THE RIGHTEOUS WILL FLOURISH LIKE A PALM TREE. Ps.92:12

I love Florida partly because I love Palm trees. I didn't know until today due to reading in my daily devotional: "(1) You can cut it, but you can't kill it! The minerals and nutrients most trees need to survive are found on the surface, just below the bark, so, when you cut them, , they die. But not the palm tree. Its life comes from within, so it flourishes, even under attack. (2) It will bend, but it won't break. Tropical winds can blow most trees away, but not the palm tree. The stronger the wind, the further it bends--sometimes all the way to the ground. Yet when the storm ceases, it straightens up again and is actually stronger in the place where it bent. (3) Its depth always exceeds its height! While the roots of the average plant only go a few feet under the ground, the palm tree's roots go down hundreds of feet in search of water. David said, 'As the deer panteth for streams of water, so my soul pants for you...' Ps. 42:1"

What a life example the Palm tree can be.

After a conversation with my brother, whose faith has been tested recently I thought about Hebrews 11. He shared with me how surprising it is not to have been healed immediately just by his own faith or by the faith of Todd Bentley at the Revival Service in Charlotte. When that didn't happen, he found his faith being severely tested! Did he have faith after all? I reminded him of the following: Heb. 11:35 ...Others were tortured and refused to accept their freedom so they could be raised from the dead to a better life. Some were laughed at and beaten. Others were put in chains and thrown into prison. They were stoned to death, they were cut in half, and were killed with swords. Some wore the skins of sheep and goats. They were poor, abused, and treated badly. The world was not good enough for them! They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and holes in the earth. All these people are known for their faith, but none of them received what God had promised. "

Hebrews 12 goes on to say: "Let us run the race that is before us and never give up!....So do not get tired and stop trying!

One of the most contradictory (in my mind) statements in the whole Bible is in James where he writes: "My brothers and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of JOY, because you know that these troubles TEST your faith, and this will give you patience. LET your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete and will have everything you need."

WOW!!!!.....JOY over trouble??? He does offer to let us ask for wisdom, but just be sure to ask IN FAITH---EXPECTING GOD TO SHOW YOU SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR SITUATION.

Well....that's about it...between Bob Gass's inspirational devotional...I hope my thoughts (and his) have made YOUR day a little brighter! That's another reason I soooo love Florida...the sun shines a lot down here :>)