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Whoa….did I do that?

03 Mar

Whoa….did I do that?

1 John 1:8-10   If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

I was talking yesterday with someone and they shared how some people they know think they are not sinners. Before I even knew it I had spouted off a paraphrase of this scripture. I guess I don’t get it; how could anyone believe they do not sin? That would be a pride so lofty they would likely consider themselves heavenly; yet were captive of the demon below. Is that belief truly out there? Denial of God, denial of Christ, many other roads of religion; but is there a sect of humanity that elevates themselves to that level? Even when I was my farthest from God in a life steep in sin, I had that conviction; knowing I was doing wrong, but denying it’s impact.

When you begin to research this epistle of John, you read of the blends of religions that were steering people away from the Gospel of Christ. There were blended cultures that divided God; divided Christ life, and death. They did not believe that a holy God could create matter; they did not believe Christ truly died on the cross; they did not believe that Christ was fully God and fully man. John was an eyewitness to this and he testifies of it. 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us. The apostle John and Christ did have a special relationship; John was the apostle whom Christ loved. John was always close to Christ in His most intimate moments.

There must come a point in your life you feel these sin convictions. These convictions should lead to Salvation, but the repentance does not stop there. We are still living lives as sinners, but we are living lives assured of our salvation in our faith in the power of the atoning sacrifice at the Cross. We should feel guilt immediately upon sin that steers us to confess that sin. Matthew Henry pens the repentant life so well: “The Christian life is a life of continued repentance, humiliation for and the mortification of sin, of continual faith in, thankfulness for, and love to the Redeemer, and hopeful joyfully expectation of a day of glorious redemption, in which the believer shall be fully and finally acquitted, and sin abolished forever.” YES! Come Lord Jesus and rescue us from this body of sin. Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

 
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Posted by on March 3, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Spotlights

01 Mar

Spotlights

2 Corinthians 4:5-6      For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

I am a behind the scenes kinda guy. I will give my labors of love, but expect no recognition for them. Whatever I find myself doing, I try to do it to the best of my ability, and to draw glory to Christ. I want no glory in any work or ministry I perform. I have Colossians 3:23 on the side of my work truck to remind me every day: 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. The sin in me wants to puff my chest out in pride, but Christ is me is the reminder that He is the provider; I am the bondservant or slave that rests in his grace and mercy. Why would we want to draw attention to ourselves? We can provide only temporary satisfaction, while He can provide eternal hope and joy. The glory rests in His work, not ours.

Paul was defending his ministry here in Corinthians. Some of those had come to say he was being deceptive, and he took great offense in that. He understood that all he was came from Christ; he had nothing to deliver except the promise of the Gospel; in it is the completion of any temporal and eternal need. 2 Corinthians 3:5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God. (ESV) He knew that he had been called by God to become a minister of the Gospel, and he only wanted to point those who will hear to Christ, not to draw any glory to himself. There is no more powerful message than that delivered in Christ; the only glory in yourself is a life transformed by the knowledge of the Salvation that lies in Christ. 2 Corinthians 3:16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.  

The world we live in pushes the pride of accomplishment. From the houses, to the cars, to the salaries, to the stuff we obtain. We rest in the pride of the American dream; “I can do all things that I put my mind to.” God may allow this for a season, and he may also remove them for a reason. He may bring to you the understanding that it all flows and stops through his sovereign hands and control.  James 1:7 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.  You are called by God to be a light in a dark world that needs him. Make sure that spotlight is on Him and not you.

 
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Posted by on March 1, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Behind these blue eyes

28 Feb

Behind these blue eyes

Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

I am no different from you. I am in many ways likely struggling with life just like you, maybe even more. I just like you put on my happy face and give cordial responses when asked, but wherein does the truth lie? Who do you have in your life that truly knows what your deepest struggles are, those that are warring inside your head? Even my wife and best friend do not know the level of warfare inside my head. My greatest sin is pride, and my confidentiality is wrapped up in it. Do you bear you soul to those closest to you? Sometimes the battles get so great that I feel as though I am loosing my mind; my memory is the first to suffer in these strains. That produces more strain from the understanding of my DNA and the disease of Alzheimer’s. It is almost a vicious cycle. There is One who knows all that I am under, and the heart I have for Him.

