Hagion - holy & sacred stuff


Welcome to my randomized study & miscellaneous thoughts about the Awesome God of the universe, who He is and what He wants us to be.

Hagion   (hag'-ee-on):
  1. reverend
  2. set apart for God, to be as it were, exclusively his
  3. services and offerings
  4. in a moral sense, pure sinless upright holy.
(from Theological Dictionary of the New Testament)








Verse of the Day


Today's Quote


Friday, March 28, 2003
 
Arming For Spiritual Battles
The Full Armor of God
Part 3 - The Shoes of Peace

Initially, in Part 1, we looked at our need to be prepared at all times with the Belt of Truth. To watch for Christ's return as well as to stand firmly on and seek the truth in our daily lives. As we discussed, truth is the foundation upon which we place our Christian faith and build our defenses to defeat the enemy's lies and accusations. Then in Part 2, we looked at Paul's admonition to "put on the breastplate of righteousness," we saw that this is the righteousness of Jesus Christ and not anything good within ourselves. Now we are instructed in verse 15 to "shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;"

Much like the punji sticks used in Vietnam, the Roman soldier's enemies placed sharp sticks in small, covered holes. If stepped upon, the sticks would immobilize the soldier and knock them out of the battle. I live currently in Phoenix, Arizona. Many of the residents of Phoenix have at one time or another tried to cross a street or driveway here without wearing our shoes. When we try to go without shoes, we cannot stand in one place very long without burning our feet. We are unable to walk where we want to go, but are forced to seek cool ground on which to stand as a refuge from the hot pavement. And even after we get off the hot surface, our feet remind us of the pain we just endured for some time. That is what we are attempting to overcome by putting on the gospel of peace. It offers protection from the enemy and allows us to continue walking forward on the path that God has chosen. It allows us to stand in places where we alone would not be able. Standing in God's peace - that peace which eclipses human comprehension or understanding - allows us to stand in these painful situations and to endure that pain.

I would wager that all of us have also tried to climb a rocky hill or wade into a river without stumbling. Millions of dollars each year are made selling shoes and boots that are specifically designed for stability in these harsh environments. We buy these shoes to protect our feet and to enable us to get the traction needed. The Romans had studs or nails in the bottom of their sandals to prevent them from slipping or sliding. This provided a firm foundation even on muddy, rocky or uneven ground. The gospel of peace allows us to stand firm. It gives us the foundation we need to continue moving forward even when facing a troublesome path.

Notice that in Ephesians 6 verse 14, Paul says, "Stand firm therefore,..." First, we must learn how to stand. There will always be temptations to go in the wrong directions. Old actions and friends will come calling on us to return to our wicked ways. Watch out though. When we give in, even just a little, we may be starting on a downhill trip. Christians typically refer to this condition as "backsliding." Instead, we could just as well call it "disobedience to God" or plain old "willful, deliberate or intentional sinning," but "backsliding" sounds better and is easier to stomach! However, most backsliders don't just jump off a cliff headfirst into sin. Instead, we start slipping down a steep slope, the more we slip the faster our fall gets and the next thing we know we cannot stop ourselves. Know this truth: the Christian life is an uphill battle. Either we are climbing or we are slipping. If we try to just stand still, we will soon begin sliding backwards, that's just our human nature. Thakfully, God gives us the ability to continue growing and maturing in Him no matter how long or short our walk with Him is.

The spiritual sandals that we are called to put on not only provide stability, they also provide mobility - the ability to move forward in a moment's notice. We need that mobility to share the gospel with others and to minister to their needs. As warrior's in God's army, we are called not just to hold our ground , but to move forward and gain ground. 1 Peter 3:15 says, "but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always {being} ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;" (NAS) We must always be ready, always on guard. We are always on duty for God.

