Jesus said to them, “He wrote this command for you because you’re heartless. ⁶ But God made them male and female in the beginning, at creation. ⁷ That’s why a man will leave his father and mother and will remain united with his wife, ⁸ and the two will be one. So they are no longer two but one. ⁹ Therefore, don’t let anyone separate what God has joined together.”
(Mark 10:5-9 -- GW)

Photo:  http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/geese-in-cemetery-gm804572480-130470797

P.S.  Canada geese mate for life, typically. 

God said, “This is the sign of the promise I am giving to you and every living being that is with you for generations to come. ¹³ I will put my rainbow in the clouds to be a sign of my promise to the earth. ¹⁴ Whenever I form clouds over the earth, a rainbow will appear in the clouds. ¹⁵ Then I will remember my promise to you and every living animal. Never again will water become a flood to destroy all life. ¹⁶ Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember my everlasting promise to every living animal on earth.”
(Genesis 9:12-16 -- GW)

Therefore, you, too, must be ready because the Son of Man will return when you least expect him.
(Matthew 24:44 -- GW)

Photo:  http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/ready-to-run-gm840838964-137036711

Enoch walked with God; then he was not there because God took him.

(Genesis 5:24 -- CSB)

Obey my commands so that you may live.
Follow my teachings just as you protect the pupil of your eye.  
Tie them on your fingers. 
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
(Proverbs 7:2-3 -- GW)

In the course of time Cain presented some of the land’s produce as an offering to the Lord. ⁴ And Abel also presented an offering—
some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions.  The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, ⁵ but he did not have regard for Cain and his offering.  Cain was furious, and he looked despondent.
(Genesis 4:3-5 -- CSB)

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.

(John 14:6 -- CSB)

Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Instead, fear the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell.

(Matthew 10:28 -- GW)

I got shoes, you got shoes
All of God's children got shoes my Lord
And when we get to Heaven, gonna put on our shoes
We're gonna walk, we're gonna talk
All over God's Heaven, Heaven

I got a robe, you got a robe
All of God's children got a robe my Lord
And when we get to Heaven, gonna put on our robes
We're gonna shout, we're gonna shout
All over God's Heaven, Heaven

Heaven, Heaven, everybody talkin' 'bout Heaven
Ain't goin' there Heaven, Heaven
Everybody talkin' 'bout Heaven, ain't goin' there
Well, I'm gonna walk, I gonna talk
All over God's Heaven, Heaven

(By Thomas A. Dorsey)

Live as citizens who reflect the Good News about Christ.  Then, whether I come to see you or whether I stay away, I’ll hear all about you.  I’ll hear that you are firmly united in spirit, united in fighting for the faith that the Good News brings. ²⁸ So don’t let your opponents intimidate you in any way.  This is God’s way of showing them that they will be destroyed and that you will be saved.

(Philippians 1:27-28 -- GW)

I was praying in the city of Joppa when I fell into a trance.  I saw something like a large linen sheet being lowered by its four corners from the sky.  The sheet came near me. ⁶ I looked into the sheet very closely and saw tame animals, wild animals, reptiles, and birds. ⁷ I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter!  Kill these animals, and eat them.’
(Acts 11:5-7 -- GW)

We know that if the life we live here on earth is ever taken down like a tent, we still have a building from God.  It is an eternal house in heaven that isn’t made by human hands. ² In our present tent-like existence we sigh, since we long to put on the house we will have in heaven. ³ After we have put it on, we won’t be naked. ⁴ While we are in this tent, we sigh.  We feel distressed because we don’t want to take off the tent, but we do want to put on the eternal house.  Then eternal life will put an end to our mortal existence. ⁵ God has prepared us for this and has given us his Spirit to guarantee it.
(2 Corinthians 5:1-5 -- GW)

We love because God loved us first.

(1 John 4:19 -- GW)


Photo:  http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/cross-and-rings-gm835856060-135901095

Not all flesh is the same.  Humans have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds have another, and fish have still another.

(1 Corinthians 15:39 -- GW) 

O God, you have rejected us.  You have broken down our defenses.  You have been angry.
Restore us!
² You made the land quake.  You split it wide open.  Heal the cracks in it
because it is falling apart.

(Psalm 60:1-2 -- GW)

By day the Lord went ahead of them in a column of smoke to lead them on their way.  By night he went ahead of them in a column of fire to give them light so that they could travel by day or by night.

