Good morning to everyone. Grace and Peace be with you. Yesterday was such a beautifully blessed day filled with hilarity, accomplishment, and love. With help from our guests, my storage unit is now empty and all that was left is now properly stored in my shed. My shed, appropriately named: All Things Not Garage, is tidy and does not look like anything that I would own. Now, the little garage which sits right beside the shed of all things not garage, it is a little more cluttered, but still does not look like anything that I would own … it is tidy-ish. My third yard got mowed without issue and I got me a nice hot bath. Played games on the phone with the littles, got cuddles and lots of giggles. However, the biggest event for my day was when we tried a new translation AP so that me and my friend could have a conversation. WE had a conversation … a conversation of giggles and hearty laughter. As we tried to talk slow, but fast enough and fast, but slow enough for the AP to understand two old ladies … let's just say the translations … well, some were good and correct; others were good for loud laughing. This actually got me in trouble, because my daughter-in-law was trying to put the kids to bed. In this transaction of trying to talk to each other without one of the kids being there to translate for us, these two old women laughed and bonded in love. Love for fun. Love for family. Love for the Spirit who wants us to understand each other a little better. Sometimes, as adults, we get too caught up in the adulting part of life that we forget to remember to have fun. We forget that we are allowed to laugh. We are allowed to let go. We are allowed to be free of all the adult rules from time to time and just act like kids. To let our bodies feel the ache of stomach cramps from laughing too hard and too much. We are allowed to live. This day even ended with hilarity. As I was saying my prayers and giving thanks, my mind was everywhere. Then when I went to recite the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father who art in heaven, hilarity be thy name….” I kid you not it took three tries before I got the words right. And yes, that caused even more laughing for me. Today I would like to encourage you to find that inner person who is screaming for laughter. Who is crying to have gut-wrenching aches from too many giggles. Do not allow the enemy to keep you from the beautiful smiles and joyful bliss of laughter. Being an adult is hard enough; do not take away your playtime. Find time today to enjoy the blessings, instigate laughter, and smile because it looks good on you. Be blessed. **For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. – Romans 8:20-21

Matthew 20:29-34 Sometimes the accounts of healings have one detail that makes us question everything. Here it is His question. “What do you want Me to do for You?” Now you would think this question had an obvious answer. It was two blind men calling out to Jesus so loudly the crowd was telling them to shut up. So he turns with this question. Did He Not know? No. Jesus is wanting them to voice it. They wanted to see. Their only hope of that happening was for Him to notice them and heal them. So they called out, then answered his question. You see, they wanted the healing, but it's at this point in ministry that Jesus has watched the newly healed turn from, Him without an ounce of gratitude. And now here's two more. Do they desire healing? Or is their concern more eternal in nature? Were these two going to thank Him for the healing or just walk away? Remember the healing of the cripple who was lowered from the rooftop into a house. That's when Jesus told him that his sins were forgiven before healing him. The more urgent matter for Jesus was this man's soul. When we come before the Lord, we pray for what we desire, not always necessarily what we need. Do not forget that these men and women allowed their handicap to be their occupation for a lifetime. Many were aware of the healing happening, few when asked address their need for forgiveness of sin. Jesus asks because the healing led to other issues. These grown adults were incapable of following a traditional career path. They would have to find a way to sustain their existence without relying on begging. And this would cause a financial issue for them. So what kind of fool would possibly begin to resent being made well? Keep in mind that many of those who were screaming for excitement at the healing were some of the same people who remained silent when Jesus was being crucified. We do the same thing today when we pray for temporary results. Our prayers should reflect more concern for the people's eternal consequences than for earthly temporal results. Friday we will interrupt the study on Matthew for a special lesson on the madness occurring today. Be here for “This is Baphomet.” [29] As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. [30] And two people who were blind, sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” [31] But the crowd sternly warned them to be quiet; yet they cried out all the more, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” [32] And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” [33] They *said to Him, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.” [34] Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.

~. . . And the evening and the morning were the 231st day. Good Morning, God's Beloved. On this 232nd day of 2026, might I suggest to you that when life itself seems like a stormy sea, there remains an Anchor to steady your soul . . .==> "Let us hold on to the hope we say we have without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." [Hebrews 10:23] [And as you RESPECT and LOVE one another as hard as you can, Please PLAY NICE, PRAY for one another, Distance-CHECK on your neighbors, and Keep a SMILE on your Faith.] (For more videos like this, subscribe to my YouTube channel, MelzMark Video Productions, at www.youtube.com/[VStMelz]) https://youtube.com/watch?v=sCz5D-TY4NY&is=sDCPJRgXN7pceScP

