TODAY'S PROVERBS FROM THE LIVING BIBLE

"An old man's grandchildren are his crowning glory. A child's glory is his father." (17:6)

"It is hard to stop a quarrel once it starts, so don't let it happen." (17:14)

I AM NOT A PUPPET

"God does not pull all the strings. He counts us as too important for that. To find without seeking, to hear without listening, to say yes without the possibility of saying no is to negate the value of my seeking, my hearing & my participating. I am not a puppet. Nor does He put all the pieces together. He leaves holes; He raises questions. He wants me to ask." John Fischer, Men's Devotional Bible

THE OLD TESTAMENT

"Reading the Old Testament is often confusing & confounding. The people & events recorded therein do not always align with our conception of God. People ask why the God of the Old Testament seems mean & vindictive, while the God of the New Testament is nice & forgiving. But that is not accurate. God loves throughout the Old Testament. He is identified by His work to save His people. He shows unfailing steadfast love & faithfulness to Israel (Ex. 34:6). He loves & forgives His people, even as He has wrath on those who oppose Him & who ignore His commandments . . . Read the Old Testament with faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, who gives life & salvation to all who trust in Him. Read about God & know Him in Jesus." Dr. Kevin Armbrust, The Lutheran Witness, Feb. 2021

AN EASTER HYMN

Awake, My Heart, with Gladness, W #128, Sts. 5 & 6

"Now I will cling forever To Christ, my Savior true; My Lord will leave me never, Whate'er He passes through. He rends death' iron chain; He breaks through sin & pain; He shatters hell's grim thrall; I follow Him through all.

"He brings me to the portal That leads to bliss untold, Whereon this rhyme immortal Is found in script of gold:  'Who there My cross has shared Finds here a crown prepared; Who there with Me has died Shall here be glorified.'"