Soldiers For Christ

Have you ever considered the similarities between the American soldier and the Christian believer? They are nearly identical. At least they SHOULD be.

Our pastor gave a message yesterday about the faith of the centurion (Luke 7). He listed six "characteristics of faith" found in that Roman soldier.

Faith, Reverence, Respect, Humility, a feeling of unworthiness, and Trust. The centurion in Luke's Gospel had them all. Jesus saw the character of this man's life and said this.

"When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” - Luke 7:9

When we think of the soldiers of today what characteristics come to mind? Sacrifice, Duty, Honor, Bravery. Those words reflect the same characterizes of Jesus, wouldn't you say? The sacrifice on the cross. The duty and honor Jesus continually displayed to God, The Father. And the bravery of His willingness to die on the cross, once and for all.

Shouldn't WE have those same characteristics? The characteristics of Christ? The characteristics of a soldier?

All American soldiers have been honored throughout our history for their service - except for the Vietnam soldier. They were spit on and shunned when the war ended in the early 70's. I will submit to you today that that disrespect marked the beginning of our downfall as a nation.

The media first expressed "their opinion" during the nightly news at that time. No respect was given to our returning soldiers. There was a waning reverence for God as we began removing Him from our schools and courthouses. There is no respect for our constitution. No honor is given to our highest court or political offices. Trust is absent and we feel that WE are more worthy than God.

We now see the result of our disobedience in just about every news story out there. We need to seek forgiveness from God for all of our shortcomings.

I challenge you to walk through a cemetery today. Seek out a Vietnam soldier amongst the headstones. There are thousands of them. And when you find one, take a knee and give thanks to God for providing such fine examples of His workmanship.

God is mighty to save, but we first must repent as a nation. Then, and only then, will He save this great country of ours. We must reinflate our 'In God We Trust' motto with the characteristics of a faithful soldier. And we need to do it quickly.

No Other Name

Do you know who this guy is? He's John Adams. He was one of those early American rebels like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. He signed the Declaration of Independence, was our second president, and had this to say about the U.S. Constitution.

"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other."

"Designed ONLY for a moral and religious people." Hmm. Here's another quote from a famous U.S. president.

"I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book. But for it we could not know right from wrong.

It is the duty of nations as well as men to recognize the truth announced in Holy Scripture and proven by all of history that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord." - Abraham Lincoln

I look at the most recent mass shooting in our country and wonder just how far we have fallen since our Constitution was written. What has happened to us between then and now?

Prayer removed from schools, the Ten Commandments removed from courthouses, abortion, LGBTQ+, the family unit disintegrating, fatherless homes, divorce, adultery, the list goes on. Let The Apostle Paul summarize for us.

"Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them." - Romans 1:28-32

That about sums it up.

Let's go back to John Adams again. He said, "Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people." What does that mean? In my mind it means that we, as a nation, are no longer worthy of it. It is a distant hope on the horizon.

Again, Paul. Because we "did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, God gave us over to a depraved mind." And there you have it.

Our only hope as a nation, and as a people, is to repent and return to God. But as I watch the nightly news in this country, that seems like an incredibly low-priority task for us.

The Apostle Peter said this to the religious leaders of his day, referring to Jesus:

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” - Acts:4:12

Monkeypox!!

Just when we thought the Charlie Victor One Niner pandemic was over, with all of its endless variants, we now have monkeypox!! I don't know about you but I'm feeling a little like Rameses from The Ten Commandments movie - enduring plague after plague after plague.

I predict that we will not run out of wars, pandemics, deadly diseases, murder hornets and brain-eating bacteria until the November election is over. But I could be wrong. It could go on indefinitely. Why?

The media LOVES to scare us. Anything to get their ratings up, right? If they were really interested in improving their ratings, perhaps they should try telling the truth. The same goes for the Democratic party. Never let a good crisis go to waste.

The Republicans aren't that much better but at least they seem to form policy by using common sense. But I'm not here to offer political solutions. The solutions I offer here today are biblical solutions.

Read the Bible. It is full of ways to end plagues, eliminate starvation and overcomes disease. His name is Jesus.

As you read through the Gospels one can quickly see that Jesus is interested a few main things - obeying God, eliminating man-made "religion," loving and serving others, forgiving sins, and believing and worshiping the one TRUE God.

That seems simple. The application is the hard part. Why? Because we are all sinners. We are easily distracted by the next, new "shiny object" in our lives. A movie, a television show, a new hobby, a new toy, . . . ourselves.

Life was good back in biblical days when God came first, and people served Him. People had plenty to eat, there were no wars, everyone lived in peace because they obeyed the Lord. That's not happening in our world today. We are lovers of self. Here, let's let Paul explain it, as he did to his friend Timothy.

