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Psalm 31:7-8

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 17, 2021
 
Psalm 31:7 “I will be glad and rejoice in your love,”
[Your love alone is enough for joy, O God. You, heavenly Father, showed your love in sending the Savior into this violent, deadly world; you, Lord Jesus, showed your love in suffering immeasurably to save your enemies; you, Holy Spirit, show your love in working here in this fallen, twisted world to bring light to all, the elect to faith and the believers to maturity.
You all three show your love in patiently allowing us to grieve you daily as we zigzag through life, bouncing from belief to selfishness, from obedience to rebellion and back. Truly your love is great, powerful, wise, endless, enduring and wonderful. To know you is enough for joy, to be your child is more than enough reason to praise, for you are love itself.
“for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.”
[You, Lord God, are omnipresent and omniscient. You see and know the difficulties of my life, my disturbed soul, my anguished heart. And you are consistently at work bringing the healing fruit of peace and righteousness as you help me respond to your gifts of guidance and grace. May I consistently cooperate with you in belief and surrender.
Psalm 31:8 “You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.”
[Praise you, Lord Jesus, my Savior, my Redeemer, my Protector and Guide, for you brought me out of the prison of sin and self into a spacious place of love, joy and peace. And you did this because you delighted in me—against all reason, all odds, all facts–you delight in me, your former enemy, your rebellious son, your uncooperative child.
I praise you that your love is not dependent on my performance, but upon your unchanging, rock solid Character of holiness, purity, love, wisdom and mercy that triumphs over justice.
To you be endless glory and honor, Lord Jesus, for your great work of salvation, your continued work of sanctification and your future work of re-creation. May you be honored in all my responses to the little things of today as I actively trust you.
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(Untitled)

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 16, 2021
More from the Ad-on Eskimo
 
As the dancing ended, the Shaman stepped into the center and began to beat his drum in a different way. Ayit knew this was to call the spirits, and this knowledge made him afraid and unhappy for he knew that these spirts were both powerful and evil.
 
He backed away from the circle and as he turned to walk away, he noticed another man leaving the ceremony. As they walked away into the village, the man came to Ayit and introduced himself.
 
“I am Kalowi. I see you left the circle while the shaman was calling his spirits. Why did you do that?” Ayit felt the good heart of this man as he looked at his kind face. He was different from most of the other Eskimo men whose faces were hard.
 
“I do not like what the spirits do, forcing people to worship them, then punishing them, demanding sacrifices and bringing sickness and calamity.”
 
“My friend,” said Kalowi, “I have good news for you. Let me tell you about a different spirit, it is the good Spirit of the living God. We have called him Apa, but we have never known him. So He came to earth and lived here as a man so He could save us from these evil spirits.”
 
Ayit was now fully alert and said, “The shamans tell us the spirits created the world, but I don’t believe it—the world is too beautiful to be created by evil spirits.” He was silent for a minute before saying, “I’ve been seeking the good creator God. Maybe this is him!”
 
“You are right,” Kalowi said emphatically. “Apa, his son, Jesus, and his Spirit created all, including the land and sea, animals and people. But all of us people have chosen to disobey Apa, so he had to separate himself from us. Then Apa sent his son into the world as a man, and he took the punishment we deserve for our bad actions. He came to set us free from the spirits here who torment us.
 
“Now Apa wants a personal relationship with each of us. The teachers here have a book they say God sent to them. They call it The Bible. I cannot read their language, but they tell me some things from the book; and I like it.”
 
“What is a book?” asked Ayit.
 
“It is like many pieces of seal skin sewed together with little pictures drawn on it; these tell stories.”
 
“What do the pictures tell us? What does this book say?” Ayit asked eagerly, his eyes alight with curiosity.
 
“That this God is the good One who rules the world. One of his names is Jesus.”
 
“Aha,” Ayit broke in. “So, just as I thought, there is a good Creator God, and Jesus is his name. This God I have been seeking!”
 
“Yes, He is,” Kalowi assured him. “As I said, Jesus came to the earth to save us. He had to die to take the punishment we deserve. He died but then he rose from the dead.”
 
“How is that possible?” asked Ayit in a shocked voice. “No one can die and then come back.”
 
“Because He is the Creator God, He has the power to rise from the dead. And when He did, He secured for us eternal life.
“However, we must each accept His forgiveness of our wrongs, along with repenting of our sins, and ask Him to come into our lives as our Boat Captain and Savior.”
 
