Pressing On

A friend from church, Katie Waters, who leads the 4Kids program at 4 Points Church, recently highlighted this encouraging verse in the Bible App, and it especially caught my heart this morning:

Paul in his letter to the Philippians, recorded in this new testament book of the Bible, makes it clear that he has not yet “arrived” at perfection, but that he is pressing on to possess it — and he reminds us of the most important part, “for which Christ Jesus first possessed me”.

Yes, knowing and believing that Christ Jesus loved us first while we were yet His enemies, and that He did it out of mercy ands grave towards us that eas totally undeserved is the key that truly unlocks the shackles of our old way to a new way, to The Way.

In fact, good Christian lovers of your enemies, we aren’t even striving to live perfectly in the eyes of other people — we are pressing on for more of the old “me” to be burned away by these trying fires and for more of “Christ in me” to be revealed.

Religious people can fake “living clean lives” and justify to themselves and others why they are better than “those people who live filthy lives” — and be no more a true Christian with saving faith — than a crypt that a scam artist might repaint the outside and try to convince a fool to buy as mansion to live in.

You have not arrived at perfection, my friend. Nor are you lowly and forgotten of you whil lady down your life, believe upon Him, and give Him all the glory instead of seeking it for yourself.

How easy it is to fall off either side of the path when we set our eyes upon ourselves — think too highly of ourselves or too likely of ourselves — because we are thinking of OURSELVES!!! The beauty of the gospel is setting our eyes upon Jesus, upon Christ alone our Cornerstone. And in doing that, let the raging fire of His presence in our lives melt away both our pride and our shame to make it about pressing on to Him — not just “towards a better us”, but TO HIM.

Christianity isn’t about “being perfect”, or even “being better”, or even “living best” because all those are about “me”. Christianity is truly about surrendering our old life to allow Christ to live through us, and for Him to get all the glory for His work that He has done both at the cross, upon the throne, and through our lives here on earth.

Yes, this is a “simple fundamental” of the faith and isn’t some earth shattering new revelation or some wise, hidden treasure dug out from hiding — out is clearly on display for our minds to consider. But I wonder how often our mind hearing this repeatedly as a fundamental might have left it buried and undelivered to our hearts for the pressing and the crushing and the humbling repentance to have its way on not just our intellect, but our innermost.

Lord, thank you for everything that is worth anything. Help us to lay it all down for what is truly best. Help us to keep our eyes on you. Comfort us in love with your rod and your staff when we are distracted, and lead us along The Way. Amen.

Grazing or Bingeing?

My friend Brian Eshelman commented on a Charles Spurgeon sermon that thou can read here in full: https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/covenant-blessings-2/And I wonder not as much whether at times a sermon has been lacking in food for my soul so that I could point a finger at any certain teacher and question their anointing or the status of their closeness with the Lord (though we who preach should be quite mindful ourselves of such dangers) — but I wonder how often I may have been judging the value and purpose of a meal based on my own feelings, thoughts, and conclusions in the moment — expecting revelation to always and continually shoot straight up high into the like a weed that will wither, instead of trusting that the Word itself is doing work to build a strong root system that I might not even be aware of yet, but that will support a strong tree.It reminds me that the Lord promises grazing beside still, calm waters and peace in the storm — not immediate gratification of my wants and desires.Are my spiritual “expectations” like a “Karen” at Burger King demanding “her way” and demanding it “right now” — or am I content to wait for the smoker to cook to perfect tender perfection a steak that has been aged to perfection?Patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.While impatience is pridefully demanding an expectation that we have about how something “should be” because we disagree with what sovereign Almighty God has revealed in the reality of our circumstances.How often have we aligned with that enemy of God in our grumbling and impatience instead of glorifying God and trusting Him fully?I see much room for repentance in this area. Lord forgive me and help me. Amen.

Living Renewed

Colossians chapter 3 is all about living this renewed life. And to understand that it isnt a list of “you must” or “you mustn’t” statements, is to grasp the encouragement of the gospel, to rely upon the promises of God, and to surrender the throne of our heart to God.

