Today's Inspiration
My Friend, Greetings!
Welcome to Morning by Morning, your Internet Inspiration.
This is a Thriving Thursday, November 20, 2008.
Open your heart to morning Son-shine!
November
The last seed
falls from the sunflower--
empty pond.
The long awaited
rattle of rain on rooftops--
Thanksgiving Day.
- Michael P. Garofalo, Cuttings
Our Week's Theme is "God’s Sheep." Today, we continue with yesterday’s reading of Psalm 100. It is a celebration of worship, the offering of praise we give to God. We serve God with thankful and joyful hearts.
Scripture Reading 
Psalm 100
1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing.
3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Commentary 
Worship the LORD!
All the people of the world, in all ages of time, are invited to joyfully worship God. Come, come into God’s presence, where he communes with his people, the sheep of his pasture. They sang this song with joy as they entered the gates of the temple. Succeeding generations have sung it in festival praise. In our day, the tune is new, but the heart of worship is from everlasting!
My Friend, do you sing? Obey the call to enter his presence with singing. Ludwig van Beethoven said, Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life. Music joins our life in the senses with God’s spiritual influence within us. Saint Augustine described it wisely, To sing, is to pray twice. We express our adoration and love to the God of the heavens, he who fellowships with our soul.
Our God is worthy of our veneration. We revere his holy name, for he is the Mighty One of Israel. He is an eternal Spirit, living within us, divinely empowering us to new life of service. My Friend, affirm aloud today these words drawn from our reading:
v. 4 - Lord, I enter your gates with thanksgiving, and your courts with praise.
v. 4 - I give thanks to you; I bless your name.
v. 5 - For you, O LORD, are good; your steadfast love endures forever, and your faithfulness to all generations.
I refuse to believe I am a piece of dust scuttering through uncaring space. I believe I count - that I have work to do - that there is need of me... with my last breath, I sing a psalm.
- Rita Duskin
Daily Proverb 
Proverbs Chapter 12, verse 9
Better is he who is lightly esteemed, and has a servant, than he who honors himself, and lacks bread.
Some people put on a show, even if they lack the goods. A crowd is often attracted to the wrong thing, in this case the pompous, self-congratulator who brags of exploits that titillate the imagination, but in reality is a sham. This proverb advises us to prefer a doer, toiling effectively and profitably in the shadows, away from the public eye. His project is large enough to warrant help.
Weekday Fruit of the Spirit 
Humility
Portray the humility of Christ with those around us today. Matthew 11:
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me;
for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Prayer 
I linger a moment more before you, O Lord,
your patient presence soothes my soul.
Cleanse my heart, renew my spirit;
Being with you is my simple goal.
Amen.
Today's Inspiration was prepared by David L Stoops 
