The Upper Room Daily Devotional of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Rejoicing" for Tuesday, 26 April 2016 with Scripture: Luke 15:8-10

The Upper Room Daily Devotional of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Rejoicing" for Tuesday, 26 April 2016 with Scripture: Luke 15:8 “Another example: what woman, if she has ten drachmas and loses one of these valuable coins, won’t light a lamp, sweep the house and search all over until she finds it? 9 And when she does find it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Come, celebrate with me, because I have found the drachma I lost.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is joy among God’s angels when one sinner repents.”
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Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them.”[Mark 10:14 (NIV)]
The first time I heard of Jane was when her six-year-old daughter Nancy asked me to pray for her mother. Nancy had been coming to my Sunday school class. When I asked Nancy why she had asked for prayer, she said, “My mother does not believe in Jesus; she says Jesus is fake, just as fake as Mickey Mouse.” I told Nancy we would keep her mom in our prayers.
Some months later, Jane began to attend our weekly children’s Sunday school to help with crafts and serve snacks. A few months after this she asked to be baptized, so we started a Bible study group to prepare her. In our first meeting, she confessed to a time when she had many doubts about God’s existence. I asked her when she began to believe in God. She answered, “Some months after I moved to this neighborhood. When I came here I was homeless with my three girls — I had lost everything. My brother sheltered me; and when the church welcomed my girls with food, clothes, and Sunday school, it was like family. Now this church is my family.”
Jane told everyone she met that she would be baptized the next Easter. She invited other women to join us for Bible study and to become disciples of Jesus. Jane shares her joy and expresses her gratitude to the church and to God. With Jane, we can rejoice that God’s presence in our lives is real.
The Author: Nilsa P. Saliceti (Ohio, USA)
Thought for the Day: How can I welcome others into my family of faith?
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for communities of faith that remind us of your love and invite us into a deeper relationship with you. Amen.
Prayer focus: People preparing to be baptized---------------------