I find myself in Matthew Six repeatedly. Real personal advice from the mouth of Christ on how to live my life daily. Where to focus, where to place our trust, where to place our hope, what to do every single day. Matthew 6:33 Seek Ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. The understanding of all that this life has, is found in that scripture and the pursuit of it. Nowhere in it does it say it will be easy, but in it is found true understanding of eternity. It it is found spending time in God’s Word and prayer, and therefore you will come to possess the strength to face and fight all that you battle every day. You will learn that it is temporary, and the rewards are eternal. You will understand that you sin because you are a sinner, and the forgiveness is only found in Him. You will learn that you are saved by God’s grace alone, through faith alone; that you can never do enough to earn it. (Ephesians 2:8)

God wants to grow you closer to Him. This means that He will put acts of obedience before you to gauge where your faith lies. He may take you down very hard roads that you would not have traveled to accomplish his purpose. He may seemingly hurt you to grow you more into the image of his Son. All He desires is to make us more like Christ. 2 Corinthians 3:8 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. You may not share with others all your deepest struggles, but you can share them with the One who already knows them. He has either designed it or allowed it to accomplish his purposes. The more time you spend with God every day, the more you come to understand the struggles in life are just for a moment, and that moment is to draw you closer to eternity.

 
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Posted by on February 28, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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From the bottom of the sea to dry land

27 Feb

From the bottom of the sea to dry land

Jonah 2:1-3    Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly. 2 And he said: “I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, And He answered me. “Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, And You heard my voice. 3 For You cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the floods surrounded me; All Your billows and Your waves passed over me.

They did it; the sailors on the boat which Jonah was on threw him into the sea to escape the wrath of God upon them as a result of Jonah’s disobedience to God. They pled for God’s mercy on the sacrifice they were performing; Jonah knew he was about to die. God prepared the fish that swallowed him whole, and in Jonah’s mind it was likely the end. Jonah describes seemingly being taken to the bottom of the sea, to the “roots of the mountains” (ESV); to the gates of the dead found there. His near death experience led him to plea to God; to turn his face towards the temple and pray. At some point in this incredible journey he came to realize the great fish was there to save him. He repented of his sin and disobedience and the great fish vomited him onto dry land.

The only place to look when you are at your seemingly bottom is up. You can either concentrate on looking down into the pit of pity, or you can look up to the One who can deliver you from there. 6 I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God. Jonah had done nothing but run from God, nothing but disobey God, nothing to deserve God’s mercy. Jonah is another example of salvation by grace alone. Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. God is letting you face these seemingly insurmountable trials to draw you to Him; it is in him that you find what you have been looking for all along: Eternal hope and the security of it. Once you possess it, the rest will seem trivial.

I am at a seemingly financial death, a place where the only place I can look is up. I believe Satan wants me to cry out in anger at my God for the loss of imaginary financial security. I believe God is allowing me to go there to grow in my faith and rest on his provision for me. I do not know what tomorrow may bring, but I know what God is calling me to do in a large step of faith. It is when you are at these places in your life that you are closer to God than ever. It is at the places in life that you say “Yes God, I will.” Jonah let go of his prejudices towards Nineveh, and obeyed God in the very hard command to go and preach repentance. As a result an entire evil nation repented and was eternally saved. What is your reluctance holding back?

 
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Posted by on February 27, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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East or West?

25 Feb

East or West?

Jonah 1:1-3    Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” 3 But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

I feel led to spend some time in Jonah, to write from there possibly too. I awoke this morning earlier than usual, for I have a lot on my mind. The pressures of life, seemingly lots of big things on my plate that preoccupy my mind. The things many times that God places there; callings on your life for obedience; changes in your life that make you uncomfortable; the big things that lurk beneath the surface, for many times they are the messages from God. I too, like Jonah seemingly choose to run from them sometimes. Why do we do that? We cannot run from God! In the start of my study I have come upon the complexity of this book. Yet in the early stages of this prophetic narrative it is simple; we cannot escape the call of God on our lives.

Jonah heard God plainly tell him to go to Nineveh and preach repentance to those who were of the evilest nature. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, and the Assyrian army was the evilest of all in their debauchery against those they conquered. The theories for why he fled may differ, but the flight is what may also apply in our lives. When we feel those tugs on our heart from God, do we too turn our backs on Him and go the opposite direction? Jonah went as far in the opposite direction known to him. Tarshish was believed to be a somewhere in Spain, the eastern outermost boundary known at that time. We cannot flee from the omni-presence of God. He is the all knowing, all encompassing, Sovereign Ruler of the universe.

We get scared, we get comfortable, we get lazy. God may be calling you out to do something you cannot imagine doing, or something you simply resist. The power of God is found in the tasks you cannot complete, and the presence of God is found where you resist. Your resistance is the power of sin in your life to even imagine the defiance on the call of obedience. Romans 6:16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? The power of sin is that idleness or denial in the answer of that call. The obedience is the road to righteousness that He has laid out before you and I.

 
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Posted by on February 25, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Thicker than water

24 Feb

Thicker than water

Obadiah 1:10 “For violence against your brother Jacob, Shame shall cover you, And you shall be cut off forever. 15 “For the day of the Lord upon all the nations is near; As you have done, it shall be done to you; Your reprisal shall return upon your own head.

