The Upper Room Daily Devotion – Thursday, 30 January 2014 -”
String
Cross Reminders” Read Deuteronomy 6: 4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God,
the Lord alone.[a] 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and
with all your soul, and with all your might. 6 Keep these words that I am
commanding you today in your heart. 7 Recite them to your children and talk
about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and
when you rise. 8 Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem[b] on
your forehead, 9 and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your
gates.
Footnotes:
a. Deuteronomy 6:4 Or The Lord our God is one Lord, or The Lord
our God, the Lord is one, or The Lord is our God, the Lord is one
b. Deuteronomy 6:8 Or as a frontlet
[Jesus] said to [the crowd and his disciples], “If any want to
become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and
follow me.”--Mark 8:34 (NRSV)
I have retired from teaching physical education, but I found a
new sense of purpose a few years ago. David, a camp volunteer, taught me how to
make string cross necklaces. Each cross takes four minutes and costs about four
cents to make. David gave these to summer campers as a gift, a symbol of God’s
love and forgiveness for each of us. He still makes string crosses by the
thousands to give to whomever he encounters. I was inspired by David to take up
making string cross necklaces as my purpose and mission for Christ. I think
wearing such a symbol could be a good reminder for others and for ourselves to
reflect and radiate the love of Christ to those around us. So how will we
represent the cross of Christ — the love he gave us as a sacrifice for our
salvation and the forgiveness of our sins? We can wear the cross as a reminder
to share the meaning of the cross in words and in acts of love.--The Author-Jay
T. Basinger (Florida, USA)
Thought for the Day: For instructions on making Jay’s string
crosses, go to devotional.upperroom.org.
Prayer: Dear Jesus Christ, we want to remember your great love
for us. As we wear a symbol of your cross, help us follow you in steps of love.
Amen.
Prayer focus: Christian campers
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