“You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15, ESV).

     Last Thursday, the security cameras at a toy shop in Tabatinga, Brazil recorded a dog wandering into the store. The footage revealed the dog latching onto a stuffed sheep, then attempting a fast get-away. To the dog’s chagrin, the toy animal became stuck in the doorway leaving the pup no choice but to drop its newly found prize. Life can be ruff when you’re a stray (oops, I mean rough).

“Because you have little faith,” he said. “I assure you that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Go from here to there,’ and it will go. There will be nothing that you can’t do” (Matthew 17:20, CEB).

Please excuse us; there will be a break in our daily devotions this week. 

“A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day”     (Proverbs 15:13, MSG).

       There is much to trouble the soul these days. I don’t care to elaborate on our world’s concerns. There’s more than enough bad news to go around to sink the human heart into despair. Too many of us are feeling as low as a bow-legged caterpillar.