An Eternal View
Notes
Transcript
Examining our lives in the view of Eternity (James 4:13-17)
Examining our lives in the view of Eternity (James 4:13-17)
Good morning. Today we will be finishing the 4th chapter of the letter of James. If you would like to turn to our text we will be reading James 4:13-17 as our text today and the main point or title of todays message is “An Eternal View”
James has been writing of how we walk through trials and temptations, and how to lives as followers of Christ. Here in chapter 4 he begins this section talking about war with God. Talking about how we, through our love of the world, make ourselves enemies of God, but He ends the section talking about the will of God.
A question, as believers, we should find ourselves asking often, yet many times, without even realizing it, we fail to ask is; “what God’s will is in matters that pertain to our lives”.
The themes of war against God and the will of God are related, though they may not appear to be at first. We must understand that when we are operating outside the will of God, when we are not doing what God has told us to do, then we bring trouble into our lives, and the lives of those around us.
A way we often realize that we may be out of the will of God, and seeking after our own will, is when we realize we are falling in love with the world and the things of this world. When we realize we are seeking after our own desires, and because of a lack of knowledge of what God’s will is for us, we find ourselves causing war and contention rather than being the peacemakers that Christ has called us to be.
It is through being a peacemaker that we are promised that we will be called the sons of God in Matthew;
Matthew 5:9 “9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
God has a plan and a purpose for the life of each person who follows Him, and as believers, just as we trust in God’s goodness when we are tempted and go through temptations, we trust fully in the goodness of a faithful and loving Father in every aspect of our lives.
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Ten: Plan Ahead (James 4:13–17)
Too many Christians look on the will of God as bitter medicine they must take, instead of seeing it as the gracious evidence of the love of God
I want to share the story of some missionaries who may be well known to you before we get into the text today.
January 2, 1956, was the day that 29-year-old Jim Elliot had waited for most of his life. Almost three years of jungle ministry and many hours of planning and praying had led Jim to this day. Within hours, he and four other missionaries would be setting up camp in the territory of a dangerous and uncivilized Indian tribe known then as the Aucas (Ow-cuz), known now as the Waodani (Wah-o-dah-nee). The Aucas had killed all outsiders ever caught in their area. Even though it was dangerous, Jim Elliot had no doubt God wanted him to tell the Aucas about Jesus.
On February 2, 1952, Jim Elliot waved goodbye to his parents and boarded a ship for the 18-day trip from San Pedro, California to Quito (Kee-toe), Ecuador, South America.
He and his missionary partner, Pete Fleming, first spent a year in Quito learning to speak Spanish. Then they moved to Shandia (Shan-dee-ah), a small Quichua (Kee-chew-wah) Indian village to take the place of the retiring missionary. Jim and Pete studied hard to learn the language and fit in. Their hard work paid off; in six months, both were speaking Spanish well enough to move to Shandia. When they arrived in Shandia, they also had to learn the speech of the Quichuas.
Three years later many Quichuas had become faithful Christians. Jim now began to feel it was time to tell the Aucas about Jesus.
The Aucas had killed many Quichuas. They had also killed several workers at an oil company-drilling site near their territory. The oil company closed the site because everyone was afraid to work there. Jim knew the only way to stop the Aucas from killing was to tell them about Jesus. Jim and the four other Ecuador missionaries began to plan a way to show the Aucas they were friendly.
Nate Saint, a missionary supply pilot, came up with a way to lower a bucket filled with supplies to people on the ground while flying above them. He thought this would be a perfect way to win the trust of the Aucas without putting anyone in danger. They began dropping gifts to the Aucas. They also used an amplifier to speak out friendly Auca phrases. After many months, the Aucas even sent a gift back up in the bucket to the plane. Jim and the other missionaries felt the time had come to meet the Aucas face-to-face.
One day while flying over Auca territory, Nate Saint spotted a beach that looked long enough to land the plane on. He planned to land there and the men would build a tree house to stay safe in until friendly contact could be made.
The missionaries were flown in one-by-one and dropped off on the Auca beach. Nate Saint then flew over the Auca village and called for the Aucas to come to the beach. After four days, an Auca man and two women appeared. It was not easy for them to understand each other since the missionaries only knew a few Auca phrases. They shared a meal with them, and Nate took the man up for a flight in the plane. The missionaries tried to show sincere friendship and asked them to bring others next time.
