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New every morning is your love, great God of light, and all day long you are working for good in the world. Stir up in us desire to serve you, to live peacefully with our neighbors and all your creation, and to devote each day to your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

"A Liturgy for Morning Prayer," Upper Room Worshipbook

Used by permission from the Book of Common Worship, © 2018 Westminster John Knox Press. All rights reserved. This prayer appears in “A Liturgy for Morning Prayer” in Upper Room Worshipbook.

 

Today’s Reflection

As we serve from our spiritual gifts, we discover more about God, ourselves, and our relationship with God. We can gain a deeper understanding of the priesthood of all believers. . . . The purpose of our call has two directions. It is first directed toward God and for God’s glory. It is also directed toward our fellow human beings to enable humanity to live its fullest potential with the abundance Jesus spoke of in the Gospel of John (see 10:10).

—Christine Harman, For the Common Good: Discovering and Using Your Spiritual Gifts (Upper Room Books, 2021)

Today’s Question

How can using your spiritual gifts help you to live a more abundant life? Join the conversation.

Today’s Scripture

[Jesus said,] I came so that they could have life—indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest.
—John 10:10 (CEB)

Prayer for the Week

Holy God, help me discover the gifts you have given me and find ways to use these gifts for the common good of others. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.

Something More

Join The Academy for Spiritual Formation for a transformative hybrid experience that will empower you to live a more integrated life of peace and justice. Click here to learn more about Spirituality in Practice: Embodied Imagination for Life and Liberation and how you can apply today!

Lectionary Readings

(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

Looking for lectionary-based resources? Learn more about The Upper Room Disciplines.

3 Comments

  • robert moeller Posted April 27, 2024 5:18 am

    Doing God’s work using the spiritual gifts God has given us builds everyone up.
    Had a very good trip to Portland yesterday, my son acknowledges that a lot of progress is being
    made, Had a two mile walk with him after lunch. Resources being restored, they make possible more progress. Blessings to all of NEM. Thank You, Lord.

  • April Posted April 27, 2024 6:20 pm

    The theme of this week on Spiritual gifts has been a challenge for me as I relate it to my week in the yard gardening.
    I love to garden and care for plants. I have been doing this several years in our HOA because I love to see flowers blooming, meet the dog walkers, beautify our neighborhood. For years I have done this, but all is coming to a screeching halt as I have been informed that I am banned from anymore planting and especially a mound that I have carefully planted and taken care of…it was barren and overgrown from the time we have lived here , 10 years. I am permitted to take care of what plants we currently have and I can do what I want with any of “my” plants. They are transplanted plants from other spots in our HOA. And the annuals that I purchase are my gift to the HOA.
    So I am pondering how to correlate my gardening with my Spiritual Gift of encouraging, loving, sharing.
    It all seemed to be a perfect fit, but now …
    So I am praying and telling myself “when 1 door closes, another opens” and to be ready when God opens that door for me.
    I pray for you, my NEM family, that God’s blessings and love will rain down upon you every minute of the day. May we feel the hand of Holy Spirit guiding us to share our Spiritual Gifts for the transformation of our world.

  • Ally Posted April 28, 2024 6:00 pm

    I’m not a gardener, but I love flowers and plants. I have always felt I lacked the patience needed. May I come from a long line of gardeners and sometimes feel guilty about not enjoying it more. Then today, a dear lady at the church where I serve as pianist, gave me a plant. I’m not even sure what it is, but she said it does well in containers or in the ground. So I’m going to get a container and some soil and plant it. We will see what happens.
    I think the fruits of the Spirit give us the grace to share our gifts without arrogance. I also think God wants us to share what we have. For those who feel the fruits are what they have to offer, then that is their gift. It may be that the fruits mentioned in Galatians give us the grace to accept and develop the gifts of the Spirit to further the kindom.

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