“The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich. The fear of the Lord prolongs days. The way of the Lord is strength to the upright” (Proverbs 10:22, 27, 29).

It is a wonderful joy and privilege to belong to the Lord. The guys in the carpool were discussing their childhood and what it was like to grow up in the homes into which they were born and raised. When it was Stanley’s turn to share with the rest of the guys in the car, he told them about his hard-working mom and dad who raised seven children on the old farm. It was a very hard life. Everyone had to work and be committed to making the farm profitable. It was also a God-fearing home. Only were the cows fed and milked on Sunday, as that was the day set aside for worship and family time together. Stanley remembered the hay being ready to be baled and it going to rain on Monday. Dad refused to bale hay on Sunday. “That’s really dumb,” said Hank as he shook his head. “I’m sure God would understand that he had to get the hay in on Sunday, since it was going to rain on Monday,” he continued. The rest of the carpool seemed to agree with Hank. But Stanley said, “I can still remember dad pulling the family Bible down after lunch and reading from Proverbs chapter 10. It talked about the blessing of God and the way of God because of the fear of God. Dad said, ‘Though the Bible doesn’t actually say ‘thou shalt not bale hay on Sunday,’ I just don’t think the Lord would be pleased. We’re going to obey Him and trust Him.’ The next day storm clouds gathered, but a wonderful thing happened. Just as the rain approached our county, it suddenly, for no apparent reason, turned southerly and completely missed the farms in our county!” Stanley continued, “I know it doesn’t always work that way, but I’ve never forgotten that lesson learned. I’ve sought to try and put the Lord first in my life. I wouldn’t trade the blessing of the Lord for anything!”

For today: “There is nothing as precious as the blessing of the Lord as I fear Him and seek to walk in His way.