[Membersandfriends] Sunday, December 12, 2004

Sat Dec 11 22:02:21 PST 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Sunday, December 12, 2004

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The Gift that Lasts All Year

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NO WASTE OF TIME
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Luke 13:10-17 (NRSV)

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, "Woman, you are set free from your ailment." When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day." But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?" When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.

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Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.
-- Proverbs 3:27 (NRSV)
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WHILE visiting a relative's farm several years ago, my three-year-old son and I were taking a walk.  We entered the shed and encountered an old ewe lying on the ground in a special pen.  The ewe saw us and began flopping around vigorously.  There were no visible wounds, but clearly this sheep was severely crippled.

The sight of this crippled animal repelled me.  I felt not even a trace of compassion.  If this animal had little chance of recovery, why keep it?  The extra care would be a waste.

Suddenly, I noticed my son standing next to the ewe.  He picked up some hay and gently offered it to her.  The sheep calmed down at once and stretched her head over to take the hay.

As I witnessed this, God spoke to my heart.  The sheep reminded me of myself and my son, of Christ.  I was crippled and scarred by my sins, unable to help myself.  Yet Christ was still reaching out to me.  As with the ewe, my wounds are not visible, but they are real.  A child's loving and compassionate act reminded me that nothing can separate us from God's love.

Prayer:   Loving God, open our hearts to your will.  Help us to glorify your name in all that we do.  In Jesus' name we pray.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Our wounds and our weakness do not repel God.

-- Chuck Hudspath (Illinois, U.S.A.)

PRAYER FOCUS: Family farms and farmers

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RELATED READING ...

A GUIDE TO PRAYER FOR ALL GOD'S PEOPLE is a wonderful guidebook for spending time with God each day and for practicing spiritual disciplines.  This best-selling Upper Room book offers selected scriptures, prayers, and thematic readings that provide the structure for daily meditations and monthly retreats.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=12485

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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.