Trinity Daily Devotion

Remember
Rae C. McCray
Isaiah 46:8-10 NLT

Don’t forget this: Keep it in mind! Remember this, you guilty ones. Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.

It was common in ancient Northeast Africa/Near East to view wars between nations as wars between those nations’ respective gods. God, through the prophet Isaiah, told the Nation, Jacob/Israel, to open their minds and understand that their God is the only true God. Look at the evidence: (1) Your God carries your burdens; these gods are burdens that need to be carried. (2) Your God protects, provides, and delivers; these gods can’t protect themselves or the people. (3) Your God created you; a paid craftsman created these gods from melted gold and silver. (4) I, your God, do as I wish; these gods are set on a shelf where they stay until moved by human hands.

Isaiah predicted Babylon’s defeat 150 years before it happened. At this time, the Babylonian Empire had not reached its pinnacle as a world power, but it was doomed. God used this nation as an instrument of correction for God’s sinful people. God’s love sent the prophet to the House of Jacob and Israel and let them know that deliverance was coming, but they needed to remember.

In many areas of my life, I have been disobedient to God, and God has forgiven me. God continues to show up and do great things. Too many times, I have misused the resources God has given me and put myself in financial predicaments that could have been avoided, but God still provided and delivered. Just as the scripture states, we must remember that no matter what our situation is, God loves us. We must turn to God and remember what God has done in our past. Remembering God’s goodness restores hope and increases our faith during our seasons of adversity.

PRAYER:
When we are afraid and anxious, our faith wavering, please God, help us to remember that You are faithful, and deliverance is on the way. In Jesus' Name. Hallelujah and Amen!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Thoughts of God’s goodness energize the soul.

The It Factor
Deacon Cassandra Hudson
Exodus 34:29 NIV

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.

“He has sooo much swagger!” the employee of the Obama Presidential Center swooned as she talked about the charisma and captivating presence of Barack Obama. She had recently met him in person and went on about his charm, declaring that television fails to fully capture his magnetism.

It is clear that President Obama has the “It Factor.” Have you ever met someone like that? It’s someone who has good looks, charm, personal style, confidence, the gift of gab, and a powerful ability to captivate people that is difficult to describe. People are drawn to those with “It.”

But have you ever encountered someone with a spiritual “It Factor”? They may not be physically attractive or charming, but something about them gives you the sense that they are filled with the Holy Spirit. They seem to radiate peace and love. These individuals have spent time with the Almighty.

In Exodus 34, we find God telling Moses to go up Mount Sinai alone and present himself to the Lord. Moses spent 40 days and 40 nights communing with God, receiving God's Word and worshipping God. Moses left Mount Sinai with more than just the Ten Commandments. Moses returned with a face that radiated because he had been with God.

Because Moses spent time with God, he was able to provide the Israelites with guidance from God and leadership that would get them to the Promised Land. He was left with a glow that caused the people to know that he had been with God. Let us be like Moses and commune with our divine Creator. You may not have been born with the It Factor, but you can be transformed by the God Factor.

PRAYER:
Holy and Powerful God, we seek to be like Moses and spend time with you so that we may be transformed by you, radiating your essence. Please use us the way you used Moses to your glory.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Let God in you so that God radiates out of you.

His Plan, Not Mine
Sandra (Sandy) Hall
Jeremiah 29:11 KJV

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV)

The recent death of three dear family members and two close friends since March has left me and my family in a very tender season. Having learned a long time ago that I could question God, I went for it. Straight to the Big Guy – yes, I did! My regular ritual of journal writing is one of the many ways I communicate with God.
“Lord, you know that I know, ain’t none of us getting out of here alive, but I’m just wondering, WHY does my family all have to go at the same time?”

In my sanctified imagination, God gave me THAT LOOK. The one you may recall receiving as a child from your parent or an adult when you were out of order; or the one you gave to a child who was misbehaving. No words. Just that look! Well, in that look, God reminded me, “It’s MY PLAN, not yours!”

Our scripture comes from the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, written by the Prophet Jeremiah, who was chosen by God at a young age (17-20), and was often called the Reluctant Prophet. This book represents the letter Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the elders (who were carried away as captives), to Babylon. Their season of captivity was to be 70 years. Jeremiah’s letter informed them their exile would be long; however, they would eventually return to the land they were promised.

