Bouquet November 10, 2015

Read Isaiah 40:25-31

2 Corinthians 2:14      But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.

John 16:33     "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Romans 1:8     First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.

Romans 6:17     But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.

1 Corinthians 12:8     To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,

1 Corinthians 15:57     But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 8:16     Thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you.

The day before our Harvest Festival several sisters from church and I decorated the sanctuary with flowers, berries, and trailing shrubs. Our work went smoothly. Soon, bright arrangements were everywhere! When the main decorative work had been completed there were some “leftovers” on the table — broken branches, unattractive flowers, unopened buds. As we gathered all this together to throw into the trashcan, the caring hands of one woman took a few items from the pile of garbage, wrapped a ribbon around them, and crowned her masterpiece with a shiny bead. A charming bouquet appeared before our eyes.

Sometimes I feel like one of those superfluous, broken branches, thrown away in this materially oriented world. But for our Lord none of us is superfluous or unnecessary. Each person is precious and valuable in God’s eyes. (See Isaiah 43:4.) Each of us is a unique flower in the fragrant bouquet of the Lord.