Seeds Of Surrender
Sunday, May 4
John 12:23-26
Devyn Chambers Johnson
Covenant Congregational Church
North Easton, Massachusetts
Throughout Scripture we are encouraged to bear fruit—to live lives that proclaim the gospel. But long before we can bear fruit, we must first die to ourselves. A seed’s value is not in remaining a seed but in ceasing to be a seed and transforming into a plant that bears fruit. A seed is not made to remain a seed—it is made to grow and transform. It is meant to bear fruit that will feed others. It is meant to grow and bring shade to the weary.
So often we find ourselves trying to preserve ourselves rather than plant ourselves. We want to be the very best seed we can be, but good seeds never stay a seed. They have to let go so they can be what God has created them to be. The same is true for us. We surrender ourselves to God so we can be transformed and so we can bear fruit that brings hope and transformation to others!
Lord, may we surrender ourselves to you and be transformed. Amen.
Give It To God
Monday, May 5
Psalm 30:1-5
Sandra Willette
Covenant Congregational Church
North Easton, Massachusetts
“Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me” (v. 2, NIV).
When I reflect on the downfall of my first marriage, I recall how I struggled with great personal lament in that period. How did we fail? How can I live without him? How will I support our children—one of whom struggles with special needs? I experienced deep sadness, depression, and shame in not being able to control the outcome of being “divorced.” I cried and prayed to God to help me cope with all the sorrow and self-pity I was wallowing in.
My despair led me to return to church. I joined a women’s Bible study and enrolled in therapy.
God knew I had to address my own brokenness in order to extract myself from a toxic marriage and move into a deeper relationship with him. The outcomes have carried me through other difficult times and have also led me to a healthy relationship with my current husband. I give thanks and praise to God for his grace!
God, I open my heart to you. Help me to surrender my brokenness to your healing hands. Amen.
What Is Gained If I Am Silenced?
Tuesday, May 6
Psalm 30:6-12
Lisa Sundell Olsen
Bethany Covenant Church
Berlin, Connecticut
I turn sixty this year, as do six of my good friends whom I have known since eighth grade. These women are not sisters in Christ but are patient with me as the one they call “the religious one” of our group. Somehow they continue to love me despite not understanding my faith. When the worst happened and my mom died when we were twenty-nine, they watched, stunned as I navigated that loss, not losing my mind but gaining a peace that passes understanding.
In today’s passage, the psalmist says, “What is gained if I am silenced, if I go down to the pit?” (v. 9, NIV). We can apply this to our lives in so many ways. For me, with these dear friends, I am encouraged to keep on extolling the praises of Jesus in Scripture. I do my best to bring the joy of God’s love and truth into conversation. I thank God for turning “wailing into dancing” (v. 11), and I promise to keep praising God forever.
Dear Lord, give us boldness to share your good news with friends, especially the ones who don’t know you. Amen.
Familiar Places
Wednesday, May 7
John 21:1-14
Devyn Chambers Johnson
Covenant Congregational Church
North Easton, Massachusetts
In this post-resurrection appearance Jesus finds some of his disciples in a familiar setting: fishing in a boat. We remember that early in the Gospels Jesus called them out of their fishing boats to become fishers of people. But after the crucifixion and resurrection the disciples were left a little untethered. They had spent the last three years of their lives with Jesus, but now what were they to do?
Uncertain of the way forward, Simon Peter decided to go fishing and several disciples decided to join him. After such trauma and uncertainty, I think they needed to return to some sort of normalcy or familiarity. So they dusted off their nets and went fishing. But the boats and the nets and the fish were not just familiar—they were also the place where Jesus first appeared to them. I wonder if while they fished they talked about that first day when Jesus called them out of the boat?
The beautiful part of this story is that Jesus showed up again—in a familiar place.
Lord, when we aren’t certain where to go or what to do, remind us of those places and times when you were near to us. May we meet you there again! Amen.
Jesus, I Love You
Thursday, May 8
John 21:15-19
Sue Ann Kennedy, Trinity Covenant Church, Manchester, Connecticut
Imagine sitting on the beach at the sea of Tiberias as Jesus prepared breakfast for some of his disciples. How wonderful to be sharing bread and fish together with their Savior again. As we recall, Peter had denied knowing Christ three times before Jesus died.
On the beach after breakfast, Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Peter replied, “You know that I love you.” That cloud was now lifted off Peter. Jesus forgave him. Peter now understood.
In verse 19 Jesus then states a prediction of how Peter would also die on a cross. Then Jesus said, “Follow me.” Peter obediently and out of love followed Jesus, knowing that he would be put to death for spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. What a beautiful example of love, forgiveness, and Jesus’s friendship. May we grow deeper in our faith, walking so others also see Christ in us and our commitment.
Father God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, help us grow to be earnest disciples, to love you and serve you. Amen.
Open Our Eyes
Friday, May 9
Acts 9:1-6
Nan Lingenfelter
Evangelical Covenant Church
Springfield, Massachusetts
We all admire dedicated, capable people. And we have our own sense of accomplishment when we have worked hard and completed a project. Yet we also pray that God in wisdom, mercy, and graciousness will stop us in our tracks when we are going down the wrong path.
It is a shock to find out something you wholeheartedly believed is erroneous. Like a driver barreling the wrong way down a road, we hurt others when we are wrong. I doubt any of us have seen a flash from heaven and been blinded the way Saul was in this passage. But short of that, how does the Lord get our attention when we are headstrong about something? Are we listening? Are we listening to the Holy Spirit? When we are thrown from our horse, do we get up and say, “Now Lord, what will you have me to do?”
Lord, open our eyes to see where you are leading, and may we recognize your voice! Amen.
Lord, Use Us As You Will
Saturday, May 10
Acts 9:7-19
Bonnie Sullivan
Christ Church
East Greenwich, Rhode Island
We hear Paul’s voice throughout much of the New Testament. Without fail, his messages are of perseverance, finding strength through the Lord alone, and serving Jesus without question. Who would have thought that Saul, one of the earliest and most vicious persecutors of Jesus’s followers, would become that Paul? Jesus did! Jesus chose Paul as one of his most powerful message-carriers and converted him in dramatic fashion.
Few of us have conversion experiences as sensational as Paul’s, but every encounter with Jesus is profound. When we continue to seek a deeper relationship with Jesus, will we also be open to his call to service the way Ananias was? How gracious Jesus was to encourage Ananias past his confusion that the villainous Saul would be worthy of healing and that Ananias’s own hands would deliver that healing! By God’s gift of the Holy Spirit, we are made to serve.
Lord, use us as you will! Thank you for the honor of serving you. Amen.
