A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things. (Matthew 12:35).

One of my favorite memories from childhood is falling asleep to Southern Gospel quartet music. My father loved those songs and often at bedtime, he would put a stack of Southern Gospel records on our stereo─the Blackwood Brothers, the Sunshine Boys, and many others. The last thing I heard as I drifted off to sleep was songs that gave honor and glory to Jesus.

I don’t know if my father realized his habit was putting good treasure into the hearts of his children, but I’m so grateful for the wealth he gave us. Even now in my sixties, almost 30 years after his death, words from those songs may come back to sooth, comfort, challenge and encourage me.

Even if you weren’t blessed with parents who put good treasure into your heart, you can make good choices about the things you read, listen to and watch as an adult. And all of us can look for opportunities to fill the hearts of the next generation with good things.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word, available to us in so many ways, which can become a great treasure as we hide it in our hearts. Amen.

The Melvin Beiler family 1979

Photo 1 Donn and me in my parents’ living room–stereo on the left, 1967. Photo 2 My dad, Melvin Beiler, and his granddaughter, Diane Beiler, circa 1968.)

(Devotional from Homespun Faith, Reflections from the Seasons of Life, copyright 2014 Daisy Beiler Townsend. Available as paperback or ebook: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Xulon Press. Locally at Fresh Grounds, M & M Grocery, Leanna’s Books, Penn Alps in Grantsville, Maryland, or from me 724-373-8445 or donaisy@neo.rr.com.)