Read Revelation 21:1-7Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,[Revelation 21:1 Isaiah 65:17, 66:22] for the old heaven and the old earth had passed away, and the sea was no longer there. 2 Also I saw the holy city, New Yerushalayim, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud voice from the throne say, “See! God’s Sh’khinah is with mankind, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and he himself, God-with-them, will be their God.[Revelation 21:3 Leviticus 26:11–12; Isaiah 7:14; 8:8, 10; Jeremiah 31:33(34); Ezekiel 37:27; 2 Chronicles 6:18] 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will no longer be any death; and there will no longer be any mourning, crying or pain; because the old order has passed away.”
5 Then the One sitting on the throne said, “Look! I am making everything new!” Also he said, “Write, ‘These words are true and trustworthy!’” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the ‘A’ and the ‘Z,’ the Beginning and the End. To anyone who is thirsty I myself will give water free of charge from the Fountain of Life. 7 He who wins the victory will receive these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.
-------
Your sun shall no more go down, or your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended.[Isaiah 60:20 (NRSV)]
I once told someone about my struggles with a habitual sin. I asked for advice and support. The response was, “Well, if you’re a Christian, you shouldn’t have any trouble controlling your demons.”
I wanted to scream: “That’s not helpful; nor is it true!” We are Christians because we have accepted that we are sinful and need God’s guidance. Later, I asked God to forgive me for this habitual sin. But even though I knew that God had forgiven me, I continued to be overwhelmed by shame and guilt.
One Sunday, my pastor preached on God’s limitless grace: “Sin will always be with us,” she said, “but we need to confess our wrongdoings to the Lord and move on. Forget about it. After all, doesn’t God forget about it?” Her words lifted my spirits. She was absolutely right. But I still struggle to let go of the past and focus on improving in the future.
A family member once told me, “God is the wind at your back, not the rain in your face.” God doesn’t hold us back, constantly reminding us of our sin. God guides us forward. We may be the rain in our own faces. If we continue to forgive ourselves and move beyond our past sins, we can accept God’s new covenant and start fresh.
The Author: Nathaniel T. McMaster (Washington, DC)
Thought for the Day: Because God forgives my sins, I can forgive myself.
Prayer: Dear God, forgive us. Help us to accept your forgiveness and leave the burden of sin behind. Amen.
Prayer focus: To forgive myself
-------
Daily Devotional from The Upper Room in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Every Believer’s Call" for Tuesday, May 2nd, 2017
Read Galatians 6:1-6Galatians 6:1 Brothers, suppose someone is caught doing something wrong. You who have the Spirit should set him right, but in a spirit of humility, keeping an eye on yourselves so that you won’t be tempted too. 2 Bear one another’s burdens — in this way you will be fulfilling the Torah’s true meaning, which the Messiah upholds. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is really nothing, he is fooling himself. 4 So let each of you scrutinize his own actions. Then if you do find something to boast about, at least the boasting will be based on what you have actually done and not merely on a judgment that you are better than someone else; 5 for each person will carry his own load. 6 But whoever is being instructed in the Word should share all the good things he has with his instructor.
-------
Like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.[1 Peter 2:5 (NRSV)]
As an Upper Room intern who is blind, I have shared laughter and tears with our Braille readers. While I initially contacted them about subscriptions, together we found an unbreakable bond in Christ Jesus. These conversations reminded me that we are called to be a holy priesthood in Christ. But what does that mean?
As priest of Israel, Aaron interceded for the people — demonstrated by the breastplate he wore: “Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart” (Exod. 28:29, KJV). Aaron carried the children of Israel upon his heart as he prayed and offered sacrifices for them.
We are called to do the same for one another, following Paul’s exhortation to bear one another’s burdens in Christ. In this way we fulfill that call to be priests, living stones, and spiritual houses. While talking with my fellow readers of the Braille edition of The Upper Room, it would have been easy to say, “That’s not my concern.” But how could I hear their joys and sorrows without bearing their burdens with them? Such is the call to every believer in Christ. He bore on the cross the burden of humanity’s sin so that we can all live abundant lives as forgiven people.
The Author: Brooke Pernice (Tennessee, USA)
Thought for the Day: We can imitate Christ by helping to bear one another’s burdens.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, soften our hearts to those around us, and help us to show them your love. Amen.
Prayer focus: Readers of the Braille Edition
-------
Daily Devotional of The Upper Room in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Family Faith" for Monday, May 1st, 2017
Read Proverbs 3:3-6Proverbs 3:3 Do not let grace and truth leave you —
bind them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and esteem
in the sight of God and of people.
5 Trust in Adonai with all your heart;
do not rely on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him;
then he will level your paths.
Your sun shall no more go down, or your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended.[Isaiah 60:20 (NRSV)]
I once told someone about my struggles with a habitual sin. I asked for advice and support. The response was, “Well, if you’re a Christian, you shouldn’t have any trouble controlling your demons.”
