Which one of you convicts me of sin?

John 8:46

Which one of you convicts me of sin? John 8:46

I continue my study of The Character of Jesus.  For this morning, I focus on chapter 25 (second to last chapter): The Holiness of Jesus where I highlighted in my Kindle version the following excerpts:

• "There is but one name in human history with which we can link that glorious name. What do we mean by holiness? We mean wholeness, full-orbed perfection. A holy man is a man without a fleck or flaw, a character without a blemish or a stain."
•  "[S]o far as we can discover there is nothing in Jesus' consciousness which indicates that he was guilty of any sin. There is no trace anywhere of regret, no indication anywhere of remorse. From first to last he is serene, jubilant, confident, free, so far as we can see, from that shadow which the consciousness of sin always casts."
• "There is no [sinless] exception in the whole list from Abraham down to the latest of the apostles. Every heart cries out in the language of the Psalmist: 'Have mercy upon me, O God, and blot out my transgressions,' 'Wash me from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin, for my sin is ever before me.'"
• "Other men, even the strongest, have asked others to pray for them — he never asked prayers of any man."
• "Not only did he hold himself immeasurably above the heads of all other men, but he forgave sins, he spoke as one having authority. No other man had ever exercised such a prerogative. Even the worst sinners when penitent at his feet received from him authoritative assurance of forgiveness. Moreover he was a man without a human ideal."
• "All good men have looked up to some man better than themselves; Jesus looked up to no man. He placed himself above Moses. He said, 'A greater than Solomon is here.' He said to men, 'Follow me, I am the ideal.' And at the same time he said, 'Be ye perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect.'"
• "There was a reason why the baptism should be performed,—there was another element in baptism besides confession of sin. John was the beloved disciple, coming the nearest to the Master's heart. In the third chapter of his first letter he says this, 'He was manifested to take away our sin, and in him is no sin.' That was the impression which the Lord made upon him."
• "In the second chapter of [Peter's] first letter he says, 'He did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth." Now [the Apostles] were with Jesus. They ate with him, drank with him, slept with him, they saw him in all conditions and in all moods, and under varying circumstances. They saw him hungry, angry, stem, surprised, disappointed, amazed, yet they believed that in him there was no sin. The writer to the Hebrews in the fourth chapter reminds his readers that while Jesus was tempted in all points as we are, yet he was without sin."
• "Here, then, we have reached the crowning characteristic of Jesus. It is this which differentiates him from all other men who have ever lived. Every other man has known the pang of remorse, every other man has cried for pardon."
• "It is this sinlessness which gives Jesus his power. You cannot understand the New Testament unless you acknowledge that he was holy. His life was one of suffering, persecution, ending in a horrible death, but yet the New Testament is a joyous book. There is no gloom in it because there was no gloom in him. His soul was radiant. Nothing creates gloom in this world but sin."
• "All the things which we count terrible are insignificant and have no power to cast a shadow. There is only one thing which makes the spirit droop, and that is sin. His sinlessness explains his joyfulness."
• "The reason we are drawn to him is not because of his courage, his sympathy, his patience, or his brotherliness; it is because we feel instinctively that he is far above us, a man without a sin. It is this which gives the Christian church its power. The Christian church has but one perfect possession, that is Jesus."
• "Some of you are not interested in him; it is because he is so far above you. Some of you have no sympathy with him; it is because you are not at all like him. Some of you do not understand his words; that is because you are disobedient. Some of you have no disposition to do his will; it is because you are the prisoners of sin. But the sinless Christ does not turn away from us, no matter how sinful we are. He says: 'Come unto me. He that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.'"

Believers see Jesus as holy - the perfect spotless Lamb of God.  We are also called to be like Him - to be holy (see also 1 Peter 1:15-16).  How is this possible?  Jesus is the King of Kings.  First, we are all made in His image - see Genesis 9:6.  Since the Fall (Genesis 3), sin separates us from God. In the Old Testament, the ceremonial rituals of sacrifice were required to atone for sin.  Yet, over time, Israel largely performed this ritual as rote, devoid of a truly repentant heart - they could claim obedience to following God's commands for atonement but God wants our heart (to love Him first, then others - the two greatest commandments - see Matthew 22:34-40), not rote sacrifice.  With Jesus, we see the end of the OT sacrificial system and those who believe in Jesus are reconciled to God, and become a new creation with the Holy Spirit in their hearts.  As we read and study the Word and see Jesus in the Word, we know more about Him and love Him more with each passing day.  It is not us, but God working in us to bring about obedience and sanctification - we become more like Him through Him.  As I approach the last chapter of this book by Charles Jefferson, I return to the beginning with a reminder of why I read this book - quoting from the Introduction: "to be a Christian is to admire Jesus so sincerely and so fervently that the whole life goes out to him in an aspiration to be like him."

