Monday, September 7, 2015

The Division of Belief



“Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."”
Luke 12:51-53 NASB

Jesus followed His words about His upcoming death with another bombshell. If the disciples thought He would bring peace to the earth, they were wrong. He wasn't bringing unity, but division. He did not bring a comfortable, easy faith. He brought a dangerous, radical faith. 

The "Christianity" we practice in this country is not quite what Jesus had in mind. 

Jesus came to earth to bring us into a deep, intimate relationship with our Lord. It's a relationship marked by radical obedience that changes everything. When we are rich, we're really poor. When we're poor, we're really rich. We are to deny ourselves and follow Him wherever He leads, without a plan of our own making. The contrasts are stark and shocking. The following is radical and rare.

Faith in Jesus doesn't make sense to our entitled, affluent, prosperity-driven society, but it makes sense to Him. 

We abandon our "rights" to follow the One who created us because He loves us and has our best interests at heart.

Radical obedience to Jesus should transform us into people filled with the fruits of the Spirit. If we allow His Spirit to work in us, we will become among the kindest, most generous people on earth, while at the same time speaking truth wherever God gives us opportunity. If you think people will embrace that change, you're wrong. Speaking the truth of Jesus is not popular. It never has been. 

First century onlookers thought the followers of Christ mad, and it's no better today. Following Jesus brings division between those who believe and those who do not. Jesus said that division would extend even to our families. Mothers and daughters, fathers and sons would be torn asunder because of their faith. 

To be sure we understand, Jesus was not talking about a simple disagreement. This is a cleaving that completely separates the parts. Following Jesus will break our hearts, because it will cost some of us our relationships with the very people we love the most. He knew this, and He warned us, but He expects us to follow anyway. 

There is a price to pay for how we respond to Jesus, either in this world or in the one to come. 

If we follow Him, we will be despised and rejected, perhaps even by our closest family members. It's a kind of informed consent. This is what you risk when you follow Me, Jesus was saying. Count the cost. 

His words are hard, and difficult to embrace. Can we do nothing? Are we to lose those we love and not look back? 

Every day, people around the world face losing their families when they convert to Christianity. This is a real issue for the body of Christ. I know people who have been rejected by their families because of their faith. What do they do? They follow Jesus, pray, and press on.

We, too, may soon find there is a price to pay for following Christ. 

What can we do? Pray as if your life and the lives of your loved ones depends upon it, for only God can help us in these difficult times.
~~~~~~~
Our Father, forgive us our frail, ineffective witness for Christ. Help us to live in such a way that others can see Jesus in us, no matter the cost. In Jesus' name, Amen.
~~~~~~~

We started this series with a lesson about the fire of persecution. Others include lessons from the life of TyndaleChrist's baptism of suffering, and yesterday's squeeze chute of distress


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#disciple #radicalobedience #countthecost #JesusChrist

Sunday, September 6, 2015

The Squeeze Chute of Distress


photo courtesy of freeimages.com

"I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!”
Luke 12:49-50 NASB

We have started a new series based on the last few verses in Luke 12. Jesus was speaking prophetically of things that were to come, not all in the distant future.

We started this series with a lesson about the fire of persecution. Previously, we've studied lessons from the life of Tyndale. Yesterday, we studied Christ's baptism of suffering.

Today we turn to the emotional impact of the coming baptism of suffering. The word translated as "distressed" is synechō and indicates the anguish of being "pressed in". The idea is that of a cow being pressed in by a cattle squeeze chute. The cow is led in and the sides of the chute are tightened against the cow's sides so that the cow cannot move. It is completely hemmed in. This allows care to be done safely, so that neither the animal nor the humans working with the animal are harmed. 



The interesting thing about the squeeze chute is that, for cows at least, the chute calms them. When it squeezes against the cow, all resistance fades. The cow settles and stands still. 

The prospect of His death loomed like a cattle squeeze chute for Jesus. It squeezed tighter and tighter against Him until the Cross was all He could see. He dreaded it. He hated it. He agonized about it. 

Despite the agony already building inside Him, Jesus poured love into His disciples, into the crowd following Him, and into all those who were desperate for His care. 

Jesus preached peace and forgiveness even as the squeeze chute of death tightened against Him.

The prospect of a frightening, painful future did not stop Jesus. He clearly didn't relish the job God had given Him to do, but He pressed on. He did what needed to be done and He did it with joy.

I could learn from His example, if I would. We all could.

