Friendship

From Proverbs

6:1 My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,

6:3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.

14:20 The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends.

16:28 A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.

17:9 He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.

17:17 A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

17:18 A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his friend.

18:19 A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.

18:24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly:and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

19:4 Wealth maketh many friends;but the poor is separated from his neighbor.

19:6 Many will entreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.

19:7 All the brethen of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? He pursueth them with words ,yet they are wanting to him.

22:11 He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips shall the king be his friend.

22:24 Make no frienship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shall not go:

27:6 Faithful are the words of a friend ;but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

27:9 Ointmet and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty council.

27:10 Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not: neither go into thy brother's house in the day of calamity: for better is a nieghbor that is near than a brother afar off. 27:14 He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.

27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

Every morning when I wake I say,

"I place my hand in God's today".

With faith and trust that by my side He'll walk with me, my steps to guide.

What Makes a Home?

"What makes a home?" I asked my little boy, and this is what he said:

"You, Mother, and when Daddy comes, our table set all shiny, and my bed - and, Mother, I think it's home because we love each other!"

§ What Benefits! §

Psalm 103:1,2 "Bless the Lord, O my soul: And all that within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

By Mrs. Taylor

Truly we ought to bless the Lord! He owed nothing to us and yet He gave us the best He had. We were so unworthy, yet He lowered Himself to come and snatch us from the pit of sin. If all He had ever done was save me, I would be able to bless the Lord for the ceaseless ages of eternity. Salvation would be enough, but bless the Lord for the benefits He gives to us once we are His children. There are many benefits given to us as children of God that a lost world will never understand. The lost struggle and stumble through this life as blind men in a maze with no hope of getting out. The child of God, however, can lift up her voice in praise for the wonderful benefits God has given us in this life as well as those in the world to come. We should bless the Lord for the benefit of the Spirit filled life! " Speaking to ourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;" (Ephesians 5:19,20). When you are living a Spirit-filled life, music and singing flow naturally from your heart as well as thankfulness to God for all things. Charismatic miss the true Spirit filling by seeking an outward expression of the Spirit. God's Word teaches us that all of the works of the Spirit are inward workings that result in an outward change in our lives. Psalm 42:11 says,"...who is the health of my countenance, and my God." The benefit of the Spirit-filled life can and should be seen by others. It also produces the next benefits of joy and peace. Of course joy and peace are inseparable benefits we have as saints of God. Romans 14:17, 15:13, and Galatians 5:22 all group joy and peace together. True joy and true peace can only be had by the redeemed as they alone have the Comforter dwelling inside them. Hebrew 11:36-40 speaks of people in history past that suffered greatly for their faith in Christ. To the world these men and women may seem foolish, but I venture to say that they would not think so if they had the opportunity to experience the joy and peace of God in the hearts of these brave souls. How else could they have suffered such things and yet maintain their stand for the Lord except they had a supernatural peace and joy to carry them through. I think of the Shunamite woman who had a husband that didn't seem interested in the things of God. She had no children and little hope of having any as the Bible says her husband was old, yet she loved the man of God and cared for him. She never complained about her situation. God did bless her with a son, but he fell tragically ill and died. Yet through it all when asked," Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? Is it well with thy child?" She answered," It is well." Only the joy and peace of God can make us say all is well when all has gone so wrong. The benefits of joy and peace can carry us through no matter what we face. We can see that Paul experienced great joy and peace by clinging to the grace of God. 2 Corinthians 12:9 is a well known verse that demonstrates this fact. Grace is a wonderful benefit of the Christian life. We know that all that we are is because of the grace as the Bible says," But by the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." Grace also allows us to do service for God (Hebrews 12:28), and to bring glory to God (2 Corinthians 4:15). 1 Peter 5: 10 tells us that grace allows us to stand even when God sees fit to send us through trials and sufferings in order to"...make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." During those times of trouble there is a "...throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). When we find ourselves amidst trouble and need we should exercise the benefit of prayer. What a great God that would give His attention and care to someone like me when I go to Him in prayer! "The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe", says Proverbs 18:10. Psalm 46 again assures us of the safety we have in Christ and Psalm 18:2 declares, "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." God is all of these to His children and we receive these benefits through the gracious gift of prayer. But getting grace in time of need is not the only use of prayer. Through prayer we get direction, understanding and comfort as well as an opportunity to just thank and praise God for who He is and what He has done. " Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name." We have not even begun to scratch the surface of the blessedness of the Christian life. How could we be so ungrateful to our wonderful Lord that we would desire the things of the world after all He has done for us? We can have what the world has any day, but they can never have what we have in Christ! "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits."

By: Misti Taylor

1 Corinthians 13 for Home-schooling Moms

Though I teach with the very best skills, But do not have love, I am just drawing attention to myself. And if I have experience, and knowledge of all the best techniques,and test results proving my effectiveness, But do not have love, I am wasting my time. And if I work hard, sacrificing all my money, my time, and my energy, But do not have love, it add up to nothing.

The loving teacher is patient with her children, allowing them to learn according to their God-given temperaments and developmental rates. She is kind, treating her children respectfully. She does not compare herself with others. She does not brag about her accomplishments, and is not smug about teaching her own children. She does not try to be like anyone else, but acts appropriate to the way God made her. She is not irritable and pushy and insistent upon making her children fit into her lesson plans. She is more concerned with promoting truth and beauty than with criticizing those who don't. She perseveres in developing her own character, believing that God's ways are always best. She is not a quitter. Love never fails.

If there are creative ideas, they will be replaced.

If there are great curricula, they will be superseded.

If there are effective techniques, they will be improved.

All that we know now is only in part.

Only later will God reveal education at it's best.

When I was a child, I had unrealistic expectations.

As an adult, I know better.

Now abideth faith, hope, and love.

But the greatest of these is Love.

and Dads