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The Upper Room Daily Devotional in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "LIVE IN HARMONY" for Saturday, 15 July 2017 - Read Romans 12:10-18-------Romans 12:10 Love each other devotedly and with brotherly love; and set examples for each other in showing respect. 11 Don’t be lazy when hard work is needed, but serve the Lord with spiritual fervor. 12 Rejoice in your hope, be patient in your troubles, and continue steadfastly in prayer. 13 Share what you have with God’s people, and practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you — bless them, don’t curse them! 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be sensitive to each other’s needs — don’t think yourselves better than others, but make humble people your friends. Don’t be conceited. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but try to do what everyone regards as good. 18 If possible, and to the extent that it depends on you, live in peace with all people.
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How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! [Psalm 133:1 (NIV)]
I recently read a newspaper article about sociable weaver birds that live in the Kalahari Desert in Africa. They build nests large enough to house hundreds of birds on trees and other tall objects. The nests are used as shelter from the heat by day and the frigid temperatures of the desert by night.
The sociable weavers are hospitable and good hosts. They share their food and know how to work as a team, such as mending the nest when it shows signs of deterioration. They even allow a variety of other birds to live in their colonies. In this diverse setting, they live together in peace and harmony.
When I finished reading this interesting article, I concluded that the sociable weavers’ behavior is worthy of imitation within our families, churches, and communities. This lesson from nature is also the lesson from today’s reading. Paul reminds us that God calls us to love one another, to maintain our spiritual fervor, and to practice hospitality toward one another.
The Author: María M. Urdaz de Rosario (Puerto Rico)
Thought for the Day: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39).
Prayer: Loving God, help us to live in harmony with our neighbors. Amen.
Prayer focus: FOR HARMONY IN MY COMMUNITY
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The Upper Room Daily Devotional in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "GOD TRAVELS" for Friday, 14 July 2017 - Read Deuteronomy 6:4-9-------Deuteronomy 6:(A:vi, S: v) 4 “Sh’ma, Yisra’el! Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad [Hear, Isra’el! Adonai our God, Adonai is one]; 5 and you are to love Adonai your God with all your heart, all your being and all your resources. 6 These words, which I am ordering you today, are to be on your heart; 7 and you are to teach them carefully to your children. You are to talk about them when you sit at home, when you are traveling on the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them on your hand as a sign, put them at the front of a headband around your forehead, 9 and write them on the door-frames
of your house and on your gates.
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Come near to God, and he will come near to you. [James 4:8 (CEB)]
Reading The Upper Room has become one of my early-morning rituals. Before I do anything else, I read a daily devotional from the e-mail that was sent to me in the middle of the night. Doing so helps me to clear my mind and prepare for the day.
However, I travel for work, sometimes across many time zones. The e-mail containing the daily devotional arrives in my inbox at different points in the day. When I travel to the west coast of the United States, the devotional arrives before I go to bed, becoming the last thing I read in the day. In China, the devotional arrives shortly after lunch, leading me to pause in what I am doing to focus on the daily scripture and reflection. I have discovered that no time is the wrong time to pause for a moment with the Lord. No matter the time or place, I read and contemplate God’s word. Wherever we are and whatever we are doing, a conversation with God awaits. This is a tremendous blessing.
The Author: Andrew Billings (Alabama, USA)
Thought for the Day: I can always make time to spend with God.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for transcending time and space to welcome us with your word. Amen.
Prayer focus: BUSINESS TRAVELERS
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The Upper Room Daily Devotional in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "SAFELY BACK HOME" for Thursday, 13 July 2017 - Read Ezekiel 34:11-16-------
Ezekiel 34:11 “‘For here is what Adonai Elohim says: “I am taking over! I will search for my sheep and look after them, myself. 12 Just as a shepherd looks after his flock when he finds himself among his scattered sheep, so I will look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark. 13 I will bring them back from those peoples, gather them from those countries and return them to their own land. Then I will let them feed on the mountains of Isra’el, by the streams and in all the livable places of the land. 14 I will have them feed in good pastures; their grazing ground will be on the high mountains of Isra’el. They will rest in good grazing grounds and feed in rich pastures on Isra’el’s mountains. 15 Yes, I will pasture my sheep; and I will let them rest” says Adonai Elohim. 16 “I will seek the lost, bring back the outcasts, bandage the broken, and strengthen the sick. But the fat and the strong I will destroy — I will feed them with judgment.”
