Path to desolation

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Ezekiel 25-27; Psalm 38

TO CHEW ON: “For thus says the LORD God: ‘When I make you a desolate city like the cities that are not inhabited, when I bring the deep upon you, and great waters cover you, then I will bring you down into the Pit, to the people of old and I will make you dwell in the lowest part of the earth, in places desolate from antiquity with those who go down to the Pit, so that you may never be inhabited; and I shall establish glory in the land’” Ezekiel 26:19,20


Part of our reading today is a prophecy against Tyre. Some facts about the history and setting (gleaned from my Bible’s study notes):

• Tyre was an important Phonician seaport along the northern coast of the Mediterranean. It was in present-day Lebanon.

• Tyre was a city of two sections, one on the mainland and the other on an island half a mile offshore.

• Tyre’s destruction is prophesied in other places: Amos condemned Tyre for selling the Israelites to the Edomites (Amos 1:9), and Jeremiah prophesied their destruction by Nebuchadnezzar in Jeremiah 27:1-6.

• The destruction of Tyre happened in two parts. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the mainland city in the siege of 585-572 BC. The island city was destroyed by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. The prophecies in Ezekiel 26:4,12,14 came true when Alexander captured the city by building a causeway using the debris from the city on the mainland.

Ezekiel describes Tyre as a wealthy, diverse, established, bustling and proud seaport. People hearing his prophecy may have thought, how can his words ever come true? And yet Tyre fell as predicted.

As citizens of wealthy, diverse, established, bustling, and proud towns and cities on a continent of similar communities, we may also feel secure and certain that nothing can take our society down. However, even now in our developed democracies cracks are appearing.

Note, for example, the polarization of the people holding to left-leaning (liberal / progressive) and right-leaning (conservative / traditional) thought and lifestyle in the U.S., illustrated by an ad developed for the Republican party, that plays back threats and calls to action by their left-leaning opponents.

The Left in 2018: Unhinged



 As pressure mounts between the two sides, political watchers predict a blow-up. One can see how the nation could explode and implode in civil conflict.

In Canada the conflict is not as overt. Yet if one listens to talk shows and follows comments on Twitter and social media, one can see the same polarization developing.

Let’s not be smug and secure in our own society's outer beauty, sturdiness, wealth, knowledge, and systems of defense, like the citizens of Tyre were (Ezekiel 27:3-11),  when God sees rot and we’re also marked for destruction.


PRAYER: Dear Father, help me as a citizen of a wealthy peaceful nation to resist putting my confidence in possessions and government, especially when that government turns its back on You and urges me to go along with the breaking of Your laws for right living in the areas of accepting, even celebrating sexual perversion and confusion. Help me to cling to Your word as the standard by which I live no matter what my society and government tell me. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 38

 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Thanks for reading! This year we are using The Bible Project "Timeless Reading Plan" to read through the Bible in 2018. If you'd like to read along in your own Bible, you can download a pdf of the reading plan HERE.

The beginning of the end?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 24:1-22

TO CHEW ON: " ' All these are the beginning of sorrows.' " Matthew 24:8

If you had never read today's passage and someone handed you its contents on a scrap of paper, would your impression would be (choose one):
a] This sounds entirely unfamiliar.
b] This sounds a lot like current conditions in the world.
c] This sounds like something that could never happen.

If you're like me, you chose b, because this sounds like the writings of someone in the room with me as I watch the nightly news or scan the latest headlines on the computer.

In early parts of this passage (Matthew 24:5-7) Jesus gives us a list of spookily familiar events that herald the near coming of His return to earth / the End:*
- The appearance of false and deceptive Christs.
- Wars and rumours of wars.
- Famines, pestilences and earthquakes.

But, Jesus says, these things are just the beginning of "sorrows." Some translations call them "birth pains" (NIV, NLT, NASB, ESV)—an interesting comparison suggesting earth-shaking events will become more frequent and intense as they near a climax. Could this be the time we're living in right now? If so, what do we have to look forward to? Jesus' answer:

" 'Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake' " - Matthew 24:9.

Who is the "you" Jesus refers to here? It was to His band of disciples He delivered this private message (Matthew 24:3). So we can, I think, conclude that His disciples of all eras are on notice. That's us. Jesus warns and advises (Matthew 24:10-14):

- We can expect offenses, betrayals, hatred, and death.
- We must be on guard against false prophets.
- We need to be aware of the potential for spiritual lawlessness and coldness.
- Our endurance will be challenged.
- While the above is happening there will also be a great spread of the Gospel to peoples of every nation.

