[Membersandfriends] Sunday, September 05, 2004

Sat Sep 4 22:02:31 PDT 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Sunday, September 05, 2004

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Free Catalog of Upper Room Books

View all Upper Room Books at a glance with The Upper Room's annual comprehensive catalog.  To receive a free catalog, via postal mail, visit:
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"JESUS LOVES YOU"
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Psalm 103:1-5 (NRSV)

Bless the LORD, O my soul, 
     and all that is within me, 
     bless his holy name. 
Bless the LORD, O my soul, 
     and do not forget all his benefits-- 
who forgives all your iniquity, 
     who heals all your diseases, 
who redeems your life from the Pit, 
     who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 
who satisfies you with good as long as you live 
     so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

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Bless the LORD . . . who satisfies you with good as long as you live.
- Psalm 103:1, 5 (NRSV)
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A few years ago I went through a great crisis and depleted my resources.  I had served the Lord for 23 years and had always placed my confidence in God.  Never did I doubt that God would sustain me.  But the day came when I lacked life's basic necessities.  I began to feel worthless.

I struggled to remain strong, remembering the day God called me into full-time Christian service.  I still felt called to preach the gospel.  But one night as I walked home on a stretch of dark and dangerous highway, I felt disillusioned and fearful.  I saw a man on a bicycle approaching from the opposite direction.  As he drew near, he called out "Jesus loves you" and continued on his way.

What a gift God had given me!  God used this man to bring me a message to fill my empty heart.  I felt happy and renewed.  I recognized the great love and kindness that we find in God and that speaks to us in the beauty of a flower, in a landscape, in the melody a bird sings.  God values and loves us and also the work we do for the kingdom - and that work will never be in vain.

Prayer:  God, thank you for the ways you speak to us and provide the strength we need in difficult times.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
God speaks to us every day, through life's goodness and life's trials.

-- Luisa Acero (Bogota, Colombia)

PRAYER FOCUS: Preachers and pastors in need

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RELATED READING ...

FEED MY SHEPHERDS: Spiritual Healing and Renewal for Those in Christian Leadership focuses on the struggles of those in caregiving ministries. Many Christian leaders experience depression, exhaustion, and burnout. Flora Wuellner takes a serious look at the struggles of those in the caregiving ministries, while confirming that God deeply cares about the well being of the shepherds tending to their sheep.  Read more about or purchase this book:
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=12625

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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.