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January 29 - Luke 22 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean here and it's Thursday, it's the 29th
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  of January and we have reached the point in the book of Luke
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  where we have come to the morning Thursday reading.
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  So this is where it gets tough. We have been following the story
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  of Jesus through his baptism and his ministry and the incredible
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  things he has done, his journey to Jerusalem, his arrival there,
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  the plots against him, and now it all gets very real.
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  And as we read this, I don't know about you, but I can find
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  this quite distressing as we read this part of the story.
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  But the thing that we know is that Jesus went through all of
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  this willingly because He loves us.
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  And His mission from the outset was to save us.
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  And this is what it looks like to save us.
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  And so with that incredible knowledge that all of this he
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  does because he loves you, friends, and He loves me.
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  And we read it. Holy Spirit, may we just see the
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  truth of the depth of your love for us as we read your words to
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  us today. All right, friends, let's buckle
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  ourselves up. Let's get ready and read Luke
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  chapter 22. The Festival of Unleavened
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  Bread, which is also called Passover, was approaching.
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  The leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting
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  how to kill Jesus, but they were afraid of the people's reaction.
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  Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who is one of the 12
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  disciples, and he went to the leading priests and captains of
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  the Temple Guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to
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  them. They were delighted and they
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  promised to give him money. So he agreed and began looking
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  for an opportunity to betray Jesus so they could arrest him
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  when the crowds weren't around. Now the Festival of Unleavened
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  Bread arrived. When the Passover lamb was
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  sacrificed, Jesus sent Peter and John ahead and said, Go and
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  prepare the Passover meal so we can eat it together.
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  Where do you want us to prepare it?
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  They asked him. He replied, As soon as you enter
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  Jerusalem, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you.
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  Follow him at the house he enters.
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  Say to the owner. The teacher asks, where is the
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  guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?
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  He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set
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  up. That is where you should prepare
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  our meal. They went off to the city and
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  found everything, just as Jesus has said, and they prepared the
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  Passover meal there. When the time came, Jesus and
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  the apostles sat down together at the table.
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  Jesus said, I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal
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  with you before my suffering begins, for I tell you now that
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  I won't eat this meal again until its meaning is fulfilled
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  in the Kingdom of God. Then he took a cup of wine and
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  gave thanks to God for it. Then he said, take this and
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  share it among yourselves, for I will not drink wine again until
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  the Kingdom of God has come. He took some bread and gave
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  thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and
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  gave it to the disciples, saying, This is my body which is
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  given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.
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  After supper he took another cup of wine and said, This cup is
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  the new covenant between God and his people, an agreement
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  confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for
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  you. But here at this table, sitting
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  among us as a friend, is the man who will betray me.
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  For it has been determined that the Son of Man must die, but
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  what sorrow awaits the one who betrays Him?
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  The disciples began to ask each other which of them would ever
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  do such a thing. Then they began to argue among
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  themselves about who would be the greatest among them.
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  Jesus told them, In this world the kings and great men lorded
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  over their people, yet they are called friends of the people.
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  But among you it will be different.
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  Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank,
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  and the leader should be like a servant.
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  Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one
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  who serves? The one who sits at the table,
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  of course, but not here, for I am among you as one who serves.
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  You have stayed with me in my time of trial, and just as my
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  Father has granted me a Kingdom, I now grant you the right to eat
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  and drink at my table in my Kingdom, and you will sit on
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  Thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel.
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  Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat, but
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  I've pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should
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  not fail. So when you have repented and
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  turned to me again, strengthen your brothers, Peter said, Lord,
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  I am ready to go to prison with you and even to die with you.
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  But Jesus said, Peter, let me tell you something, before the
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  rooster crows tomorrow morning you will deny 3 times that you
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  even know me. The Jesus asked them, when I
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  sent you out to preach the good news and you did not have money,
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  a traveller's bag or even an extra pair of sandals, did you
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  need anything? No, they replied.
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  But now he said, take your money and a traveller's bag and if you
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  don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.
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  For the time has come for this prophecy about me to be
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  fulfilled. He was counted among the rebels.
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  Yes, everything written about me by the prophets will come true.
