-------Romans 4:13 For the promise to Avraham and his seed[Romans 4:13 Genesis 15:3, 5] that he would inherit the world did not come through legalism but through the righteousness that trust produces. 14 For if the heirs are produced by legalism, then trust is pointless and the promise worthless. 15 For what law brings is punishment. But where there is no law, there is also no violation.
16 The reason the promise is based on trusting is so that it may come as God’s free gift, a promise that can be relied on by all the seed, not only those who live within the framework of the Torah, but also those with the kind of trust Avraham had — Avraham avinu for all of us. 17 This accords with the Tanakh, where it says, “I have appointed you to be a father to many nations.”[Romans 4:17 Genesis 17:5] Avraham is our father in God’s sight because he trusted God as the one who gives life to the dead and calls nonexistent things into existence. 18 For he was past hope, yet in hope he trusted that he would indeed become a father to many nations, in keeping with what he had been told, “So many will your seed be.”[Romans 4:18 Genesis 15:5] 19 His trust did not waver when he considered his own body — which was as good as dead, since he was about a hundred years old — or when he considered that Sarah’s womb was dead too. 20 He did not by lack of trust decide against God’s promises. On the contrary, by trust he was given power as he gave glory to God, 21 for he was fully convinced that what God had promised he could also accomplish. 22 This is why it was credited to his account as righteousness.[Romans 4:22 Genesis 15:6]
23 But the words, “it was credited to his account . . . ,” were not written for him only. 24 They were written also for us, who will certainly have our account credited too, because we have trusted in him who raised Yeshua our Lord from the dead — 25 Yeshua, who was delivered over to death because of our offences and raised to life in order to make us righteous.
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[Abraham] grew strong in faith and gave glory to God. He was fully convinced that God was able to do what he promised. (Romans 4:20-21 (CEB))
As I entered high school, I decided that I wanted to be on the school’s wrestling team. When practices started in late October, I realized that the sport would be much harder than I had originally thought. Then, when the official matches began, every time I stepped on the mat, I lost. Daily, I thought about quitting the team. I was tired of putting in so much work and effort only to lose.
When the season ended, I had only five wins and a whopping twenty-seven losses. However, I decided to forget about that season and to work hard the next year. I trained and practiced. When my sophomore season of wrestling came, I was a much better wrestler. I climbed to the number four spot in the state rankings.
Practicing our faith requires a similar commitment. Sometimes, I start to lose faith in God and in myself. I now realize that instead of losing faith, we can become more committed and grow stronger in our faith through prayer, reading the Bible, and worshiping with other Christians. God will give us the strength to keep moving forward.
The Author: Jared Russell (North Carolina, USA)
Thought for the Day: Faith in God requires practice and commitment.
Prayer: Dear God, help us to stay true and committed to our faith. Amen.
Prayer focus: Student athletes
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The Upper Room Daily Devotional from The United Methodist Church of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Leading by Example"Wednesday, 4 October 2017 - Read Romans 16:1-16
-------Romans 16:16 I am introducing to you our sister Phoebe, shammash of the congregation at Cenchrea, 2 so that you may welcome her in the Lord, as God’s people should, and give her whatever assistance she may need from you; for she has been a big help to many people — including myself.
3 Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers for the Messiah Yeshua. 4 They risked their necks to save my life; not only I thank them, but also all the Messianic communities among the Gentiles. 5 And give my greetings to the congregation that meets in their house.
Give my greetings to my dear friend Epaenetus, who was the first person in the province of Asia to put his trust in the Messiah.
6 Give my greetings to Miryam, who has worked very hard for you.
7 Greetings to Andronicus and Junia, relatives of mine who were in prison with me. They are well known among the emissaries; also they came to trust in the Messiah before I did.
8 Greetings to Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.
9 Greetings to Urbanus, our fellow worker for the Messiah, and to my dear friend Stachys.
10 Greetings to Appeles, whose trust in the Messiah has been tested and proved.
Greet those in the household of Aristobulus.
11 Greet my relative, Herodion.
12 Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, women who are working hard for the Lord.
Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has done a lot of hard work for the Lord.
13 Greet Rufus, chosen by the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me too.
14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the brothers who are with them.
15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all of God’s people who are with them.
16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the Messiah’s congregations send their greetings to you.
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Tell the older women . . . they are to teach what is good, so that they may encourage the young women. (Titus 2:3-4 (NRSV))
When my husband and I were in our twenties, we had each started a small business in a new town. Also, we had started going to a new church with our two young children. Members of this church family surrounded us with love, gave us responsibilities in the church, and offered us many meals in their homes. I became comfortable with the older women — one in particular — who helped me in my bookstore.
At the age of 62, this woman was preparing to go to the mission field. Before she left, I gave her a recording of hymns from our store. One hymn was “I Come to the Garden Alone.” At the time, I did not know that this was her favorite hymn. She hugged me and blessed me for ministering to her. I never forgot that moment because all along I thought she was ministering to me.
When I became pregnant again and decided to sell the bookstore, she found a buyer for my bookstore because she, a businesswoman herself, knew more people in town than I did. Her encouragement during that season of my life was a beautiful example of the women described in Titus 2:3. Leading by example, teaching by kindness and help, she has been an example for my own life.
See a photo from the author, here.
Doreen Frick and her husband, Wes
© 2017 The Upper Room®. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Thought for the Day: I can minister to someone through my example.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for giving us the privilege of serving you by serving others. Amen.
