[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Wednesday, July 16, 2014

[Paul]

Hello and greetings to all my fellow saints of the Most High God.  Now, some of you reading these lines might not consider yourselves saints, but wait a minute.  In Genesis 1:26-27 God created each and every one of us individually "in His own image and likeness," and if we have accepted Jesus as our own personal Lord and Savior, well, that makes icing on the cake.  At least I hope you believe that.  So, that's why I call you saints.

And now to today's article written by Joan Uda, a writer from Montana.  Again, this was from last year, but I know of some who haven't read it yet.  It is entitled "Manna From the Lord" and is rendered as follows:

During World War II while my dad was overseas, Mom and I lived with her parents in their three-story house on Rochester Avenue in Iowa City where Mom grew up.  Then Grandma and Grandpa moved to a rundown place outside Coralville, Iowa.  It was near a thirteen-acre coal storage pile, and beyond the coal pile was the Iowa River.

Their home consisted of a small walk-in basement and a damp little house trailer that they used only for storage and sleeping quarters.  I recall sleeping there with Grandma in a tiny front room on a narrow couch that made into a bed.  To be comfortable, you had to settle yourself amidst the lumps.  Grandpa slept in a bed in the back room.

The basement had a big room they used for living and dining, a small kitchen, and a storage room.  The bathroom, almost the whole time they lived there, was an outhouse.

I loved visiting my grand-parents, especially when I was allowed to go by myself for overnights.  Their house was full of faith, cheerfulness, and love.  But looking back it's clear they had little money.

And yet they managed.  Grandma had a huge garden with vegetables, fruit trees, and bushes.  She canned everything she could, and the shelves of her root cellar were lined with sparkling jars of vegetables and fruit.

Grandma also did washing, ironing, and cleaning for people who lived in Iowa City.  When she didn't have the money to take the old jitney into town, I remember her walking the railroad tracks.

My grandparents' cheerful endurance remains a marvel to me.  They simply coped.  They did what they had to do.

In these difficult economic times my grandparents are my models of cheerfulness and frugality.  I can eat less, heat less, buy less--and be the better for it.  This may not help consumer sales, but maybe our economy can build a foundation not so want-oriented.

When Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, they spent forty years in the desert.  They suffered, went hungry at times, and often complained.  They blamed Moses for their troubles.

Moses explained that those forty years in the wilderness were intended to humble them and teach them to know themselves and to keep the Lord's commandments.  They were supposed to learn that "one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord" (Deut 8:2-3).

My wildernesses have been different than the Israelites', but I've had to struggle with similar lessons.  My grandmother still has plenty to teach me:  about cheerfulness, frugality, and living by God's Word.  I'm so glad she lives on in my heart.

And there you have Joan's article which, although written several years ago, I trust was a blessing to you.  I know of at least two and maybe more of you who can remember times like the ones she described.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in these last days in which we live.  Lord willing, tomorrow there will be another Daily Thought article and message for you.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul