Latest / Bible Chat Devotional / January 21 - Faithfulness in the Small Things

Transcript

January 21 - Faithfulness in the Small Things · Bible Chat Devotional

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  Welcome to Bible Chat, where we have devotional conversations
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  rooted in Scripture and relevant for today, January 21st.
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  Wake up, ants are winning. It's way too easy to hit snooze
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  on your alarm, on your responsibilities, and sometimes
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  even on your purpose. You tell yourself you'll get
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  serious tomorrow, start that assignment later, pray more next
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  week, or take life seriously when things calm down.
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  But later has a habit of slipping away.
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  Before you know it, days pass, opportunities shrink, and
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  motivation feels harder to find. That's why Proverbs chapter 6
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  feels almost funny and painfully honest.
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  God says go to the Ant. Oh sluggard, consider her ways
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  and be wise. Of all the creatures God could
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  use as an example, he chooses ants.
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  Ants don't wait for motivation. They don't need supervision.
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  No one has to remind them what to do.
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  They work while they can. They prepare ahead of time.
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  They move with purpose, even though they're small.
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  And God says that's wisdom. Laziness isn't always about
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  doing nothing. Sometimes it's about delaying
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  what matters. It's putting off growth,
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  discipline, and obedience until it feels urgent or comfortable.
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  Proverbs warns that when we live that way, LAX sneaks up on us
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  quietly. Not always just financially, but
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  spiritually, emotionally, and relationally.
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  We wake up one day realizing we've fallen behind in places
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  that really matter. But here's the grace filled side
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  of today's message. Matthew chapter 18 shows us
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  God's heart toward people who drift.
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  Jesus says it's not the will of the Father that even 1 little
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  one should perish. He tells the story of a shepherd
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  who leaves 99 sheep just to go after one that wandered off.
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  That means God doesn't give up on you when you're unmotivated,
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  distracted, or falling behind. He doesn't label you as a lost
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  'cause He comes looking for you. Put those two truths together
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  and something powerful emerges. God values you deeply, and
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  because you matter, how you live matters.
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  You're not called to drift through life waiting to be
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  pushed. You're called to rise up, take
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  responsibility, and live with intention.
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  Like the Ant, you can choose to prepare instead of
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  procrastinate, to act instead of delay, and to grow even when no
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  one is watching. You don't work hard to earn
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  God's love. You work hard because you
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  already have it. And when you understand how much
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  you matter to Him, you stop wasting time and start living on
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  purpose. Today isn't about shame.
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  It's about waking up to who you are and what you're capable of.
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  With God's help, let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for
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  loving me even when I've been distracted, unmotivated, or slow
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  to act. Help me learn from the Ant and
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  grow into someone who lives with discipline, purpose, and wisdom.
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  Remind me that my life matters to You and that You've given me
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  today for a reason. Give me the strength to rise up,
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  take responsibility and honor you and how I live each day in
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  Jesus name, Amen. What if the ache you feel for
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  more is actually God calling you deeper?
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  Thirst for God is a powerful Seven book prayer scripts series
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  inspired by Psalm 63, created for believers who refuse to live
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  on spiritual leftovers. This is a journey from longing
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  to encounter, from dryness to delight.
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  Seek teaches you how to pursue God with passion and
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  intentionality. Savor trains your heart to
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  recognize and enjoy His presence in every season.
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  See opens your spiritual eyes to God's power, glory and beauty at
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  work in your life. Satisfy leads your soul into
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  fullness, strength and deep contentment in Him alone.
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  Sing ignites joy, gratitude, and worship that rises naturally
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  from intimacy with God. Stay anchors your heart in
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  steadfast devotion when distractions try to pull you
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  away, and Stand equips you to remain firm in God's justice,
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  protection, and victory. With over 210 prophetic
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  Scripture anchored prayers, this series helps you cultivate daily
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  communion, personal revival, and a lifestyle of holy pursuit.
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  If you're spiritually hungry, weary, or simply longing for
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  more of God, this is your invitation to drink deeply.
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  Order Thirst for God on Amazon today or visit prayerscripts.org
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  and begin your journey into deeper intimacy with the God who
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  satisfies. Now I invite you to spend time
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  with God in today's three-year Bible reading plan.
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  Proverbs chapter 6, verses 6 to 11 World English Bible.
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  Go to the Ant, you, Sluggard, consider her ways and be wise,
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  which, having no chief overseer or ruler, provides her bread in
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  the summer and gathers her food in the harvest.
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  How long will you sleep, sluggard?
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  When will you arise out of your sleep?
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  A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the
