The following is a reprint from The Cast of the Crucifixion...

Peter…Disciple of Disappointment

I couldn’t believe that I could treat my Jesus like that …what happened…what went so miserably wrong that I would deny and forsake him; turn my back and run away….I should suffer the same fate as Judas Iscariot, but I’m  too much of a coward to die at my own hand.

It had only been a week ago that Jesus sent John and me into the village to find the young donkey. It was tethered there, just as Jesus said, and when we told the owner that Jesus had need of it, he gladly gave it to us. We placed our cloaks upon it and Jesus rode upon the back of the young foal as the crowd cheered wildly and lay their coats and palm branches across the road saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.” And now, less than a week later, they cried out, “Away with Him! Crucify Him!”

And then, there was the Passover meal that we shared in that upper room…as we sat down to eat, Christ arose and girded himself with a cloth and began to wash our feet. When he came to me, I arrogantly announced that he would never wash my feet. Then, he lovingly told me that if he didn’t wash me I would have no part with him…so I proudly proclaimed that he should wash all of me. He told us later, after the meal that he was going away and that, for now, we could not follow. But once again, I proclaimed my love and desire to follow him …even unto death; once again, he looked lovingly into my eyes and told me that on that very night I would deny him three times.

I failed him again …in the garden. There in the darkness, Judas Iscariot showed up with the Palace guard and a company of Roman soldiers. They said they were searching for Jesus the Nazarene and when they took hold of him, I drew my sword to smite them…I was not one to run from a fight; and again, Jesus gently rebuked me and told me that he must drink the cup that His Father had given him and there should be no more of this…then, his touched healed the servant’s severed ear.

Oh, but my greatest failure was the one that Jesus had predicted before we left that upper room….that I would deny Him. After they seized him and led him away, I followed in the shadows…not close enough to be noticed, but I could not forsake Him after all he had done for me. We arrived in the courtyard of the high priest’s house and they built a fire. As I sought to warm myself, a young servant woman looked closely at me and declared that I was one of his followers …but I denied that I knew him. The rooster began to crow to announce the coming of day. A few moments later, someone else saw me and said. “He’s one of them too!” I vehemently denied that I was one of his followers and thought that would be the end of it. As I walked round and round the fire, peering into the house, straining to hear what was happening to Jesus, another man, a relative of the servant whose ear I had cut off, exclaimed, “You were with that man. I’m sure I saw you in the garden with him this very night. You are certainly one of them, since you are also a Galilean.” But I started to curse and to swear with an oath that I never knew the man that they were talking about….and then, it happened….the rooster crowed the second time….and it all came crashing in on me. I ran and I ran into the fleeting darkness as dawn began to make its arrival known…tears streamed down my face as my breathing became labored and strained. I sobbed uncontrollably ….how could this have happened to me…for I am Peter, the one that the Messiah said he would built his church upon that even the gates of hell would not prevail against it. Yet, I had betrayed my Jesus by denying that I ever knew him …that He ever had a position of love and authority in my life.

I wanted to die, but instead I ran away and hid in fear and expectation that they would soon come after me. Within hours, Christ had stood before Pilate, been sentenced to death and had been crucified upon the cross….and while all this took place, I was in hiding with the other disciples. Our world had ended and I was the most miserable one of all…I had denied the one that loved me and called me out to make me one of his chosen…and I had failed him when He needed me most. And now, it was over and I would forever carry that guilt and shame with me …I could never ask my Christ to forgive me for He was gone.

Are you a disappointing Peter…too many times called out to stand for the Christ you love and too many times failing miserably in sharing His message of love and forgiveness?   

We have all failed to stand up for our Savior…to be counted as one who knows, believes and lives the life that says He is the Son of God and the one who paid our sin debt with His death upon that cruel cross…WE HAVE FAILED, BUT WE ARE NOT A FAILURE!

Just as Peter denied His Savior, but once again became the "ROCK" upon which Christ would build His Church; we, too, can become all that God intended for us to be by the surrender of our will to His….let our prayer today be the same as our Savior's prayer on that fateful night in the garden….NOT MY WILL, BUT THINE BE DONE!

           

Living in the glory of My Lord....seeking to be like Him,

WPQ

The following is a reprint from the Cast of the Crucifixion...

Pilate…Clean Hands, Cold Heart.

I hate this desolate, barren land. It is worse than a boil on the backside of their wretched camels. Why would I, a captain of Caesars’ very own Elite Guard, end up in a place like this? What could I have possibly done to displease him that would merit such punishment? Governor of this region is certainly not what I was hoping to have as my reward for my last great victory. Surely, my time here will be short and my interactions with these Jews will soon be over.

And yet, here they are again….these weak, insignificant peasants; religious pontificators whining about some homeless prophet that they can’t control. It’s barely daylight and already they would summon me from my slumber to decide the punishment for this Jesus. I should have them all dragged into the palace and made to bow at my feet…it is of no consequence to me that they would be unfit for their Passover feast. But, let’s get this over with so I can get back to more important matters.

I went out to them, into the courtyard and listened as they brought witness after witness to regale how this Jesus had excited the crowds to follow him; had turned out the moneychangers and the livestock from their beloved temple…so I told them to take him and judge him by their puny Jewish laws. They refused since for them it was unlawful to crucify anyone. I found no fault in him; but better to let the local ruler have this on him than me …so I sent him to Herod….and in only a matter of hours, Jesus was standing in front of me again.

So I asked him, “Tell me, are you the King of the Jews?” ...and his answer puzzled me; “Are you asking this of your own accord or have others told you about me?” I told him that I was not a Jew and it didn’t matter to me…. That it was his own nation and High Priest that had brought him to me and that I had the power to have him killed or let him go. He told me that His kingdom was not of this world and when I questioned him about this, he told me that he was here to testify to the truth…whatever that meant, I really wasn’t sure. So, I sought to return him to the Jews for I found no legal grounds on which to condemn him….but they shouted me down and called out to release the rebel, Barabbas, according to the custom of the Passover to release one criminal from bondage.

I sent Jesus away and had the captain of the battalion beat and flog him…they placed a crown of thorns on his head and wrapped a purple cloth around him, all the while mocking him, punching him and asking, “if you are a prophet, tell us who hit you.” I then brought him back before the assembly of the Jewish leaders and the ever-growing crowd and told them once again that I could find no grounds to merit a conviction.

He stood before them, wearing that purple robe and his kingly crown of thorns and I said, “Behold, here is the man!” I was really not prepared for this angry mob as they screamed out … “CRUCIFY HIM, CRUCIFY HIM!” I silenced them and told them to take him away and kill him according to their laws for I found nothing in this man that deserved his death by crucifixion ….but they would not be silenced.

What happened next gave me great pause for concern…they told me that he must die according to their rabbinical law…for he had proclaimed himself to be Son of God. Now, I am a god-fearing man that worships many Gods and I was not willing to take the chance that this man might actually be the son of one of them, so I brought him back into the inner chamber and asked him once again, “Where are you from? Who are you? Are you the Son of God?”…but, he just stood before me and offered nothing in his defense. I reminded him that it was within my powers to release him or to have him crucified, yet he told me that I had no authority over him had it not been given to me from above.

This was not an ordinary man and I did all within my powers to release him…I truly desired to let him go with the beating that he had endured and a strong reprimand not to appear before me again. I took him back to the courtyard with every intention to silence the Jews and to let Jesus go, but they cried out even louder that if I did such a thing, I was no friend of Caesar. I could not let this anarchy go on any longer, for word might return to Rome that I was unable to control these weak-minded Jews…so I presented them with the King, yet they shouted even more, “Away with him. We have no King but Caesar. Crucify Jesus!”

So, I did what expedient. I called for a basin of water, and there before this angry mob and the gods of Rome, I washed my hands of his innocent blood…then, I gave Jesus over to them so that he should be crucified.

It had to be done. I had no choice. I had sworn an oath to Rome and to Caesar to protect this horrible land and to keep the peace. If I failed to give this mob what they wanted, many would probably die trying to restore order and I would be held responsible for their deaths…but my conscience was clear; I had tried to release Jesus …I had done all that I could to let him go, but my duty to Rome came first. After all, I am a soldier and soldiers follow orders no matter how unpleasant they might be. I did all that was possible that day…his death was not my fault!

