TFTD - 16 February 2014 - Thoughts from Today's Bible Readings

16 February 2014

Exodus 27
Psalms 81; 82
Mark 12

"FOR THE LIGHT"

In Exodus we are reading all the details of the construction of the tabernacle. This would be the centre of worship for the Israelites for hundreds of years to come. All the detail of construction, the measurements, the precise material to be used, where gold or silver was to be used, &c may seem rather boring to read. We may also think, why was all this detail given, every small aspect of construction? Today we read all the detail of the construction of the altar, the network of bronze, rings and poles, pots for the ashes, shovels, basins, forks and firepans ending with the comment [Exodus 27:8] "as it has been shown you on the mountain, so shall it be made."

So God was concerned with every little detail. Why? Then we suddenly thought that this is the marvel of everything that God has created. In our lifetime there has been an enormous expansion of knowledge of everything that exists. Charles Darwin considered the simple single cell to be the basic building block of life is now known to be incredibly complex. God is the great creator, so it is natural that he should give Moses fully detailed instructions about the tabernacle where the Levites would minister before him and the people would come into his presence for worship.

The chapter finishes with another command of God! To bring, "pure beaten olive oil for the light, that a lamp may burn regularly … it shall be a statute forever to be observed …" [Exodus 27:20-21] Today some might note that the oil of olives is used, a renewal energy source! Good, they would say, but in God's method of operation nothing ever goes to waste - except those who have no time for their Maker.

With the example of God's precision of detail for the altar and tabernacle, we should reflect on the precision of detail when the new creation under Christ came into being. This week in Mark we will read the words of Christ, "whoever believes and is baptised will be saved" [Mark 16:16] but some do not consider they need to follow that sort of detail.
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- DC


Thought for the Day

16 February 2014

"A man might lose his reason trying to grasp the idea of unending space or attempting to imagine how there could possibly be a limit. We cannot understand this matter any more than we can search the mind of God. We are finite beings but we are intelligent enough to grasp the fact that there is infinity around us. We are imperfect beings but we are intelligent enough to form the concept of perfection. This is the true conception of God, infinite and perfect."

- Islip Collyer
Principles and Proverbs

TFTD - 14 February 2014 - Thoughts from Today's Bible Readings

Ps 78 we read of Israel's history, one of continued sad turning away from their Heavenly Father. We read all they did against God (I have highlighted in my Bible as red), and all that God did for them (again highlighted in my Bible), we have in this Psalm the cycle as we do in the book of judges of sin, salvation and judgement.

As we read all that the LORD did for them, we are reminded of His character v38:
"But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not:
yea, many a time turned He his anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath".

The Heb here "full of compassion" is 1st used Exodus 34, the chapter of God manifestation, and which shows the attributes of Gods name.

"And YAHWEH passed by before him, and proclaimed, YAHWEH , YAHWEH God (El = power, might and strength), merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth..."

The name YAHWEH El = He who will be strength, the fulfilment of which is in the Lord Jesus Christ. He who was made was strong (Ps 80:17):

"Let Thy hand be upon the man of Thy right hand, upon the son of man (Christ) whom thou madest strong for Thyself".

We are reminded of Paul's words (Phili 4:13):
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me"

Paul says this in the context of whatever situation he finds himself, good or difficult. He knows he has strength through Christ.

May we be of the same mind, and remember from whence cometh our strength, that we can do all things unto the praise and glory of YAHWEH, or gracious and merciful Heavenly Father.

Exodus 24; 25
Psalms 78
Mark 10

"EXHORT ONE ANOTHER EVERY DAY"

Scanning our eyes through today's reading of Psalm 78, our attention was arrested by the many references to God's people Israel that - they did this, and they did that. We counted 27 times the word "they" occurred! The word "they" was used in reference to things they did - or did not do. We meditated on this. God's eyes are on Israel because they are his chosen people! So what did his angels see as they looked into their hearts? There were times, we read, when "they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly. They remembered that God was their rock, the most High God, their redeemer" [Psalm 78:34,35] That is all to their credit and the same can be said of followers of Christ in all ages, when they started to follow him. Are the next 2 verses equally true of Jews and Christians?

We read - "But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. Their heart was not faithful toward him; they were not faithful …" [Psalm 78:36-37]

What would you expect God's reaction to be to this behaviour? We read on ... "Yet he, being compassionate … did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often … " [Psalm 78:38] This is evidence of the God of love that many Christian leaders talk about, portraying him as ever merciful, that believers are once saved, always saved! That is the slogan, you don't have to worry about sin! But isn't it human nature, the more you get away with something, the more you do it!