Prayer focus: To be examples in ministry
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The Upper Room Daily Devotional from The United Methodist Church of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "The Stars" for Thursday, 5 October 2017 - Read Psalm 19:1-6
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Psalm 19:1 (0) For the leader. A psalm of David:
2 (1) The heavens declare the glory of God,
the dome of the sky speaks the work of his hands.
3 (2) Every day it utters speech,
every night it reveals knowledge.
4 (3) Without speech, without a word,
without their voices being heard,
5 (4) their line goes out through all the earth
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he places a tent for the sun,
6 (5) which comes out like a bridegroom from the bridal chamber,
with delight like an athlete to run his race.
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The psalmist wrote, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” (Psalm 8:3-4 (NIV))
One night I was sitting in my room thinking about my problems when my father called me out to the porch. He said, “Look at the sky; there are so many stars. What a beautiful night!” I had never stopped to consider the beauty of the night sky. His statement made me forget about my problems for a little while. As I looked up, I answered, “Yes, they are beautiful.”
Sometimes we are so busy thinking about our trials that we forget that God always gives us something good to enjoy, even in the midst of our difficulties. It may be our loving family, or even a beautiful flower, the fresh air, the singing of the birds, or the beauty of the stars.
That night as I looked up to the sky and enjoyed the stars, my problems had not yet been resolved. But I realized that just as the stars keep shining even when I do not notice, God blesses us in all circumstances because God’s love for us is unconditional.
See a photo from the author, here.
Meliana Santoso with her father, Go Gwan Jung
© 2017 The Upper Room®. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Thought for the Day: Today I’ll be on the lookout for God’s unexpected blessings.
Prayer: Thank you, God, for the beautiful things you have given us to enjoy even in the midst of our troubles. As Jesus taught us, we pray: “Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation” (Luke 11:2-4, NIV). Amen.
Prayer focus: Fathers and daughters
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The Upper Room Daily Devotional from The United Methodist Church of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "The Ultimate Do-Over" for Friday, 6 October 2017 - Read 2 Corinthians 5:17-21-------
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is united with the Messiah, he is a new creation — the old has passed; look, what has come is fresh and new! 18 And it is all from God, who through the Messiah has reconciled us to himself and has given us the work of that reconciliation, 19 which is that God in the Messiah was reconciling mankind to himself, not counting their sins against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore we are ambassadors of the Messiah; in effect, God is making his appeal through us. What we do is appeal on behalf of the Messiah, “Be reconciled to God! 21 God made this sinless man be a sin offering on our behalf, so that in union with him we might fully share in God’s righteousness.”
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[God] has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation. (Colossians 1:22 (NIV))
“I want a do-over!” my eight-year-old grandson cried out. He did not like the consequences of the choice he had made in a game he and some other children were playing. He wanted a second chance — to undo what he had done.
Many of us are held hostage by the past, living with regret and fear, burdened by shame, or bowed down by guilt. Thoughts like these condemn us: if only I could unsay my harsh words; if only the wrongs I did could be righted; if only I had taken a path different from the one I took. If only I could have a “do-over.”
The good news for us is that God is the God of new beginnings! God loves us and does not want us to remain stuck in the past. No matter what we have done, God can and will forgive us. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, God carried all our guilt and shame to the cross. God is willing and able to create in us clean hearts, to forgive our failures, and to remember them no more.
The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” That’s the ultimate “do-over!”
The Author: Karen H. Perez (Georgia, USA)
Thought for the Day: Through the power of Christ, I can have new life.
Prayer: Holy Father, help us to put our past wrongs behind us. Create in us clean hearts and begin new life in us. Amen.
Prayer focus: Someone struggling with guilt
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The Upper Room Daily Devotional from The United Methodist Church of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Investing Ourselves" for Saturday, October 7th, 2017 - Read Mark 6:35-44
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Mark 6:35 By this time, the hour was late. The talmidim came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s getting late. 36 Send the people away, so that they can go and buy food for themselves in the farms and towns around here.” 37 But he answered them, “Give them something to eat, yourselves!” They replied, “We are to go and spend thousands on bread, and give it to them to eat?” 38 He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and check.” When they had found out, they said, “Five. And two fish.” 39 Then he ordered all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 They sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred. 41 Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, and, looking up toward heaven, made a b’rakhah. Next he broke up the loaves and began giving them to the talmidim to distribute. He also divided up the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate as much as they wanted, 43 and they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces and fish. 44 Those who ate the loaves numbered five thousand men.
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The disciples said, “Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But [Jesus] answered, “You give them something to eat.” Mark 6:36-37 (NIV)
The meeting with the eighth-grade boys was getting nowhere. They seemed more interested in making jokes and distracting one another than in deciding what to do on their service day. Finally, the leader sitting next to me had had enough. “Guys, stop!” he began. “You’re in eighth grade now. You’re the leaders of this junior-high ministry. Those in the lower grades and the friends you bring are going to look to you as examples. We need you all to be invested.”
Sometimes we adults in the church need to hear the same admonition. We might think that we can just show up but not actually participate. I used to make the mistake of thinking that my witness of the gospel to others consisted solely of telling them about Jesus and bringing them to church. Then the rest of the work would be done by the Holy Spirit and the ministry staff.
That’s not the picture that our reading in Mark gives us. The disciples told Jesus to send the people to buy food. But Jesus answered, “You give them something to eat.” Jesus wanted the disciples to be part of his work. Despite our faults and limited resources, God can do miraculous things when, like the disciples, we invest ourselves in God’s work.
The Author: Keith Osmun (Ohio, USA)
Thought for the Day: God can do miraculous things through me.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for inviting us to participate in your ministry despite our faults and limitations. Amen.
Prayer focus Church Youth Groups
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