By Jerria Martin
The Selma Times-Journal

We all know something about being obedient. As children we are taught to be obedient to our parents, our teachers, and all of our elders. But, what was instilled in me the most as a child is the significance of always being obedient to God.

We have all read the scripture explaining that obedience is greater than sacrifice. However, oftentimes full obedience to God requires great sacrifice. We see this many times throughout the bible. The disciples, being obedient to Jesus, sacrificed their professions to become fully committed followers of Christ. Paul, being obedient to God, sacrificed his position of authority to become a persecuted defender of the Gospel. We see tremendous sacrifice in Jesus’ obedience to God with him giving his own life for the sins of the world.

Obedience requires great sacrifice and it also demands unswerving faith and trust in God.

In our faith journeys, sometimes it is difficult for us to remain wholeheartedly obedient to God because we do not fully understand God’s will for us or we are not willing to make the sacrifices that are coupled with the act of obedience.

However, Charles Stanley, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in northern Atlanta, professed, “If you tell God no because He won’t explain the reason He wants you to do something, you are actually hindering His blessing. But when you say yes to Him, all of heaven opens to pour out His goodness and reward your obedience. What matters more than material blessings are the things He is teaching us in our spirit.”

Since being back home in Selma, working throughout all of our communities, God has tremendously lifted my spirits and has fully convinced me that there is hope for Selma.

He’s made me understand that in the midst of hopelessness, we as Christians are called to be agents of hope.

What matters most in being an agent of hope is understanding, in the words of the prestigious German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, that one act of obedience is better than one hundred sermons.

In my obedience to God I created Circle of Hope Ministries, which started as a women’s ministry at the Dallas County Jail. However, now the Circle of Hope Ministries’ mission is to impact unwavering hope in every community of Selma, through the miraculous power of Christ.

From our nursing homes, to our hospital, to the sick and shut in citizens, and every member of our community that needs inspiration, motivation and hope.

With great obedience comes great sacrifice, thus, on Friday, May 29, I resigned from my position as coordinator of 21st Century Youth Leadership Movement to focus wholeheartedly on fulfilling the Circle of Hope’s mission to bring hope to all of Selma’s people.

Because there is rewarding, encouraging, and empowering hope in obedience.