2 Corinthians 3:17-21 - day by day

2 Corinthians 3:17-21 (ESV)
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Have you ever seriously read the beginning of this chapter?   Where Paul is SO confident in the work he is doing in the Spirit that he sees the Corinthians church as a letter of recommendation?  "You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all."  I read that and it was like wow... what kinds of letters of recommendation do I have in my life?   Where is my confidence in the work that I do?   Do I even have that confidence that Paul has?  Paul is very clear though, his confidence is confidence not in himself but in the work that GOD himself does.    i have to admit it,... I struggle with that.   Though I am getting better!   The more I learn to trust God more deeply, the more I learn to be confident in the work that God is doing in my life and in my family and in my community.   It feels like a painfully show process though.

As I went on through the chapter, reading to get to the verses of the day it became abundantly clear to me why reading verses in context helps make sense of them.   Today's verses talk about God being spirit, and in the spirit of the Lord there is freedom and we can come with unveiled faces to behold the glory of the Lord and that God is transforming us.

Now the whole unveiled faces thing would NOT have made an impact on me if I hadn't just read through Pauls explanation of the difference in how we can approach God and how MOSES had to approach God.  Moses needed to veil his face before the Glory of God, but we don't need to.   We have a boldness that Moses didn't have, but we are functioning under a different revelation.For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory.  We live under righteousness.Not death, not condemnation...but under righteousness...that's what Christ's death did for us.     And through it, God is transforming me.   His Spirit moves within me causes me to be someone different than I was years ago.   Isn't that cool?   He is the one helping me to grow and to change, to see more of him than I used to.  

Just consider these verses 12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.  The veil is removed!   God has given us so much more.    Get to know him folks, see that there is so much more to life than what you've known before.  :)

What does Chuck have to say about these verses?  um.. well.. he talked about his marriage and reaching the stage of transcendent love.   Which didn't resonate with me AT ALL.  it was like what in the world does this have to do with the passage?   ah... Just made a realization... we talking on different passages.. I HATE MY EYES getting old.   I was SUPPOSED to look at 2 Corinthians 5:17-21!17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.    Chucks' words still don't resonate with me in regards to this passage beyond the fact that the Lordship of Christ in their marriage was a pivotal part.

day by day - James 1: 2-4

As a basis for study, using Day by Day with Charles Swindoll.

James 1:2-4

²  Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Have you ever had passages misused or stuck in your face when going through a hard time?  I have.  This has been one used.  But you should be happy that you are going through this.  Means that God thinks you can handle it, and .....

Makes me want to say ARGH!  :)  

But when you stop and think about it for a while...trials are a help to us, even if at times they seem more like a hindrance.

For instance: I never put much effort into understanding people who deal with migraines...until I suffered one, and now all I do is feel empathy for those who have to live with a head that is filled with that much discomfort regularly.   It's like OUCH.   They are worse than regular headaches.      So that suffering brought about understanding, and that understanding brings about the knowledge that this too at some point shall end.   Knowing there is an end in sight means that someone can bear up under it.

And ultimately in life, there is an end to everything.

If you are a believer in God the end is glory in heaven with God himself.   Ah.. sometimes that thought makes me smile.

If you are not a believer, that end is simple... death and torment with Satan.  Not an end I would wish for anyone.

One of the sadness things I've ever read was a comment from an atheist.   Someone in her family died and so she wrote words to the effect: "we don't believe in God so there is no hope for the future.   Just dead."    All I could think was .. how sad is that.  To not have any hope?   It's like live life, die. the end.   What's the point of that?   I want to know there is something more, and I know there is something more and that gives me a reason to strive to be something more.  I really really want to LIVE.. not just exist like atheists do.. but I really want to live.

Don't you?   Won't you join me in really living?
In knowing that there is something more that is beyond us.  
That the one who created us is calling us to something bigger?   And it starts with just knowing that he is real and then seeking after him.
Have hope.
Know that what you go through in life is preparing you for something more.
You will lack nothing in Glory with God. 

Day by Day - John 17:1-8

Using as a base of Study, Day by Day by Charles Swindoll

  

Today's reading is from John 17:1-8 17 

When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.

When I first started reading this passage I was drawn to the words "when Jesus had spoken these words.."   I immediately wondered.. what words?  So I went back and looked them up.  In John 16 Jesus had spoken to them about the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives, and how he would be leaving them and then once they told him they could understand and believed him he replied with 

“Do you now believe? ³² Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. ³³ I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

This is what had caused Jesus to lift up his head to heaven and then he spoke to God above.   The whole of Chapter 17 is Jesus talking to God his Father.   Jesus knows his work on earth is about done.  He knows it will be a difficult time for him and he needs to talk with his Father.  (at least that's the impression I get).  If you read on in the passage you will see Jesus' concern for the disciples, that God protect them from Satan.    And not only for the disciples but for all those who would come to know and believe in God.   He prays to God for our protection.    Jesus gave us the knowledge of who God truly is, and also prayed to God for our protection.

I feel very humbled when I read these words.  So much aware of how much Jesus loved us, LOVES us, how much he was willing to spend for us to bring us back into right relationship with God.   I how very unworthy of this I feel.   Jesus loves me.   He prayed to God on my behalf to keep me safe.   That to me is a humbling thing.

Swindoll's thoughts on John 17:1-8

He focuses on John 17:4  ⁴ I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.    Jesus accomplished what he came to earth to do.   And then on the relief it would bring to him to be done and to back in glory with God his Father.

I have to admit, I hadn't thought of things quite in that regard.   Good to see things differently.

Jesus came to earth to accomplish a task - to bring us into right relationship to God and that needed to make sense so he needed to teach the disciples what God was calling him to do.   He taught them, he prayed to God on our behalf out of his deep love for us, and then he looked forward to returning to glory.   Ah...but we are loved and we are led back to God.   This is indeed a good thing.  :)

The church as family, day by day - Mark 3

Using as a base for devotions, Day by Day by Charles Swindoll.

today's scripture is based on Mark 3.

In this chapter we read about a man with a withered hand, a great crowd that follows Jesus, the 12 apostles that follow Jesus about Jesus using the words of the Jewish Leaders to defend himself and about Jesus stating where his first allegiance lies.

It's an awfully varied chapter and it's hard to pick where to focus, and reading through what Charles Swindoll had to say on it wasn't particularly helpful...and I'm really not sure how this passage pertains to memories and how the church becomes family... didn't make any sense to me, so... I'm back to reading it over again and seeing how God will speak to me today.  :)

I read through this passage again and what jumped out at me where two things

1. Jesus is making a new way - he challenged what could be done on the Sabbath by healing a man, he chose apostles, he taught people, he forbade the evil spirits to talk about him, he went without food in order to teach, he challenged the religious leaders and he chose his ministry and his love of God before his physical family.

2.²⁰ Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. ²¹  And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” I read that and thought HUH?  What is this all about?  I do not understand why this would cause his family to think he'd lost his mind.   It still doesn't make sense to me.

And when they came to get him, he refused to go with them saying that those who do the will of God are his family.  

³¹  And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. ³² And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” ³³ And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” ³⁴ And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵  For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

ah... and thus I see where Charles gets his family thing. :)   Family ..... do we truly consider the people that we worship with, who are part of the visible and invisible church of God.. do we truly consider them to be family? Jesus did.    In fact he left his family who wanted to pull him away from his ministry to teach and lead and guide his spiritual family. 

I have to admit, I don't feel like I have family in this church, with the exception of a few.   Maybe that's my fault, maybe it isn't.   I don't know.   There are times when I long for closeness with those I worship with.   But I don't know how to gain that either.  Today I'm left with more questions than answers...

Day by Day - Hebrews 5:12-14

Using as a base for devotions, Day by Day by Charles Swindoll.

Hebrews 5:12-14  ESV

¹² For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, ¹³ for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

And here it is in the NIV

 ¹² In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! ¹³ Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

 I have to admit, I am so used to looking at things in context that I find myself wondering...what comes before this for him to say "for though ..."

Ah... here is verse 11 which shows why this is an issue:   

¹¹ We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand.

The people the author is writing to are no longer trying to grow in their faith.  They are old enough as believers to being taking in the meat of the word but all they want to do is take in the easy stuff.   They are being encouraged to eat more meat!

This is the struggle isn't it?
To work out our salvation as God tells us to.   We mustn't be satisfied with what we have, we must continue to hunger after the truth of God's word.

What Charles has to say: He talks about how spiritual growth needs work "it's a painstaking process that God takes us through, and it includes such things as waiting, failing, losing, and being misunderstood --each one calling for extra doses of perseverance."  We need to apply what we learn into our lives.

Day by Day - James 4:13-17

Using as a base for devotions, Day by Day by Charles Swindoll.

In james 4:13-17 (CEB) we read

¹³ Pay attention, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such-and-such a town. We will stay there a year, buying and selling, and making a profit.” ¹⁴ You don’t really know about tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for only a short while before it vanishes. ¹⁵ Here’s what you ought to say: “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ But now you boast and brag, and all such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ It is a sin when someone knows the right thing to do and doesn’t do it.

I normally read from the RSV or the ESV but I sometimes switch to the CEB - common English Bible. I find it helpful to read familiar words in a different way. Anyways, my thoughts on these verses?

my first thought is Oh! So when I say I am going to do something, if I say it without the caveat that I will do so if the Lord allows it, I am boasting? huh... never would have thought that.

God doesn't like us boasting.
God likes us to acknowledge that all that we have or are or do is all because of him.

Seems to me then that it is a good idea to remember that. To remember that my transitory life is all that God allows it to be. My goodness though.. it is so easy to forget that isn't it? So easy to make plans and forget that God is actively and intimately involved in our lives.

Kinda puts a different spin doesn't it.

For instance.. I didn't sleep particularly good last night. But God allowed that. Ergo...should I complain about it? Not really, since God knows ALL about my life. Everything. He always has my best interests at heart.

Even if I don't understand what is good about not having a lot of sleep, perhaps God is trying to tell me something about my life that I need to change and not sleeping well might just be the wake up call or perhaps the nudge I need to get myself going in a different direction?

Point to ponder eh?

Now.. what does Chuck have to say about this passage?

okay, I had to read over this devotional a few times to get what he was trying to say. He used a negative approach to make a positive suggestion and that always throws my brain for a loop. He basically suggested that we do five things which were (from a Christian perspective less than stellar)....and then asked...how much time are we wasting doing these types of things already? And after I let that sink in, it was like okay, good point. :)

Love insists not on its own way

From 1 Corinthians 13 we read: 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;6it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8Love never ends.

Love does not insist on its own way.

This is something that we are working on as a family. Learning that love is not selfish.
Love doesn't yell when it doesn't get its own way.
Love doesn't say "I want what I want regardless of what you think about it".
Love doesn't say "I can interrupt you even if you are talking".
Love listens.
Love finds a way to communicate clearly.
Love cares enough to help the wounded.
Love cares enough to do the dishes, wash the floor, mow the lawn without arguing or complaining about it.
Love cares enough to teach one's child at home, this despite the insecurities it brings.
Love cares enough to do laundry at 1000 p.m. at night even if one is tired.
Love cares enough to be the main bread winner in a household.
Love holds, hugs, dies to self, wipes tears, cuddles close, disciplines, and so much more.

Love DEMANDS something of us. If it didn't, would it truly be love?

Love is so much more than we do on a regular basis and needs to be more.

God sent his son to DIE for ME. Me.. a sinner, separated from his holiness. And yet he chose to do this for me.
Jesus willingly died for me. It was NOT an easy decision, not an easy thing for him to do, and yet, he chose to take my place on that cross because I as a sinner, am guilty of all the wrong things that happen. And yet, he DIED for me.

Can I not, extend a bit more of myself for those around me? Is that too much to ask?

Previous in this series
These words keep running through my head..
Love is patient.
Love is kind.
Love does not envy.
Love does not boast.
Love is not arrogant.
Love is not rude.

Love is not rude

From 1 Corinthians 13 we read: 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;6it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8Love never ends.

Love is not rude.
when I think of rudeness I think of someone who says or does something without regard for the other person. For instance: a person the butts into line.

the free online dictionary says this

rude (rd)

adj. rud·er, rud·est

1. Relatively undeveloped; primitive: a rude and savage land; a rude agricultural implement.

2.

a. Being in a crude, rough, unfinished condition: a rude thatched hut.

b. Exhibiting a marked lack of skill or precision in work: rude crafts.

c. In a natural, raw state: bales of rude cotton.

3.

a. Lacking the graces and refinement of civilized life; uncouth.

b. Lacking education or knowledge; unlearned.

c. Ill-mannered; discourteous: rude behavior.

4. Vigorous, robust, and sturdy.

5. Abruptly and unpleasantly forceful: received a rude shock.

Focusing of course on the interpersonal aspect of being rude

3.

a. Lacking the graces and refinement of civilized life; uncouth.

b. Lacking education or knowledge; unlearned.

c. Ill-mannered; discourteous: rude behavior.

So if Love is not rude, what is it, especially in regard to interpersonal relationships.

Love is refined, not uncivilized. So not like the conan the barbarian thing! Sorry folks that's what comes to mind for me. Love wants MORE from us. We need to think more and act less. To truly check ourselves.

This is something that we are working on with our son.
THINK. Now.. are you acting in a way that shows love?
is hitting mommy because you are angry showing mommy that you love her?
Is throwing the kitten because he was bad teaching him that you love him?

Love learns. In the context of the definition this would be educational learning, but think about it, can you truly show love to someone if you haven't learned abit about them? So learn who your fellows about you are. Learn so that you can love them.

This to is something I am trying to teach our boy.
Son.. I KNOW that you like it when I read to you in a fun voice.
Because mommy knows this she does her best to do it.
Mommy LIKES making you smile because she loves you.

Love is not discourteous, thinking only of itself. Love considers the needs of others.

This is a bit harder to teach a lad.
he is STILL so very self-centered.
It is indeed a continuing work in progress.
But then again, it's a continuing work of progress in myself.

So knowing that love is kind, love is patient, love is content with what they have, Love simply acts without calling attention to itself, and love is humble, what does it mean to say that love is courteous?

is it just a continuation of the theme that Love does not put itself before others?
the love is indeed following the path of Christ? The way to God himself?

Consider this: Jesus showed ALL this love for us when he died for us.
God showed ALL this love for us when he sent his son to die.

God could have been impatient, angry, selfish and what not. But he chose to remain true to his promise to us.

This tells me that as I learn more and more how to be a more loving person, the more and more I am becoming who God wants me to be. A person who follows after his own heart.

I KNOW I have a long way to go to be what he truly wants me to be. But when I see the list of what love truly is... isn't that a better thing?

Previous in this series
These words keep running through my head..
Love is patient.
Love is kind.
Love does not envy.
Love does not boast.
Love is not arrogant.

Love is not arrogant

From 1 Corinthians 13 we read: 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;6it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8Love never ends.

Love is not arrogant.

When I think of arrogance I think of someone who is coldly full of himself...thinking of himself better than he aught. (using the he in a generic sense).

According to answers.com to be arrogant is

(ăr'ə-gənt)
adj.

1. Having or displaying a sense of overbearing self-worth or self-importance.
2. Marked by or arising from a feeling or assumption of one's superiority toward others: an arrogant contempt for the weak. See synonyms at proud.

So I'm right...it's a "I'm better than you are attitude."

Now I find that arrogance can come off in a snobbish sort of way, but it that all that arrogance is?

Romans 12: 3 tells us

³For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

We are not to be arrogant, doesn't say we can't take pride in what we do, but taking pride in what we do is NOT the same as arrogance unless you think ONLY YOU can do it that well. OR that since you did that so well YOU ARE THE BOMB! You aren't. No one is.

God wants us to be a thinking, caring people. He doesn't want us to be so full of ourselves that there isn't room for others.

This is something we are attempting to teach our son. Why are you screaming? Oh... you want us to do something. Hmm... why? Are you being selfish right now? Only wanting what you want? Why? Have you thought about what mommy and daddy want too?

It is hard you know, to take that time, to work at being a thinking, caring person. To be sober in our judgements. It means that we are stopping to think through our actions. It means that we aren't just running through life but carefully considering it.

But it is important to not just run through life, to realize that we aren't "where it's at". GOD is actually where it is at and our actions need to reflect on him.

Previous in this series
These words keep running through my head..
Love is patient.
Love is kind.
Love does not envy.
Love does not boast.

Loves Does Not Boast

From 1 Corinthians 13 we read: 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;6it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8Love never ends.

Love does not boast.

I find this one a hard one... how does Love not boast. I boast about my boy, I boast about my hubby. I love them both dearly. So is that wrong to do?

Hmm... need to think on this some.

American heritage dictionary tells me what it means to boast:
VERB:
boast·ed, boast·ing, boasts
VERB:
intr.

To glorify oneself in speech; talk in a self-admiring way.

VERB:
tr.

1. To speak of with excessive pride.
2. To possess or own (a desirable feature): "[the] capital of a region in the southeast that boasts bountiful coal fields" (US Air).
3. To contain; have.

NOUN:

1. The act or an instance of bragging.
2. A source of pride.

okay... that puts a spin on what boasting is. When I am proud of my hubby or son, that doesn't necessarily mean that I'm bragging on them in an incorrect way. Like with everything there are fine lines to cross, but normal "I'm proud of what they do" type of things isn't a bad boasting type of thing. :)

Love does not boast.

Ergo loves doesn't say "LOOK WHAT I DID? AREN"T I GREAT?" Doesn't do that. What love does is put honour and glory where it needs to be.

Into Thy Word says this:

When God tells us that love does not boast, He means we are not to go around bragging about our accomplishments and abilities.

and

This word in the Greek is used to describe elections won by deceit and manipulations. It is like an elected official winning an election dishonestly and then bragging about it.

Love doesn't require our showing off. It doesn't. People can see what we do, even if they don't mention it. We don't have to say "See what "I" did". It just needs us to act and not call attention to ourselves.

So what does all this mean to me?
It means that when I do something I don't have to say "I DID IT". All I should do is go about living my life quietly and letting others see what they see. It means that I should not expect others to brag on what I am doing either as that's just a delayed type of boasting (I think). It is nice to have people say 'well done". Indeed it is. :) But it is far better for other people to say it rather than to crow about it myself, and that is indeed what I should be doing.

Love does not boast. It merely gets on with doing what needs doing.

What say you?

Previous in this series
These words keep running through my head..
Love is patient.
Love is kind.
Love does not envy.

Love Does Not Envy

⁴ Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant ⁵or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;⁶it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ⁸Love never ends.

Love does not Envy.

Merriam-Webster defines Envy this way:
: painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage

So in other words... envy is wanting what someone else has in a less than positive way.

Just what does that mean in practical living? And what does that mean for me?

I have to admit, I have a hard time seeing this is me... envy. I tend to let others have what they have and not worry about it. Are there things I see that other people have and go...yeah, I'd like to have that. But is that in a nasty way? No. It's just that I have goals, I'd like to have them met, but I'm not going to resent that someone else has what I want. Is wishing you had something the same thing as envy? Without the negative emotions attached I don't think so. Now...when it turns into resentment that God hasn't let you have what you wish for, or anger that it's not yours, then I think it's envy...and therefore not what God wants from us.