It seems as if that is how human nature worked with the Jews, they even killed their Messiah! But back to the Psalm, ultimately the time came, the Psalmist has to say, when God "was full of wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel" [Psalm 78:59]. Here is a very sober warning for Christian believers today. Could worship be just "flattery" from a heart that is not genuinely "steadfast"? We read in Hebrews 3:13, "exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today', that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we share in Christ if … " [Hebrews 3:13,14] Turn it up and read the rest.

It seems clear that the world of 'today" is not going to last much longer.
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- DC


Thought for the Day

14 February 2014

"Preserving the way of the saints is central to our remembrance of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. He, whose death we commemorate in bread and wine, not only “pondered the path of his feet” but fulfilled all that His Father asked of him, to such an extent that he became the very Way itself. He is the one of whom Peter wrote, “For even hereunto were you called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow his steps” (1 Peter 2:21). These are the steps to watch and follow."

- John Parry
Watch Your Step (2000)

TFTD - 13 February 2014 - Thoughts from Today's Bible Readings

13 February 2014

Exodus 23
Psalms 77
Mark 9
Exodus 23 we find Israel being reminded by God to learn from their own experiences, and therefore help others in difficult situations and in need of help:

"Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt".

We are reminded by Paul, that we were once strangers:

"ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and STRANGERS from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world"

We were strangers, under bondage to sin and death in the world (Egypt), yet as Israel we have been brought out by the mercy and grace of God.

How well do we empathise with those who are still strangers, but who have opened their ears to the gospel. To what lengths do we go to, to make disciples as Christ commanded.

With this in mind, Paul's attitude:

"...when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge...yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew...to them that are under the law, as under the law...To them that are without law, as without law...to the weak became I as weak...I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake"

And Timothy amplifies this character when he was circumcised, not for himself, but so that his uncircumcision would not be a stumbling to those to whom he was trying to preach to:

"Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters:for they knew all that his father was a Greek"

Consider that Timothy had absolutely no personal reason to do this, but every reason not to. Would involve great pain for days afterwards, and add to this that there would be potential of it killing him due to infection etc. he did this for those not even yet his brothers and sisters.

Questions I have to ask myself:
1. How much do I empathise with the struggles and burdens of my brothers and sisters. And do I make their spiritual welfare my priority over what I my feel of want?
2. How much do I empathise with those who come seeking the gospel. And do I make their spiritual welfare my priority over what I my feel of want?

"SALT IS GOOD"

Joining hands is a physical sign of friendship, but Moses uses the term in a metaphysical sense in our Exodus reading [Exodus 23]. This contains warnings about joining hands for bad reasons. Moses makes some down-to-earth statements of things that God sees as wrong. Yet many are things which are sadly part of life today as men and women act in devious ways to cheat and deceive one another. "Now these are the rules you shall set before them," God said to Moses [Exodus 21:1] and we read today, "You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice" [Exodus 23:1-2]. When Jesus said that we should love our enemies [Matthew 5:44], he surely had in mind things which Moses had said - as we read today, "If you meet your enemies ox or his donkey going astray you shall bring it back to him" [Exodus 23:4]

Our chapter in Mark's Gospel [Mark 9] finishes in an interesting way, "Salt is good, but if salt has lost its saltiness how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves …" [Mark 9:50] What did he mean? On another occasion he told his disciples, "You are the salt of the earth" [Matthew 5:13]. The point is, those who follow Jesus are to be the "salt" that influences and gives flavour to all that in which it is mixed. But what if the salt has lost its saltiness? What if those that should provide the influence of "salt" have instead joined hands with those who ignore God, or at least, turn a blind eye to their ungodly ways of living? Jesus said that such useless salt "is thrown away" [Luke 14:35]

That is really the blunt message in Mark 9:42 onwards; but it aid in more complex language. The hell or hellfire mentioned there is Gehenna; that word in the Greek refers to the rubbish dump just outside one part of the wall of Jerusalem where fires continually burnt to consume the rubbish thrown over the wall. Jesus means get rid of everything that causes you to sin ­ with special words of condemnation to those who cause others; "little ones" to sin. [Mark 9:42] Meditate on Colossians 4:5-6
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- DC


Thought for the Day

13 February 2014

"A leaf is not a leaf simply because it is fastened to a tree. It must take its life, its colour, its shape, its character, all that it has must be from the tree, or it becomes dead. So with ourselves, fellowship implies all this. All that we are, all we have, all we can be, is of the Lord."

