Good morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners, and happy first of February! This is the windy, cloudy day that the Lord has made and we will be glad and rejoice in it!
When I stepped outside this morning, I noticed that the quarter moon was hazy, and now the wind has picked up and the skies are cloudy, so it looks like rain and another cold front moving in. After yesterday's eighty degree weather, it will be quite a change!
After a long spell of not seeing any, yesterday I saw a gator lazily floating in the canal as I went into the Park. They don't show themselves in the cooler weather, but I also saw one on Sunday curled up on the bank, almost hidden in a lake on the right as I drove in..
I noticed at the lake near our house, a flock of ibis, lots of little ducks, and woodstorks, fluffing their feathers. One little duck was busily taking a bath in the shallow water near the shore. What a great splash he made! God is good!
From the book Quiet Moments for Teachers:
Matthew 6:15 "If you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
One day Corrie ten Boom visited a friend in the hospital Though her friend was quite ill, Corrie noticed that she was also quite bitter.
At first, the two women spent time catching up on each other's lives. Finally the woman said that her husband disliked having a sick wife, and as a result, he had left and was living with a younger woman. Knowing that her friend was greatly distressed, Corrie asked, "Haven you forgiven him?"
The woman said, "Certainly not!"
Corrie remembered a time when she herself had been unforgiving. After World War II, she had recognized a nurse who had been cruel to her dying sister while they were detained in the Ravensbruck concentration camp. The memories flooded back, and she recalled how her sister had suffered because of this nurse.
She knew she must forgive, but she couldn't seem to bring herself to do it. So finally she had a talk with God.
"Lord," she said, "You know I cannot forgive her. My sister suffered too much because of her cruelties." The Lord revealed Romans 5:5 KJV to Corrie. '"The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us."Then she prayed, "Thank You, Father, that Your love in me is stronger than my bitterness."
When she finally met the nurse, Corrie told her that although she had been bitter about what happened to her sister, now she loved her. By the end of their conversation, Corrie shared the way to salvation, and the nurse accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior."
Forgiving someone else is powerful. It is a blessing to the one forgiven, but it also releases the one forgiving from the bondage of bitterness. If you need to forgive someone today, ask God to show you how.
Forgiveness is man's deepest need and highest achievement.
Horace Bushnell
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