(Exodus 13:21 -- GW)

So place yourselves under God’s authority.  Resist the devil, and he will run away from you. ⁸ Come close to God, and he will come close to you.  Clean up your lives, you sinners, and clear your minds, you doubters.
(James 4:7-8 -- GW)

“Never have any other god. ⁴ Never make your own carved idols or statues that represent any creature in the sky, on the earth, or in the water. ⁵ Never worship them or serve them, because I, the Lord your God, am a God who does not tolerate rivals. I punish children for their parents’ sins to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. ⁶ But I show mercy to thousands of generations of those who love me and obey my commandments.
⁷ “Never use the name of the Lord your God carelessly. The Lord will make sure that anyone who carelessly uses his name will be punished.
⁸ “Remember the day of rest by observing it as a holy day. ⁹ You have six days to do all your work. ¹⁰ The seventh day is the day of rest—a holy day dedicated to the Lord your God. You, your sons, your daughters, your male and female slaves, your cattle, and the foreigners living in your city must never do any work on that day. ¹¹ In six days the Lord made heaven, earth, and the sea, along with everything in them. He didn’t work on the seventh day. That’s why the Lord blessed the day he stopped his work and set this day apart as holy.
¹² “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live for a long time in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
¹³ “Never murder.
¹⁴ “Never commit adultery.
¹⁵ “Never steal.
¹⁶ “Never lie when you testify about your neighbor.
¹⁷ “Never desire to take your neighbor’s household away from him.
“Never desire to take your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey, or anything else that belongs to him.”

(Exodus 20:1-17 -- GW)

Brothers and sisters, it wouldn’t do you any good if I came to you speaking in other languages, unless I explained revelation, knowledge, prophecy, or doctrine to you.
(1 Corinthians 14:6 -- GW) 

"So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it remind you oh so gently, that the best is yet to come." 

(Author Unknown)

You know the times in which we are living.  It’s time for you to wake up.  Our salvation is nearer now than when we first became believers.

(Romans 13:11 -- GW)


Photo:  http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/ornate-clock-gm576559832-99050717

". . . we bow our heads here along this muddy river, out here on this lonesome trail . . . "

(from Runaway West, by H.A. Everts)

https://www.directtextbook.com/isbn/9780682493796?geis=y

 

 

God answered Moses, “I Am Who I Am.  This is what you must say to the people of Israel: ‘I Am has sent me to you.’”

(Exodus 3:14 -- GW)

"You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

(Matthew 5:14-16 -- ESV)

Collect for Peace: 

O God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed, give to us, your servants, that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey Your commandments, and also that we, being defended by You from the fear of our enemies, may pass our time in peace and quietness;  through the merits of Jesus Christ, our Savior, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

(from the Gelasian Sacamentary)

 

Photo:  https://us.fotolia.com/id/134170661

 

 

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

(1 Corinthians 1:18 -- ESV)

Then the Lord said, "Simon, Simon, listen!  Satan has demanded to have you apostles for himself.  He wants to separate you from me as a farmer separates wheat from husks."
(Luke 22:31 -- GW)

Photo: 

https://us.fotolia.com/id/139484208?lightbox_page=2

 

 

Whatever happens, give thanks, because it is God’s will in Christ Jesus that you do this.

(1 Thessalonians 5:18 -- GW)

"In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."
(attributed to George Orwell)

Similar photo:  http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/horse-from-behind-gm696452266-128884137

The little that the righteous person has is better than the wealth of many wicked people.

(Psalm  37:16 -- GW)

Jesus used another illustration. He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who planted good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while people were asleep, his enemy planted weeds in the wheat field and went away. ²⁶ When the wheat came up and formed kernels, weeds appeared.
²⁷ “The owner’s workers came to him and asked, ‘Sir, didn’t you plant good seed in your field? Where did the weeds come from?’
²⁸ “He told them, ‘An enemy did this.’
“His workers asked him, ‘Do you want us to pull out the weeds?’
²⁹ “He replied, ‘No. If you pull out the weeds, you may pull out the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. When the grain is cut, I will tell the workers to gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to be burned. But I’ll have them bring the wheat into my barn.’”

³⁶When Jesus had sent the people away, he went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain what the illustration of the weeds in the field means.”
³⁷ He answered, “The one who plants the good seeds is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world. The good seeds are those who belong to the kingdom. The weeds are those who belong to the evil one. ³⁹ The enemy who planted them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world. The workers are angels. ⁴⁰ Just as weeds are gathered and burned, so it will be at the end of time. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send his angels. They will gather everything in his kingdom that causes people to sin and everyone who does evil. ⁴² The angels will throw them into a blazing furnace. People will cry and be in extreme pain there. ⁴³ Then the people who have God’s approval will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Let the person who has ears listen!
(Matthew 13:24-30 & 36-43 -- GW)

Photo:  http://www.istockphoto.com/photo/yellow-crop-duster-spraying-the-cornfield-gm92377621-5279443