"There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

6They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone." - 2 Timothy 3:1-9

That about says it all, doesn't it? Paul says these things will happen "in the last days." Well, they're happening right now. Are these the last days then? I believe that they are. What about you?

The Abundant Heart

"Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." - Luke 6:45

And sometimes the heart uses words.

We all have people in our lives that speak and act hatefully. They speak lies and half-truths, deceiving those who they are supposed to love and help. And most of them are in Washington D.C.

But we DO have people in our lives that hurt us with their words. Why is that? Our opening verse for today tells us why. The "abundance of the heart" is speaking. The people who speak hate have hearts that are filled with it.

Hateful people also use other means to convey what's inside. Some choose their silence. Silence also speaks volumes. Some use weapons, some use their fists. Some use sexual assault. Whatever the weapon of choice is, they wield it without thought of others. Only themselves. Their heart speaks, inflicting wounds on the undeserving.

Do you remember that old saying that goes, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never harm me." Yeah, well, that's a lie.

When Jesus spoke His "abundance of the heart" message it was to His disciples and those who had come to hear Him speak or to be healed. He told them not to judge others, but then went on to tell them HOW to judge others - with righteous judgement.

If someone sends us a nasty text, what are we to do? Reply in kind? No. Our first step, after we absorb the hurt, should be to pray. WE can't change them. But God can.

Next, we must exhibit some grace. Clearly, "the abundance of their heart" is not love. Give them some time to calm themselves, then speak or text. Tell them how YOU feel. What is the most abundant thing in OUR hearts? As Christians, it should be the fruit of the Spirit.

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control." - Galatians 5:22-23

Do WE exhibit those characteristics as a believer in Jesus Christ? We might have a cross around our necks and go to church but is our heart truly filled with God's love, with His Holy Spirit? If it is, then we cannot help but speak and act in love, in patience, in kindness.

Jubilee!

What if I told you we had just four months left before Jesus returns for His church? Would you believe it?

If you read your Bible, you will know that Israel will be attacked from the north during the time of the tribulation - after the rapture of The Church.

Wednesday morning the Israeli defense minister put Iran on notice. He said Israel estimates that Iran could have enough enriched uranium IN TWO WEEKS for a nuclear bomb. Contemplate THAT scenario for a moment. The country who has repeatedly chanted "Death to Israel. Death to America." could possibly have a nuclear weapon by the end of the month.

Of course, Israel will not allow that to happen. They have been conducting the largest military exercise in their nation's history for the past week. And we have joined them in that exercise. This week Israel warned Iran that it will be attacking their nuclear program. Soon.

I will spare you all of the end times teachings in the Bible. I've stated all of that before. But what I WILL tell you is that we need to prepare for what's about to happen. Prepare our hearts for what is coming.

Tensions between the United States and Russaia are already high due to the war in Ukraine. This Israeli-Iranian conflict will only make things worse. Why? Because the US is Israel's ally, Russia is Iran's ally.

Let's skip all of that doom and gloom stuff and talk about something more joyous - Jesus! Many people say they know Jesus. That's wonderful. So does Satan. So do the demons of this world.

"You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder." - James 2:19

My question for you today is this: Is Jesus your life? Is He your all-in-all as the song says? Knowing Jesus is the only thing that will matter in the end. And the end may be closer than we think.

Although scripture tells us that we will not know the day or the hour of Jesus' return, it also says that we WILL be able to decern the times we are living in. We are living in them right now.

I watched a video this past week. Someone was predicting the return of Jesus. Many people have done that. All of them have been wrong so far. But this guy's case was compelling. He suggested an approximate time frame for the rapture of The Church. The end of September, possibly 2022 - The Feast of Trumpets.

What's interesting about 2022 is that it is a "Shemitah" year - a jubilee year. What is a jubilee year? Well, the word jubilee literally means "ram's horn." The Jewish people use a ram's horn (a shofar) to proclaim special events. Like the Feast of Trumpets.

I find myself remembering what Paul said about the return of Jesus.

"In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." - 1 Corinthians 15:52

If all of this is true, we only have a little over 4 months before Jesus returns for us. And if we have just four months to talk to our unsaved friends and family members, will we now feel more compelled to speak to them?

Watch the Daniel's Prophecy video. It's a half hour long but I found it interesting. I'm not saying this guy is right or wrong. What I AM asking is, are we doing enough to spread the word about the salvation God has offered us all through Jesus Christ?

Look, Jesus is GOING to return one day. He has already promised that. Has the world we live in dramatically changed in recent days? Has it gone crazy? Has the world become anti-God in its worship; worshipping created things, rather than the creator?