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.
Colossians 3:1‭-‬2 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/col.3.1-2.NLT

Yes, being raised to life means putting to death our old life. It means resisting temptation, but that really means longing for God and His Way. A Christian who loves God ands is seeking first the Kingdom of God sees the worthlessness of what they are “giving up” in comparison to the riches they have found in Christ Jesus. Who would cling to stale bread that clearly has a deadly fungus growing on it when there is fresh, warm, good bread for our consumption? But this is exactly what we do when we don’t see sin for what it really is and we don’t fully trust that The Way is best.

So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.
Colossians 3:5‭-‬10 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/col.3.5-10.NLT

And as we shift our focus and direction, and as we set our eyes on heavenly things — The Way we are to go of true holiness is not high minded and alone like a religious zealot, looking down on the sin of others. It is The Way of forgiveness, humility, mercy, gentleness and love — not of pride. Pride is sin that we are putting behind us. So we are not looking harder at ourselves in a mirror — or looking harder at others — but we are setting our eyes upon God.

If we fall into the shame of self criticism or into the pride of self exaltation, we will see others with pointing fingers, accusations, unfair expectations, etc. We must choose to see “them” and “ourselves” how He sees us, washed by the Blood of the Lamb, clean from the stains of sin, forgiven, beloved, and holy as He is holy.

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
Colossians 3:12‭-‬17 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/col.3.12-17.NLT

Smells like…

Have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Philippians 2:5 GW
https://bible.com/bible/70/php.2.5.GW

Philippians 2:5 was my morning verse today, and it is quite a follow up to Mark Pangel’s sermon from Ephesians 5:1 calling us to imitate God:

https://youtu.be/yjS9M03jC6Y

Imitate God, since you are the children he loves.
Ephesians 5:1 GW
https://bible.com/bible/70/eph.5.1.GW

So I first looked at a few different translations to see the harmony between the different Bible translations:

And (laughingly) “like a good scholar”, then I started looking into the greek words themselves:

τοῦτο (“this” or “that”)

But as I began to dig this morning, it was as if I realized that the treasure wasn’t going to be in the digging into this particular verse — that I had highlighted in green (I use green to highlight commands/calls to action) — but in the following verses that I had highlighted in purple (I use purple to highlight verses about God’s character and nature):

If we are to have a mind (or attitude) like God, to be imitators of God, it seems our focus should be on Him, not ourselves.  So we should look to these following verses to see what that attitude/mind of Christ looks like — or in my experience, I like to say “smells like”. Outward behavior can “look” a certain way but also “smell” differently.  A common phrase to describe this is that we can see something “good” that someone is doing,  but that something can “seem fishy” about their motives. So we don’t just want to be a counterfeit hoping to “look” righteous ourselves — we want our lives to be truly filled with that sweet aroma of the Holy Spirit of Christ in us which does result in a different type of life testimony.

In these verses,  we learn about that “scent” of the genuine. Verses 6 tells us that He was on equal with God, but He didn’t consider his equality with God something to “cling to”. Verses that tell us about Christ being the head and we are the body come to mind, where we are reminded that we each serve a valuable purpose in the Kingdom of God come to mind. And that we should not strive to lift ourselves higher by our own striving for personal honor or glory, but let the vine dresser lift us up if He sees that we have fallen out of place and need to be moved for His glory.

As we look at the remaining verses, we see the pattern emerge — Christ emptied Himself of claims to titles and authority and chose instead to serve humbly. And in doing so, demonstrated the very nature and character that we are to imitate, The Way in which we are to walk — if we want God to be glorified.

Isn’t that the kicker sometimes? That we want to be appreciated, glorified, honored, respected ourselves? That we seek to demand from others the respect or kindness or assistance we expect they should be giving us? Or that we act the same way even towards God as if He owes us to let it go the easy way we think best, so we grumble, complain, or isolate ourselves from Him to chase after other things?

But this is not about accusations or condemnation today. It is about confessing our shortcomings honestly and boldly in the throne room of grace, and by our confessing Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and trusting in God to fulfill His promises — that we can empty ourselves, humble ourselves — that we can bow our knee at the name of Jesus, and declare that Jesus Christ is Lord — to the glory of God.

This shift in mindset, in attitude, is to one of appreciation and gratitude — willing to face whatever lies ahead as opportunity for God to be glorified even in our trials, challenges, and suffering. And with it comes a peace that passes understanding, and a distinct aroma of a life on fire for God’s glory.

