Archives for 2017

Good morning,

Mary had a desire to know Jesus and His teachings. She sat at His feet and listened.

This challenges me to want to spend more time in God’s word, so I might get closer to Jesus. The closer we get to Jesus, the more like Him we become. We know how to conduct ourselves as believers.

Was there ever a better student in divine knowledge?

(George Everard, “At the Feet of Jesus!” 1884)

“Mary seated herself at the Lord’s feet and was listening to His teaching.” Luke 10:39

Holy Scripture abounds in promises to the humble.
“He exalts the humble and meek.”
“He who humbles himself shall be exalted.”
“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

To take the lowest place, to sit down in the lowest room–is the sure road to true peace on earth and a throne of glory hereafter. By this path our Master went before–and we must endeavor to walk in His footsteps.

For this purpose, let us keep close to the Savior. For all that we need, let us abide “at His feet.”

Let us look at the feet of Jesus, as the place for the LEARNER. And was there ever a better student in divine knowledge than Mary of Bethany? While her sister was hard at work, desiring to honor Christ by providing for His physical needs–Mary sat quiet and still, calmly drinking in the words of grace and wisdom and love that flowed from His lips. His words sank very deep. She was filled with faith and love and reverence and holy joy and strength of soul. She was prepared for days of sorrow that lay before her. She learned well the lesson of His love, which led her in future days to bring her box of ointment and anoint Him for His burial.

Like Mary, come to the footstool of Jesus. Be a willing pupil in His school. Ever hearken to the voice that speaks to us from God.

The written Word is to us, in place of the teachings of the Incarnate Word. And in the study of the Word, nourish a quietness and stillness of spirit as in the very presence of Jesus. Believe it, that Christ is as near to you, as to Mary as she sat at His feet. And in the consciousness of this–avoid all hurried, hasty reading. Watch against the mind being preoccupied with business or anything of earth. Realize Christ close beside you, and let this thought calm and refresh your spirit, and prepare you to receive whatever instruction you need.

And as you read, be ever looking to Jesus for divine illumination. We can imagine Mary looking up again and again to the Savior when anything seemed beyond her. Then He would open her understanding, give her some fresh word of explanation, and make it all plain.

Only catch the humble, teachable spirit of Mary–and doubtless you shall have Mary’s blessing and reward.

It is a blessed thing to be with Christ, as a lowly, teachable learner, drinking in the words of eternal life.

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I trust this has challenged you to spend more time in God’s word. It will bless you and ultimately others as you share all that you are learning.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Foundation is defined as the basis or groundwork of anything, the natural or prepared ground or base on which some structure rests. the lowest division of a building, wall, or the like, usually of masonry and partly or wholly below the surface of the ground.

A foundation supports something. The foundation of a building determines whether it will stand when floods, wind, rain, or earthquakes come. If the building is built on a solid foundation it will stand.

Luke 6:46-49 tells us that Jesus and His words are the foundation for all believers.

“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?⁴⁷ Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:⁴⁸ He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.⁴⁹ But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.”

Jesus is the rock. He is the believer’s foundation. He is the only way of salvation. His words are the only words that are trustworthy, life changing, and will never fail us. Complete obedience to His word puts us in the center of God’s will for our lives.

That is a solid foundation!

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

 

Good morning,

When you look up what do you see? Spurgeon challenges us to look with our spiritual eyes opened.

Contemplating God’s greatness!

(Charles Spurgeon)

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place–what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him?” Psalm 8:3-4

Lift up your eyes, behold the heavens, the work of God’s fingers–behold the sun guided in his daily march! Go forth at midnight, and behold the heavens–consider the stars and the moon! Look upon these works of God’s hands, and if you are men of sense, and your souls are attuned to the high music of the spheres–you will say, “What is man that You are mindful of him?”

My God! When I survey the boundless fields of ether, and see those ponderous orbs rolling therein; when I consider how vast are Your dominions–so wide that an angel’s wing might flap to all eternity and never reach a boundary–I marvel that You should look on insects so obscure as man!

When I behold the Almightiness of Jehovah–I am so little that I shrink into nothingness! I am so little, that the difference between the molecule and man dwindles into nothing–when compared with the infinite chasm between God and man.

