The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Letting Go" for Tuesday, 22 November 2016 with Scripture: Isaiah 43:16-21

The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Letting Go" for Tuesday, 22 November 2016 with Scripture: Isaiah 43:16 Here is what Adonai says,
who made a way in the sea,
a path through the raging waves;
17 who led out chariot and horse,
the army in its strength —
they lay down, never to rise again,
snuffed out and quenched like a wick:
18 “Stop dwelling on past events
and brooding over times gone by;
19 I am doing something new;
it’s springing up — can’t you see it?
I am making a road in the desert,
rivers in the wasteland.
20 The wild animals will honor me,
the jackals and the ostriches;
because I put water in the desert,
rivers in the wasteland,
for my chosen people to drink,
21 the people I formed for myself,
so that they would proclaim my praise.

-------

Paul wrote, “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”[Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV)]
As I pulled up my once-beautiful periwinkles, now lifeless after a recent freeze, it dawned on me that I wasn’t just getting rid of the old plants; I was making room for new ones. The same is true of life’s experiences. We have to let go of the past to make room for the future. But letting go of treasured moments or painful experiences is not as easy as discarding wilted, lifeless periwinkles.
The apostle Peter wanted to remain in a powerful moment while high atop the Mount of Transfiguration. (See Matt. 17:1-4.) Peter was like many of us; he didn’t want to let go of an awesome experience. Such moments — life’s great blessings — are not meant to be permanent homes but rather rest stops along life’s journey.
Painful moments are even more likely to bar us from future joys. But how do we move on? We do it by focusing on God, whose grace and blessings are new every day. And we can find and enjoy them fully when we let go of the past and trust the God of our present and our future.
Read more from the author, here.More from Eddie Fleming

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. (Colossians 3:12-15)
In my meditation for today, I realized that I had to let go of the old in order to receive the new. One of the hardest things to let go of, however, is not dead flowers, but injurious acts. When we experience hurt, either by the hand or tongue of others, our relationship with them is immediately damaged. If we continue to hold on to it, we soon become damaged as well.
The author of Hebrews warns us to deal with bitterness quickly. He writes, "See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled." (Hebrews 12:15)
We need God's grace to let go of the pains and hurts inflicted on us. In Colossians, the apostle Paul tells us to put on gracious attitudes and behaviors. According to Vine's Expository Dictionary of the New Testament, the Greek word Paul uses for "forgiving" is "charizomai," which means to bestow a favor unconditionally.
To forgive someone is to bestow a favor, even though that person doesn't deserve it. This can be difficult, especially when the hurt inflicted is painful and the loss great. Although difficult, it is possible. The power to forgive great hurt requires great grace. The kind of grace that comes only from a relationship with Christ. In my 25 years of pastoring at one church, I have experienced great joys, but also some great hurts. At times, I have found myself on my knees seeking the grace I need to get past the hurt I've experienced. In each case, I've discovered God's grace is sufficient.
Getting past our hurts is a must. Jesus commands us to let go of them. He orders us to not hold the wrong people do over their heads and in our hearts. He said it in the Sermon on the Mount, using these words: "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:14-15) The Greek word that Jesus uses that is translated "forgive" is different from the word Paul used in Colossians, according to Vine's Expository New Testament Dictionary. This one means "to lay aside or let go of."
If we are to be like Christ--if we are to be loving, kind, meek, and patient--we must forgive like Christ. We must put on the grace of God and let go of the hurts from men and women. This we must do, but we can only do it by accessing God's amazing grace.[Eddie Fleming, Check out Eddie's blog: http://www.makingmostoflife.com/.]
The Author: Eddie Fleming (Kentucky, USA)
Thought for the Day: Letting go of the past enables me to embrace God’s possibilities.
Prayer: Dear God, give us the courage to let go of the past and the faith we need to look forward to the future with you. Amen.
Prayer focus: SOMEONE SEEKING A NEW START-------

The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Helping Hand" for Monday, 21 November 2016 with Scripture: Psalm 139:(0) For the leader. A psalm of David:
(1) Adonai, you have probed me, and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I stand up,
you discern my inclinations from afar,
3 you scrutinize my daily activities.
You are so familiar with all my ways
4 that before I speak even a word, Adonai,
you know all about it already.
5 You have hemmed me in both behind and in front
and laid your hand on me.
6 Such wonderful knowledge is beyond me,
far too high for me to reach.
7 Where can I go to escape your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I climb up to heaven, you are there;
if I lie down in Sh’ol, you are there.
9 If I fly away with the wings of the dawn
and land beyond the sea,
10 even there your hand would lead me,
your right hand would hold me fast.

