Admonishment

Last Friday I was reading a devotion and was suddenly inspired to start writing again. With only a couple of stops for prayer, and a couple of minor edits, this is what I wrote.

Can you count the stars in the heavens?
Can you name them and give their age?
No, but it is good to study their beauty,
To learn what they may teach.

Can you number the grains of sand
And hold them all in your palm?
No, but they can teach you
Of the vastness of God’s glory.

Can you know the thoughts of men
That stir their deepest souls?
No, but seek understanding
As if it were a precious jewel.

Can you know the mind of God,
Who hung each star in its place
And named it,
Who carefully placed each grain of sand
And holds them in his mighty hand,
Who breathed life into man
And stirs the depths of his soul?
No, but search earnestly His word
As one who mines the heart of the earth
And brings forth greater riches with increasing depth.

Bow with your face to the ground before the throne of God,
And you will be standing above the heads of mighty men.
Humble yourself in the dust, esteeming all above you,
And your crown will shame the kings of the earth.
Invest your life, your strength, your every breath

on the beggar and cast-off child –
Receive a dividend of joy eternal.