Let your mind rove upon the great doctrines of the Godhead; consider the existence of God from before the foundations of the world; behold Him who is, and was, and is to come, the Almighty.

Let your soul comprehend as much as it can of the Infinite, and grasp as much as possible of the Eternal–and I am sure if you have minds at all, that they will shrink with awe.

The tall archangel bows himself before his Master’s throne–and we shall cast ourselves into the lowest dust when we feel what base nothings, what insignificant specks we are, when compared with our all-adorable Creator.

Labor, O soul, to know your nothingness–and learn it by contemplating God’s greatness!

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

Good morning,

We have come to the end of our study of Esther. The Jews are safe. Mordecai has  achieved greatness in the eyes of the King and of the Jews. A holiday is commemorated to remember the occasion.

The presence of God is seen through each and every chapter. We serve an awesome God!

Chapter 9

Jews Defend Themselves Successfully (9:1-10)

Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;) ² The Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt: and no man could withstand them; for the fear of them fell upon all people.³ And all the rulers of the provinces, and the lieutenants, and the deputies, and officers of the king, helped the Jews; because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them.⁴ For Mordecai was great in the king’s house, and his fame went out throughout all the provinces: for this man Mordecai waxed greater and greater.⁵ Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction, and did what they would unto those that hated them.⁶ And in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men.⁷ And Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha,⁸ And Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha,⁹ And Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vajezatha,¹⁰ The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, slew they; but on the spoil laid they not their hand.

Number Slain Brought to the King (9:11-12)

¹¹ On that day the number of those that were slain in Shushan the palace was brought before the king. ¹² And the king said unto Esther the queen, The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and the ten sons of Haman; what have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? now what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: or what is thy request further? and it shall be done.

Esther’s Request (9:13)

 ¹³ Then said Esther, If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews which are in Shushan to do tomorrow also according unto this day’s decree, and let Haman’s ten sons be hanged upon the gallows.

King’s Command (9:14)

¹⁴ And the king commanded it so to be done: and the decree was given at Shushan; and they hanged Haman’s ten sons.

Jews Defend Themselves for a Second Day (9:15-19)

¹⁵ For the Jews that were in Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and slew three hundred men at Shushan; but on the prey they laid not their hand.¹⁶ But the other Jews that were in the king’s provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand, but they laid not their hands on the prey,¹⁷ On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.¹⁸ But the Jews that were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.¹⁹ Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another.

Feast of Purim Begun (9:20-32)

²⁰ And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far,²¹ To stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly,²² As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.²³ And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written unto them;²⁴ Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them;²⁵ But when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.²⁶ Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them,²⁷ The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year;²⁸ And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.²⁹ Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority, to confirm this second letter of Purim.³⁰ And he sent the letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth,³¹ To confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had decreed for themselves and for their seed, the matters of the fastings and their cry.³² And the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book.

CHAPTER 10

Mordecai Promoted

And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the isles of the sea.² And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai, whereunto the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia?³ For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.

Things to think about

The leadership of the King helped the Jews. Why was there still opposition? The sin nature of man. Unregenerate men and women hate Jews. Haman tried to destroy them and failed.  So, others pick up the torch thinking they would be able to defeat them. They also failed.

When Haman’s ten sons were executed, why didn’t the Jews take the spoil? Earlier, the King gave the house of Haman to Queen Esther. She already owned the spoil.

The Feast Of Purim is a celebration over wickedness. It is a time of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.

Mordecai was a Jew. The Bible says he became great among the Jews, advanced by the King, declared great by the King, next unto the King. How does this happen apart from God’s intervention?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

Good morning,

I hope this concept of God knowing everything about your life is not new to you. It should be a comfort to know that God cares for you.

There is no such thing as luck, chance, or accident, in the journey of our life!

(J.C. Ryle)

The future history of Christians, both in life and death, is foreknown by Christ. The Lord tells Simon Peter, “When you are old, you shall stretch forth your hands, and another shall gird you, and bring you where you do not want to go.” These words, without controversy, were a prediction of the manner of the Apostle’s death. They were fulfilled in after days, when Peter was crucified as a martyr for Christ’s sake. The time, the place, the manner, the painfulness to flesh and blood of the disciple’s death–were all matters foreseen by the Master.

