Dona Hake, Author at The Abundant Life Center

“Walking On the Water By Faith”

Posted on May 22, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Yesterday I shared about the story in the Bible where Peter stepped out of the boat to walk on the water to walk to Jesus. I want to emphasize again for you to just think about the courage it must of taken him to get out of the boat. His question to the Lord was, “If that’s you, tell me to come.” and Jesus proclaimed that yes indeed it was Him. Many times we will ask the same question when we fear stepping out in something bigger than us in this life. God may be speaking to your heart to do something and your prayer has been “Lord if this is you, I will do it.”

It is very important to know that when we are purposing to do God’s will that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is Him. Yet there can be those times that it seems a bit sketchy or too big for us to grasp how it is going to fall together. Getting out of our “boats” in this life could mean different things to each of us. All of us are at different growth levels and the Lord is molding and making each of us in His timing and in His perfect way. It is always important that we remember that the Lord requires our our obedience to His Word and to His voice at all times.

Saying all that I have said, I want to remind you today that Jesus is the author and finisher of YOUR faith. He desires to perfect all that concerns you in this life. He is the one who gives you incentive for your faith and He is the one who completes your faith. He is your example and you must look to that example if you become weak in heart from the discouragement that may come to rob your soul of hope and purpose.

Hebrews 12:2 The Voice
“Now stay focused on Jesus, who designed and perfected our faith. He
endured the cross and ignored the shame of that death because He focused
on the joy that was set before Him; and now He is seated beside God on the
throne, a place of honor.”

Getting out of the boat for you may be God speaking to you about changing to a different job, going on a mission’s trip, sharing the Word of God with someone…etc. Sometimes getting out of the boat for someone may be the need for courage to face a confrontation. No matter what it is, Jesus is right there on the water with you. He has been there and done it, and He will complete that thing that you desire to set your faith upon.

Philippians 3:13 Easy-to-Read Version
“Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is
one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach
the goal before me.”

Maybe today is the day that you are planning to step out of the boat in an area of your life, and do something that you have never done before. If you know that in your heart, then it is time to STEP OUT!!!!! I encourage you to look to Jesus, and stay focused upon Him. Do not dwell on the past when you tried, and you were moved by the “wind and the waves” of this life. Jesus is there, and He will walk with you. God bless you as you walk with Him today!

“When Jesus Calls You To Step Out”

Posted on May 21, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Today I want to share about doing things that seem impossible. We serve a God that wants to keep our hearts challenged to live by faith. We must dare to step out and serve Him even when it looks to us like we cannot do it. Today we will look at a wonderful account of Jesus doing the supernatural and inviting one of His disciples to join Him.

The disciples were in their boat and Jesus had told them to head to the other side because He planned to meet up with them later. Jesus was spending time in prayer as He desired to be alone with his Heavenly Father. Matthew’s account of the story is as follows:

Matthew 14:25-31 (Easy to Read Version)
“Between three and six o’clock in the morning, Jesus’ followers were still in
the boat. Jesus came to them. He was walking on the water. When they saw
him walking on the water, it scared them. “It’s a ghost!” they said,
screaming in fear. But Jesus quickly spoke to them. He said, “Don’t worry!
It’s me! Don’t be afraid.” Peter said, “Lord, if that is really you, tell me to
come to you on the water.” Jesus said, “Come, Peter.” Then Peter left the
boat and walked on the water to Jesus. But while Peter was walking on the
water, he saw the wind and the waves. He was afraid and began sinking into
the water. He shouted, “Lord, save me!” Then Jesus caught Peter with his
hand. He said, “Your faith is small. Why did you doubt?”

I think there are so many lessons to learn from this portion of scripture. Peter always seems to be remembered for being the dear old soul that was always sticking his foot in his mouth. Isn’t it interest that it was the disciples that were frightened as they saw someone on the water walking towards them, but it was Peter that stepped out in his heart first to find out what was going on. When he asked, “Lord, IF that’s you…tell me to come.” Peter was at least willing to get out of the boat. I made emphasize on the words “But while Peter was walking on the water…” Let us be reminded here that Peter was doing the exact same miracle that Jesus was.

So many read this and place emphasis that Peter was moved by the wind and the waves and he sunk. Let us focus on the fact that Peter WAS walking on the water. Even if it was only a few steps, I always think about the faith that was in his heart that caused him to try and reach the Lord by way of the impossible in the natural. I find it interesting as well that he was that close to Jesus when he began to sink, and all Jesus had to do was reach out and grab his hand. Really, Peter was almost there.

Peter was walking in the miracle yet his reasoning made him begin to sink. Think about it…Peter was on top of the water bypassing all laws of nature. I can only imagine how wonderful and awesome those few seconds of his faith were. Peter just simply permitted his reasoning to challenge and pull down his faith. There may be times that we are only an arm’s reach away from victory and circumstances seem to weaken us. Many times it is when we are closest to victory that the devil will try to distract us with anything that will tempt us to reason away the Word of God on which we are standing. Think about it…simple reasoning of what Peter’s eye’s saw and what his ear’s heard caused him to begin to go down. I will leave you with this scripture:

Proverbs 3:5 (NASB)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.”

I want to challenge your heart with this story. Many times Jesus is calling us out of our “boats” and these “boats” are actually our comfort zones. He is calling us to cry out for courage to get out of our comfort zone, and walk in a whole different realm. This realm or new task He may be calling us to walk in may challenge our faith like never before.

As we trust Him, He will give us all that we need to do that which He desires to accomplish in us. We serve a God that is always an arm’s reach away from us, so let us trust in Him and not be moved by what we see or hear! Accept the challenges that the Lord sets before you to step out of your comfort zone, and walk toward Him with unwavering faith!

“God’s Perfect Love”

Posted on May 20, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Good day to all of you! I apologize that there was no devotional for the past two days. Once again we are experiencing some issues that has hindered my use of the internet. It is still not totally resolved but I am thankful that I can create this today for you! Today we are going to reflect upon the perfect love of our perfect and loving God.

Oh how important it is that we acknowledge and continue to confess the truth that God’s perfect love will always cast out fear, yet at times when fear strikes our hearts we can be tempted to be shaken. May we stop in those moments, and remember that Jesus has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He has promised that He can cause our souls to lie down in green pastures, and sooth our restless souls. In the reading of the Psalms you can find David speak to his own disquieted and anxious soul. He always would end with “my hope is in God!” As we quiet ourselves in His presence, and remember our hope, we begin to receive the instruction of what we need to do, and in His time we see the manifestation of our prayers. Sometimes after we get through circumstances we take a deep breath in the Spirit, and we may sometimes ask ourselves, ” Why was I so afraid? In light of this let us look at I John 4:18 from the Amplified version:

“There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete,
perfect) love [a]turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For
fear [b]brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid
has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s
complete perfection].”

As I have said many times before it seems the Lord speaks to me in the everyday happenings of my life and I love it. In light of sharing about fear, I would like to share a little story about my German Shepherd that seems to be fearless yet there is one thing that can tip her off, and make her a bit scared and nervous. It’s that three letter word …the VET! . No matter how much I try to comfort her, she hates going to the vet. One time I took her when she was a bit younger, and she was quivering and shaking. It was so pitiful. With every bit of strength I had and the use of her choker, I had to drag this 85 pound bundle of fur back into the doctor’s office. I had her there for a shot and a nail trim, but for her it was walking into the fear of the unknown!

There is one particular vet technician that is so calm, sweet and loving and she totally understands how to handle the German Shepherd breed. She sweetly calmed Aasha, and it wasn’t long that she was at peace. Aasha totally submitted to this woman yet she kept her eyes locked on me. All her fear seemed to leave as long as she could see me. My presence helped dispel her fears. After the exam, shots and nail trim, it was interesting observing her leaving the doctors office. She pranced out the door looking like, “hey, that wasn’t so bad, when can we do this again?” I might also mention that
I gave a sigh of relief that I got through it with her and it all turned out okay!

I want to refer back to the scripture in light of this little story. “Perfect love makes our fear leave and expels every trace of terror!” Next time fear knocks on the “door” of your heart try to remember to keep your eyes on Him and visualize yourself experiencing the power of His love, and presence making every trace of fear and terror leave you. Fear and torment must obey, and leave the premises of your mind and soul in Jesus Name. Today let us ponder the power of His perfect love.

“In the Same Way…”

Posted on May 17, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Proverbs 27:17 (The Voice)
” In the same way that iron sharpens iron, a person sharpens the character
of his friend.”

I shared with you yesterday about being a friend that is loyal to the truth, and living uncompromisingly in your friendships. I love the scripture from Proverbs 27:17, and I love the challenge it brings. I am sure everyone reading this has a friend or maybe you have many friends. A true friend will
keep their eye on you, and they will get to know your heart. They will be able to observe by a mere, slight change on your face that something is troubling you. In the event you fail or make a mistake, a true friend will never leave you. A true friendship withstands much hardship, and will continue to grow in the midst of trials. In fact we will see that the trials actually will be us stronger, if we handle them in God’s wisdom and His ways. An individual that loves their friend dearly will also desire to share their own personal strengths, and also draw from the strengths of their friend.

May we be ever mindful to be grateful to our Lord for the faithful friends that He has put in our lives. Thank God for those friends that have not walked away from us when they see our faults and they purposed to love us instead. We should be so thankful for those friends that love us enough to
speak God’s Word even when we do not want to hear it. Many times our mind and emotions may not want to hear the truth but our hearts should be rejoicing at the voice of godly counsel. We must value it, and allow it to minister to us that we can be sharpened by it both in character and in countenance.

Proverbs 27:9
“Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s
friend by hearty counsel.”

Today I encourage your heart to seek Him, and ask Him to help you be the best friend you can be to those that He has divinely put in your life. I pray that you will recognize the God given strengths in your friends . As iron sharpens iron, let us be willing to be used to sharpen as well as be sharpened!

“A Friend Loves At All Times”

Posted on May 16, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Over the past few days I have been sharing about the importance of living by the truth of our Lord. I would like to continue in our meditations upon truth, and how it applies to our friendships. Our conviction about the truth we hear and receive will truly make us who we are. It will cause us to be unmovable no matter what the circumstances. You will be able to stand in faith because you live and move and have all of your being in Him. It is vital to live by the truth you have believed in every aspect of your life.

Let us focus on how God sees friendship, and how our living by the truth is so important as we nurture and maintain our friendships. We need to desire to be the friend that will be truthful and honest at all times. Many times people are very loyal in their relationships, and that is a good thing although we must first and foremost be loyal to the truth. Many times an individual is so loyal in a friendship that they fear to speak up and speak truth for fear of losing that relationship. I have shared this quote numerous times before, but I feel it is powerful. Actually, I have it hanging on my desk because I love it so much.

“This above all:to thine ownself be true,
And it must follow, as night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.”
-Shakespeare-Hamlet

In a friendship the truth in your heart can never be compromised. If you know something to be true in your heart and you do not stand by it, your conscience will make you miserable and to be quite honest…that is a warning that you better heed to. It is like the pain in your body that is speaking on it’s behalf letting you know something is wrong. Never water down the truth in you just for the sake of being accepted by someone. I shared with you the other day a quote, “That which you compromise to keep you will ultimately lose.”

It is a sad thing when one allows a conviction to fall by the wayside just so they can be part of the fun they may feel they are missing. When you live by the truth in your heart, that truth will rule your decision making. That truth will be the standard that you live by, and you will make wise choices because of that truth. If you are a friend that desires to be a godly friend, you should always seek to
speak truth and honestly in a matter. Many times people will view a good friend as someone they merely vent to and then draw sympathy from them. A true friend will speak of the truths that they know that will be of help to you in your situation. That truth will be boldly spoken even if it hurts. The following are two different translations of Proverbs27:6.

The Voice
“Wounds inflicted by the correction of a friend prove he is faithful;
the abundant kisses of an enemy show his lies.”

Easy-to-Read Version
“You can trust what your friend says, even when it hurts. But your enemies
want to hurt you, even when they act nice.”