Today, is that what you have been telling yourself….that Jesus’ death was NOT YOUR FAULT? It was not your decision to send Him to his death… to have Him bludgeoned to within an inch of his life, nailed to a rugged tree and hung between two thieves. Have you tried to wash his innocent blood from your hands and declare that you, too, have a clear conscience?

If so, you have missed the meaning of the cross….Christ may have chosen the nails, but it was your sins that swung the hammer…you and I were the ones that drove those spikes deep into the flesh of Jesus. God requires that we come to Him, holy and acceptable; Jesus accomplished that for us by giving himself as a blood sacrifice on the cross. Now, we must accept our part in His death….it was our sin that put Him there;  it is our pride that keeps us from accepting the fact that WE NEED A SAVIOR!!!!

Don’t let pride keep you from knowing Jesus and accepting what He accomplished for you on Calvary…He is just a heartbeat away ….and so is eternity without Him!

Sorrow-filled for my part  … forgiven and forever His,

WPQ

The following is a reprint from The Cast of the Crucifixion..

Judas Iscariot…Satan’s Servant or Unwitting Scapegoat?

I have traveled road after dusty road, following this teacher from Galilee …and what has it gotten me….Just dirty feet, blisters and a few coins of little value. And what’s the matter with the rest of the inner circle? We have watched Jesus heal the sick, make the blind to see, cure the leper …even raise Lazarus from the day. He is wasting his great abilities on the common and unlovely….and he is constantly at odds with the rulers of the Sanhedrin and with Caiaphas, the High Priest. I have a plan that will force his hand …a plan that will cause him to use his powers against those that oppress us and force us to obey foreign and pagan laws. Surely that is not what the great God of our forefathers had intended for this man. If he is the chosen one, the true Messiah of Israel, it’s time he began to act like it and do something to free His people. Yes, a little nudge should be all he needs.

As the Feast of the Passover draws near:

Well, that went better than I expected…the Sanhedrin and the entire Jewish nation will have me to thank in just a few days….and I got 30 pieces of silver for my trouble. I would have been willing to take half as much; but this could be dangerous, especially with the excited crowds Jesus has been drawing. I will be patient and I will deliver him to the High Priest, just as I promised….He’ll never be expecting this. But when he comes into power, Jesus will have me to thank for forcing his hand and I’m sure I will be richly rewarded in his new kingdom…maybe a provincial governor or ruler of some foreign land. I will be rich…no more paltry coins in the collection bag….RICH, RICH …FILTHY RICH.

At the Passover Feast:

Look at him…acting like a servant, washing and drying our feet. Only a few more hours and my plan will begin to emerge …and Jesus will be the ruler of the Jewish nation and all nations will bow before his great and awesome powers. What was that?  How could he possibly know that someone is going to betray him…does he know that it is me? No, he couldn’t possibly know. I have been ever so discreet…must be the rising tensions between him and the Sanhedrin that have him on edge. Time to go…I need a diversion…he has given me the dipped bread and told me to go and do quickly what I must. No one will miss me …I’ll just slip out the door into the darkness.

In the Garden:

I know just where he is going after the Passover meal…where he always takes us …across the Kidron valley to the Mount of Olives. I had told this to the Captain of the guard and explained to him that there was no need for so many men. The disciples were unarmed and Jesus surely offered no physical threat. But, I was surrounded by the Palace guard from the High Priest and a full company of Roman soldiers…at no choice but to proceed as planned. We entered the garden at the south entrance …a small winding trail leads to the top of the Mount. It would be hard for anyone to hear or see us coming under cover of darkness, but it seemed like every one of the soldiers was carrying a lighted torch….it was as bright as noon day. So much for the element of surprise! The Roman centurion led the way and when we arrived, he told the small band of men that we were looking for Jesus the Nazarene.