With the worst possible situation looming before Him, Jesus still loved. Still served. Still reached out to those less fortunate. Still drew sinners to Himself.

What if we acted like Jesus, no matter the circumstances of our lives? What if we took the hard times in our lives and presented them as an offering to God? 

I'll tell you what would happen... If we would let go of our anger, our bitterness, our hate of the circumstances in our lives and the people we think are responsible, AND embraced the place God has allowed us to occupy on this earth, it would rock our world. We would soon be filled with the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. People would see the work of God in our lives. It would draw them to Christ. 

Why don't we?

We want our anger, our bitterness, our hate. We want it because we believe we deserve it.

What we don't seem to realize in the midst of the crisis of squeezing is the price we will pay for anger, bitterness, hate. Justified, or not, they steal our peace, steal our joy, steal our witness, and affect our health. Why would we want to lose peace, joy, and an effective witness when we are being squeezed by crisis? Why would we want our negative emotions to rob us of our health?

I've seen this crazy choosing many times, and I always ask WHY? I don't have a good answer, but I wonder if we choose anger, bitterness, hate because we don't believe God is powerful enough to give us something different. We don't believe God will give us peace in the midst of turmoil. We don't believe God can give us joy in the midst of sorrow.

I have great news. God can do it. He's up to the challenge and He gives more joy, more peace, more hope in worse circumstances than our own. He is able. 

We can see the power of God in overcoming the sheer terror of looming agony in the life of Christ. He demonstrated the transforming power of God during His entire ministry. The Cross loomed throughout His three years, yet He was a friend to sinners. Filled with joy. A paragon of peace. Despite the distress.

Something amazing happened to Jesus when the squeezing of his distress became most acute. He chose not to embrace His fear. He chose not to embrace anger, bitterness, or hate. He chose, instead, to relinquish His will to His Father's. 

When Jesus embraced "not My will but Thine be done," it was a great relief, as if the cattle squeeze chute of His distress had done its work. It brought calm and peace.

Not my will, but Thine be done will bring calm and peace to us all if we will embrace it like a life raft, cling to the hope of God, and abandon our so-called "rights" for the undeserved gifts of God.


He is able. He is enough. 

So let us cling to Him instead of to our emotional reaction toward the situation at hand. When we do, we will see the mighty deliverance of our God who loves us.


~~~~~~~
Our Father, forgive us our sins, which are many, and help us to cling to You, trust You, abandon our roller-coaster emotions and trust You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

#peace #disciple #notmywillbutthinebedone

Saturday, September 5, 2015

The Baptism of Suffering

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"I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!”
Luke 12:49-50 NASB

We have started a new series based on the last few verses in Luke 12. Jesus is speaking prophetically of things that were to come, not all in the distant future.

Yesterday, we learned about the fire of persecution. Previously, we've studied lessons from the life of Tyndale.

Today, we look at the coming baptism of Jesus. The word translated as "baptism" is baptista and literally means "immersion, submersion". It has come to indicate the Christian baptism by water but it also means an immersion in calamities and trials to which one is adverse. 


When Jesus spoke these words, He had already been baptized by John. He was not speaking of a water baptism. Instead, He was speaking of His coming crucifixion and death. Jesus knew what was coming, and He was distressed as He waited for it.

Jesus knew He would be betrayed, denied, arrested, beaten, have nails hammered into His hands and feet to secure Him to a wooden cross, left to die, be confined to a tomb for three days while He conquered death and sin, and rise again. Other than the rising again, there was nothing but horrible suffering in what was to come. 

I celebrate the cross but, I have to admit, I sometimes treat it as if it was just a "one stop along the way, no big deal, quick pain and it's over" event. 

It's clear from this verse that Jesus saw it quite differently. The death of Jesus and the events that preceded it were a long ordeal of agonizing torture. He knew what was to come, and He dreaded it. 

Taking on the sins of the world is not to be taken lightly. No mortal man could do it. Only Jesus, and He hated having it to do.

It was a baptism of suffering and He did it because it had to be done. Jesus embraced the suffering, the shame, the pain and did it with love and grace. He preached the importance of loving our enemies and He demonstrated that truth with His death. 

He loved us, despite what lay ahead.

This sacrifice of Jesus should change us. It should make us shout with joy and run into the streets shouting, "He did it! He did it for me!" 

It wasn't a casual sacrifice, like throwing a quarter into a beggar's cup. It was everything

Jesus gave all He had, and He did it for us all.

There are times when we, too, endure a kind of baptism of suffering. It can't compare with that of Jesus, but we can respond to our suffering with the grace of Jesus, and we should. We must. It is not my intention to trivialize our suffering. I've had some suffering of my own, and it was horrible and painful and I thought it would never end. But it did end, and it left me changed. I think it left me more like Christ than I was before. 

Suffering is very real, but we must allow God to take that suffering and use it to change us, make us more like Christ. As we face the suffering and pain of our lives again today, let us do it as Jesus did. He looked toward the joy on the other side of the suffering, kept His face turned toward heaven, and pressed on. So should we.

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:1-2 NASB