For the next two days, the missionaries waited for other Aucas to return. Finally, on day six, two Auca women walked out of the jungle. Jim and Pete excitedly jumped in the river and waded over to them. As they got closer, these women did not appear friendly. Jim and Pete almost immediately heard a terrifying cry behind them. As they turned they saw a group of Auca warriors with their spears raised, ready to throw. Jim Elliot reached for the gun in his pocket. He had to decide instantly if he should use it. But he knew he couldn't. Each of the missionaries had promised they would not kill an Auca who did not know Jesus to save himself from being killed. Within seconds, the Auca warriors threw their spears, killing all the missionaries: Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, Nate Saint, Pete Fleming and Jim Elliot.
Understanding that the will of God, comes from the heart of God, means that we don’t have to be afraid of what God has planned for us, even if it comes to death.
Understanding that the will of God, comes from the heart of God tells us that no matter the circumstance, no matter the pain, no matter the earthly sorrow, no matter the distress, there is no safer place to be than in the will of God.
There is no more dangerous place to be than blatantly living our lives for ourselves, our own goals and plans, and ignoring the will of God. It may seem easy but it is the path that leads to our destruction.
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
Today our text is James 4:13-17, and this is the Word of the Lord to His people,
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—
14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
This is the Word of the Lord, Amen.
There are three attitudes that we will look at today, in this passage, that people may have towards the will of God, but only one of these attitudes, that James speaks of here, is the one that every Christian should work to cultivate in their lives.
Ignoring God’s Will (James 4:13-14, 16)
Disobeying God’s Will (James 4:17)
Obeying God’s Will (James 4:15)
Ignoring God’s Will (James 4:13-14, 16)
The first attitude is one that ignores the will of God. James begins this section addressing attention to a particular group of people within the assembly. These people appear to have failed in looking to God for direction, and instead, have allowed the pursuit of money to drive their decisions and plans. They measure their success in what they have accomplished, and the wealth they have, obtained rather than in their relationship with God.
The person James is talking about here would have been a merchant historically, and lived a very nomadic life. They would leave out from their home with the goods to be sold, and they would travel from area to area to sell their wares until they had achieved the income they sought after.
There is nothing wrong with making plans, but what James points out here, is that this person is making plans for themselves, and there is no mention of God in their plans.
James mentions here four arguments that present the foolishness we find ourselves in when we ignore the will of God.
First, we know that life can be complex.
We know there is so much complexity involved in our daily lives. Each decision we make, each place we decide to go, each person we talk to, may have long lasting affects, but life is largely a mystery to us.
We may not know or understand the long term affects of decisions we make. We may not understand the complexity our lives afford, but when we seek after Christ and His will, then there is a different outlook. The complexity of this life pales, and the majesty of Jesus leads and guides us in His will and His plan. We understand that the world in which we live belongs to our Father above, and in seeking after His will, the natural world around us, will work with us to accomplish His will.
Second, there is an uncertainty in life that is spoken of in verse 14.
In verse 14 James reminds us that we do not know what tomorrow may bring. These people were making plans for the upcoming year, when in reality they could not even see what the next day would bring. There is no certainty in our own methods or our own plans. The only certainty is found in the Word of God and the promises He has made to us. He has not promised us tomorrow, but He has promised eternity for all those whose faith and trust is in Him alone for their salvation.
1 Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring.
We should not be boasting in what we think is going to happen. The boasting spoken of here is a boasting in our own work. It is putting the focus on us and what “WE” have accomplished, and not giving recognition and glory to God. The parable is told of the farmer in Luke 12. This man had a huge harvest, so much that he decided his barns were too small, and he decided to build much bigger barns to be prepared for the future. Jesus tells us
19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’
God knows what will happen. He knows when we will be done with our work on earth. God alone knows what tomorrow may bring to our lives. It is only when we trust in Him. When we follow His will and seek after His ways, that we can truly find confidence in our lives. We find confidence because we trust in Him, and know that He is leading us.
Third James speaks of the brevity of life in the second part of verse 14.
This is a theme that is repeated often throughout Scripture. When we think of our lives and the many years we expect to live, it may seem like a long time. While we do not know when our time will be done on this earth, the average person can expect to live well into their 70s and 80s, and some continue well beyond.
