WELL

“As they make music they will sing, ‘All my fountains are in you.'” – Psalm 87:7

A beautiful flower

“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Saviour, who daily bears our burdens.” – Psalm 68:19

THE HEART

“If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” – Psalm 66:18

Reading our local paper, THE NORTHLAND AGE, Tuesday, June 7, 2016, is inspiring.

A column in the paper is called “Promises promises.”

The reader is not only told that parties use election promises to get the public’s attention, but that the promises can also be very expensive.

There are promises made by humans and there are promises made by the living God. Promises made by the living God are trustworthy. But that cannot be said about human promises. That’s why I am not promising anything anymore.

“It’s all about making a difference,” is an article on the front page called.

“Make a difference”

It is now the time where people receive medals for service to the community.

I am all for making a difference. By leading people to the Lord Jesus Christ we are making the greatest difference, a difference that reaches into eternity.

The editorial in the paper deals with the repaying of student loans.

We are told what might happen if student loan defaulters  don’t make an effort to repay their student loans.

Money

Here is what the Bible says about borrowing money. “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, …” You find those words in Paul’s letter to the Romans in chapter 13:8.

The story “THE ART OF FALLING APART is part of the Auckland Festival of Photography.” A picture of a dilapidated house really not far from Kaitaia is also included in the article.

I have never felt the urge to take pictures of derelict objects.

I don’t like things that are coming apart.

I started with promises, promises, and I am going to finish with a promise , a promise that tells us about the Lord Jesus Christ, who is keeping everything together.

Here is the promise from the Bible I really like and know from memory. You find the promise in Paul’s letter to the Colossians in chapter 1:17. There it says:

“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

“It’s not the best software system or the flashest premises, or even the coolest logo. It’s your reputation.”

Reading that in the article called “Work hard to impress,” (Northern Advocate, Friday, June 3, 2016), made me think about reputation.

I looked up the word reputation in the Bible. The Bible teaches about Spiritual reputation and a Good Name.

“Maintaining a good reputation” is emphasized  in the article.

That can be done by doing good in the community.

What does that mean? Volunteer work; the fire brigade can always do with more helpers. And there are always people in need and glad when someone is coming to help.

Trying to maintain all relationships is also mentioned.

The article closes with “Guard your reputation fiercely.”

Now, what does the Bible say about reputation? In Proverbs 22:1 and Ecclesiastes 7:1 we are reading about a “good name.”

Three things are said about a good name: a. It “is more desirable than riches.” b. It “is better than gold or silver.” c. It “is better than  fine perfume.”

Please read Proverbs 22:1 and Ecclesiastes 7:1 in the NLT translation!

Not long ago it was so cold that I went to the side of the road where the sun was shining.

That reminded me of the verse in the Bible where it says, “For the LORD God is a sun.” (Psalm 84:11)

It is good that we can always be in the sunshine of the LORD God.

One more beautiful flower

“Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” – Matthew 13:43