HAPPY MOTHERS DAY
"Never could it be possible for any man to estimate what he owes to a godly mother.”
Charles H. Spurgeon
Proverbs 31:30-31 (NLT) Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised. Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.”
FROM TODAY'S READING...
“If you observe anything evil within yourself, correct it; if something good, preserve it; if something beautiful, foster it; if something sound, maintain it; if sickly, heal it. Read unwearingly the precepts of the Lord and, sufficiently instructed by them, you will know what to avoid and what to pursue.”
Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153 AD)
Psalms 139:1-6, 23-24 (NLT) O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand...Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Hebrews 4:12-13 (NLT) For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.
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FROM TODAY'S READING...
"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread."
Alexander Pope (1688-1744)
English poet, translator, and satirist.
Proverbs 14:7-8 (NLT) Stay away from fools, for you won’t find knowledge on their lips. The prudent understand where they are going, but fools deceive themselves.
Proverbs 18:2 (NLT) Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.
Proverbs 10:23 (NLT) Doing wrong is fun for a fool, but living wisely brings pleasure to the sensible.
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FROM TODAY'S READING...
"It is better to suffer evil than to do it"
Socrates (469-399 B.C.)
Greek philosopher
1 Peter 3:16-17 (NLT) But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!
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FROM TODAY'S READING...
"In Bible times there were no powerful flashlights. The traveler carried a small oil lamp, whose flax wick gave off only a little light. There was enough to see by. Not enough to see what lay ahead down the path, but enough to take the next step without stumbling or falling.
What a reminder for us. The Word of God is a lamp to our path. It doesn’t illuminate our future, but it does shine in our present. God’s Word gives us the light we need to take our next step in life."
Lawrence O. Richards (1931-2016)
Psalms 119:105 (NLT) Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.
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FROM TODAY'S READING...
The Psalmist provides us helpful guidance for staying on the path of God-honoring living. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible containing 176 verses.
Psalms 119 (NIV) How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.
Psalms 119:9-16 (NIV) (9) How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. (10) I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.
(11) I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
(12) Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees.
(13) With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.
(14) I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.
(15-16) I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.
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FROM TODAY'S READING...
Let me hold lightly
Things of this earth;
Transient treasures,
What are they worth?
Moths can corrupt them,
Rust can decay;
All their bright beauty
Fades in a day.
Let me hold lightly
Temporal things,
I, who am deathless,
I, who wear wings!
Martha Snell Nicholson (1888-1957)
NOTE: Someone wrote the following about Martha: "Martha Snell Nicholson was a bedridden invalid who suffered from four incurable diseases. She struggled with pain for over 35 years. After being an invalid for many years, her loving husband, who she depended on, died suddenly. Through all her pain and suffering came some of the finest Christian poetry ever written. May you be blessed by reading her spiritually rich and heartfelt poetry which exalt Jesus, her Saviour."
Matthew 6:19-21 (NLT) Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Romans 8:18-25 (NLT) Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)
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