The book of Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament; it is a direct prophetic book to the nation of Edom, a single theme of the coming judgement and destruction by the Lord. The nation was a descendant of Easu, (Jacob’s brother), and they constantly were scheming against their brothers nation Israel. Repeatedly throughout history they turned their backs on their brothers in their time of need. At the time of Obadiah’s prophecy, Israel was under siege and they were fleeing for their lives. Their own family was turning their backs on them, blocking their escapes, killing them, or selling them into slavery. They were turning their backs on them at the time of their greatest need.

I have been seeing and learning of these examples recently; of families at such odds they cast one another out onto the street. We all may differ, we all may quarrel, but we as a family must hold together that bond. I know no matter how bad things in life might get, I could go to my family for the necessities in life. This should have happened in the time of Edom and Israel; put aside their differences and helped out in the time of need. The pride and arrogance of the Edomites caused this proclaimed judgement of the Lord that Obadiah proclaimed. 11 On the day that you stood aloof, on the day that strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them. 12 But do not gloat over the day of your brother in the day of his misfortune; do not rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their ruin; do not boast in the day of distress. 13 Do not enter the gate of my people in the day of their calamity; do not gloat over his disaster in the day of his calamity; do not loot his wealth in the day of his calamity. 14 Do not stand at the crossroads to cut off his fugitives; do not hand over his survivors in the day of distress. (ESV)

Step back and take a look at your family. Are there any of them that you know are in a time of need? Are you ignoring the knowledge of that need for any or multiple reasons? Are you pretending that you don’t know or can’t help? What if God treated you with the same disregard that you are treating them? Verse 15 shows the nation of Edom that they will reap what they have sown. The day that we must stand before the Lord and account for all our lives is certain. I personally believe that how we handle our family affairs will be held in high regard at that day. The Lord placed us in that circle for a reason, and we should seek to fulfill His Will for our lives by pouring our lives into those closest to us; not turning our backs upon them.

 
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Posted by on February 24, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Does your faith have feet?

23 Feb

Does your faith have feet?

Matthew 10:7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

In the commentary on Matthew 10, Matthew Henry calls this an “ordination sermon”. Jesus is ordaining the apostles to the work they are called to do; to spread the Good News that our Savior brings to this dying world. They are to go out into the world, to put feet on their faith. My church  is doing that today; going out into the community to knock on doors and invite people to church; to spread the Good News that Jesus Christ brings into the world. The community like any other may not receive it, may reject it, may downright deny it and be angry towards it. We can never argue a person to Salvation, we can only present the Gospel in the hope that God has prepared their hearts to receive it. We are told by Christ how to handle those that deny. Matthew 10:14 And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.

The Apostles were told of what their futures held; to be persecuted before men as preachers of Christianity. They were to expect imprisonment, torture, even unto death. They were to always stand for Christ to the end; to not worry for their suffering would be rewarded eternally. To not worry what to say when they were brought into the courts; the Holy Spirit would be with them to provide the words He wanted them to hear. 19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. That same Spirit lives inside you and will give you the words to speak when you step out in faith to share, or to defend your faith in Christ. It is He who provides when we know not how to answer. If you stand before someone who’s heart God has prepared, He will deliver just the right words for them through you.

Have you ever went out and put feet on your faith to evangelize? Going into environments or situations that make you uncomfortable in your own abilities? How can you see God work in your life if you only go where you are comfortable? The power of God rests in the abilities that you have not; the answers you have not; the situations in life where you fully rest on Him is where you see the greatest work by Him in your life. Getting out of your comfort zone and into the power of God. There is no fear that should lie in these situations. There is heavenly power and strength that lies in the feet of an evangelist; for they know that nothing is to fear here, for they know they are in the center of God’s Will spreading the Good News to those who will receive it. Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Step out, and step into, the power of God to spread hope into a dying world.

 
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Posted by on February 23, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Tell them

22 Feb

Tell them

Ezekiel 3:17-18    “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: 18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.

Ezekiel was experiencing becoming a great prophet called by God. His vision captured in chapter two of Ezekiel are extraordinary; he fell on his face in the presence of God. The Holy Spirit lifted him up and he stood before God, about to become anointed as a prophet. God told him it would be a difficult ministry to a stubborn people; he commanded Ezekiel to eat the scroll of the commands of which God spoke. Ezekiel was filling himself with God’s words, literally, and he described it sweet as honey. God placed a great responsibility on Ezekiel, 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: God told him that he must speak the words and warnings, no matter what they may be, for he is called to held accountable to God for following these commands.