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Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. [Luke 15:4-5 (NRSV)]
I’ve always found jogging to be a good way to spend time with God. I have continued this practice during my Peace Corps service here in West Africa.
Because I am new to the area, it has taken me a while to become familiar both with my small village and the surrounding villages. Early one morning, during my third month of service, I went jogging. After some distance, I decided to turn back toward the village. With the sun rising on the horizon, I could see my way fine; but when I came to a fork in the road, I went the wrong way and ended up in an unfamiliar nearby village. At first anxiety overwhelmed me, but a local woman pointed me in the right direction. I walked for a while, but then realized I still wasn’t sure where I was. Then, like a shepherd, a villager on a horse showed me to the junction that led toward my village.
As I was following my newfound “shepherd,” I thought about our Great Shepherd who leads us home to God when we are lost. Now I don’t worry about getting lost, because I trust that Christ will lead me home every time.
See photos of Ashley during her travels, here.
Ashley in Berlin, Germany
Ashley and a fellow Peace Corps volunteer on a cross country run in The Gambia in May 2016. The volunteers were running to raise money for scholarships for young Gambian girls to stay in school. They were joined by a group of children who decided to run with them. Ashley and the other volunteer are dancing & motivating the kids to keep running. [© 2017 The Upper Room®. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.]
The Author: Ashley Justice (The Gambia)
Thought for the Day: When I lose my way, God will always lead me home.
Prayer: Dear God, our Shepherd, when we become lost on our journey, seek us and lead us home to your loving embrace. Amen.
Prayer focus: PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS
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The Upper Room Daily Devotional in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "MINI-MIRACLES" for Wednesday, 12 July 2017 - Read John 2:1-11Jesus did man
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John 2:1 On Tuesday[John 2:1 Greek: the third day, equivalent to Hebrew yom shlishi] there was a wedding at Kanah in the Galil; and the mother of Yeshua was there. 2 Yeshua too was invited to the wedding, along with his talmidim. 3 The wine ran out, and Yeshua’s mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4 Yeshua replied, “Mother, why should that concern me? — or you? My time hasn’t come yet.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now six stone water-jars were standing there for the Jewish ceremonial washings, each with a capacity of twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Yeshua told them, “Fill the jars with water,” and they filled them to the brim. 8 He said, “Now draw some out, and take it to the man in charge of the banquet”; and they took it. 9 The man in charge tasted the water; it had now turned into wine! He did not know where it had come from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew. So he called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone else serves the good wine first and the poorer wine after people have drunk freely. But you have kept the good wine until now!” 11 This, the first of Yeshua’s miraculous signs, he did at Kanah in the Galil; he manifested his glory, and his talmidim came to trust in him.
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Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. [John 21:25 (NIV)]
You would expect the Son of God to begin his ministry with a spectacular miracle: raising someone from the dead, multiplying loaves and fishes, or at least walking on the sea. But Jesus launched his ministry by saving a party. More guests had shown up at a wedding reception than had sent in their RSVP cards, and now the punch bowl had run dry. So Jesus turned water into wine.
Turning water into wine doesn’t bring anybody back from the dead or free anyone from a life-threatening illness. It does, however, reveal a God who is interested not only in the life-and-death issues we face but also in our daily lives.
In the same way, the Lord works in even the mundane moments of our lives. A relationship with a God who was interested only in the big issues of life would be no more personal than a relationship with the 911 operator. But our infinite, almighty God chooses to relate to us on a more intimate level — not only on the mountaintops but in the dining rooms of our lives.
The Author: James N. Watkins (Indiana, USA)
Thought for the Day: Where have I seen God’s small miracles today?
Prayer: Thank you, God, for the small miracles that show us how much you love and care for us. Amen.
