The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "PREPARED FOR ACTION" for Friday, 21 October 2016 with Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15 Do all you can to present yourself to God as someone worthy of his approval, as a worker with no need to be ashamed, because he deals straightforwardly with the Word of the Truth. 16 But keep away from godless babbling, for those who engage in it will only become more ungodly, 17 and their teaching will eat away at people like gangrene. Hymenaeus and Philetus are among these; 18 they have missed the mark, as far as the truth is concerned, by saying that our resurrection has already taken place; and they are overturning some people’s faith. 19 Nevertheless, God’s firm foundation stands, stamped with these words:
“The Lord knows his own,”[2 Timothy 2:19 Numbers 16:5; Nahum 1:7]
and, “Let everyone who claims he belongs to the Lord stand apart from wrongdoing.”[2 Timothy 2:19 Numbers 16:26]
20 In a large house there are dishes and pots not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. That is, some are meant for honorable use and some for dishonorable. 21 If a person keeps himself free of defilement by the latter, he will be a vessel set aside for honorable use by the master of the house and ready for every kind of good work.
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Prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed.[1 Peter 1:13 (NRSV)]Sunshine and warm temperatures were expected on Monday, and I had planned to do some landscaping. But when Monday arrived, I could find only one gardening glove, and my small shovel was nowhere to be seen. Frustrated by my unsuccessful search for supplies, I gave up on the task I had planned to complete.
Just as it is important to be prepared for physical tasks like yard work, it is also important that we are prepared mentally and spiritually each day for the tasks God has in store. We can’t always know ahead of time what “God-appointments” we will have on a given day, but we can prepare our minds for action. Through scripture, prayer, and the expectation that God will throw unforeseen assignments my way; we can be prepared ahead of time. And when we’re ready, we’re more apt to obey.
Recently I felt the nudge to call the mother of my son’s friend to invite her son to a church event. I made the call because my mind was prepared for action. The young man came with us and had so much fun that he hopes to return.
God honors our preparation by allowing us to be the sowers of seeds for God’s reign on earth.
Read more from the author, here.A Little Farther
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed. - Matthew 26:39This year I’ve thought a lot about a little farther.
When Jesus was preparing for his death, he took his close friends with him to Gethsemane to pray. Three of those friends he took with him farther into the garden. But even those three couldn’t go as far as Jesus needed to go.
Where he was heading, he had to go alone.
I am definitely not Jesus, and my circumstances are a bit less consequential.
But I do have an understanding of a little farther.
A breast cancer diagnosis in January kept me from sleeping well for months. Early on it was because of the fear of the unknowns. Later it was because of the physical discomfort that comes with the breast reconstruction process and the anxiousness that comes with not knowing whether or not chemo is in your future.
When it was 2 a.m. and I was sitting on my recliner in my dark living room, frustrated about cancer and trying to get comfortable enough to sleep, I was a little farther.
I have some close friends who walked with me into the garden. We group texted on an almost daily basis. We laughed, cried and prayed together through little blips of conversations on our phones. Some days they were my lifeline. But they couldn’t do 2 a.m. with me.
There is a dear soul to whom I can shoot the craziest texts or call at any time knowing she gets me. Even when I’m completely out of my mind she gets me. But she couldn’t do 2 a.m. with me.
And then there is my husband, Corey. Who sees me at my worst and is still crazy enough to love me. Who puts me first always. Who tells me I’m beautiful with my scars when I look in the mirror and see ugly.
But though he would let me stay back and go a little farther for me if he could, he can’t. He would take my fears, my frustrations, my stress, my pain, my sleeplessness upon himself if it was possible. But it’s not.
So I did 2 a.m. alone. A little farther.
I tried to be like Jesus, who pleaded with the father to take the cup from him, but followed his plea with “Thy will be done.”
I got stuck at “Take this cup.”
I wanted to say “Thy will be done.” But quite honestly, in that moment, I couldn’t.
What I did instead was barter for my own will. I promise I will…if you will just…
I know that’s not how it works.
I wanted to let go, and I wanted to trust. I just couldn’t.
Not that night. Not at 2 a.m.