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is Holy, and the sinless, perfect Lamb of God who calls me to be holy and equips me with the Holy Spirit and Your Word to help me become more like You.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You save nor how You bless in these ways and so much more.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.    

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Ecclesiastes 12

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. Ecclesiastes 1:13-14

I continue my study today of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book.  Today, my focus is an unassisted review of Ecclesiastes 12:8-14, which is the third division of Ecclesiastes chapter 1 per the commentary - as the commentary shares that "Ecclesiastes cannot be rightly understood without the conclusion." In the concluding verses of Ecclesiastes, Solomon starts with "all is vanity[,]" once again pointing to the meaningless of all activity, wisdom, and knowledge apart from God.  The final verses of  Ecclesiastes, indeed, as the commentary shares, describe how Solomon, a man of great wisdom and intelligence, searches high and low for the meaning of life (including over the course of his own life) and ultimately concludes that the whole duty of man is to "[f]ear God and keep his commandments[, as...] God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil." Indeed, we exist solely to glorify God and we must also be certain to be holy as He is holy as we will all be judged according to what we have done and most importantly whether we trusted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion - thank You Jesus for Your mercies that are new every morning and that never cease.  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened.

1 Corinthians 5

Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. 1 Corinthians 5:7

I continue my study of 1 Corinthians.  I am assisted in my study by the Christ-Centered Exposition Series commentary for this book.  Today my focus is a review - unaided by the commentary - of 1 Corinthians 5.  Here Paul uses hard-hitting language to the church in Corinth, admonishing them for allowing sexual immorality (v1) and other sins (boasting - v6; greed, idolatry, reviler, drunkard, swindler - v11) to remain in the body of Christ.  He urges them to be removed (v2, 13). Paul uses the analogy of baking with yeast (v6-8) to urge them to remember that they are a new creation in Christ, so they should pursue sanctification from Christ, as He gives freedom from the slavery of sin and removes impurities as they grow closer to Him and become more like Him.  Paul concludes the text by sharing that the church in Corinth is to avoid associating with those who sin as described in the text.  While Christ did come to seek and save the lost, and pursued fellowship with sinners, we must acknowledge the danger of sinful influences in the body of Christ. 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and blessing.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

Hebrews 12

Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14

I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today looks at how we must fight for holiness, which John Piper defines as a practical matter as "believing the promises of future grace" as the source for all good works that we do in service of a God we love.  Piper sees this as a critical battle, hoping that we avoid Christ's words from Matthew 7:23 and Romans 8:13 where He admonishes those who never truly believed in Him and instead lived according to the flesh (vs the Spirit). This path leads of course to damnation.  On the other hand, if we believe in the sanctifying power of grace to provide all that we need, we demonstrate ourselves to be fully reliant on God.  Piper points us to 1 Peter 4:11, Romans 15:18, and 1 Corinthians 15:10 as examples of text that support how we can fight for holiness and maintain complete reliance on Him. Piper wraps this devotion by sharing: "[m]oment by moment, grace arrives to enable us to do “every good work” that God appoints for us. “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8)."   See also this post from DesiringGod.com. Seek and fight for holiness!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are so good to me, and You give me Your Word, the Holy Spirit, the church, etc. so that I can arm myself for the fight for holiness. Thank You Jesus!  Without You and the blessings You provide - I am unable to save myself from the prince of this world - Satan.  I am undeserving of how You save, provide, and protect.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus.  Help me overcome and turn from such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

Leviticus 21-22

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. James 3:1

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - starting chapter eighteen - Holiness and Leadership - covering Leviticus 21-22, looking specifically at the introduction and first theme for the chapter - God Calls Spiritual Leaders to a Higher Standard.  Here, the commentary pivots from how God seeks holiness from His people (as I have posted about recently), to how He seeks a higher standard of holiness for spiritual leaders. The commentary first points to Leviticus 21:16-23 where God requires the priests to be free of blemish, including physical infirmities such as a crippled hand, skin disease, paralysis, or blindness.  The commentary emphasizes that it is not the physical infirmities that precluded an Old Testament priest from serving, but the symbolism of the infirmities.  "The tabernacle, everything that happened in the tabernacle, and everybody who served in the tabernacle symbolized the presence of God. God is holy; He is without blemish.  To represent the fact of God's perfection, only what was unblemished could be part of the worship of God."  The commentary also makes it crystal clear that those with physical infirmities are of no less value to Him (and to us). 

