Wednesday PM Good Report
Definition: good report. noun. A person's high standing among others: dignity, good name, honor, prestige, reputation, repute, respect, status.
properly, the utterance of good or auspicious words; hence, good report, praise:
2 Corinthians 6:8 (By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;
The Wooden Bowl
The Wooden Bowl I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now. A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. 'We must do something about father,' said the son. 'I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.' So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, 'What are you making?' Just as sweetly, the boy responded, 'Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up. ' The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled. On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things: a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a 'life..' I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands.You need to be able to throw something back sometimes. I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you But, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. I've learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.
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Hebrews 11:2 Context
1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. 4By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. 5By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
Hebrews 11:39 Context
36And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; 38(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
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Youth In Action - Mary
- One can only imagine how sweet the beloved Mary of Nazareth must have been, as evidenced by the fact that of all women in Israel, she was chosen to be the mother of our Lord.
- Something of her spiritual depth is seen in the psalm she uttered when greeted by Elizabeth, while visiting her kinsman in the hill country of Judah. The song is often called the “Magnifcat” (from the first word of the passage in the Latin Vulgate). The passage begins: “My soul magnifies [present—continuously] the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior” ( Luke 1:46 ).
- In one of his books, Harry Rimmer noted that this little song, of ten verses in the English Bible, draws from twenty-three separate passages in the Old Testament (118). What a commentary on how her precious mind was filled with the word of God!
- Here is a fact that makes this even more astounding. In the Jewish culture, a girl was normally married by the age of twelve or thirteen. Prior to thirteen, a maiden might be betrothed to a man by her parents; at thirteen, she was of the legal age to make her own choice (M’Clintock, Vol. V, 774-75).
- It is entirely possible, therefore, that when Mary gave birth to the Savior of the world that she was in her early teens. Does this not speak volumes about how God trusts spiritually minded youth?
Notes
