He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your resources and increase the harvest of your righteousness.    2 Corinthians 9:10

It is said that in this world we are just seven relationships from anyone else.  A telling concept for this verse that speaks of our seed or influence will grow under the capable provision of God.  If we are willing to sow liberally for God, He will bless that effort with more opportunity and ability.  What may escape us though is the harvest that God collects far beyond our recognition.  Our good words and deeds spawn new seed and new deeds in the lives of those touched by the bounty. 

We worship in churches built by the sacrifice and service of our forefathers and take it for granted.  We enjoy a freedom and prosperity that is not free.  We all enjoy the harvest of their work.  It is kind comfort to know that untold numbers will reap what was given to our hand by God.

Be a blessing today.  Michael

4:32 Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common.

Acts 4:32

It is an amazing thing about Christians helping other Christians.  There seems to be little boundry between mine and yours.  You don't even have to ask.  They volunteer.  The generosity between believers is a fact of grace.  I hear stories every week of people going out of their way to help another.  What we don't realize is besides binding us together at the heart, such sharing joins us in our spirit.  We start to move and think alike in the cause of Christ.  We behave as a team or as Paul said, 'One body'.  Enjoy the day and join your church family in moving forward.

Michael

I once asked a deeply religious man if he considered himself a truly pious person. He responded that while he aspired to be one, he felt that he fell short in two areas. One was his not being happy enough.

He said unhappy Christians reflect poorly on their religion and on their Creator. He was right — unhappy religious people do pose a real challenge to faith. If their faith is so impressive, why aren’t they happy?

There are only two possible reasons: either they are not practicing their faith correctly, or they are practicing their faith correctly and the religion itself is not conducive to happiness. Most outsiders assume the latter reason.

Unhappy religious people should therefore think about how important being happy is — if not for themselves, then for the sake of their religion. Unhappy religious people provide more persuasive arguments for atheism and secularism than do all the arguments of atheists.

63:1 A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah. O God, thou art my God, I seek thee, my soul thirsts for thee; my flesh faints for thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is.

This is "A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.'' This is a special psalm. It is an ointment that is poured out upon all kinds of sores. It is a bandage for bruises. It is a balm to put upon wounds to help them heal. It has been a marvelous psalm for the church. It speaks of the thirst for the Water of Life.

There in the desert, David was hungry and thirsty, but his deepest desires were spiritual, not physical. With his whole being, body and soul, he yearned for God's satisfying presence (v. 5; 42:1-2). Just as we have physical senses that are satisfied by God's creation, so we have spiritual senses (Heb. 5:14) that can be satisfied only by Christ. Those who hunger and thirst for spiritual food and drink shall be filled (Matt. 5:6). David could say with Jesus, "I have food to eat of which you do not know" (John 4:32).  Do you?

“Thus says the Lord, Stand by the roads and look, and ask for the eternal paths, where the good, old way is; then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16b

We hear it mentioned all the time.  The good old days and how it used to be.  The prophet is not calling us to reminisce here.  He is asking us to pause on the hectic roads of life and to consider where we are really headed.  There are many roads but not all lead to life or peace.  Is the road you travel one of eternal significance?  Walk on those roads and you will find rest for your souls.

Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous; love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offence, and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes.

Lord, in your kindness fill our deepest being with your holy light, so that we may be steadfast in our devotion to you: for your wisdom created us and your providence guides us.  Amen.

In his book  Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote, "Do not waste your time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor act as if you did. As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less."

Practice honesty and integrity; rescue the man who has been wronged from the hands of his oppressor; do not exploit the stranger, the orphan, the widow; do no violence; shed no innocent blood in this place.

Our King and Redeemer, listen to your Church as she sings your praises at the start of the day: teach her to give unceasing glory to your greatness.

After the American Civil War the managers of the infamous Louisiana Lottery approached Robert E. Lee and asked if he'd let them use his name in their scheme. They promised that if he did he would become rich. 

Astounded, Lee straightened up, buttoned his gray coat, and shouted, "Gentlemen, I lost my home in the war. I lost my fortune in the war. I lost everything except my name. My name is not for sale, and if you fellows don't get out of here, I'll break this crutch over year heads!"

Remember the helpless today and do the good thing.  Michael

You will have to suffer only for a little while: the God of all grace who called you to eternal glory in Christ will see that all is well again: he will confirm, strengthen and support you. His power lasts for ever and ever. Amen.

Bless the Lord, you heavens;
  all his angels, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, you waters above the heavens;
  all his powers, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, sun and moon;
  all stars of the sky, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, rain and dew;
  all you winds, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, fire and heat;
  cold and warmth, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, dew and frost;
  ice and cold, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, ice and snow;
  day and night, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, light and darkness;
  lightning and storm-clouds, bless the Lord.
Bless the Lord, all the earth,
  praise and exalt him for ever.