The New Testament does away with these requirements for spiritual leaders as Jesus becomes our High Priest and He is perfect and without blemish, representing the presence of God. Nonetheless, the New Testament does still have a higher standard for spiritual leaders (see James 3:1), and the commentary points us to "two New Testament truths concerning spiritual leadership in the church[:]"

• God says all Christians are spiritual leaders in the world; see 1 Peter 2:9 and 2 Corinthians 5:19-20 where believers and the church are called a royal priesthood and how all believers are given a role in the ministry of reconciliation and the Great Commission. 
• God gives spiritual leaders to the church; see Ephesians 4:11-12, Acts 20, 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1 and 1 Peter 5 where scripture provides attributes of Godly character required to serve in leadership positions in the church.

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who has provided and continues to provide Godly men in churches I have attended and in the church I now attend - huge blessings to me!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sins of worry and harshness towards others continues.  Please forgive me Jesus!  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him."

Leviticus 19-20

Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." John 14:23

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing chapter seventeen - Holiness and Love - covering Leviticus 19-20, looking specifically at the fifth and final theme for the chapter - Our Holiness Requires Living by Distinctions.  Here, the commentary looks at ways in which God seeks for us to be unique and set apart from the world. We are referred to the many passages in Leviticus that contrast acceptable versus unacceptable sacrifices, clean versus unclean food, and ways of life and behaviors that are designed to express our holiness - see also my post yesterday as an example of the latter.  The commentary highlights several scriptural examples in Leviticus 19-20 that reinforce how we are to be set apart (and holy).

First, the commentary looks at how we are to see the distinction between sacred and secular. Leviticus 19:19 is used to point out how God used "mixing of fabrics in the priestly garments and the mixing of spices in tabernacle incense" in the tabernacle, but did not allow similar mixing in secular life (see also Deuteronomy 22:9-11).  The commentary points out God allowed mixing in the tabernacle because it was special.  We must see how "[s]ome things are special and holy...so we treat [them] with respect", including God's Word and worship. Although the ceremonial laws do not apply with the New Covenant with Jesus, the sacred nature of of certain aspects of our journey with Christ still apply such as the Bible, and worship.

Second, the commentary points out a distinction between marriage and singleness, including "the sanctity of marriage." God paid special attention to this here in Leviticus 19-20 as the Israelites were about to enter the promised land that was surrounded by sexual behavior God did not want for the Israel.  He sought for the Israelites to be set apart, and He still has this desire today.  

Third, and finally, the commentary points out how our holiness "is defined by the distinction between falsehood and truth.  Looking at Leviticus 19:23-31 and v26-31, God sought for the Israelites to praise the One True God and to avoid the falsehood of "pagan religions" common at the time, particularly in Canaan and the neighboring lands.  

We are encouraged to explore a book entitled My Heart-Christ's Home, where Robert Munger provides a great analogy of a house to demonstrate how God seeks for believers to surrender all aspects of our lives over to Jesus.  See a short summary of this book here. This is how we are to become set apart as God sought for the Israelites (and all believers).

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who and who has come to live in the house of my heart and I am so thrilled that You have - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You have entered my life.  My sin continues...worry, etc. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.["]

Leviticus 19-20

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.["] John 14:15

This afternoon, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing chapter seventeen - Holiness and Love - covering Leviticus 19-20, looking specifically at the third theme for the chapter - Our Holiness Arises from a Relationship with God.  Here, the commentary examines how we achieve holiness over the course of our journey with Christ, and how we express that holiness - in other words, how can know and "measure" that we are indeed being holy.  In looking at how, or the process through which we become holy, the commentary starts by referring to us to the Old Testament and how God invited the Israelites into a special relationship with Him.  The commentary states that "[h]oliness arises from a relationship with God, and the closer we get to God the more holy we become.  The tabernacle in which the Israelites was divided into three sections, each one of which represented different degrees of holiness....Every Israelite was allowed in [the outer court]." The priests could only enter the holy place inside the tent, and only the high priest could enter the inner sanctum or the "most holy place" (see also Exodus 26:33-34).  This inner sanctum represented the presence of God.  The commentary continues in its description of the tabernacle by by saying: "[i]n the tabernacle, to move closer to [the inner sanctum] that represented the presence of God was to become more and more holy.  That physical reality illustrates a spiritual reality--the closer we get to God, the more holy we will become, the more separated from the ways of the world and the more consecrated to God we will grow....The key to holiness is staying close to God."

