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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

JESUS … IS A DISTURBER of our immaturities, one who challenges us to find and use our strengths. A master craftsman in the skills that can make us strong in love, generous in service, and abundant in joy, he wants to spur us into a maturity that can collaborate with the Love that gave us birth.

– Robert Corin Morris
Provocative Grace:

From page18 of Provocative Grace: The Challenge in Jesus’ Words by Robert Corin Morris, Copyright © 2006 by Robert Corin Morris. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. http://bookstore.upperroom.org/ Learn more about or purchase this book.

Today’s Question

What is Christ doing in your life to make you strong in Love. Share your thoughts.

Today’s Scripture

If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?

Psalm 130:3, NRSV

This Week: pray for patience. 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: Boniface (June 5).

Lectionary Readings

(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

Sponsored by Upper Room Ministries ®. Copyright © 2018 | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA

14 Comments

  • Jill Posted June 6, 2018 4:17 am

    Through all of this with my parents – I find myself asking God to help me to love my parents well, to honor them in this stage of our lives. How I wish my mom could sense God’s love. I want to do whatever I can to make her feel my love – and maybe in some way that can translate to His love coming out through me. I think I am trying to be “strong” in front of my parents. When the opportunity arises – I am pretty forthcoming with my dad. Next week – we will finally be able to get back to our golfing together. This will give us an opportunity to share much. I believe my dad sees me standing strong in my faith – and I hope he is encouraged by this. It seems strange to me that I find myself being the pillar of strength/faith. I always viewed my dad as the spiritual godly leader of the family. And, yet, now – in some ways – our faith looks different.
    Birthday blessings to Robert and Lou. Praying for new memories to be made, special moments with your family. Continued prayers for Julie and her home situation. May God provide what is necessary for each day. Marcy – as you continue to persevere through all of this, may you have a sense of His presence with you.

    • Marcy Posted June 6, 2018 4:48 pm

      Jill, I continue to pray for you, your Mom, Gloria, your Dad, Larry and sister, Becky, as transitions are happening. It is so good that your faith and love is there for both of your parents. Praying continued strength for you, my sister, and learn much from you. Thank you for praying for me. Now that I’ve started asking, I feel led to continue to ask for prayers. Thank you God, for Jill, and her insights.

  • robert moeller Posted June 6, 2018 6:40 am

    Thankful for the birthday wishes from Jill, Marcy, Andrea, Lou, Julie, Connie, Mary, people in church, my dentist, Model Railroader magazine, my children, and friends. God poured out blessings through all of you.

    Happy birthday! Lou! Yes, I hope for the best in your new home, blessings to you and your children. You’ve turned a big sharp corner on the path of your life and making good progress. Thank You, Lord!

    One of the surprises of the day was the post from Marcy. Very glad to read that. UR family prayers were answered with your post, Marcy.
    The surprise food turned out be to a lobster roll served at the ocean’s edge in Maine. It doesn’t get any fresher than that. A little mix up on the delivery, but patience persisted and all’s well that ends well.
    Drove through Crawford Notch in NH, not far from Mount Washington, the highest mountain in New England. Saw the cog and Conway Scenic railways, waterfalls, and lakes. Disassembled the cab, boiler, and detail parts on a Märklin Prussisan T3 to get to the platform on which I hope an HO scale cab, boiler and detail parts will rest to form a Henschel built Bismarck type steam locomotive of the Hersfeld District Railroad after learning that the nickel silver etched plates of an O scale Bismarck model could be reduced to HO scale. It will still take some time and effort to see if all of this works, but I am hopeful.

    I believe I am a patient person, that it is a trait God has given me. Persistent patience is very much needed building models, but also in dealing with people.

    Prayers for persistent patience, God’s wisdom and strength for Julie in the light of her “husband’s” revelation. Doing what is right, finding a way through a problem, and dealing with what comes our way are all challenging, but if you turn to and trust God, it will all work out. God will see you through.

    • Marcy Posted June 6, 2018 5:32 pm

      Robert, what a wonderful birthday you had yesterday! Lobster and all things trains, waterfalls and lakes! Oh, how I enjoy your descriptions; I can envision them and experience them, life-sized and model-sized, a little through you. I believe you put much patience and skill into your work building model trains and the town from the day ground up. I had a set of very old, painstakingly crafted cardboard buildings, bridges and such that went with my trains. I wonder if I still have them in a box in storage. Reminds me always of good times with my Dad.

      It seems to me, you definitely have the gift of God’s Spirit-filled patience, Robert. It is seen and felt in your thoughts and prayers here in the UR family. We are blessed. Thank you, God, for Robert’s patient prayers for us.

      I continue to keep you, your children, sister, other family members and loved ones and little Pearl in my prayers. Thank you for the welcome back and keeping me in your prayers. I am asking, in particular, for continued prayers through Monday, the 11th, for the first specialist I see this month.

      • robert moeller Posted June 6, 2018 5:50 pm

        Thank you Marcy. You are one of the surprise birthday blessings God sent me.
        I know that al of the UR family joins me and expressing our joy to hear from you. Prayers for your meeting with the specialist on Monday the 11th. God most certainly has been with you and helped you come this far. You are just another of the many reasons we all trust in the Lord.

