Prayer – Dear Jesus, You are first in my life—and the last…the final thing. You are the true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. I praise and adore You.
And
now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is
true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think
about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8
One Final Thing
Morning Glory
Jerusalem, Israel
One
final thing. There
is always that last word of advice that you want to give those you really care
about when you are ending a letter, text message, e-mail or phone call. One
more thing…. Paul was addressing his “dear brothers and sisters” in the church
at Philippi. They had become dear to him. Treasured. Close to his heart.
Consider other believers, friends or family members that you are dear to your
heart. Who are they? Why are they dear to you? Is it just a family tie or are
they such close friends that they feel like family? Is it something about their
character that is pure, wholesome, or an endearing quality, like a precious
sense of humor? Do they always make you feel loved and valued? That is the kind
of people I treasure in my life. Family and friends that I know care about
me…and about whom I care deeply.
What can
you do to create those bonds of value with others in your life? Oh, to be more
like Jesus is the thought that comes to my mind. Most people loved Jesus
dearly…and many followed Him. But were they following Him because He was a
charismatic individual, because of His healing touch, His generous
nature—feeding more than 5,000 people at one time—or because of His love for
them? Wasn’t that love shown through His healing touch, His mercy, His honest
teaching and kindness to others? The Pharisees were often rude and obnoxious to
Jesus and His words to them weren’t particularly kind to them, although He gave
the wisdom of the key to eternal life to Nicodemus. How can we show the kind of
love that Jesus showed? He told us to love one another. How do we do that?
Pure and
genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and
widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. James
1:27
I am writing to remind you, dear
friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but
one we have had from the beginning. Love means doing what God has commanded us,
and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the
beginning. 2 John
1:5-6
Doing
what God has commanded us to do. That is love. That is the final word we give
to those who are dear to us. Care. Caring for others…caring for our
neighbors—those around us—like we care about ourselves. I don’t know about
you…but I make sure I have three good meals a day, clean clothes to wear, a
sturdy house in which to live…create fun times with family and friends and take
time to worship God regularly. That caring…that is love. Jesus matters most to
me. That is what life is about. I care about how I live…so I need to care about
how others live, too. Love God…love others. Do you? You have a choice to make.
Friday’s
Feast at the King’s Table
Do you
have a Ninja or Instant Pot sitting on your counter? You’ve got the best way to
make homemade yogurt at your fingertips! I’ve tried it several times and
surprisingly it is a no fail—even when I scorched the milk—it still ultimately
turned out OK. I just poured the warmed milk out into another pot, washed the
Ninja Pot, and went on. If you like yogurt, give this easy method a try.
Homemade
Yogurt
Homemade
Yogurt
1 quart
of milk – use whatever you like. Even grain (oat) or lactose free works.
1 Tbsp
plain yogurt with active live cultures
Optional:
2 tsp vanilla extract & ¼ cup honey
Heat the
milk to 180 degrees Fahrenheit in the Ninja Pot on the Sear/Saute setting,
Medium, stirring frequently so it doesn’t scorch or burn.
Let the milk
cool to 110 degrees, again stirring it often. You can stir in or skim off any
“skin’ that forms.
Stir in
the yogurt. Top the pot with the Pressure Lid with the release valve in the
Vent position. Do not use additional heat. Allow to incubate for 8 hours.
Put the
yogurt in a glass container and refrigerate for 4 hours. Add vanilla and honey,
if desired, but it is great without the added flavor or honey. Enjoy. Keep
unused portion in the refrigerator.
Adapted
from the Ninja Foodi cookbook.
Happy Birthday Sweet Michelle
May the Love of the Lord continue to bless
others through you!
© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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