[Membersandfriends] Monday, October 25, 2004

[The Upper Room]

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Monday, October 25, 2004

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Prepare for the Free Advent '04 Study Guide

Coming Soon: Free Advent Study Guide based on The Upper Room. The web-based study guide will be available in early November '04. To order a copy of the magazine for each 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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THE EYE OF A STORM
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Hosea 2:18-20 (NRSV)

I will make for you a covenant on that day with the wild animals, the birds of the air, and the creeping things of the ground; and I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land; and I will make you lie down in safety. And I will take you for my wife forever; I will take you for my wife in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. I will take you for my wife in faithfulness; and you shall know the LORD.

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You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.  Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal. 
-- Isaiah 26:3-4 (NIV)
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WHILE on vacation at a beach in North Carolina, I experienced the calm spot or "eye" of a tropical storm firsthand.  Wind was blowing 50-60 miles per hour; then all of a sudden it was calm.  The ocean looked like a lake.  In 20-30 minutes, the strong winds returned, blowing from the opposite direction.

When I face a storm that's blowing around me, threatening to knock me down, I can remember that God is a calm center in the midst of my storm, too.  God, the peaceful "I am," is the "eye" of our storms.

Jesus showed us the power of God's peaceful center even in the midst of our tribulations when he said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. ...  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:27).  Even in tough times, we can "let the peace of Christ rule in [our] hearts, since as members of one body [we are] called to peace" (Col. 3:15).

Prayer:  Dear God, be with us in times of sorrow and stormy tribulations.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
God offers us peace in the midst of life's storms.

-- Lee Ross, Jr. (North Carolina, U.S.A.)

PRAYER FOCUS: Someone enduring a "storm"

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RELATED READING ...

Based on the teachings of the sixth-century monk Benedict, HEART WHISPERS extends great spiritual insights into the need for faithful living in a stressful, high-impact society such as today's.  Learn how to simplify your life and focus on God's divine grace.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=12662

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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.

Copyright (c) 2004 by the Upper Room.  All rights reserved. Do not reproduce or redistribute without written permission from the publisher.
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