What happened next caught me fully off-guard. Christ stepped forward and said, “I am He!” and when he did, all of the Roman soldiers and the Palace guard stepped back and fell to the ground. It was as if his words knocked them over and rendered them helpless. But, I stepped forward and gave the agreed upon sign that would signify that they should arrest that man…I kissed Jesus on the cheek….and he looked into my eyes and said, “Judas, my friend, why have you come? Do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

And in that moment, it was all set in motion. They bound Jesus’ hands and feet and literally dragged him down the mountainside. They took him to Caiaphas and they began to pummel his face, to pull out his hair and to spit upon him….and all the while, Christ Jesus did nothing…he did not even speak in his defense. In just a few hours, he stood before Pilate who ordered that he be flogged with 39 lashes, The Roman soldiers hit him, kicked him and spit upon him…they placed a crown of thorns upon his bloody brow….and still; Jesus did nothing. Where were his powers …why did he not strike out at his tormenters and call down fire and brimstone from Heaven? He claimed to be the Son of God, but all he did was to take their abuse and to stand silent before his accusers.

I couldn’t take it any longer. This was not going according to my plan…Jesus was silent as a lamb… being led to slaughter….and it was all my fault. I had sold him out for thirty pieces of silver and the desire to be great in his kingdom. Instead, all I could do was to stand hopelessly by and watch as they led him away to be crucified. I ran as fast as I could back to the Election hall and threw the money at the feet of the chief priest and the elders. I begged them to forgive me for my sin of betraying innocent blood…they laughed at me and told me it was not their concern. I had lost it all…Jesus would die because of my greed, arrogance and selfish desires. A man who had loved me and called me one of his chosen, I had sold to be crucified for 30 pieces of silver…I was not fit to live, so I did the only thing I knew…I took my own life …for it was a life not worth saving.

The following is a reprint from The Cast of the Crucifixion....

Annas and Caiaphas …The Holy Priesthood

I’m still not sure why they brought Jesus to me in the first place. I am an old, tired man and I am so weary of the Pharisees and their timidities. This Jesus is a crowd-pleaser, a cheap magician with pleasing tricks. If they would just ignore him, pay him no attention; he would soon be forgotten. But each day in the temple complex, they plot as to how they might bring about his demise. In my day, we knew how to deal with such rift-raft…we took them outside the city gates and stoned them to death; then left their rotting corpses for the buzzards and the Roman guard to dispose of. But, Caiaphas, my son-in-law, is still new to this game and I don’t believe he is aware of just how much power he holds as the High Priest. He is the leader of God’s chosen; though oppressed and downtrodden, we are still to claim our position of power in dealing with those that would subvert our culture…and this Jesus, he has surely done just that. Teaching them to turn the other cheek; to walk the second mile; treating women with love, dignity and compassion…over turning my money tables in the temple and driving out my people. Well, now the tables are turned….send him to Caiaphas, let see if he will do the right thing and get rid of this man …once and for all.

I had been awakened from a troubled slumber to hear the voice of the High Priest’s guard announce that they had Jesus; bound and waiting for me in the courtyard. I had already dispatched a number of the guards to call an emergency meeting of the Sanhedrin; for when Caiaphas, the High Priest calls, they drop everything and come. Surely, time was of the essence if we were to meet our objective to judge, convict and turn over Jesus to the Roman governor for his sentence of execution. I had already set aside the Mishnah and its Jewish laws…desperate times call for desperate measures….after all, we had to silence this Jesus before the people followed him in open rebellion and brought down the wrath of the entire Roman Empire. If that were to occur, we would be displaced as the rulers of our people and nothing of our way of life as God’s elect would remain. I had said it before and it was even clearer after the events of the past week, “it is to our advantage that one man should die for the people rather than the whole nation perish.”

We had been conspiring for weeks to bring Jesus to Jewish justice, but he had been elusive and the timing had never been good, especially since his triumphal entry last week; but now, if we hurried, we could have Jesus tried before Pilate, sentenced and crucified at the hands of the Romans and there would be no repercussions against us.

It was the perfect way to be rid of the Nazarene …once and for all!

I questioned him; heard the testimony of the eye-witnesses regarding him destroying our sacred temple and rebuilding it in three days…and then, I asked him, point blank, “tell us, are you the Messiah, the Son of God?’

I still can’t believe what he said; “You have said it. But I tell you in the future, you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Immediately, I cried out and began to rent my robes, to wail and to claw my flesh. I denounced his blasphemous statement and cried out to the Sanhedrin for their decision…their answer was clear and without reservation….HE MUST DIE.

