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Upper Room Daily Reflections Practicing Silence

Today’s Reflection
I KNOW GOD doesn’t only communicate in the silence. I believe God speaks to us through the whole of our life. But silence creates space for us to practice listening for God so that we may better experience God’s presence in all areas. Silence is a spiritual practice that prepares us to receive mothering as a spiritual practice. It is a practice I need help practicing.

—Lauren Burdette
This Life That Is Ours: Motherhood As Spiritual Practice

Yardstick

Genesis 15:6

6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Today’s Reflection

RIGHTEOUSNESS is not a yardstick to separate us from others. Righteousness comes as a gift from Christ, who reconciles us not only with God but with all the other characters Christ joins at table and calls to follow.

—John Indermark
Gospeled Lives: Encounters with Jesus

Upper Room Daily Reflections Come and See

Today’s Reflection WE ARE SO EAGER to have folks busily engaged in the work of going and telling and doing that we fail to provide the needed preparatory time of experiencing grace and community. We rush to get new members connected through this committee or that task force as soon as possible, either in hopes of buoying up depleted ranks or in fear of losing the new ones out the back door. In some settings, folks are not even members when we sweep them into teaching Sunday school or serving on a mission board or . . . you get the picture. Perhaps you have even been the picture. We hurriedly involve people in calls and ministries, sometimes without allowing them to linger in the gift of come and see. How can we be spokespersons or exemplars of a faith that we have not taken the time to experience for ourselves? —John Indermark Gospeled Lives: Encounters with Jesus

Charles Stanley March 24, 2019 — THE TRAPS OF THE DEVIL

Top 100 Gospel Music Praise and Worship Songs All Time - Best christian ...

In Need of Grace

Mar 26, 2019 12:00 am

Today’s Reflection

GRACE was the basis for Jesus’ breaking bread with the disreputable of his time, the very sort of ones we point out to our children and say: that’s what could happen to you if you make bad choices or hang around in the wrong company. Ironically such grace that calls Levi and practices table fellowship with those other characters is the same grace that aims to include the offended righteous. Self-avowed states of righteousness can close us off from recognizing the need for grace in our lives. Jesus was not disinterested in good and righteous folk. Rather, his overarching concern was—and is—to reach those in need of grace.

—John Indermark
Gospeled Lives: Encounters with Jesus

Light

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Upper Room Daily Reflections The Light of the World Mar 20, 2019 12:00 am Today’s Reflection OUR DARKNESS is not always of our own making. Sometimes our paths are just cloudy. We can’t see the destination. We don’t know how the road will end. All we can do is trust Christ one step at a time. Sometimes our darkness is a result of our own actions. When we come to such acknowledgments, as painful as they are, we can know that being able to admit our fault is a result of Christ working within us. We have not been abandoned. We are not beyond grace. Part of the work of Christ’s light is to reveal truth, not to condemn us but to spare us. —Rob Fuquay The God We Can Know: Exploring the “I Am” Sayings of Jesus

View this email in your browser Upper Room Daily Reflections The Bread of Life Mar 19, 2019 12:00 am Today’s Reflection YOU WOULD THINK Jesus would be encouraged by thousands of people searching for him, but he knew why they came. They were just looking for another miracle. They were driven by a need for fullness. Therefore Jesus told them that he could give something lasting and complete. In response, the crowd asked him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you?” (John 6:30). Think about that response for a moment. The crowd is fewer than twenty-four hours removed from a miracle and they are asking, “What can you do for us now?” That’s the problem with chasing fullness. There is never enough. We always need more. It keeps us on the lookout for the next miracle. —Rob Fuquay The God We Can Know: Exploring the “I Am” Sayings of Jesus

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Upper Room Daily Reflections The Bread of Life Mar 19, 2019 12:00 am Today’s Reflection YOU WOULD THINK Jesus would be encouraged by thousands of people searching for him, but he knew why they came. They were just looking for another miracle. They were driven by a need for fullness. Therefore Jesus told them that he could give something lasting and complete. In response, the crowd asked him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you?” (John 6:30). Think about that response for a moment. The crowd is fewer than twenty-four hours removed from a miracle and they are asking, “What can you do for us now?” That’s the problem with chasing fullness. There is never enough. We always need more. It keeps us on the lookout for the next miracle. —Rob Fuquay The God We Can Know: Exploring the “I Am” Sayings of Jesus

Wisdom from the Psalms

Psalm 25:15
Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.

