Scripture for Today:  Luke 11:27-28   While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.”  But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and observe it.”

It is amazing that my Mother is still with us!  At 91 years old, God has certainly blessed her with a long life!  Every Mother’s Day I am certain it is our last one with her.  But she keeps surprising us, and herself!  My Mother was the one who introduced me to Jesus and led me in a prayer of commitment to Him.  She has lived her life selflessly for her husband, for her four children, but most of all for her Lord.  She is an incredible example to me!

God’s Word exalts and honors motherhood.  I am thankful to have had such a good experience with my own Mother, and in mothering my three children.  But I know not everyone has had such positive experiences.  There are those who are reminded only of pain each Mother’s Day.

We tend to look at our roles as wives and mothers as the most exalted and fulfilling role we could possibly have on this earth.  Certainly, I do not want to take anything away from how wonderful these experiences can be.  But there is a blessing that is bigger according to the words of Jesus in our verse today; the blessing of hearing and obeying God’s Word.

My role as a follower of Christ far outweighs my role as anything else.  My relationship with Him never disappoints.  It is deeper, more faithful and more satisfying than any human relationship.  Thank you Lord, for the blessing of knowing You.

Scripture for Today:  Psalms 150:6  “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord!”

I am amazed to learn that there are about nine hundred different species of crickets……none of which are welcome in my home!  I know there are those that say they bring good luck, but that is a luck I can do without!  In some parts of China crickets are treated as pets, caged and fed.  Even though my husband is half Chinese, this is not an option!

It is rumored that crickets can tell you the outside temperature!  If one counts the number of chirps made in one minute, divides by four and then adds the number forty, the result is the current outside temperature (in Fahrenheit).  No thanks, I prefer reading a temperature gauge!

But what comes to mind when thinking about crickets is the chirping song the males make when they rub their wings together.  I do enjoy their song outside on a warm evening, as long as I do not see them!  Their sound can even be calming.  As disgusting as they look, they make a beautiful music!

Our verse for today is a call to praise the Lord.  In this short psalm, instruments are listed that can praise the Lord.  But so can this cricket.  He has breath too and his chirping is praise to his Creator.  Psalm 148:10 calls on all creeping things to praise the Lord as well, and the cricket most definitely qualifies!

I want His praise to continually be in my mouth!  Life and breath were given to me for this very purpose.  He is worthy of all my praise all the time.  May every breath of my life be a praise to Him for all He has done for me!

Scripture for Today:  Colossians 2:17  “These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality however is found in Christ.”

When I was very little I won a poetry contest reciting Robert Louis Stevenson’s “My Shadow.”  The first few lines actually tie into our verse for today:

“I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me.  And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.”

The shadows spoken of in Colossians are all the Old Testament ordinances that foreshadowed Christ’s coming.  They did serve their purpose, announcing the eventual coming of the reality of Christ.  As a shadow approaches, the reality is not far behind.

How sad to know there are those who embrace shadows today.  Rather than recognizing the reality of salvation in Christ, some would rather live with religious regulations and traditions.  And like shadows, there is only empty coldness.  One cannot love and serve a shadow.

So many try the shadows not realizing they have missed the Essence.  This is especially true for those who have grown up in the Church and think they have tried Christianity.  The fact is that religious do’s and dont’s are not the same as a personal relationship with Christ!  One can confuse shadow with reality.

Rather than chasing after shadows, I want the reality of Christ in me.  I do not want to confuse the two.  I do not want to be content with just the customs and traditions of religion.  I want relationship.  I want the reality of things unseen.  As II Cor. 4:18 tells me, the things unseen are eternal.

It amazes me that Christ wants a relationship with me as well!  The shadows have had their day.  Today, my relationship with Him is the reality!