Guidelines for living. August 20th, 2026 What Does Agape Love Look Like? Love … doesn’t force itself on others, isn’t always “me first,” doesn’t fly off the handle, doesn’t keep score of the sins of others. 1 Corinthians 13:5 The Message When Sir Ernest Shackleton was exploring in the arctic, he faced a very difficult hour as their rations became depleted. Finally, the last biscuit had been given out to each of the men. There was not a crumb of anything left. That night Shackleton lay awake in his sleeping bag with their peril heavily on his mind. He knew that death by starvation was approaching unless something happened. As he lay there with thoughts he dared not express keeping him from sleep, out of the corner of his eye he noticed movement by one of his men. A cold chill came over him as he realized this man was stealthily reaching for the food bag of the man next to him. Shackleton still pretended to be asleep. His mind reeled; he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. This was one of his most trusted men. Still, he knew that starving men sometimes act like predators. He was not disturbed for long, however. The man did reach for the food container of his companion … and then quietly took his own biscuit, his last one, and placed it in the other man’s parcel before lying down to sleep. That is the companionship and the cost of real love. To this Paul adds the words, “Love does not seek its own.” Another version puts it: “Love does not act in its own interest.” Love acting in its own interest is not the agape love that is described by Paul. When the expression of love does not embrace the total needs of the other person, it falls short of this test which Paul articulated. Agape love produces an unspoken commitment—without conditions or strings attached—to meet the needs of the person who is the object of affection, and along with that commitment comes personal sacrifice which is not difficult to make. “Love,” writes Paul, “is not easily provoked.” George Bernard Shaw once said, “I was taught when I was young that if people would only love one another, all would be well with the world. This seemed simple and very nice, but I found when I tried to put it into practice not only that other people were seldom lovable, but that I was not very lovable myself.” That’s the predicament we often find ourselves in—not only are others unlovable but when we are honest with ourselves we must admit we are not very lovable either. A gardener once wrote to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and said, “I’ve tried everything I’ve ever heard or read, including all of your bulletins, on how to get rid of dandelions—and I’ve still got them.” By return mail he received the last word on the subject. “Dear Sir,” read the letter, “if you have tried everything and you still have dandelions, then there is only one thing left for you to do: learn to love them.” You know, we smile at that candid bit of advice, but life is much like a lawn full of dandelions. We want to be rid of them any way we can—kill them by spraying (that is, the dandelions), dig them, bomb them, pull them out—destroy them no matter what, just get rid of them! Nevertheless, at times, the dandelions of life hang in there, and God expects us to love them by the alchemy of faith and grace. When Paul wrote to the Romans, he told them God’s love comes through His Spirit who is given to us. That’s the only way to learn to really love. Resource Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Ellen G. White THE SABBATH IS THE LORD’S DAY — NOT SUNDAY There is a phrase in Scripture that deserves our careful attention: “MY DAY.” God does not speak of the Sabbath as merely a Jewish tradition or a human religious custom. He claims it as His own day. Isaiah 58:13 “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day…” Notice the language: “MY holy day.” God says: “My sabbath” — Ezekiel 20:12 “My sabbaths” — Ezekiel 20:20 “The sabbath of the LORD thy God” — Exodus 20:10 “My holy day” — Isaiah 58:13 And who is the Lord of the Sabbath? Mark 2:28 “Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.” Jesus did not say He was Lord of Sunday. He identified Himself as Lord of the Sabbath. Go back even further—to Creation. Genesis 2:2–3 “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made… And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it.” The seventh day was blessed and sanctified before there was a Jew, before there was Moses, and before there was Mount Sinai. Then God placed it in the heart of His moral law: Exodus 20:8–11 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy… But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God.” The question is therefore not simply, “What day do I prefer?” The deeper question is: “What day has God Himself claimed as His?” Scripture answers: the seventh-day Sabbath. Sunday may be widely observed by tradition, culture, or religious practice, but we must distinguish between what God commanded and what human tradition established. Jesus warned: Mark 7:7–9 “But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” The Sabbath is not presented in Scripture as something God casually gave and later abandoned. Isaiah points forward to the new earth: Isaiah 66:22–23 “And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.” From Creation, through the Ten Commandments, through the ministry of Christ, and into the new earth, Scripture consistently gives the seventh day a unique place. So let us not allow tradition to speak louder than Scripture. The Sabbath is not my day. It is not your day. It is God’s day. “The seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God.” — Exodus 20:10 If God calls it “MY holy day,” shouldn't we be willing to honor what He has claimed? AMAZING LOVE

Did you know? If Jesus really broke the Sabbath, then the charge against Him was not small—it was deadly serious. Under God’s law, deliberate Sabbath-breaking was a capital offence (Exodus 31:14–15). So when people say Jesus broke the Sabbath, they are not just saying He disagreed with Jewish tradition. They are saying He violated the law of God, was guilty of sin, and therefore deserved death. But that cannot be true. Jesus was “without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). He did not break the Sabbath. He broke the man-made traditions that had been added around it. That is why Jesus said, “It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:12). His defence was not that the Sabbath no longer mattered, but that His actions were fully in harmony with God’s law. The real conflict was never between Jesus and the Sabbath. It was between Jesus and false religion. Jesus did not break God’s Sabbath. He honoured it, defended it, and showed us how to keep it.

