[Membersandfriends] Saturday, August 14, 2004

Fri Aug 13 22:01:45 PDT 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Saturday, August 14, 2004

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Nurture a Child

Nurture the spiritual life of a child -- send them a subscription to POCKETS, a devotional magazine for children, ages 6-12.  http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?item_id=12897&ep_id=246
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KNOWING GOD'S PEACE
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John 4:7-26 (NRSV)

A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?" Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water." 

Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come back." The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!" The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you."

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Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- Philippians 4:6 (NIV)
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WHEN I was a young wife, my husband committed suicide.  At the time, I had two children who were almost teenagers.  I was devastated.  Not only did he leave me with two children to rear alone; he also left a floundering business about which I knew very little.  I felt I had failed as a wife, and I blamed myself for his death.   I could not eat or sleep.  I did not know how to keep going.  I prayed to God for help and guidance.  I knew from attending church and reading the Bible that God would never desert me, but where was God?  It seemed as though God had abandoned me.  But I realized that was not so.  Overwhelmed with all my anxieties, I had not given God all my worries and cares.

With time and God's help, I became able to stop blaming myself for my husband's suicide.  I was able to care for my children and get my life back together.

Looking back on this sorrowful time, I know that God does not forsake us.  God is always with us, in good times and bad times.  Through God's grace, I experienced peace.

Prayer:  Thank you, God, for offering us peace.  Help us remember to bring our troubles and concerns to you.  May we never forget to thank you for answered prayers.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Even in life's darkest moments, when we feel most alone, God is close beside us.

-- Charlotte S. Carter (Florida, U.S.A.)

PRAYER FOCUS: Families of suicide victims

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RELATED READING ...

Unlike self-help books that appeal to the head, THROUGH THE EAST WINDOW is a poetic and prayerful book that reaches out to the wounded heart, helping readers cope with loss.  It addresses nine specific areas of loss (including divorce, death, empty nest, and moving) through thoughtful, spiritual meditations.  A lovely and nurturing gift, this hardcover book encourages readers to embrace their grief, as well as the promise of God's presence that guides them through dark times to new light.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=12626

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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.