~~~~~~~
Our Father, forgive my whining and self-pity. Help me to embrace the circumstances You have allowed into my life and use them to glorify You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

#suffering #perseverance #Ipresson #JesusChrist #disciple #myeyesareonthejoy

Friday, September 4, 2015

The Refining Fire of Persecution

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"I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!”
Luke 12:49-50 NASB

These verses are a prophetic word from Jesus to His disciples. This section began with the question from Peter. "Lord, are you addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?" (Lk 12:41) His question was immediately preceded by Jesus' discussion of staying on the alert for the second coming of the Son of Man. 

"I have come to cast fire upon the earth." Some commentators believe that this casting of fire relates to the fire of the Holy Spirit, sent at Pentecost, and that may very well be correct. Because this is sandwiched between the verses referencing the coming of the Son of Man and those that follow, speaking of persecution and divisions, I interpret these two verses differently, and concur with Matthew Henry on this. I believe these two verses speak of persecution as well.

What Jesus did, in coming to earth, was to start a process that began with His arrival, proceeded through His death, burial, and resurrection, and continues until His triumphant return. Metaphorically, He "cast fire" upon the earth, for His teachings threatened the religious establishment and brought wrath upon His followers. A consuming fire of persecution followed.

Jesus had tough times ahead and, like most of us, He dreaded them. "How distressed I am until it is accomplished." Despite knowing he would be brutally executed, He taught a lifestyle of love, including love for our enemies. We, too, need to remember His teachings regarding praying for our enemies.

Persecution was coming, he warned, and it would be a fire that blazed and consumed. Jesus was right. Christians would be eaten by lions, sawn in two, stoned, imprisoned, scourged, made destitute, afflicted, ill-treated, and more. (Hebrews 11:36-38)  Jesus knew these things were coming, yet He saw them as temporary, just as the agony of crucifixion was temporary. 

These tortures would not be just a temporary suffering. They would serve as a refining fire. When believers stood in the midst of the coliseum, chained, as a lion roared toward them and opened its mouth wide, white teeth glistening, moving in for the kill, he (or she) would know the truth of their faith. No one would be eaten alive for a convenient faith. It was only for a real, vibrant, living faith that one might die.

Persecution separated the wheat from the chaff, the believers from the crowd. 

Following Jesus was no longer a trendy fad. It was truth worth dying for, and thousands of believers gave their lives for that truth. Instead of burning out the disciples of Christ, it caused them to flee ahead of the fire, and literally took the gospel around the world. 

We have begun to see the same refining fire of persecution blazing throughout the earth once again. The beheadings of believers in the Middle East are only the beginning. Persecution has, in some ways, begun in this country, as well. We can expect the fire to burn hotter, to blaze brighter. 

We will not all escape the flames, but the cause of Christ will not be burned out. 

The accelerating persecution will have an important effect on the church. Those who are "country club Christians" will fall away. If our involvement in church activities is merely a social event, we will not stand in the face of trial. That trial, however, will clarify (for us and for the world) the truth of our relationship to Christ.

Am I a committed follower or a convenience follower?

This is a question we may soon have the opportunity to answer, but, if we hope to stand in the midst of trial, we must make our decision now. 

Will we follow Him regardless of the cost or not?

There is nothing sweeter than the joy of serving a living Lord who comes to us in our trials and comforts us in our suffering, even when that trial is a trial by fire, to the death.

Jesus will return, but many hard and terrifying things will happen before that glorious day. They are part of the process and will serve as a refining fire. We will not all suffer great affliction, but many of us will. 

Not one moment of suffering will be overlooked by our Lord. Not one drop of blood will be wasted.