Ayit looked thoughtful. “If He created all this beautiful world, with the trees and mountains, the sun and moon, all the creatures of the sea and land—then I will trust Jesus,” he said and with that he bowed his head and prayed to this good Creator God, Jesus, asking for forgiveness and surrendering to His leadership. He raised his hands to the heavens where the Good creator God lives and gave thanks.
 
“I feel free!” said Ayit as he lowered his hands, “like a burden has lifted from my shoulders.”
 
“That’s exactly what happened,” Kalowi said. “The burden of sin, of condemnation, and of control by the spirits has been removed. Now you can live in the freedom Jesus offers you!”
 
Together they walked to the teacher’s house where Kalowi told the teacher what had happened. The teacher, of course, was ecstatic. Having lived in the village for seven years, Mr. Campbell was able to speak some of the Eskimo language and was able to pray in Yupik Eskimo for Aiyt and his new life.
picture: Eskimos drumming and dancing
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Psalm 31:5-6

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 15, 2021
 
Psalm 31:5 “Into your hands I commit my spirit;”
[These were the words of David in difficulty, and the words of Christ on the cross; they should also be the daily words of every believer. As we commit our spirit to you, Lord Jesus, we are surrendering our life, our future to you, giving you permission to lead our us through whatever you deem best and at the right time to take us out of this world. We can trust you and thank you now for what you will do.]
“redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.”
[A great admission of our need to be purchased back out of the kingdom of darkness.
Because, Lord Jesus, you are the God of truth, we can wholeheartedly run to you, the High and Holy One, the Mighty One who knows and sees all, for you are pure and merciful, righteous and forgiving, just and redeeming. We can trust you, for if you, the Most High, the Final Authority, the Great Judge have declared that all in Christ are forgiven, cleansed, holy and dearly loved, then we are redeemed indeed!]
Psalm 31:6 “I hate those who cling to worthless idols;”
[How about us? how often do I cling to some worthless idol—which is anything I demand to be happy, anything I put ahead of seeking your will and submitting to it. It can be something as simple as wanting a bowl of popcorn so much that I will shut off myself from you in order to have it. And there are many other such idols in my life–whatever I think I need to be happy.
Clinging to idols is looking back into the darkness from whence we were redeemed instead of facing the light of wisdom and goodness and grace that comes from you. Praise you, Lord God, that you expose these idols to us one at a time and help us to let go of and repudiate them so we can live in the light of your truth, declaring with David,
“I trust in the LORD.”
[This is a choice, a willful rejection of all else, including worry, fear, and negative thinking. It is a launching out over the abyss of the future, swinging out on the three-strand cable of Truth, Love and Grace, trusting you to do what is best.
Praise be to you, Lord God, for what you will do today, for how you will watch over us, protect us, equip us, train us, expose us to the battle, help us to stand and fight alongside you while you fight for us. To you belongs all honor, all credit, all glory, all praise. May my life bring you more of each of these today, O Great and Mighty One, my heavenly Father, my Lord Jesus, my Spirit of holiness. Amen.
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Psalm 31:2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 14, 2021
Psalm 31:2 “be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.”
[Praise you, O Lord God, that you are consistently with us: you have made yourself our Refuge by redeeming, adopting and embracing us. You have made yourself our Rock of stability in a world of uncertainty, the personal Refuge of every one of your children. And you are our strong Fortress that we can run into at any time to be protected in whatever way you deem best. We can trust you.]
Psalm 31:3 “Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.”
[Yes! Because you are my rock and fortress, I have hope! There is help! There is hindrance of my enemy and his plans! You will answer and act for the sake of your holy Name.
It is wonderful that we can appeal to you on this basis—for when you lead and guide us, our lives become for you a source of glory and honor, praise and acclaim. May we follow your guidance, ever thinking of giving you more honor; may we be trusting and obedient so that you may have more glory for your Name.]
Psalm 31:4 “Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge.”
[Based on what you have declared yourself to be, Lord God, we can appeal to you to take us out of the traps of the devil, of evil men and of our own old nature.
And so you have done in your mighty act of redemption, opening the door of our cell in the kingdom of darkness and calling us out into the Kingdom of Light. You, Lord Jesus, are greater and more powerful than any opposition, and you have, in joining us in our weakness, defeated every enemy in every way.
I exalt you, Lord Jesus, my Refuge; I exalt you, O Heavenly Father, my Rock; I exalt you, Holy Spirit, my Guide and Comforter. In you, the great and mighty triune God, I can trust: in you I am safe, in you I am secure.
To you be glory in my life today. May you be endlessly honored in my motives, thoughts, desires and words. Amen!
 