Let's talk about it. SINCERITY IS NOT ENOUGH Sincerity is important, but sincerity alone is not enough. A person can be completely sincere and still be sincerely wrong. What matters is not merely how strongly we believe something, but whether what we believe agrees with the Word and Law of God. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” — John 14:15. God does not measure obedience by our intentions alone. He calls us to bring our lives into harmony with His truth. Paul said, “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” — Romans 2:13. Consider Saul before his conversion. He was sincere. He believed he was serving God, yet he was persecuting the followers of Christ. His sincerity did not make his actions right. He needed the truth, repentance, and a changed life. The same danger exists today. Many people say, “I love Jesus,” “God knows my heart,” or “I am sincere in my faith.” But Jesus asked: “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” — Luke 6:46. Grace does not give us permission to live in disobedience. Faith does not cancel God's Law. True faith produces obedience. “By the law is the knowledge of sin.” — Romans 3:20. And Scripture declares: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” — Revelation 14:12. The question is therefore not simply, “Am I sincere?” The deeper question is: “Am I sincerely following the truth God has revealed?” Let us not use sincerity as a substitute for obedience. Let us study God's Word, accept His truth, repent where we have been wrong, and by His grace walk in obedience to His commandments. Sincerity may explain your intention, but obedience demonstrates your submission to God. Choose truth. Choose obedience. Choose Christ. Amazing Love

The Advent Truth. “New covenant” does not mean “no law,” and “a new commandment” does not mean Jesus replaced the Ten Commandments with a vague command to love. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you” (John 13:34). What was new? Not the command to love. Leviticus 19:18 had already commanded, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” centuries earlier. And Jeremiah 31 actually proves the opposite of the “law abolished” argument. God describes the NEW COVENANT Himself: “I will put MY LAW in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33). Notice what God does NOT say: “I will abolish My law and replace it with another law.” The difference is where the law is written. Under the new covenant, God writes His law upon the HEART. Hebrews repeats Jeremiah’s prophecy: “I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts” (Hebrews 8:10; cf. 10:16). Yes, Jesus said, “This cup is the new testament [covenant] in my blood” (Luke 22:20). His blood ratifies the new covenant—but what covenant does Jeremiah say it is? The covenant in which GOD WRITES HIS LAW ON OUR HEARTS. The problem with the old covenant was never that God’s moral law was defective. Scripture says, “The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good” (Romans 7:12). Hebrews identifies the problem: “finding fault with them” (Hebrews 8:8). The people promised, “All that the LORD hath spoken we will do” (Exodus 19:8), but human strength could not produce obedience. The new covenant provides what the old covenant experience lacked: forgiveness through Christ, a transformed heart, and God’s Spirit producing obedience from within. And what does love look like? “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:3). Grace doesn’t erase God’s law. Grace writes it deeper. The old covenant could point to righteousness. The new covenant puts Christ within us to live it.

My Daily Witness. Jesus loves you so much that HE died for you, and Rose from the dead for you, and now desperately longs to have a personal relationship with you, will you accept Him into your heart and life today, as your Savior, and King? Repent of sin in your life, and live for HIM, and let Him live through you. For God so loved the world, that HE gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16. After accepting Jesus as your Savior, show your love for HIM by keeping His Commandments. "If you love me keep my commandments". John 14:15. ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR, REPENT OF SIN IN YOUR LIFE, KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD, INCLUDING THE 4TH COMMANDMENT (THE SEVENTH DAY SABBATH). FOR JESUS CHRIST IS SOON RETURNING, AND HIS REWARD IS WITH HIM, SOME TO EVERLASTING LIFE, SOME TO EVERLASTING DEATH!!!!! Revelation 12:14 Revelation 22:12 Daniel 12:2

❤️ Keep God's Word in your heart and pass His truth to the next generation. 📲 Share this with someone who is investing in the next generation. #Deuteronomy667 #GodsWord #TeachTheNextGeneration #FaithAtHome #BiblicalTeaching #RaiseThemInFaith #GodlyFamily #FaithInChrist #ChristianLiving #Lordsbook