So, I did what needed to be done…I sent him away to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. There he would be tried and found guilty for crimes against Rome. We would have to pressure Pilate for a speedy crucifixion for the Sabbath was approaching and the Passover crowds were large and the people were still celebrating. All this would have to be done quickly… before the throngs of those following Jesus had time to mount any type of movement against the will of the Sanhedrin. It is best that one man dies ….then a nation and its leaders can breathe easier …God Bless the will of His People.

Are you an Annas or Caiaphas in your relationship with Jesus? Do you see his teachings as a conflict or a constriction on your actions? These men were each living for themselves …though their pompous and pious attitude let them think that they were doing what was best for God’s chosen elect. In simple fact, they were sinners…blinded to the truth of God’s infinite grace and they chose to inflict their blindness on the Jewish nation. They had power, prestige and a perverted sense of God’s will….and their decisions cost a nation the opportunity to embrace their Messiah.

Don’t let someone you know, possibly someone you hold in high esteem, keep you from meeting the Savior today. There intentions may be good; but good intentions never got anyone into heaven….and they never will!

Only a personal relationship with the risen Lord Jesus will guarantee you a written invitation to attend the celestial celebration we call heaven….your invitation is from this man Jesus …He died and rose again and now sits at the right hand of the Father…and His invitation is just one word….COME!!!!!

Come to the Jesus…and be Blessed,

WPQ

The Condition of Your Soil?

Riding through the countryside of South Carolina a few years back, I noticed that the first rite of spring had begun. As I looked across field after field of newly turned sod, it reminded me of my childhood days and the work of my Dad’s Merry Tiller.

Every other spring, our large back yard was converted from a neighborhood ball field into a very large and productive garden. It all began with my Dad, who after working all day, would come home to work behind the tiller, over turning the dark earth in to ball- sized dirt clods. It was my job to take the hoe and break the clods down into plant worthy soil.

Dad explained to me how necessary my job was….that in each dirt clod, there laid nutrients and other minerals that would be needed in growing our vegetables. These nutrients were trapped and it was my job to release them by breaking them up. I worked for days, chopping and beating the clods, until, at last, there lay before me a field, ready for planting. We then began to meticulously furrow each row and make preparation for the seed. This whole process usually took a couple of weeks…it sure seemed like a lot of work to an eight year old; but, when I saw those tiny corn shoots, the rows and rows of beans and squash and the great big smile on my Dad’s face, it was worth it all.

Our hearts are like that soil….waiting to be overturned and prepared for the planting and the harvest that follows.

Matthew 13 tells of the sower and the condition of the soil as we read, “A sower went out to sow.  As he sowed, some seed fell along the path and the birds came and devoured it. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil; but when the sun rose they were scorched. Since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” Matthew 13:3-9

What’s the condition of your soil…and you soul today? Is it fertile ground, ready and receptive to the word of God? Or is it overturned sod that is still rocky and clod-like?

Maybe, you need the work of the Holy Spirit to prepare your soil…to break apart those clods of indifference and release the nutrients of peace, harmony, patience and love. You need to surrender to the great Gardner and let him have his way with you soil….and your soul.

Why not pray this simple prayer today and ask the Holy Spirit to use whatever tool is necessary to prepare your heart for the planting of God’s word in your heart, body, mind and soul….Ask him to prepare your soil so that your harvest will be a hundredfold of good works for the glory of our great and awesome God.

Father, today let the work of your Holy Spirit prepare my heart for service. Let all I do bring honor to your name. May your word permeate the soil that is my heart and grow in me those qualities that produce a life that is pleasing in your sight. Amen

Tilling for the Kingdom,

WPQ

Understanding the Sovereignty of God

Life is full of ups and downs, twists and turns and ins and outs…well, you get the picture….and for that reason alone, each of us often struggle to understand what it all means…who is in control and what is my responsibility as I struggle to take charge in my own life.

We are constantly bombarded with problems, trials, troubles and an occasionally, a happy moment….at least that’s the way it often seems to us as we make our way through life. When we look around at the path that our life has taken, we try to correct our course, pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and get back in the game. After all, that is at the very least our responsibility …to use our free will to decide to make things better for us and for the ones we love. But, sometimes, when we look at our circumstances, we realize that we can do nothing but accept our situation and trust in the sovereignty of God.

