Monday, February 18, 2008

John 9:4

Good morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the cloudy, windy day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! Rain is threatening, but we need it on this President's day. I thought about putting out our flag, but didn't want it to get wet.

Yesterday we took a ride to downtown St. Petersburg. What a change since I was a child. I remember when we used to have all celebrations downtown... no shopping malls, no strip centers. The city ended at 54th Avenue North, and 9th St. was brick with grass growing between the bricks. What a bustling place it is now!

We went through the park and saw lots of people enjoying the sun and having picnics and walking dogs. It was too hot for me to take a walk after church, so I was lazy! I really enjoyed looking at the flowers, impatiens and petunias, and azaleas blooming all over town, and in the park, This is a good time of the year. God is good!

From the little book, Knowing God, 2 minutes a day devotional:

"We must do the works of Him who sent Me while it is day, Night is coming when no one can work."
John9:4

The words of John 9:4 remind us that "night is coming" for all of us. But until then, God gives us each day and fills it to the brim with possibilities. The day is presented to us fresh and clean at midnight, free of charge, but we must beware. Today is a non-renewable resource - once it's gone it's gone forever Our responsibility, of course, is to use this day in the service of God's will and in accordance with His commandments.

Today, treasure the time that God has given you. And search for the hidden possibilities that God has placed along your path. This day is a priceless gift from your Creator, so use it joyfully and productively. And encourage others to do likewise. After all, night is coming when no one can work.

"Overcommitment and time pressures are the greatest destroyers of marriages and families. It takes time to develop any friendship, whether with a loved one or with God Himself."
James Dobson

"Live in such a way that any day would make a suitable capstone for life. Live so that you need not change your mode of living, even if your sudden departure were immediately predicted to you."
Charles H. Spurgeon

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis