Category: Psalms

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The Shepherd King

We saw yesterday how God used a young shepherd to defeat the Philistine army. One young man who trusted God and did not doubt God’s promises to defend and save His people.

Israel had a king. A man they had chosen to lead them; one who stood head and shoulders above all others. He was a man who was a born leader and an able fighting man but he didn’t have a heart for God.

David did.

“Israel’s leaders met with David at Hebron and said, ‘We are your relatives. 2 Even when Saul was king, you led our nation in battle. And the Lord promised that someday you would rule Israel and take care of us like a shepherd.’

3 During the meeting, David made an agreement with the leaders and asked the Lord to be their witness. Then the leaders poured olive oil on David’s head to show that he was now the king of Israel.” II Samuel 5:1-3 CEV

Saul had been killed in battle, along with his son Jonathan. The nation came to David for leadership. God had set David apart as a young man because his heart was pure and now the nation had chosen him as their leader.

Their words, “take care of us like a shepherd”, were his direction from the Lord. David knew how to defend the sheep he had cared for as a youth. While looking after his father’s sheep David had protected them against a lion and a bear. His songs brought them peace and comfort. He knew how to bind their wounds and lead them to good pasture. He would do the same for the nation of Israel.

He would lead them as a living example of the true King. Through David’s leading, the nations of the world would be led to the cross.

” Later, God removed Saul and let David rule in his place. God said about him, ‘David the son of Jesse is the kind of person who pleases me most! He does everything I want him to do.’ 23 God promised that someone from David’s family would come to save the people of Israel, and this one is Jesus.” Acts 13:22-23 CEV

How does a shepherd king rule? I’m so glad you asked that.

“You, Lord, are my shepherd. I will never be in need.
2 You let me rest in fields of green grass. You lead me to streams
of peaceful water,
3     and you refresh my life. You are true to your name,
and you lead me along the right paths.
4 I may walk through valleys as dark as death, but I won’t be afraid.
You are with me, and your shepherd’s rod makes me feel safe. 5 You treat me to a feast, while my enemies watch. You honor me as your guest,
and you fill my cup until it overflows.
6 Your kindness and love will always be with me each day of my life,
and I will live forever in your house, Lord.” Psalm 23

David had a gentle hand with his sheep and an iron fist with their enemies.

“When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his voice. 5 The sheep will not follow strangers. They don’t recognize a stranger’s voice, and they run away…10 A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so everyone would have life, and have it fully. 11  I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives up his life for his sheep.” John 10:4,5,10 & 11 CEV

When we follow the shepherd He will lead us to the cross.

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Peace, Sweet Peace

I’ve been up for quite a while now and have been unable to find just the right thought for the day until now.

Peace – the gift of God’s love!

Maybe you’re like me and things have been pretty hectic this week. Go, go, go. It’s time to stop, take a deep breath, say a quiet prayer and let the Father fill you with peace.

Imagine if you will a rolling meadow, green pastures, wild flowers and a gentle stream. What does that sound like?

Peace.

It also sounds like the very thing a young shepherd boy was describing in Psalm 23.

“The Lord is my shepherd. I will always have everything I need. 2 He gives me green pastures to lie in. He leads me by calm pools of water. 3 He restores my strength.  He leads me on right paths to show that he is good.4 Even if I walk through a valley as dark as the grave, I will not be afraid of any danger, because you are with me. Your rod and staff comfort me.” Psalm 23:1-4 ERV

I was just telling someone this last week that the Lord doesn’t let me teach something I haven’t lived. I have certainly had years of learning to live in God’s peace in the most troubling of times. Each circumstance that was meant to cause fear, distress and dis-ease, when committed to the Lord has ended in peace.

“I have told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have troubles. But be brave! I have defeated the world!” John 16:33 ERV

“And you will live safely in your land. 6 I will give peace to your country. You will lie down in peace. No one will come to make you afraid. I will keep harmful animals out of your country. And armies will not come through your country.” Leviticus 26:5b-6 ERV

“God’s love will come together with his faithful people.  Goodness and peace will greet them with a kiss.” Psalm 85: 10 ERV

I don’t know what your day or your week has before you but God does.

“So you will go out from there with joy. You will be led out in peace. When you come to the mountains and hills, they will begin singing. All the trees in the fields will clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:12 ERV

“God, you give true peace to people who depend on you, to those who trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3 ERV

You may not be able to go to the country and find a peaceful meadow so take a few moments to stare at the image I used this morning. Let God bring peace to your heart.