Let's live alert in these perilous days!

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to remain watchful, to be unfazed if I am hated, and persecuted for being a Christ-follower, and to stay the course as I do my little bit in spreading the Gospel. Amen.

* "In His private teaching to the disciples on the Mount of Olives, Jesus responded to three questions, concerning 1] the destruction of the temple, 2] His Second Coming, 3] the End. These topics are interwoven and sometimes it is difficult to determine which event is being described. This difficulty is partially resolved with the realization that most prophecy is capable of both a near and remote fulfillment. Jesus uses the tragic events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D.70 as a picture of conditions preceding His own return" - J. Lyle Story, Study notes on Matthew 24:1-51, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1334.

 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The spiritually alert parent

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 37:1-20

TO CHEW ON: “And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.” Genesis 37:11

Jacob made more than one mistake as a parent. A glaring one was to show preference for Joseph over his other sons. It caused envy and jealousy among the siblings.

Joseph’s brash boasting about his dreams didn’t help. When he told his brothers about their wheat sheaves bowing down to his, they came to hate him. After a second dream, which he told his brothers and his father, even his doting dad rebuked him. But then Jacob did something right. He “…kept the matter in mind.”

This reminds me of Mary, mother of Jesus and her reaction to the unusual happenings around Jesus’ birth when she “Kept all these things and pondered them in her heart” - Luke 2:19.  Again when she saw his obvious giftedness in understanding and expressing spiritual truths at twelve, she “kept all these things in her heart” - Luke 2:51.

As parents and grandparents, one of the things we want most for our offspring is that they find their purpose in life. One of the ways we do that is to watch and then keep in our minds and hearts what we see of their gifts, strengths and weaknesses, and how God is at work in them. I believe this also involves praying into and over these things as we think about how to give them direction.

In his inspiring book Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions, George Barna shares this bit of advice on how we give such direction.

“What can you do to help the youngsters with whom you have contact discover God’s purpose for their lives? As you explore their personality, spiritual gifts, passion, intellectual capacity, physical abilities, character traits and resonance with particular biblical characters and stories, funnel that knowledge toward guiding them to a clear idea of the role that has been reserved for them in God’s army. Encourage them to feel neither arrogant nor disappointed by that role. No calling is better than any other, and if it is God’s calling for them, then it is perfect for them" - George Barna, Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions, p. 66.

PRAYER: Dear Father help me to be a watcher, to observe and pray into the young lives around me and then encourage them in the dreams you have planted in them. Amen.

 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Walking in the dark

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 John 2:3-29


TO CHEW ON: "But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes." 1 John 2:11

Our eyes are not well equipped to help us maneuver on our own in the dark. In darkness they no longer distinguish color. Our perception of depth and distance is altered. If we take away all light, our eyes are useless and we're as good as blind.

The Bible talks in many places about walking in darkness in a metaphorical way.

• Jesus calls it having bad eyes (Matthew 6:22-23). He is talking about how we view life. We might call it worldview.

• Jesus also talks about the Pharisees having an entrenched blindness that refuses to see life any other way than through their legalistic lens (Matthew 15:14; 23:19).

• Paul refers to the refusal to believe in Jesus and His finished work for us as blindness of mind and heart that is lifted as a result of believing ("Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away" - 2 Corinthians 3:14-16).

• The "god of this age" (Satan) can blind our minds to keep us from understanding and believing God's plan through Jesus (2 Corinthians 4:3-6).

• Paul characterizes this darkness as a downward spiral that leads to an ever-increasing corruption of understanding and lifestyle (Romans 1:21,24-32; Ephesians 4:18,19).

• And then we have our focus verse that reveals another aspect of walking in darkness: hating our brother. Really? we might ask. That's as dangerous as living in unbelief? As serious as having the legalistic, self-righteous worldview of the Pharisees? As hazardous as the determination to refuse to acknowledge God at all?

"Do not be blinded by the darkness of hatred," says a sidebar article on this passage in my Bible. "Understand that it will cause you to fall in your walk with the Lord. Turn away from hatred; ask for forgiveness for any hate in your heart. Ask God to heal you and enable you to forgive, knowing that Jesus paid the price for the wrong people have done" - Leslyn Musch, Truth-In-Action-Through 1 John, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1791 (emphasis added).

Forgiveness. Is that the switch that turns on the light from living in the darkness of hatred?