Let me say it this way…many times when we are hurting we can be tempted to want to hear the easy way out of something. Be very cautious if in the midst of a problem you look for people to just vent to and not want to hear good counsel. Something is very wrong if you do not want to hear good counsel . Many times that which we need to hear is the hardest to swallow but so are some of those expensive vitamin pills we take! They may be hard going down but the benefits and blessing are worth it all.
I have had encounters with individuals that have sought my counsel and asked me what I have thought and afterwards they said my words “hurt.” Proverbs 27:6 says it plainly that wounds inflicted by the correction of a friend prove that he is faithful. Seems contradictory I guess to some but really a good friend will not go against their heart when asked their opinion. That is what being true to yourself is all about.

Today I encourage you to think about the kind of friend you are. Are you willing to speak the truth even if it hurts? I pray that this has given you some food for good thought in this area. God bless you as you serve Him today.

“Seek God’s Truth from the Depths…”

Posted on May 15, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

God has given us the the living Word of God to live by. Our Bibles are full of writings and witnesses of His truth. We have much to continue to learn from His Word no matter how long we have been Christians. There is truth in His Word to apply to any given situation that we face in this life.The Word of God is our life long handbook to make every decision, and we need not be left in a place of indecisiveness in any given situation we face. Many times we may need to wait upon the Lord for an answer to a prayer in our heart, but deep down we can experience assurance in knowing that His truth never fails.

Today I want to share how truth can define who you are if you seek it wholeheartedly. I mean let us seek His truth from the greatest depths of our heart like never before! The world is looking for truth, and we must live in such a way that we are living witnesses of the one true and living God. In addition to living truth before a world of those that do not know Him, we need to be living examples among those younger than us in the faith. Therefore, we as believers need to commit ourselves to know that we are walking in the truth that we know that we can be a living testimony of His Word.

The world is putting such a pressure and demand especially on our young people. It is trying to mold their minds to adapt to the world’s ways, thoughts, etc. Our billboards give visuals to to us of what beauty, success etc…. is, causing us to be tempted to endeavor to measure up to such unreality. How sad it is that these things have so much power that one tries to define themselves by their demands.

If we allow anything or anyone else to define us we lose our ability to grow genuinely and discover what the Lord has for us as an individual. When we permit such things to define us we are unable to really discern the direction of our Lord for us as individuals . Confusion will run through our minds over the simplest of problems and decision making. We will be tossed about with every wind of change or newest thing which presents itself as an answer rather than turning our eyes and hearts to the wisdom of Go. We need to make the decision to let God define who we are according to His Word and His standards.

It is as we seek His truth with every fiber of our being that we will walk in total freedom from the dictates of this world. What freedom to know we are allowing Him to mold us into what He sees as a success, and not what the world defines as success. As you desire truth in your inner being and you really mean business, God is going to begin to challenge us to change some things. When we continue in His Word, and we receive greater revelation, God will begin to challenge our hearts to change, and this is a good and wonderful thing. There is no need to fret because God will work in you, and it is His good pleasure to work in you, and bring His will to pass in your life.

Philippians 2:13 (AMP)
“[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while [a]effectually
at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both
to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and [b]delight.”

We can rest assured that as God is at work in us He will energize within us the desire to do what it takes to make any changes needed. I encourage you today to look to God’s truth wholeheartedly in everything you put your hand to. He is faithful and well able to cause your hand to prosper, and you will live in the freedom of being who God created you to be! God bless you.

“Having Childlike Faith”

Posted on May 14, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Acts 17:28 (KJV)

“For in him we live, and move, and have our being;…” and another
translation simply states that ” It is through him that we are able to live, to
do what we do, and to be who we are.”

When we come to immerse ourselves in this profound truth we will begin to trust Him in every area of our life. Today I want to share about believing our Lord with a childlike faith. The older we get, life has a way of pulling us away from enjoying the simple things that we are meant to enjoy. Life can get so complicated and busy, and this too can tend to pull us away from devoting ourselves to the Lord as we should. God desires that we wake and live each day anew and fresh in Him. Let us look to Him with the eyes of a child and expect from His hand.

