Scripture Reading: Psalm 24: 7-10:

“Lift up your heads, O you gates, be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of Glory may come in. Who is the King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of Glory? The Lord Almighty – He is the King of Glory.”

Devotional:

As we live through our challenges with COVID-19, the normalcy of our lives have changed us from living in comfortability and going about our daily routine, to now being in a COVID sensitive society. Some or all people may have experienced anxieties of separation, isolation, fear, depression, confusion, death and hopelessness. And if that was not enough, on the heels of COVID-19, we are also challenged with the consistency of African American men and women being murdered, due to the undercurrent racism, at the hands of a small percentage of police officers and civilians. This too, has brought about emotions of pain, hurt, anger, peaceful protesting, rioters and looters. We are in a time that all of America and surrounding countries are looking for answers, solutions, vaccines, cures, empathy, equality, justice and TRUTH! I am reminded of the scripture where JESUS declares that HE is the Way, the Truth and the Life. I believe when we grasp the Truth of Jesus Christ in our hearts, in Him there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Amongst us you are all equal according to Galatians 3:28.

How do we get there? How do we begin to see each other as brothers and sisters? How do we begin to be the Good Samaritan? I believe it starts with an encounter with God’s Glory (Selah)! God’s manifested presence in our lives. The Glory of God, when released, enters into the hearts of people that read, “Do not disturb, Road closed, Dead end, Divided Highway or Danger keep out.” Those are the places in the heart God wants to access in all of humanity. Without the change of heart, the conversion becomes superficial in the life of an individual. God wants our hearts to be fixed on the Eternal not the external. The scripture reminds us to set our heart, on things above and not on things below. It was not until Saul of Tarsus encountered God’s Glory on the road to Damascus, that his heart was changed from being the persecutor of the Church, to becoming the Preacher for the Church. It was not until the Woman at the well encountered God’s Glory, that her life began to drink from the living water, her life adopted a new lifestyle, and her life became a testimony to many. God’s Glory is the remedy to what America and the entire world is facing. God’s Glory has the ability to show you, then touch you and then change you! It was not until God’s Glory was revealed to Isaiah the Prophet, that he saw himself as undone and unclean. But God’s Glory is able to remove all guilt, shame, insecurities, brokenness, abusiveness, deceit, pride, arrogance, hypocrisy, racism, hate, false doctrine, and false teaching. You ask how can God’s Glory be released? I am glad you asked! The scripture tells us to “lift up your heads” according to verses 7 through 10. We have to Lift up our heads toward Righteousness, Goodness, Justice, Equity, Love, and Unity.

Things will not change until the Church shows up; our communities will not change until the Church shows up; our government and laws will not change until the Church shows up and the injustice and systemic racism will not change, until the Church shows up. It is our response to the wickedness in the world that creates the platform for God’s Glory to be released. Let us not find ourselves with our heads down, as Saul and the children of Israel were, dismayed and terrified by Goliath. But when David showed up, so did God’s Glory. And David was able to slay the Philistine. The Glory of God is not something we say but is something that is revealed. In order to release the Glory of God, we must have first experienced it for ourselves.

John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld HIS Glory, the Glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of Grace and Truth.”

God’s desire is for all to experience HIS glory. Let our heart’s prayer ask the question, God how can I (or how can we) release your Glory in our lives and then in the lives of others? Amen

written by Terrell Curry, IT Support/Technician Supervisor, ARC Command, USA East