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  hands to sleep? So your poverty will come as a
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  robber, and your scarcity as an armed man.
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  Matthew Chapter 18 World English Bible In that hour the disciples
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  came to Jesus, saying, Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of
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  heaven? Jesus called a little child to
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  himself and set him in the middle of them, and said, Most
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  certainly. I tell you, unless you turn and
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  become as little children, you will in no way enter into the
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  Kingdom of heaven. Whoever therefore humbles
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  himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of
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  heaven. Whoever receives one such little
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  child in my name receives me. But whoever causes one of these
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  little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for
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  him if a huge millstone were hung around his neck, and that
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  he were sunk in the depths of the sea.
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  Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling, for it
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  must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through
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  whom the occasion comes. If your hand or your foot causes
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  you to stumble, cut it off and cast it from you.
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  It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled,
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  rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the
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  eternal fire. If your eye causes you to
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  stumble, pluck it out and cast it from you.
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  It is better for you to enter into life with one eye rather
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  than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire.
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  See that you don't despise one of these little ones, for I tell
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  you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father
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  who is in heaven. For the Son of Man came to save
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  that which was lost. What do you think?
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  If a man has 100 sheep and one of them goes astray, doesn't he
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  leave the 99, go to the mountains, and seek that which
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  has gone astray? If he finds it, most certainly,
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  I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the 99 which have
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  not gone astray. Even so, it is not the will of
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  your Father, who is in heaven, that one of these little ones
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  should perish. If your brother sins against
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  you, go show him his fault between you and him alone.
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  If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother, but if
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  he doesn't listen, take one or two more with you, that at the
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  mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
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  If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly.
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  If he refuses to hear the assembly also, let him be to you
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  as a Gentile or a tax collector. Most certainly, I tell you,
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  whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in
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  heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been
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  released in heaven again. Assuredly I tell you that if 2
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  of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they
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  will ask, it will be done for them by My Father who is in
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  heaven. For where two or three are
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  gathered together in My name, there I am in the middle of
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  them. Then Peter came and said to him,
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  Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive
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  him? Until 7 times.
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  Jesus said to him, I don't tell you until 7 times, but until 70
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  * 7. Therefore the Kingdom of heaven
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  is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with
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  his servants. When he had begun to settle, one
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  was brought to him who owed him 10,000 talents, but because he
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  couldn't pay, his Lord commanded him to be sold with his wife,
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  his children and all that he had and payment to be made.
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  The servant therefore fell down and knelt before him saying,
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  Lord, have patience with me and I will repay you all.
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  The Lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released
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  him and forgave him the debt. But that servant went out and
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  found one of his fellow servants who owed him 100 denarii, and he
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  grabbed him and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me what you
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  owe. So his fellow servant fell down
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  at his feet and begged him, saying, Have patience with me,
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  and I will repay you. He would not, but went and cast
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  him into prison until he should pay back that which was due.
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  So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were
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  exceedingly sorry and came and told their Lord all that was
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  done. Then his Lord called him in and
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  said to him, You wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt
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  because you begged me. Shouldn't you also have had
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  mercy on your fellow servant? Even as I had mercy on you?
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  His Lord was angry and delivered him to the tormentors until he
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  should pay all that was due to him.
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  So my Heavenly Father will also do to you if you don't each
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  forgive your brother from your hearts for his misdeeds.
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  Thanks for joining us on Bible Chat, where Scripture meets
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  everyday life. If today's devotional encouraged
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  you, share it with a friend and be sure to follow the podcast so
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  you won't miss the next conversation.
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  Until next time, stay rooted in truth, anchored in hope, and
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  walking daily with Jesus.