[Membersandfriends] Sunday, November 21, 2004

Sat Nov 20 22:01:44 PST 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Sunday, November 21, 2004

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The Gift that Lasts All Year

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AN UNEXPECTED WITNESS
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Psalm 92:1-8 (NRSV)

It is good to give thanks to the LORD, 
   to sing praises to your name, O Most High; 
to declare your steadfast love in the morning, 
   and your faithfulness by night, 
to the music of the lute and the harp, 
   to the melody of the lyre. 
For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; 
   at the works of your hands I sing for joy.  

How great are your works, O LORD! 
   Your thoughts are very deep! 
The dullard cannot know, 
   the stupid cannot understand this: 
though the wicked sprout like grass 
   and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction forever,  
  but you, O LORD, are on high forever.

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The psalmist said, "I sing for joy at the works of your hands."
- Psalm 92:4 (NIV)
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ONE Sunday following church services, I drove up to a fast-food restaurant window to order lunch.  As I handed the cashier my payment, I heard her softly singing a Christian praise song whose words include a phrase about the mighty God we serve.  When she returned my change, I smiled at her and said, "I serve the same mighty God you do."  Her face brightened.  She expressed her disappointment that her new work schedule included Sundays, preventing her from attending morning worship with her church family.  I told her that I hoped her schedule would soon change.

On this Sunday morning, I had joined others gathered in a beautiful sanctuary to witness to our faith through worship.  This joyful Christian cashier was unable to attend worship at her church because she was trying to maintain financial stability.  Yet she worshiped in the ways she could.  By singing to our mighty God faithfully, she made her workplace a sanctuary for her worshipful witness.

Prayer:  O God, may our worship become a witness, whenever and wherever we offer it to you.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
No matter where we are, we can find ways to worship God.

-- Jim Coleman (Georgia, U.S.A.)

PRAYER FOCUS: Those who must work on the sabbath

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RELATED READING ...

Take your faith deeper in understanding and in action with THE COST OF LIVING.  A challenging and encouraging exploration of John 11-21, this book looks at the difficult decisions Jesus faced in order to explore the cost of Christian discipleship.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=68122

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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.