Picture from internet by kdsphotos
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More from L’Abri

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 13, 2021
One big question that I wanted answered while at L’Abri was this: How do science and the Bible fit together? The struggle between creation and evolution never seemed to arrive at a solution; it was either faith or science.
 
While at L’Abri, I read a book by Dr. A.E. Wilder-Smith, a Christian chemist. He was a brilliant man, holding three doctorates, and was a staunch defender of creation against the bastions of evolution. (see https://www.wildersmith.org/ for more info on this amazing man)
 
In his book Dr. Wilder-Smith quoted an evolutionist who said that in perfect conditions over a period of four billion years, the chance of one molecule of protein forming is ten to the minus 1380. That is, the chance is 1 in -10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000000,000,000,000,000.000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000!
 
That’s right, 1380 zeros on the minus side!
 
“But,” the evolutionist wrote, “we assume it happened anyway.”
Whoa! That turned on the lights! There was not only no evidence for pre-biological evolution, but the available evidence said it was impossible—absolutely, totally, completely impossible. And yet this scientist assumed it happened anyway?
I thought to myself, “Here’s a man who looked evidence in the face and chose not to believe it; he chose to reject the facts presented by his own research, and to believe the opposite. This was not science but blind faith!”
 
I realized from this that evolution might be a great sounding theory, but it had nothing to stand on. I thought of it being like an impressive skyscraper but it’s foundation was only a plastic yogurt cup at each corner! It could not stand up long under close, honest scrutiny.
 
Another thing that clicked for me in this search was the obvious but overlooked truth that evolution is a theory, not a proven fact. As I read more about it, it became clear that a number of the defenders and proponents of this theory wanted it to be true so there would be no God for them to confront. Some said this directly. (see https://creation.com /designed-by-aliens-crick-watson-atheism-panspermia).
 
I began to see clearly that the conflict was one-sided. For all its claims, without pre-biological evolution this theory didn’t have a leg to stand on. It was, in fact, not science at all, but only an unsupported idea that had become a religion to many.
 
The Bible, on the other hand, had huge amounts of evidence to support its claims. I laid out categories and began to collect evidence for each one: historical, archeological, prophetic, philosophical, scientific and experiential.
 
The amount of clear proof in each category was astounding. For me personally there was so much evidence in the area of the experiential. God had so obviously and intentionally reached down into my life to prepare me, to call me, to cleanse me and now to lead and protect me. There was no room to doubt His existence, His love and the veracity of His Word!
 
In the process of collecting evidence, God freed me from another set of imprisoning bars, those of doubt and uncertainty about how the Bible intersected with the world. The picture the Bible painted of people, events and truths was borne out completely in the six categories I explored.
 
A second important happening at L’Abri concerned my admin-istrator, the person who made sure that I listened to the assigned tapes. I had an immediate negative reaction to her, and was mystified by this emotion.
 
Then one day it struck me: she looked very much like my high school music teacher, the one who had called me “Stanley” for four years. In her mind I wasn’t worth the time it would have taken her to learn my name correctly.
 
This denigration of my significance had always bothered me, but I hadn’t been able to resolve it. I went to the counselor there at L’Abri and was helped to forgive and let go of this old hurt. Another step forward in freedom. The Lord was now ready to move me to the next level of growth.
 
 
Picture: A. E Wilder-Smith,brilliant scientist
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“…delight yourself also in the Lord….” Psalm 37:4

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 12, 2021
 
 
I want to delight in you, Lord Jesus–you who were on earth simultaneously both entirely God and entirely man—being both fully finite and fully infinite.
 
You were the star breather, and the table maker. You were the galaxy former and the sawdust sweeper. You were the history maker and the box builder. You were the one who set up kings and took down tools from your carpenter’s rack. You were the pivotal person in all history and you were the sharpener of chisels. You were the owner of all the universe and lived on the gifts of others.
 
You are unfathomably amazing, wonderfully awe inspiring, fully beyond comprehension. To delight in you is to approach the essence of life, the meaning of existence, the light of eternity.
 
You are sparkling in your purity, generous in your grace, marvelous in your majesty, great in your goodness, dazzling in your wisdom and overwhelming in your greatness.
 