The truth before us is eminently full of comfort to a true believer. To obtain foreknowledge of things to come would, in most cases, be a sorrowful possession. To know what was going to befall us, and yet not to be able to prevent it–would make us simply miserable. But it is an unspeakable consolation to remember that our whole future is known and fore-arranged by Christ. There is no such thing as luck, chance, or accident, in the journey of our life. Everything from beginning to end, is arranged by One who is too wise to err, and too loving to do us harm.

Let us store up this truth in our minds, and use it diligently in all the days of darkness through which we may yet have to pass. In such days we should lean back on the thought, “Christ knows this, and knew it when He called me to be His disciple.”

It is foolish to repine and murmur over our troubles. We should rather fall back on the thought that Jesus does all things well. It is useless to fret and be rebellious, when we have bitter cups to drink. We should rather say, “This also is from the Lord–He foresaw it, and would have prevented it, if it had not been for my good.”

Happy are those who can enter into the spirit of that old saint, who said, “I have made a covenant with my Lord, that I will never take amiss anything that He does to me.” We may have to walk sometimes through rough places on our way to Heaven. But surely it is a comforting, soothing reflection, that “Every step of my journey was foreknown by Christ!”

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Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Meditate on these sayings by Spurgeon. Then think about there application.

Short pithy gems from Charles Spurgeon!

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It is better to preach five words of God’s Word–than five million words of man’s wisdom!

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To be almost saved–is to be altogether lost! There are many in Hell who once were almost saved–but who are now altogether damned! Think of that, you who are not far from the Kingdom. It is being in the Kingdom that saves the soul–not being near the Kingdom.

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The world does not read the Bible–the world reads Christians!

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A golden coffin will be a poor compensation for a damned soul!

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If you have lived like the wicked–then you will die like the wicked, and be damned like the wicked!

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Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain. 907 715-4001

Good morning,

When a dying man says something, we should listen. They are telling us their heart. Richard Baxter gave us wisdom as he died.

When the Puritan Richard Baxter lay dying, he said to his friends who visited him: “You come here to learn to die. I can assure you that your whole life, be it ever so long–is little enough to prepare for death. Beware of this vain deceitful world, and the lusts of the flesh. Be sure that you choose . . .
God for your portion,
Heaven for your home,
God’s glory for your end,
His Word for your rule–
and then you need never fear but we shall meet with comfort.”

He also said, “Lord, what is man? What am I? A vile worm to the great God! God may justly condemn me for the best duty I ever did. All my hopes are from the free mercy of God in Christ!”

~  ~  ~  ~

Do we live our lives this way?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Esther 7-8 reveals who perpetrated the wickedness against the Queen, Mordecai, and the Jews, the sentence of the perpetrator, and a new letter being sent.

How clearly God is seen.

Chapter 8 New Letter

House of Haman to Esther, Mordecai takes Haman’s Position (8:1-2)

On that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews’ enemy unto Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was unto her.² And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

Esther’s Request to the King (8:3-6)

³ And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.⁴ Then the king held out the golden scepter toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king, ⁵ And said, If it please the king, and if I have favor in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king’s provinces:⁶ For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?

Kings Response (8:7-8)

⁷ Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews. ⁸ Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse.

New Letter Written and Sent (8:9-14)

⁹ Then were the king’s scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language.¹⁰ And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus’ name, and sealed it with the king’s ring, and sent letters by posts on horseback, and riders on mules, camels, and young dromedaries:¹¹ Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey,¹² Upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.¹³ The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.¹⁴ So the posts that rode upon mules and camels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king’s commandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the palace.

Mordecai Honored and the People Rejoice (8:15)

¹⁵ And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.

Jews Rejoice (8:16-17)

¹⁶ The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.¹⁷ And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Queen Esther puts Mordecai over the house of Haman. Mordecai now rules over the very people who were out to destroy him. When we honor God, obey His word, and fulfill His will, God blesses us. Mordecai obeyed God. He did not bow down to Haman or worship the God’s of Babylon. He followed God. God honored him.

