[Membersandfriends] Wednesday, October 27, 2004

Tue Oct 26 22:01:39 PDT 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Wednesday, October 27, 2004

_________________________

Help Support Our Worldwide Ministry

Published in 44 languages and 72 editions, THE UPPER ROOM is familiar to 2.5 million Christians in more than 100 countries around the world. In many areas a tattered and worn UPPER ROOM is passed from person to person for many years.  http://www.upperroom.org/fundraising/default.asp?item_id=114563&ep_id=250
_________________________

TRUST IN GOD
_________________________

Matthew 6:25-34 (NRSV)

[Jesus said,] "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 

"So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today."

_________________________

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
-- Matthew 6:19 (NIV)
_________________________

AFTER working for 30 years for the same company, I retired thinking that my future pension was secure.  Fifteen years into my retirement, I lost 70 percent of my retirement income because of a bankruptcy brought about by the actions of corrupt corporate officials.

My first reaction was despair.  I questioned why God would permit this to happen to my wife and me.  Then the words of Psalm 146:3 came to mind:  "Do not put your trust in ... mortals, in whom there is no help" (NRSV).  More than ever, we realized that we must trust in God to carry us through this stormy sea.

The Gospel of Matthew records, "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" (6:25)  These words made us realize that we could look at what we have and not worry about what we used to have.  Out of this hardship came a much stronger faith and belief that our heavenly Father will indeed care for our needs if we have faith and trust in him.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, help us to realize that your love for us exceeds all of our expectations.  Help us to trust that you will always provide what we need.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
The same God who has faithfully provided in the past will continue to meet our needs.

-- Bill Poehling (Oklahoma, U.S.A.)

PRAYER FOCUS: Retirees on fixed incomes

_________________________

RELATED READING ...

As our society faces an increasingly older population, WINTER GRACE: Spirituality and Aging reveals that aging is a process rich with joy and blessing, not something to dread.  Moving readers into the heart of the Christian paradox of death and resurrection, this hopeful book shows how the losses that accompany aging can lead to freedom and new life.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=12607

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/.

_________________________

QUESTIONS?  If you reply to this e-mail, you'll receive an automated message answering our readers' most frequently asked questions.  If your question remains unanswered, please write to us at the special "help" e-mail address you'll find in the automated message.

TO UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.upperroom.org/unsubscribe/

TO CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS: Visit the My Account page: http://www.upperroom.org/myaccount/. Log in, using your current e-mail address and password. Once logged in your account, click on the "Edit Personal Information" link. Edit your e-mail address and any other information, and click "Update" to complete the change.

FORGOTTEN YOUR PASSWORD? Visit the My Account page: http://www.upperroom.org/myaccount/. Click on "Forgot My Password." Enter your e-mail address, and if there is a password associated with it, the password will be e-mailed to you immediately.
_________________________

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.