And maybe I'm deluding myself, but this is generally not an area that I struggle with.

So where does envy crop up in the bible?
Cain killed Abel over resentment and envy.
Saul killed David over resentment and envy.
Joseph sold into slavery over resentment and envy.

But we are NOT to be envious, the bible has plenty of exhortations about it.

Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways, for the Lord detests a perverse man but takes the upright into his confidence.
< - Proverbs 3:31-32

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
- Proverbs 14:30 -

It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do it in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the Gospel.
- Philipians 1:15-16 -

But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.
- James 3:14 -

For where you have envy or selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
- James 3:16 -

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocracy, envy, and slander of every kind.
- 1 Peter 2:1 -

Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
- Galatians 5:26 -

Envy can turn us into someone that we don't want to be.
Let us guard our hearts and minds so that we are protected from this dangerous thought pattern.

Previous in this series
These words keep running through my head..
Love is patient.
Love is kind.

Love is Kind

⁴ Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant ⁵or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;⁶it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ⁸Love never ends.

Love is kind.

What does the word KIND mean?
The freedictionary says:
kind ¹ (knd)

adj. kind·er, kind·est

1. Of a friendly, generous, or warm-hearted nature.

2. Showing sympathy or understanding; charitable: a kind word.

3. Humane; considerate: kind to animals.

4. Forbearing; tolerant: Our neighbor was very kind about the window we broke.

5. Generous; liberal: kind words of praise.

6. Agreeable; beneficial: a dry climate kind to asthmatics.

Love is kind. What does that truly mean?

I have to admit, when I think of a kind person I think of someone who quietly does nice things for other folks. That's not always an accurate image, but it's the one that often comes in my head.

Now... I am NOT a quiet person. I'm noisy and busy and I can't sit still for long periods of time unless I'm reading a book or sitting at the computer. I do "stuff" all the time. Does that imply that I don't fit my idea of being a kind person? well...yeah basically.

BUT do I see myself in an incorrect manner? Am I kind?

Well...I think that overall I am but I have a long way to go to be the type of person I believe God wants me to be in this regard.

I am friendly - I'll sit next to you and chat with you. Did that yesterday with a guy looking all alone and kept him company for a spell. But would I have done this if he had grumped at me? no, but he didn't. I was friendly, he was friendly back.

I am willing to help folks out if I am able to. I'll give you whatever I can as long as you ASK and don't demand. Not quite fitting with Luke 6:32 which says "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil." I personally find that people who are demanding are ungrateful for what they've already received...but God calls me to be kind to them regardless.

I'm kind to my critters...but I'm also demanding of them. Act the way I want you to! Don't be a snit...I'm in charge remember? BUT when the pigs all escaped the other night the lad and I didn't leave them to their folly but we went out and caught them up. And I do take the time to train my animals to respond in the manner I prefer. BUT I am NOT patient with the kitten when all he wants to do is suck on something. That sound just irritates me...but I could be nicer to him about it. after all "he's just being who he is mommy".

Am I tolerant? well..... yes and no. My neighbours to the right like to run their ATV around and around and around their house. I don't complain to them about the noise, but I do sometimes mutter under my breath at them. Does that negate my kindness? I don't know as what's in my heart is what comes out....and my heart isn't being kind to them though my actions are. And I do have to ask, when is tolerance not being kind? For instance, if I tolerate your bad behaviour am I being kind to you in the LONG run? Does toleration mean being politically correct OR does it mean just tolerating the foibles that make you you? (I tend to think the later not the former).

Generous: am I generous with my words to others? I'm am not sure. seems odd to say that. But seriously I am not sure. I like to think that I am? And I do know that if I focus on it I say thank you to folks for the things that they do. I think it's polite to do so, and acting in a manner that respects their efforts on my behalf.

Agreeable? hmm... how does that fit with being kind? ah.. when I look at this I see that it is talking about how a place can be beneficial. Such as Hubby dear likes biking a lot lately and the warm (not hot) weather is kind to him as he bikes. But it makes me think...do I help create an environment around me that is agreeable to those I meet in life? that puts a different spin on it. and I have to honestly admit...sometimes yes, sometimes no. :) The better I sleep the better I am in this regard. :)

Kindness seems to be an active way of showing love to those around us. It's a doing, whereas patience seems to be more of an attitude. I may be wrong but that's how this is striking me.

Love is patient (as it takes a longer term view of things) but love is kind in how it plays that out. (as in let me lend you a hand because in the long view I want you to know God as I do).

I may not have worded my thinking out processes all the way correctly...but what do you all think? How do you show love in a kind manner?

Previous in this series
These words keep running through my head..
Love is patient.

Love is Patient

⁴ Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant ⁵or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;⁶it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ⁸Love never ends.

Love is Patient.

