Upper Room > Quotes

“When we choose to follow the way of Jesus, we will sometimes find ourselves in situations where we have to choose between silence and integrity. Our silence may keep the peace and protect us from the consequences of offending those in power over us, but we will lose part of ourselves. Standing against injustice and the abuse of power demands courage. It will often cost us dearly, but it will also demonstrate our integrity and our commitment to God’s alternative way of living. If we answer God’s call to participate in God’s plan, we will have to prepare ourselves for these conflicts and learn to experience God’s life and grace in the midst of them.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“Giving God, “I am no longer my own, but thine. Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee, exalted for thee or brought low by thee. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing.”* Amen. *Excerpt from “A Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“If faith consists in our making ourselves believe what we find unbelievable, we are sunk.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“In the Christian tradition, we speak regularly of the need for reconciliation, for peace in the community. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us that “there is no peace without justice.” The hope for the oppressed does not reside in setting aside differences and joining their oppressors—at least not until after justice has been wrought.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“Unjust suffering exists. Our righteousness will not protect us. But when we encounter suffering, we can know that it does not come at the hands of the Creator. We can affirm that God is with us, whispering, speaking. We are not alone, and we are not always to blame.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“A capable wife who can find?” Really? This question in Proverbs 31:10 is snarky! Yet this is the nature of Proverbs: Its insights can be acidic, comforting, funny, scary. Proverbs captures some of the same qualities that catch our attention in quips on our T-shirts: “What goes around comes around.” “If you’re too open-minded, your brains will fall out.” People have always favored edgy, clever, pithy sayings—even if they’re a little mean. So we understand this about the style of Proverbs, set it aside, and look to see if something more important is being said. It is. The author describes not simply the virtues of a capable wife but the characteristics of wisdom itself. Verse 26 says that the wife “opens her mouth with wisdom.” In verse 27, translated as “she looks well to the ways of her household,” that first Hebrew phrase (“she looks well to”) is pronounced sophia (tzo-fi-ya). Sophia is the Greek word for wisdom. It’s probably an intentional pun. Wisdom is “in the house,” so to speak! And what does wisdom do? It “does not eat the bread of idleness.” Wisdom is not passive but attentive and active. Now the many tasks that lead up to verses 26 and 27 are put into context: The wise one goes to work, acts with savvy and kindness, takes responsibility, dispenses justice and mercy, serves and honors those around her. Wisdom is not something to be possessed as an achievement or an academic exercise: It is meant to be lived. There’s our message. Not that we are never to reflect or contemplate or spend time listening to and learning from God; but when we have learned something, that’s just the beginning. The learning becomes real when we act upon it. We grow wise as we apply God’s word in our daily decisions. We can’t leave wisdom sitting in the corner.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“Happiness and joy are not the same. Happiness floats on the surface of our lives and is easily disturbed by the storms of life, disrupted by external events. Happiness is situational. Joy, on the other hand, lies so deep within our souls that nothing can disturb it. True joy endures through disaster, disappointment, and loss.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“Whether our calling leads to astonishing acts like casting out demons or the mundane act of giving water in Jesus’ name, every calling from God has sacred significance. God uses surprising circumstances and unlikely persons to accomplish God’s will. How wonderful it is to be surprised by God’s voice speaking in unlikely places and in unexpected ways.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“Our best chance for a meaningful experience of God comes when we hear and see God’s activity demonstrated in the lives of others. We receive a special blessing when we gather with those who are different or difficult. Friction seems like a problem until we realize friction creates warmth. And friction polishes so that we can become clear mirrors of God to others. Jesus saved us to be part of the body rather than independent practitioners. The body has various members; its differences prove to be the beauty and the hope of the faithful. Lord Jesus, move me to join with others so we can encourage and rouse one another to good works. Amen.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“Lament involves more than complaints to God about life’s being off kilter. Lament is complaining to God that life is off kilter because God has not been as consistent in living up to the standards of loving care that God has set. In lament we lay bare before our Great Caretaker the places where the people of the earth suffer and die—and therefore need divine intervention. In lament we call to God from the midst of the darkness. We bring God into the suffering and injustice, and we demand an answer.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“Healing brings wholeness instead of brokenness—life instead of death. In New Testament Greek, the word sozo is the same word for both heal and save. The first-century mind intertwined the concepts of healing and salvation.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“But Acts does not tell the story of how the apostles prepared to go to heaven. It tells the story of Spirit-empowered followers who became the presence of the kingdom of God here on earth.