[Membersandfriends] Monday, August 16, 2004

Sun Aug 15 22:02:09 PDT 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Monday, August 16, 2004

_________________________

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
_________________________

STRONG ROOTS
_________________________

Ephesians 3:14-21 (NRSV)

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 

Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

_________________________

Blessed are those who trust in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.  They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream.  It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.
- Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NRSV)
_________________________

SOMETIMES I take for granted the trees in our yard.  The beautiful green branches provide shade, and they look lovely.  This morning, however, as I looked up at one spruce tree in particular, I was amazed at how tall and straight it appears.  Every year this tree endures high winds, heavy rain, snow, and both hot and freezing temperatures.  The roots of this tree obviously are well nourished.

When I look at this tree, I think about a parallel in our Christian life.  We all eventually face sickness, death of loved ones, and broken relationships, along with other trials.  How firmly do we stand when we're confronted with adversity?  Are we mature enough in our faith and deeply rooted enough in God's word to stand against the storms, the changes, and the winters of life? Jeremiah assures us that God is able to sustain us through whatever we may face, if only we trust.

Prayer:  Dear heavenly Father, help us as we face our trials.  Thank you for the Bible.  May it nourish and sustain us always.  In Jesus' name we pray.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Being deeply rooted in Christ can help us endure life's storms.

-- Nancy Jane MacLellan (Ontario, Canada)

PRAYER FOCUS: Victims of natural disasters

_________________________

RELATED READING ...

In the tradition of the popular POCKET PRAYER BOOK comes A BOOK OF PERSONAL PRAYER, a compilation of prayers to help us open ourselves to the presence of God.  Small enough to carry in a pocket or purse, this collection of easy-to-read prayers comes from scripture, church tradition, and contemporary writings.  These selections transcend faith perspectives and cultural backgrounds, providing a timeless treasure of the writers' spiritual longings and desires as expressed in their prayers.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=12588

PLEASE SHARE THIS MINISTRY with a friend. Invite them to sign up for the free E-Mail Devotional by visiting: http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/.

_________________________

QUESTIONS?  If you reply to this e-mail, you'll receive an automated message answering our readers' most frequently asked questions.  If your question remains unanswered, please write to us at the special "help" e-mail address you'll find in the automated message.

TO UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.upperroom.org/unsubscribe/

TO CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS: Visit the My Account page: http://www.upperroom.org/myaccount/. Log in, using your current e-mail address and password. Once logged in your account, click on the "Edit Personal Information" link. Edit your e-mail address and any other information, and click "Update" to complete the change.

FORGOTTEN YOUR PASSWORD? Visit the My Account page: http://www.upperroom.org/myaccount/. Click on "Forgot My Password." Enter your e-mail address, and if there is a password associated with it, the password will be e-mailed to you immediately.
_________________________

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.