[Membersandfriends] Thursday, September 16, 2004

Wed Sep 15 22:01:41 PDT 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Thursday, September 16, 2004

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Spiritual Growth for All Ages ...

The Upper Room offers a resource for family members at every age or stage of their journey with God. Learn more: 
http://www.upperroom.org/store/category_search.asp?category=169&ep_id=220
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JUST SHOW UP
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Isaiah 43:1-7 (NRSV)

But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob,
     he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
     I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
     and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
     and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the LORD your God,
     the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
     Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.
Because you are precious in my sight,
     and honored, and I love you,
I give people in return for you,
     nations in exchange for your life.
Do not fear, for I am with you;
     I will bring your offspring from the east,
     and from the west I will gather you;
I will say to the north, "Give them up,"
     and to the south, "Do not withhold;
bring my sons from far away
     and my daughters from the end of the earth--
everyone who is called by my name,
     whom I created for my glory,
     whom I formed and made."

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We do not lose heart.  Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.
-- 2 Corinthians 4:16 (NRSV)
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PASTOR Don's sermon Sunday emphasized a theme that spoke to me: "Sometimes persevering means we just show up every day."  The next day turned out to be one of those rough days when just showing up to face my responsibilities was a victory.

Over the years, I have faced multiple health challenges: Crohn's Disease, significant hearing loss, sleep apnea, depression, high cholesterol.  None of these is life-threatening, so I count my blessings.  But they often drain my energy, rob me of sleep, and dampen my spirit.  Some mornings I awaken in a gloomy fog, and it becomes a battle just to face my day.  Monday was one of those.  But I went to work; I did my job.  I probably was not fun to be around, but still I showed up.

My spouse gently reminds me that on those days when I am at war with life, God is walking with me.  God has never abandoned me during the most severe tribulations of my life.  It takes only a moment to reflect on those dark times of my life and to remember that God saw me through, on a daily basis, simply by helping me to show up.

Prayer:  Dear God, you walk with us through gloomy days.  Thank you, Father, for your always-present love.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
If we can just show up, we'll find God already there.

-- Lou Storm (Texas, U.S.A.)

PRAYER FOCUS: Those struggling with multiple

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RELATED READING ...

http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=193994

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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.