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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

WHEN THE RISEN CHRIST is revealed to us, the full power of the Resurrection is released in us. Our Lord doesn’t just lay claim to our spiritual nature, but to our physical nature as well: heart, soul, mind, and strength! It’s no wonder Jesus says to love God with each of these. We need our entire selves to love God fully.

—Wendy LeBolt
Made to Move: Knowing and Loving God Through Our Bodies

From page 91 of Made to Move: Knowing and Loving God Through Our Bodies by Wendy LeBolt. Copyright © 2019 by The Upper Room. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Upper Room Books. Learn more about or purchase this book.

Today’s Question

Loving with heart, mind, and strength: which of these three is the most difficult for you? Share your thoughts.

Today’s Scripture

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
—Mark 12:30, NRSV

Prayer for the Week

Thank you, Magnificent God, for the body that you created uniquely for me.

Submit your prayer to The Upper Room Living Prayer Center or share it in the comment section.

Did You Know?

Those who pour out their lives daily in service to others need a little refreshment. Join us for a special event in April, Resilience for Activists. Learn more.

Lectionary Readings

(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

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

Sponsored by The Upper Room. Copyright © 2019 | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA

7 Comments

  • robert moeller Posted March 17, 2019 6:31 am

    I think strength is the hardest for me. While I have learned that I have more physical strength than I imagined, there are many who are physically stronger than me. How much spiritual or mind relate strength I have only God really knows. I don’t know how to measure that.

    Very thankful for the follow-up session held yesterday in Lebanon NH after the UMC special general conference. I think there is a rocky road through the valley yet, but I am hearing God say that an inclusive church is wanted. It was a very encouraging day for me even though many expressed sadness and hurt.
    I tend to rebound from these feelings faster. I am an eternal optimist. I will say that the special general conference took my mind, heart, soul, and strength very low.

    Thankful to a new primary care physician for finding a new PM provider for Anneliese. I am hopeful that she will promptly receive the care and attention her spinal problems need.

    Not every country has a grand celebration for a patron saint. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to the Irish.

    Prayers for the needs of each and every UR family member and the people of the world. God’s peace be with you.

  • robert moeller Posted March 17, 2019 6:51 am

    Julie thank you for your kind words. While Anneliese and I do not agree on aspects of my relations with Erich, I certainly wish her no harm and hope for improvements to her health We live 3 and 1/2 hours, 180 miles apart.

    Amen to your prayers.

    Darr, I believe your mother is in heaven. While God wants and likes to hear your prayers, in the situation you were, God understands and knows your heart.

    Thankful for the response in New Zealand and around the world to the senseless taking of life in Christchurch. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

    Prayers for Andrea. God is seeing you through without your phone and luggage. You are inconvenienced, but not helpless. You will safely return home and recover. Thank You, Lord.

    REPLY LINK
    Kimberly March 16, 2019, 1:15 pm
    Thank You Jesus For Your Love And Kindness. Amen.

    REPLY LINK
    Darr Sigilman March 16, 2019, 8:39 pm
    I think that when my mother was in the hospital with cancer I was so interested in her being healed that I forgot to pray with her and for her that she would be ready to die and the she would die in the hope of the resurrection of the just. I hope that she will still be in heaven.

    REPLY LINK
    Ken Linscott March 16, 2019, 8:52 pm
    Hi Upper Room Family,
    Just returned from a very significant service of compassion for the families of victims in the Christchurch massacre. We, in our home town Timaru. About a thousand or more people turned out to express love and concern. Fifty one balloons were released by children and young people, one for each person who had lost their lives. Interestingly the balloons stayed together as a group till they disappeared into the distance. A symbol of our togetherness!
    Blessings, brothers and sisters as we journey. Ken

    REPLY LINK
    Andrea March 16, 2019, 10:24 pm
    Hello UR friends, I am in a hospital hotel in Norway for two nights after spending six hours in a hospital ER for a broken leg. I need to returbn to the hospital Monday morning to be fitted for a brace. I need to change one and possibly more flights to get home. There are some logistical difficulties with retrieving my luggage, which is on a ship that departed without me. I don’t have my mobile phone, which is also on the ship,, which makes communication difficult. Fortunately, the hotel has loaned me a laptop. Also, I was given crutches which I can hardly use due to hand weakness. So far, I have a wheelchair borrowed from the hospital. Please pray for me that things come together and I get home without further injury. I deeply inhale God’s assurance- Thank you, Julie and all, for your prayers. You all are in mine.

    • Connie Posted March 17, 2019 9:00 am

      Oh no, Andrea. I am praying for you as I type this message. “May all things work together for good”…..

    • April Posted March 17, 2019 9:54 am

      Oh Andrea, my prayers are with you as you are in a foreign country. When I was in high school we had an exchange student from Norway in our class and he was very kind. I think of him and his country that they may be kind to you. While we are all on this earth together, may we be kind to one another.

  • Mary Ng Shwu Ling Posted March 17, 2019 7:16 am

    Prayers for Andre’s safe journey home. May all her needs be met and may God bless her with a speedy recovery!

    Robert, your sacrifice and support for your son reflect your unconditional love and God’s love for him. I am sure he will appreciate it and hope one day he will receive Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior.

    Blessings to all!

    Prayers for Marcy, Connie, Julie, Jill, Lou and their families.

    May God watch over each one of us and may we love God with all our heart, mind and strength!

  • Andrea Posted March 17, 2019 8:17 pm

    Thank you, Robert, Connie, Mary, Apri, and everyonel for your prayers. I bought good travel insurance and it is paying for Lowell to come to Norway to help me return to the US.

    I got five heparin syringes to inject myself once a day, to prevent a blood clot. I just discovered that the dosage of the syringes I was given is five times as much as the doctor prescribed. He prescribed 5,000 units in each syringe, and what I was given is 25,000. I have given myself two of the injections and have some bruising at the sites. I went down to the hotel reception desk (I am in the hospital hotel) just now – it is almost 1 a.m. here I think, and asked him if he could reach a doctor for me to talk to. He advised I wait until I go to the outpatient orthotic clinic in the morning, where I will be fitted for a brace. Please, please pray that the excess heparin does not cause me any blood-thinning related problem.

    My husband arrives in Oslo in nine hours and then will catch a short domestic flight to the far north of the country, above the Arctic Circle, where I am in the University Hospital for Northern Norway, however, currently in a room in the hotel attached to the hospital. Apart from the heparin dosage error, everything is going well. I speak Norwegian so I am getting along, although nearly everyone here speaks very good English. I met a Norwegian women my age in the hotel cafe who broke her leg the same day I did and we had a nice chat, showing each other our plaster casts and talking about how we are learning to manipulate our wheel chairs. It raised my spirits to chat lightly with her, and I think it was a God moment.

    I do not have my mobile phone, glasses, or daily medications. They were all on the ship, along with my luggage, and the ship left without me 30-some hours ago. All I have are the clothes I was wearing when the accident happened. Fortunately, I have my passport, Visa card, and all my cash with me. I am using a laptop the hotel loaned to me for all communication with mhy husband, the travel agent, and my relatives in Oslo. Without my glasses, it is a little difficult, but I am managing.

    God is a loving, merciful, and will keep usin Sheltering Arms through all the passages in our life. The verse that comes to mind, from the Old Testament but I do not recall where: Those of a steadfast mind You keep in peace, peace because they trust in You. May God bless each of you and may we all be firm in trusting God’s care and infinite wisdom.

  • Sean Staz Posted March 19, 2019 9:52 am

    Thank you for this!

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