The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Faith Without Fanfare" for Monday, 13 February 2017 with Scripture: Matthew 6:1-4

The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Faith Without Fanfare" for Monday, 13 February 2017 with Scripture: Matthew 6:1 “Be careful not to parade your acts of tzedakah in front of people in order to be seen by them! If you do, you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 So, when you do tzedakah, don’t announce it with trumpets to win people’s praise, like the hypocrites in the synagogues and on the streets. Yes! I tell you, they have their reward already! 3 But you, when you do tzedakah, don’t even let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4 Then your tzedakah will be in secret; and your Father, who sees what you do in secret, will reward you.
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Jesus said, “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”[Matthew 28:20 (KJV)]
When I was a young girl, I thought God lived at our church. Our family resided on Eton Way, and I believed that God made a home in a brown building on Crofton Parkway. After all, that was the place where most people dressed well and acted with kindness and patience, as if God had an eye on them on Sunday mornings.
As I grew older, I learned that God is everywhere and actually resides within us if we invite the Lord into our hearts. God is always with us and watches over us all the time.
I remember being amazed when I became aware that God is sincerely interested in us every day, not only when we’re wearing our Sunday best. God sees into our hearts and knows our innermost thoughts every day of the week.
God also smiles when we perform small acts of kindness behind the scenes, without expecting anything in return. God approves of our selflessly helping an elderly neighbor carry her groceries, our generously feeding a stray cat every night, or our silently praying for a stranger. I’m glad to know that God’s presence is not limited to one address or to one day of the week.
Read more from the author, here."Thou Art With Me"

Little did I know when I wrote my devotional that I would be experiencing God’s omnipresence in a very real way shortly after.
My gracious mother (pictured here), who was also my best friend, was called home to heaven in the summer of 2015. My anchor, the one who helped me laugh at myself and who had always been there for me, was gone.
Earlier that year, my strong and independent mother who lived on her own at age 86 was suddenly unable to care for herself. I moved in with her and began my journey down a path for which I felt completely unprepared and unqualified. Ready or not, I was hesitantly walking on a winding road paved with role reversal and caregiving.
I had always respected those who cared for the elderly, but I wondered how someone in such unfamiliar territory could handle all of that responsibility. I wasn’t a medical professional and didn’t know where to begin.
That’s when I began to feel God's presence--through a helpful visiting nurse, my workplace’s flexibility, the enduring moral support of my friends, the kindness of neighbors, and the consistent heartfelt prayers of my Bible study group.
And when I needed God most, during the long, lonely nights when I was too tired to pray, God was there.
How grateful I am to have known and experienced that God is everywhere all the time--not just in church on Sunday mornings. I'm even more grateful to know that my beloved mom is with him now and I’ll see them both someday. [Kay L. Campbell]
P.S. If anyone has experienced the recent loss of a loved one, I highly recommend the faith-based grief support program GriefShare (https://www.griefshare.org/). It helped me more than words can express.

The Author: Kay L. Campbell (Connecticut, USA)
Thought for the Day: God smiles on our quiet acts of faith.
Prayer: Dear God, help us to please you through our actions today. Amen.
Prayer focus: Children in church

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