[Membersandfriends] Wednesday, November 03, 2004

Tue Nov 2 22:01:34 PST 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Wednesday, November 03, 2004

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The Upper Room in Large Print

If the type in THE UPPER ROOM Daily Devotional is too small for you or for someone you know, you have an option. THE UPPER ROOM, Large Print Edition has type that's nearly twice the size of regular print.  Learn more about or order online at: http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?item_id=12893&ep_id=245
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PICK A PATTERN
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Ephesians 4:25-5:2 (NRSV)

So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.  Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

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Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
- Romans 12:2 (NIV)
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THE quilt show at our local library included beautiful examples of quilt art.  Though the quilts were lovelier than anything I had attempted, they reminded me of my first effort to piece a quilt.

My grandmother gave me a small cardboard square and told me to cut the cloth using this pattern.  Soon, I had many brightly-colored pieces of fabric.  When I happily approached my grandmother for sewing directions, she noticed that many of the squares I had cut were not squares at all.  Instead of using the pattern she had given me, trying to save time, I used one piece of cloth to cut the next piece and that one to cut a third, until none of them looked like the original pattern.

Like me with the quilt pieces, we often use a faulty pattern in life.  Too often we pick as our pattern a human being who is respectable and sincere but not perfect.  Christ is the only person worth copying, the only one who will not disappoint us.  Study of the Bible, prayer, and Christian fellowship keep us near to the pattern of Christ.

Prayer:  God, help us to remember to keep our eyes on Christ.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Christ is our only sure pattern for a godly life.

-- Rosalie M. Clark (Alabama, U.S.A.)

PRAYER FOCUS: Young people with several patterns from which to choose

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RELATED READING ...

See what makes living the Christian life real to teens. In WAY TO LIVE: Christian Practices for Teens, 18 teens and 18 adults share their views and stories to help other teens on their spiritual journey. Learn more about or purchase this book online.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=88439

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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.