So what does it mean when it says that love is patient? The dictionary defines being patient as:

• waiting calmly for however long is needed
• to bear pains or trials calmly or without complaint
• manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain
• not hasty or impetuous
• steadfast despite opposition, difficulty or adversity
• able or willing to bear
• bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, pain, etc., with fortitude and calm and without complaint, anger, or the like
• characterized by or expressing such a quality: a patient smile
• quietly and steadily persevering or diligent, especially in detail or exactness: a patient worker

To have patience is

• the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.
• an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay: to have patience with a slow learner.
• quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence: to work with patience.

When I read all these definitions what pops out to me is a quality of time. Patient folks are willing to take their time.... whether that means bearing a load, or helping someone, or dealing with something on their own. Patient people don't fear time. They simply take something and work with it regardless of how long it takes.

People often say that I am patient ... when I have a hard time seeing it in myself. I always feel inside like I'm rushed, wanting things done now, but when it comes to other people... there I'm willing to take my time for the most part I think. Start small....work your way up. I wonder why I am more patient with others than I am with myself?

So what does the bible say about patience?

Gal 5:22 tells us that patience is a fruit of the spirit

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

In Thessalonians we learn that we are to be patient with each other

¹⁴And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. (5:14)

In Hebrews 12:1 we see that patience is an active choice, it is something that we work with

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Psalm 37 encourages us to be patient and not to fret.

Patience is often linked to steadfastness, and this is a learned trait. We learn it from going through trials, we learn it through seeing it in others and how they respond, the prophets in the Old Testament had to be patient, Abraham had to be patient... we can learn from these folks.

If one takes a good look at what it means to be patient then you can see how it is of benefit. If you are patient you are less inclined to get bent out of shape over things. It keeps you at a more even keel because you see how things are OVER TIME.

The more I think about this the more I see the greatness of God. God is so everlastingly patient with us. He is HOLY. We are a sinful people. Holiness can't stand being around sin, and yet what does God do? He bears with us, he waits with us, he teaches and trains us, he works with us, and he LET HIS SON DIE for us so that we can be brought back to him.

See this folks, take a good hard look at it. God did this for us! He really takes the long view. He knows what we can be for him.

And then let us learn to be more like him.

I need to learn to be more like him. To take the long view and just relax into the knowing that in time....things will all be better. Jesus will return and all things will be made right. So the little "achs" of the day are not worth being stressed over. :)

Praise God, He is our helper!

I'm following This plan takes you through the bible in two years. Todays' reading is: Exodus 17.8-18.27 Psalm 41.

Exod 17.8-18.27
Every time I read this story I am amazed.

⁸ Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. ⁹So Moses said to Joshua, "Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand." ¹⁰So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. ¹¹Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. ¹²But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. ¹³And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.

Like seriously....who would think of this? To raise your hands with staff in hand to God and win a battle? That's not a normal idea, and yet that is what worked. And the Lord promised to blot out Amalek.

¹⁴Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven." ¹⁵And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The LORD Is My Banner, ¹⁶saying, "A hand upon the throne of the LORD! The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation."

After this event, Jethro (Moses father-in-law) came for a visit and he praised God for how God had protected Moses and the people, rescuing them from Egypt and bringing them through the desert and everything. Then Moses went about his daily business and Jethro was stunned. Why do you sit around all day with these people coming to you? Learning the reason he came up with a simple solution for Moses. Choose some good people to help you with this task.

²³If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace."

The task was too much for Moses, he needed outside eyes to help him find resolution to it.

Isn't it neat how God orchestrated it all?

Ps 41
This is a song of David, to the choirmaster.
My reading of this Psalm nets me two basic thoughts: living a life of integrity and compassion is a very good thing, and second that praising God and asking him to forgive your sins is also a very good thing. :)

Living a life of integrity and compassion

¹ Blessed is the one who considers the poor!
In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him;
12But you have upheld me because of my integrity,
and set me in your presence forever.

Praising God and asking for forgiveness

⁴As for me, I said, "O LORD, be gracious to me;
heal me, for I have sinned against you!"
......
¹⁰But you, O LORD, be gracious to me,
and raise me up, that I may repay them!
11By this I know that you delight in me:
my enemy will not shout in triumph over me.

Praise the Lord, be humble before him, acknowledge your wrong doings, and live a life protected by the Lord God.

Be Happy!

I'm following This plan takes you through the bible in two years. Todays' reading is: Exodus 3-4, Psalm 33.

Exodus 3-4
As I doing my devotions this morning my son came downstairs all bright-eyed and asking questions. He wakes up talking...just like I do. :) Anyways, he wanted to know what I was doing so we talked about this passage together.

We talked about God told Moses that he was going to use Moses to get his people out of Egypt. Moses gave God all kinds of excuses but God met everyone of those objections. And then God told Moses..the job will be hard. You will say "Pharoah, God says let my people go". and you know what Moses ... Pharoah will say "NO". So Moses took this assignment knowing that even though the job would be hard, that God would help him all the way.

When I asked Justin how he thinks that made Moses feel.. he said "happy".

