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Preach the word;be prepared in season and out of season.

2 Timothy 4:2

As I rolled up my blinds, I noticed how very beautiful my dahlias were. They were budding and blooming in all their glory, as they seemed to shout:

"We're not finished yet!"

Now you might say, "No big deal,

 that's what dahlias should be doing." But, did I tell you that it was the middle of November and that they were blooming like it was still summer? Despite the low overnight temperatures and even some consistently light frost, they seemed to be determined to continue doing what they were created to do, and to do it until the very end! In fact, just a few days before the life threatening frost set in, I was able to collect a beautiful bouquet of dahlias, enough to fill a large vase.

As I took a final glimpse of these beautiful flowers that adorned my lawn so late in the season, I was reminded of my own spiritual life. Psalm 92:14 states that the righteous will continue to bear fruit in old age, and will stay fresh and green.

If you couple this scripture with Colossians 3:23, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart for the Lord," you have a Biblical description of what my dahlias were doing. They knew not that it was the middle of November, or that at any time, their beautiful life-span would be over. They knew only one thing and that was that they would bloom with all their might in order to please their Creator!

I want to serve the Lord with fervor! In these last days I do not want to become faint, to quit, or to be so conscious of the season that I cease to bear fruit. I want to live for the Lord in and out of season so that I will be doing just what He created me to do, and that is to "Bloom Like It's Still Summer!"

Prayer: Lord, I can often find you in my spiritual picture, and the beautiful dahlias you have given me are just another way to see you. Thank you for the lovely inspirational message they spoke to me when I noticed they were still there blooming with all their might. I pray that this special reminder will encourage me to never retire from the calling you have placed on my life. In fact, let me make it a daily goal to "Bloom Like It's Still Summer!" Amen.

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