Pastor Mary Haley

Anger is quick to present itself as an optional response to most anything these days. Angry people are plentiful. When someone is denied control or is not happy with certain circumstances, the default is to first explode with anger and think later. Although believers have the same opportunities to become angry [because someone around us is going to say or do something thoughtless and selfish] we are going to need to practice the power to forgive, because harboring unrighteous anger gives a leadership opportunity to the devil (Eph 4:26-27).

In our passage today, Moses has ascended Mount Sinai to meet with God, so he leaves Aaron in charge to lead God’s people. While Moses is gone, the people grow so impatient they pressure Aaron to agree to do something he knows is wrong as a leader, but wants to please the people. About that time, Moses comes back down the mountain with the stone tablets of the law etched with the finger of God.

The leadership reactions of both Aaron and Moses reveals their need for more wisdom. Aaron denies responsibility for being a poor leader; instead he blames the people . Moses gets mad at the people and in anger confronts Aaron; but God has to remind Moses he is the one who actually smashed the tablets in anger. Leadership is about using wisdom and learning to discern the difference between a righteous or unrighteous display of anger. BTW, God is angry with all of them (Ex 32:7-11)!

Exodus 32:19-24 NLT 19 When they came near the camp, Moses saw the calf and the dancing, and he burned with anger. He threw the stone tablets to the ground, smashing them at the foot of the mountain. 20 He took the calf they had made and burned it. Then he ground it into powder, threw it into the water, and forced the people to drink it.

21 Finally, he turned to Aaron and demanded, “What did these people do to you to make you bring such terrible sin upon them?”

22 “Don’t get so upset, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know how evil these people are. 23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.’ 24 So I told them, ‘Whoever has gold jewelry, take it off.’ When they brought it to me, I simply threw it into the fire—and out came this calf!”

Prayer: Lord, all of your children are being groomed to be leaders of the gospel of Truth. So, help us to gain the necessary wisdom to handle our responses righteously; even when we get angry, give us the power to handle it without sin. In Jesus’ name.

I enjoy a big brunch buffet and recently I pulled my chair up to one. No one puts on a breakfast feast the way my sister-in-law does; she thinks of everything and provides a lot of it! However, as amazing as her brunch was last week to my taste buds, Jesus promises to provide a miraculous Messianic feast in the future that will defy description.

Jesus invites the world to his Kingdom feast. Certainly the inauguration of this feast arrived with the beginning of Christ’s ministry, but the final feast at Messiah’s table will be fully enjoyed in his Kingdom. This feast will be for those who have responded to Christ and turned from sinful living—unbelief. Our salvation is a journey and we are transformed as we obey and follow our righteous Lord. The thoughts of feasting on the righteous love, justice, and grace of God makes me more hungry for Jesus, because he feeds me good things and brings satisfaction and restoration to my soul (Mat 5:6).

This world is decaying from the work of human pride and power that exalts sinful dead living—this reflects rebellion against God. When God is not welcomed to rule his world through his Word, love is lean and Satan tempts people to feed on hatred, corruption, and evil. We cannot have our worldly cake and eat at Christ’s table, too! We were created to enjoy God’s presence; he is our righteous Manna.

In our passage today, Isaiah reminds us about the Lord and his Kingdom. Please stir your appetite for Christ, because we are being made in Christ’s image each day. Darkness has no hold on us and our eyes have been opened to the truth. The world may not see, but God’s children see clearly. What do we see? We see the transformation of Christ in us. “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord — who is the Spirit — makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image” (2 Cor 3:18).

Isaiah 25:6-9 NLT
6
In Jerusalem, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
    will spread a wonderful feast
    for all the people of the world.
It will be a delicious banquet
    with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat.
7 
There he will remove the cloud of gloom,
    the shadow of death that hangs over the earth.
8 
He will swallow up death forever!
    The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears.
He will remove forever all insults and mockery
    against his land and people.
    The Lord has spoken!
9 
In that day the people will proclaim,
“This is our God!
    We trusted in him, and he saved us!
This is the Lord, in whom we trusted.
    Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for calling us to join you at your table each day. We can choose to eat from the righteousness you provide and be satisfied. Stir our hunger and thirst for the things you offer and help us push ourselves back away from what the world is serving up and wants all to eat. We cling to your authority over all things and our hope is in you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Recently, John and I did some camping in southwest Georgia. We visited a State Park called Providence Canyon—known as “Georgia’s Little Grand Canyon.” I did some hiking around a three-mile-loop; a loop that went around the rim of these beautiful geological formations.

Providence Canyon stands as a monument and lesson to the power of erosion, as well as improper or overused farming practices that destroyed the Coastal Plain—low lying land adjacent to the sea coast. Over time, small gullies grew into impressive 150 foot canyons. These huge stone pillars made me think about the power of visual things to help us remember and learn from the past.

In our passage today, Moses builds an altar and a monument of stone pillars to remind people of the Truth—the day they made a commitment to honor God’s character and conduct their lives in such a way to reflect the Lord’s glory. God did not force the people to make an oath to honor the terms of the covenant; they willingly made the commitment. However, God knew these visible twelve pillars (depicting the oath of the people from the twelve tribes) would help them remember their word and remain loyal and faithful to God.

Rocky and jagged cliffs of some form exist in all the biblical lands. Many times, God’s people hid around the cliffs to find security from their enemies. David was one of them. As I think of the altar and stone pillars at Mount Sinai, I cannot help but remember the oath I made to the Rock of my salvation—Jesus. I promised to follow my Lord’s commands—to allow the Holy Spirit to make me anew in his image. Every day, Jesus is my Rock—the Cornerstone of my remembrance to remain faithful to my word.

Exodus 24:1-8 NLT Israel Accepts the Lord’s Covenant
1 Then the Lord instructed Moses: “Come up here to me, and bring along Aaron, Nadab, Abihu (Aaron’s sons), and seventy of Israel’s elders. All of you must worship from a distance. 2 Only Moses is allowed to come near to the Lord. The others must not come near, and none of the other people are allowed to climb up the mountain with him.”
3 Then Moses went down to the people and repeated all the instructions and regulations the Lord had given him. All the people answered with one voice, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.”

4 Then Moses carefully wrote down all the Lord’s instructions. Early the next morning Moses got up and built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He also set up twelve pillars, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then he sent some of the young Israelite men to present burnt offerings and to sacrifice bulls as peace offerings to the Lord. 6 Moses drained half the blood from these animals into basins. The other half he splattered against the altar.

7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people. Again they all responded, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded. We will obey.”
8 Then Moses took the blood from the basins and splattered it over the people, declaring, “Look, this blood confirms the covenant the Lord has made with you in giving you these instructions.”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the many ways you set things into place and help us remember to operate our lives with your Wisdom. You are the Rock we need to build our new lives upon and we need to remember our oath to honor your character and ways. Father, thank you for the work of Jesus to be our Refuge who brings us salvation and for the Spirit to groom us in divine holiness. Please impart to us the hunger and the power to live for your glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

July 19, 2024

In 2012, I went with forty-one Asbury seminarians to Athens, Greece.  We explored the ancient building remains of the acropolis [citadel] above the city of Athens—the historical center for Greek culture, philosophy, and education.  Our professors taught about the Apostle Paul and how he left Thessalonica and traveled to Athens with the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Paul had been asked to speak to the philosophers at a meeting of the Areopagus—aristocratic council—who met on a stone hill and sat on stone seats.  They had heard Paul was teaching about a new form of Wisdom—salvation.  Prominent men [Epicureans and Stoics] considered “deep thinkers” came to debate spiritual and cultural issues at Mars Hill. The Epicureans believed pleasure was the goal of life; while the Stoics believed the goal of life was growing in wisdom and to care for nature. Both groups really came to debate and defend the idols and gods they had created and worshiped.  Paul graciously and wisely led them to examine the truth and come to the only possible conclusion—Jesus.  I stood on Mars Hill and looked out across this famous location knowing the wisdom of Christ was revealed there through the Apostle Paul. 

In our passage today, we dig into the Scripture that tells about Paul’s time in Athens at the Areopagus.  His purpose was to awaken both Jews and Gentiles to the God who saves. Paul inspired the men and “enlightened” even the stoics who felt they already knew everything about life and worship. Paul delivered a dynamic evangelistic message that revealed the truth of God and his plan to redeem the world.  Remember, humanity has an inclination to misrepresent God. Make sure you have the wisdom in Christ to know He is the One True God!

Acts 17:16-31 NLT Paul Preaches in Athens

16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. 17 He went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there.

18 He also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. When he told them about Jesus and his resurrection, they said, “What’s this babbler trying to say with these strange ideas he’s picked up?” Others said, “He seems to be preaching about some foreign gods.”

19 Then they took him to the high council of the city. “Come and tell us about this new teaching,” they said. 20 “You are saying some rather strange things, and we want to know what it’s all about.” 21 (It should be explained that all the Athenians as well as the foreigners in Athens seemed to spend all their time discussing the latest ideas.)

