All That I Have Came From You
2009-07-23

Well, it's Thursday morning, and there are six young people here cleaning our house and working in the yard. That's at least two more than we were expecting! They are earning money for their mission trip which leaves Saturday morning, early.


Here's a prayer request from the PPT site.

Health care reform link to economy. President Obama says that in order to "rescue this economy from a full-blown crisis, we must rebuild it stronger than before. And health insurance reform is central to that effort," adding that he will not support any reform that increases the national deficit. The President is pushing for passage of a health care reform bill by the Congress' August recess. The President travels to Cleveland today for a town meeting-style event on health care reform.



Psalm for today: 84:4-5

How blessed they are to live and sing there!
And how blessed all those in whom you live,
whose lives become roads you travel;
(The Message)

"...the true worshipers of God offer to him the sacrifice of praise, which can never be dissociated from faith. Never will a man praise God from the heart, unless, relying upon his grace, he is a partaker of spiritual peace and joy.
"To lean with the whole heart upon God, is to attain to no ordinary degree of advancement: and this cannot be attained by any man, unless all his pride is laid prostrate in the dust, and his heart truly humbled."

(Commentary from Heart Aflame: Daily Readings from Calvin on the Psalms)



Tabletalk Magazine

"Exhorting Women Properly"
1 Timothy 5:2

older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity. (ESV)

Paul expressly tells Timothy to regard older women in the church as he would regard his own mother. "Certainly this means that we esteem them and submit to them when appropriate in accordance with the commandment to honor our mothers." The example of Ruth also shows us that we must take care of our mothers in the faith, especially if there is no one else to take care of them.

Paul also gives instruction on dealing with the younger women in the church, telling Timothy to regard them as sisters, "in all purity." This basically means he is to interact with them in ways that eliminate any possibility of sexual temptation.



Holiness Day by Day

"Giving to God"
1 Corinthians 4:7
For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? (ESV)

We cannot give anything to God that he has not given to us first. Even our service to him comes from his hand.

Where does that leave us? "It leaves us going home at the end of the day from God's vineyard profoundly grateful, knowing that the gracious landowner has been generous beyond all measure. In a word, it leaves us content, and 'there is great gain in godliness with contentment' (1 Timothy 6:6)."



I pray Father that I would lean more increasingly on you in the days ahead. Lay my pride prostrate in the dust and humble my heart. I pray that my life will be a road for you to travel on.

Lord, let me always give respect to my elders, especially regarding elderly women in the church. I know of at least one in my church that I regard very highly and think of in more of a "grandmotherly" role, but I believe her to be very wise and respect her greatly. Let this always be my attitude.

May I always be grateful for everything you have given me and have the attitude that anything I give to you, is only what you have given to me. Let me never take what I have for granted or begin to think that I have provided anything for myself. You have done it all.



When we remember that everything we have comes from God to begin with, it becomes a little easier to give some of it back.

Grace and peace, friends.



0 comments so far

hosted by DiaryLand.com