Jerry was terrified of heights. He had been all his life. Unfortunately, his new job required that he climb ladders and travel across catwalks high above the ground. With great courage and resolve, Jerry worked on overcoming his fear. Whenever he had to climb or walk the catwalks, he would focus his attention on the end of the line and pretend that Jesus was waiting there with outstretched arms. His fear left him completely, and he was able to scale great heights without concern.

It we will set our sights on the Lord, He will make sure our steps. No snare, trap, or pitfall can stop us when our eyes are on the Lord. He will guard us each step of the way

Prayer: I am uncertain, Lord, and often I am afraid. Dispel my fears, and instill me with Your holy confidence. I place my trust in You, that I might walk a good walk of faith and never stumble. Amen

The Gospel of Luke ~A film

Book of Luke is Word for Word from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. Please watch Luke's Gospel to find out about the Lord Jesus Christ and all the amazing things that He done!

Gospel of St Luke - Luke's Gospel - Book of Luke - Bible Movie - Visual Bible

"If You Say So!" — What Jesus Did! for 03/07/2019

[Jesus] noticed two empty boats at the water's edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish." "Master," Simon replied, "we worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing. But if you say so, I'll let the nets down again." And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. — Luke 5:2-7

Key Thought:

Simon (Peter) was a fisherman. Being a fisherman was his life. Being a fisherman was his trade. So when Jesus told him to fish in a certain place and at a certain time that Peter "knew" were wrong from all of his experience, he must have had to swallow hard to follow this carpenter's instructions. But, he did! He basically told Jesus, "If YOU say to do it, then I'll do it!" Let's be honest. There are times when what Jesus tells us to do seems at best counter-intuitive and sometimes crazy. Just a cursory reading of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) gives us more than enough to chew on for a lifetime. That's when our love for Jesus and our submission to his lordship really are tested. Are we willing to be like Peter and say, "Lord, if you say so, I'll do it!"?

Today's Prayer:

Give me a pliable heart and a willing spirit, O God, to obey what your Son has taught and to do what his lordship calls me to do. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

No Limits

IF WE ARE WILLING to listen, we encounter voices of truth in unexpected places. The greatest sermons of our lives do not necessarily come from behind a pulpit. Moses encounters God in a burning bush, and Paul is blinded by a bright light that leads to his conversion on the road to Damascus. (See Exodus 3; Acts 9:1-20.) When Paul and Silas are accused of causing uproar in the city, they are flogged and jailed; from the jail cell they sing hymns and pray. (See Acts 16:16-25.) The prison walls cannot suppress the expression of their faith. Though they are not in a church, they continue to worship.

When we carry the attitude of being in constant worship, when we consider that everything in our life might be a church service with different types and styles of sermons from everyday people, we can begin hearing God’s voice more often—even from within the walls of a prison. God is revealed to me most in everyday activities. I can hear the voice of God on Tuesday afternoons and Saturday nights just as well as Sunday mornings if I listen for it. There are no limits to where and through whom God can speak.

—Angela D. Schaffner
Revealed: What the Bible Can Teach You About Yourself

Wisdom from the Psalms

The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

Two families disputed for years who held claim upon a stretch of fertile land. Harsh words and insults were exchanged regularly, and on occasion, tempers flared to the point of physical violence. Neither family would budge in their conviction that they were the rightful owners. No compromise could be reached, and so the seeds of bitterness took root and flourished between the two clans.

Long after the tow families are but faint memories, the land wills till be there. How foolish it is to devote so much of our lives to the acquisition of things, when all things truly belong to the Lord. We are but caretakers of what the Lord has made, and it has been given us for everyone's pleasure. Wise use of our resources and preservation of all creation is the responsibility of all humankind. We have been given many precious gifts, but they are only ours for awhile. In time, all things return to the Lord.

PRAYER

 Lord, make me a wise steward of Your creation. Let my actions hurt not one living thing. Help me to build up, rather than destroy. Inspire me to share, to give, and to love. Amen.

