365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 271

My daughter had a homework assignment to read a story and than ask us our opinion on who should go to jail. The story in a nutshell was about a man whose wife is sick and in need of medicine. He goes to an apothocary to get medicine but does not have enough money. He asks if he could give him what he has, take the medicine and pay the rest when he gets it but the apothocary says no. He goes home and later goes out and breaks into the apothcary's place and takes the medicine his wife needs. Who should go to jail? Well my son and I said the obvious answer and went with the law. The man stole the medicine that is breaking the law. What the apothocary did wasn't breaking the law it just was an uncompassionate choice. My daughter who was totally into this said well maybe the woman should go to jail for getting sick. NO-NO-NO I told her. You don't go out and ask a virus to make you sick. The woman didn't have any choice in getting sick. So do you see where I am going with this? Some choices aren't against any standard law or against the Ten Commandments and some choices are but no matter what the choices are, there are consequences. Though the apothocary's choice didn't directly break any law it spurred another man to make a choice to break a law. The bible tells us that if there is something that may cause our brothers or sisters to sin than we should not do whatever may cause the other to sin. Each choice we make, each action we take, each word we say can be that "whatever" that may cause another to make the choice to sin. I am thankful for this homework lesson that came home for my daughter that brought up this bible truth. May the words and actions I take today be only loving and kind and not cause another to make the choice of sinning. Amen.

1Corinthians 8:13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

365 Days of Praise Challenge-Day 197

We picked up our kids from camp yesterday. Our daughter was very happy to see us. She apparently only had the fever Wednesday night and Thursday morning and than it was gone and did not return. The nurse and head counselor both said that perhaps it was a case of home sickness. Anything is possible. What we think can definitely have an effect on our bodies. Her one comment that stuck with me as we drove home was, "I can't wait to be home." Our ultimate "home" is heaven. Like my daughter, we can also get home sick. Are you feeling disconnected from God? Has life gotten in the way of your focus on the Lord? Have your trials and tribulations taken you further from God rather than closer? Do you know the Lord? Perhaps, like I was at one time, still searching for a "home"? We have a home but while we are here on Earth we have to cure our home sickness with a dose of the truth in the Word of God or a dose of fellowship with other believers or a spoonful of medicine called "worship".  Take your daily dose of vitiamins called Jesus and prevent the home sickness from infecting you again. Let the Lord make his home in you.
John 14:23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.  My father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.