We look at this lifespan, and we think of the longevity of life, but in the grand view of all of time, James tells us our lives are but a mist. We are a blip on the radar of eternity and we live and we vanish and we are done. We count years and celebrate each year on our birthdays but we are told in
12 So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
We truly live a day at a time, and the older we get, the faster it seems those days are disappearing. This is why we must have a view of eternity. This is why we must realize how short our time on this earth actually is. We cannot afford to waste our time on frivolous things, but we must invest our lives in glorifying God, and in the things that are eternal!
I have quoted this verse often during the teaching through this letter, but once again, Jesus told us:
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Our view must be an eternal view rather than a temporary view of this earth.
There was a sermon that was preached many years ago by John Piper called, “Don’t Waste Your Life.” The summary of it, concerns not focusing on the temporary, but focusing on the eternal. We are sold the American dream of a nice house, a family, a good job and all the little amenities along the way. We go through life working to achieve that next step in the dream, and we continue to seek after the next step rather than seeking after God.
Let me clarify, there is nothing wrong with any of these things, but if it is our focus, at the detriment of us following God’s will, then it is moving our attention away from the things that we should be focused on. All of these things mentioned are tools and blessings that God gives us to glorify Him alone! They are not for our glory and our status among others.
You do not know what your future holds, you do not know what may happen tomorrow, but you can know, without any doubt, that if you are focused on God’s will and following Him alone, and glorifying Him alone, then you can walk each day with confidence and trust, knowing that you are following His will.
Fourth James points out the frailty of man here in verse 16. We boast to cover up our weakness. For us to boast in ourselves is a sin. For us to make much and glorify ourselves is a sin. It is a sin because when we do this we are placing ourselves in the position that God is to be in.
2. Disobeying God’s Will (James 4:17)
The second attitude James addresses here is that of disobedience to God’s will. James tells us that if we know to do what is right, and we don’t do it, then it is a sin. He is telling us that if we know the will of God, but disobey it willfully, then we are in sin against God. We are judged by our knowledge. The sin of omission is what this final verse is commonly referred to. That these that boasted also did what they shouldn’t do. This is a common problem of the human condition.
This is a situation in which we see the sin of pride creeping on the scene once again. We look at God and we say, I know what you want me to do God, but thats not for me. We look at God and say it’s ok, but I know better than you. Paul writes in:
21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.
That it would literally have been better to not know the way of Christ at all, than to turn away from doing what God has commanded us to do, and refuse to do it. We can see the consequences of running from the will of God in the story of Jonah.
The Lord told Jonah to go to Ninevah, and warn them of the Lords coming judgment, if they did not repent and turn to Him. Jonah, instead of being obedient, hops on a ship going the opposite direction. A storm comes, Jonah is thrown overboard and is swallowed by a big fish. He spends three days in the belly of the fish, then is spit out on shore and he finally obeys God and goes to Ninevah.
When the believer deliberately disobeys the will of God then they will be chastened and brought to correction because God loves us!
5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Just as we discipline our children because we love and care for them. God will discipline us because He loves and cares for us and wants us to succeed and grow in Him! Correction is an evidence of the love God has for us, not hatred and judgment as many would claim. Correction is not pleasant, but if we were not corrected, and we continued on the path of destruction our end result would be eternally worse.
Even when we have the desire to do what is right and the knowledge to do what is right our flesh wars against us and on our own, of our own power, we are evil and cannot carry it out. It is actually one of the beauties of our salvation. We are both simultaneously justified and sinners.
The latin phrase of the protestant reformation was Simul Justus et Peccator. That while we are on this earth in these bodies we will continue to fight sin, we will continue to fight temptation, but at the same time we are fully justified in Christs sacrifice, and we are saved and adopted into the family of God. There is nothing that can take that away. We are Christ’s and His alone.
3. Obeying God’s Will (James 4:15)
The third attitude James talks about is the one every believer should strive to have. Obedience to the will of God at all times in all things. This is not something we will ever reach perfection in on this earth, but it is the goal towards which we strive every day. We must understand:
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Ten: Plan Ahead (James 4:13–17)
“If the Lord will” is not just a statement on a believer’s lips: it is the constant attitude of his heart
This is an attitude that finds its roots in the heart of the believer. It is a posture of humility before God that is found in our heart. It is not simply a mindset, simply a physical posture, but it is a soul that seeks wholly and fully after God.
There are certain things that God wills that are universal for all believers.
God wants for all believers that we yield ourselves to him. We set aside our will and our desires, and we yield to what God wants to do.
5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.
