CLAY & POTTER

Isaiah 64:6, 8-9  "We are all infected & impure with sin. When we put on our prized robes of righteousness we find they are but filthy rags . . . And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay & You are the Potter. We are all formed by Your hand. Oh, be not so angry with us, Lord, nor forever remember our sins. Oh, look & see that we are all Your people." The Living Bible

THE ART OF MARRIAGE

"Realism demands patience & a willingness to adjust. The art of marriage, it has been said, is in maintaining equilibrium through the various changes & adjustments of life together." G.R. Slater, Men's Devotional Bible

TRUE LOVE

"But selfish love isn't really love at all, because true love thinks nothing of itself but focuses on loving others in order to serve them & Christ, who is our example of selfless love . . . The only rule when it comes to giving love is that love for a human can never come before our love for God . . . The love you give to others should never be conditional on what you get back but should come from knowing the God who first loved you." Michael DiMarco, Devotions for the God Guy

GOD PROVIDES

"Go provides for us by making the earth fruitful. He provides the food, resources & raw materials that sustain & bless our lives. The ability to work & the enjoyment of the fruitfulness of the earth are gifts from Him. In addition, civil authorities & structures, such as a stable government & good economy, provide the setting in which we can work & receive our daily bread. In other words, God typically provides for us through these regular, ordinary means." Rev. Peter Gregory, The Lutheran Witness, Aug. 2021