Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / April 1 - John 8

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April 1 - John 8 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello, friends, it's Sean here. Happy Tuesday to you.
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  It is not only a new day, but a new month.
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  It is the beginning of April and I hope you are going well as we
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  continue to work our way through this fantastic, fantastic book
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  of John getting to walk around with Jesus, hearing what he
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  does, how he does it, and how the world just does not quite
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  know what to do with him. So how about we dive straight in
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  and continue reading the story as told in John chapter 8.
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  So Jesus, right, he's back in town, goes up to the Mount of
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  Olives for a bit to lay low. But the next morning, boom, he's
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  back in the temple doing his thing.
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  Word gets out quick and people start gathering around, right?
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  Jesus sits down, starts teaching the crowd, you know, real
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  smooth, real calm. Now here's where it gets
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  interesting. The Pharisees and these so
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  called teachers of the law, they come walking in with this woman
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  caught red handed in the act of adultery.
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  You can imagine the scene right? They toss her in front of the
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  crowd like they own the place they go.
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  Hey Jesus, this woman caught in adultery right?
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  The Lord of Moses says we got a Stoner.
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  What's your take on that, huh? They're trying to put him on the
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  spot, you know, corner him, get him to slip up so they can use
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  it against him. Real dirty, like real
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  underhanded. But Jesus, cool as a cucumber.
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  He just bends down, starts scribbling in the dirt, not a
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  care in the world. They keep pressing him, keep
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  asking, like a bunch of loudmouths trying to get a rise
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  out of him. Finally Jesus stands up, looks
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  them all dead in the eyes and says, all right, here's the
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  deal, whoever here ain't never sinned, let him throw the first
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  stone, got it? Then he goes back to scribbling
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  like nothing happened. Real quiet, real calm.
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  Well, friends, being the 1st of April and April Fool's Day, I
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  thought, why don't we start telling this story as written by
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  an Italian mob boss? So there you go, a little bit of
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  a different take, but how about now?
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  We read this chapter as recorded and shared by the disciple John.
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  In John chapter 8, Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives,
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  but early the next morning he was back again at the temple.
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  A crowd soon gathered and he sat down and taught them.
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  As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the
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  Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of
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  adultery. They put her in front of the
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  crowd. Teacher, they said to Jesus,
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  this woman was caught in the act of adultery.
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  The law of Moses said to stone her, What do you say?
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  They were trying to trap him into saying something they could
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  use against him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote
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  in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer.
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  So he stood up again and said, all right, but let the one who
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  has never sinned throw the first stone.
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  And he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.
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  When the accusers heard this, they slipped away 1 by 1,
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  beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the
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  middle of the crowd with the woman.
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  Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, Where are
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  your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn
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  you? No, Lord, she said.
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  And Jesus said, Neither do I go and sin no more.
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  Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, I am the light of
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  the world. If you follow me, you won't have
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  to walk in darkness because you will have the light that leads
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  to life. The Pharisees replied, You are
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  making those claims about yourself.
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  Such testimony is not valid. Jesus told them these claims are
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  valid even though I make them about myself, for I know where I
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  came from and where I am going. But you don't know this about
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  me. You judge me by human standards,
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  but I do not judge anyone. If I did, my judgement would be
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  correct in every respect because I am not alone.
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  The Father who sent me is with me.
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  Your own law says that if two people agree about something,
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  their witness is accepted as fact.
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  I am one witness and my Father who sent me is the other.
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  Where is your father? They asked.
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  Jesus answered, Since you don't know who I am, you don't know
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  who my father is. If you knew me, you would also
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  know my Father. Jesus made these statements
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  while he was teaching in the section of the temple known as
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  the Treasury, but he was not arrested because his time had
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  not yet come. Later Jesus said to them again,
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  I'm going away. You will search for me but will
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  die in your sin. You cannot come where I am
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  going. The people asked, Is he planning
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  to commit suicide? What does he mean you cannot
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  come where I am going? Jesus continued, You are from
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  below, I am from above. You belong to this world, I do
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  not. That is why I said you will die
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  in your sins, for unless you believe that I am who I claim to
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  be, you will die in your sins. Who are you?
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  They demanded. Jesus replied.
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  The one I have always claimed to be.
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  I have much to say about you and much to condemn, but I won't,
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  for I say only what I have heard from the one who sent me, and He
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  is completely truthful. But they still didn't understand
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  that He was talking about His Father.
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  So Jesus said, when you have lifted up the Son of Man on the
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  cross, then you will understand that I am He.
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  I do nothing on my own but say only what the Father taught me.
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  And the one who sent me is with me.
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  He has not deserted me, for I always do what pleases Him.
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  Then many. You heard him say these things,
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  believed in him, Jesus said to the people who believed in him,
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  You are truly my disciples if you remained faithful to my
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  teachings, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set
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  you free. But we're descendants of
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  Abraham, they said. We have never been slaves to
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  anyone. What do you mean you will be set
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  free? Jesus replied.
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  I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
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  A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son
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  is part of the family forever. So if the son sets you free, you
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  are truly free. Yes, I realise that you are
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  descendants of Abraham and yet some of you are trying to kill
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  me because there's no room in your hearts for my message.
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  I'm telling you what I saw when I was with my father.
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  But you were following the advice of your father.
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  Our father is Abraham, they declared.
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  No, Jesus replied, for if you were really the children of
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  Abraham, you would follow his example.
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  Instead, you were trying to kill me because I told you the truth,
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  which I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing.
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  No, you are imitating your real father, they replied.
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  We aren't illegitimate children. God himself is our true Father.
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  Jesus told them if God were your Father, you would love me
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  because I've come to you from God.
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  I'm not here on my own, but he sent me.
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  Why can't you understand what I'm saying?
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  It's because you can't even hear me, for you are children of your
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  Father the devil, and you do the evil things he does.
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  He was a murderer from the beginning.
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  He has always hated the truth because there is no truth in
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  him. When he lies, it is consistent
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  with his character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
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  So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don't believe me?
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  Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin?
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  And since I'm telling you the truth, why don't you believe me?
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  Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of
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  God, but you don't listen because you don't belong to God,
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  the people retorted. You Samaritan devil, didn't we
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  say all along that you were possessed by a demon?
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  No, Jesus said. I have no demon in me, for I
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  honour my Father and you dishonour me.
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  And though I have no wish to glorify myself, God is going to
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  glorify me. He is the true judge.
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  I tell you the truth. Anyone who obeys my teaching
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  will never die. The people said Now we know you
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  were possessed by a demon. Even Abraham and the prophets
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  died. But you say anyone who obeys my
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  teaching will never die. Are you greater than our father
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  Abraham? He died and so did the prophets.
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  Who do you think you are? Jesus answered.
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  If I want glory for myself, it doesn't count, but it is my
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  Father who will glorify me. You say he is our God, but you
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  don't even know him. I know him.
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  If I said otherwise I would be as great a liar as you.
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  But I do know him and obey him. Your father Abraham rejoiced as
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  he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad.
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  The people said You aren't even 50 years old.
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  How can you say you've seen Abraham?
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  Jesus answered. I tell you the truth, before
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  Abraham was even born, I am at that point.
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  They picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus was hidden
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  from them and left the temple. No?
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  Yes Lord, the devil is the father of lies and we know only
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  too well that these lies are presented to us all through
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  every day of our life that the world whispers to us.
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  Whispers that you are 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th and that other things
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  should be our number one priority and that the world and
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  its priorities are our master and that's what we need to
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  follow. That we need to seek our own
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  well being above others. That we need to pursue our own
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  kingdoms and not yours. And that is the way of wisdom
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  and truth. But Jesus, you teach us a better
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  way. You teach us the true way.
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  Help us always to stay true to You, and may our hearts always
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  know when the devil's lies come to us.
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  Our Lord Jesus, give us your wisdom.
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  Give us your truth that it may reverberate in us all through
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  our days so that we know your voice and the voice of the one
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  who is in the world. Jesus, we commit ourselves to
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  you afresh and pray that you shape us and lead us.
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  We pray all of this in your wonderful name, Jesus, Amen.