I think it is so refreshing just to appreciate the simple wonders of nature that the Lord has created for us. In my life I have seen people trying to rationalize the truth of God’s wonders that He so skillfully created with His hands. The Creator’s beautiful handiwork cannot just be accepted by the one that feels he has to figure it all out. The person that tries to figure out the supernatural will never be able to accept in faith those things that can not be explained. God desires us to be a people that simply believe Him as we esteem His truth above anything that we see or any trials we may be walking through. Jesus spoke of a child’s faith and He desires that we remain that way that we may continue in the truth of His kingdom.

Luke 18:16 (VOICE)
” Let the little children come to Me. Never hinder them! Don’t you realize—
the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like children?”

The Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like children! I often walk away from a day with my granddaughters or teaching my preschool class, and feel totally exhausted yet energized in my heart. Never makes sense to me yet I totally get it. I always tell my husband that hanging out with little children just brings a fresh energy into my soul. My soul is invigorated by their innocence, their questions, and their remarks about how they see things. I especially love their questions that seem so important to them. I love making them feel like their question is very important, and I love explaining things to them. It is as we purpose to live as children in our faith that we will purpose to just simply trust and obey Him. We will run to Him for everything, just as a child runs to a parent when they are troubled.

Lord, help us to live this life before you just as a child does. In our times of struggling with keeping things simple, teach us to understand what childlike faith is so we grow and trust You in a greater way. We desire to live and move and have our being in You as we saturate our hearts in Your awesome truths!

“and You Shall Know the Truth”

Posted on May 13, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

“and you shall know the truth, and the truth

shall make you free.”

Praise God that we can live by the truth that we know, and it shall make and keep us free! Today I want to share with you about maintaining a life that is truthful, honest and upright before the Lord and before man. God is looking for hearts that are pure toward Him. One very important key in maintaining a heart that is pure and upright is the heart that is determined to never compromise the truth that has become real to our hearts. It is as we continue to renew our minds to truth that is real to us, we will become transformed by God’s Word.

Romans 12:2 (Easy to Read Translation)”Don’t change yourselves to be like
the people of this world, but let God change you inside with a new way of
thinking. Then you will be able to understand and accept what God wants
for you. You will be able to know what is good and pleasing to him and what
is perfect.”

It is in the heart of God a plan for each of us, and He desires to lead and direct us in it. You may have heard people speak especially young people that they don’t even know who they are let alone know what they are to do with their lives. I can honestly say I felt clueless who I was, and why I was even here on this earth until the day I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. It was not like I had all kinds of answers and direction overnight but I felt like my life had new meaning, purpose and I was free to live like I never lived before. As we open our hearts and minds to truth we will always experience an affirmation in our heart from Him because He is at work, and He is molding us into someone very special for a very special purpose in this life.

The Word of God is the truth on which we build all foundations and live. As believers we should be basing and living our lives on convictions of the truth we know. God shows us how to live and handle those convictions before others. I can guarantee you that our convictions will be challenged and this is when people will really see what we are made of. I can remember the job I worked at as a young believer, and how my attitudes were transformed because I accepted the Lord Jesus. There were many individuals that I worked with that were taken back as I began to exhibit new behavior, and walk in certain convictions. I think the biggest thing I learned even as a young believer that it is absolutely vital that I surrounded myself with good counsel, and do away with friendships that would pull me down. I also valued reading my Bible, praying and believing that the Lord would give me the wisdom in how to handle myself as a believer among those that did not believe.

It is very important that we maintain the strength of our convictions and stand by them. There can and must be no room for compromise. I heard a wise man once say “That what you compromise to keep you will ultimately lose.” Everything we do, every decision we make and every word we speak should proceed from a heart that desires truth and only truth. As we embrace this desire, I believe that in those times in which we are confused or are steering off course that the Spirit of the Lord is well able to speak to our hearts and lead us back onto a straight path. In saying that I will also mention the importance of keeping our heart and mind renewed to staying humble that we can be corrected by the Lord and those in our life that love us.