My comfort in those middle-of-the-night moments was in knowing that even when I can’t pry my hands from my own will, Christ doesn’t bow out. He knows how hard cancer is. He knew I didn’t want my flesh to defeat my spirit. He saw my battle, and he didn’t leave me. He waited.
And when the sun came up, and the world looked different, and I was able to at last say “your will be done,” God didn’t punish me for my delayed trust, but spoke to me when I opened my Bible:
“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he. I am he who will sustain you. I am he who made you and I will carry you. I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” (Isaiah 46:4)
And that made a little farther beautiful.[Kim Harms, Kim Harms is a freelance writer and lives in Iowa with her husband and three sons. You can read more of her writing at kimharms.net and find her on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/kimkharms/.]
The Author: Kim Harms (Iowa, USA)
Thought for the Day: I will prepare myself to answer God’s call.
Prayer: Dear God, help us to prepare our spirits so we are ready when you place a task before us. Amen.
Prayer focus: SOMEONE WHO IS EASILY DISCOURAGED
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The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "THE GIFT OF LOVE
" for Thursday, 20 October 2016 with Scripture:
1 Corinthians 13:
4 Love is patient and kind, not jealous, not boastful,
5 not proud, rude or selfish, not easily angered,
and it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not gloat over other people’s sins
but takes its delight in the truth.
7 Love always bears up, always trusts,
always hopes, always endures.
8 Love never ends; but prophecies will pass,
tongues will cease, knowledge will pass.
9 For our knowledge is partial, and our prophecy partial;
10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass.
11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child,
thought like a child, argued like a child;
now that I have become a man,
I have finished with childish ways.
12 For now we see obscurely in a mirror,
but then it will be face to face.
Now I know partly; then I will know fully,
just as God has fully known me.
13 But for now, three things last —
trust, hope, love;
and the greatest of these is love.
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Love is patient; love is kind.[1 Corinthians 13:4 (NRSV)]
First Corinthians 13 is a favorite scripture of mine, and I wanted to read it at my son’s wedding. Uncomfortable with public speaking but wanting to give this reading as a gift to the newlyweds, I began preparing by reading it aloud every morning to my husband, Paul. And every morning, he joined me in saying the last few words: “and the greatest of these is love.”
As the wedding day drew closer, my husband’s health began to deteriorate quickly. It soon became clear that he would not be able to attend the wedding. He needed assistance with bathing, eating, and dressing. Putting on a shirt often left him out of breath. He was grateful for the help I gave him, and he expressed his appreciation often. We found ourselves quoting to each other words from the scripture: “Love is patient; love is kind.”
Ten days after the wedding, my husband passed away. My new daughter-in-law read 1 Corinthians 13 at his service. I learned in those days that love is a true gift from God.
See an image of the author and her husband, here.
L2L for October 20, 2016
Love is patient; love is kind.[1 Corinthians 13:4 (NRSV)]
First Corinthians 13 is a favorite scripture of mine, and I wanted to read it at my son’s wedding. Uncomfortable with public speaking but wanting to give this reading as a gift to the newlyweds, I began preparing by reading it aloud every morning to my husband, Paul. And every morning, he joined me in saying the last few words: “and the greatest of these is love.”
As the wedding day drew closer, my husband’s health began to deteriorate quickly. It soon became clear that he would not be able to attend the wedding. He needed assistance with bathing, eating, and dressing. Putting on a shirt often left him out of breath. He was grateful for the help I gave him, and he expressed his appreciation often. We found ourselves quoting to each other words from the scripture: “Love is patient; love is kind.”
Ten days after the wedding, my husband passed away. My new daughter-in-law read 1 Corinthians 13 at his service. I learned in those days that love is a true gift from God.
See an image of the author and her husband, here.
L2L for October 20, 2016
Upper Room author Elizabeth K. Bush and her husband, Rev. C. Paul Bush
Read more from the author, here.More from Elizabeth Bush
It has been over three years since my Paul passed. Today would have been our 32nd anniversary! In the days following his passing, there was a tremendous void in my life. Sadness and grief filled my days for several years.Then I received a phone call. The owner of Raye's Mustard Mill called and asked if I would be interested in working in the gift shop a few days a week. Raye's Mustard Mill is a working museum that makes stone-ground mustard. After thinking about it for a few days, I decided to give it a try. And I found I loved it. I enjoy meeting people from all over the U.S. as well as other countries. It is fun to find out what brought them to Eastport and how their journey continues. In fact, the photo of me in the shop was taken by a nice man from Quebec who had come to visit the mill.