It is Gods will that we avoid sexual immorality. That we don’t celebrate the sexual morals of this world that go against the design and will of God for us. That we remain holy and set apart for our spouse.
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;
It is God’s will for the believer that we should rejoice, pray, and thank God for every blessing and circumstance He brings in our lives. If we can truly grasp hold of the nature of God, and His promises, then every circumstance, every happy moment, every trial, is a blessing to us from our loving Father.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
There are many other commandments throughout the Bible that point out the will of God for all believers. God did not create us to be all robots that have the same plan and outlook though. God created a plan and a path for each believer individually as well. We all have different callings, different gifts, different ministries, that God has called us to.
God calls us to walk in these different callings, to study and grow in Him to better serve Him in His will. He has specific plans for each of us that He has called us to walk in individually, to bring Him glory.
Being in the will of God is a continual growing process for the life of the believer. It is a part of the process of sanctification that God continues to grow us through. It is a living relationship between the believer and God. It is not a dead, cold, rigid set of rules, but it is a relationship that is based on the love between the perfect Father and His children.
God will reveal His will to us if we just ask. We must know the will of God! If we will obey God then He will reveal His will to us. If we have a heart that is humble before our saviour He will reveal His perfect will for us!
We don’t just stop with knowing some of God’s will though. It is something that we are to fill our lives with!
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.
Jesus said doing the will of God was literal nourishment and food to Him. We fill ourselves up on the will of God. We nourish our spiritual bodies by following the will of God.
God wants us to understand His will also. As children we are taught to obey certain things, but we may not understand why. We may be told not to touch a hot stove top, but we may not understand why we were told that. God wants us to understand the why also though. God makes His ways knows to us! We are called friends of God!
15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
We also prove God’s will. We learn to follow the will of God by doing it. In the same way you learn a new skill by doing it more and more, we continue to work to follow the will of God, and it becomes second nature to us.
I think of learning to play the piano. Initially I had to learn playing single notes and trying to remember where the keys are, as you learn more and more it becomes second nature, where you don’t have to look at your hands, and you can sit and just play. It is something we must continue in doing though or else we will lose that ease of walking in the will of God.
I look back at when I was training classically for piano. I could sit and play from sheet music naturally, I didn’t have to struggle to read the music and play it, but after not practicing in that manner for so long, when I sit down to play now, it is a struggle again to read the music in front of me. We must continue seeking after Gods will in every aspect of our lives.
Jesus told us
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
We learn by doing. We take on the hard tasks that God calls us to, and we learn by doing the will of God in all circumstances.
We must also do the will of God from our heart. We go back to the story of Jonah. He eventually went and did what God told him to do, after he received discipline from God, but if we continue reading in Jonah chapter 4, he did not do it from his heart.
The chapter tells us Jonah was mad after God spared the people of Ninevah when they repented. He did what God told him to do to prevent a further punishment, but his motives behind his obedience where not out of love for God or love for people.
We talked about this earlier in James, that the heart and motive behind our obedience is just as important as our obedience itself.
7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
This can also be applied to our lives, not just our giving. Grudgingly here means “reluctantly, painfully.” That there is no joy found in the giving, there is no joy found in doing God’s will. That they do it out of necessity or that they are forced to obey and give.
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Ten: Plan Ahead (James 4:13–17)
The secret of a happy life is to delight in duty. When duty becomes delight, then burdens become blessings. “Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage” (
CLOSING
The perfect will of the Father is the only place to find perfect rest. To find the place where we die to our wants, our plans, our desires, our definition of victory, and we rest in Christ.
Question 98 of the Westminster Catechism asks “What is Prayer?” The answer is
“Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to His will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of His mercies.”
This is the difference between an earthly mindset that seeks after our will, and a heavenly mindset that seeks after the will of God. Charles Spurgeon said;
“Unless we purposefully live with a view to the next world, we cannot make much out of our present existence.” (C.H. Spurgeon)
We must have a mind, a will, a view, that is focused on the new heavens and the new earth to come and not stuck in the broken world we live in now.
We must look at our lives through the lens of an eternal timeline, and realize the importance of what we do in the short time we have on this earth. God has placed us here to glorify Him, and to be His hands, and His feet on this earth. Our question must be what do we want to be remembered for?
