//Life Is – Facebook – 4/7/2024//
Morning Offering – Take Them by the Hand
“To convert somebody, go and take them by the hand and guide them.”
— St. Thomas Aquinas
//Catholic Company//
Morning Offering – Young People Need Watchful Guides
“Young people need the light of watchful guides to lead them on the path of salvation.”
— St. John Baptist de la Salle
//Catholic Company//
Meditation of the Day – We Do Not Know When Earthly Life Will Come to an End
//Catholic Company//
Lord, Please….
Verse of the Day – When My Soul was Embittered, I was Stupid and Ignorant
“When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was stupid and ignorant, I was like a beast toward thee. Nevertheless I am continually with thee; thou dost hold my right hand. Thou dost guide me with thy counsel, and afterward thou wilt receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is nothing upon earth that I desire besides thee. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever.”Psalm 73:21-26
//The Catholic Company//
Daily Devotion – Refusing to Listen
“Take handfuls of soot … The ashes will spread like fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, causing festering boils to break out on people and animals throughout the land.” – Exodus 9:8-9 NLT:8-9 NLT
God asked Pharaoh to let His people go. It seemed like a simple request. But Pharaoh refused. In response, God sent a series of plagues. The first plagues were inconvenient and irritating to Pharaoh, but he found them relatively easy to resist.
Then came the sixth plague, as boils broke out on people and animals throughout the land. Boils are known to be particularly uncomfortable. For the Egyptians, these would have been horribly painful. We get some idea of the impact when we consider the suffering of Job, who was struck with “terrible boils from head to foot” (Job 2:7).
We can be sure that God had no delight in sending boils. But Pharaoh remained stubborn and refused to listen or change. He was prepared to let his people suffer rather than yield and respond to God.
Many people are like this, refusing to listen to God. They continue to go their own way, blind to the impact of their disobedience. The Bible makes clear that God desires to bless us and help us make the right decisions. But this means cooperating with Him, not insisting on our own ways but listening to Him. It means obeying His Word and being sensitive to His correction.
Learn from Pharaoh’s experience. Submit your ways to God. Let Him direct your path. As He leads, be ready to change. Always seek to do things His way and listen to Him.
Prayer
Father, help me be more sensitive to You. Guide and lead me. I submit my life to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Extended Reading
Exodus 9