Day 10- OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS

PRAYER DEVOTIONAL

Lord,

I have often taken for granted the precious people You have placed in my life, 1 have sometimes picked at their humanity and magnified their faults. I have not recognized the tremendous treasure I have received in their love. I have not noticed how many others do not have what I have received. So today, Lord, I want to thank You for them.

Thank You for my dad. He worked hard and exhibited determination and took responsibility, Thanks for that example. He challenged me to be my best. He guided me with common sense and strength of character. With Dad, I felt no fear,  I knew whatever the problem, we would come through okay on the other end. Thank you for the security he provided.

Oh Lord, thanks for Mom, She was always there to listen. She "oohed" and "awed" over each achievement, from my scribbled pictures to my high school solo. She managed as a short order cook, a maid, a counselor, a financier, but most of all a friend. She spent her life on my father, my brothers and me.  Lord, help her to know that her life of service was not wasted.

Thank you for my dear wife, for Shelly's smile, her concern, her tenderness, her love for life. I love her sensitivity which even causes her to cry at commercials. Thank You that she leads out children to know You. I'm still learning of the depth of her character. Her strength during trying times has amazed me. She is my breath, my ideal, my passion, my living picture of true beauty.

Thanks for my children. Their honesty. Their enthusiasm for life. Their need of and dependence on me. Thank You for their spontaneous love. Their pure joy in simple ice cream cones or the discovery of a wren's egg punctuates the day with joy.

Thank you for my best friend. He’s encouraged me when I was down. Rebuked me when I was wrong, He's prayed with me, and we have sought a spiritual journey to be more like you. I admire his integrity, his boldness, his spirituality, his sensitivity, and willingness to show concern.

Thank you for people who care about me and people I can shower my love upon. Thank you for the love, laughter, music, security, guidance, support and the sense of belonging that You have brought into my life through others.

Action

List the most significant people in your life. What blessing have they brought to you? Why not write them a note or give them a call so they will know?

Scripture Study

Read Ecclesiastes 4:7-12

1.        What is the picture of the one who has no friends? Ecclesiastes 4: 7-8

Why does his labor seem meaningless?

Read 1 Timothy ,5:8.

2.        Do we have a responsibility for our family's wellbeing? 1 Timothy 5:8

Is this only for their physical wellbeing?

Read 1 Thessalonians 6: 11

3.      

        What does it mean to encourage?

What are some practical ways of encouraging?

Prayer

Help me, Lord, to appreciate and build up those You have brought into my life. Give me a sense of responsibility for their development in life. Help me to recognize I have a part to play in their spiritual life. Give me a burden for them.

                                                                                                                                                                  Amen.