The Upper Room Devotional for 9th September 2023 Saturday
The Upper Room Devotional for 9th September 2023, Saturday Message by Ken Claar (Idaho, USA)
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TOPIC: Ordinary People
TODAY’S READING
Mark 4:35-41
To all who received [the Word], who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God. – John 1:12 (NRSVUE)
I wasn’t raised in a Christian home, so I first learned about the Bible through Christian comics. David and Goliath, Noah and the ark, Jonah and the fish — these men were all superheroes to me. Later, as a young adult in the military service, I started attending chapel where I heard some strange new things that changed my perspective: David sinned, Noah got drunk, Jonah defied God’s call. I have come to believe that the Bible is a true story of God’s power and love manifested through ordinary people.
I can relate to the stories of so many of the ordinary people in the Bible. I have been on a ship at sea during a typhoon, so I can identify with the fright of the fishermen in today’s scripture who thought their boat was sinking while Jesus slept. I can relate to Peter who sometimes spoke without thinking. (See Matt. 16:21-28 and 26:31-35, 69-75.) And I can relate to the people who were unable to believe the good news when Mary Magdalene told them Jesus was alive (Mk. 16:10-11).
The Bible is filled with ordinary people who were empowered by God to believe and to live new lives. Even Jesus came into our world as an ordinary man. We don’t have to be superheroes to be part of God’s family. We need only to believe and to follow the path God has set for us.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear God, help us always to remember that all the superheroes in the Bible are ordinary people chosen by you. Choose us this day. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
God’s kingdom is full of ordinary people like me.
PRAYER FOCUS
Gratitude for ordinary people
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The Upper Room Devotional for 9th September 2023 Message, 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.
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