Happy Tuesday! 

The readings are eternal!!  So it is sort of a pick and choose the most important and use the others in the final paper.  We completed the Song of Songs today.  It is a fascinating piece of poetry.  I am pretty sure that there are as many interpretations of this piece of text as there are readers to read it.  Tomorrow we begin the book of Ruth.  There are study questions and I plan to get to school EARLY tomorrow and get those done.  I have to present a review of an article on Ruth by a renowned Old Testament scholar.  Please pray that I can prepare a review of this writing and can present it in an intelligent, scholarly way that would help others learn and bring glory to God. 

Prayer: “Father, I thank You that You are concerned about the needs of my life today, and I trust You to provide me with all that I need to sustain me in the life You have given me to live this day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

“Give us day by day our daily bread.”

Luke 11: 3

(Just a note…I accidentally reflected on the verse before this one last week.  Oops!)

I find it interesting that as Jesus instructs the disciples in how to pray, the first thing Jesus tells them to ask for is daily bread.  None of Jesus’ disciples were wealthy and when they traveled in pairs to teach and preach Jesus would instruct them to take no money or food.  The prayer tells them to pray for their needs to be met on a day by day basis.  I believe we all need to do some planning for the future, and most of us do not shop for groceries daily for each day’s meals. If we let that future planning begin to consume us then we are not depending on God as the prayer instructs us.

God is so amazing that as the creator of the universe with all things under His feet, He still sees to our daily needs and shows concern with our daily lives.  Scripture tells us that God sees each sparrow that falls, knows how many stars there in the heavens, and counts every grain of sand.  So why should God be concerned with our daily needs?  Well, I know that answer.  God loves us so much that He wants to be a part of our lives and does not want us to worry about anything. God wants us to be dependent on Him just as those disciples were dependent on Him long ago.  When we pray for God to meet our needs, let us remember to praise God for the security and not just sufficiency, but the abundance He provides through His perfect love for us.

Take joy in the journey.  Wear comfortable shoes and get some sleep (as part of our daily needs).  Rest in the security and assurance of God’s presence 24/7.  Count your blessings and say your prayers.  Love you very much, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com     

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am only moved by what I believe and I believe God.