To delight in you is to enter into a fuller reality, to let the shadows of our natural thoughts and values fade into the background, as the light of Truth and Love from your inner beauty shines into our hearts.
 
Such gazing on your beauty brings transformation and joy, a deeper grasp of your acceptance and forgiveness of us, and a solid sense of the security of being your child.
 
You are delightful, you are delectable, you are infinitely wonderful and as I bow before you, all else pales and falls away. Only your gracious, glorious and good presence remains. To know you is so inexpressibly sweet and so overwhelmingly powerful at the same time.
 
I choose to delight in you, Lord Jesus, rejecting the tinsel of this world, along with my pride and self-centered sinfulness. In you I am forgiven, in you I am cleansed, in you I am accepted, in you I am unconditionally and eternally loved. What more could I want?
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The God Who Hears

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 11, 2021
Praise you, Lord God, that I wake up each morning to your goodness. My experience last night of losing all my luggage, computer included, turned out to be a dream–but I didn’t know that while living it! And this gave me the chance in my dream to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and trust you in the midst of loss.
Praise you for all the times that you have protected the possessions you have given us, as well as allowing us at times to lose some. You, O Lord, are good and gracious and kind–even if I lose all and have only you, that will be far more than enough! “Whom have I in heaven but you, and earth has nothing I desire besides you!” Psalm 73:25
I thank you, Lord, for your care, your compassion, your constant presence. You are the One to be sought continually, to be thought about consistently, to be sought in prayer in every situation. “In the day of my trouble I call to you for you deliver me” (Ps. 86:7).
Psalm 31:2 “Turn your ear to me,”
[Thank you, Lord Jesus that you listen to us intently, that you have opened the way for us to cry to the Father and that our prayers are consistently heard. Praise you that you are the One who thought up prayer, who hears prayer and answers prayer.]
“come quickly to my rescue;”
[Praise be to you, Heavenly Father, that in answering prayer, you are never late, never miss the mark, never lose an opportunity. You know the best way to answer, which sometimes means leaving us in our desperation as long as it takes to produce the growth you know we need, the surrender that will open the way for deepening, and the maturing which will enable us to give you more glory.
Praise you that you answer out of your wisdom, your love, your grace and your goodness, rather than out of our impatience. Help us to rest in you rather than in getting our way.]
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More from the Add-on Eskimo

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 10, 2021
Two years later in the Spring, after the walrus and whale hunting, Okfagit announced to his family, “In three days we are going to hunt on the island Sivukuk. We will go for half a moon because there are lots of animals there. We will also visit the village of Sivukuk.”
 
Then turning to his son said, “And you, Ayit, will accompany us!” He smiled at his youngest son, now 18, who was obviously very excited about this trip, his first time to visit the island. It would be sixty miles by boat, and then paddling miles more down one side of the island, seeking game.
 
The next three days were spent in preparation, carefully checking the boat, putting in supplies and water stored in a seal skin poke (one could never be sure what might happen on the way—more than one boat crew got lost in fog and were glad they had drinking water with them). And making sure there were extra paddles, plenty of seal-skin rope and pieces of walrus skin that might be needed to patch the boat if it sprang a leak. Each man had his raincoat made from seal intestines, his rifle and plenty of ammunition which they had gotten from trading with a whaling ship.
As it was summer, they had no fear of being lost in the dark; the sun would always be there to guide them. Okfagit, his four sons and a relative left early in the morning, and raising their sail, headed directly East. Within two hours their land, had become just a thin line on the Western horizon while a thin line now appeared in the East.
 
In the meantime, it was just the sea with wave after wave as Okfagit sat in his customary place at the tiller. He had made this trip a dozen times or more, so knew how to get to the Island following the sun, as he explained to Ayit.
 
The thin line on the horizon grew rapidly as they sailed on. They arrived on the Northern tip of the Island in the late evening, where they made camp and rested, wanting to be ready for the next days’ hunting, which would be strenuous.
 
Up early, they paddled along the shore, watching for seals. When one surfaced, they stopped and drifted towards the spot, knowing that others, too, would probably come up in the same area. Soon several others surfaced, and the Eskimos were ready, shooting three.
 
Out came the spiked wooden floats which were thrown beyond the seals, then drawn to them to pull them to the boat. They had to be careful not to capsize the boat while pulling in the 150-pound animals. Each seal was offered fresh water to keep the spirits from anger against the hunters.
 
