Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
May 31, 2023
Philippians 1:3-6
3 I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers. 4 I’m thankful for all of you every time I pray, and it’s always a prayer full of joy. 5 I’m glad because of the way you have been my partners in the ministry of the gospel from the time you first believed it until now. 6 I’m sure about this: the one who started a good work in you will stay with you to complete the job by the day of Christ Jesus.
Good Morning; Morning has broken!
One of my greatest blessings is the wonderful, saintly people with whom God has placed along my journey to lead and guide me. These special people became a part of my being as I grew in my faith. The names and faces from my childhood warm my heart with precious memories.
God calls us to join together in one body: the body of believers. We gather to support and nurture one another. Whether we are celebrating or grieving, our spiritual bonds are woven so that we are forever bound.
When God called me to preach the Word, I found a new level of God’s love and support. To accept this calling meant that I would move from friends who had supported me as I grieved the loss of my sweet husband and delivered my very first messages from the pulpit. I remember my first Sunday as a new pastor among those I had not yet come to know. As I began the service at each of my churches, I was overwhelmed by the love they shared. Each smile and nod gave me the strength to allow God’s Word to flow through me.
An amazing surge of energy moves among us when we come together as partners in the ministry of the Gospel. Even when Paul was in prison, he was connected to his fellow believers through this same energy that permeates our space when God connects us. Christ provides us with a direct connection to God through the Holy Spirit that transcends time and space. God with us! God in us! Now and forever! Each time we gather to worship, we join together as a great cloud of witnesses to be the light of God for the world. And God said, “This is good.”
Begin each day with a grateful heart. Live each day with a grateful heart. Close each day with a grateful heart.
Gracious God, You bless us! Thank You! For each person that we encounter, you bless us. You provide us with others to lead and support us on our journeys. Thank you! In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: I will thank God for the blessings others have brought into my life.
Thank God for those who bless you! Pastor Liz
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