Today’s Reflection
GOD WANTS US to be in community and use our gifts to help others. We are God’s gift to the world, and we can provide light for those in darkness, warmth for those who are cold, and joy for those who walk in sadness. Our true purpose is to worship God, understand who Jesus is, and be moved by the Holy Spirit to action. Just as a match gets struck to create warmth and light, what we witness in the world should strike us so that we are moved into action. We can submit ourselves to live the life of a disciple and transform the world.
– Sabrina N. Short and Chris Wilterdink
Building Spiritual Muscle
From page 54 of Building Spiritual Muscle: A Six-Week Journey to a More Powerful Faith by Sabrina N. Short and Chris Wilterdink. Copyright © 2016 by Discipleship Resources. All rights reserved. Used by permission. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today’s Question
What is the Holy Spirit moving you to do today? Share your thoughts.
Today’s Scripture
He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm.
Mark 4:39, NRSV
This Week: pray a prayer of thanksgiving every day this week. Submit your prayer to The Upper Room Living Prayer Center or share it in the comment section.
Did You Know?
In need of prayer? The Upper Room Living Prayer Center is a 7-day-a-week intercessory prayer ministry staffed by trained volunteers. Call 1-800-251-2468 or visit The Living Prayer Center website.
This week we remember: Ephrem (June 18).
Lectionary Readings
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
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21 Comments
It seems everywhere I look I am being encouraged to be grateful. I don’t think I have an ungrateful attitude, but I certainly can be more intentional about being grateful, about big and small things.
I was grateful for time to myself yesterday, to rest and have solitude. Also, for favorable test results following an ultrasound. Always grateful to read the love and support that flows here. Wishing all a Christ-centered weekend.
It is good to read you have found time for rest and solitude, Jill. I keep you in prayer, asking for strength and support for you, your father and sister with the heavy load you are bearing together, as I pray for your mother’s consolation, comfort, and peace in her course with cancer. God bless you, faithful Jill.
The Holy Spirit is guiding me to be supportive to all I come in contact with whether in person, on the internet, over the phone, or through the mail.
Erich, Jenny, Anneliese, and the UR family come first to mind, but also my church group, railroad modeling friends, and an army buddy. Staying in touch is very important, it’s like keeping appliances plugged in to a power source. I, myself, and not the power source, at best a transformer where God adapts the power to meet the needs.
Prayers for the needs of the UR family and their families. There is a great variety and diversity of prayers needed. Thankful our God can handle all of them. Thankful for new posters, those who post infrequently, and those who post almost every day. The spectrum is covered. Thank You, Lord.
Have had wonderful weather, great walks – there’s far more to them than physical exercise, and a supper last night that the Holy Spirit most certainly helped me make. I’m beyond boiling, not burning, water, but could use more practice to be a lot better.
The Lord bless you and keep you, your family, friends, coworkers, and church
Robert, may God give you strength for all the support you give to others, and may you be supported as well. I am grateful for your presence here and your faithful model. Keeping you, Erich and Anneliese in prayer, as well as those you hold up here in prayer. God bless you.
God is adding more duties on monday. After friday’s briefing, it seems that the time schedule does not fit cause i was asked to test my students’ soelling both english and madarin while tuition starts at the same time. Of course, the students need to take time to learn the spelling first. However, i will try my best with God’s help. If it doesn’t work, i will feedback to my manager. Just don’t understand why my colleague cannot even handle the english spelling. It seems that i need to straddle between my tuition class and the rest of the students which i think is not fair to the tuition students. Before i came to this centre, they actually employed professional tutors for the students. Now, i have to tutor all the levels.
May God be my strength, wisdom and ever present help!
Grateful for time to rest this saturday without going back to work.
Blessings
Mary, I pray this challenge on Monday will go well. I have heard about the excellent school system and the high-achieving students in Singapore, and I wonder why teachers need to be so burdened? Is there a teacher shortage or a budget shortfall? May God be with you and direct your steps.
Thank you Andrea for your prayers. It is not just monday but every day of next week. My colleague said on friday she is only to be around for the afternoon when the auditors come and after that she is going home.
Looks like my centre is going to be shortage of teachers. Please pray for a good and responsible colleague for our centre. Thank you
Blessings
Yes, I will pray for a good responsible colleague for your center, and for a reasonable work load for you, Mary. Take care.
