Alabama-Florida Episcopal Area of the AME Zion Church

06/15/2026

Thought and a Prayer

"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." (Philippians 1:6)

Central Thought: Salvation from the penalty of sin began when we accepted Jesus into our lives, and it is also the moment when we became a work in progress to be more Christ-like.
Remember: God is a worker who completes His work.

Eternal Father in the Heaven,
We worship and give You the praise. Thank You for the work of grace You have begun in us. Help us, O God, to have confidence in Your ability to complete Your work. May we submit to the goodness of the Holy Spirit as He shapes us to be the people we are called to be.
In the Name of Jesus, Amen

06/13/2026

Thought and a Prayer

“Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you” (Mark 5:19).

Central Thought: The words from Jesus lets us know of the importance of our telling the goodness of the Lord to our own family and community.
Remember: Your testimony to those closest to you is extremely powerful and effective. Tell your story!

Almighty and Everlasting God,
We praise and worship You to the highest. Thank You, O Lord, for blessing us with another day. From the time we drew our first breath up until this present moment, You have been so good to us. Help us, O God, not to be ashamed of the Gospel and not to be ashamed in what You have done for us. Give us the boldness of heart to tell the story of how You have blessed us everywhere we go. Especially to those who know us best. Bless us with divine protection, provisions, and the peace that surpasses all understanding.
In the Name of Jesus, Amen

06/12/2026

06/12/2026

Thought and a Prayer

"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." (Isaiah 43:1)

Central Thought: God speaks to His people as their Creator. When we forget or reject God as Creator, we fail in the most basic obligation we have to God.
Remember: God has the right of ownership over us because He is both our Creator and our Redeemer. His ownership is personal because He says, "I have called you by your name."

Heavenly Father,
You are the Creator of heaven and earth. All praise and worship go to You. We are grateful, O God, that we belong to You. We know that You would not have created, redeemed, and called us unless You intended to finish Your work in us. Help us to trust that You will hold us, protect us, guard us, and care for us.
In the Name of Jesus, Amen

06/11/2026

Thought and a Prayer

"Be earnest, therefore, and repent" (Revelation 3:19b).

Central Thought: The glorified Lord commands His church to make a decision to repent and continue in earnest. He would really rather us to be hot with zeal (in earnest) rather than cold.
Remember: We need to make our life following Jesus, not just a hobby or an occasional activity.

Our Father in the Heavens,
You are worthy of our praise and honor. Our hearts are filled with thanks for all that You have given us. We pray, O Lord, that Your people don't look to our own riches and resources for the sustaining of life, because they are really bankrupt. But rather turn around and look to You. Dear God, if our commitment to You cools down, send the loving heat of Your Holy Spirit to rekindle and warm up our faith.
In the Name of Jesus, Amen

06/10/2026

Thought and a Prayer

"Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others" (Colossians 3:13).

Central Thought: We are told to live forgiving one another, after the pattern of Jesus’ forgiveness towards us.
Remember: Understanding the way Jesus forgave us will always make us more generous with forgiveness, and never less generous.

Dear Kind and Loving Heavenly Father,
We worship You and give You the praise. When we think of all that You have done for us, we are moved to say, "Thank You, Lord!" When we especially ponder on the depth of forgiveness You have given each and every one of us, our hearts are filled with gratitude. May our hearts then move us to forgive others as You have forgiven us.
In the Name of Jesus, Amen

06/09/2026

Thought and a Prayer

"The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly" (I Chronicles 29:9).

Central Thought: Scripture never tells us to give because it will make us happy but to give willingly and wholeheartedly to meet a need. Joy often follows.
Remember: The people found it easy to give when they saw the greatness and the value of the project and when they had good examples of over and above giving from their leaders.

Eternal Father in the Heaven,
We give You the praise and the glory. Thank You for this day. Your only-begotten Son, Jesus, freely gave Himself to meet our needs. Fix our hearts to be willing to generously give to the needs of His Church and kingdom building. We ask for divine protection, provisions, and peace that surpasses all understanding.
In the Name of Jesus, Amen

06/08/2026

Thought and a Prayer

"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation." (Romans 5:3 - 4)

Central Thought: Being in Christ does not end our personal, temporary suffering on earth. That suffering does, however, produce something Paul here calls "endurance," which itself produces other powerful, positive characteristics in us. Endurance is the ability to keep going when we feel like stopping.
Remember: The pattern is that suffering gives us an opportunity to trust God on a deeper level, and the more we trust God, the most likely we are to consistently make right choices. We become Christians of proven character.

Eternal Father in the Heaven,
We magnify Your Holy Name. Thank You for the blessing of another day. You promise to never leave us nor forsake us. Help us, O God, to hold on to Your promises even when we are struggling. Instill in us the hope that no matter what comes along, we are fully convinced that our ultimate end will be sharing in Your Glory forever.
In the Name of Jesus, Amen