PRAYER: Dear God, I am not free from dislike, resentment, even hatred. Please show me where I am walking in such darkness. Help me to forgive and release anyone who has wronged me. Amen.

MORE: Shades of hatred

Would we recognize hatred in ourselves more readily if we acknowledged its subtle shades, its gradual growth in us from feelings of irritation, to dislike, to extreme animosity?

I was struck by this quote in Henri Nouwen's little book With Burning Hearts:

"I wonder how I would live if there were no resentment at all in my heart. I am so used to talking about people I do not like, to harboring memories about events that gave me much pain, or to acting with suspicion and fear that I do not know how it would be if there were nothing to complain about and nobody to gripe about! My heart still has many corners that hide my resentments and I wonder if I really want to be without them. What would I do without these resentments? And there are many moments in life in which I have the opportunity to nurture them. Before breakfast I have already had many feelings of suspicion, jealousy, many thoughts about people I prefer to avoid, and many little plans to live my day in a guarded way" - Henri Nouwen, With Burning Hearts, pp. 32,33.

**********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The new normal?

Image: Pixabay.com

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 6:17-36

TO CHEW ON: “‘Blessed are you when men hate you,
And when they exclude you,
And revile you, and cast out your name as evil,
For the Son of Man’s sake.
Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!
For indeed your reward is great in heaven,
For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.’” Luke 6:22-23

As I write this the U.S. is still in the thick of the run-up to the election. Recently Megyn Kelly on Fox News broke an item relevant to people of faith. It’s a Wikkileaked 2011 email chain between the high-ups of one of the candidate’s organization and John Halpin from the Centre for American Progress.

Speaking of Robert Murdoch (CEO of Fox News) and the News Corp Chairman Robert Thomson raising their children Catholic, Halpin says: “'They must be attracted to the systemic thought and severely backward gender relations.'”

To which Jennifer Palmieri, Clinton’s Communications Director replies: “'I imagine they think it is the most socially acceptable, politically conservative religion—their rich friends wouldn’t understand if they became evangelicals.'”

On Kelly’s show, Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council characterized these critics: “'They believe that people who actually want to live by their faith are backwater people. [They see religion as a] glorified social club—if you want to live your life according to [Scripture] you’re going to be in trouble with Hillary Clinton’” (read entire article).

Now I know people of faith get insults like this thrown at them all the time these days. But when they come from the highest officers of the person who wants to lead the U.S., Christians are justified in taking notice.

To most of the world, this is a non-story (it certainly wasn’t near the top of my news feed but buried deep in the topic of “Christianity” and only because I’ve selected “Christianity” as an area of interest on Google News). But for Christians it's notable for another reason. Isn’t the attitude exhibited toward believers here exactly what Jesus predicted—one of hatred, exclusion, reviling and mocking (Luke 6:22)?

Rather than being dismayed, maybe we should take His advice and “'...leap for joy...'” over this typical treatment as we anticipate the verdict of the One who really matters (Luke 6:23).

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, in countries where, up till now, faith in You and God has been accepted, even appreciated, it’s impossible not to notice the change in attitude. Please help me to remain unshaken in my faith, and true to Your example in my reactions to hatred reviling, exclusion, and mocking. Amen.

 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Will persecution stumble us?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 15:26-16:15


TO CHEW ON: "These things I have spoken to you that you should not be made to stumble." John 16:1

What "things" is Jesus referring to?

• That the world will hate them (John 15:18,19).

• That they will be persecuted (John 15:20).

• That they will be hated without a cause (John 15:25).

• That the Holy Spirit will be their Helper (John 15:26).

["Parakletos = called to one's side, intercessor, comforter, helper, advocate, counsellor ... The Holy Spirit leads believers to a greater apprehension of gospel truths. In addition to general help and guidance, He gives strength to endure the hostility of the world system" - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1472.]

We in North America have had it pretty good in the persecution department. In many cases our forefathers fled to Canada and the U.S. from religiously oppressive regimes for the reason that they wanted to live in place where they could worship according to their convictions. As a result for several generations the prevailing culture of North America has been sympathetic toward Christians.

But that's changing. Read the comments under pro-Christian articles in secular media and you will often see scorn, mockery, disdain, name-calling, even hatred for Christianity and Christians.

As Jesus warns here, let's not let that reaction cause us to stumble—in confusion, discouragement, fear, intimidation. Because:

• It's what we should expect - John 16:4.

• It's part of our inheritance - John 15:18,19.