Get ready, cuz here He comes!

Jubilee - GotQuestions.org

Daniel's Prophecy

I Never Knew

I was watching a disc golf video the other day when I heard the commentator say something that surprised me. He was talking about one of the young players who had a unique putting stance. Here's how the conversation went:

"See what I mean by, 'He doesn't use his legs much'?

"At ALL, on that one."

"It's just a lot of arms. You don't see that very often. You know, maybe when he broke his leg, and he didn't use his legs much."

"The first time I met him, the kid was on crutches. His leg was in like a two-foot-long cast or something and his leg was all messed up. Something happened to his leg. He was just standing there, winging the discs in from 40 and 50 feet."

"And maybe that has something to do with it cuz he didn't have much legs to work with. Literally. He was just standin' there on crutches."

Look at that picture. You can almost see the crutch under his left arm now. That's love for the game. That's devotion. Despite a childhood injury, this kid just kept on practicing, serving up putt after putt. He did what he was had to do, and it turned into something successful. This kid is 17 years old and one of the top players in the world.

What do our lives in Christ look like when others see us in action? It didn't take this announcer long to figure out why Gannon Buhr putts the way he does. Will someone be able to figure out that we are Christians by the way WE act? By the way we serve?  By the way we love others?

We also can do a pretty good job of hiding things from others. Do we really know what people are going through on the inside as they walk through their day? They may look all fine and dandy on the outside but are they only standing upright by leaning on emotional crutches?

There is an old hymn that states, 'They will know we are Christians by our love." Will they? Really?

One last thought. Do you remember God's conversation with Satan in the Book of Job? God said,

"Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil." - Job 1:8"

Can the same be said of us? Time to get to work.

We The Bride

When Jesus referred to Himself as the bridegroom, and His disciples as the bride, He established a pattern for us to follow. Paul describes it this way:

"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish." - Ephesians 5:25-27

What does that mean for us in today's world? Well, there are a few ideas right there in Paul's words. Jesus wants us sanctified, cleansed, spotless and holy.

Jesus already took care of the "spotless" part through His death on the cross for our sins, but we need to do the rest. We need to become sanctified. How? By the washing of water with God's Word. That means we not only need to read the Bible, but we also need to apply it to our lives. That process will make us holy and without blemish.

Have you placed your faith in Jesus? Do you read the Bible daily? As often as you wash yourself? Are you learning and growing in your faith? It's a constant process.

So many "Christians" believe that if they go to church and do good things, that's all they need, according to Ephesians 5:22

"Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord." - Ephesians 5:22

The key word there is "submit." That means we are to follow all of God's commands. All that Jesus said and did is our guidebook for navigating our way through this crazy world and making it to the wedding feast when Jesus returns for us, His bride.

"Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready." - Revelation 19:7

We need to be ready and waiting for Jesus to return, washing white by the reading and application of His Words. We also need to be undefiled by this world we live in. Satan runs this world and we are in it but we are not to become part of it.

We are to be holy (set apart).

"But while they (the unprepared virgins) were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut." - Matthew 25:10

Don't get locked out of the wedding feast. The location of your eternity depends on it.

The Brackish Truth

When a river flows into the sea there is an area where the two waters meet. It is part fresh water and part salt water. The term for this type of water is 'brackish.' It's somewhere in between.

When we watch the nightly news, we are watching something that is brackish in nature. Someone, a human with their own world view, reports on what THEY think is the news. Is it really the truth? Or is it a "version" of the truth?

Right now, the hot topic is baby formula. There is a nation-wide shortage of it. So, what's a mother to do? What did we do before the invention of baby formula? Mothers made their own.

If you search for 'making your own baby formula' recipes you get two types of results - 'wonderful, safe recipes' and 'dangerous recipes.'  Which is correct? What is truth? What is opinion?

There are several rabbit holes we could go down in the 'truth vs opinion' scenarios. Sexual identity, Republican vs Democrat, pro-choice vs pro-life, cats vs dogs, the list is endless. I'm here to talk about Jesus, The ACTUAL Truth.

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6

Even Christianity has differing views about who Jesus really is - His attributes, His character. In my opinion, not knowing the truth about Jesus is EXTREMELY dangerous. But that's just MY opinion. One thing's for sure, your eternity depends on your getting the 'Who is Jesus' question answered correctly.

Jesus wrote letters to seven churches in the Book of Revelation. Each church had a flaw or two. The church in Laodicea was neither 'hot nor cold,' The Ephesian church had 'forgotten their first love.' Only the church in Philadelphia got God's seal of approval.

As with anything in life, seeking the truth should be paramount in our quest for knowledge. Jesus Himself told us that the truth will set you free.

