How to Conduct Your Citizenship
Today's Reflection
A more literal translation of [Philippians 1:27] might begin, “Conduct your citizenship in a way that is worthy of the good news of Christ.”
The net effect of this change is the way it puts believers in relationship with one another. We are not owners of private lots in a gospel subdivision where the good news means anything we say it means on our own property. Instead, we are citizens of a divine commonwealth that depends heavily on us to uphold its reputation.
—Barbara Brown Taylor, “Divine Provision,” in The Upper Room Disciplines 2023: A Book of Daily Devotions (Upper Room Books, 2022)
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Today's Question
In what ways does your life reflect your citizenship in a divine commonwealth? Join the conversation.
Today's Scripture
[Paul wrote,] Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel.
—Philippians 1:27 (NRSV)
Prayer for the Week
Loving God, we thank you for the ways you provide for us. Help us to become more aware of your presence in our daily lives and to share your love with others. Amen.
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.
Something More
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Lectionary Readings
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
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1 Comments | Join the Conversation.Tender Relationships
Today's Reflection
This is an unexpected entry in the list of divine provisions we are counting this week. ... Today, thanks to the strong connection between Paul and the Philippians, the divine provision of tender relationships enters the list at number one. The needs of the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi take precedence over Paul’s desire to depart and be with Christ. The connective tissue of Christian community tethers him to this life even when dying is gain for him.
—Barbara Brown Taylor, “Divine Provision,” in The Upper Room Disciplines 2023: A Book of Daily Devotions (Upper Room Books, 2022)
Disciplines 2024 is now available! Learn more and order your copy here.
Today's Question
What tender relationships has God provided for you? Join the conversation.
Today's Scripture
[Paul wrote,] I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.
—Philippians 1:23-24 (NLT)
Prayer for the Week
Loving God, we thank you for the ways you provide for us. Help us to become more aware of your presence in our daily lives and to share your love with others. Amen.
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.
Something More
Want to play a greater role in the ministries of The Upper Room? Consider becoming a member of our Fellowship Circle, our monthly giving program that invites you to designate your gift to the ministry that stirs your heart. We warmly embrace gifts of any amount. Your generosity will lead to lasting impact. Thank you for joining today.
Lectionary Readings
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Looking for lectionary-based resources? Learn more about The Upper Room Disciplines.
3 Comments | Join the Conversation.Keep the Habit of Praise Alive
Today's Reflection
Read as a whole, the psalm presents a condensed version of salvation history from Abraham to Moses.
But its purpose is not to educate. Its purpose is to keep the habit of praise alive through all the tight spots of a precarious existence. Whether it is an individual life in the red zone, a family life, or the life of a whole congregation, the Tanakh translation of the psalm offers ten imperatives in its first five verses: Praise the Lord; call on his name; proclaim his deeds; sing praises to him; speak of his wondrous acts; exult in his holy name; let those who seek the Lord rejoice; turn to the Lord; seek his presence constantly; remember the wonders he has done.
—Barbara Brown Taylor, “Divine Provision,” in The Upper Room Disciplines 2023: A Book of Daily Devotions (Upper Room Books, 2022)
Disciplines 2024 is now available! Learn more and order your copy here.
Today's Question
What can you praise God for today? Join the conversation.
Today's Scripture
O give thanks to the Lord; call on his name; make known his deeds among the peoples.
Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works.
—Psalm 105:1-2 (NRSV)
Prayer for the Week
Loving God, we thank you for the ways you provide for us. Help us to become more aware of your presence in our daily lives and to share your love with others. Amen.
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.
Something More
Want to play a greater role in the ministries of The Upper Room? Consider becoming a member of our Fellowship Circle, our monthly giving program that invites you to designate your gift to the ministry that stirs your heart. We warmly embrace gifts of any amount. Your generosity will lead to lasting impact. Thank you for joining today.
Lectionary Readings
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Looking for lectionary-based resources? Learn more about The Upper Room Disciplines.
1 Comments | Join the Conversation.The Presence of the Lord
Today's Reflection
No one has parsed Exodus more carefully than the Jews whose story it tells. Rabbinical literature is full of best guesses about the meaning of each detail.
The Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh version of the Bible reminds me that the same thing can happen with language. Take the Hebrew word kavod for instance, which the NRSV translates in today’s reading as “glory.” That’s a good flavor—one most Christian Bibles use—though kavod can also mean reverence, honor, respect, or significance depending on who translates it. The Tanakh surprises by choosing the English word “Presence” instead. ... In the morning, Moses and Aaron tell the people they shall see the “Presence of the Lord.”
—Barbara Brown Taylor, “Divine Provision,” in The Upper Room Disciplines 2023: A Book of Daily Devotions (Upper Room Books, 2022)
Disciplines 2024 is now available! Learn more and order your copy here.
Today's Question
In what ways have you seen glimpses of God's presence in your life? Join the conversation.
Today's Scripture
Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaining against the Lord. For what are we, that you complain against us?”
—Exodus 16:6-7 (NRSV)
Prayer for the Week
Loving God, we thank you for the ways you provide for us. Help us to become more aware of your presence in our daily lives and to share your love with others. Amen.
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.
Something More
Want to play a greater role in the ministries of The Upper Room? Consider becoming a member of our Fellowship Circle, our monthly giving program that invites you to designate your gift to the ministry that stirs your heart. We warmly embrace gifts of any amount. Your generosity will lead to lasting impact. Thank you for joining today.
Lectionary Readings
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Looking for lectionary-based resources? Learn more about The Upper Room Disciplines.
1 Comments | Join the Conversation.The Israelites Complain
Today's Reflection
Six weeks into the wilderness, the Israelites missed all that life back in Egypt. They weren’t stoic about it, either. They complained bitterly to Moses and Aaron (the closest they had to clergy) about their raw deal. If God meant to kill them, why not do it back in Egypt, after a big bowl of stew and all the [bread] they could eat? Even condemned prisoners got a last meal.
God responded by raining bread from heaven—one kind, not the kind the people had in mind, but bread all the same.
—Barbara Brown Taylor, "Divine Provision," in The Upper Room Disciplines 2023: A Book of Daily Devotions (Upper Room Books, 2022)
Disciplines 2024 is now available! Learn more and order your copy here.
Today's Question
When is it important to remember and include the complaining that took place when you're telling your story? Join the conversation.
Today's Scripture
The Israelites said to [Moses and Aaron], “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
—Exodus 16:3 (NRSV)
Prayer for the Week
Loving God, we thank you for the ways you provide for us. Help us to become more aware of your presence in our daily lives and to share your love with others. Amen.
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.
Something More
Want to play a greater role in the ministries of The Upper Room? Consider becoming a member of our Fellowship Circle, our monthly giving program that invites you to designate your gift to the ministry that stirs your heart. We warmly embrace gifts of any amount. Your generosity will lead to a lasting impact. Thank you for joining today.
Lectionary Readings
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Looking for lectionary-based resources? Learn more about The Upper Room Disciplines.
3 Comments | Join the Conversation.Love Takes Time
Today's Reflection
The reign of God expands at a slow pace because it grows at the speed of love. Love takes time. God’s reign, like walking, is slow. You cannot hurry it any more than you can hurry the unfolding of a rose’s petals. ... Walking as a spiritual practice requires that we move attentively, receptively, mindfully through the present moment as if it were the only moment that matters because it is the moment in which we encounter the God who walks with us.
—Thomas R. Hawkins, Every Step a Prayer: Walking as Spiritual Practice (Upper Room Books, 2016)
Today's Question
How might your day be different if you moved a little more slowly? Join the conversation.
Today's Scripture
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
—1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NRSV)
Prayer for the Week
God of creation, we know that love takes time. May we be prayerful on each step of the journey. Amen.
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.
Something More
Disciplines 2024 is now available! Challenge yourself to a deeper relationship with Christ using The Upper Room Disciplines. Readings in this year-long devotional will awaken and strengthen your awareness of God’s presence in your daily life. Learn more here.
Lectionary Readings
(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)
Looking for lectionary-based resources? Learn more about The Upper Room Disciplines.
1 Comments | Join the Conversation.