FEB 6

SEEK THE LORD

Isaiah 55:6-9  "Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call upon Him now while He is near. Let men cast off their wicked deeds; let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the Lord that He may have mercy upon them, & to our God, for He will abundantly pardon! This plan of mine is not what you would work out, neither are My thoughts the same as yours! For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than yours, & My thoughts than yours." The Living Bible

MEETING HUMAN NEEDS

"Giving some portion of your income away is a discipline & a privilege taught by Scripture. I believe every Christian, no matter what his level of lifestyle, should use part of his money to meet the financial & material needs of others . . . God is deeply concerned to see us meet the poor's needs. His concern does not arise because the poor are inherently better but because they are needy. And from the beginning of creation, He has desired to meet human needs. He wants to meet some of them through you & me." Doug Sherman & William Hendricks, Men's Devotional Bible

RESPONDING TO FEAR

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine." (Is. 43:1) "Even when the whole world is filled with fear, you shall not fear. Why? Because the Lord has redeemed you! You belong to the Lord, not to fear. His perfect love for you drives out fear & gives you hope & assurance amid fearful things around you . . . You need not fear the events of this world--things that assail you--because you belong to Christ, & nothing can separate you from Him . .  So despite all the sin, calamity, & terror of life, fear not! You have been redeemed! Regardless of good times, bad times, sickness or health, you have been called by name & belong to Christ Jesus, your hope & assurance." Matthew Richard, Minute Messages

WASHED & MARKED

"On the day that you were brought to the waters of Holy Baptism, washed in the blood of the Lamb of God, & marked on your head & heart with the name of the Triune God, you became the ultimate Donna Reed, Martha Steward, Rachael Ray, Joanna Gaines & much more. At that extraordinary personal event, you became a member of the Bride of Christ, clothed in the fine linen of His purity & wrapped in the scarlet of His wounds." Meredith Fisk, The Lutheran Witness, Nov 2021