I’ll leave you with the words from an old hymn and then I will go out and sit on the patio and watch the sun come up. I’ll start my day with peace. I hope you do too.

“Peace, peace, sweet peace!
Wonderful gift from above!
Oh, wonderful, wonderful peace!
Sweet peace, the gift of God’s love!” from Sweet Peace, the Gift of God’s Love

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My Rock & Defense

“I love you, Lord! You are my strength. 2 The Lord is my Rock, my fortress, my place of safety. He is my God, the Rock I run to for protection. He is my shield; by his power I am saved. He is my hiding place high in the hills.” Psalm 18:1-2 ERV

Have you ever stopped to look at the life of Peter?

Strengths: Outdoorsman, Co-owner of a fishing fleet. Tough, Outspoken. Born leader. Loyal, Committed. Determined. Repentant. Teachable, Usable.

Weaknesses: Overconfident, Speak First Think Later. Self-Promoting. Folds Under Pressure. Proud. Impulsive.

Peter cut off a soldier’s ear in the Garden when they came to arrest Jesus. He denied Christ three times in the courtyard. He was one of the first to run to the tomb and find it empty but then he went back to the disciples, and they locked themselves in. Fearful.

50 days later he was in the upper room when the Holy Spirit filled the 120 with God’s power. He spoke boldly to the crowds, pointing out that they were the ones responsible for killing Jesus. But he preached forgiveness and over 3000 repented at the first preaching.

Then in Acts 4, Peter and John were arrested for preaching Jesus. No denial here. In fact, Peter spoke boldly to the religious leaders.

“Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and you older leaders, 9 are you questioning us today about what we did to help this crippled man? Are you asking us what made him well? 10 We want all of you and all the people of Israel to know that this man was made well by the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth. You nailed Jesus to a cross, but God raised him from death. This man was crippled, but he is now well. He is able to stand here before you because of the power of Jesus! 11 Jesus is the ‘stone that you builders thought was not important. But this stone has become the cornerstone.’” Acts 4:8-11 ERV

This man who had denied knowing Jesus to a servant girl now stood before the rulers and proclaimed openly that he was a follower of Christ.

“So the Jewish leaders called Peter and John in again. They told the apostles not to say anything or to teach anything in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, ‘What do you think is right? What would God want? Should we obey you or God? 20 We cannot be quiet. We must tell people about what we have seen and heard.’” Acts 4:18-20 ERV

What made the difference in Peter? The Holy Spirit!

Jesus said they would receive power when the Holy Spirit baptized them. Power to be witnesses, power to be bold, power to heal the sick, power to preach!

Are there things in your past that you are ashamed of? Times that you feel you have failed, not just failed yourself or your family, but times that you have failed God? Those failures don’t disqualify you from service.

If Peter hadn’t of failed, he still would have been self-confident, prideful and not felt he needed a Savior. He wouldn’t have been willing to yield his life to the Holy Spirit.

We need to let go of the past and allow the Holy Spirit to fill us with power.

Thank you, Father, for changing my life from self-confident to God-confident. Thank you for seeing me as usable and trusting me with Your message of love and forgiveness!

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Good Tree – Good Fruit

When the Lord wants to teach us a principal, don’t be surprised if we find it on every page in the Bible.

“A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. ” Matthew 7:17-18 CEV

We will always be in a state of fruit production. We are destined to be fruit producers. Sometimes are fruit can be a little sour because it is fully ripened but that doesn’t mean our fruit is bad. However, there are some trees that do produce bad fruit.

Take for example the ornamental orange trees that grow in Arizona. The branches are thorny, and the fruit is so sour that not even the wild animals will eat it. It looks beautiful hanging there on the branch, so inviting, but do not eat it.

Kind of reminds me of some people. They look good but once you begin to listen to them talk and see their actions you know they aren’t. Remember, we had already discussed the verses Jesus taught, “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks”.

The Apostle Paul had a similar warning in his letter to the Christians living in Corinth.

“Don’t be fooled: ‘Bad friends will ruin good habits.’”  I Corinthians 15:33 ERV

Such good advice. We need wisdom in establishing relationships and business associations. The following words come from King David; he made these statements about his closest advisors and friends.

“I will sing to you, Lord! I will celebrate your kindness and your justice. 2 Please help me learn to do the right thing, and I will be honest and fair in my own kingdom. 3 I refuse to be corrupt or to take part in anything crooked, 4 and I won’t be dishonest or deceitful.5 Anyone who spreads gossip will be silenced; no one who is conceited will be my friend.

6 I will find trustworthy people to serve as my advisors; only an honest person will serve as an official.7 No one who cheats or lies will have a position in my royal court. 8 Each morning I will silence any lawbreakers I find in the countryside or in the city of the Lord.” Psalm 101 CEV

Such good advice.

 “If you want good fruit, you must make the tree good. If your tree is not good, it will have bad fruit. A tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces.” Matthew 12:33 ERV

I am so thankful that God’s word has given us “good seed” and the Holy Spirit is in us to produce good fruit.

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Say What?

Oh boy! This morning we are going to open a big package of “self-control” seeds.

 “But the fruit… 23 being gentle, and being the boss over our own desires. The Law is not against these things.” Galatians 5:23 NLV

One translation that I looked at today shows self-control as continence or self-restraint. Ruling over our own desires. So, let’s jump right in and get some seeds planted.

“O Lord, put a watch over my mouth. Keep watch over the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3 NLV

Our words can be devastating, harmful and destructive. Wrong eating habits can destroy our bodies the same way that wrong behavior can harm our souls.

“We all make many mistakes. If anyone does not make a mistake with his tongue by saying the wrong things, he is a perfect man. It shows he is able to make his body do what he wants it to do…5 The tongue is also a small part of the body, but it can speak big things. See how a very small fire can set many trees on fire. 6 The tongue is a fire. It is full of wrong. It poisons the whole body. The tongue sets our whole lives on fire with a fire that comes from hell… 9 With our tongue we give thanks to our Father in heaven. And with our tongue we speak bad words against men who are made like God. 10 Giving thanks and speaking bad words come from the same mouth. My Christian brothers, this is not right!” James 3:2-10 NLV

Not a lot of explanation is needed here. If we control our speech, we show maturity and restraint. If we don’t, it’s just not right.

“ And keep Your servant from sinning by going my own way…14 Let the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing in Your eyes, O Lord, my Rock and the One Who saves me.” Psalm 19:13-14 NLV

“The words of his mouth are sinful and false. He has stopped being wise and doing good. 4 He plans wrong-doing upon his bed. He sets himself on a path that is not good. He does not hate what is bad.” Psalm 36:3-4 NLV

These two passages compare and contrast the life of someone with self-control and someone without it. Pleasing words, pleasing thoughts versus sinful and false words.

Jesus said that out of the abundance of our heart our mouth speaks. If we want to change what we say and how we say it, we need to change our hearts.

“Christian brothers, keep your minds thinking about whatever is true, whatever is respected, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever can be loved, and whatever is well thought of. If there is anything good and worth giving thanks for, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8 NLV

Speak the truth with love.

“Love should always make us tell the truth. Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head” Ephesians 4:15 CEV

“ When you talk, you should always be kind and wise. Then you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should.” Colossians 4:6 ERV

Weeds of sarcasm and criticism must go. Destructive words that burn the heart must be quenched. When we have self-control, our words will be seasoned with love!

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For Goodness Sake

“But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these kinds of things. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their sinful self. They have given up their old selfish feelings and the evil things they wanted to do.” Galatians 5:22-24 ERV

I hope you took the opportunities you had yesterday to be kind. Today we will be planting seeds of goodness, which may look very similar to kindness but there is a distinct difference.

Kindness is something we do for others. Anyone can do random acts of kindness, but goodness is an attitude of the heart.

Goodness is a moral excellence.

“People who try hard to do good and be faithful will find life, goodness, and honor.” Proverbs 21:21 ERV

“God’s love will come together with his faithful people. Goodness and peace will greet them with a kiss. 11 People on earth will be loyal to God, and God in heaven will be good to them.” Psalm 85:10-11 ERV

There are several places in the Bible where goodness and fairness are linked together. Some refer to our actions toward others and some refer to God’s heart toward us.

“You must always be fair. You must not favor some people over other people. You must not take money to change your mind in judgment. Money blinds the eyes of wise people and changes what a good person will say. 20 Goodness and Fairness! You must try very hard to be good and fair all the time. Then you will live and keep the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” Deuteronomy 16:19-21 ERV

“Lord, your faithful love reaches to the sky. Your faithfulness is as high as the clouds. 6 Your goodness is higher than the highest mountains. Your fairness is deeper than the deepest ocean. Lord, you protect people and animals. 7Nothing is more precious than your loving kindness. All people can find protection close to you.” Psalm 36:5-7 ERV

Here the character of God is in full view – His faithful love, goodness, fairness and His kindness. Because God is love, His heart is good, His thoughts are fair and His actions are kind.

Jesus taught about this attitude of the heart.

