[Membersandfriends] Monday, December 06, 2004

Sun Dec 5 22:01:22 PST 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Monday, December 06, 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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ON PATIENCE
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Luke 21:19-24 (NRSV)

[Jesus said,] "By your endurance you will gain your souls."

"When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those inside the city must leave it, and those out in the country must not enter it; for these are days of vengeance, as a fulfillment of all that is written. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress on the earth and wrath against this people; they will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken away as captives among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled."

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Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord.
-- James 5:7 (NRSV)
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PATIENCE is often misunderstood.  Patience is not submission or resignation to fate.  Patience is an active expectation based on faith that involves every aspect of our lives.  

The scriptures affirm patience as an active virtue.  We are told, "Let us run with patience the race that is set before us" (Heb. 12:1, KJV).  James associated transformation with patience, saying, "Let patience have her perfect work" (James 1:4, KJV).  And Peter said patience complements temperance (2 Pet. 1:6, KJV).  The patient person demonstrates trust in God.  Patience is the opposite of both anxiety and ease.  Isaiah wrote, "Blessed are all they that wait for" God (Isa. 30:18, KJV).

Why don't we praise and seek the virtue of patience?  By patience alone can we develop proper attitudes for living and the skills for social involvement.  Jesus said, "In your patience possess ye your souls" (Luke 21:19, KJV).

Prayer:   Holy Spirit, by your power grow in us the fruit of patience, that we may trust God and be transformed.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Patience means working and trusting as we wait for God to act.

-- Stephen Contrado (Massachusetts, U.S.A.)

PRAYER FOCUS: Those too busy for God

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RELATED READING ...

Go on an armchair pilgrimage to the sacred sites of the United Kingdom. Or use this informative and inspiring book as research for your own journey to places steeped in the legacies of Celtic, Catholic, and Protestant Christianity. But Deborah and David Douglas offer more than a delightfully readable travelogue. The Douglases reflect not just on the location of sites but the spiritual biography of each place.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=159641

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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.