"And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained... and there was given to each of them a white robe... (Rev. 6: 9-11 NASB)


~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~
Our Father, forgive our wavering faith and make us strong, sure, ready to stand, no matter the cost. We pray for our enemies and those who would harm us for our faith. May our sacrifice draw them to You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

#persecution #readytodie #martyr #JesusChrist #disciple



Thursday, September 3, 2015

Much Given, Much Required

"...From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more." Luke 12:48 NASB

This is the last half of the verse about the servant who did not know the Master's will and did not do it. At first glance, the words didn't seem to flow quite as well as I usually expect, mainly because I assumed these words referred to material things. The principle holds true for material things, but, in this instance, Jesus was speaking of knowing God's will. When I turned to the original language, it was eye-opening.

The word translated as "entrusted" is paratithēmi and conveys the idea of "to set before". When God provides teaching concerning His will, when He "sets it before me", He is entrusting it to me and I am accountable to Him for how I use that knowledge. Whether I choose to ignore it or incorporate truth into my life, I am accountable for that decision. 

You, like me, have probably heard one of those sermons that lacks "zip", that's dry and difficult to ingest. Does it "set God's word before me"? If so, I'm accountable for the teaching, whether I choose to listen or not. 

A while back, I was having a terrible time listening to the preacher. I understand why preachers begin with jokes, but I've never liked jokes in a sermon. I had developed a tendency to let my mind wander until the minister "got through wasting time" and got down to business. The problem was that my wandering mind wandered so much that I didn't always realize when the actual sermon had begun. When I tuned back in, it was obvious I had missed important points. My solution was to carry a small spiral-bound notebook to church and take notes during the sermon, regardless of what was being said, to prevent "missing something good."

I flipped through one of those notebooks last night and found something very interesting. On a page where I'd doodled during the jokes, I had written these words:


"When my greatest joy is in knowing God, 
my wants will take second place to what God wants in me."

Those words were a portion of the harvest from that sermon (the one with all the jokes at the beginning). Had I tuned out because of the jokes, I'd have missed important truth for which I was responsible to receive. 

We have tremendous religious freedom in this country in comparison to most of the world, and, because of it, a feast of preaching and teaching is set before us on a regular basis. 

I can know God's will, if I want to know God's will.

Our focus verse points out a very important truth. My desire for God's will is not the deciding factor in accountability. If teaching of truth is available to me, I'm accountable for how I use it, whether I "want" it or not, whether I choose to receive it or not. 

There's a simple solution to this problem of being accountable for God's will. Pursue His will with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.

When we do, we can expect to hear those six beautiful words as we step into eternity. "Well done, good and faithful servant."
~~~~~~~
Our Father, forgive us for our laxity in pursuing Your ways. Create in us a desire for truth and a willingness to obey. In Jesus' name, Amen.

~~~~~~~
If you want to read more, about this topic, check out the previous posts in this series. We began our study of this portion of Scripture with the unfaithful servant , then being salt and lightChrist and the Constitution, and the importance of praying for our leaders, and yesterday, the importance of knowledge.  If you missed one of them, I hope you'll follow the link (it opens in a new tab) and get caught up.

#disciple #obedience # obediencematters #JesusChrist #faithful servant












Wednesday, September 2, 2015

The Importance of Knowledge

But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few." Luke 12: 45-48 NASB

We began our study of this portion of Scripture with the unfaithful servant , then being salt and light, and Christ and the Constitution. Yesterday, we looked at the importance of praying for our leaders. If you missed one of them, I hope you'll follow the link (it opens in a new tab) and get caught up.

At last, we are coming to the end of this passage. 

The topic today is the disobedient servant, the one who did not do the Master's will. Jesus made a distinction between the servant who knew his Master's will and the one who did not know His Master's will. The one who knew the Master's will yet still refused to obey will receive a greater punishment, in accordance to the degree of his sin. Knowing God's will, yet refusing to do it, indicates a greater degree of willfulness, a greater degree of rebellion against God, and deserves a greater consequence.

The one who does not know the Master's will and, therefore, fails to obey what he does not know, will receive a lesser punishment.

The word translated as "know" is ginōskō and indicates knowledge with understanding. This is knowledge that makes a difference in us, changes us because of our understanding. 

If I effectively study the Word of God, I will be changed (unless I make a conscious decision not to be changed) by His truth.

Lest we be tempted to decide we are better off without knowledge, think again. 

Our options are not limited to more punishment or less. Our options are obedience with reward or disobedience with consequences and no reward.

If  I want rewards from God, I must obey Him.