I have learned that life does go on. New days, new people to meet, new experiences to encounter. New opportunities are waiting. I want to be open to all the possibilities. I do not know what God has planned for me next, but I am reminded of one of my favorite scriptures: " For surely I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord, "plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope" (Jeremiah 29:11).
The Lord has taken me on a fantastic journey. I look forward to the next chapter in my life. And in every day, I give thanks.[Elizabeth Bush]
The Author: Elizabeth K. Bush (Maine, USA)
Thought for the Day: God’s love for me is always patient.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for your presence in happy times and in trying times. Your love is always patient and kind. Amen.
Prayer focus: SOMEONE GRIEVING A SPOUSE
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The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "LISTEN TO ME" for Wednesday, 19 October 2016 with Scripture: Luke 10:38 On their way Yeshua and his talmidim came to a village where a woman named Marta welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister called Miryam who also sat at the Lord’s feet and heard what he had to say. 40 But Marta was busy with all the work to be done; so, going up to him, she said, “Sir, don’t you care that my sister has been leaving me to do all the work by myself?” 41 However, the Lord answered her, “Marta, Marta, you are fretting and worrying about so many things! 42 But there is only one thing that is essential. Miryam has chosen the right thing, and it won’t be taken away from her.”
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Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools.[Ecclesiastes 5:1 (NIV)]
As a child, I took lessons in martial arts. Each class began with bowing to the instructor and to the most senior member of the class, out of respect and gratitude for what they would teach us that day. Then we participated in meditation. We were to set aside the day’s struggles, emptying ourselves so that we could focus on the commands and instructions of the teacher.
When we read God’s word, this same practice of meditation can help us set aside distractions before we begin. We can set aside thoughts of the co-worker who annoys us, the trouble-making student, the broken relationships, the fears about finances. Then we can focus on what God has to teach us. God may indeed teach us about the co-worker or our finances, but if we bring all those specific struggles to our reading, we may miss God’s lesson. That’s why Ecclesiastes 5:1 says, “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than offer the sacrifice of fools.” The psalmist proclaims, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path,” (119:105). If we bring the distractions of our day to our Bible reading, we may wind up walking down the wrong path. When we read humbly, with uncluttered minds, ready to listen, God will light each step of our lives.
See an image of the author, here.
The Author: Kyle Taft (Tennessee, USA)
Thought for the Day: When I read the Bible, I will ask God to still all other voices.
Prayer: Dear Lord, open up our hearts so that we can hear you. Help us to be still and quiet so that we can listen to your teaching. Amen.
Prayer focus: BIBLE STUDY PARTICIPANTS
As a child, I took lessons in martial arts. Each class began with bowing to the instructor and to the most senior member of the class, out of respect and gratitude for what they would teach us that day. Then we participated in meditation. We were to set aside the day’s struggles, emptying ourselves so that we could focus on the commands and instructions of the teacher.
When we read God’s word, this same practice of meditation can help us set aside distractions before we begin. We can set aside thoughts of the co-worker who annoys us, the trouble-making student, the broken relationships, the fears about finances. Then we can focus on what God has to teach us. God may indeed teach us about the co-worker or our finances, but if we bring all those specific struggles to our reading, we may miss God’s lesson. That’s why Ecclesiastes 5:1 says, “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than offer the sacrifice of fools.” The psalmist proclaims, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path,” (119:105). If we bring the distractions of our day to our Bible reading, we may wind up walking down the wrong path. When we read humbly, with uncluttered minds, ready to listen, God will light each step of our lives.
See an image of the author, here.
Link2Life for October 19, 2016
Upper Room author Kyle Taft.
Thought for the Day: When I read the Bible, I will ask God to still all other voices.
Prayer: Dear Lord, open up our hearts so that we can hear you. Help us to be still and quiet so that we can listen to your teaching. Amen.
Prayer focus: BIBLE STUDY PARTICIPANTS
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