The Upper Room Daily Devotional from Nashville, Tennessee, United States "GOOD CONNECTIONS" for Saturday, 4 June 2016 with Scripture Galatians 3:24-29

The Upper Room Daily Devotional from Nashville, Tennessee, United States "GOOD CONNECTIONS" for Saturday, 4 June 2016 with Scripture Galatians 3:24 Accordingly, the Torah functioned as a custodian until the Messiah came, so that we might be declared righteous on the ground of trusting and being faithful. 25 But now that the time for this trusting faithfulness has come, we are no longer under a custodian.
26 For in union with the Messiah, you are all children of God through this trusting faithfulness; 27 because as many of you as were immersed into the Messiah have clothed yourselves with the Messiah, in whom 28 there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor freeman, neither male nor female; for in union with the Messiah Yeshua, you are all one. 29 Also, if you belong to the Messiah, you are seed of Avraham and heirs according to the promise.
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Jesus said, “My prayer is not for [those you have given me] alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one.”[John 17:20-21 (NIV)]
Reading an Upper Room devotional written by a woman from Russia helped me think about the greatness and goodness of God. I wondered, What family does she have? Does she work outside the home? What is her daily life like? I prayed for her and marveled at the connection we have through our faith in the Lord, even though we live thousands of miles apart.
This bond of faith happens each day in my devotional time as I read The Upper Room. The writer for the day may be from England or Ethiopia, from Australia or the United States, or from anywhere else in the world. The experiences and insights they write about always help me in some way and strengthen my faith. I pray for those who share their faith in writing and also for those who work to bring this magazine into publication.
We can also feel a strong bond with those closest to us — those in our neighborhood, our church, our families, and at work. The apostle Paul wrote, “Clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:14, NRSV). No matter where we live, God’s love urges us to love one another and gives us the enduring joy of knowing that we are connected to God and to others by love and faith.
Read more from the author, here."More from Joan Hutcheson"
Well, here goes! This is my first blog. I’m thinking that it is something like journaling except that you share your thoughts with others.
I am thankful each day for The Upper Room. It gives me great hope to know that there are Christians all over the world reading it with me. God is at work everywhere guiding, blessing, creating.
An example of this happened to me this week at the store. The employee helping me shared her heartache with me—a pending divorce after over 40 years of marriage. Her attitude was to have complete faith that God would work all things out for the best. She praised God in all things as the Bible tells us to do. When I said to her, “You are a beautiful person," she responded, “I don’t want people to see me. I want them to see Jesus in me. I want to walk like Jesus, talk like Jesus, speak like Jesus, love like Jesus. He is all we need.” She asked me to pray for her and for her estranged husband. I am being faithful to this request each day. Beverly gave her witness to me in her workplace. I am thankful for her testimony and for the privilege of praying for her.[Joan Hutcheson]

The Author: Joan S. Hutcheson (Georgia, USA)
Thought for the Day: We are connected to one another through God’s love.
Prayer: Thank you, God, for your gracious love for us that enables us to connect with one another. Amen.
Prayer focus: THE STAFF AND WRITERS OF THE UPPER ROOM---------------------