Prayer focus: SOMEONE PLANNING A WEDDING
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The Upper Room Daily Devotional in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "LETTING GO OF LIFE’S TROPHIES" for Tuesday, July 11th, 2017 - Read Romans 14:7-9
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Romans 14:7 For none of us lives only in relation to himself, and none of us dies only in relation to himself; 8 for if we live, we live in relation to the Lord; and if we die, we die in relation to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord — 9 indeed, it was for this very reason that the Messiah died and came back to life, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
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Teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart. [Psalm 90:12 (NRSV)]
A hymn titled “The Old Rugged Cross” has this line in its chorus: “I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down.” It is about the Christian hope of heaven, where we will lay aside our earthly trophies and receive a heavenly crown.
In my mid-eighties, I find myself grieving the “trophies” of life that I have given up since I retired. As a retired pastor, I seldom preach anymore. I also can no longer engage in recreational activities that I once enjoyed, such as volleyball, swimming, and leading canoe trips in the wilderness. For over 60 years one of my prized “trophies” was my pilot’s license that enabled me to experience the joy of flight in a single-engine aircraft.
As I have meditated on the meaning of “clinging to the old rugged cross,” I have realized more clearly that I have no need to give up God’s great redeeming love that comes to us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. My bodily aches and limitations do not hinder my participation in a life of faith. I give thanks for all that the cross of Christ means, and I commend that story of God’s grace and goodness to all as the real transforming crown of this life and the life to come.
See photos of Elmer and the plane, here.
Elmer and the single-engine aircraft he mentions flying in today’s meditation
Elmer and the plane he mentions in today’s meditation
© 2017 The Upper Room®. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Read more from the author, here.
More from Elmer Dickson
As my meditation indicates, I have given up some activities at the age of 86. Nevertheless, I still lead an active life at the retirement home where I live in Bradenton, Florida. Once a week I go to play at a nine-hole putting green. I host the monthly birthday dinner the home provides for residents' birthday celebrations each month. The Resident Council has given me the responsibility to create cards for hospitalized residents—an anniversary card on the date of each couple's wedding, a birthday card for each residents during their birth month, and special cards for all residents on events such as Christmas, Easter, Independence Day, etc. We have a small writers group that I attend and other activities for which I volunteer.I have considerable involvement beyond the campus of the retirement home. In June I visited California, where I toured three National Parks. In August I will fly to Europe to participate in a one-week course at Oxford University, then go on to Wittenberg, Germany, where throughout this year they are celebrating the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's efforts to reform the Church. A brief visit to Lisbon, Portugal will be my last stop before returning to the United States.
If you would like to communicate with me and share what God has done in your life and how you work at being a person of Christian faith and service, you can email ureditorial@upperroom.org and The Upper Room will put you in touch with me. God's grace and peace be yours! [Rev. Elmer A. Dickson, Pictured above: Elmer at sign for Sequoia National Park in California (top), Elmer and his son Paul riding Segways in San Francisco (below)]The Author: Elmer A. Dickson (Florida, USA)
Thought for the Day: My greatest trophy is God’s sustaining love.
Prayer: Dear Lord, regardless of our age or abilities, we want to be your faithful servants. Help us to keep Christ at the center of our lives. Amen.
Prayer focus: RETIRED PASTORS
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The Upper Room Daily Devotional in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "FAITH AND PRAISE" for Monday, 10 July 2017 - Read Luke 6:12-19 -------
Luke 6:12 It was around that time that Yeshua went out to the hill country to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. 13 When day came, he called his talmidim and chose from among them twelve to be known as emissaries:
14 Shim‘on, whom he named Kefa; Andrew, his brother; Ya‘akov; Yochanan; Philip; Bar-Talmai;
15 Mattityahu; T’oma; Ya‘akov Ben-Halfai;
16 Shim‘on, the one called the Zealot; Y’hudah Ben-Ya‘akov; and Y’hudah from K’riot, who turned traitor.
17 Then he came down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his talmidim was there with great numbers of people from all Y’hudah, Yerushalayim and the coast around Tzor and Tzidon; they had come to hear him and be healed of their diseases. 18 Those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being healed; 19 and the whole crowd was trying to touch him, because power kept going out from him, healing everyone.
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During those days [Jesus] went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. [Luke 6:12 (NRSV)]
The red light at the intersection seemed to take forever. I sat in my car, fuming impatiently, tapping my fingers on the steering wheel. I had a long list of errands.
