Hey, it's time for some encouragement from your friends at Our Daily Bread.

The devotional writer for today is James Banks, and the reading is titled God's Garden.

A reminder of the beauty and brevity of life grows outside my front door.

Last spring, my wife planted moonflower vines, so named because of their large and round

white blooms that resemble a full moon. Each flower opens for one night and then withers in

the bright sun the following morning,

never to bloom again.

But the plant is prolific and every evening presents a fresh parade of flowers.

We love watching it as we come and go each day, wondering what new beauty will greet us when we return.

These fragile flowers call to mind a vital truth from Scripture.

The Apostle Peter, recalling the words of the prophet Isaiah, wrote,

You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable,

through the living and enduring Word of God.

For all people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.

The grass withers and the flowers fall.

But he assures us that God keeps his promises forever.

Like flowers in a garden, our lives on Earth are short

when compared with eternity, but God has spoken beauty into our brevity. Through the good news of Jesus,

we make a fresh beginning with God and trust his promise of unlimited life in his loving presence.

When Earth's sun and moon are but a memory, we will praise him still.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from 1 Peter chapter 1,

verses 17 through 25.

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