“ Every tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces. You won’t find figs on thorny weeds. And you can’t pick grapes from thornbushes! 45 Good people have good things saved in their hearts. That’s why they say good things. But those who are evil have hearts full of evil, and that’s why they say things that are evil. What people say with their mouths comes from what fills their hearts.

46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but you don’t do what I say? 47 The people who come to me, who listen to my teachings and obey them—I will show you what they are like: 48 They are like a man building a house. He digs deep and builds his house on rock. The floods come, and the water crashes against the house. But the flood cannot move the house, because it was built well.” Luke 6:44-48 ERV

A good heart is one that is obedient and grounded on God’s word. A good heart will produce kind actions. Let’s all be good, for goodness’ sake!

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Kindness For All

I have to ask – were you able to plant some seeds of patience yesterday? Make sure you water them each day so that they grow to be healthy and productive plants.

One way to keep them watered is by using the seeds we are planting today, the seeds of kindness.

“ But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these kinds of things.” Galatians 5:22-23 ERV

Gestures of kindness are not forgotten.

When we were a young family, we were having a very hard time financially. We were a home of two working parents, we lived as economically frugal as possible and still we were unable to make ends meet.

We had friends who lived a good 30+ miles away and one Saturday morning they arrived at our door saying, “we were just in the neighborhood”. They proceeded to carry in bag after bag of groceries. They even had planned what we would have for lunch and stayed to make it with us and enjoy a day of swimming, friendship and encouragement.

This was an unforgettable kindness.

“I pray that the Lord will bless and protect you, 25 and that he will show you mercy and kindness. 26 May the Lord be good to you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-25 CEV

“Our Lord, you keep your word and do everything you say. 14 When someone stumbles or falls, you give a helping hand. 15 Everyone depends on you, and when the time is right, you provide them with food. 16 By your own hand you satisfy the desires of all who live. 17 Our Lord, everything you do is kind and thoughtful, 18 and you are near to everyone whose prayers are sincere.” Psalm 145:13-18 CEV

Kindness isn’t something that needs to be described. I think everyone understands what it means to be kind. However, it is something that needs to be planted and cultivated. If we don’t produce kindness, we will have a hard and calloused heart.

“Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, “When did we give you something to eat or drink? 38 When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear 39 or visit you while you were sick or in jail?”

40 The king will answer, “Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.” Matthew 25:27-40 CEV

God takes our acts of kindness personally. He sees our actions as an outreach of his hands. When we are being kind and caring for “the least of these”, the unimportant ones, the forgotten ones, He sees it as a service to Him.

“Your kindness and love will always be with me each day of my life, and I will live forever in your house, Lord.” Psalm 23:6 CEV

The seeds of kindness that we plant not only grow in our hearts but it is seed that we can plant in the lives of others.

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Growing Joy

I’ve got joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.

Where?

Down in my heart, down in my heart.

I’ve got joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart.

Down in my heart to stay!

That’s a chorus I remember singing as a young girl in Sunday School. Little did I realize that the stories I was learning about Jesus and His love for me were planting seeds of joy in my heart.

“But the fruit that comes from having the Holy Spirit in our lives is: love, joy, peace, not giving up, being kind, being good, having faith, 23 being gentle, and being the boss over our own desires. The Law is not against these things.” Galatians 5:22-23 NLV

Joy: to experience great pleasure or delight : REJOICE.

I can hear someone asking, “Kristi, do you expect me to be happy all the time? That’s just not possible.”

Let’s let the Bible answer that question.

“Be full of joy always because you belong to the Lord. Again I say, be full of joy!” Philippians 4:4 NLV

“Or the one who hates me will say, ‘I have power over him.’ And those who hate me will be happy when I am shaken. 5 But I have trusted in Your loving-kindness. My heart will be full of joy because You will save me. 6 I will sing to the Lord, because He has been good to me.” Psalm 134:4-6 NLV

“Our hope comes from God. May He fill you with joy and peace because of your trust in Him. May your hope grow stronger by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NLV

“ The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. See! I bring you good news of great joy which is for all people. 11 Today, One Who saves from the punishment of sin has been born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11 NLV

“You will show me the way of life. Being with You is to be full of joy. In Your right hand there is happiness forever.” Psalm 16:11 NLV

“ The Lord is my strength and my safe cover. My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. So my heart is full of joy. I will thank Him with my song. ” Psalm 28:7 NLV

We can be joy-full when people hate us or when they treat us badly. Joy is not predicated on our outward circumstances. It is a condition of the heart.

