[Membersandfriends] Thursday, August 26, 2004

Wed Aug 25 22:01:26 PDT 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Thursday, August 26, 2004

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Nurture a Teenager

Nurture the spiritual life of a teen -- send them a subscription to DEVO'ZINE, a devotional magazine for youth, ages 12-18. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?item_id=70105&ep_id=247
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RETURNING JOY
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Psalm 42 (NRSV)

As a deer longs for flowing streams, 
    so my soul longs for you, O God. 
My soul thirsts for God, 
    for the living God. 
When shall I come and behold 
    the face of God? 
My tears have been my food 
    day and night, 
while people say to me continually, 
    "Where is your God?"  

These things I remember, 
    as I pour out my soul: 
how I went with the throng, 
    and led them in procession to the house of God, 
with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, 
    a multitude keeping festival. 
Why are you cast down, O my soul, 
    and why are you disquieted within me? 
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, 
    my help and my God. 

My soul is cast down within me; 
    therefore I remember you 
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, 
    from Mount Mizar. 
Deep calls to deep 
    at the thunder of your cataracts; 
all your waves and your billows 
    have gone over me. 
By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, 
    and at night his song is with me, 
    a prayer to the God of my life.  

I say to God, my rock, 
    "Why have you forgotten me? 
Why must I walk about mournfully 
    because the enemy oppresses me?" 
As with a deadly wound in my body, 
    my adversaries taunt me, 
while they say to me continually, 
    "Where is your God?"  

Why are you cast down, O my soul, 
    and why are you disquieted within me? 
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, 
    my help and my God.

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Pray without ceasing.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NRSV)
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SCRIPTURE encourages us to give thanks always.  The apostle Paul calls us to recognize God's constant work in our lives and the many opportunities to live according to God's love and grace.

Paul's Letter to the Galatians contains these encouraging words: "Let us not be weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Gal. 6:9).  When I read this passage for the first time, I wondered how anyone could be weary or tired of doing good.  Then I thought about this text from a farmer's point of view.  A farmer's patience could wane when something invested in for a long time takes "forever" to bear fruit.  As such dynamics can affect a farmer, so they can affect any of us.  

When I am weary in my spiritual life, I go back to the basics -- prayer and Bible study.  I remember previous blessings and the appreciation from persons whose lives I've touched.  And I remind myself that, like the psalmist, I will again feel God's presence and joy.

Prayer:  Dear God, help us in dry times to remember that our joy will return.  In the name of Jesus we pray.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
God abides faithfully with us and loves us always.

-- Mark N. Buenafe (California, U.S.A.)

PRAYER FOCUS: Farmers

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RELATED READING ...

In THE WORKBOOK ON VIRTUES AND THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT,  Maxie Dunnam and Kimberly Dunnam Reisman assert that virtue has never been more important. The authors explore the seven cardinal virtues -- wisdom, courage, justice, temperance, faith, hope, love, and the fruit of the spirit.  They believe that our moral lives should reflect that we belong to God, and they are concerned that our present culture minimizes the importance of holy living for the Christian.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=12634

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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.