22 So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, 23 for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.

24 “He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, 25 and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. 26 From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.

27 “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. 28 For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 29 And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone.

30 “God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. 31 For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”

Prayer:  Lord, thank you for our lesson from the Apostle Paul, today.  We believe you are the One True God and the Creator of all things.  Thank you for your mercy and guiding love when we fail to understand, listen, or demand our own way.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen. 

Things like uncertainty, hardship, change, and sorrow bring overwhelming pressure to the human soul—mind, will, and emotions. These things are a part of living in a fallen world. We must seek an accurate perspective of the whole truth [God’s perspective], so we can gain gracious wisdom in order to navigate through these things while still hanging onto to our faith, trust, and joy in the Lord. It is clear we always need the Lord—our Shepherd—a role of great responsibility and pure leadership.

The biblical concept of a shepherd serves as a metaphor for the kind of loving leadership God provides to bless his people: A holy, humble, benevolent, caring, soul-lifting Leader. God expected his shepherds to follow the Lord while leading his people into a right relationship where they could experience his blessings [moving out of exile and bondage to sin and into the Promised Land flowing with God’s goodness]. Therefore, as we understand from David, shepherds need to follow the gracious Good Shepherd!

In our passage, today, the Lord wants his followers to understand we can live without fear, because he has promised to provide for us. Our souls can know refreshment, because he is the Living Water. Our souls can know peace, because he is the Prince of Peace/Wholeness. Our souls can know the will of God, because he is our Righteous Way. Our souls can know comfort, because he is the Comforter. So, if you need to catch your breath, today, because the issues of life are trying to overwhelm you, remember the Lord wants you to follow him, because goodness is found in his care. He will revive every drooping soul!

Psalm 23 NLV The Lord—Our Shepherd
1 The Lord is my Shepherd. I will have everything I need. 2 He lets me rest in fields of green grass. He leads me beside the quiet waters. 3 He makes me strong again. He leads me in the way of living right with Himself which brings honor to His name. 4 Yes, even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid of anything, because You are with me. You have a walking stick with which to guide and one with which to help. These comfort me. 5 You are making a table of food ready for me in front of those who hate me. You have poured oil on my head. I have everything I need. 6 For sure, You will give me goodness and loving-kindness all the days of my life. Then I will live with You in Your house forever.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for being true to your Word. You will always fulfill your promises when we are willing to follow you and your purpose for our lives. Thank you for the anointed and glorious grace and character you provide; it is your way to mark those who belong to you. When we feel overwhelmed, thank you for always being there when we call upon your name. Blessed be the name of the Lord and in your name we pray! Amen.

Hypocrisy loves to hide in human hearts [the core of one’s being], because the Truth brings it out in the open. People may be quick to criticize what they do not understand, but a spirit of hypocrisy is godless and filled with inconsistencies. When a person becomes a hypocrite he or she are self-deluded and do not see in himself or herself what everyone else can see; divided loyalty. Hypocrisy causes a person to fail at discerning Truth; it becomes impossible to practice what one professes and boasts about.

In our passage today, Luke draws attention to the fact even tax collectors have repented and opened themselves up to the Truth and accepted God’s righteous way of living. However, the Pharisees continue to deny God’s righteous ways, pretend to be holy even though they have rejected God’s purpose for them as shepherds. So, they continue to justify their attitudes and lifestyles while criticizing Jesus for socializing with sinners. Jesus responds with what he knows to be the Truth about these religious leaders’ hearts. He shines the Light of Truth to expose their hearts. They hate him because of it, but Jesus is unafraid and determined to reveal the Truth through a short story.

Luke 7:31-35 Amplified Bible
31 “To what then shall I compare the people of this generation [who set aside God’s plan], and what are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the market place and calling to one another, and saying, ‘We played the flute for you [pretending to be at a wedding], and you did not dance; we sang a dirge [pretending to be at a funeral], and you did not weep [so nothing we did appealed to you].’ 33 For John the Baptist has come neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a man who is a glutton and a [heavy] wine-drinker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners [including non-observant Jews].’ 35 Yet wisdom is vindicated and shown to be right by all her children [by the lifestyle, moral character, and good deeds of her followers].”

