[Membersandfriends] Saturday, December 04, 2004

Fri Dec 3 22:01:56 PST 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Saturday, December 04, 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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OUR ULTIMATE PROVIDER
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Jeremiah 29:4-14 (NRSV)

Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let the prophets and the diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, says the LORD.

For thus says the LORD: Only when Babylon's seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

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"I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
-- Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
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I remember being unemployed for nearly a year; it was difficult making ends meet.  However, during that time God blessed me with temporary jobs and gifts from our church family to help meet our family's needs.  We received meals from neighbors and an occasional check from close friends to help pay bills.

I thought a lot about my role as husband, father, and provider; but it was God who helped me recognize the true source for all we need.  Instead of being proud of my providing for my family, I found my eyes were opened to God's glorious grace in my life.  God gave me confidence in the future and showed me that our needs will be met through the compassion of family and church.

Chapter 29 of Jeremiah reminds me that even when times seem desperate or hopeless, God always has good plans for our lives.  Waiting for the next paycheck to buy food or to pay bills can be difficult, but I know that God will take care of all our needs.  No matter what our situation, God wants for us lives filled with hope and abundance.

Prayer:   Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for taking care of our needs.  In the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
God's goodness is the ultimate source for meeting all our needs.

-- Timothy E. Dorset (Missouri, U.S.A.)

PRAYER FOCUS: Those who are unemployed

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RELATED READING ...

JOURNEYING THROUGH THE DAYS is really like having two books in one. It's both a 2005 daily calendar and an inspirational resource. Be guided to new awareness of God's love and mercy each day of 2005 through this bestselling resource. A spiral bindng and heavy matte paper make JOURNEYING THROUGH THE DAYS easy to use for both schedule jotters and serious journalers alike.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=180276

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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.