[Membersandfriends] Wednesday, September 01, 2004

Tue Aug 31 22:01:50 PDT 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Wednesday, September 01, 2004

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THE LEAST OF THESE
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Matthew 25:31-40 (NRSV)

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'"

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[Jesus] said to them, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me."
- Luke 9:48 (NIV)
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AS a schoolteacher, I have accepted a calling to minister to those whom some would call "the least of these":  children.  But I remember how important children were in Jesus' ministry.  Jesus healed children.  He included them in his life.  He even used them to teach his followers, as he did when he told his disciples that if they accept a child in his name, they accept him.  Jesus felt that the least among us, including children, were actually the greatest.

As a public school teacher, I cannot legally teach my students about God, but I can include moral lessons in my curriculum.  I can also try to live my life as a role model of Christian discipleship, setting an example of good behavior.  It is not easy to accept every child as he or she comes to me; but with Jesus as my example, I try every day to make each child feel special.  As I endeavor to do this, I can also show my students how to accept one another.  This is my ministry, every day.

Prayer:  Dear God, help us to reach out to your children and, through our influence in their lives, to extend your love to them.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
What am I teaching through my actions day by day?

-- Debbie Coolong (Maine, U.S.A.)

PRAYER FOCUS: Teachers

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RELATED READING ...

GROWING COMPASSIONATE KIDS features practical everyday ways for parents to help their children care about people in need.  Jan Johnson, a well-known author who deals with Christian spirituality, helps parents learn to incorporate social outreach and mission into the often-hectic everyday realities of family life.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=12707

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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.