Romans 10:14-15 says, "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" (KJV)

The "preparation of the gospel of peace" signifies a prepared and resolved frame of heart choosing to adhere to the gospel and abide by it, which will enable us to walk with a steady pace in the way of religion, notwithstanding the difficulties and dangers that may be in it. It is the gospel of peace because it brings all sorts of peace, peace with God, with ourselves, and with one another. It may also be meant to prepare ourselves to receive the gospel by way of repentance. With this our feet must be shod: for by living a life of repentance we are armed against temptations to sin, and the designs of our great enemy. Dr. Whitby writes: "That you may be ready for the combat, be shod with the gospel of peace, endeavour after that peaceable and quiet mind which the gospel calls for. Be not easily provoked, nor prone to quarrel: but show all gentleness and all long?suffering to all men, and this will certainly preserve you from many great temptations and persecutions, as did those shoes of brass the soldiers from those galltraps,"

So what does this mean for us today? How do we shod ourselves to not only stand firm but also to move ahead? We must decide that we are going to be men and women after God's own heart. We must prepare by committing to become ones who study and learn God's Word, hide it in our hearts and apply it in our daily lives. We need to approach God with an attitude of genuine repentance, admitting our sins and asking His forgiveness. This alone will allow us to be in a state that God can use us. The Holy Spirit will work through us showing love and gentleness and peace if we allow Him to, if we put His will ahead of our own. We are called upon to walk forward, to spread the Good news to every corner of the world. Standing firm and being prepared with the gospel of peace is a matter of priorities. Are we putting God's priorities first or our own? Which pathway will our feet tred upon today, our own path or God's?

Deut 28:14 and do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

Deut 5:32-33 "So you shall observe to do just as the LORD your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right or to the left. You shall walk in all the way which the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you will possess."

Proverbs 4:27 Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil.

Keep walking straight with Him,
Dr. Larry
Visit our church's website at: Pure Heart Christian Fellowship

Monday, March 17, 2003
 
Arming For Spiritual Battles
The Full Armor of God
Part 2 - The Breastplate of Righteousness

Last time we looked our need to be prepared at all times with the Belt of Truth. To watch for Christ's return as well as to stand firmly on and seek the truth in our daily lives. As we saw, the truth is the foundation upon which we build all of our Christian faith and defenses upon to defeat the enemy's lies and accusations. Now we will turn our attention to Paul's admonition to "put on the breastplate of righteousness," (Eph 6:14)
Eph 6:10-17 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual {forces} of wickedness in the heavenly {places.} 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil {one.} 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (NAS)

The breastplate was designed to cover the Roman soldier's chest and belly, protecting the vital internal organs such as the heart, lungs and stomach. An arrow or sword piercing the chest or stomach area would probably be a fatal blow. If the breastplate wasn't on properly, one blow could bring the soldier down.

Likewise, Satan can bring us down with one well placed attack. How many times have we heard of a highly acclaimed man or woman of God falling victim to some immoral (usually sexual) sin which brings down the entire ministry they had worked for? Satan will attempt to use the sins within our own lives to convince us that we are not worthy to call upon the Lord. He will accuse us and make us want to hide in the bushes like Adam. Satan will tell us, "You are a sinner. You've failed" And he is correct in saying that. Satan will say, "You are not worthy to come into the presence of God," and he's telling the truth in a sense. On our own record we are not worthy. But Satan neglects to tell the whole truth.

The truth is that God Himself has provided us the way to come into His presence.
I John 2:1-2 1 My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for {those of} the whole world. (NAS)

Propitiation is defined as the atoning sacrifice. We recognize the sinless nature of Christ and the righteousness that He embodies,
2 Cor 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin {to be} sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Rom 5:17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
The righteousness of Jesus Christ covers our own sins when we ask Him to become our Lord and forgive us.