“ For every tree is known by its own fruit. Men do not gather figs from thorns. They do not gather grapes from thistles. 45 Good comes from a good man because of the riches he has in his heart. Sin comes from a sinful man because of the sin he has in his heart. The mouth speaks of what the heart is full of.” Luke 6:44-45 NLV

When we plant seeds of joy because we belong to the Lord and dwell in His presence, our heart will produce joy no matter the circumstance.

I looked up the word joy in the NLV, New Living Version, this morning and found 444 verses on joy. That’s a lot of seed and it will produce a big harvest. Time to start planting.

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Let’s Grow Some Fruit

We’ve just finished almost 6 weeks of teaching on love and yet it’s going to be the first seed we’re going to plant in our garden.

“But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these kinds of things.” Galatians 5:22-23 ERV

Before we look at planting seeds of love, I want us to examine what type of seed we are putting into the soil of our hearts.

Fruit trees are a perpetual seed meaning each season they produce fruit. Some seasons they will produce larger fruit but there will be less of it. Some seasons they produce a lot but the fruit is smaller. Perpetual seed.

Vegetable seeds are annuals. They grow for one season; produce a crop and they die. We don’t want to be producing annuals in our lives.

Then there are the perennials. Technically, fruit trees and bushes are perennials but most often that term refers to flowers that bloom all year round or that go dormant and come back year after year.

I like that the Scripture doesn’t say that the “vegetable” the Spirit produces is…, no, the Holy Spirit produces fruit in our lives. Big difference.

Love.

“So these three things continue: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.” I Corinthians 13:13 ERV

Since the Bible names love as the first fruit and calls love the greatest characteristic we shall start there.

“Fill us with your love every morning. Let us be happy and enjoy our lives.” Psalm 90:14 ERV

“What I teach will give you a good, long life, and all will go well for you. 3 Don’t ever let love and loyalty leave you. Tie them around your neck, and write them on your heart. 4 Then God will be pleased and think well of you and so will everyone else.” Proverbs 3:2-4 ERV

“He said, “Teacher, which command in the law is the most important?”

37 Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and most important command. 39 And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’” Matthew 22:36-39 ERV

As I pointed out the other day, God’s word is the seed we are given to plant in our hearts.

“And what about the seed that fell on rocky ground? That is like the people who hear the teaching and quickly and gladly accept it. 21 But they do not let the teaching go deep into their lives. They keep it only a short time. As soon as trouble or persecution comes because of the teaching they accepted, they give up.

22 “And what about the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? That is like the people who hear the teaching but let worries about this life and love for money stop it from growing. So it does not produce a crop in their lives.” Matthew 13:20-22 ERV

The verses above are good seed and they WILL produce but they need to be protected. All the seeds of God’s word do.

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Proverbs 4:23 NLT

Now, let’s start planting and watch the seeds grow!

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Love Without End

I’m a big country music fan – real country. You know Randy Travis, Tracy Byrd, Barbara Mandrell, Travis Tritt, Lorrie Morgan, Vince Gill and George Strait.

This morning it was the words of a George Strait song that sneaked into my heart during my quiet time.

“They said, “Let me tell you a secret about a father’s love
A secret that my daddy said was just between us
You see, daddies don’t just love their children
Every now and then It’s a love without end, amen
It’s a love without end, amen”

Whether married or single, a couple or alone, this Valentine message comes to all of us from the Father above. We can never truly love or be loved until we experience His marvelous, wonderful, unconditional life-giving love. It’s a love without end!

The love we have, give and experience on our own is only a shadowed comparison of the love that He offers us through Christ.

“How great is God’s love for all who worship him? Greater than the distance between heaven and earth! 12 How far has the Lord taken our sins from us? Farther than the distance from east to west!” Psalm 103:11-12 CEV

“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT

Never ending, east-from-west kind of love. Stop and think about that. If you ever start to go east and continue in that direction, never turning back, you will never go west. You will always continue in an easterly direction, it will be a never-ending path. Each morning His love is new and fresh; as long as we experience morning, we will experience an outpouring of His love.

God’s love brought heaven to earth, something only God could do. Love came wrapped in the form of a man; a man named Jesus. Jesus was the embodiment of love, even on the cross His love spoke, asking forgiveness for those who were responsible for His crucifixion.

His love for us brought Him to death and that same love brings us to life!

“ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:8 & 21 NLT

“Give thanks to the God of heaven. His faithful love endures forever.” Psalm 136:26 NLT

I’m not sure if you’ll receive candy or flowers, a card or a gift today but one thing I know for certain is that we will all receive a love without end, Amen!

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