We may find it easy to share the Good News of Christ. We may find it easy to tell the world of the hope of heaven that lies within us as a child of God. Are we also delivering the bad news; that a sinner who does not know, or does not accept Christ, will spend eternity in hell? There is no good news if you do not accept the bad first. “The present world is the only hell the Christian will ever know, and it is the only heaven the unsaved will experience.” (Dr. Wilmington). We are not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners. As a child of God you are called to point out that sin; not to judge the sinner, but to tell them in a loving manner of the sin in their lives.

We live in a society that has no spine. We live in a society that has lost the understanding of the Absolute Truth of the word of God. We have become so worried to not offend, truth has become pliable to fit into all circumstance. We may see sin, we may feel the conviction of sin, but yet we do not point to the sin for fear of loss of friendship or pleasure of self. James 4:17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. This is a sin of disobedience; the sin of “not doing” whatever God may be convicting you of, or showing you in others. How will they know if we do not tell them? 2 Timothy 2:24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

 
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Posted by on February 22, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Fathers Arms

20 Feb

Fathers Arms

Mark 10:13-16      Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” 16 And He took them up in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them.

As I sat down this morning, I wrapped a warm blanket around my shoulders to get warm. It made me think of how great it is to feel as though at times in your life, you just know you are in Christ’s arms. You know you can’t bear the load you are under, you know that the strength you seemingly have is not your own; you know that He is caring for you just as a good father would. The strength and peace that comes with the understanding of the eternal security you possess is not understandable to those outside the faith. To be in the arms of Christ is to know that your heavenly Father will never let you go, never fail you, always protect and provide for you, and never leave you, you are eternally secure.

My study Bible says of this scripture, “Children exhibit sincerity, eagerness, a trusting attitude, and total dependence on their parents. Thus childlikeness is a fitting comparison for the qualities a disciple should have.” In our faith in Christ we must come to the humbleness and dependance such as a child. We must place all our faith and trust in what our Father takes us to, and delivers us through. In teaching my boys I continually tell them I will not tell them to do anything that I know will get them intentionally hurt. They may be uncomfortable in the challenge, but the grow in their trust. When we are uncomfortable where God has us for the day, we must understand that he is growing us in our trust of Him through it.

A disciple for Christ should depend on him totally for their every need. Their relationship should be abiding so close that their is no doubt of where their feet are for today. John 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. Abiding is a state of being; so entwined in your faith and God’s Word that you are at one with Him. He is indwelling in your heart, and your are carrying His Word there. When you need it most, He provides it for you, pulling it from the memory you did not know you had. He has provided for you just as a father would a child; for as a child you should be just as dependent upon your Savior for everything.

 
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Posted by on February 20, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Yes I can! No, you can’t……

19 Feb

Yes I can! No, you can’t……

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

I am a man who’s testimony is built in pride. I am just like you, I think I can do anything I put my mind to. It starts early in life, with parents breeding that self confidence that helps us to focus and persevere. It grows from youth into adulthood, the idea of the American Dream; you can succeed in this world if you try hard enough. If you don’t it is your own fault; if you do it is of your own self. Only you get the glory for your own success. The disappointments in people and life only bring about more independence and focus; the strive to succeed. This drive may produce success by worldly measure, but that measure is not eternal; and that eternal measure has no tolerance for pride. God showed me this in many ways of my life; He brought me to my knees so that I only could look up; He showed me I had no part in my supposed success; it all was a gift from God.

Pride is at the root of so many religions and false teachings today on how to reach God. Pride is at the root of believing you can do ANYTHING to earn God’s favor on your life; to earn your way into heaven; to do enough good deeds to outnumber the bad. Good deeds are a product of your Salvation, not a means to earn it! If by any means we could earn our salvation, then God sent his Son to die on a cross for nothing. James 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” What would that act of grace represent in the ideal that we can do it without that provision? Pride is the root of why Satan was cast out from heaven; he thought he could be God. Pride is at the root of our sin in the Garden of Eden; we thought we could be like God. So our pride steers us to believe we can earn our way to God?

There must come a point in your life that you are humbled before God. There must come a point in your life that you realize your lost without God; without the sacrifice that Christ made for you on the Cross at Calvary. You must realize that the pride of yourself, the religious rituals you practice, the prayers you pray, the feel good feelings of going to church on Sunday; these you will die in and possibly pay for that mistake in eternal punishment for that pride. Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. Pride is the ticket to hell on which Satan smiles with you as his passenger. Pride will keep you from ever receiving the free gift of grace that is available to the humble heart. Swallow your pride, repent of your sins and plea for forgiveness; and let Christ into your heart as the only way to obtain hope of heaven for eternity. Ask God to daily remove the stumbling block of arrogance that Satan has placed in you from the beginning of time.

 
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Posted by on February 19, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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