[Membersandfriends] Thursday, August 12, 2004

Wed Aug 11 22:02:04 PDT 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Thursday, August 12, 2004

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How Did We Meet?

As Upper Room Ministries prepares to celebrate 70 years of ministry (1935-2005), we want to know "How Did We Meet?" When did you first come in contact with THE UPPER ROOOM daily devotional guide? Tell us your stories:
http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/stories.asp

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A BRIGHT FUTURE
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Jeremiah 29:11-14 (NRSV)

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

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The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.
- Psalm 138:8 (NRSV)
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A fellow teacher gave me a monarch butterfly cocoon to watch.  For weeks it looked gray, dry, and lifeless.  Then it turned black and became moist.  I knew that the monarch was about to emerge.

Two days later the metamorphosis was complete.  The butterfly was clinging to the side of the jar and flexing its wings.  When its wings were dry, I picked the butterfly up on my finger, carried it to the window, and set it free.  For a few moments it sat on the shrub, pumping its wings before lifting off.  Then it flew south toward its destination, Mexico, where it would join millions of other monarch butterflies.

That butterfly's direction and destination are sure.  I believe that I too am moving toward a sure destination, even though sometimes it seems that nothing positive is being accomplished.  I cannot see any movement or discern a direction.  Yet I am assured that God has a bright future for me.  My part is to trust that God's promises will be fulfilled in due time.

Prayer:  O God, help us to commit ourselves to you, even when we cannot see movement or any sure direction.  Grant us willingness to journey with you into the unknown future, trusting your love.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
We can trust God's love even when we see no movement in our lives.

-- Barbara Windham (Texas, U.S.A.)

PRAYER FOCUS: Those who haven't discovered their future in Christ.

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ALIVE NOW magazine seeks to nourish people who are hungry for a sacred way of living in today's world.  Each bi-monthly issue explores a theme that follows the seasons of the church year, contributions from a variety of authors, daily devotions, interviews with contemporary thinkers, and award-winning poetry.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=12895

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The scripture quotation is from the NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION of the Bible, copyright (c) 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.