Loading more...
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
As we begin a month of celebrating Hispanic Heritage here in the United States, join us Read More
The Upper Room is here for you in these anxious times. Click Here
Jay M. Hanke | Read 2 Timothy 4:6-8
Disciplines is available in a variety of formats: print, digital, and print/digital combo packages. A digital subscription includes access to author bios, the ability to comment, and audio lectio.
Sign Up TodayThe sports-mania of Western culture quickly brings to mind the image of the raised index finger. We want to be first, not second; winners, not losers; victors now, not next year. Preoccupation with winning dominates more areas than our sports venues. We want to be first in everything: our relationships,...
Talk with God about the contests you are running today. In silence, ponder what it means to be faithful.
The Hebrew scripture readings declare the salvation of humankind and insist that the initiative for that sal- vation comes from God alone. The prophet Joel looks forward to the day when all Israel’s sons and daughters will become as prophets in the land. Psalm 65 is a psalm of thanksgiving for the “God of our salvation.” The writer of Second Timothy elevates his own achievements by means of athletic imagery, but the reading concludes with an acknowledgment that strength and deliverance have come and will come from God. The story of the prayers of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke suggests the perils of ignoring the fundamental truth of Joel 2 and Psalm 65. The Pharisee presumes that his achievements are his alone; the tax collector knows that prayer begins and ends with a cry to God for mercy.
• Read Joel 2:23-32. In the face of tragedy, how can we encourage one another to see with Joel’s eyes?
• Read Psalm 65. What in the created world brings words of praise of the Creator to your lips? What ridges and furrows in your life need God’s softening?
• Read 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18. What would it look like in your life to run the race God has set before you without striving to outrun others?
• Read Luke 18:9-14. Where might God be inviting your grati- tude? How can your gratitude to God lead to tangible love of a neighbor you might have otherwise disregarded?
Respond by posting a prayer.
Writing, journaling, taking time to pause are practices that help me remain resilient in the midst of life's challenges—and we all need those things.”
Learn more at UpperRoom.org/resilience.
