The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "SERVING WITH FAITH" for Monday, 3 October 2016 with Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:3 I give thanks to God, whom, like my forbears, I worship with a clean conscience, as I regularly remember you in my prayers night and day. 4 I am reminded of your tears, and I long to see you, so that I might be filled with joy. 5 I recall your sincere trust, the same trust that your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice had first; and I am convinced that you too now have this trust.6 For this reason, I am reminding you to fan the flame of God’s gift, which you received through s’mikhah from me. 7 For God gave us a Spirit who produces not timidity, but power, love and self-discipline. 8 So don’t be ashamed of bearing testimony to our Lord or to me, his prisoner. On the contrary, accept your share in suffering disgrace for the sake of the Good News. God will give you the strength for it, 9 since he delivered us and called us to a life of holiness as his people. It was not because of our deeds, but because of his own purpose and the grace which he gave to us who are united with the Messiah Yeshua. He did this before the beginning of time, 10 but made it public only now through the appearing of our Deliverer, the Messiah Yeshua, who abolished death and, through the Good News, revealed life and immortality.
11 It was for this Good News that I was appointed a proclaimer, emissary and teacher of the Goyim; 12 and this is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, because I know him in whom I have put my trust, and I am persuaded that he can keep safe until that Day what he has entrusted to me. 13 Follow the pattern of the sound teachings you have heard from me, with trust and the love which is yours in the Messiah Yeshua. 14 Keep safe the great treasure that has been entrusted to you, with the help of the Ruach HaKodesh, who lives in us.
15 You know that everyone in the province of Asia turned away from me, including Phygelus and Ermogenes. 16 May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he was often a comfort to me and was not ashamed of my being in prison. 17 On the contrary, when he came to Rome, he diligently searched for me and found me. 18 May the Lord grant it to him to find mercy from Adonai on that Day. And you know very well how much he helped me in Ephesus.
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I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you.[2 Timothy 1:5 (NRSV)]
As a teenager, I was in a youth service group. The group was made up of young people from 10 churches within a radius of 60 km (37 miles). Years later, we all still serve the Lord with our respective abilities. We keep working to learn and serve with faith. Some people have remained in their original areas; others were sent abroad by the church.
We are not young anymore. Most of us are married and have children. Some members of our group already have grandchildren. Recently, after 26 years, we held a reunion. We invited our children to participate so that they would know what we had done. We wanted them to be inspired to follow our example of faith and service. At the reunion, we emphasized service and the passionate faith passed from Lois to Eunice and Eunice to Timothy. Likewise, we want to give the spirit of service and faith to our children.
See an image of the reunion participants, here.
Link2Life for October 3, 2016
The reunion Iskandar talks about in his meditation: Iskandar is in the second row from the front, wearing gray, straight behind the child wearing a yellow shirt in the front row.
The Author: Iskandar MZ (Central Java, Indonesia)
Thought for the Day: I can be an example of God’s spirit of service for others.
Prayer: Our Father in heaven, thank you for giving us a chance to do your work. Strengthen us to keep serving you. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Prayer focus: CHILDREN OF CHURCH LEADERS
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