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“I understand that the ability to rest requires trust: trust that God is in control, enabling the world to continue to revolve on its axis without any help from me. I can just be. And in being, I can connect with God.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“Imagine a job posting by God: Wanted! Persons to fill divine appointments. Responsibilities: rescuing victims of social injustice—including the poor, sick, hungry, women, children, immigrants, and those who live alternate lifestyles. Also wanted! Persons to fill divine appointments to rescue perpetrators of social injustice. No experience necessary. A willing heart is essential. Equipment provided: power and effectiveness through prayer. Please respond. God, may we not limit your call to the extraordinary and miraculous. Remind us of our call to fill divine appointments within our everyday lives. Amen.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“How can we let go of worry? Paul suggests that prayer is the answer. Prayer shifts our focus from ourselves to God. Prayer acknowledges what we cannot control (almost everything!) and assures us that we are held in God’s hand.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“God’s incomprehensibility to human minds is part of God’s nature. We can’t understand God; that’s part of the mystery. That’s what poetry is for and art and music and creative endeavors of all kinds—all serve as attempts to capture that which cannot be put into words: love, grace, beauty, power, truth. Visions like Isaiah’s remind us that the God we worship lies beyond our ability to describe.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“Today, practice praying with every little worry that arises. Pay attention to what happens in your soul when you do that.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“Thank you, Lord, for the gift of faithful companions who help me to know and follow the path that is mine. By your grace, may I be a faithful companion to others. Amen.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“While every day is special in its own way, today is special because it marks the end of another year. Another year of love, toil, laughter, heartache, gain, and loss has come to an end. How should we celebrate this special day? Food and drink, song and revelry have their place but perhaps the best thing we can do is to stop and intentionally praise God.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“death is an undeniable reality, but it is not the ultimate authority. It does not have the final word, and its power to bind is limited. We affirm this hope on this All Saints’ Day—a day to remember those who have died; those who have lived lives of extraordinary beauty, devotion, and grace; those whose unbound witness, ministry, and influence continue beyond the grave.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“Whether we realize it or not, we are responding to God’s call to come into God’s presence to praise and worship God.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“Sometimes, good people, people of faith—people like us— approach their own salvation that way. We act as though the work is all up to us; that if we do enough good works, we will earn God’s favor and grow and flourish. We are often so busy trying to save ourselves that we fail to notice what God has already done. We see the drought around us and get to work, and we lose sight of what is essential: God’s gift of love and life stored up for us like water in deep wells.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“Imagine a job posting by God: Wanted! Persons to fill divine appointments. Responsibilities: rescuing victims of social injustice—including the poor, sick, hungry, women, children, immigrants, and those who live alternate lifestyles. Also wanted! Persons to fill divine appointments to rescue perpetrators of social injustice. No experience necessary. A willing heart is essential. Equipment provided: power and effectiveness through prayer. Please respond.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“Imagine for a moment what your life would be like if it were a Hallelujah psalm. If every day began and ended for you in the praise of God. If the departure point of everything you did and the goal of every activity were to bring praise to God. Imagine what would happen to your work, your relationships, your home, your leisure time if all these things were enfolded in the praise of God and if you recognized in these things a beautiful opportunity to proclaim God’s praise. What would our world be like if all of us made praise of God our highest priority? All of us with the breath of life within us have been shaped to be an instrument of praise to the glory of God. And not just for an hour in church on Sunday. The entirety of our lives is intended to fulfill this purpose. As the psalmist puts it, “I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“Our ancestors’ deep and abiding faith in God’s knowledge of their struggles and belief that God heard their earnest prayers gave them not only the strength to endure but the hope that one day they would be liberated from the hands of their bullying oppressors.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“There is an unrepeatable grace in the life of each person.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“Because teachers do a lot of talking, especially those who teach in the church, they are at greater risk of misinterpreting the law and tradition; therefore, teachers will be judged with heightened scrutiny.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions

“Faith requires more than intellectual assent to a proposition or set of statements about God. Instead, faith is an active trust, an orientation of our lives toward One we have met and find trustworthy. Faith is less about the details about what we believe, more about the transformation of our very lives.”
― Upper Room, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015: A Book of Daily Devotions