Then it hit me. When else during the day will I have some quiet time to listen for what God is telling me? When else will I have time to remember in prayer those who are close to my heart? As I prayed, I calmed down, the light changed, and I drove away. My green light had come in more ways than one.
Too often we are distracted by our to-do lists. Focusing on the here and now is often easier than looking to the hereafter. Even Jesus took some quiet time, and his “list” was longer than mine. After spending his day healing and feeding the multitudes, he taught his disciples. In the midst of all that, he did the one thing necessary; he took time to walk away from the crowds and to pray. Thinking of Jesus sitting quietly on a mountaintop helps me control my impatience and reminds me to take advantage of unexpected quiet moments to pray.
Read more from the author, here.
More from Patricia Marks
As I was starting to write this blog, our Internet service went out. Completely. My husband spent over an hour on the phone with the company, while I wandered around grumpily, thinking of emails unanswered and blogs not written.
So I treated myself to a mug of creamy, hot coffee and sat down at my kitchen table. And then it hit me. Here I was, with plenty to eat, a comfortable house, and a spouse to take care of all the things I don’t like to do—like deal with technicians—and all I could do was complain! Suppose, I thought, something else besides the Internet had failed. Suppose a tree had fallen on my roof, or one of us had suddenly become desperately ill.
I thought of Paul’s beautiful letter about love: "Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NRSV).
Best of all, as Paul says, “Love never ends” (1 Corinthians 13:8). Love knows no bounds. Love is larger than who we are or what we do, larger than where or how we worship. If someone hurts, or is hungry, or is in need, love reaches out without asking.
Love, thank God Almighty, never fails. That is why we gathered from all corners of the town to help restore a church that was damaged. Strangers and friends, working together, creating a space that was beautiful because of the love that was poured into it.
Oh—and a technician finally came and replaced our modem and some wiring. Then I got back online and wrote this blog! [Patricia Marks]
The Author: Patricia Marks (Georgia, USA)
Thought for the Day: Prayer prepares me for the road ahead.
Prayer: Dear God, help us remember that all our time belongs to you. Amen.
Prayer focus: ROAD-SAFETY WORKERS
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The Upper Room Daily Devotional for Sunday, 9 July 2017 "DAILY PRAISE" Read Psalm 103:1-5 -------
Psalm 103:1(0) By David:
(1) Bless Adonai, my soul!
Everything in me, bless his holy name!
2 Bless Adonai, my soul,
and forget none of his benefits!
3 He forgives all your offenses,
he heals all your diseases,
4 he redeems your life from the pit,
he surrounds you with grace and compassion,
5 he contents you with good as long as you live,
so that your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.
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This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. [Psalm 118:24 (NRSV)]
Life can be busy, with endless responsibilities. I get caught up in the chaos and stress of today’s fast-paced lifestyle. By day’s end I am often tense, exhausted, and impatient.
Lately, when I put three-year-old Colin to bed, he says to me, “Mumma, I think it’s going to be a beautiful day tomorrow.” This simple statement has affected me profoundly. His words remind me that each day is a gift from God, full of beauty and blessings. Now, instead of fretting over what I didn’t accomplish that day and worrying about tomorrow, I reflect on the blessings I have received. I try to recognize the beauty all around me and look forward to what God has in store while offering a prayer of thanksgiving. I am more focused on God’s grace, and I can see God’s work in my life and in the world more clearly.
My children and I now greet each morning by reciting Psalm 118:24 together, and I repeat it throughout the day when I find myself becoming anxious or overwhelmed. Now, even in the midst of life’s busyness and complexities, I am able to proclaim like the psalmist, “Let my whole being bless the LORD and never forget all his good deeds” (Ps. 103:2, CEB).
See a photo of Julie and Colin, here.
Julie and her son, Colin
© 2017 The Upper Room®. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Author: Julie Calleja (Michigan, USA)
Thought for the Day: I will praise God for the beauty and blessings of each day.
Prayer: Gracious God, thank you for your many blessings. Help us to let go of stress and remain full of adoration and gratitude to you. Amen.
Prayer focus: GRATITUDE FOR TODAY’S BLESSINGS
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