-------

The psalmist wrote, “If I could fly on the wings of dawn, . . . [to] the far side of the ocean — even there your hand would guide me; even there your strong hand would hold me tight!”[Psalm 139:9-10 (CEB)]
My great-grandniece, María Camila, started walking at the age of ten months. To hone this new skill and feel more secure, she would hold on to someone’s hand. Because she was persistent, the process of learning to walk went faster than it might have.
Learning to walk the Christian path is much slower than learning to physically walk. The good news is we don’t have to travel it alone. When we take the hand of God, we can feel secure. The challenges we face become more bearable when we lean on our sisters and brothers in the faith.
In today’s reading, the psalmist expressed confidence that God knows us completely — knows our innermost thoughts and the words we have yet to speak. But most important to me is knowing that God is with us and that God’s hand rests upon us. It is something so sublime that we cannot fully understand it. But we can rest assured that wherever we go, God’s strong hand will guide us.
The Author: Luciria Aguirre Naranjo (Valle del Cauca, Colombia)
Thought for the Day: God can use my helping hand to guide others today.
Prayer: Thank you, God, for your promise to help us and to guide us. Amen.
Prayer focus: SOMEONE LEARNING TO WALK AGAIN

-------

The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "God’s Markers" for Sunday, 20 November 2016 with Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 3:1 Finally, brothers, pray for us that the Lord’s message may spread rapidly and receive honor, just as it did with you; 2 and that we may be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has trust. 3 But the Lord is worthy of trust; he will make you firm and guard you from the Evil One. 4 Yes, united with the Lord we are confident about you, that you are doing the things we are telling you to do, and that you will keep on doing them. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and the perseverance which the Messiah gives.

-------

May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.[2 Thessalonians 3:5 (NRSV)]
In 1920, the United States opened its first coast-to-coast airmail delivery route. Before radio navigation was common in airplanes, pilots had to navigate by landmarks. Therefore, bad weather and nighttime essentially grounded the airplanes. The solution was to build a system of concrete arrows — stretching 70 feet along the ground — every ten miles from New York to San Francisco. Each arrow had at its center a steel tower with a beacon on top. As long as the pilots followed the markers they would reach their destination. But if they veered off, they might have difficulty finding the route again.
Similarly, God has given us a system of markers to direct our way, including the commandments, promises, precepts, and teachings in God’s word. They are the stories of the Bible’s people and the gift of Jesus Christ. They guide us through life; but when we wander away from them, we become lost and confused. The markers lead us straight to God’s love and forgiveness.
As solid as aviation’s 70-foot concrete markers were, most of them are now gone. In contrast, God’s truths will endure eternally. We can entrust our lives to such markers, knowing they will lead us directly to the heart of God.
See a picture of a concrete arrow, here.
Link2Life for November 20, 2016

Read more about the arrows at thedailybeast.com.

Read more from the author, here.
More from Bob La Forge
I have been a Christian since 1977 when God showed me that when I am in control of my life it will not go well and that Jesus needs to be my Savior. I am married to Toni and have twin daughters, Sarah and Danielle, who were born in 2006. At the church that we attend, Grace Bible Church, I oversee the bookstore and teach adult Sunday School. My wife sings in the choir and is on the Fellowship Committee. Our two daughters are in AWANA and American Heritage Girls.
I have over 200 publications including over a dozen in The Upper Room. I have also written three books which are available on Amazon.com for the Kindle. These books are Contemplating the Almighty, which discusses who and what God is (the attributes of God), Developing Great Relationships, and The Tempter Comes, which is a novel about evil that comes to an isolated town. In addition, Church Growth Institute published my self-evaluation “Evaluating Your Friendship Skills” (https://www.churchgrowth.org/product/evaluating-your-friendship-skills/) which is based on 12 biblical friendship characteristics. You can use the discussion of each characteristic to help set goals and determine practical ways to become more like Jesus.
I created a website at www.disciplescorner.com. It has a section on Bible literacy, which is an ever growing number of short studies to provide basic knowledge on key teachings of the Bible. My three books are also available to read online or to download. There are articles, devotions, several Bible study series, and poetry. Tracts are available which you can download, print, and distribute. Everything is free. If anyone sends me translations of any of the materials on my website then I will make them available. My email is bob@disciplescorner.com.
One topic that I feel particularly strong about is the crucial importance of knowing who and what God is. I believe that the more deeply we know God the more likely we will fight the good fight, finish the course, and keep the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). God puts our feet on a new foundation. But if our spiritual eyesight is dim we will not clearly see what we are standing on and every wind and wave will panic us. But as studying the Bible improves our spiritual vision we will see more clearly that what we are standing on is the solid rock of Jesus Christ. Our confidence will grow and we will have a greater desire to become more like the one who delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of Christ (Colossians 1:13).
My book Contemplating the Almighty came from a time in my life that was particularly rough. I was in a prolonged period of discouragement and thinking about the best way to break out of it. Being overly busy, TV, and video games were only distractions. Finally I realized that the only way out was to know God better. So for almost two years I did a focused study on what the Bible says about God. The result answered the question in Song of Solomon 8:5, “Who is this coming up from the wilderness leaning on her [his] beloved?” That was me and my beloved was God. So no matter what topic I teach or write on the central focus and example is always God--our Rock and our Fortress.[Bob La Forge]
The Author: Bob La Forge (New Jersey, USA)
Thought for the Day: Where is God guiding me today?
Prayer: O God, help us listen for your voice in scripture — the voice that calls us and leads us through our lives. Amen.
Prayer focus: THOSE SEARCHING FOR GOD