Jesus has a remarkable way of simplifying the life of a disciple. Obey or don't. Reward or consequence. We decide.

How easy is that?

The difficulty comes in seeking knowledge. Knowing God's will comes by knowing His Word. Knowing His Word comes by study. There are a plethora of study tools available today, some better than others. In parts of the world today, studying God's Word is a dangerous undertaking because of persecution of believers. In this country, it is not. 

What, then, is my excuse for failing to study God's Word?

There is no worthy excuse. From the beginning, God gave us the gift of choice. We can choose obedience or disobedience. From the first day in the Garden, He made it clear. Obedience is a choice for life. Disobedience is a choice for death. 

The choice is mine. The choice is yours.

Choose wisely. Choose life.

"See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it.”
Deuteronomy 30:15-16 NASB
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Our Father, forgive us our lack of study, our lack of knowledge. Give us such a hunger for Your Word that we will study and learn and know how to please and obey You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Praying for our leaders: Pray for God's chosen leaders will emerge in the coming weeks of campaigning so that we might have the leaders He desires, not the ones we deserve.

#knowledge #Biblestudy #Godsword #disciple







Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Christ and the Constitution, part 2: Praying for elected officials

But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few." Luke 12: 45-48 NASB

We began our study of this portion of Scripture with the unfaithful servant , then being salt and light. Yesterday, we considered Christ and the Constitution. If you missed one of them, I hope you'll follow the link (it opens in a new tab) and get caught up.

If  I am to do my Master's will, then I must know my Master's will. 

Am I doing His will if I obey in the areas I choose, but fail to do His will in areas of civic responsibility? I think not.

I understand how easy it is to be led astray in this area. There was a time when I prayed for our nation with such fervor that I spent hours face down on the floor in prayer, begging for God's mercy and leading. At some point, I gradually spent less time praying for our country. Eventually, those prayers became nothing more than a passing reference. My failure to be on guard in prayer for our nation and our leaders was sin, and I have repented. I'm praying again.

I do not have a right to complain about my leaders. 

Yes, the First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees my freedom of speech, but if I have not first spent serious time in intercession for my leaders, I should not dare to complain.  

I will answer to God for those words if I do.

Rather than hammer this point with my own words, I've gathered Scripture together.

Psalm 22:28 - For the kingdom is the Lord's and He rules over the nations.

Proverbs 21:1 - The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.

Jeremiah 29:7 - Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.

Daniel 2:20-23 - He (God) removes kings and establishes kings...

Matthew 22:20-21 - ... Then He said to them, 'Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's."

Romans 13:1-7 - Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those who exist are established by God... for rulers are servants of God...

1 Timothy 2:1-4 - First of all, then I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity...

Titus 3:1,2 - Remind them to be subject to rules, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.

1 Peter 2:13, 17 - Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him....Honor all people... honor the king.

Matthew 12:36 - "But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment."

Most of the verses above were given by God in a time of turmoil and persecution. "Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile" was written to people who had been kidnapped by an opposing army and carried away from their homes into captivity. Paul wrote that we are to pray for those in authority despite the years he spent in chains.

Praying for those in authority is not optional

It's trendy for Christians to grumble about our government, our President, and our elected officials. This should not be. We of all people should be on our knees, begging God to direct the hearts of our elected officials, including our President. 

If we spent as much time praying for our president and elected officials as we do complaining about them, we would have a far different country.

Either we believe that God can both remove and establish leaders or we don't. Either we believe He can direct their hearts and decisions or we don't. Which is it? 

I am not saying that there is no room for disagreement or for protest, but mindless complaining about officials helps no one and it dishonors God.

Pray. For the sake of our nation, we must stop wasting time complaining and begin to pray like we mean it. 

Pray like God can do something about the direction of our nation. Either we believe He can, or we don't. 

I'm writing to myself as much as to anyone today. I have failed to pray as I ought. Perhaps we all have, but we must not continue to fail. Let us choose now to include our President and our elected officials in our prayers. 

Pray boldly with expectation that God will move, because He will.
~~~~~~~
Our Father, thank You for Your wisdom in choosing the leaders we need to drive us back to You. Give our leaders wisdom and direct their hearts like channels of water. Help President Obama and our Congressional officials choose Your paths, even when it's not what they would personally want. Change our hearts and theirs. In Jesus' name, Amen.

#disciple #prayforpresidentobama #prayforamerica #intercede #JesusChrist