Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.

And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.

And say to Archippus, "See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord."

I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

Colossians 4:15-18

My Signature. My Chains. My Blessing. Colossians 4:15–18 | Desiring God
https://www.desiringgod.org/labs/my-signature-my-chains-my-blessing

"The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor."

~Charles Stanley

Title: Lord of Prayer
Artist: Yongsung Kim

But now thus says the LORD, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."

Isaiah 43:1-3

"Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change.”

~Bob Kerrey

This baby elephant was just born and Mama is helping him get up and walk. What a beautiful moment!🐘❤✨

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"

And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen."

Revelation 7:9-12

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure"--for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are the true words of God."

Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God." For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Revelation 19:6-10

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."

And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also He said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.

The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

Revelation 21:1-7

Josh Garrels, "Home At Last"

Evening

"He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he."
Proverbs 16:20

Wisdom is man's true strength; and, under its guidance, he best accomplishes the ends of his being. Wisely handling the matter of life gives to man the richest enjoyment, and presents the noblest occupation for his powers; hence by it he finds good in the fullest sense. Without wisdom, man is as the wild ass's colt, running hither and thither, wasting strength which might be profitably employed. Wisdom is the compass by which man is to steer across the trackless waste of life; without it he is a derelict vessel, the sport of winds and waves. A man must be prudent in such a world as this, or he will find no good, but be betrayed into unnumbered ills. The pilgrim will sorely wound his feet among the briers of the wood of life if he do not pick his steps with the utmost caution. He who is in a wilderness infested with robber bands must handle matters wisely if he would journey safely. If, trained by the Great Teacher, we follow where he leads, we shall find good, even while in this dark abode; there are celestial fruits to be gathered this side of Eden's bowers, and songs of paradise to be sung amid the groves of earth. But where shall this wisdom be found? Many have dreamed of it, but have not possessed it. Where shall we learn it? Let us listen to the voice of the Lord, for he hath declared the secret; he hath revealed to the sons of men wherein true wisdom lieth, and we have it in the text, "Whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he." The true way to handle a matter wisely is to trust in the Lord. This is the sure clue to the most intricate labyrinths of life; follow it and find eternal bliss. He who trusts in the Lord has a diploma for wisdom granted by inspiration: happy is he now, and happier shall he be above. Lord, in this sweet eventide walk with me in the garden, and teach me the wisdom of faith.

I wonder, have you ever comforted yourself by wishing harm on someone who has harmed you?

You know, have you ever lay in bed plotting how you’d get them back?

In Genesis 27, Esau is enraged over the deception involving the blessing and birthright, and Rebekah tells Jacob, “Surely your brother comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you.” (Gen 27:42)

And I wonder, have you ever comforted yourself by wishing real harm on someone who has harmed you? Well maybe not. But how about wishing harm on someone who has harmed your children, dear momma bear?

Well, if I’m honest, I have. And the truth is, there is really no comfort in that but only bitterness and knot-in-your stomach stress.

But the times I’ve prayed for my enemies and prayed with my children for those who have mistreated and hurt them, there has been legit peace and real relief.

This is certainly countercultural in our world.

But, let me ask you, how will a “people walking in darkness” see the great light inside of us if we look just like the dark world?

Our response has to be different in our day-to-day interactions with others.

If we believe the Bible to be the true words and instruction from the God of the Universe, whom we say we call Lord, then it should be evidenced in how we live.

We should routinely hold the mirror of truth up against our own noses and ask ourselves if we are truly living so others see something different in us.

We should look at the Word, like passages below, and prayerfully ask ourselves, is this me?

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”says the Lord. On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. “ (Rom 12:17-21)

And as we follow the Lord, instead of our flesh that so often gets us in trouble, we will find peace.

And others….they may just see our Savior…in us.

~Kim Jaggers

Big Daddy Weave - "Redeemed"

Matthew West - Me on Your Mind