Lord, we are not seeking our own breeding laid low to martyrdom to be thought of highly by other men, nor to be lifted up high in position, title our authority to rule over others — even though we can confess that at times we have thought and behaved in such foolish, wicked ways before when we’r have made it all about getting drunk on the wine of our own gifts, talents, abilities and blessings bringing us attention. Lord, we are reminded that drunkenness of pride smells wretched like the fallen angel and is a stark contrast tho the sweet aroma of Christ Jesus the humble, suffering servant who you have lifted on high as our Lord and Savior. Rid us of the counterfeit, and make us imitators of God. We are Children of God, come walk with us and teach us, and let our time with you have us conformed to your image in everything we do. And let it be in our hearts, truly for your glory and honor alone. Amen.

Are We Listening

If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise. If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding. Fear of the Lord teaches wisdom; humility precedes honor.
Proverbs 15:31‭-‬33 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/pro.15.31-33.NLT

Listening doesn’t happen with our ears. Sound can be picked up by our ear drums and transmitted to our brains just fine and we can still completely miss it. When Jesus talks about having “ears to hear”, it isn’t about people who are physically sound and don’t need cochlear implants or hearing aids in order to properly receive the sound waves in their physical ears.

When someone has a different opinion from us,  do we diminish or dismiss what they are saying — or take the time to truly consider their perspective?

When someone has something to say about us personally or about something that we have said or done, are we only interested in what strokes our ego — or are we considerate and grateful for the opportunity to consider criticism that we can learn from?

When God tells us His way, are we grumbling and defiant like a child not getting their way in the moment — or are we trusting that He knows best ands that there is a purpose and plan in it that is worthy of us conforming to His way instead of demanding our own?

And I know from personal experience that “truly listening” isn’t just taking the time for my conscious mind to process something either. For example, even when something makes it through my eyes or ears and into my conscious mind to be weighed or considered — if I am already offended, or bitter, or unforgiving,  or hard headed in certain ways — I can see that I have not “truly listened” or given fair consideration to criticism, alternative perspectives, etc. So true “listening” is more than our auditory systems working properly, and it is more than a “conscious mind thing”.

Truly listening, truly hearing, is a thing of the spirit/heart/will of a man. A deaf man cannot hear with his ears, but a proud man does not listen with his mind — because He does not have a receptive spirit/heart/will guiding his thoughts, words and actions.

Do we see the distinction there between cannot (ability) and does not (willingness)?

I wonder how many times I (an able bodied man) have not listened and missed it like a deaf man? Have not seen, and missed it like a blind man? Have not walked with God, and missed it like a lame man? Have not lived an abundant life of humble repentance,  and missed it like a dead man?

And isn’t whether we are listening or not really an indicator of our heart/spirit/will — and whether it is surrendered  to and is aligned/imitating/emanating Christ — or whether we are still trying to rule over our own lives?

What a great opportunity this offers us for repentance, for listening,  for discipline,  for pruning — so that we can bear much great fruit and produce that fragrant aroma that is pleasing to God. What areas of our life need to be cut off and burned so that we can know joy that lasts and grows and expands — rather than momentary happiness, pleasure or escape that is fleeting.

Heavenly Father, we are so grateful for Christ Jesus who can not only heal the deaf, blind, lame, diseased, and dead bodies — but who can do even greater with our innermost being. Help us to eagerly listen, to willingly submit, and to humbly receive. Amen.

Knit Together Relationships

This weekend, my daughter and I are camping together at Orchard Lake Campground in Saluda, NC with my neighbor,  Austin Bruce, and his two boys. Austin and I used to work together and we bought adjoining properties together years ago where we could have small farms and our families could grow up together. We spend evenings together several nights each week in the pool, on the trampoline, in the yard, in the creek, or whatever the kids are interested in (depending on the time of year).

As I woke up this morning, I found myself in awe of “knit together relationships”. After a night where our inflatable mattress deflated and Mia and I found ourselves trapped warmly within our Teton Leef 0 mummy sleeping bags, with her on top of me and with both of us struggling to move (like caterpillars inside confining cocoons), laughing about how silly the situation was, then getting up in the middle of the night to walk to the bath house together — I realized how different this is from my normal nights sound in bed with my sweet wife.

