Priceless Results

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Our reading titled, Priceless Results, was written by Allison Keita. On every school day for three years, Colleen has been dressing up in a different costume or mask to greet her children as they exit the school bus each afternoon. It brightens the day of everyone on the bus, including the bus driver. She brings so much joy to the kids on my bus. It's amazing.

I love that. Colleen's children agree. It all started when Colleen began fostering children. Knowing how difficult it was to be separated from parents and to attend a new school, she began greeting the kids in a costume. After three days of doing so, the kids didn't want her to stop.

So Colleen continued. It was an investment of time and money at thrift shops, but as reporter Meredith Turhar describes, it brought a priceless result, happiness. One little verse amid a book of wise and witty advice, largely by King Solomon to his son, sums up the results of this mom's antics. From Proverbs 17, a cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. By bringing cheer to all her kids, she hoped to prevent crushed spirits. The source of true and lasting joy is God through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit enables us to shine God's light as we strive to bring joy to others, a joy that offers hope and strength to face trials.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Proverbs 17 verses 12 through 22. Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly. Evil will never leave the house of one who pays back evil for good.

Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam, so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out. Equitting the guilty and condemning the innocent, the Lord detests them both. Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom when they are not able to understand it? A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for a time of adversity. One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge and puts up security for a neighbor. Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin.

Whoever builds a high gate invites destruction. One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper. One whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble. To have a fool for a child brings grief. There is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.

A cheerful heart is good medicine but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Let's pray. Dear Father, thank you for giving us joy. May our joy spread to others as we share all you've done for us and live as examples of your love and forgiveness. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is Rachelle Traub and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.