The letter Mordecai drafted, in the Kings name, was a letter that allowed the Jews to defend themselves. It was also for the same day as the original. He could have sent a letter saying that the Jews could “…gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey,…”. The date could have been earlier, so they would have the advantage. Mordecai did not do that. Why?

Haman was a wicked Prince who demanded people to bow down to him. The people of Shushan were not glad. When Mordecai rode through the streets of Shushan the people rejoiced and were glad. When the provinces received the King’s letter, the Jews were glad. The rest of the people feared the God of the Jews.

We need to thank God for His watch care over us, our nation, and our world.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

Esther 7-8 reveals who perpetrated the wickedness against the Queen, Mordecai, and the Jews, the sentence of the perpetrator, and a new letter being sent.

How clearly God is seen.

Chapter 7 Second Banquet (7:1-2)

So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen.² And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom.

Esther’s Request (7:3-4)

³ Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favor in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request:⁴ For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage.

The King Asks “Who is he…”  and Esther’s Reply (7:5-6)

⁵ Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so?⁶ And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.

Haman’s Request to Queen Esther (7:7)

⁷ And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king.

Haman Sentenced to Die on the Gallows Built for Mordecai (7:8-10)

⁸ Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.⁹ And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon.¹⁰ So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

The King had no clue that this wickedness was going on. Why? He never asked any questions. When Haman wanted to destroy the Jews, he did not tell him who they were and the King did not ask. When Esther revealed Haman to be the one to destroy her people, the King did not ask for any evidence.

Haman had no idea that Queen Esther knew of, or cared about, his plan to kill the Jews. No one knew the Queen was a Jew. Haman’s arrogance caused him to suffer the shame (Chapter6) and the death, he plotted for Mordecai. God knows our thoughts and the intention of our hearts. We must be very careful not to think wicked deeds. The very act we mean for others may come back on us.

Queen Esther’s courage. When the Queen told the King of Haman’s plan, she was accusing Haman of being a traitor. Since women were not held in high esteem, why did the King believe her? He had no evidence.

The answer to the above questions is God. God’s hand prevailed to protect Queen Esther, condemn Haman, and to hang him on the gallows built for Mordecai. In fact, that same God is intervening in the affairs of men and women today. Every day, 24/7. He knows what we do, whether good or bad. Before we act, we must think about who is watching, and consider our ways.

Tomorrow the letter that changes everything.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

This is a good reminder of why we are not to love the world or the things in it.  Sometimes it does not seem like a big deal. However, if it is in conflict with God’s Word, Christ’s character, or our testimony for Christ do not do it.

WHY?

(Horatius Bonar)

“Do not love the world or anything in the world.” 1 John 2:15

WHY?

1. Because the gain of it, is the loss of the soul–Matthew 16:25-26.

   2. Because its friendship is enmity to God–James 4:4.

   3. Because it did not know Christ–John 1:10; 17:25.

   4. Because it hates Christ–John 7:7; 15:18.

   5. Because the Holy Spirit has forbidden us–1 John 2:15.

   6. Because Christ did not pray for it–John 17:9.

   7. Because Christ’s people do not belong to it–John 17:16.

   8. Because its Prince is Satan–John 13:31; 16:11.

   9. Because Christ’s kingdom is not of it–John 18:36.

   10. Because its wisdom is foolishness–1 Corinthians 1:20.

   11. Because Christ does not belong to it–John 8:23.

   12. Because it is condemned–1 Corinthians 11:32.

   13. Because it is passing away–1 Corinthians 7:31.

   14. Because it slew Christ–James 5:6; Matthew 21:39.

   15. Because it is crucified to us–Galatians 6:14.

   16. Because we are crucified to it–Galatians 6:14.

   17. Because it is the seat of wickedness–2 Peter 1:4; 1 John 5:19.

   18. Because its god is the evil one–2 Corinthians 4:4.

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Separation from sin and separation to Christ seems limiting.  We want no restrictions on our lives. Yet our study shows that God’s limits are for our protection and good. This might be a good list to keep close at hand when tempted to wander away from Jesus.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001