And I have to say, I agree with him. If I know that something will be hard, but that I'll be helped through it all, it would make me happy as well.

Be happy all you who believe in the Lord...he will HELP you. :)

Ps 33
these verses sum up this Psalm for me.

⁸Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
⁹For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.

So when the psalmist says

22Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.

he has good reason to say it.

God made the world. He simply spoke and things came into being, not by chance, not by accident,it was deliberate design. Scarred by sin.. indeed, but that doesn't change who the original creator, designer, master is. For the people that God calls his own, he will help them and protect them as any true and real father would his children. This is a psalm of praise to our creator, the one who cares for his own. Let us all praise the Lord.

A trick played and A call to be vindicated

I'm following This plan takes you through the bible in two years. Todays' reading is: Gn 43-44 and Ps 26.

Genesis 43-44
Joseph plays a trick on his brothers. Not a bad trick, but a scary one. Threatening to take away their youngest brother...and Joseph sees how the brothers leap to the defense of him and their father. That must have made his heart smile after how they had treated him. And even though I've read the story,... I want to just keep reading to see how the trick plays out. :)

Psalm 26
I read these first few lines of Psalm 26 and my immediate thought was .. I've never prayed to God like this.

¹ Vindicate me, O LORD,
for I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
² Prove me, O LORD, and try me;
test my heart and my mind.
³For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in your faithfulness.

I just don't know that I could. It's like David is giving God a list of his virtues and saying, see God, I do want you want me to, So bless me! Are we supposed to do things like this? I just don't know. It just somehow .... I don't know...

He is a man who loves God, and knows how much that God loves him. Perhaps that gives him to surety to say, God... Help me, bless me. You know how I live my life how I do this, and that. You know that I tell everyone I can about you, so help me, bless me. Hmmm... something to think on more I think....

By Faith - they died knowing

¹³These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. ¹⁴For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. ¹⁵If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

This is the next section in Hebrews 11.

Abraham, Sarah, Enoch, Abel, Noah. These folks died knowing they were strangers and exiles on earth. They died knowing there was something more out there. They knew that God would keep his promises to them. They knew that God had better.

I do find this line interesting as I've just never thought about God being ashamed before. "therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God."

Makes me wonder if I shame God at all?
I know as these folks did that God has something more for me.
I don't know if I shame him at times. Probably do when I flagrantly disobey him. I never quite seen it as shame-inducing though. Just as something I need to repent of and work at not doing again. So it adds a new layer to my obedience to God. How do I act in ways that won't cause him to be ashamed of me.

By Faith - Abraham and Sarah

Wow...this is NOT a good thing. Last time I had sit down devotions was in September. We talked about Abel, Enoch and Noah. Today we'll talk about Abraham and Sarah.

⁸By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. ¹¹By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. ¹²Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

The verses above come from Hebrews 11.

Abraham and Sarah were husband and wife.
God told Abraham to leave his land and go to a land that he would show him. From Genesis 12 we read:

¹Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ² And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing...

I have to admit, I do wonder sometimes, how did God show Abraham were to go? We don't read of pillars of fire or cloud...so how did Abraham know which way to go. But overall that's a non-issue, the fact is God said go and Abraham obeyed even though he had no clue about where he would end up. He ended up in Canaan.

Why did he take this trip at God's command? For the simple reason that he was looking forward ...he looked forward "to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God". He knew that God had something more in store for him. That takes faith, to see beyond the present and to know that there is something more out there. Abraham knew that God was real and therefore obeyed him.

Sarah for her part did not try to stop him from going, and she was able to have a baby in her old age. Even though she laughed, she still had a child by Abraham as per God's promise to her.

¹⁰The LORD said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. ¹¹Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. ¹² So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?"

And later we read

1The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised. 2And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. 3Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. 4And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6And Sarah said, "God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me." 7And she said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."

Sarah born a child, she had that distinct pleasure that it is to have a child of your own. Her shame as a woman was removed from her (in those days to be a woman and not be able to have a child was a shameful thing).

By faith in God, marvellous things happened to Abraham and Sarah. They obeyed him, their lives were forever changed.

May my faith in God be as abiding as was the faith of Abraham and Sarah.

By Faith - Abel, Enoch and Noah

Last time I had a chance to sit down and do devotions I had started in Hebrews 11, today I get to continue that study. :)

⁴By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. ⁵By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. ⁶And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. ⁷By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

By Faith - Abel
Abel and Cain, one of the first stories we find in the bible. Cain kills Abel because he's jealous and angry. God disciplined him for doing so and he's forced to wander the earth forever. But in this passage God speaks not of Cain, but of Abel. Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice. As we read in Genesis:

Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. ³In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, ⁴and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, ⁵but for Cain and his offering he had no regard.

Because Abel brought the right sacrifice to God, he was commended as righteous, so even though he died for it, his action still speaks to us today.