  • Betsy Posted June 6, 2018 6:58 am

    I hope that I can show God’s love through my everyday actions. Spending time close to God in prayer each day helps me to hopefully show His love and grace.
    I’ve just returned from a visit with family and celebrated my sister’s oldest child’s graduation, so I’ve been following here, but not posting. Happy Belatd birthday to Robert and Lou! A new home for you, Lou! So happy for a new start. Is school over for you, Jill? Glad you will be able to continue your golfing games with your dad. That is so good for him to share time with you.
    Thankful today for the return of routine and chores around the house.

    • Marcy Posted June 6, 2018 5:47 pm

      Betsy, I am so glad you had a good family visit and celebrated your sister’s oldest child’s graduation! Yes, coming back home after a trip is a comfort, chores and all. I go to God many times throughout my days. I pray you and your family are all well and am thankful for your safe travel. Thank you, God, for Betsy’s example of Your love and grace.

    • robert moeller Posted June 6, 2018 5:53 pm

      Thank you Betsy! Thank the Lord for your safe roundtrip and glad that you were able to witness that graduation. Many blessings.

  • Julie Posted June 6, 2018 8:03 am

    Thank you to all those who have expressed concern and support for me these past few difficult days. I met with a lawyer yesterday and found out that I will be in fine shape financially if “husband” acts on his words.
    Now I am consumed with shame due to my unbelief that the Lord would continue to care for me. I seek your wisdom in this matter. I have entreated the Lord and confessed my sin as I am confessing to you here. I feel that I am confessing to fellow believers as instructed in the Bible.
    So good to hear of your enjoyable birthday Robert. Glad for safe travels.
    Good to hear from Jill and that she and her dad will resume golf soon.
    Glad Betsy also had safe and enjoyable travels.
    So thankful to hear from Marcy.
    Blessings and prayers for all of the UR family

    • robert moeller Posted June 6, 2018 10:26 am

      While you acted as you felt a need and I respect that. I also think that your trust in your husband and your trust in the Lord are two different things.
      I am glad that in this situation they happen to coincide. I am very hopeful that the resolution will be as expected and you will be on more solid footing in all ways.

    • Marcy Posted June 6, 2018 6:17 pm

      Julie, praises that you were able to see a lawyer, who put things in perspective for you in such a positive way! I am thankful to God that this has brought you relief. I am always keeping you and your daughter in my prayers and will continue to do so in the coming days. Sometimes, in the scariest and most fearful times in our lives, there can be a time of feeling lost and forgotten. God doesn’t leave us though, He never left us and understands, for He is a Loving God. The important thing, is that we reconnect with Him, like you did. We are so very blessed in having such a God full of empathy, who accepts our confessions and embraces us in His all-encompassing Love!

      Thank you, Julie, for your welcome back to me. I am asking for some continued prayers of my own. Thank you, God, for Julie’s openness and instructive practice of Your Word!

  • Mary Ng Shwu Ling Posted June 6, 2018 7:14 pm

    So glad to hear from you Marcy.

    Julie, God is our provider. He can provide through different means nor necessary through your husband.

    Blessings to all!

  • Marcy Posted June 6, 2018 8:10 pm

    Hello blessed UR family! Yes, I aspire to be “strong in love, generous in service and abundant in joy,” as the Author of our Faith wants us to be. I’ve been learning patience in praying and some days are better than others.

    I’m asking for everyone’s prayers please, as I finally see the Pulmonary doctor on Monday, June 11th. I’m apprehensive about this visit, as it is my breathing issues that mainly keep me housebound. Having to worry about time because of the needle on the dial of the oxygen tank is one thing, but also it doesn’t seem to help much. I’ve been on inhalers and only got the medicine for the nebulizer approved two weeks ago. I go to God with this many times during the day. I’m having to use the oxygen even at rest more often. Praises that a friend, the same one that’s helped from the beginning, when I first applied for disability, will be accompanying me to the doctor. Although I have other painful, debilitating issues, this one is the most worrisome to me. She has taken the day off from work for support and it will be so good to have someone there with me! I just have to make it five more days….I have much to be thankful for. Thanks be to God!

    I continue to keep you all in my prayers: Jill and her family, Lou and her children, Robert and his family, Julie and her daughter, Betsy and Grace, Andrea and Lowell and her daughter, son-in-law and grandson, Andrea’s friend, Father Edwin in Sri Lanka, Connie, Mary, Pam, April, Francesca, Gerri, Ami, Jean, Joan, Rusty and K, Gail Churchill, Ken Linscott, Lila, diane/nj/usa, Kenneth Miller, Cathy Harris, Carol and Robin, Chloe and Paige, Cherie, Eileen, Dorothy, Holly M, Laurie, Tori and others I will name others another day, just in case they’re checking in. Praying for those who struggle mentally, emotionally, physically, relationally and spiritually for health and happiness. Praises for those celebrating birthdays and graduations.

    And these three remain: Faith, Hope and Love, and the greatest of these is LOVE!

  • April Posted June 6, 2018 10:26 pm

    Dear UR Family, it is so good to check in with everyone and say Happy Birthday to Lou and Robert, as well as posts from all as we share our concerns. We lift each other up to God and I see God’s presence in our lives. So good to hear about your visit with the lawyer, Julie. Nice that Jill will have time off soon from teaching…you are a blessing to your parents at this time and always. In every way…and for all that post with updates, this reassures me that what Marcy says is so true….the greatest of these is Love. May we all feel a hug from each other and God to encourage us to shine….that the World may see Christ through us.

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