• It proves whose we are - John 15:23.

Rather, let's claim the help of the Holy Spirit

• To remind us of Jesus' predictions about such treatment - John 14:26.

• To assure us that we belong to God's family - Romans 8:16.

• To tell us what to say - Mark 13:11; Luke 21:14,15.

• To give us boldness - Acts 4:29-31

PRAYER: Dear God, I don't like abuse, scorn, or ridicule. Please help me to have the spirit of Jesus under such treatment—of wisdom and Holy Spirit boldness. Prepare me now for what the future holds of negative reactions to Christ-followers. Amen.

MORE: Persecution.org

The website Persecution.org monitors persecution of Christians around the world. A little snooping around on that site shows us that though persecution in North America happens, it occurs much less frequently than in many other countries.

You can read news about persecution of Christians throughout the world as you search for news by country.

Hatred? Terrorism? Fight back!

Twitter users respond to the Kenyan attack

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 15:11-16:4

TO CHEW ON: " ' If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.' " John 15:18


The slaughter by al-Shebaab terrorists of Christian students in a Kenyan university seemed far away with a limited effect on my life until I got this note from my nephew who works as a missionary in Uganda:

"We request that you lift up Christians in Kenya and Uganda as we have been warned of eminent terror attacks on Christians and western interests in the two countries…"

Our sense of security here in North America may be false and short-lived as world travel and communication homogenize beliefs. Whenever, wherever, and however this Jesus-hating force touches us, we shouldn't be surprised. For Jesus predicted it.

In fact, His description of its motivation: " ' … whoever kills you will think that he offers God service…' " seems to describe quite particularly the motivation of those who currently use sword, gun, and explosive with abandon around the world.

But we are not defenseless or powerless against this hatred of Christ and Christians. We defend with love (John 15:12) and fight back with prayer. In his book Love On Its Knees, Dick Eastman speaks of World Prayer Missionaries:

" … a World Prayer Missionary is any follower of Jesus who will go daily in prayer to a specific region of the world to engage in a carefully planned strategy of spiritual warfare."

 He goes on to describe the four-pronged function of such a prayer warrior:

1. He / she is a forerunner—a preparer of the way for missionaries on the ground - Isaiah 62:1,2.
2. He / she is a war club or weapon in God's hands - Isaiah 62:3
3. He / she is a threshing sledge, pulverizing what Satan would raise up to block God's plan - Isaiah 41:15.
4. He / she is a ruling authority - Jeremiah 1:10 -  Dick Eastman, Love On Its Knees, p. 176-8.

As we see the spread of Christ-hating and persecution of Christians let's not take it sitting down. Rather, let's fight it on our knees.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, You died for these people. They are my human brothers and sisters who you love. Please help me to view them through Your eyes and respond to news of such events of terrorism and persecution with increased prayer. Amen.

 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

What your speech says about the state of your heart

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 15:1-20

TO CHEW ON: "'But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.'" Matthew 15:18

I wonder if the Pharisees ever regretted criticizing Jesus' disciples for their non-hand-washing? The hand-washing they were talking about was part of Jewish oral tradition which had developed into a set of extra rules to help preserve the integrity of the law. The hand washing here was not for cleanliness but was a religious ritual (J. Lyle Story, notes on Matthew, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1317).

Jesus, recognizing this clash as a teaching moment, went to great lengths to explain to His disciples how silly this rule was in the scheme of things. Food that was touched and brought to the mouth with unwashed hands was soon eliminated, He said. But the real defilement came from what issued out of their mouths in speech. That originated in their thoughts - Matthew 15:17-19.

And here all of us, listening in these many generations later, are implicated. Who of us hasn't entertained thoughts of one or more of:

• murder (hatred - 1 John 3:15)?

• adultery?

• fornication [porneia compare pornography. Illicit sexual intercourse… The word describes both physical immorality and spiritual, signifying idolatry - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1318 -- emphasis added]?

• thefts?

• false witness (lying, non-verbal deception)?

• blasphemy ("slanders" - NASB) [Blasphemia: 1. Slander, detraction, speech injurious to another's good name; 2. impious and reproachful speech injurious to divine majesty]?

And so we agree with the prophet who said: "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked—who can know it?" - Jeremiah 17:9.

And we echo the confession of Paul: "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!" - Romans 7:24,25.

PRAYER: Dear God, before I disdain the scribes and Pharisees, I'd better examine my own heart for the defilement living in me, proved by my speech. Thank You for Jesus' blood that washes away my sins. Amen.