Recently my wife and I sat charmed at an outdoor performance by young Suzuki violin students. After the concert, an instructor spoke briefly on how children as young as two, three and four years old are taught to play violin. The first thing the children learn, he said, is a proper stance. And the second thing the children learn--even before they pick up the violin--is how to take a bow. "If the children just play the violin and stop, people may forget to show their appreciation," the instructor said. "But when the children bow, the audience invariably applauds. And applause is the best motivator we've found to make children feel good about performing and want to do it well."

Adults love applause too. Being affirmed makes us feel wonderful. If you want to rekindle or keep the flame of love glowing in your marriage through the years, try showing and expressing your appreciation for your mate. Put some applause in your marriage and watch love grow. 
Dr. Ernest Mellor

Have a wonderful day. Stay cool.  Michael

With our unveiled faces reflecting like mirrors the brightness of the Lord, we all grow brighter and brighter as we are turned into the image that we reflect; this is the work of the Lord who is Spirit.

O God, at your only-begotten Son’s glorious transfiguration you confirmed the mysteries of faith by the witness of the prophets of old, and you miraculously prefigured what would happen when your adopted children were brought to perfection.

I was in a store shopping for a sweater. The cost needed to be minimal, so I went to the clearance rack. As I flipped through the sweaters, one caught my eye. It was the right color and the right size, and, best of all, the price tag said $8. Without much more thought, I made my purchase.
At home I slipped on the sweater. Its texture was like silk. I had made my purchase so quickly that I hadn’t noticed how smooth and elegant the sweater was. Then I saw the original price tag: $124.
I gasped. I had never owned a sweater that expensive. I had come home with what I thought was a “cheap buy,” but the original price was much higher. And I had been oblivious to its value.
At times I have treated the power of Jesus’ blood like a cheap buy. God’s grace, though free to me, carried the highest price tag of all: the life of his own Son.                 Karen Morerod

You must give your brothers a fair hearing and see justice done between a man and his brother or the stranger who lives with him. You must be impartial in judgment and give an equal hearing to small and great alike. Do not be afraid of any man, for the judgment is God’s.

Lord. We consecrate today as an offering to you: we promise to do nothing evil today, nor even attempt it.

If a child lives with criticism, HE learns to condemn. If a child lives with hostility, HE learns to fight. If a child lives with ridicule, HE learns to be shy. If a child lives with shame, HE learns to feel guilty. If a child lives with tolerance, HE learns to be patient. If a child lives with encouragement, HE learns confidence. If a child lives with praise, HE learns to appreciate. If a child lives with fairness, HE learns justice. If a child lives with security, HE learns to have faith. If a child lives with approval, HE learns to like himself. If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, HE learns to find love in the world.

There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them.  I Cor. 12:4-6

Lord, in our morning prayer we recall your resurrection: may the hope of glory illuminate our entire day.

Pain
    No new attempt at apology here:
    All suffer, though few suffer anything
    like what they deserve.
    Still, there are the famous undeserving
    whose pain astonishes even the most
    unflinching disciples
    whose own days have been consumed by hopeless
    explanation for that innocent whose torn
    face or weeping burns
    or ravenous disease says simply no,
    not good enough. This is where we must begin:
    incommensurate
    pain, nothing you can hope to finger
    into exposition, nothing you can
    cover up. A fault
    —unacceptable and broad as life—gapes
    at your feet, and the thin soil you stand
    upon is giving way.

This is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel when those days arrive – it is the Lord who speaks. Deep within them I will plant my Law, writing it on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people.                                       Jeremiah

Almighty Lord and God, you have brought us to the start of this day.  By your power keep us safe so that today, at least, we may not sin, directing our thoughts, words and actions rightly according to your law. Amen.

The foundation of ministry is character.
The nature of ministry is Service.
The motive for ministry is love.
The measure of ministry is sacrifice.
The authority of ministry is submission.
The purpose of ministry is the glory of God.
The tools of ministry are the Word of God and prayer.
The privilege of ministry is growth.
The power of ministry is the Holy Spirit,
The model for ministry is Jesus Christ.

May all the peoples of the earth come to know that the Lord is God indeed, and that there is no other. May your hearts be wholly with the Lord our God, following his laws and keeping his commandments as at this present day.

While kayaking in southern England off the Isle of Wight, Mark Ashton-Smith, a lecturer at Cambridge University, capsized in treacherous waters. Clinging to his craft and reaching for his cell phone, Ashton-Smith, thirty-three, called his dad.

It didn’t matter that his father, Alan Pimm-Smith, was training British troops in Dubai 3,500 miles away. Without delay, the father relayed his son’s Mayday to the Coast Guard nearest to his son. Within twelve minutes, a helicopter retrieved the grateful Ashton-Smith.

Like this kayaker, when we are in peril, our first impulse should be to call our Father — the one we trust to help us.

Lord, may the splendor of the Resurrection shine in our hearts.  Make us worthy to escape the shadows of death and arrive in the brightness of eternity.  For Jesus glory we pray.  Amen.