Thank you so much dear Andrea!
Blessings!
Mary, you must be a wonderful instructor. From your words it sounds as though you have a reputation and those in charge of schools know they can rely on you and you will rise to whatever challenges they present to you. They also know that you will impart wisdom and knowledge to your students so they give you many to mold. May God now also bless you with the strength for all the tasks he gives you and rest that is free of stress and demands.
Prayers for Gloria, Larry, Jill and Becky. May they enjoy their time together.
Prayers for Robert, Erich, Annalese, and all Robert’s prayer concerns. May Erich come to know You through Robert’s quiet devotion and steadfast love.
Blessings and prayers for all of the UR family. Thank you again for your kind words, thooughts and prayers. I continue to live in fear of my “husband” and my leg is swollen due to my phlebitus. Have a blessed weekend
Julie, I pray for your well-being and support as you navigate the difficult, fearful circumstances you are in. I pray the phlebitis in your leg resolves quickly. God bless you.
Thank you Julie!
I pray for your swollen leg to heal speedily and also God’s presence will be so close to you that you do not live in fear but in confidence that God is our provider.
Blessings
Self-care and gratefulness and thanksgiving have all been themes of the week. Thank you UR family for speaking to them in so many varied ways as I ponder what they and working situations are telling me to do. I feel change is near and I look for God’s messages, indeed The Lord is my/our Shephard. This week I have often awakened during the night and your posts and names come to mind readily. I lift you up and ask for God to touch you and heal/help you as only a Shephard who knows each sheep can do. Then in the morning I come to this site and read your posts to start my day. Indeed this is a 24/7 family, with our different time zones and sleep/wake cycles. How blessed I am to be at the table with each of you.
April, I pray for good sleep for you and for your guidance and strength in whatever changes lies ahead for you. Thank you for your prayers. God bless you.
Wow, thank you April. Your words are moving, touching and sage. I agree with yourassessment of the people who visit this site. This is a group like few others. Full of sound, caring advice, words and prayers.
Today I pray with thanksgiving for faithful friends in the UR community and with gratitude for all your prayers. I pray for Lou’s adjustment to living and taking care of a new home and for her children’s support and continued adjustment to having divorced parents, for Connie and her husband’s health, for Marcy’s health and support, for Betsy and her family and church congregation, for Pam and her family, for Rusty and K, Sara, the Carols who visit and comment occasionally, for Maria Luisa Cortez and those in the LGBT community, for Kenneth Miller, and others whose names slip my mind, and for all who visit UR. I pray with gratitude for Beth Richardson and all at UR who host this blessed online place. May God’s light, this midsummer weekend, shine on each person in this community and guide our steps.
Thankful for Sunday and church. Prayers that worship is blessed and possible for all of you. I think of you, Julie and your leg. Whether at hone or in church worship is possible.
Wonderful that this family has grown and is spread across the earth. A variety of different situations, concerns, issues, face us. Each and everyone is
shared , accepted, and prayed for. What a blessing that is.
I too have difficulty remembering everyone’s name. Know that all of you and your posts are precious. Thankfully God knows you so well that God knows the number of hairs on your head.
April, prayers for the upcoming change you expect, Julie, prayers for health and well being, thankful for your insight; Mary, prayers for more colleagues, a sharing of the tasks, and God’s empowerment; Andrea, thanks for your support and prayers, may all be well with Lowell, your daughter, and grand son; Jill, thankful for your posts, wisdom, your support of your Mom and Dad, and your presence in the classroom as well as with those young mothers; Connie, prayers for you and your husband; thank you Ken for keeping the faith; Betsy, continued peace, rest, for you and your family, and resolution of the church division.
Thankful for the UR family prayers for member of the church I attend, my family, especially Erich, and for Anneliese. I expect this to be a decisive week fro Erich, hopeful that a good solution can be found.
God is with us, thank You, Lord.
This is in response to the 24 June Reflection.
Hopefully the Holy Spirit is working right here where I live and empowering me to be of great assistance to my son. Have taken some first steps, have more to do. God’s will be done.
May God empower you, Robert, to reflect His unconditional and amazing love to Erich. I commit Erich into God’s loving care. May all his needs be met.
Blessings and thank you so much Robert for praying for all of us
Thank you Mary, hope for improvements and help at your school. More teachers, colleagues need there. I sense there is a teacher shortage in Singapore.
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