 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

************

Don't miss out! Get book tips, info on the newest in Bibles and Bible study resources, and my author news...

Subscribe to my quarterly newsletter

************

How does the world feel about you?

Jesus converses with the doctors
of the law - Alexandre Bida

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 7:1-24

TO CHEW ON: "The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil."  John 7:7

Though there have been times when Christians were in sync with their larger society, such times seem to be the exception rather than the rule. Even in my lifetime there has been a cooling toward Christians and Christianity due, partly at least, to the reason Jesus was hated by His neighbours--because he had the audacity to "testify of it that its works are evil." In other words, Jesus believed there was an objective standard of right and wrong and called evil, evil. The message of our prevailing culture is that everything is relative.

Jesus' words here tell us this reaction from the world ("hate") shouldn't surprise us. In fact, maybe we should be more surprised that we are as well accepted as we are.

So, how would a Jesus-type reaction look in our times? It's easy to imagine a holier-than-thou Christianity that puts people off with sanctimonious attitudes and words. None of us wants to be that person.

Perhaps 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 gives us a clue as to how we could live winsome, appealing lives, while being that influence for good:

"Now thanks be to God who ... through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life."

The image of our lives being perfume is a lovely one. Of course that perfume needs to be diffused and  words will probably be a part of that diffusing. And so even here we see that though some will like the 'smell' of those words and the life that backs them up,  others won't. And so, no matter how appealing the image, the hate element raises its head again. For how would we expect someone to react to the smell of death but to hate it?

I ask myself, am I willing to be hated for my loyalty to Christ? Are you?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, may my loyalty to You be unwavering. Please show me where I am compromising that loyalty because I want to be liked. Help me to stand with You when unpopular, evil-condemning words need to be spoken. Amen.

MORE:  Compromise?

 "When Christians compromise with the kosmos, they may continue to attend church and even pray and read their Bibles. The problem is that the things of God occupy a section of their lives, while the main thrust of their affections is devoted to the world-system. Jesus' warning that 'no one can serve to masters' is illustrated on every side by Christians in the West today" - Dennis McCallum, Unlocking the Mysteries of Satan, Kindle Location 908 (emphasis added).

**********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

"... the world hates you"

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 15:11-27

TO CHEW ON: "'If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.'" John 15:18-19.

On a Sunday a few weeks ago, militants blew themselves up outside a Christian church in Pakistan, killing 81 and injuring 140 (CTV news story). This summer Christian churches and Bible bookstores were targeted and destroyed in Egypt (CNN news story). More and more we are hearing of Christians around the world becoming victims of hatred and violence.

Hatred of Christians can also be expressed in less violent ways. Christian politicians in the west are sometimes singled out and their views characterized as dangerous. The entertainment industry has a heyday mocking people of faith. And if you are a scientist with religious conviction, watch the scientific community freeze you out!

What's going on here? Why are Christians universally hated?

[Hate - miseo is to hate, pursue with hatred, detest.
Dictionary: regard with extreme aversion, great dislike, detest, loathe, abhor.]

A short study of a few passages where Jesus talks about hate will help us understand some of the dynamics.

• Jesus quoted scripture which showed He was aware that hatred of Him was a fulfillment of prophecy (in John 3:20, quoted passages like Psalm 35:19; 69:4; 109:3-5).

• He said those who do evil hate the light. And who is the light (John 8:12)?

• Another time He pointed out the reason He was hated to His unbelieving brothers:

"'The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil'" - John 7:7.

• Taking this idea even further, Jesus said that those who hated Him also hated the Father - John 15:23.

• In  Luke 21:17 Jesus told His followers that they would be hated because of their association with Him.

•  In our reading, Jesus tells His followers to expect to be hated because they are not of this world  (John 15:19).

Uncomfortable words for sure for someone who wants to be liked. Yet I believe the sooner we make peace with the inevitability of the world's hatred the less the growing hostility of the world will surprise us and throw us off balance.


PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to be realistic about the world's aversion to You and Your claims. May its hatred draw me closer to You. Amen.

MORE: Feast of St. Simon & St. Jude

Today the church celebrates the apostles Simon and Jude.  The liturgy for the day begins with this collect:

O God, we thank you for the glorious company of the apostles, and especially on this day for Simon and Jude; and we pray that, as they were faithful and zealous in their mission, so we may with ardent devotion make known the love and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

***********

New King James Version (NKJV) Used with permission. The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.