I wanted to scream: “That’s not helpful; nor is it true!” We are Christians because we have accepted that we are sinful and need God’s guidance. Later, I asked God to forgive me for this habitual sin. But even though I knew that God had forgiven me, I continued to be overwhelmed by shame and guilt.
One Sunday, my pastor preached on God’s limitless grace: “Sin will always be with us,” she said, “but we need to confess our wrongdoings to the Lord and move on. Forget about it. After all, doesn’t God forget about it?” Her words lifted my spirits. She was absolutely right. But I still struggle to let go of the past and focus on improving in the future.
A family member once told me, “God is the wind at your back, not the rain in your face.” God doesn’t hold us back, constantly reminding us of our sin. God guides us forward. We may be the rain in our own faces. If we continue to forgive ourselves and move beyond our past sins, we can accept God’s new covenant and start fresh.
The Author: Nathaniel T. McMaster (Washington, DC)
Thought for the Day: Because God forgives my sins, I can forgive myself.
Prayer: Dear God, forgive us. Help us to accept your forgiveness and leave the burden of sin behind. Amen.
Prayer focus: To forgive myself
-------
Daily Devotional from The Upper Room in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Every Believer’s Call" for Tuesday, May 2nd, 2017
Read Galatians 6:1-6Galatians 6:1 Brothers, suppose someone is caught doing something wrong. You who have the Spirit should set him right, but in a spirit of humility, keeping an eye on yourselves so that you won’t be tempted too. 2 Bear one another’s burdens — in this way you will be fulfilling the Torah’s true meaning, which the Messiah upholds. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is really nothing, he is fooling himself. 4 So let each of you scrutinize his own actions. Then if you do find something to boast about, at least the boasting will be based on what you have actually done and not merely on a judgment that you are better than someone else; 5 for each person will carry his own load. 6 But whoever is being instructed in the Word should share all the good things he has with his instructor.
-------
Like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.[1 Peter 2:5 (NRSV)]
As an Upper Room intern who is blind, I have shared laughter and tears with our Braille readers. While I initially contacted them about subscriptions, together we found an unbreakable bond in Christ Jesus. These conversations reminded me that we are called to be a holy priesthood in Christ. But what does that mean?
As priest of Israel, Aaron interceded for the people — demonstrated by the breastplate he wore: “Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart” (Exod. 28:29, KJV). Aaron carried the children of Israel upon his heart as he prayed and offered sacrifices for them.
We are called to do the same for one another, following Paul’s exhortation to bear one another’s burdens in Christ. In this way we fulfill that call to be priests, living stones, and spiritual houses. While talking with my fellow readers of the Braille edition of The Upper Room, it would have been easy to say, “That’s not my concern.” But how could I hear their joys and sorrows without bearing their burdens with them? Such is the call to every believer in Christ. He bore on the cross the burden of humanity’s sin so that we can all live abundant lives as forgiven people.
The Author: Brooke Pernice (Tennessee, USA)
Thought for the Day: We can imitate Christ by helping to bear one another’s burdens.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, soften our hearts to those around us, and help us to show them your love. Amen.
Prayer focus: Readers of the Braille Edition
-------
Daily Devotional of The Upper Room in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Family Faith" for Monday, May 1st, 2017
Read Proverbs 3:3-6Proverbs 3:3 Do not let grace and truth leave you —
bind them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and esteem
in the sight of God and of people.
5 Trust in Adonai with all your heart;
do not rely on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him;
then he will level your paths.
-------
Trust in the LORD with all your heart.[Proverbs 3:5 (NIV)]
I became the first Christian in my family, and the joy I found in Jesus Christ led me to speak the good news. But I was rejected by my own family. My sister did not want me to practice my Christian faith in our shared bedroom — no Bible, no prayer, no Christian radio, no praise. My heart was broken, and I cried out to God, “Lord, I have been praying for my family to know you, but now I have no place to pray.”
I heard a small voice telling me, “Young Seon, why do you think you have no place to pray? Pray in the bathroom.” I was surprised, and this message from God brought comfort to my broken heart.
We had two bathrooms in the house. I asked my family to use the bathroom next to the living room while I prayed in the other one from midnight to 1 AM. The first night I sat on the edge of the bathtub and burst into tears. But as I read the Bible and prayed, God’s peace and grace surrounded me. God turned my sorrow into joy.
That’s how my “bathroom years” began; every night, I felt as if I were going to the seashore to meet my Lord Jesus. By God’s grace, my parents and sister later became Christians. Sometimes when I have a problem or need a deep conversation with God, I still pray in the bathroom, trusting that God will meet me there.
The Author: Young Seon Kim (Tanzania)
Thought for the Day: To whom can I speak good news today?
Prayer: Dear God, bless our hearts to trust you and your word, so that we keep praying for our loved ones who are not Christian. Amen.