Lord we thank you this day that Your truth has set us free, and it will keep us free. Remind us by Your loving Spirit to keep our minds renewed to this truth. May we never try to live a life of freedom in our own ways and means but only by Your truth. We love You Lord, for you have truly set us free!

“Deeply Rooted and Flourishing In Him”

Posted on May 12, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

Psalm 92:13-15
Amplified Bible (AMP)
“Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our
God.
[Growing in grace] they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be
full of sap [of spiritual vitality] and [rich in the] verdure [of trust, love, and
contentment].

They are living memorials] to show that the Lord is upright and faithful to

His promises; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”

What a beautiful scripture this is to get us to envision ourselves abounding in the will and work of the Lord. As we grow in the grace of our Lord we SHALL still bring forth fruit in old age. That means we can plan on it, intend to do it, and have great expectation of it! As our delight and desires become consumed with pleasing Him, we will meditate upon His Word day and night. As a result of our desire to be steadfast we are promised that our lives will become steady and we will not be easily uprooted.

Psalm 1:3 says “And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by
the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also
shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to
maturity].”

It is vital that we have vision for ourselves that as we continue to grow older in this life that we are also continuing to grow in humility and in the grace of our Lord. In Psalm 92:14 it states that as we continue to grow in grace we will still bring forth fruit in our old age, full of sap (spiritual vitality) and
continuing to flourish. I find it so sad when an individual ages that they do not continue to have vision to be successful in everything they do up till the moment they take their very last breath. For everything we desire in this life we must have vision for it. We must envision ourselves doing that which we desire. We must dream about it and expect it to come to pass! It must be something that we are willing to pay the price for.

You may have days you wake up and you do not feel like doing the things you know you are to do. In those times we must call upon God for His grace and strength that we can have the energy to fulfill His purposes. I love the fact that as we do this we can become living memorials to people around us that our God is upright, faithful, and that He is a living God.

What memorial are you leaving people after they encounter you. Do your words challenge and encourage their hearts? Does you life exhibit that you serve a God that is upright and faithful to
His promises? I hope so because God truly wants to exhibit that in us and through us.

Today as you meet your day I encourage you to see yourself flourishing in those things that He has told you to do no matter how impossible they may seem to you. God is good and He is faithful to complete a good work in you. I pray your day is blessed in your pursuit to flourish in Him!

“His Word Lasts Forever!”

Posted on May 11, 2015 in Devotions |

by Dona Hake

I do not know about you but in this day and age it seems that things we buy just do not last as long as they used to. With almost everything you buy there is usually a one year warranty , and that is great, but I always hope upon a purchase that the product will serve me long and efficiently. Recently, I loaded my dishwasher to find after it went through all it’s cycles that something went wrong. There was water all over my floor. I was able to get something out of the bottom of the washer that could have been clogging it, so I assumed that was the problem. It worked fine…for about two weeks. Two weeks after the warranty expired, it broke down completely. I could not believe it, and when I heard how much it would cost just for them to walk through the door, it just did not seem right. I was kicking myself for not calling right away. I was blessed as I worked with the company for I received favor from them, and they extended my warranty, and came to our home, and fixed it completely free.

With this warranty thing fresh on my mind, the Lord used it as a meditation for me for this devotional. The other day as I was walking in my yard, listening to scriptures on my iPhone I heard this scripture, and it encouraged me to think about this more often. This scripture comes from one of my favorite chapters in the Psalms.

Psalm 119:151-153 (NIV)

Yet you are near, Lord,
and all your commands are true.
Long ago I learned from your statutes
that you established them to last forever.”

Isn’t it good to know that we serve a living God, and all of His Word and commands hold true, and He established them to last forever. No warranty with a time in which His Word ends, but rather there is no end, and He promises that His Word will be faithful and work for us under the most stressful things this life can bring. Nothing is too hard for our Lord!

Today I encourage you to look at the temporal things around you, and let them remind you that they may be a blessing, but they do not last forever nor can we take any of it with us. Things come and things go. They serve us to be a blessing and may help lighten the load, but they will never ever outlast our eternal inheritance. Let our love and affections be on our Lord and His Word. All that He is and ever was will never change, and He established everything concerning His kingdom to last forever!!!