Acknowledge the Dust

Today’s Reflection

IN POINTING TO THE DUST, Jesus also points to the origin of life. From dust, God has formed human beings. (See Genesis 2:7.) From the commonness of dust arises the complexity and mystery of human life. As we acknowledge our shared humanity, we let go of the illusion that we are more or less valuable than other people. Our identity as dust can help us to be mindful of our place in relation to God and mindful of the capacity for life. We can rest in the comforting truth that we are dust, knowing that it is God who breathes life into us. We can stop categorizing, labeling, and trying to decide who is most and least saved. Such an acknowledgment transforms us and allows us to realize our full potential and be filled with the life God intends. Each person is complex, surprising, and full of potential for change and growth. But first, we have to acknowledge the dust.

—Angela D. Schaffner
Revealed: What the Bible Can Teach You About Yourself

ONE NIGHT WITH THE KING (Esther the Bible Movie)

Bible Movie - The Book Of Acts - The Visual Bible

Down from the Mountain

Today’s Reflection

SOMETIMES the Spirit leads us to a mountaintop where we catch a glimpse of God’s glory and know with unquestioned assurance that the one we follow is the Son of God. Now and then we experience Christ robed in dazzling white and feel the presence of saints who have gone before us. Along the pathway of discipleship, we encounter wonder-filled moments of spiritual awareness that revolutionize our lives and transfigure the way we see the world around us. Like Peter, we desperately long to take up residence in that place or to hold on to it forever. We may be tempted to expect every moment of our life to be filled with an extraordinary sense of glory, assurance, and peace.

But then we come down from the mountain and walk through the world where Jesus walked and where the risen Christ promised to meet us.

—James A. Harnish
Easter Earthquake: How Resurrection Shakes Our World

Spacious Greatness of God

Today’s Reflection I GREW UP BELIEVING that salvation was something that happened after the altar call during the singing of “Just as I Am,” when someone prayed for God’s forgiveness and accepted Christ into their lives. I still believe that experience can be part of God’s work of salvation. But there is more. Salvation is an ongoing work of grace through which I am being released from the suffocating smallness of life turned in on itself to live in the spacious greatness of God’s boundless life and love. —James A. Harnish Easter Earthquake: How Resurrection Shakes Our World

Upper Room Daily Reflections The Spirit Compels

JESUS DOES NOT CHOOSE to go to the wilderness; the Spirit compels him to go.
Throughout scripture, the wilderness represents more than a lonely, barren place on the map. It’s the place where God’s people confront the ruthless power of temptation; where they wrestle with questions about who they are, where they are going, and how they are going to get there. It’s where Jesus faces the temptations to deny his identity as the Son of God, to use divine power to satisfy his human desires, to find a less costly way of doing the expensive work of salvation.

For all disciples, the wilderness is the barren space between where we’ve been and where we’re going. It’s the empty place between a familiar, comfortable past and an unfamiliar, often risky, future. It’s the soul-searching place where we face the temptations to settle for things that are less than God’s best for us, to take a shortcut to get to Easter without going through Lent, to experience new life without going to the cross.

—James A. Harnish
Easter Earthquake: How Resurrection Shakes Our World

The Aftermath

Today’s Reflection

THE POINT of the Resurrection is not that Jesus has gone to heaven and if we stay faithful for the rest of our lives, we will see him there after we die. The promise is not simply a new life that awaits us after death but a new life that begins right now, and death can never defeat it. We live now in ways that bear witness to the way this world will be when God’s kingdom comes and God’s will is done on earth as it is already done in heaven. In the aftermath of the Easter earthquake, we live now in the power of the risen Christ.

—James A. Harnish
Easter Earthquake: How Resurrection Shakes Our World

Upper Room Daily Reflections Earthshaking

Earthshaking

Feb 25, 2019 12:00 am

Today’s Reflection

THE EARTHSHAKING promise of Easter is that God has not forsaken any of us. The risen Christ will meet us along the confused, chaotic, fearful paths of our lives and speak the same words the women hear at the tomb, “Do not be afraid.”

