My son and his wife were given a small, three-year-old dog, named Melo. My husband and I went over to their house to see the little guy. While we were visiting, I observed Melo lying on the floor, continually watching the front door. Quite often, Melo would sit up and then lie back down. He was behaving as if he were anticipating his previous owners' return for him.

After a few days went by, I called my son to ask how Melo was doing. My son said that the dog had finally settled in and no longer sits at the front door.

While I thought about the dog, something came to my mind. We should be anticipating our Lord Jesus' return for us, just like that little dog was anticipating the return of his former master. We should always be ready for Jesus so that when He comes and knocks, we can immediately open the door for Him.

Hebrews 9:28 – Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. (NIV)

Prayer: Dear Jesus, we live in the hope of seeing You one day. Help us to remain faithful and patient, ever being watchful for Your return, when we will finally meet You face to face. Amen.

One year around the 24th of May, my mother-in-law, Rose, prepared a garden and planted seeds which produced tomatoes, strawberries, onions, lettuce, and vegetable marrow. When the time came to pick them, she asked me to help her. I was about to pick a large vegetable marrow, when my mother-in-law said, "Let it grow larger so it will produce many seeds for next spring's planting."

Mother would clean out the marrows, stuff the middle of them with rice and meat, and cook them in tomato juice. She also would make cake with strawberries on top. Her family reaped the rewards of these tasty treats. For years, mother provided many dinners where we all gathered together. Mother didn't just plant seeds of fruit and vegetables; she planted seeds which produced fruits of love and joy within our families. She was planting seeds for us and the next generation.

God wants us to produce good fruit that will last. Just as my mother-in-law did, we can begin to spread seeds of joy and love within our families.

John 15:16 – You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit — fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. (NIV)

Prayer: Dear Jesus, help us to be good mothers and to do our best for our families so that we can all plant seeds of love and joy which will last forever. Amen.

Matthew 18:2-4 – [Jesus] called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (NIV)

My daughter gave me a beautiful picture of a mother holding her baby as she looked out the window. Under the picture it said, "Mother, I will love you forever." It reminded me of how newborn babies are so tiny and vulnerable, and how they have to trust and depend on their mothers and fathers to provide them with their every need: to be loved, cared for, held, fed, bathed, and comforted.

As babies, we have trusted our mothers and our fathers for all our needs. We should have that same faith and trust in God, our heavenly Father, even though along the path of life, some of us have lost some (or all) of that simple, childlike trust. We know, however, that we can always count on Jesus for all our needs, and we can pray to God to renew that faith and trust in Him for everything. Many times we are reminded to put our trust in the Lord for everything. We learn this from the repeated experiences which God provides through examples in the Bible.

Luke 11:9-10a – So I say to you: ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives. (NIV)

Prayer: Dear Jesus, help us to regain that simple, childlike faith and trust in You which we had when we were newborns. Amen.

With pot holders in my hands, I took the pan out of the hot oven. I had not realized, until it was too late, that my left thumb was hanging over the pot holder and pressing against the hot pan. I quickly placed the pan on top of the stove.

The pain from the burn I received was excruciating. I am ashamed to say this, but I did cry. I went to the kitchen sink and ran the cold water over my burnt thumb. I prayed to God to take the pain away.

As I did this, I was reminded of how our Lord Jesus must have felt when His body was being scourged, a crown of thorns was placed on His head, and afterwards, His body was nailed to the cross. He was made a sacrifice for our sins. My episode was nothing compared to the true, severe suffering Jesus had endured — and He did it for us!

John 19:1-2 – So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. (NKJV)

Prayer: Dear God, in Jesus' name, when we cry out to You, we know that You hear us. Jesus, You know what pain and suffering are, since You died on the cross for us. We know that You love us and that You will give us faith, courage, and strength as we go through the trials of this life. Amen.

When three of my grandsons were young, I walked them to school each morning. On one particular day, the path and the gate we used were blocked by a huge mound of snow. We had to climb up and slide down the hill. I was happy that I was dressed for the occasion by having my snow pants on. All that was showing was my face. My grandsons had a good laugh with me.

We came to the side of the road to cross. To the right of us, there was a woman shovelling snow off her driveway. She assumed that we were going to cross over at her driveway, as other children did, to get to school. She scolded us and told me that I was the worst one by being older. I assured her in a nice way that we had no intention of crossing onto her property. My eldest grandson was upset that I did not yell back at her. I told my grandsons that Jesus always wants us to respect other people and their property. We should always do to others as we would like them to do for us.

Returning home, I met my daughter and her neighbour, and told them of the incident. Since the neighbour knew the woman, she called her and told her that she was scolding a grandmother. We all had a good laugh because the woman thought that I was a grade-eight student taking her siblings to school.

This experience gave me a chance to teach my grandsons about how God wants us to respect others. God wants us to lead by example. We never know when someone may be watching us.

Romans 14:19 – Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. (NIV)

Matthew 5:9 – Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. (NIV)

Prayer: Jesus, may we always show respect for each other in every situation. Lead us in the righteous path to peace, so that we can set an example for others. Amen.

In my refrigerator on the lower shelf, there was a large, yellow stain which I could not remove. The refrigerator was like this when we moved into our condo, and the warranty on it was outdated. The stain displeased me.

Then one day, our neighbour's refrigerator broke, and it could not be repaired. My husband approached him and asked if we could switch the shelf in our fridge for his, since the refrigerators were identical. Now when I open the fridge door, I see a spotless shelf which makes the whole appliance look new.

Just like that stain inside the fridge, we become stained on the inside when we sin, which makes God displeased with us. We can get rid of our stains by confessing our sins to God. We become clean again with God's forgiveness and mercy towards us. We are new once again.

1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (NKJV)

2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (NIV)

Prayer: Dear Father God, in Jesus' name, help us always to repent and confess our sins as soon as possible. Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within us. Amen.

A number of years ago, my sister and her friends invited me to come along and play some golf. We purchased a basket of golf balls to share. We each took turns. When my turn came, I took one of the golf balls, and with my golf club in my hand, I positioned myself between two other players, one on each side of me. I set the ball on the tee. I took the golf club and lined it up with the ball. Then I swung at it. I was so excited to see the ball flying through the air. I turned towards my sister and friends and said, "Look!" and pointed to the ball. My sister and her friends were doubled over laughing. As I looked down, I saw my ball still sitting on the tee. It was the person next to me whose ball had been flying in the air. I should have fixed my eyes on the ball when I was swinging at it.

I deceived myself into thinking that the ball in the air was mine, but there are far more dangerous deceptions of which we must be careful. It is so easy to be deceived in our daily lives. Deception is all around us. We must keep alert so we do not get into trouble. We can do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, and studying and listening to God's words in the Bible, which teaches us the real truth.

Mark 13:5-6 – Jesus said to them, "Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many." (NIV)

Prayer: Dear Lord, as You taught Your disciples, help us to continue praying, reading, and studying the words of the Bible, learning the truth, being alert, and watching carefully, so that we will not be deceived either now or in the last days. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.