- G. Folwell
The Fellowship of the Spirit (1939)

TFTD - 12 February 2014 - Thoughts from Today's Bible Readings

Exodus 22
Psalms 75; 76
Mark 8

"WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR?"

"For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes … " [Mark 8:38] Why would we ashamed of Jesus? Notice, he specifically refers to his words! What has Jesus said that we would be ashamed of talking to our neighbours about? Isn't it our responsibility to try and share our faith with others? Next week in Mark we will read in Mark 12 that the second commandment is "You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these" [Mark 12:31]

Yet today, when you have a neighbour who is totally godless, it is difficult! Why? Do we feel ashamed of what we believe? If so, why? When Jesus rebuked Peter because he refused to believe that Jesus was going to be killed, he said to him, "you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man" [Mark 8:33] Let us try harder to set our minds on the things of God. In doing so, we will recall that even in the Law God gave the Israelites through Moses, the Old Testament, [Leviticus 19:18] there is the command "you shall love your neighbour as yourself" - this has been a command for all ages. What a different world this would be if that command was carried out! And who can doubt but that it will be expected of those who live in God's Kingdom.

Should we not be training for God's Kingdom now? What better way to show your love for your neighbour than by encouraging them to believe in the words of Jesus! We must try to speak to them in the spirit of love, a desire to share something precious, the pearl of great price! This will be reflected in the words that we choose, remembering also that we see each other as much by what we do - as by what we say. We must seek wisdom from above in doing this.

Recall the words of James; he wrote, "the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere." [James 3:17] Finally let us remember the reply of Jesus when someone asked him, "and who is my neighbour?" Read Luke 10:29
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- DC

We read Ps 75 of the 'cup of the LORD':

"But God is the judge...For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them"

When we follow the cup of the LORD through scripture we find we have:
1. The cup of salvation/inheritance/blessing, and 2. The cup of judgement/wrath/fury.

As we read here of the wicked being drunk, with this wine full of mixture (lit spices). These are added to the wine to give a stupifying effect to it, so one was drugged and drunk at the same time (the cup that Christ refused at his crucifixion).

We are reminded of Jer 51:
"Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad".

These words echo those spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ in the Apocalypse, when he speaks of the later day Babylon, the Catholic Church and her apostate daughters who are dripping with the hallmarks of Babylon:

"Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication"

"And the woman/the great whore (upon whose head was written mystery, Babylon the great)...having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication (that she has made inhabitants of the earth drunk)"

We are warned not to have anything to do with her or her ways. And by Gods grace we are being powerfully shown the evidence before our very eyes of this whore, that we must be in no doubt. As she uses her doctrines and teachings to deceive and stupify those who cannot see her for what she is as our master has made clear unto us.

We are told that those who are accepted (those who have kept themselves clean from her) into the Kingdom will rejoice over her destruction:
"Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her".

We pray for this day to come soon.

Thought for the Day

12 February 2014

"Though all flesh is grass and the glory of man as the flower of grass, he has been begotten of the word of God that liveth and abideth (1 Peter 1:22-25). His godly character is securely laid up in the record of God’s “Book of Life,” (Philippians 4:3; Luke 10:20; Revelation 3:5) and the crown of righteousness which fadeth not away awaits him, to be given by the Lord in the day of His appearing (2 Timothy 4:8)."

- A.D. Norris
Understanding the Bible

TFTD - 11 February 2014 - Thoughts from Today's Bible Readings

Exodus 21
Psalms 74
Mark 7

"HOW LONG?"

Our Psalms reading today [Psalm 74] was obviously written when God's nation was in distress and their temple destroyed. In some ways it has application to our situation now. The faithful were surrounded by scoffers, not dissimilar to what we will soon read about in Exodus. Real faith in God is a challenge, God does not make his presence so evident so that there is no need for real faith, but the evidence is there for those who apply their minds. The writer of this Psalm (Asaph) had to cope with a lot of scoffers.