So, what is this breastplate of righteousness and how do we as believer's put it on and use it to repel the enemy's attacks? Well, as Christians we know that we will come under attacks. Jesus Himself said that this would happen,
John 15:19-20 19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. (NAS)

The enemy will fire flaming arrows at us by saying, "You don't deserve to go to God. God won't hear you you miserable sinner." We have two courses of action at this point:
1) We can respond by saying, "Hey, I read my Bible and pray every day. I go to church and tithe regularly. I'm doing just fine!" If we try that, we are only fooling ourselves and following the examples that the Pharisees gave to us.
2) On the other hand, we can say, "Satan, you are correct. I am a worthless sinner and m My own righteousness will never allow me to sit before God's throne, but the righteousness of my Lord, Jesus Christ will. I call upon Him for the grace and forgiveness which He offers. I, as a sinner, lean upon Him and call upon His power and righteousness for protection from Satan's wicked attacks to our very heart and soul!"

God has given us His Word to instruct us in His ways,
2 Tim 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

God gives all believer's the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us away from the sinful nature of the flesh and towards the things of God, He asks us to follow His ways and give ourselves to Him.
Rom 6:13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin {as} instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members {as} instruments of righteousness to God.
Rom 8:10 And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
1 Tim 6:11 But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance {and} gentleness.

Lastly, we must approach God on the basis of the sacrificial blood of Jesus, not on the basis of our own righteousness. We don't deserve His forgiveness. Remember the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15), we also must say, "I am no longer worthy to be called Your son." But God's response is to embrace us, forgive us and call us His own.
Phil 3:9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from {the} Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which {comes} from God on the basis of faith,

Growing in Him,
Dr. Larry
Visit our son's swimming teacher: Kids Aquatic Center

Wednesday, March 12, 2003
 
Arming For Spiritual Battles
The Full Armor of God
Part 1 - The Belt of Truth


Are we in the "end-times" ?
What is the condition of the world around us today? Does Satan continue to do battle with us on a daily and even hourly basis? God's Word teaches us to prepare ourselves for the spiritual battles which we face with the enemy. As Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans,
Rom 13:11-12 And this {do,} knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. (NAS)

Quite an alarm Paul was trying to send to Christian believers. To tell us that it is time to throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light because the day of the coming of the Lord is at hand. Every battle which we face counts, every day is important!

The enemy is busy working in the world. Two of his key methods of attack are the use of (1) lies and (2) accusations.
John 8:44 "You are of {your} father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own {nature;} for he is a liar, and the father of lies. (NAS)
Zech 3:1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. (NIV)

Satan will attempt to convince us to do something with the use if a lie, "Go ahead, you're not hurting anyone. God will understand that you have to do it," and then afterwards he will accuse us of the very thing we did saying that we are not worthy to go to God now, God won't accept us because of our sins.

So what do we do to battle this treachery?
Well, Ephesians 6 reminds us :
Eph 6:10-17 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual {forces} of wickedness in the heavenly {places.} 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil {one.} 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (NAS)

We are going to take a look at each of these pieces of "invisible armor" that can help to protect us against the spiritual battles we face. It is important that we see what each is designed to do and then to use the "full armor". If we pick and choose only the parts which we want, we will be ill-prepared when facing the enemy.

What if you put on your breastplate, your helmet and your shield but carried no sword? You would maybe be able to defend yourself and maybe even hold your own ground, but you would be unable to move forward because you had no offensive weapon. Or if you had on your sandals, belt and sword and fought with the enemy, you would quickly lose what you might gain due to improper defense. And once we have clothed ourselves, with God's armor, we must practice using each piece constantly and consistently lest we fall into the same troubles David had:
1 Sam 17:38-39 Then Saul clothed David with his garments and put a bronze helmet on his head, and he clothed him with armor. And David girded his sword over his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested {them.} So David said to Saul, "I cannot go with these, for I have not tested {them} " And David took them off. (NAS)

The armor which Paul lays out is designed for offense and defense. As we all know from battles and sporting events, both are equally important. Paul did not haphazardly introduce these items to us, but was led by the Holy Spirit to present them in a certain order with the significance of each piece well in mind.