I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.
Colossians 2:2 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/col.2.2.NLT

So the first thing I did this morning was to thank my wife. She isn’t here,  but without her,  this trip wouldn’t even be possible. It is the relationship that she and I have together,  it is the marriage we have, and the child we are blessed to parent, and the decisions we have made together,  and the friendships formed that have led to this moment. And I’m grateful to her. And I’m grateful to God for this amazing thing He has done and is doing.

I don’t always remember this. So I am grateful for today’s reminder that He wants us knit together in relationships, encouraging each other in love. And as Austin and I sat by the fire last night in the quiet of a night away from the “normal” that is so blessed and wonderful — this time of talking about God’s mysterious plan and spending time together encouraging each other has me appreciating these moments and also appreciating greater the renewed longing to share moments and encouragement with my wife, my real best friend.

May He knit together beautiful relationships for us, friends. And may our appreciation for Him and His many blessings toward us have us encouraging, appreciating, and loving one another. Amen.

How You Should Pray

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation. ” Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
Luke 11:1‭-‬13 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/luk.11.1-13.NLT

This is the passage where we get “The Lord’s Prayer” — and whether our English translation has us reading verse 2 as “This is how you should pray” or as “When you pray, say” could have a person contemplating whether they should be using Jesus’ words as a template or as a recitation. It could have someone rightly contemplating the dangers of adding to our subtracting from The Word or changing a single jot or tittle, the dangers of heaping up empty phrases (Matthew 6:7), but the call to be constant in our prayer requests to God (Philipians 4:6) and Jesus providing an example himself of repetition in prayer (Matthew 26:44).

We should know that the heartfelt content of our prayer, our fellowship,  our communing with God should be genuine — and not just empty,  rote, traditional practice.

Mindlessly chanting or reciting phrases that we do not consider in our minds and believe in our hearts seems to be the type of outward religious hypocrisy that The Word warns us about in places like Matthew 23 and Amos 5.

But don’t misunderstand this as an attack on The Lord’s Prayer. I can take even the writing of this morning’s journal study on this topic and turn it into dead, intellectual, ritual practice with no abiding connection to the life giving flow of personal, intimate, close relationship with God if I have missed the point.

But when we are connected with God in intimate communication, the beautiful words Christ has given us in print, along with those words written upon our heart — as genuine, personal requests to our Heavenly Father are effective and important in our daily walk.

Our Father in heaven, your name is greatly revered and honored. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Thank you, LORD, for your endless mercies and grace and for the victory we know in Christ Jesus. Amen.

She Sleeps Peacefully

Yesterday was “Daughters Day” and I stumbled upon a poem/song that I have been working on for some time now:

“She Sleeps Peacefully” by Harold Ballinger

I remember bringing her home for the very first time
Watching every car on that road
Driving so slow and taking my time
Mindful of every bump in the road

I remember that first time I sat up straight in bed
Listening quietly for her sleeping by our bed
Afraid that she needed me and I wasn’t there
Realizing it was all in my head

Listening to her sleep peacefully that night
I’m in awe of this sweet, precious gift
I wonder how I’ll ever live up to the task

I sure don’t want to let her down
I sure don’t want to fail
There is so much at stake in her sweet little life
There is so much that she’ll have to face

I remember the first time we camped in a tent
Our start to campfires, smores, and stars
We laughed, we played, we sang aloud
And watched our breath like fog in the air

I remember that first dance, her dressed like a princess
Smiling, laughing, swaying to music late into the night

I remember our trips building memories together
Seeing new sites, towns and folk
Walking, running, and playing pretend together
Until the fun of the day had us spent

Listening to her sleep peacefully that night
I’m in awe of this sweet, precious gift
I wonder how I’ll ever live up to the task

I sure don’t want to let her down
I sure don’t want to fail
There is so much at stake in her sweet little life
There is so much that she’ll have to face

Today is the day she’ll wear the white dress
And I’ll walk her down that long isle
In truth I’ve dreaded this moment since her birth
I don’t know how strong I’ll need to be

But I’ve been blessed with this daughter of mine
Who is so precious that everyone can see
It’s no wonder she caught the eye of some sweet young boy
But I doubt he will ever love her like me

Will he listen to her sleep peacefully at night
And be in awe of this precious gift
I wonder how he’ll ever live up to the task