-------

The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Doing Good" for Saturday, 19 November 2016 with Scripture: Romans 7:7 Therefore, what are we to say? That the Torah is sinful? Heaven forbid! Rather, the function of the Torah was that without it, I would not have known what sin is. For example, I would not have become conscious of what greed is if the Torah had not said, “Thou shalt not covet.”[Romans 7:7 Exodus 20:14(17), Deuteronomy 5:18(21)] 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, worked in me all kinds of evil desires — for apart from Torah, sin is dead. 9 I was once alive outside the framework of Torah. But when the commandment really encountered me, sin sprang to life, 10 and I died. The commandment that was intended to bring me life was found to be bringing me death! 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me; and through the commandment, sin killed me. 12 So the Torah is holy; that is, the commandment is holy, just and good.
13 Then did something good become for me the source of death? Heaven forbid! Rather, it was sin working death in me through something good, so that sin might be clearly exposed as sin, so that sin through the commandment might come to be experienced as sinful beyond measure.
-------

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.[Romans 3:23 (NIV)]
When my daughter was two or three years old, she threw the normal tantrums of a child. When she got into trouble, she would start crying and loudly repeating, “I want to be good.” I was intrigued by her response.
Paul wrote to the Romans about the same problem. in his letter to them he said, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” Paul wanted to do good. He knew what was expected of him and worked to be an example to other people. But it was not easy. He was human and imperfect.
We are also meant to be examples. We know what is expected of us; but because of sin, doing good is not easy. God knows we are weak and gives us grace so that we are forgiven when we fall short. When we read the Bible for guidance and pray for forgiveness, God will bless us.
See a pictures of Marqueta with her family, here.
Link2Life for November 19, 2016

Marqueta & family with young daughter Marjorie.

Marqueta today with Marjorie & grandkids Teagan & Trinity.

The Author: Marqueta Reedy-Engle (Ohio, USA)
Thought for the Day: With God’s help, I can “be good.”
Prayer: Dear Lord, we want to do good, but sometimes temptation overcomes us. Please guide us and give us strength to follow you. Amen.
Prayer focus: GRATITUDE FOR THE GIFT OF GRACE

-------

The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Two Semis and a Dump Truck" for Friday, 18 November 2016 with Scripture: Luke 12:22 To his talmidim Yeshua said, “Because of this I tell you, don’t worry about your life — what you will eat or drink; or about your body — what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24 Think about the ravens! They neither plant nor harvest, they have neither storerooms nor barns, yet God feeds them. You are worth much more than the birds! 25 Can any of you by worrying add an hour to his life? 26 If you can’t do a little thing like that, why worry about the rest? 27 Think about the wild irises, and how they grow. They neither work nor spin thread; yet, I tell you, not even Shlomo in all his glory was clothed as beautifully as one of these. 28 If this is how God clothes grass, which is alive in the field today and thrown in the oven tomorrow, how much more will he clothe you! What little trust you have!
29 “In other words, don’t strive after what you will eat and what you will drink — don’t be anxious. 30 For all the pagan nations in the world set their hearts on these things. Your Father knows that you need them too. 31 Rather, seek his Kingdom; and these things will be given to you as well.

-------

Seek [the Father’s] kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.[Luke 12:31 (NIV)]
It was a beautiful autumn day. My wife and I were traveling through the hills of North Carolina on our motorcycle. I was anxious about our trip. We needed to reach our destination by the end of the day, and we had decided to take the scenic route to stay off the faster, truck-filled interstate.
As we rounded a turn, we saw two semis on the road ahead of us. As we approached the trucks, I had to pay much more attention to traffic. I began to think I wouldn’t get a chance to enjoy the scenery on this trip. I was relieved to find that the trucks moved along swiftly, because the chance of passing one, let alone both, on the winding hills of the Appalachians seemed slim.
Suddenly, their progress slowed. A heavily-loaded dump truck had pulled in ahead of them. My wife and I began to accept that it would be a slow trip. But around the next corner, a long stretch of road without oncoming traffic gave us ample time to pass all three slow-moving vehicles.
I began to think about how often I become anxious when I want God to grant my prayers to suit my own agenda. The clear, straight road ahead reminded me that when we trust God, we can let go of the anxiety and enjoy the journey.See a picture of Ray with his wife, here.
Link2Life for November 18, 2016

Upper Room author Ray Appel with his wife.

The Author: Ray Appel (Wisconsin, USA)
Thought for the Day: I can rely on the Lord’s direction.
Prayer: Dear Father, thank you for listening to our prayers. Help us to listen for your answer and direction. Amen.
Prayer focus: MOTORCYCLISTS

-------