[Membersandfriends] Thursday, October 21, 2004

Wed Oct 20 22:01:32 PDT 2004

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

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The Gift that Lasts All Year

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GOD CARES, PERIOD!
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Matthew 10:26-31 (NRSV)

[Jesus said,] "So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows."

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Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
- Matthew 10:30 (NIV)
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I was 33 years old and beginning chemotherapy for breast cancer.  I was afraid for my life, afraid my three-year-old son would have to grow up without a mother, and afraid I was not strong enough to survive my treatment.  To me, God, my loved ones, and my church were important.  My work, my clothes, and my looks were not.

Then my hair began falling out.  I knew losing my hair was not important, yet it was hard to accept; I cried for several days.  During that time I constantly prayed that God would help me stay focused on the important things, not on my hair.  But nothing could draw me out of my despair.  Finally, I knelt and cried out to God, "I know it's just hair, but could you please comfort me and help me?"  With tears in my eyes, I opened my Bible randomly and looked down at this verse: "Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered."  I was crying over my lost hairs, and I had no idea how many I had.  But God did.  God created my hair.  Yet up to this point, my faith had not included the belief that God cared about such small things.  In that instant I realized that no matter how small or how big the problem, God cares and will help.

Prayer:  Dear Father, help us to remember you are more loving and more powerful than we can even imagine, helping us with our small problems as faithfully as with life-and-death situations.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
God made every inch of us and every hair on our head.

-- Michelle Hepner (Oklahoma, U.S.A.)

PRAYER FOCUS: To trust that God cares about the details

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RELATED READING ...

Upper Room Book INVITATION TO PRESENCE provides a user-friendly approach to the world of spiritual disciplines that can rekindle our relationship with God.  Author Wendy Miller encourages us to accept Jesus' invitation to "come and see" the stumbling blocks in our way, the Christian practices available to us to remove these obstacles, and the work and presence of God in our lives. A twelve-session Leader's Guide is also available.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=12504

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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.