[Membersandfriends] Friday, November 05, 2004

Thu Nov 4 22:01:34 PST 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Friday, November 05, 2004

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Free Advent '04 Study Guide

NOW AVAILABLE: The free web-based Advent study guide is now available at http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/advent/. The study guide is to be used with the Nov/Dec 2004 issue of The Upper Room daily devotional. To order a copy of the magazine for each study participant, call 1-800-972-0433 -- at least four weeks before the sessions begin. The first session will be during the week of November 22, 2004. Watch this link (http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/) for more information.
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A NEW ATTITUDE
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Luke 6:27-36 (NRSV)

[Jesus said,] "But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you. 

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."

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Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
- Luke 6:27-28 (NIV)
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I was the first woman to hold my position at work.  This caused friction between me and some of my male co-workers, who felt anger and resentment toward me.  One man in particular felt that I was encroaching on his territory, and he often had nasty comments to make.  At first I was hurt and angry, and I reacted defensively.  My heart was filled with darkness, and I would often get sick just thinking about going to work.  As I prayed for God's guidance, I realized that I needed to change my attitude.

I countered resentment with kindness and understanding, opening my heart to the Holy Spirit and letting God's love work through me.  To my surprise, there was a change in my co-worker's attitude toward me; with time, we reached the point that we could joke and be friendly with each other.

Being kind to someone who mistreats us is easier if we remember that everyone feels insecure and needs to be cared for.  By showing love and kindness toward everyone, we bring people closer to God and move closer to God ourselves.

Prayer:  Dear God, help us to love others as you love us.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Everyone needs to feel loved and understood.

-- Audrey Cupples (Maryland, U.S.A.)

PRAYER FOCUS: Co-workers with difficult relationships

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RELATED READING ...

Flora Wuellner's latest book, ENTER BY THE GATE:  Jesus' 7 Guidelines When Making Hard Choices, helps you learn how to make difficult decisions.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=202392

PLEASE SHARE THIS MINISTRY with a friend. Invite them to sign up for the free E-Mail Devotional by visiting: http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/email/.

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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.