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  Look, look, they replied. We have two swords among us.
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  That's enough, he said. Then, accompanied by the
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  disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual
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  to the Mount of Olives. There he told them, Pray that
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  you will not give in to temptation.
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  He walked away about Australian's throw, and knelt
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  down and prayed. Father, if you are willing,
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  please take this cup of suffering away from me.
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  Yet I want Your will to be done, not mine.
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  Then an Angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him.
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  He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that
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  his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.
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  At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only
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  to find them asleep, exhausted from grief.
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  Why are you sleeping? He asked them.
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  Get up and pray so that you will not give in to temptation.
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  But even as Jesus said this, a crowd approached, led by Judas,
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  one of the 12 disciples. Judas walked over to Jesus to
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  greet him with a kiss. But Jesus said, Judas, would you
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  betray the Son of Man with a kiss?
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  When the other disciples saw what was happening, they
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  exclaimed, Lord, should we fight?
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  We brought the swords, and one of them struck at the high
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  priest's slave, slashing off his right ear.
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  But Jesus said no more of this, and he touched the man's ear and
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  healed him. And Jesus spoke to the leading
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  priests, the captains of the temple guard, and the elders who
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  would come for him. Am I some dangerous
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  revolutionary? He asked that you come with
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  swords and clubs to arrest me. Why didn't you arrest me in the
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  temple? I was there every day, but this
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  is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns.
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  So they arrested him and led him to the high priest's home, and
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  Peter followed at a distance. The guards lit a fire in the
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  middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them
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  there. A servant girl noticed him in
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  the firelight and began staring at him.
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  Finally she said this man was one of Jesus followers, but
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  Peter denied it. Woman, he said, I don't even
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  know him. After a while, someone else
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  looked at him and said, You must be one of them.
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  No, man, I'm not, Peter retorted.
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  About an hour later, someone else insisted this must be one
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  of them because he is a Galilean too.
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  But Peter said, man, I don't know what you were talking
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  about. And immediately, while he was
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  still speaking, the rooster crowed.
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  At that moment, the Lord turned and looked at Peter.
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  Suddenly the Lord's words flashed through Peter's mind.
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  Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning you will deny 3
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  times that you even know me. And Peter left the courtyard
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  weeping bitterly. The guards in charge of Jesus
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  began mocking and beating him. They blindfolded him and said,
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  prophesied to us who hit you that time.
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  And they hurled all sorts of terrible insults at him.
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  At Daybreak, all the elders of the people assembled, including
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  the leading priests and the teachers of religious law, Jesus
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  was led before this high council.
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  And they said, tell us, are you the Messiah?
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  But he replied, If I tell you, you won't believe me, and if I
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  ask you a question, you won't answer.
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  But from now on the Son of Man will be seated in the place of
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  power at God's right hand. They all shouted, So are you
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  claiming to be the Son of God? And he replied, You say that I
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  am. Why do we need other witnesses?
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  They said We ourselves heard him say it.
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  Our Lord, as we read this story we hear how hard it is for the
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  disciples to to stay true to you.
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  They have just hours before committed themselves with
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  absolute certainty to be true to You.
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  And then when the the heat arrives and the pressure is on,
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  Lord, they scatter. Because when the ferocity of
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  this world and its opposition to you lands before us and on us,
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  staying true to you is challenging.
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  Yet, Lord, that is what you ask us to do.
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  And Lord, when we do make a mess of it, there you are with your
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  loving forgiveness, ready to give us another chance.
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  Ah, Lord, I pray that Your Spirit would grow in us to give
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  us bravery and confidence and boldness and courage so that
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  when we find ourselves in these moments, Lord, we can stand up
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  for what we know is true. And we can speak your words of
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  truth, and we can act in a way that would bring glory to You,
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  even when the pressure is on and the tide pushes us in the
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  opposite direction. Lord, may we stand firm in our
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  faith in you. And Lord, when we do fail, help
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  us not despair, but know your words of comfort and
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  restoration. So we just commit ourselves to
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  you, our wonderful, loving Saviour, who went through all of
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  this out of love for us. And we pray this in your saving
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  name, Jesus, Amen.