"There is no longer any prophet and there is none among us who knows how long" [Psalm 74:9] Today we also ask, "How long?" The Psalm continues, "Is the enemy to revile your name for ever?" [Psalm 74:10] The Psalm becomes a petition, "Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs and a foolish people reviles your name" [Psalm 74:18] So also today, the very existence of God is reviled and scoffed at - and more and more of the mass of people accept this and believe they are only the highest form of animal and therefore serve their baser instincts.

So the plea to God is, "Arise O God, defend your cause; remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day long!" [Psalm 74:23] This is rather parallel with how we feel when we encounter those who doubt that any God exists and may scoff at those who declare their belief that he does - and what's more that he is actively involved in life on earth and soon all people will be made aware of that.

The next Psalm gives God's answer, "At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity. When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars" [Psalm 75:2,3] We must not let our faith be undermined by the scoffing of the foolish.
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- DC


Thought for the Day

11 February 2014

"The Psalmist could see for himself as others in his place, seas roar and mountains tremble, and yet be still, and know that "there is a river, whose streams make glad the city of our God"; and we can echo his words when the sea and the waves roar now, and some men fear, and some men doubt and some blaspheme, and we can be still and know, "that our redemption draweth nigh."

- A. Norris, Jun.
Be Still and Know (1939)
Mark 7 we read of the devastating effect of mans traditions:

"ye reject the commandment of God, that (when) ye may keep your own traditions"

"making the word of God void (of no effect), through your tradition"

In contrast Paul teaches that we are to keep hold of scriptural traditions which we must follow:

"brethren, stand fast, and hold (lit = hold fast) the TRADITIONS which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle" (2 Thess 2)

And we are reminded by Peter how we have been redeemed and by whom:

"Forasmuch as he know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation (way of life) received by TRADITION from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot"

Peter continues of the foundations which our lives must be built upon every day:
"being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever".

10 February 2014 Exodus 19; 20 Psalms 73 Mark 6 Thoughts from Today's Bible Readings

Exodus 19:
We reminded of God's sustaining strength and might in v4 (expanded in Deut 32:11-12, Ps 57:1), and His loving tenderness, this for a purpose.

As we have laid out in Exodus 19:5:
"Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, THEN ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine".

As outlined to natural Israel so to the exhortation is there for us as Spiritual Israel:
1. Hear and obey God's voice (word)
2. And keep (Heb = samar - to lit hedge about, protect, guard)

If we do this "THEN" we by God's grace become a special treasure unto Him, for His purpose.

The Heb "peculiar treasure" is last used in the Old Testament in Mal 3:17 and shows the reward to those who obey God and seek to develop His character:

"And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my JEWELS; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him".

Who?

v16
"Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name"

Our minds are also taken to that wonderful vision John was shown of New Jerusalem in the Apocalypse:

"And her light was like unto a stone most precious..."
"The foundations of the wall were garnished with all manner of precious stones"

May we be a people who have been called out of the death and darkness of Egypt for God's purpose, who seek to hear and obey His voice, and speak to one another daily of these wonderful things as we await the day and who think upon the purpose of His name.



“MY TREASURED POSSESSION”

This was the great promise the people made to Moses when they “encamped before the mountain (of the LORD)” [Exodus 19:2] It was 2 months since they left Egypt. God instructs Moses to tell the people. “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians … Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples , for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” [Exodus 19:4-6]. What an awesome promise!

What God, through his power, had done to the Egyptians, which they had witnessed, beginning with the plagues; this should have filled them with overwhelming awe as to the nature and power of the one and only God - their God. They readily said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do” [Exodus 19:8]. The presence of the Lord is in this mountain, “there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast so that all the people in the camp trembled” [Exodus 19:16] The mountain “was wrapped in smoke because the LORD descended on it in fire” [Exodus 19:18] What an utterly awesome experience! “The people were afraid and trembled … Moses said … do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear (awe) of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” [Exodus 20:20]

In a sense the people had been baptised before they came to the mountain. Paul makes this point. “I want you to know, brothers that our fathers … were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” [1 Corinthians 10:1,2] The writer to the Hebrews takes up this example of an awesome encounter with God and invites baptised believers in Christ to contemplate the contrast. “for you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them … But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels … to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant.” [Hebrews 12:18,22,24]

How clear is our spiritual vision? Is it clearer than those with Moses? We all have God’s word, the Bible in our hands, they didn’t. Are we in awe of the God we serve, or plan to serve, appreciating his wondrous grace and mercy? Our lives must show how much we realize this.
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- DC


Thought for the Day

10 February 2014

"Jesus said, “Continue in my word” ... He shows approval only to steady growth and progress in the knowledge of his word and patient continuance in that narrow path which he has laid down for us ... Continuing in the word requires diligent study of the Scriptures. Without that study we fail, and still more do we fail if we refuse to subject our lives to the teachings of those Scriptures. Mere intellectual knowledge of the truth without sincere subjection to it, will only condemn us in the end."

