the world in which leadership will occur. Consider the question from your context while also being mindful of the church’s global context. What are the most significant situations, opportunities, or challenges that a prophetic leader will need to address? https://cofchrist.org/discerning-future-leadership/ 

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.