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Tomorrow our nation will observe Memorial Day, a national holiday. It is observed each year on the last Monday in the month of May. The holiday, formerly known as Decoration Day, commemorates military personnel - men and women - who have died while in service to the United States of America.
By: Dennis Stackhouse
How much fretting will we do today because of this or that or the other thing? It should come as no surprise to us that life is filled with irritations, and there are times when we try to rebel against them. Did you realize that the lowly oyster is wiser than we are in this regard? Whenever an irritating object, like a grain of sand, gets under the mantle of its shell, what does the oyster do about it? It simply covers it with the most precious part of its being, its very life fluid, and it makes a pearl out of it. The irritation that the grain of sand was causing is stopped by encrusting it with the pearly formation. As should be obvious by this point in this study, God is multi-faceted by nature. When asking the question, "What is God like?," no single answer is sufficient. He exhibits many characteristics, none of which contradict any of the others. Rather, they complement one another, presenting the fuller portrayal of God. While He is a God of love, goodness, mercy and grace, He is also a Just God. The fact that God is just does not negate or conflict with any of those other characteristics. They go together perfectly.
A mother's love is special. It may be the best illustration we commonly observe of what agape love describes in scripture. A mother loves her child no matter what. In spite of how many pregnancies are terminated by abortion, a mother's love remains one of the strongest resisting forces against that procedure. A child may be born severely handicapped, but his mother loves him just the same, with all of the same affection and sincerity she bestows upon her children who are not handicapped. In observing her deep love and devoted care, without even thinking about it she serves as a graphic visual example of true, selfless love.
Truth, how elusive it can be! Truth is central to being able to live our lives effectively. We depend upon knowing truth in making decisions that guide and profoundly affect our lives. We assure others that they can trust us because we are truthful. We instill this principle within our children by teaching them to always tell the truth. Yet, as human beings, we struggle with truth.
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September 2022
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