Prayer: Lord, please help us guard our hearts against the ever-prevalent sin of hypocrisy. Instead, Lord, help us to approach each day with empathy and compassion for others, while still burning the flame of your consuming love. We have no idea how your grace has shielded our lives from evil, but we know we cannot invite evil into our beings by godless attitudes and living. So, we cast our hope on you to form us in your image, Jesus, and pray for our hearts to radiate your loving character when we encounter others each day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Acts of hatred are always the work of evil. The psalmist reminds us, “The fear of the Lord [respect and awe] is actually hatred of evil” (Proverbs 8:13). These acts of hatred began in the Garden of Eden and continue to rise up in our present world. Evil wants dominion of the world, but everything in heaven and on earth belongs to the Lord (Ps 24:1). Even though it is a fruitless effort against God’s power, haters still seeks to persecute Christ’s followers. Scripture teaches us Jesus was hated without a cause, but clearly the reason was because he was the perfect representation of the Truth (John 15:25). Evil hates that which is pure [like God’s love] and works to kill the Truth!

In our passage today, as a follower of Christ the Living Truth, the Apostle Paul is now hated by his fellow Jews. He was once a part of their hatred, but Christ delivered him to see the persecution he was inflicting on the work of God’s true Kingdom. Paul faces a mob of very misinformed people who now decide to make it their mission to destroy and kill him. He is innocent of their accusations and charges. Yet, they hate him, because the Light of Truth in him shines a light on the evil motives within their hearts. Truth, can be a bitter pill to swallow if we fight the transforming work of God’s gracious love within.

Yet, God brings wisdom and makes holy connections to spare Paul’s life. The Jews are so steep in their hatred, they are blind to the Truth. The Romans are motivated by an unquenchable grab for power and they just want peace at all costs. Paul is in the middle of a political nightmare, but God uses it to reveal all hearts involved including his own.

Acts 21:27-36 NLT
27 The seven days were almost ended when some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul in the Temple and roused a mob against him. They grabbed him, 28 yelling, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who preaches against our people everywhere and tells everybody to disobey the Jewish laws. He speaks against the Temple—and even defiles this holy place by bringing in Gentiles.” 29 (For earlier that day they had seen him in the city with Trophimus, a Gentile from Ephesus, and they assumed Paul had taken him into the Temple.)

30 The whole city was rocked by these accusations, and a great riot followed. Paul was grabbed and dragged out of the Temple, and immediately the gates were closed behind him. 31 As they were trying to kill him, word reached the commander of the Roman regiment that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32 He immediately called out his soldiers and officers and ran down among the crowd. When the mob saw the commander and the troops coming, they stopped beating Paul.

33 Then the commander arrested him and ordered him bound with two chains. He asked the crowd who he was and what he had done. 34 Some shouted one thing and some another. Since he couldn’t find out the truth in all the uproar and confusion, he ordered that Paul be taken to the fortress. 35 As Paul reached the stairs, the mob grew so violent the soldiers had to lift him to their shoulders to protect him. 36 And the crowd followed behind, shouting, “Kill him, kill him!”

Prayer: Lord, please forgive us for allowing the enemy to stir any discord or hatred in our hearts. We may even say we love you, God, but if we cannot love other human beings, your Word tells us our love is a farce. We pray for our souls to have a life-changing encounter with you, Jesus. Help us to stop thinking the enemy is flesh and blood and start realizing hatred flows from being lied to by the enemy. Make us strong and resilient in the face of a fallen world. Keep us focused on the Truth of your character as we seek to prevail until you return. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Some folks just love to talk. Nothing wrong with talking as long as we are also practicing wisdom while growing good listening skills. Solomon, the wisdom writer teaches, “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences” (Pro 18:21). Our words have the potential to build up or tear down another person (Eph 4:29). It’s a serious thing with God since he is the pure Word.

Scripture teaches our words have power; therefore, we should choose them wisely. God’s Word is Spirit and Life and our words should drip with thanksgiving for Father God in sending His Son to save us (John 6:63). In our LIFE lessons Wednesday night, we shared about the power of praying with a deep sense of gratitude to God—overflowing with life-filled words of thanksgiving for the love of God imparted to us. Thanks, God!

In our passage today, Paul is in a Roman prison with his hands and feet in chains, but his prayers are filled with thanksgiving, because it is another opportunity to reveal the living Christ’s beautiful character within him to others. Paul is such an amazing example of a person who uses every opportunity to share about Jesus. Even while imprisoned, he shares the living Word of God through written letters to the church in Colosse expressing gratitude and thanksgiving to God for His eternal love and encouraging them to do the same.

