The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "These Are the Days" for Saturday, 31 December 2016 with Scripture: Philippians 3:12 It is not that I have already obtained it or already reached the goal — no, I keep pursuing it in the hope of taking hold of that for which the Messiah Yeshua took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I, for my part, do not think of myself as having yet gotten hold of it; but one thing I do: forgetting what is behind me and straining forward toward what lies ahead, 14 I keep pursuing the goal in order to win the prize offered by God’s upward calling in the Messiah Yeshua.
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“Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”
- Revelation 3:8 (NRSV)
One of my favorite television shows from the 1970s always opened with the two main characters sitting at a piano singing “Those Were the Days.” As I think about this song, I realize that it is easy for us to look back and idolize the “good old days.” But scripture challenges us to sing “These are the days!”
To the church in Philadelphia, John was instructed to write, “Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” Here and now we are called to celebrate God’s presence. Here and now we are called to embrace what God is doing in our lives. God has placed before us open doors of opportunity. We don’t want to miss them by looking back or because we are afraid of what lies on the other side of the threshold. Instead, we can follow the apostle Paul’s example from today’s reading: “I do this one thing: I forget about the things behind me and reach out for the things ahead of me.” Like Paul, we can celebrate and embrace what God is doing and is going to do in our lives.
The Author: Christopher Yopp (Virginia, USA)
Thought for the Day: Today I will celebrate and embrace what God is doing in my life.
Prayer: Loving God, strengthen us to press forward in faith, knowing that you are showing us open doors of opportunity. Lead, guide, and direct us by your Spirit. Amen.
Prayer focus: SOMEONE STRUGGLING WITH PAST MISTAKES
- Revelation 3:8 (NRSV)
One of my favorite television shows from the 1970s always opened with the two main characters sitting at a piano singing “Those Were the Days.” As I think about this song, I realize that it is easy for us to look back and idolize the “good old days.” But scripture challenges us to sing “These are the days!”
To the church in Philadelphia, John was instructed to write, “Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” Here and now we are called to celebrate God’s presence. Here and now we are called to embrace what God is doing in our lives. God has placed before us open doors of opportunity. We don’t want to miss them by looking back or because we are afraid of what lies on the other side of the threshold. Instead, we can follow the apostle Paul’s example from today’s reading: “I do this one thing: I forget about the things behind me and reach out for the things ahead of me.” Like Paul, we can celebrate and embrace what God is doing and is going to do in our lives.
The Author: Christopher Yopp (Virginia, USA)
Thought for the Day: Today I will celebrate and embrace what God is doing in my life.
Prayer: Loving God, strengthen us to press forward in faith, knowing that you are showing us open doors of opportunity. Lead, guide, and direct us by your Spirit. Amen.
Prayer focus: SOMEONE STRUGGLING WITH PAST MISTAKES
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