First, we look at the Belt of Truth.

The Belt of Truth is for long range preparation and protection it is an item which we should never take off at any time. The Roman soldier wore a belt that bound together his loose garments, his robe and toga. When relaxing, he loosened it but did not remove it. When he was ready to travel or fight, he would tighten his belt or "gird himself." The belt was also important because of two other strategic pieces which it held in place. The soldier's breastplate was attached to the belt as well as the sheath for his sword. If an enemy removed your belt, your garments would drop interfering with your ability to move, your breastplate would be unloosed and you'd lose the sheath for your sword. No matter how well trained you might be, if your belt fell off, you'd be in big trouble.

Although we may not think of the belt as an important piece, Paul obviously did. It is important to see that Paul starts off with the "belt of truth" because it is central to the Christian life and preparation for action.

Moses told Israel concerning the Passover meal:
Exod 12:11 'Now you shall eat it in this manner: {with} your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste?? it is the LORD'S Passover. (NAS)
The Israelites were to eat the Passover meal poised for action, ready to go should they get the word to move.

Jesus warned us to be prepared when He said:
Luke 12:35-37 "Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; "and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. "Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. (NKJ)

Peter used the same expression saying:
1 Pet 1:13 Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober {in spirit,} fix
your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ
. (NAS)

To gird our loins or tighten our belts, means that we Christians need to be prepared for action. We need to be alert, on guard. What does that mean to us today? What are we to be prepared for? To be on guard for? One thing is the coming of the Lord. Jesus said; Matt 24:44 "For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think {He will.} (NAS)

We sometimes hear news of someone who claims to know exactly when Jesus will return to this earth. But the Bible teaches us: Matt 25:13 "Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour. (NAS)
Acts 1:7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. (NIV)
Read Matthew 24, we do not know when Jesus will return but we can see the signs, we know that "of the times and the seasons you will know."

Do you recall the story of Gideon's army? In Judges 7, God reduced the size of the army by having Gideon ask those that were afraid and fearful to go home. Immediately 22,000 men left. God then told Gideon to test the remaining 10,000 men.
Judg 7:4-5 Then the LORD said to Gideon, "The people are still too many; bring them down to the water and I will test them for you there. Therefore it shall be that he of whom I say to you, 'This one shall go with you,' he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, 'This one shall not go with you,' he shall not go." So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, "You shall separate everyone who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, as well as everyone who kneels to drink." (NAS)
Only 300 men passed the test. 300 men who remained alert while they were drinking. The other's were oblivious to the surrounding while fulfilling their own desire. God wants us to be alert, be watching and be ready and available for him to use.

But we must remember that Paul calls us to be girded with the belt of truth. We aren't merely to be ready in a general sense. We are always to be prepared with truth. This part of the armor is essential. Other pieces are dependent upon it. This tells us that truth is the first thing that we must put on. Without truth, we are completely unprepared! Exactly what does Paul mean by "truth"? He means we must have a firm conviction in our heart with regard to the facts. No uncertainties, no doubts, no lack of clarity. Satan will try to confuse us and we must know what is true. We need to know what God has said to us.
2 Cor 11:3 But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity {of devotion} to Christ. (NAS)
James 4:7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (NAS)

But instead, Eve had a conversation with the devil and ended up believing him instead of the Word of God which is Truth. Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17:17 "Sanctify them in the truth. Thy word is truth."