- A. L. Cole
The Victorious Life (1962)

TFTD - 08 February 2014 - Thoughts from Today's Bible Readings

08 February 2014

Exodus 16
Psalms 70; 71
Mark 4

"THY KINGDOM COME"

Today’s chapter of Mark’s Gospel [Mark 4] tells us that Jesus “was teaching them many things in parables” [Mark 4:2] and Mark gives us 4 examples of the parables adding “with many such parables he spoke the word to them” and “but privately to his own disciples he explained everything” [Mark 4:33,34]. Only one of the explanations is recorded and that is the familiar parable of the sower and all the different kinds of hearts and minds into which the “seed” of his message is sown.

Sadly, for some, “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word” [Mark 4:19] and that is more than ever the case in many countries today, it certainly is in Australia.

The short parable in Mark 4:26-29 is one we might wish his explanation had been recorded, but perhaps the explanation can be specially applied to our 21st Century. The seed is scattered and “the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself …” [Mark 4:27,28] We saw this as telling us that the ultimate sower is God; are there other means by which he makes his message known? How does the “earth produce by itself?” All kinds of fertilisers are used today in producing literal crops. Is there a special illustration of this today in the way the Internet now makes it possible for people of virtually all nations to have access to God’s message and be challenged by it? We suspect this is the case!

It is impossible for us to know many of the ways in which the message spreads, truly the sower “knows not how”! The phrase “the kingdom of God” occurs 3 times in this chapter because that is the heart of the message contained in the seed. All those who are dissatisfied with the kingdoms of this world are the ones who are most eager for God’s kingdom - and they pray with fervour, “Thy Kingdom come” Is that how you feel?
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- DC

Exodus 16 we read:
"Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no".

The words "a certain rate" are from the x1 Heb 'dabar' which is translated the majority of times as "word". This is interesting to us as we know that the manna is symbolic of the word.

We notice in the verse:
1. Gather a certain rate, the word
2. That God may prove them
3. As whether they take heed to His word and walk in His ways

The same principle is laid down for us today, we are to daily taken in Gods word, it is then that we are proved and tested in our lives to see if we do really walk in the ways and principles of God.

The Heb 'dabar' which also means word, is used x3 times in this ch, the number 3 reminds of its meaning of bearing fruit (Gen 1:11-12), as well as resurrection. This links the manna as symbolic of spiritual food of the word, through the power of which we are to bear fruit in honour and obedience to our Heavenly Father.

The other occ:
v16 "this is the thing (dabar - the word) which the LORD hath commanded, gather of it every man according to his eating"
v32 "and Moses said, this is the thing (dabar - the word) which YAHWEH commandeth...to be kept for the generations"

We are reminded of the words of Jesus, "give us this day our (spiritual) daily bread". But it's not easy and takes effort, it's sad to hear the comments made today of the study and meditation of Gods word, especially when we live in a generation of the most educated Christadelphains ever, and we consider the time, effort and sacrifices that we given to obtaining qualifications of this world. Would we expect to turn up to university on the 1st day and be able to pass the degree, if we took the final paper we would be disheartened and wonder how we will ever be able to pass it. Yet, through hours and hours of lectures (some very dry and boring), through hours and hours of home study, putting off what we naturally really want to do, through time and care given by those in charge of the studies one is encouraged and guided, again at times we could be doing other things for ourselves. The crux of the question, what we work for/are working for in this world could be wiped away and be of no use to use even today when Christs returns. A question I have to ask myself regularly, how much effort and time am I putting into the things of gain of this world compared to the effort and self sacrifices I make in my spiritual development and meditation and study of the word.

When thinking of the work required to be expended in the study of the word of God and in the context of the manna we are taken to Num 11:7-8.

Thought for the Day

08 February 2014

"God has forgiven us far greater sins than we are called upon to forgive, and in deep thankfulness for His mercy and grace, we ought always to hasten to forgive. The penalty for failure to forgive is disastrous: the unforgiving saint remains unforgiven (Matthew 6:15)."

- John Marshall
Portrait of the Saint