Good chilly morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it!
Brrr! When I stepped outside this morning, the stars were seemingly very close and the moon was a little smaller but still shining brightly, in the cold sky. And just before I came back in, I saw a falling star! It went so fast, I could hardly believe it! God is Awesome!
I saw a fat gator sunning himself in the Park yesterday, although the water still must be warmer than the air temps. I guess they just like to get a little warmer sometimes. Everything looks very dry, and there is a real fire danger. We really need rain.
Because of the coolness of the air, I thought yesterday would be a good time to make a big pot of soup, so I gathered up all the ingredients for a veggie-beef concoction and had that simmering all afternoon. Then I made more brownies and had an avocado salad. Good comfort food! :o)
From the Promise Bible NLT:
Does God promise us success in this life?
1 Samuel 16:7 The Lord said to Samuel, "Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn't make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at a person's thoughts and intentions.
God's standards differ greatly from our own. Success is measured by faithfulness and fruitfulness not by results and quantities. We measure success in terms of appearances and externals, but the Lord looks on the heart. God measures success by weighing our devotion and commitment to him.
1 John 2:15-17 Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. These are not from the Father. They are from this evil world. And this world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God you will live forever.
Success in this world can mean failure in God's eyes. While we live in this world, we are not to be controlled by this world's system of values. God promises that if we do his will, we will have true success.
1 Corinthians 3:4-5 We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we can do anything of lasting value in ourselves. Our only power and success come from God.
Jesus' followers know that real success comes only from the Lord.
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