As they continued on, Ayit watched the shore of the island go by, treeless and flat along the coast, with the land going gradually up to small, ancient volcanoes which made the backbone of the island.
 
They saw no more seals, so began fishing and caught a number of large fish. Then they pulled into a beach where they set up another camp. Ayit and his brother searched the shore for driftwood. Some they would use for a fire, the rest for building a fish drying rack and another for drying the seal meat.
 
They spent several more days in the area and had a good collection of meat. When it was all hung to dry, they left one man to watch it and set out for the village of Sivukuk.
This village, built on a spit of gravel at the foot of a mountain, had been occupied for at least a thousand years, for it was a good place to live. There was lots of game and in the winter the winds blew the heavy snows off the spit making it easier to get around.
 
They pulled their boat up on the shore and soon were surrounded by the villagers, who, like them, were all Siberian Yupik Eskimos.
The village elders organized a celebration for their visitors, cooking up walrus, seal and pacific Salmon. They sat on the ground to eat, and then got out their drums to dance. Each dance told a story, often of hunting and the animals they hunted, and each song taught a lesson.
 
Map showing Sivukuk, marker at the point of the Island showing Sivukuk. Siberia is to the left and Alaska to the right. The international date line passes by.
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Wow Worship

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 10, 2021
 
Praise you, Lord, for your undeserved goodness, poured on upon us daily, manifested in multiple ways, like giving us the gifts of sight, speech, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, things we take for granted, but miss much if we lose them.
Then there are the major, majestic, mighty ways you pour out your goodness on us: pardon from definitely deserved death, the gift of eternal life, the indwelling of the Spirit, the wonder of your Word, an intimate relationship with you, belonging in your family, guidance, meaning, purpose and protection in life. Plus, help in every circumstance, membership in the Church Universal, and abundant grace at all times. There is no end to the wonderful flow of your goodness, just as there is no end to learning about your marvelous and magnificent character.
You are the Three-in-One God: the Father who plans, the Son who brings it to pass, the Holy Spirit who finishes it up. You are the perfect Person, the perfect Personality, the perfect Planner, the perfect Partner who invites us into your work.
You are Marvelous in your personality, Majestic in your judgments, Mighty in your redemption and Magnificent in your mercy. To you belongs all affection, all loyalty, all commitment, all awe, all reverence, all obedience, all honor–for in you there is no flaw, no imperfection, no error, no sin, no evil, no lack, no wrong. You are worthy of eternal, complete, wholehearted and total love.
So, I bow before you this morning, Lord God: I praise you, Heavenly Father, I honor you, Lord Jesus, I surrender to you, Holy, Spirit. May there be in my life what you continually deserve: exaltation, magnification, worship, obedience and glory. Amen.
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Soul Lifting

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 8, 2021
 
An example of “lifting my soul to God,” written in my worship journal several years ago.
 
Lord, I praise you this morning for your gracious and good presence: while I slept, you watched over me; when I awoke, you were there. Praise you that we can trust you to carry us forward and upward in life, to lead us through and out the other side of every happening that will come to us with your permission and good intent.
 
It is wonderful that your faithfulness does not depend on mine; you are there no matter what I do, working on me with grace, patience and wisdom. Thank you, Lord, for exposing my sinful old nature last night when I got upset over my friend’s accusatory statements.
 
I was, as he pointed out, touchy. He is wrong in the way he makes blame-shifting statements, but that is no reason whatsoever for me to be touchy. That means I reacted in a “fear of man” mode, giving his statements more credence and importance than I should. This is looking to my friend for support and truth, when I should be looking to you for that, Lord.
 
Forgive me, Lord, transform me in this area, help me to respond in a godly, wise and gracious manner rather than in a selfish, whining, self-pitying way.
 
Lord, help me to embrace the humiliation of my failure and the fire of shame, allowing it to refine me, to move through it and on into humility, accepting the fact of my depravity on one side and affirming the holiness you have bequeathed me with on the other.
 
Thank you for this further step in my ongoing revival, the exposure of my depravity and the further revelation of your gracious and powerful sufficiency in love, forgiveness and cleansing. Praise you for the warnings of your Word and the perspective your Spirit gives us; we need them so much to keep us balanced and effective for you.
 
May this revival continue. May you be glorified in the process. Guide me today in checking in with you often and following the direction of your Spirit, that I may honor you in all.
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