How much time do we spend looking into the Word of God. When we don't spend enough time studying the truth of the Scriptures, we don't know fact from fiction. Our faith is weakened and doubts are raised when we neglect God's Word and listen to other counsel.
1 Tim 4:1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, (NAS)

Failing to be ready with the truth and girding our lives with it can produce defeat before we have the opportunity to put on the rest of the armor. We must live for and by the truth. It is absolutely essential for us to be honest, especially with God. We may be able to lie and deceive each other, but like Adam, we cannot hide from God behind excuses. Never forget that Jesus harshest words were used on religious hypocrites, the Pharisees. We are called to put on the belt of truth and be prepared at all times. Unlike the world, we must not put it aside when it is convenient for us to lie or misrepresent the truth. If we believe that God is Truth, then we are to cling to Him, to seek Him, to do all we can to become more like Him and closer to Him. The only way to approach God is truthfully, be honest with Him.

May the Truth of God's Word be wrapped around your life,
Dr. Larry
Visit us at: The Rickity Rack Shack

Wednesday, March 05, 2003
 
Some Miscellaneous Thoughts

I went up to the mountains around Prescott, AZ this past weekend to attend our church's Men's Retreat. While there, we were treated to some wonderful winter weather - they called it "snow" - that is very rare down here in Phoenix. Fun to see grown men having snowball fights! Anyway, I had a great time and some good rest and closer talks with the Lord. Some items that I came away thinking about after the weekend was over:

Time Alone With God
I read a great book "How To Develop A Powerful Prayer Life" by Dr. Gregory Frizzell while on the retreat. It caused me to reevaluate my prayer life both in terms of time and essence. I wonder how many of our prayers are unfulfilled due to our own unspecific prayers to God or due to unconfessed sin in our lives? Do we just throw up the typical, "Lord forgive me of anything that I may have done that is a sin." Or do we carefully examine ourselves thoroughly while asking God to direct our thoughts toward our sinful attitudes, actions or thoughts? I do know that when I gave ample time for this introspective search, God was loving and pointed out a number of items that I may have glossed over in the past. I pray that You would create in me a clean heart God and place the hunger to know You more intimately and earnestly follow Your Way.

War, (huuah) What Is It Good For? Absolutely Nothing, Say It Again
I also spent some time reading through some Old Testament accounts of wars, battles, etc. and meditating upon the impending (?) war - at least the current "conflict" - between the U.S. and Iraq - with our without the UK, Aussies, Canada, et. al. or UN approval. Maybe I'm just getting older, but I think that my attitude regarding the potential war may have shifted over the weekend. I am by no means what one would consider a pacifist. Actually, I attended the U.S. Naval Academy in 1985. But it appears to me to be a conflict that will never cease! It's older than Cain and Abel, more like God and Lucifer. And I don't see any "winner" coming out of this war...while I do see potential losers if long-range weapons of mass destruction are being stockpiled by Iraq. Anyway, this wasn't in any way meant to "convert" anyone because I myself am more confused than converted! :-) The US is not a theocracy like Israel was with God being the head...well, in the famous words of Ben Stein in Ferris Beuller's Day Off, "Anyone, anyone?"

Our God Is Unmeasurable
We had some awesome times of worship at the retreat and one particular song really resonated within me. The lyrics reminded us that God's,
"Your love is deep.
Your love is high.
Your love is long.
Your love is wide.
Deeper than my view of grace,
higher than this worldy place.
Longer than the road I travel. Wider than the gap He filled."


This caused to, once again, ponder the incredible vastness of God on the one hand coupled with His incredible love for me as an individual on the other hand. An intimate, personal love. And again I was reminded that,

Psalm 139
O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up;You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue,Behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;It is too high, I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night," Even the darkness is not dark to You,And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret,And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You. O that You would slay the wicked, O God;Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. For they speak against You wickedly, And Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with the utmost hatred;They have become my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.

Jer 23:23-24
"Am I a God who is near," declares the LORD, And not a God far off?
Can a man hide himself in hiding places So I do not see him?" declares the LORD.
Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?" declares the LORD.


Jer 29:13-14
"You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
I will be found by you,' declares the LORD, "and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,' declares the LORD, "and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.'


God is near you now, may He be even in your heart.

Glowing in His grace,
Dr. Larry
The Rickity Rack Shack