It is a comforting, sweet feeling to know that just as God knew the thoughts God had for the exiled Jews in Babylon, God thinks about me and each and every one of us. Our scripture tells us that God’s thoughts are toward us. As human beings, we simply cannot know the thoughts of the Lord, because they are too much for our own understanding. Through Jeremiah’s letter, God assured those exiled that his thoughts toward them were of peace, not to harm them; and God had a future AND a hope for them. This promise made to the ancient Jews under Babylonian exile expresses the unchanging heart of God toward God’s people, even when God has to discipline us.

PRAYER:
Precious Lord, we thank you for your ongoing grace and mercy. We thank you, Lord, that Jeremiah’s message is just as pertinent for us today as it was many years ago.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
In Romans 8:28, we are reminded of another awesome promise from God, “And we know that ALL THINGS work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (KJV)

The Helping Hands of Humanity
Anthony Ellis McGee
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NIV

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”

So far, more than two hundred tornadoes have touched down in the State of Illinois in 2026; it’s the highest number since 1924. Severe storms have caused mass destruction in states all over the country, impacting the lives of people in desperate need of help. There have been countless reports of neighbors aiding their communities during times of crisis.

One story in particular, receiving national coverage, involved the rescue of an older gentleman in the town of Streator, Illinois. The injured elder had been buried under piles of rubble after a violent tornado destroyed the house that could no longer be his home. Fortunately, a photographer and two police officers were on the scene to help. They freed the man from the destruction. The man had fallen, but the Lord provided rescuers to help him get up.

This passage of Ecclesiastes exhibits the significance of community and service. It shows that working together produces more positive outcomes than trying to solve problems by ourselves. We are encouraged to work in partnership with others. The scripture says “two are better than one.” Furthermore, the union of Christians is the foundation of our being able to encourage each other with hope and love. Because of this, we are inspired to embrace the concept of Christian fellowship.

In addition, in verse 10, we are reminded that, as human beings, we are always in danger of falling, whether in a physical, emotional, or spiritual state. However, when we live in community with others, our falls do not occur in isolation. We are not alone in our struggles. Because the Lord loves us, we are provided with a helping hand when we need to get back on our feet.

PRAYER:
Thank You Lord for reminding us that two are better than one. You encourage us to be in community with each other, and that our battles are easier when we aren’t focused on having to fight alone. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
All of us need a little help sometimes

HE KNOWS MY NAME
Jannie Coleman (Re-post)
Isaiah 43:1 NKJV

But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.

In our scripture, God is speaking to the Israelites, the descendants of His servant Jacob. Jacob had the blessing of Abraham upon him, but Jacob also gained delight with God. Jacob was a man of faith and honor and faced many hardships and struggles. His greatest struggle was with an Angel of the Most High God in Genesis chapter 32. In this struggle, Jacob wrestled with an angel, and after the struggle, he was given the name Israel, meaning “you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” God lets the Israelites know that even after all of their disobedience, “fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name; you are Mine”

While God was still knitting me in my mother’s womb, my parents were told that I would be a boy. My parents had decided on a nice “boy” name for me. Well, that name went out the window the day I emerged into life 100% girl (just as God planned). So my given name was last-minute but well thought out. They decided to name me after both my maternal and paternal grandmothers, with the first name Jannie (maternal grandmother’s first name) and the middle name Beatrice (paternal grandmother’s middle name).

I was always addressed as Jannie or Jane by my mom and Jane-Jane by my dad. As far as nicknames, that was it; I had no other nicknames. Then, one day out of the clear blue sky, my sister Yvonne (3 years older than me) was angry at me, and with an outburst, she yelled at me a name I had never heard before. She called me Lamont. But she didn’t just call me Lamont - she called me La-MONT!!! With such authority as if it were my given name! My immediate response was “who’s Lamont?” She replied: “YOU! You were supposed to be a boy, and we were going to name you Lamont!!! Talk about shock and relief at the same time! I was shocked at the news but relieved because the only Lamont I knew of was the one on TV (you remember from “Sanford and Son” the “big dummy”).

Well, I’m so glad that God says in our scripture that “I have called you by your name, you are Mine”. Although God was speaking to the descendants of His servant Jacob, this applies to us also. I know when I’m disobedient, God calls me and redeems me! God doesn’t become angry and call me out of my name. I have only one name with God and in this I rejoice.

PRAYER:
God thank you for the sacrifice of Christ Jesus for through Christ we are redeemed. Thank You that you have called us by our names and that we are Yours.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
We are called, we are redeemed. God knows our names!