[Membersandfriends] Sunday, October 10, 2004

Sat Oct 9 22:02:33 PDT 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Sunday, October 10, 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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ENCOURAGING WORDS
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1 Thessalonians 2:10-13 (NRSV)

You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you believers. As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God's word, which is also at work in you believers.

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Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt.
-- Colossians 4:6 (NRSV)
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IT had been a rough Sunday morning, the kids protesting and running late and my husband grumbling.  As soon as we were in the church building, one child needed to be escorted to the bathroom.  Great, I thought, now I'm late for class as well!  As I was impatiently tapping my foot, waiting for my young daughter, an elderly acquaintance commented, "It's so wonderful to see you young mothers making the effort to bring your children to church!  I remember just how hard that can be.  And now, when I'm feeling achy and tired and just not in the mood to go out, I think of you and how hard you work to get here each week.  You help me see that I should come, too, even if it's not my best day."

Isn't it amazing how God intertwines our lives with others' lives?  In those few words, this woman erased an entire morning of harried rushing and replaced it with thankful worship.  Her comments have stayed with me for years, and they surface each time I'm tempted to stay home from church "just this once."  I  had never thought that my presence in the congregation was noticed beyond my little circle of friends, and yet here was a woman that I hardly knew thanking me for my witness!

Prayer:  Dear Lord, thank you for the encouragement you place in our path each day.  Help us to remember that others may need encouragement from us as well.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Quiet faithfulness can speak volumes to those near us.

-- Sandy Fleming (Michigan, U.S.A.)

PRAYER FOCUS: Young families in my church

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RELATED READING ...

LIVING IN GOD'S TIME is an inspirational book for the whole family.  Using the home as the primary setting for spiritual formation, LIVING IN GOD'S TIME helps parents and children to recognize and reflect on God's presence in their daily lives.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=12660

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.