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Thought
for
the
Day
The
Lesson
of
the
Pear
Tree
There
was
a
man
who
had
four
sons.
He
wanted
them
to
learn
not
to
judge
things
too
quickly.
So
he
sent
them
each
on a
quest,
in
turn,
to
go
and
look
at a
pear
tree
that
was
a
great
distance
away.
The
first
son
went
in
the
winter,
the
second
in
the
spring,
the
third
in
summer,
and
the
youngest
son
in
the
fall.
When
they
had
all
gone
and
returned,
he
called
them
together
to
describe
what
they
had
seen.
The
first
son
said
that
the
tree
was
an
ugly,
bent
and
twisted.
The
second
son
said
that
it
was
covered
with
green
buds
and
was
full
of
promise.
The
third
son
disagreed;
he
said
it
was
laden
with
blossoms
that
smelled
so
sweet
and
looked
so
beautiful,
it
was
the
most
graceful
thing
he
had
ever
seen.
The
last
son
disagreed
with
all
of
them;
he
said,
"It
was
ripe
and
drooping
with
fruit,
full
of
life
and
fulfillment.
The
man
explained
to
his
sons
that
they
were
all
right,
because
they
had
each
seen
only
one
season
in
the
trees
life.
He
told
them
that
you
cannot
judge
a
tree,
or a
person,
or a
situation
by
only
one
season.
That
the
essence
of
who
they
are,
and
the
pleasure,
joy,
and
love
that
come
from
that
life,
can
only
be
measured
at
the
end,
when
all
the
seasons
are
up.
Life
will
be
filled
with
many
challenges,
set
backs,
and
sometimes
failures.
The
key
to a
happy
and
successful
life
is
to
learn
to
be
patient
and
trust
that
the
Lord
is
at
work
in
our
lives.
If
you
give
up
when
it's
winter,
you
will
miss
the
promise
of
your
spring,
the
beauty
of
your
summer,
And
the
fulfillment
of
your
fall.
Don't
let
the
pain
of
one
season
destroy
the
joy
of
all
the
rest.
Don't
judge
life
by
one
difficult
season.
Persevere
through
the
difficult
places,
and
better
times
are
sure
to
come
in
time.
Live
Simply.
Love
Generously.
Care
Deeply.
Speak
Kindly.
And
leave
the
rest
to
Jesus
who
will
guide
you
through
every
day
of
your
journey.
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God's Living Word
Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he's the one who will keep you on track.
Don't assume that you know it all.
Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor God with everything you own;
give him the first and the best.
Your barns will burst,
your wine vats will brim over.
But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline;
don't sulk under his loving correction.
It's the child he loves that God corrects;
a father's delight is behind all this.(Proverbs 3:5-12, The Message) |
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One
of
my
favorite,
practical
truths
of
life
is
found
in
Psalm
23:4
where
David
observes,
"You
are
with
me;
Your
rod
and
staff,
they
comfort
me".
Think
about
it
for
a
moment.
God
is
always
with
us,
He
is
always
right
there
to
help
us
through
every
moment
of
our
lives.
He
is
there
to
comfort
us
when
times
get
tough.
He
is
there
to
rejoice
with
us
when
times
are
good.
He
is
always
right
there
by
our
sides.
We
are
never
alone.
Max
Lucado
in
his
book,
"Traveling
Light",
adds
this
observation:
"Yes,
you,
Lord,
are
in
heaven.
Yes,
you
rule
the
universe.
Yes,
you
sit
upon
the
stars
and
make
your
home
in
the
deep.
But
yes,
yes,
yes,
you
are
with
me."
"The
Lord
is
with
me.
The
Creator
is
with
me.
Yahweh
is
with
me."
As
we
enter
this
New
Year
I
suspect
that
there
will
be
some
challenging
times.
I am
sure
many
of
us
will
face
financial
struggles,
career
challenges,
relationship
problems
or
health
issues.
Life
is
sometimes
challenging
and
difficult.
But
today
we
are
reminded
that
we
are
never
alone
and
we
can
count
on
Jesus
to
always
be
there
offering
us
His
hand
of
help,
support
and
encouragement.
As
we
allow
the
Holy
Spirit
to
use
His
living
Word
in
our
lives
we
will
find
hope
for
today,
opportunities
for
tomorrow
and
strength
to
keep
on
going
as
we
learn
to
trust
Him.
This
is
going
to
be a
great
year
because
we
are
never
alone.
God's
richest
blessings
on
this
new
adventure
we
call
2009.
Have
a
great
day
with
Jesus
and
Be
There! |
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Building
Relationships
for
eternity....one
person
at a
time
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