Do we want to be remembered for building a large company, for building wealth for our family, for simply being a good neighbor, a good husband, a good father, and while all of these are good things, can no higher praise can be said of someone other than that we lived our life, wholly and fully, to glorify God and follow in His will. Being a good father, husband, wife, son, daughter, employee, all of these will happen if we follow God, because the love of God is shown through and in us when we do His will. When we die to ourselves and we live our lives in view of eternity and not just in view of the temporary home we now reside in.
The story I told at the beginning does not end with the deaths of Jim Elliott and his fellow missionaries.
Elizabeth Elliott was the wife of Jim Elliott. After her husband and his fellow missionaries were brutally murdered by the Auca people, she demonstrated a perfect example of following God’s will. Her and her husband along with the other missionaries were convinced that it was God’s plan and will for them to carry the Gospel to this violent people. In less than 2 years following the murder of these men, Elizabeth Elliott, her daughter, and Nate’s sister were able to move in with the Auca people. Many of them became Christians and they are now know as a friendly tribe and no longer a violent people. Missionaries including direct descendants of those killed still live among the Auca today.
Elizabeth wrote during the time that her and Jim were pursuing missions separately prior to dating that;
“I do know that waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to God about it whenever it intrudes up one's thoughts. It's easy to talk oneself into a decision that has no permanence, easier sometimes than to wait patiently.”
We wait patiently and we walk forward in what God has called us to do. We live our lives with an eternal purpose and destiny and we don’t live for the temporal things of this world. Even when we find the things that God calls us to do may seem difficult, and even impossible, we can live, trusting and knowing, that whatever God calls us to do, He will walk with us both in and through it. He will prepare you for whatever He calls you to do, and if we truly have a heart that seeks after Him, then we can find complete joy and complete peace perfectly in His will.
(Referenced from https://www.thewestlondonlife.com/single-post/2018/12/31/only-one-life-twil-soon-be-past)
Charles Thomas Studd (1860-1931). Studd was born into wealth and destined for affluence. He was converted during his college years at Cambridge and began following Jesus in faithful obedience. In his own day he was the Michael Jordan of cricket. While many expected for him to play professionally and return to London to embrace a life of affluence and influence Studd chose to forsake it all for the sake of participating in God's global purposes.
Studd is a part of what has become known as The Cambridge Seven - a group of culturally affluent men who laid down the fame and flattery of men and became evangelists in unknown parts of the world. These men embraced the sacrifice with joy out of joy for what God had done for them in Jesus Christ.
Studd would go on to minister in India, Africa, and China. His wealthy father left him a sizable inheritance to which he graciously gave away. He was husband to Pricilla, father to four daughters and two sons (though lost in infancy). It's possible that you've never heard of Studd before this moment. But Heaven knows his name. Heaven knows all that he accomplished in his life. He lived his life with perspective because he lived in light of eternity.
Studd wrote a poem that is packed full of perspective for living. This poem is what I want to leave you with today.
Two little lines I heard one day,Traveling along life’s busy way;Bringing conviction to my heart,And from my mind would not depart;Only one life, twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one,Soon will its fleeting hours be done;Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,And stand before His Judgement seat;Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, the still small voice,Gently pleads for a better choiceBidding me selfish aims to leave,And to God’s holy will to cleave;Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, a few brief years,Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;Each with its clays I must fulfill,living for self or in His will;Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
When this bright world would tempt me sore,When Satan would a victory score;When self would seek to have its way,Then help me Lord with joy to say;Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Give me Father, a purpose deep,In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;Faithful and true what e’er the strife,Pleasing Thee in my daily life;Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Oh let my love with fervor burn,And from the world now let me turn;Living for Thee, and Thee alone,Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;Only one life, “twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one,Now let me say,”Thy will be done”;And when at last I’ll hear the call,I know I’ll say “twas worth it all”;Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last. ”
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.And when I am dying, how happy I’ll be,If the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.
Amen.
PRAYER:
Father I pray that you fix our eyes on You alone. That the Holy Spirit is stirred in our hearts and causes us to earnestly seek after Your will alone. I pray that we do not seek after glory for ourselves, that we do not seek after the temporary accolades that are shouted by the world today and tomorrow are throw into the fire, but I pray Father that we seek to glorify You alone. That our one purpose, our one desire, is to walk in Your will. Go with is throughout the week. Lord, lead and guide us in Your paths, in Your will. I pray that You reveal Your plans to us for each of our lives and that you strengthen us to walk in them. I thank You that You love us so much that You even know the numbers of hairs on our head and that You want only what is best for us. We love and praise You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
BENEDICTION:
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