The commentary then moves to how we express our holiness, or how we know or "measure" our holiness.  Looking at Leviticus 19-20, the commentary refers us to v19:3-4, 37, and in v20:8, and 22 where God seeks our obedience to His commands. The commentary also points us to the New Testament, where Jesus, in John 14:15 says "[i]f you love me, you will keep my commandments." Beyond our obedience, the commentary indicates that we express our holiness through communion with God. We are pointed to Leviticus v19:5-8 and 20:2-6 where: (1) the fellowship offering is described - this offering is described as meaning "the worshiper was at peace with God"; (2) we are urged to see how "[o]ur fellowship with God is exclusive" and how God commands us not to create idols for other Gods - we are to worship Him alone.  

The commentary wraps by reminding believers that sin breaks our fellowship with God. Due to the fact that, for believers, sin remains until we meet Jesus face to face, we must continue to seek God, seek His forgiveness for sin that remains in our lives, and remain close to Him so that He "gives us pardon for sin in our past, and power over sin in our present[.]"

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who forgives me and gives me power over sin - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  I continue to sin, with arrogance, harshness towards others, and worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

Leviticus 19-20

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 1 Corinthians 15:10

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing chapter seventeen - Holiness and Love - covering Leviticus 19-20, looking specifically at the second theme for the chapter - A Definition from God's Word.  Here, the commentary seeks for us to understand holiness as, quoting Jonathan Edwards, "sweet and ravishingly lovely...[not] a melancholy, morose, sour, and unpleasant thing."  The commentary than moves to explicitly define holiness as "a condition of our hearts created by God, and a way of behaving lived by us."  We must first understand that "our natural state [is for us to be] sinners, separated from God, and without hope in this life or the next."  We are then referred to the following verses in scripture:

• Ephesians 2:3, 8 - believers (and all of humanity) are born sinners, then by grace saved (not of our own doing) and given faith
  
• Romans 3:24 - we are justified by His grace (again not of our own doing)
  
• 1 Peter 5:10 - it was God who called us to faith and He restores, confirms, strengthens, and establishes us
• John 17:17 - God sanctifies us by His Truth (Word)

Over the course of a believer's life and journey with Christ, it is God alone who sanctifies us and makes us more like Him - more holy. He alone causes heart and life change/transformation. The commentary then encourages to look at Philippians 2:12-13 and 1 Corinthians 15:10.  In these verses, we see that as God moves in our hearts, we begin to behave and act in ways that are more like Him. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who sanctifies me and creates new life in me, over and over again as You do this in me over the course of my entire life as a believer. Thank You Jesus for giving me a heart of flesh and for the blessings that follow.  I am not deserving of such blessings.  I sin...every day....harshness towards others and worry, etc. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

Leviticus 19-20

You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. Leviticus 11:44-45, 19:2, 20:26, and 1 Peter 1:16

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - starting chapter seventeen - Holiness and Love - covering Leviticus 19-20, looking specifically at the first theme for the chapter - An Exhortation from God.  In the introduction to the chapter, the commentary briefly examines how we as humans can easily move from peace with God in one moment to sin (of course of many flavors).  The commentary then states how Leviticus 19 is often regarded "as the thematic center of the book[,]" and how "the largest themes of Leviticus are the holiness of God and the holiness of God's people; those are the themes for Leviticus 19-20.  For today - An Exhortation from God - focuses on v19:2, "[y]ou shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy" and how these words also appear in the Old Testament in Leviticus 11:44-45 and 20:26, and in the New Testament in 1 Peter 1:16. Believers should know that we exist to glorify God; therefore, we can better understand the importance of being holy as God seeks for us to represent Him to the world.  The commentary describes God's holiness as "He is different, other than, and He is unique in that He is perfectly righteous....Holiness is an intrinsic attribute of God's nature, and God expresses His holiness through what He does." The question of course believers are left with is: what does holiness mean?  The commentary indicates it will address this in the next sub-heading, which I will tackle tomorrow.

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God and You are holy, righteous, and perfect in all that You are and all that You do.  You have blessed me in so many ways I cannot simply describe all these ways. I am not deserving of how You bless me.  My sin of harshness and anger towards others continues, as do other sins such as worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.