10-18-26 Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious.

Psalm 66:2



Hello friends!

As I was out walking in the meadow the other day, I saw this Mockingbird, just singing up a storm, at the top of the wild trees that edge the meadow. The wild ivy vines in that area grew to the top of the tree. The sweet singing was so joyful and the bird stayed there for a longtime enjoying its high perch.

I found this verse in the book of Psalms and what struck me was the word ‘honor’, it states to “Sing out the honor of His name”. That word, honor (pronounced kaw-bode’ in the Hebrew language) is a noun for glory, honour, glorious, abundance of riches with allusions to splendor, dignity and reverence among its meanings. As we sing our hymns and praises to the Lord, our hearts should match the words and feel the splendor and reverence that those wonderful old hymns talk of. I think I will remember this as I listen more carefully and sing along to the praises that do honor Him and give Him glory.

May your week be filled with hymn verses that give God the glory He so deserves.

Prayer for today:

Dearest Heavenly Father, even as I sing not so in tune to You (insert a smile), I pray that my heart matches the words that give You glory and honor. May my week be really listening to the words of those songs that truly give You the praises and glory. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Gaby

©gabyethington

A man who has friends must himself be friendly, 

But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Proverbs 18:24

Good Sunday Morning!

The other day I was out walking around our property and saw this group of four buck deer across the street, all hanging out together. Most of the time the bucks are loners and I rarely see any close to others, much less four of them!

The scene brought me to this bible verse in proverbs. The first part of the verse talks about real friends and not being too hasty to make friends. If you are just making friends to have a clique, you may end up harming yourself spiritually. A good friend deserves good friendship reciprocated. Striving to be a good and faithful friend can bring the blessings of a friendship that even a sibling friendship may not match. My study notes state that the phrase “closer than a brother” alludes to Abraham who was close to God and referred to as a friend of God. We know Abraham trusted God, loved God, and was a faithful servant. This also makes me think about Jesus Christ, who is not only our Lord but also our Supreme friend, in that He loves us deeply and gave His life for us.

I hope that my friends and family know that I love them in the Lord and care about them as I pray for the Lord’s protection and provision in their lives.

May your week have blessings and twinkling episodes in solid friendships.

Prayer for today:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for friends that pray for me and care about me. I ask You to be with them wherever they go, as You have promised us that You are with us. Even in circumstances that prevent me from the gatherings, I pray that You would touch the far away friendships and comfort everyone in these alliances that the Spirit has brought together. In the name of Jesus, our Lord, I pray. Amen.

Gaby

©gabyethington

You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

1 Thessalonians 5:5


Hi friends!

One morning this past week, I was walking in our meadow and noticed the sky changing from cloudiness and darkness to light and brightness, as the sun pierced through and turned the sky to beautiful hues of orange and blue.

I searched for this verse in 1 Thessalonians to perfectly convey our security in the hands of our Father God. When we came to faith in Christ, our dark sinful past was forgiven and now we live in the Light of His love and grace. The passage in chapter 5 speaks of the Day of the Lord which is a future day of judgement. We, believers, need not fear it because we passed from that doom into everlasting love, the moment we put our faith in Christ Jesus as Lord. As the passage goes on, I see many ways to be as a Christian. I should be strengthening my faith (by reading my bible), loving others (by sharing God’s love and through ministry), standing on my hope (my salvation is sure) and be comforting and encouraging (speaking the truth in love).

May your week be filled with trusting the Lord and inspiring others to seek the Lord by our example of complete honesty and trust in God.

Prayer for today:

Our Father in heaven, thank You for Your love and mercy toward me. Thank you for giving me the Light of Your Love, Jesus our Lord. Help me to prioritize the reading of Your word in my bible and give me opportunities to share my faith with others. In the precious name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Gaby

©gabyethington

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Ephesians 3:14


Good morning, all!

The mornings have been nice and cool here in north Texas and soon the afternoons will follow, perhaps another week or two and Fall should arrive.

I was out walking the property this week which helps alleviate pain of osteo-arthritis in my hip and I saw this sweet wild rabbit in the meadow. It was only about 10 feet from me and instead of hopping away, it bowed down close to the wild grass. I guess the bunny thought it would blend in and I would not see it. It brought a smile to my face to see an animal beside deer in that meadow!

I found this verse in the book of Ephesians to go with my photo. This is the start of a very long sentence and prayer. The apostle Paul had spoken to the Ephesians about unity of believers, earlier in the chapter, as well as the motives for prayer. He starts this prayer with the type of attitude we should have when we communicate with God, not necessarily physically bowing our knees (although there are times that this posture is needed), but the importance of our manner – it should be in reverence and zeal as we humble ourselves in front of Almighty God. The rest of the verses, 15-19, are beautiful words for the spiritual well-being of these Ephesian believers (and us as believers). The whole of chapter 3 is packed full of wonderful truths, and I encourage you to read the whole passage for a joyful reality of the Lord’s love and grace.

May your week have moments of joy and time to be in God’s word.

Prayer for today:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Your Spirit, that leads us into the truth of Your love and grace for our lives. Please help me to make time to read my bible and help me to understand what You would have me to know about You and about life. In the name of Jesus, our Lord, I pray. Amen.

Gaby

©gabyethington