 Too often we build our lives on the bedrock of fear: fear of terrorism, fear for the economy, fear of people who are different from us, fear of anything politicians tell us to fear in order to maintain power, fear of rejection, fear of sickness, fear economy, fear of people who are different from us, fear of anything politicians tell us to fear in order to maintain power, fear of rejection, fear of sickness, fear of death. But the Resurrection shatters the power of fear. Because Christ is risen we no longer allow fear to dominate, control, or manipulate us. We don’t remain imprisoned in the tombs of our past failures or buried under the weight of present anxiety. In the risen Christ old things pass away and everything becomes new.

—James A. Harnish
Easter Earthquake: How Resurrection Shakes Our World

Making Peace

Today’s Reflection DESPITE CONSTANT TALK of the value of peace, we find very little in this world. Both our public and personal lives reflect our tragic lack of peace—spiraling cycles of violence, unhealthy addictions, and destructive tensions that divide families, communities, and countries. We are far better at loving the idea of peace than at making peace within the realities of our lives. —Trevor Hudson Pauses for Lent: 40 Words for 40 Days

Upper Room Daily Reflections Powerful Words

Today’s Reflection WORDS carry much spiritual power. They wound and heal. They break down and build up. They discourage and encourage. Jesus places eternal value on them when he says we will be judged by the words we have spoken. Words are always more than words. We dare not underestimate the damage that harmful words cause. They can destroy confidence, tarnish reputations, spread rumors, split families, divide communities, and spark wars. The old saying “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is a lie. In contrast, helpful words of love and appreciation have the potential to bring blessing and life. They can make God’s love real for those around us. —Trevor Hudson Pauses for Lent: 40 Words for 40 Days

Space for Quiet

Today’s Reflection

THE PSALMIST emphasizes that we need to be still to know God. Perhaps this is why our souls yearn for stillness. In their restlessness they long for that silent communion with God for which they are created. Aware of this, Desmond Tutu writes, “Each one of us wants and needs to give ourselves space for quiet.” It is in stillness we come to know what our hearts long for: the Divine Presence alive in us. In this way, we can see the importance of fostering a life of outer and inner stillness.

—Trevor Hudson
Pauses for Lent: 40 Words for 40 Days

Ashes, Upper Room Daily Reflections

Today’s Reflection TO THINK that one day we will be nothing but ashes is a pretty grim reality. Not surprisingly, many of us avoid facing this truth. We don’t want to reflect on it or speak about it or even read about it. After all, when we begin to sense how near to nothing we are, we can easily find ourselves in despair. Being born to die is not good news. However, the fact that we are marked by the sign of the cross tells us we are infinitely more than dust. We are God’s beloved, and nothing—not even death—can separate us from God’s love through Jesus Christ. Our dust is charged with God’s own life-sustaining and death-defeating breath. We are beloved dust. —Trevor Hudson Pauses for Lent: 40 Words for 40 Days

Burning Bush Moments

Today’s Reflection WE ALL have experienced what could be called a “burning bush” moment. These moments occur when we sense that God is seeking our attention, speaking to us, and calling us to participate in what God is doing in our midst. Burning bush moments change our lives and the lives of those around us. They draw us into a deep engagement with the living God, who is always active in our lives and in the lives of those who suffer. Tragically, we often miss these moments, therefore missing out on partnering with God in God’s great work of liberation. —Trevor Hudson, Anthony Egan, SJ, and Russell Pollitt, SJ Divine Friendship: Reflections for Lent

In the Wilderness

Today’s Reflection

JESUS’ EXPERIENCE in the wilderness (see Luke 4:1) reminds us that temptation is not a sin. Additionally, Jesus is not surprised or shocked by our temptations. However sinful they may seem to us, he knows how it feels to be tempted. Admitting our temptations to Jesus may be the most difficult part of our spiritual journey. We would rather see ourselves as virtuous and good, but this denial is not helpful to us in the long run. When we refuse to admit our temptations—our jealousy, our greed, our cowardice, and so on—our shame and guilt can cause us misery. Instead, let’s share our temptations with Jesus—and perhaps also with a trusted friend, mentor, or counselor—so that he will provide us with the grace we need to overcome.

