[Membersandfriends] Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Tue Aug 17 22:02:21 PDT 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Wednesday, August 18, 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 LITTLE AT A TIME
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Genesis 12:1-9 (NRSV)

Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." 

So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother's son Lot, and all the possessions that they had gathered, and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the LORD appeared to Abram, and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. From there he moved on to the hill country on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and invoked the name of the LORD. And Abram journeyed on by stages toward the Negeb.

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Abram journeyed on by stages toward the Negeb.
- Genesis 12:9 (NRSV)
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ONE of my favorite plaques in my home shows a little girl sewing on a piece of cloth while a small black kitten sits quietly and patiently by her side.  The picture is one of peace and contentment.  The words accompanying the image proclaim, "Life's pattern is stitched a little at a time."

How I love that statement, and yet how often I forget its meaning!  As a busy mother of three sons, I often find myself wanting everything to be done right now.  I am impatient to know God's will for my life.  For people like me, Abraham is an example of faith and patience.  Abram, soon to be Abraham, was 75 years old when God called him to leave Haran; but with faith and perseverance, Abraham traveled toward the Negeb.  

The Bible doesn't say that Abraham made it in one day.  Scripture says that he "journeyed on by stages towards the Negeb."  In my life, I want to heed the example of Abraham and remember the words on my plaque.  The pattern of my life will unfold gradually as I journey by stages through the years, answering God's call day by day.

Prayer:  O God, help us to recognize your will for our lives.  Help us to be open to your leading at every moment.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
As I follow God, the pattern of my life unfolds in love.

-- Lenela Glass-Godwin (Alabama, U.S.A.)

PRAYER FOCUS: Busy parents

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RELATED READING ...

Written by Christian educator and mother Betty Cloyd, CHILDREN AND PRAYER helps parents enrich the prayer lives of their children and bring God into their lives. Cloyd provides prayers and rituals to use with children and answers the difficult questions children and adults often ask about God.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=12539

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/.

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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.