Prayer focus: New Christians
-------
Daily Devotional of The Upper Room in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Diamonds in the Rough" for Sunday, April 30th, 2017
Read Ephesians 3:14-19Ephesians 3:14 For this reason, I fall on my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its character. 16 I pray that from the treasures of his glory he will empower you with inner strength by his Spirit, 17 so that the Messiah may live in your hearts through your trusting. Also I pray that you will be rooted and founded in love, 18 so that you, with all God’s people, will be given strength to grasp the breadth, length, height and depth of the Messiah’s love, 19 yes, to know it, even though it is beyond all knowing, so that you will be filled with all the fullness of God.
-------
I became the first Christian in my family, and the joy I found in Jesus Christ led me to speak the good news. But I was rejected by my own family. My sister did not want me to practice my Christian faith in our shared bedroom — no Bible, no prayer, no Christian radio, no praise. My heart was broken, and I cried out to God, “Lord, I have been praying for my family to know you, but now I have no place to pray.”
I heard a small voice telling me, “Young Seon, why do you think you have no place to pray? Pray in the bathroom.” I was surprised, and this message from God brought comfort to my broken heart.
We had two bathrooms in the house. I asked my family to use the bathroom next to the living room while I prayed in the other one from midnight to 1 AM. The first night I sat on the edge of the bathtub and burst into tears. But as I read the Bible and prayed, God’s peace and grace surrounded me. God turned my sorrow into joy.
That’s how my “bathroom years” began; every night, I felt as if I were going to the seashore to meet my Lord Jesus. By God’s grace, my parents and sister later became Christians. Sometimes when I have a problem or need a deep conversation with God, I still pray in the bathroom, trusting that God will meet me there.
The Author: Young Seon Kim (Tanzania)
Thought for the Day: To whom can I speak good news today?
Prayer: Dear God, bless our hearts to trust you and your word, so that we keep praying for our loved ones who are not Christian. Amen.
Prayer focus: New Christians
-------
Daily Devotional of The Upper Room in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Diamonds in the Rough" for Sunday, April 30th, 2017
Read Ephesians 3:14-19Ephesians 3:14 For this reason, I fall on my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its character. 16 I pray that from the treasures of his glory he will empower you with inner strength by his Spirit, 17 so that the Messiah may live in your hearts through your trusting. Also I pray that you will be rooted and founded in love, 18 so that you, with all God’s people, will be given strength to grasp the breadth, length, height and depth of the Messiah’s love, 19 yes, to know it, even though it is beyond all knowing, so that you will be filled with all the fullness of God.
-------
The Lord said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”[2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)]
One misty, gray morning I went walking with my children just as the rain stopped. We passed an ugly, bare field of roughly mown stubble. Returning some time later, however, we were witnesses to an amazing transformation. The clouds had cleared and the sun was shining. Over the entire field of stubble were thousands of cobwebs covered with droplets of water. They sparkled in the light like diamonds. It appeared as if the entire field were covered in diamond lace. It was beautiful.
My parents recently celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary (60 years). Those closest to them know that throughout their marriage, life has not always been easy, much less perfect. But we also recognize and celebrate that their faithfulness and devotion to God have brought a transformative and wonderful covering of grace to their lives.
God promises that his grace is sufficient for us and is, in fact, made perfect in our weakness. When at times we feel like our lives are like dry stubble, we can take heart in knowing that God’s love, mercy, and grace cover us and that we too are made whole, precious, and beautiful in God’s sight.
See an image of the author's parents at their wedding anniversary, here.
The Author: Marion Palmer (South Australia, Australia)
Thought for the Day: What dry area of my life needs Christ’s covering grace?
Prayer: Dear Lord, you make all things beautiful in your time. Give us eyes to see what you see. Amen.
Prayer focus: To become closer to Jesus
-------
One misty, gray morning I went walking with my children just as the rain stopped. We passed an ugly, bare field of roughly mown stubble. Returning some time later, however, we were witnesses to an amazing transformation. The clouds had cleared and the sun was shining. Over the entire field of stubble were thousands of cobwebs covered with droplets of water. They sparkled in the light like diamonds. It appeared as if the entire field were covered in diamond lace. It was beautiful.
My parents recently celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary (60 years). Those closest to them know that throughout their marriage, life has not always been easy, much less perfect. But we also recognize and celebrate that their faithfulness and devotion to God have brought a transformative and wonderful covering of grace to their lives.
God promises that his grace is sufficient for us and is, in fact, made perfect in our weakness. When at times we feel like our lives are like dry stubble, we can take heart in knowing that God’s love, mercy, and grace cover us and that we too are made whole, precious, and beautiful in God’s sight.
See an image of the author's parents at their wedding anniversary, here.
Link2Life for April 30, 2017
Marions parents' wedding anniversary
Thought for the Day: What dry area of my life needs Christ’s covering grace?
Prayer: Dear Lord, you make all things beautiful in your time. Give us eyes to see what you see. Amen.
Prayer focus: To become closer to Jesus
-------
No comments:
Post a Comment