—Trevor Hudson, Anthony Egan, SJ, and Russell Pollitt, SJ
Divine Friendship: Reflections for Lent

Follow

JESUS SAYS to Levi, a tax collector, “Follow me.” Levi leaves everything and follows Jesus immediately and then throws a party for him. The party gets tense when the Pharisees and their scribes question Jesus for spending time with “sinners.” They know that Levi’s life and profession are messy and, according to their standards, unclean. But this does not stop Jesus from wanting a relationship with Levi. Jesus knows that our lives are messy. He knows about the issues that drag us down and hold us back from becoming the kind of people God wants us to be. Even so, Jesus says to us, “Follow me,” believing that we possess the gifts and potential to be his followers.

—Trevor Hudson, Anthony Egan, SJ, and Russell Pollitt, SJ
Divine Friendship: Reflections for Lent

God Runs Toward You

Brighten your day by envisioning God running toward you.

When his patriarchs trusted, God blessed. When Peter preached or Paul wrote or Thomas believed, God smiled. But he never ran.

That verb was reserved for the story of the prodigal son. “But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20 NKJV)

God runs when he sees the son coming home from the pig trough. When the addict steps out of the alley. When the teen walks away from the party. When the ladder-climbing executive pushes back from the desk, the spiritist turns from idols, the materialist from stuff, the atheist from disbelief, and the elitist from self-promotion…

When prodigals trudge up the path, God can’t sit still. Heaven’s throne room echoes with the sound of slapping sandals and pounding feet, and angels watch in silence as God embraces his child.

You turn toward God, and he runs toward you.

From Great Day Every Day: Navigating Life’s Challenges with Promise and Purpose
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2012) Max Lucado

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Loving the World with God: Fourth Day Living

EACH TIME we step out of our comfort zones and into the messy and sacred world of caring about others, we risk stepping in the confusion of humanity. We may find ourselves asking questions about God and about this world filled with both beauty and affliction. When we share our journeys and questions with one another, our capacities to love and serve with humility, faithfulness, gratitude, and grace grow.

—Rebecca Bruff
Loving the World with God: Fourth Day Living

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW reminds us that following Jesus might sometimes mean stepping out of our comfortable boat of the familiar into the fluid and uncertain reality of life…. Following Jesus is risky. We probably will have to step out of our comfort zones. And loving the world with God is iffy business. We will face frustrations, questions, and discouragement. What if we give our time and energy to others in need, but we don’t see any results? What if we work hard for mercy and justice, and it doesn’t seem to make a difference? What if we get up at four o’clock in the morning to provide breakfast at a shelter, and no one thanks us? What if we spend all day building a wheelchair ramp for an elderly couple, and they never smile at us? What if we go to Guatemala to build a clinic, but we come back with an infection? What if we follow Jesus into the world to share the mercy and love of God, and it just doesn’t look like the kingdom has come? —Rebecca Bruff Loving the World with God: Fourth Day Living

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW reminds us that following Jesus might sometimes mean stepping out of our comfortable boat of the familiar into the fluid and uncertain reality of life….
Following Jesus is risky. We probably will have to step out of our comfort zones. And loving the world with God is iffy business. We will face frustrations, questions, and discouragement. What if we give our time and energy to others in need, but we don’t see any results? What if we work hard for mercy and justice, and it doesn’t seem to make a difference? What if we get up at four o’clock in the morning to provide breakfast at a shelter, and no one thanks us? What if we spend all day building a wheelchair ramp for an elderly couple, and they never smile at us? What if we go to Guatemala to build a clinic, but we come back with an infection? What if we follow Jesus into the world to share the mercy and love of God, and it just doesn’t look like the kingdom has come?

—Rebecca Bruff
Loving the World with God: Fourth Day Living

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'Heartlight'

January 20

 

James 1:2-3

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

 

Thoughts on today's verse

 

"Hang in there!" There are few traits more important than perseverance. Most important accomplishments in life happen because of perseverance. Most luck occurs when we've perservered long enough for the "magical moment" to come along. Edison said it best, life's greatest feats, the world's greatest discoveries, his own most fantastic inventions were "1% inspiration and 99% perspiration." "Hang in there!" and see the glory of God come through in you!

 

Prayer:

Unchangeable and Unshakeable God, through the friends you have sent into my life and by the power of your gift, the Holy Spirit, help me to stand up under trial and prove my character true with perseverance when under fire. Give my faith courage and endurance so that my life shows forth your enduring strength. Through him who remained faithul unto death, I pray. Amen.

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