This morning I awakened to the promise of a thunderstorm.  Though the storm bypassed my area, it was much cooler than before.  I thought how faithful God is to send blessings of cool air, thunderstorms to water the fields, and farms and then sunshine for our warmth in the winter and growth of crops in the summer.  And then I thought of a previous beautiful harvest moon, and the shooting star I saw one morning a couple of weeks ago.  God is always faithful every day to send us His many blessings.  As the Psalmist said:

“This is the day which the Lord hath made: we will rejoice and be glad in it.”     Psalm 118:24

“The day wore on and clouds formed in the heavens.  As I cast my eyes toward them, I surveyed the beautiful rainbow, and I thought of what it symbolizes – the covenant God made with man that He would never send another flood – and my mouth whispered the praise of my heart, “God is faithful.”

“And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:  I do set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth.”    Genesis 9:12-13

A bird flew by and I was reminded:  “Your heavenly Father feedeth them.  Are ye not much better than they?”  And I said, “God is faithful.”

“Behold the fowls of the air:  for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.  Are ye not much better than they?”   Matthew 6:26

Later in the day I wrote a letter and dated it with an A. D. date, in the year of our Lord,  which marks the fulfillment of God’s promise to send the world a Redeemer.  And in the deepest gratitude of my lips praised Him, “God is faithful.”

Night came on and I looked into the heavens and was lifted by the beauty of a million stars twinkling in their glory.  Then I recalled the power that keeps them in orbit – the Word of God.  My whole being sought expression in the utterance:  “God is faithful.”

Then, as the closing thought for the day, I asked myself the question, “Am I?”       ~ Leroy Brownlow

“God is always faithful to answer.  Sometimes His answer is a much desired “yes.”
Sometimes His answer is a merciful “no.”
Sometimes His answer is a faith-building “not yet.”
And sometimes . . . sometimes, when an answer cannot be found,
His answer is simply “Trust Me.”

Eileen Light

No matter who you are. No matter what you do. You make a difference! It can be for good or for bad, but everyone makes a difference in the lives of those with whom we come in contact.

Joseph is a perfect example of how one person can make a difference in the lives of so many people. He was just a young man when he was sold to the Egyptians, but from the beginning he changed lives.

After being falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, he was sent to prison. There he met two men, a butler and a baker. Both men had dreams, and Joseph interpreted their dreams. The butler was restored to his position, and the baker was killed.

Joseph had requested that they remember him to the king, but neither did. The baker, however, did remember when Pharaoh had dreams no one could interpret. Joseph, with guidance from God, interpreted his dream and set Egypt on a course of wealth and prosperity through seven years of plenty and seven years of famine.

Think of all the ways Joseph changed lives. He prepared a nation for survival in a famine, saved the nations around Egypt from sure starvation, and made Egypt a wealthy nation from selling the grain he had stored. But the most important of all was his discovering his own estranged family and uniting them to form the nation of Israel.

Joseph recognized that God was behind what had happened to him. He said:

“And God sent me before you to preserve you a prosperity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.” (Genesis 45:7-8 KJV)

 Joseph knew that through all his trials and even temptations, God had been with him and had directed his paths. He was always with Joseph.

What a difference it would make if we looked at our lives the way Joseph looked at his. Because he did the right things and remained faithful to God, even in a heathen nation, God was with him and directed him to make a difference in the world.

When we remain faithful, are obedient to God’s will, and use our talents for good, God can help us make a difference. Psalm 118:24 says: “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” If we face each day with that attitude and the determination to make a difference in just one life, we will certainly make a difference.

Like Joseph, you too can make a difference!

Sandra Oliver