Trivia:

Well good morning my friend, we're back from a glorious reminder of just how grand is our God in His creation of our world, we will talk more of this at a later time.

Do you know which state completely bans the sale of consumer fireworks? Texas, Ohio, Massachusetts, Illinois. Make your guess..

Challenge:

Ecclesiastes 11:8 "When people live to be old, let them rejoice in every day of life. But let them also remember there will be many dark days. Everything still to come is meaningless."

Let's divide this verse into several parts. The first part focuses our attention on the need for those who have lived to a ripe old age that we are to rejoice in the fact that each day is as gift from God. tomorrow we will take into account the other parts that this verse considers.

This first part reminds us to enjoy our life to its fullest, for that day is a gift beyond what many other people have lived. We should live it not filled with regret, jealousy, disssatisfaction, but rather with a joyful spirit as to the to the Lord's graciousness, one day at a time.

So, Don't live in the past, but rather with joy in the gracious hands of God for the present. A younger person may not be fully aware of the many gifts of his or her daily life. I know this past few years this truth has been driven home to me. The many people who He directed into my life to bring blessings ,joys and even provision into my life. While in my youth I was oblivious to and even failed to see the hand of God through them. The result of maturity has sharpened my eyes to see His gracious working in my life, the result, which brings to me a daily wonder and enjoyment of His part in my life.

I have been brought to a new amazement of His works in my life. Jesus said to us in John 10:10 "I have come that you might have life and life more abundantly." Jesus proved out these realities, while on earth, while His purpose in coming to earth was to die, he each day reflected on the very reason for our rejoicing in our standing with our Heavenly Father.

I will never forget my many conversations with my grandfather in His last year of life, though he had lost his wife, here reminders in his life never dwindled. When we would speak of the many joys she had brought to us, both as children, grandchildren, and wife the funny ways she had lived before us the faithfulness of God in her life, through the stories of her past as a little girl up to her life as an adult.

The sorrows of three pregnancies which inded in her babies death, still she was rich with those days of preparation in their life. Then when here first live birth Uncle John the joy of his life was so precious and that experience caused a special significance of each of her children forthcoming. Then each of us grandchildren shared in that special joy that she had in our lives from her life experience.

Much of that special joy that she shared with us was due to the losses earlier in her life, of her first three children who died before experiencing life in the time outside the womb. She had a special love & joy for us in our unique ways. She always pointed out those unique skills, insights, outlooks, that we pointed out to her in how we lived out our lives. While many small children may feel neglected, or like a burden, she was filled with joy in just who we were and each day, especially when we were present with her she reminded us of specific ways that we were uniquely fashioned by God, and the special joy that we brought to our world.

The challenge of later years is for us to refuse to live captive to our weaknesses or our inabilities of these later years, but rather to focus our attention on those we love and the blessings of the present. The benefit that hardship brings to our present life.

SO GO WITH GOD for each day brings new ways to reflect on His goodness in our lives from the normal joys of yesterday, to the difficult times of the past and the benefit that they both desire to bring into our lives and to those that we love, as we joy in His place in our lives.