Do we take every opportunity to share the Good News? There are people around us each day who may have a form of godliness, but their hearts may not belong to Jesus. God has promised to give us the right words to encourage others He places in our path to know He loves them and wants to live in them. May our witness to speak Truth increase in Jesus’ name!

Colossians 4:2-6 NLT An Encouragement for Prayer
2 Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. 3 Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. 4 Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.
5 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for our lesson about sharing gracious and life-giving words with those around us. Help us to speak life and faith each day; convict us when our words fail to be wise. As well, help us to know when to be silent in order to show respect as good listeners. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

In the Old Testament, God promised to bring peace or wholeness and well-being to earth. In our passage today, the psalmist calls for the Lord’s salvation. As well, he calls God’s people to fear the Lord which means to give respect and awe to the Giver of all blessings.

When the blessings of God come together on earth—love, truth, righteousness, and peace—it begins to transform human hearts by making them new creations. Father God fulfilled the salvation promise when he sent the righteous Word, Jesus, from heaven to save our souls by dying on the cross (John 3:16; 1 Tim 1:15). God resurrected him and Jesus now sits in honor at the right hand of God the Father waiting on the appointed time to return (1 Peter 3:22). There are very few things I value as much as I do a sense of well-being—shalom; it’s wholeness and only Jesus can provide it for the believer. He is my treasure!

In the New Testament, Jesus expressed the urgent need for wholeness to his disciples, “I have told you these things so that you will be whole and at peace. In this world, you will be plagued with times of trouble, but you need not fear; I have triumphed over this corrupt world order (John 16:33). So we must focus on the wholeness God brings our lives, because it makes all the difference in a day. May the eyes of the world be opened to the glorious One who makes us whole! Hang on to you peace, today!

Psalm 85:7-13 NLT
7 
Show us your unfailing love, O Lord,
    and grant us your salvation.
8
I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying,
    for he speaks peace to his faithful people.
    But let them not return to their foolish ways.
9 
Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,
    so our land will be filled with his glory.
10 
Unfailing love and truth have met together.
    Righteousness and peace have kissed!
11 
Truth springs up from the earth,
    and righteousness smiles down from heaven.
12 
Yes, the Lord pours down his blessings.
    Our land will yield its bountiful harvest.
13 
Righteousness goes as a herald before him,
    preparing the way for his steps.

Prayer: Lord, love and truth, as well as righteousness and peace have been deposited into believing hearts. Thank you for saving us and making us new creations in Christ. Thank you for the grace and blessings you continually bestow upon us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

It is the work of the Word and the Holy Spirit to convict humanity of sin which is human disobedience or rebellion against God’s will causing slander to his character. Each one of us are responsible for how we live and conduct our lives—we are to love God and love others in Christ’s righteousness. We will one day give an account to the Lord for how we have represented him as the loving and merciful living Word on earth.

In our passage today, Jesus’ brothers have no real understanding about his purpose to bring salvation. Therefore, their motives and expectations of and for Jesus are misdirected. At the appointed time, the greatest miracle Jesus would ever demonstrate—the one for which he would become famous—was coming and a huge amount of people would be involved but not at the Festival of Tabernacles.

The greatest miracle is appointed to happen during Passover when Jesus planned to respond to the will of God by giving his life—being the sacrificial Lamb—to save humanity from the work of evil that was filling human hearts. Eventually, the brothers of Jesus understood his purpose. Later in his letter to the Jerusalem church, James writes about the work of Jesus for salvation and about the necessity for believers to now develop Christ’s righteous character.

Evil in human hearts can do despicable things; things that grieve the heart of God. It is tempting to blame God for evil, but there is no evil in God; however, there is evil in unredeemed human hearts. But evil must come out of hiding as the Light of Truth takes its stand. Jesus is the Light of the World and the Living Truth of how human beings were created to live. Evil is destroyed as humans live the Truth!

John 7:1-9 NLT Jesus and His Brothers
1 After this, Jesus traveled around Galilee. He wanted to stay out of Judea, where the Jewish leaders were plotting his death. 2 But soon it was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters, 3 and Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! 4 You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!” 5 For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.

6 Jesus replied, “Now is not the right time for me to go, but you can go anytime. 7 The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil. 8 You go on. I’m not going to this festival, because my time has not yet come.” 9 After saying these things, Jesus remained in Galilee.

Prayer: Lord, you are righteousness and we thank you for the work you continue to do in our hearts. We need you to deliver us from evil and develop your character within our souls. Your death and resurrection sets us free to live for you. As your sons and daughters, may we live what we say we believe. In Jesus’ name. Amen.