A Happy Heart

"A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit."  -Proverbs 15:13

Placed in the Light

"Then Jesus told them, 'You are going to have the light just a little while longer.  Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you.  Whoever walks in the dark knows not where they are going.  While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light'...."  

-John 12:35-36a

Silent Night

"Jesus answered, 'Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.'" -John 3:5

Cutting to the Quick

"I came not to send peace, but a sword."  -Matthew 10:34

Lift Him Up

"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself." -John 12:32

Approved Unto God

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, right dividing the word of truth."  -2 Timothy 2:15

Interceding

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail." -James 5:16

Washed

"How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!"  -Hebrews 9:14

Restored

"The LORD upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down."  -Psalm 145:14

Joy of Salvation

"Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit."  Psalm 51:12

Jesus Loves You

"Father, I desire that they also, whom thou hast given me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which those hast given me in thy love for me before the foundation of the world."  -John 17:24

Hopeful Waiting

"As we await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ."  -Titus 2:13

Door of Destitution

"Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous.  He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins."  - Romans 3:24 (NLT)

Imperfect

"God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  -Romans 5:8

Knowing Better

"When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes."  -2 Kings 22:11

Me at 8

Keep Your Eyes on Jesus

"Let us keep our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end."  -Hebrews 12:2

Be Compassionate

"All of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble."  -1 Peter 3:8

Female Red-bellied Woodpecker

Heart's True Home

"My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?"  -John 14:2

You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You."  

-St. Augustine.

In today's Our Daily Bread David Roper uses his Westie as his illustration of how we, like them are "bred" to be tenacious in our search for something that satisfies.  A Westie's instinct is to chase after any small animal it sees.  It will follow badgers and other small animals into their burrows.  If they become stuck their tails are structured in such a way that their handler can pull them out of the hole by their tail without hurting them.

We humans will pursue any number of things in our attempt to have meaning.  Solomon, in Our Daily Bread's scripture today, tells us God has set eternity in our heart.  You could say we are "bred" to search for the infinite God.  And because of that our hearts are restless, like St. Augustine tells us, until we find rest in God.  Jesus told his followers he was leaving in order to prepare a place for them in God's house.  That is where our true home exists--with God.

I am grateful that I have a permanent home with God.

Falling to the Earth

"How foolish!  What you sow does not come to life unless it dies."  -1 Corinthians 15:36

Cleansed Conscience

"If we claim to be already free from sin, we lead ourselves astray and the truth has no place in our hearts."  -1 John 1:8