As some of you know, I raise rabbits. ah...but I do like my bunnies. they are fun, challenging, help provide some income and such like. And sometimes I ponder...what would it be like to give up...just give it up the best of what I have, the one that I've longed for. Butcher and present to the Lord the firstborn of what you have raised. Not so easy I think, yet Abel did it...and from what I read he did so willingly. A hard thing. I have a rabbit in my herd that I bred her myself and I've people wanting to buy her...but I'm so inordinately proud of that rabbit. Sell her? Ah...that's a tough one, but give her up willingly...naw...that's not something that would be so easy to do. And farmers would have a tough time with that too. The first born..the one that shows what you're doing, you're doing right, and then to sacrifice that to God. That shows a truly thankful heart. Abel's action declared him righteous to God. I want my heart to be that willing.

By Faith - Enoch

⁵By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. ⁶And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

By faith, Enoch didn't die. God took him straight up to heaven. Why? Because he pleased God. Simple reason. Why did he please God? He had faith.

Faith is what is necessary to please God. Faith is what is necessary to draw us closer to God and to want to seek him out.

Wow...is that ever speaking to my heart this morning. Faith is what causes ME to seek God. Even as I stumble, doubt myself, doubt my relationship with God it all comes back to this.... my faith in God's existence, in who God is, is what causes me to seek after him. This God finds pleasing. Wow....my faith pleases God.

By Faith - Noah

By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

Noah obeyed God without seeing the cause for it. In reverent fear he built an ark. This huge boat and he built it because God told him to. He saved his household but condemned the world. Laughed at, mocked, for years (100 or so they think it took him) he simply obeyed God and built an ark. That's perseverance, that's faith, that's holy fear of the Lord.

Makes me wonder....what will I do for God? What might God ask of me? And what in faith will I be willing to endure?

Faith is....

With closing off more of my facebook games, and having a boy who sleeps in a bit I'm discovering a bit more time in the morning. Ah...to put it to good use having devotions again!!!! :) Yes, sometimes I'm a dunderhead, but getting back to priorities is a good thing.

Last time I studied in Hebrews (feels like a decade ago) was back on August 13 (so not really a decade ago). I had just closed off that chapter, which means today I can start in Hebrews 11. :) This is how that chapter starts.

¹Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. ²For by it the people of old received their commendation. ³By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

Aren't those cool words? A straight forward answer to the question of what faith is.
Faith is

• the assurance of things hoped for
• the conviction of things not seen
• by it, the people of old received their commendation
• by it, we understand the universe was created by the word of God

1. The Assurance of Things Hoped For

• the word assurance means:

• Freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities; "his assurance in his superiority did not make him popular"; "after that failure he ...

• a binding commitment to do or give or refrain from something; "an assurance of help when needed"; "signed a pledge never to reveal the secret"

• a statement intended to inspire confidence; "the President's assurances were not respected"

Can you see it....to have that freedom to believe without doubting. That is what faith is. AND I know that having faith is size of a mustard seed is okay. Faith that small can do amazing things.

Matthew 17:19-20 "Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, 'Why could we not cast it out?' He said to them, 'Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."
Luke 17:5-6 "The apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith!' The Lord replied. 'If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.'"

So even though I often feel that my faith is such a weak doddering thing.....and that I'm one of the worst believers out there because of it...my faith in God is real. Even if it feels mustard seedy frequently, that doesn't change that I do believe in God and in the power of what he is and has done and will do. You can't shake that conviction from me. and from what I read in Luke 17 it's not so necessary that I want my faith to increase, but that I use what I have for God's glory. So I can't exactly say that to me faith is "belief in my own abilities". My faith is my belief in God's abilities to be who he is all the time. (hope that makes sense). :)

2. Faith is the conviction of things not seen

One of Justin's frequent comments about why he doesn't believe in God is that he can't see him. This of course makes me point out all the different ways that we can see God at work. See how the ground cherries get yellow and ready to eat? That's because God made the world just by talking and made the dirt and the rain and the sun so that they can grow up so YOU can eat them. God's pretty cool isn't he? Doing this kind of stuff is helping a 4 year old see God a bit more....so now sometimes God is allowed in BunnyTown (his imaginary place where all good things are).

3. by it, the people of old received their commendation
This whole chapter talks about the faith of people of old. Over the next few days I'll be digging into some of that deeper. I'll be able to see how God commended the people of old for their faith. Should prove an interesting study don't you think? But it's good to know that God himself commends people for their faith in him.

4. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

I have to admit...when I first read these words I thought...faith is believing in creation? Wow...interesting concept. Never thought about that before. At least that's how this verse reads to me. It's believing in the power of God to simply speak and then knowing that what he speaks simply IS. The different commentators I checked out agreed with this assessment. Faith is creation linked. It's believing that what God said in the very beginning of the bible is true. He spoke, the world become. He did this out of NOTHING. His word is that powerful.

WOW! Isn't that just the neatest beginning to a chapter on faith? Looking forward to reading more I am. :)