Morning Devotional 082725 Take a Stand

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

August 27, 2025

Matthew 25:41-46

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Get away from me, you who will receive terrible things. Go into the unending fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 I was hungry and you didn’t give me food to eat. I was thirsty and you didn’t give me anything to drink. 43 I was a stranger and you didn’t welcome me. I was naked and you didn’t give me clothes to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ 44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and didn’t do anything to help you?’ 45 Then he will answer, ‘I assure you that when you haven’t done it for one of the least of these, you haven’t done it for me.’ 46 And they will go away into eternal punishment. But the righteous ones will go into eternal life.”

Good Morning! Look around you through the lens of your heart. 

The call for justice and service continues to fill my heart and mind. I shared on Sunday a quote from Bishop Easterling of the Baltimore-Washington UM Conference that included these heart-wrenching words, “Therefore, we reject any use of force that treats God’s children as inconvenient eyesores or threats, rather than as beloved siblings.”

Amanda Gorman has a new poem addressing the injustice of the world

Hymn For The Hurting

by Amanda Gorman

Everything hurts,

Our hearts shadowed and strange,

Minds made muddied and mute.

We carry tragedy, terrifying and true.

And yet none of it is new;

We knew it as home,

As horror,

As heritage.

Even our children

Cannot be children,

Cannot be.

Everything hurts.

It’s a hard time to be alive,

And even harder to stay that way.

We’re burdened to live out these days,

While at the same time, blessed to outlive them.

This alarm is how we know

We must be altered —

That we must differ or die,

That we must triumph or try.

Thus while hate cannot be terminated,

It can be transformed

Into a love that lets us live.

May we not just grieve, but give:

May we not just ache, but act;

May our signed right to bear arms

Never blind our sight from shared harm;

May we choose our children over chaos.

May another innocent never be lost.

Maybe everything hurts,

Our hearts shadowed & strange.

But only when everything hurts

May everything change.

The only force powerful enough to overcome evil is love: God’s love. Love is the foundation upon which our lives must be built. Only then may we see and lovingly serve the outcasts, the poor, the lost, and the least of these. Our passage today assures us that those who answer the call to serve will be blessed, while those who choose indifference will be cursed.

We are called to serve all of God’s children, regardless of our human-derived opinion of their thoughts or appearance. Love your neighbor as yourself! Serve with an open heart! Be the light of Christ for the world.  

Loving Lord, you bless us abundantly! We live in a challenging time where evil attacks on all fronts. Help us use your power to transform the world into a place of love. Thank you. We love you, Lord! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Thought for the day: To find God, look for those in need! 

Stand with those in need! Pastor Liz