Good morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! Well, it turned out to be a little cool this morning... guess this is the last cool spell before summer sets in! When I stepped outside this morning, the puffy clouds were visible in the dark sky and only Venus was showing. I know the half moon is up there somewhere, because I saw it last night.
I think St. Petersburg should be called the "Lavender City" in April, because the jacaranda trees are almost in full bloom and clouds of lavender are visible everywhere. God did a good thing when He created the jacaranda!
We saw Mr. Peacock with tail outspread in front of a blue garage door yesterday, on our way in to the park. He didn't show up so well against blue, but still gorgeous.
Boy Scouts have built a couple of bat houses at the park for a project, I guess. They look like condos for the bats, but I don't know if the bats will leave the pine trees for them or not. They need bats to eat the plentiful mosquitoes that come out at night and a lot in the daytime!
From the Promise Bible NLT:
How is my work important to the Lord?
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 "This should be your ambition" to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we commanded you before. As a result, people who are not Christians will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others to meet your financial needs."
Work is God's plan for our lives. Those who work diligently experience many benefits in their own lives and bring benefits to others. God promises two basic rewards for faithful work(1) having a more credible witness to nonbelievers and (2) having our needs met without having to financially depend on others.
Proverbs 13:11 "Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows."
Honest, hard work is much better than get-rich-quick schemes. Money quickly gotten is often quickly wasted.
Romans 12:8 "If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly."
God blesses us when we do work that is in keeping with our gifts and abilities.
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