Ah, the sovereignty of God….now, there’s a concept that even the brightest, most intellectual minds of the ages have wrestled with …always to no avail. In fact, scripture tells us that we can not understand the mind of God and in Romans 11:33 we read, “Oh, the depth of the riches of both wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out.”

The following is a rewrite of a devotional from Dr. David Jeremiah that I think gives great insight into this topic of God’s sovereignty….

The great minds of history have always struggled to understand the issue of the sovereignty of God versus the free will of mankind. Some day in eternity we may discover how the track of God’s sovereignty and the track of our responsibility finally come together. But the way we should look at this is really very simple….Let God take care of His sovereignty and let us take care of our responsibility. God’s sovereignty explains things that humans cannot possible fathom.

The sovereignty of God in our lives, at least from our perspective, is like looking at a weaving of a tapestry from the wrong side. We see all the various threads and knots and strands sticking out and can’t begin to even imagine the finished picture. We see it from the back side because we do not have God’s perspective…but someday, in eternity, God will take that patchwork that we have looked at and failed to understand and He will turn it around….then, we will see the beautiful tapestry that has been woven out of our lives. At last, we will see what God has seen all along.

Yes, you and I can spend our entire life trying to figure out why God does this or why He did that or what is He going to do next…or we can rest in the knowledge that GOD IS SOVEREIGN AND HE IS IN CONTROL!!!! We can make ourselves sick with worry over how something is going to turn out or we can trust that God always knows what is best for us and that He is at work to accomplish His plan. I have always held firm to the belief that when you can not see the hand of God at work…you can ALWAYS trust His heart.

So, if you are searching for security in this ever-changing, diabolical world, then rest secure in this truth…. GOD KNOWS BEST AND HE NEVER FAILS TO TAKE CARE OF HIS OWN. He will not fail you and there is nothing that can snatch you from His hand…..on that you can build your fortress.

Trusting in my Heavenly Father…for He knows Best,

WPQ

Poem for the day:

God is at work today

As He weaves your tapestry;

So honor Him in all you do

And trust His sovereignty.

WPQ@2009

New Shoes...Living a Thankful Life!

I sat down in my easy chair this morning and slipped my feet, one by one, into a new pair of shoes. I was instantly caught up in the smell of the leather and the suppleness of its touch as each shoe wrapped my foot in warmth and exquisite comfort.

Now, I didn’t particularly need a new pair of shoes, but I have had my eye on these for quite sometime and since they were on sale, I reasoned that now was the logical time to make such a purchase. I mean, after all, a well-dressed man needs more than one pair of black shoes; but, as I examined my closet, my eyes began to swell with tears as I realized how many shoes I have.

Now, I didn’t become emotional because I have numerous pairs of shoes, but rather, I was concerned about my cavalier attitude. I realized in that fleeting moment that God has truly blessed me and to have a closet full of shoes is just one immeasurable marker of His bounty and goodness. The list of his blessings to me and my family is endless and the reams of paper that it would take to write them all down, well, I couldn’t afford the cost of the paper.

Then, I asked myself, “Does God know how thankful I am? Have I taken even a moment to show Him how grateful I am for His goodness and provision?”

The answer truly saddens me …and if you would examine your heart, I am quite certain you conclusion would be the same as mine…I NEED TO HAVE A THANKFUL HEART.

I know that there are a lot of people in our country, as well as around the world, that are truly hurting and reeling from the economic turmoil that some face each day; however, that does not relieve us from our worship obligation to be thankful to our Heavenly Father.

Colossians 3:15-16 says, “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which you were indeed called in one body. AND BE THANKFUL (my emphasis). Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts.”

So today, why not sing a happy song, hum a lyrical tune, rejoice in the love and provision of the one who died to give you life everlasting….be thankful for your family, your church, your job (or the talents you have that will help you find another one), for a refrigerator with food or the refrigerator itself….whatever God has given you….BE THANKFUL AND BLESS THE NAME OF JESUS.

I know every step I take in these new shoes, Christ will receive my praise and adoration for his goodness ….and I will be thankful that his peace rules in my heart today.

I admonish you to do the same,

WPQ