THE UPPER ROOM DEVOTIONAL 14TH SEPTEMBER 2025, SUNDAY MESSAGE
You Matter
Julie Breutzmann (Iowa, USA)
Today’s Reading
1 Thessalonians 5:12-18
Key Verse: We urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. – 1 Thessalonians 5:14 (NIV)
I have been involved in prison ministry since 2016. Once I received an email from a woman in federal prison that said, “The Christmas celebration with you guys was incredible. It made me feel like I mattered.” I was stunned by the second sentence. I thought, Of course you matter! To me and especially to God. That was obvious to me but apparently not always to her. I realized that too often the world tells and shows these women that they do not matter.
Many who are incarcerated feel rejected and abandoned. Understanding this made me realize the importance of letting people know that they matter to God and to me. We can help people to know God’s love through our words and actions. On more than one occasion, women at the jail have told me that they cried when they read the words you matter in a note I had sent them. We may not always know the effect our words have on someone, but an encouraging word and our support can mean a great deal to others.
Today’s Prayer
Dear Lord, help us to reach out to others with words and acts of kindness, encouragement, support, and love so that they will know how much they matter to you. Amen.
Thought for the Day
I can encourage others with my words and actions.
Prayer Focus
Women in prison
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More from Julie Breutzmann
The Upper Room Devotional 14th September 2025 is a daily devotional magazine published in more than 30 languages and 100 countries around the world. The daily meditations are written by readers of the magazine and others interested in sharing their faith experiences through writing—both laity and clergy, published authors and new writers. Read More