Lord, don’t let us let her down
Please don’t allow her fail
Lord, there is so much at stake in their sweet new life
There is so much that they’ll have to face

There’s a new little girl that we met just today
Snuggled against my girl’s chest
I see that same look in my son in laws eyes
That I knew not so long ago myself

He’ll listen to her sleep peacefully tonight
And be in awe of this precious gift
And he’ll wonder how he might ever live up to the task

He sure doesn’t want to let her down
He sure doesn’t want to fail
There is so much at stake in her sweet little life
There is so much that she’ll have to face

And as part of me is in awe and wonder of this wonderful opportunity to be a dad to an amazing daughter — another part of me ponders how wonderful my heavenly Father’s love is for me every step of The Way.

Did He sing to me and read to me even when I was still in the womb like I did for my daughter? Or was it even more wonderful than that in ways too difficult for me to comprehend?

How many moments has He shared by my side that were so precious and sweet that I might have overlooked at the time?

So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” Luke 11:13 NLT https://bible.com/bible/116/luk.11.13.NLT

My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying. Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine. My child, don’t reject the Lord ’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights. Proverbs 3:1‭-‬12 NLT https://bible.com/bible/116/pro.3.1-12.NLT

A Convicting Call to Repentance

Listen! The Lord ’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call. It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore. Your hands are the hands of murderers, and your fingers are filthy with sin. Your lips are full of lies, and your mouth spews corruption.
Isaiah 59:1‭-‬3 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/isa.59.1-3.NLT

This morning, I am inspired by these verses that a friend recently highlighted in the Bible App. I’m encouraged because the gospel of Jesus Christ is not just a “get out of hell free card” or “key to prosperous living” or “way to look religious/good to others” — but it is a convicting call to repentance.

We see that Jesus is quite focused on repentance as “not just some type of optional condiment” to be made available beside the Christian meal — but these table that He sets for us in the presence of our enemies has humble repentance as our cross to bear. Conviction that leads to personal repentance is the activity in our lives that is so different to the way of the world that Christ is put on visible display to even the blind when we are faithful in this way.

The way of the world says, “If you hear something that makes you uncomfortable or that might call you to change your ways or consider a different perspective — go into self- defense mode and make war against whoever spoke it.” And both the lawless rebel and the religious hypocrite both know this and live it well. Just look at the division ands warlike behavior that takes place on social media, in political debate, etc. So the way of the world is clear.

And haven’t we even acted this way towards God? I’m not talking about “them” with a pointing finger. I’m talking about “we” — us who call ourselves Christians and seek to sit at His table and sup with Him. How often have we been eager to drink the milk of forgiveness, eat the bread of glorifying God, but stopped short of the cutting and chewing and digestive work of personal repentance?

As our verses today point out first and foremost, “Listen! The Lord ’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call.” He is not to weak to save us from our sin, nor is He too far away to hear us. But have we shown up at the table ready to eat? Have we picked up that phone of confession? Have we turned back from the prodigal road in repentance to walk with resolute focus the narrow path home?

Each of us has something that we should repent this morning. Like the verse says, “It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore. Your hands are the hands of murderers, and your fingers are filthy with sin. Your lips are full of lies, and your mouth spews corruption.” And if our pride has us too religious to admit our own shortcomings, our own missing the mark, our own sin — how deep is that darkness that we call light?

So do not be afraid to come to the fight of the Blood of the Lamb to be washed clean. Do not be so proud that you cannot hear conviction and let it have its way to work upon your heart. Do not be so rebellious that you are offended and hear conviction to repent as condemnation to perish. Do not be so lukewarm and immature as to pick at your spiritual meal and be malnourished.

He loves you just like He loves me — that makes us “we” — and we are in this together, Christ follower. So let’s dine on this full meal and grow strong in humility and even stronger in repentance together for His glory. Amen.

And you who might read this and feel that you aren’t sitting in the inner courts with Jesus at the table — for those who feel they might be in the room but not at the table — or for those who feel they might be on the outside looking in — come, there is a seat for you. In fact, you can have mine, because I was just finishing and heading out to welcome more in to feast. Don’t worry, He has plenty of seats for me too. Come, say your prayers of thankfulness, of belief, of confession, of repentance, and enjoy this full meal. The dessert of blessing is amazing once you finish your plate.

God bless!