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” - John 8:32

Always seek the truth in everything you do. It truly WILL set you free.

The Tell Tail Heart

Yesterday I almost ran over my story for today. A black squirrel jumped out in front of my car but then changed its mind and ran back the way it had come. Smart.

The squirrel had no tail. It was obvious that this little guy had learned a rather painful lesson earlier in its life. 

It is said that pain is a great teacher. That's true. If you've been hurt in relationships enough times for example, you can get a little gun-shy when the next potential "someone " comes along.

Perhaps my little squirrel friend experienced some Deja vu as he ran out onto the road. Something told him, perhaps, that this situation was not going to end well for him, and he bolted.

Have you ever repeated the same mistake over and over again? I do that every day. It's called sin. So, why do we keep on sinning? The simple answer is, It's in our nature. Perhaps that's why we humans have no tails. Lol!

So, why don't we turn around and run when it happens a second time? And a third time? Like I said, it's in our nature. The bible says it this way:

"Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.” - 2 Peter 2:22

What made the squirrel hesitate when attempting to cross the road? Memory of a bad experience? What makes us stop and think when we are about to sin. To be honest, sometimes nothing stops us. But what should be stopping us is God's Holy Spirit.

It's not like the Holy Spirit isn't doing His job. It's more like we aren't listening to His warnings. SO, why aren't we listening?

Good question!!

We need to be more attentive to living in God's will. The Bible tells us what we should be doing in just about every imaginable situation. We need to spend some serious time in learning how to APPLY God's Word to our lives.

To continue with the squirrel analogy, it's almost like we used to have tails but kept getting run over so many times we have nothing left. Perhaps we should all look both ways before crossing The Lord. We'd be better off for it.

"My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children." - Hosea 4:6

Giving

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38Give, and it will be given to you." - Luke 6:37-38

Those words from Jesus stuck in my mind during church yesterday morning. Especially the beginning of verse 38 - "give and it will be given to you."

Look at the little girl in this picture. Her name is Autumn. We met at a wellness event in an area community. Some friends and I were there promoting disc golf. Autumn was there to have fun.

Autumn was a cool kid, much like my granddaughter. Full of energy, a big smile. She was "giving" and didn't even know it. But she was struggling to get any of the putters into the basket - just six feet away.

After a little instruction, Autumn made her first putt. and then another and another. She was hooked. By the end of the day Autumn had made 105 putts!

Think about that verse - "give and it will be given to you." Autumn gave her smile and her energy, freely, without condition. Her instructor gave her the knowledge she needed to successfully make her putts. In return her instructor received the gift of watching a young child learn a portion of the game of disc golf.

I wondered where our world would be if we only would give to one another, without condition. And what if we gave to God just as unconditionally. So often our relationship with God is a one-way street. We pray for things that WE want, not necessarily for the things that GOD wants.

The key to all of this is giving (and love). It's not necessarily the receiving. In order to receive something, doesn't it first have to be given?

Now look at the first part of our opening verse. "Do not judge and you will not be judged." Did we judge this little girl? No. We just saw her for who she was - an energetic, smiling, innocent kid. We didn't know her background, her family status, whether she was rich or poor or believed in Jesus.

Are all of our earthly relationships like that? Non-judgmental? Freely giving to each other? Do we give of ourselves at work or at school? Do we volunteer in our communities or at church? What does this teaching of Jesus look like at our southern border? In Ukraine? In our inner cities? In Washington DC?

Jesus said the following in the Book of John. How do we reconcile His words with our actions? 

"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” - John 13:35

How can we love others like Jesus today?

Joshua's Altar

"Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, 31as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses - an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used." - Joshua 8:30-31

What you are looking at is a picture of Joshua's altar. It was built by Joshua 1300 years before Christ. Over 3300 years ago.

"On it they offered to the Lord burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings. 32There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on stones a copy of the law of Moses. 33All the Israelites, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the Lord, facing the Levitical priests who carried it." - Joshua 8:31-33

People always seem to try refuting the truth of God's Word. And time and time again, God's Word is proven true. In this case archaeologists found this structure on Mt. Ebal. They also found the bones of cattle, sheep and goats. Not only that but they also found layer upon layer of ashes - leftovers from the burnt offerings to the God of Israel.

I love discoveries like this. They solidify our faith. Actual physical proof of something we only previously had read about. Proof positive!

There is a personal discovery we ALL can make - any time, and place. By repenting of our sins and "discovering" Jesus, we can experience the truth of God's Word firsthand. There's nothing like it!

To be forgiven every bad thing you've ever done and to receive a new heart, beating in your chance. An opportunity to "start over" is truly a blessing. As the old hymn goes, Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

With as crazy as the world is getting these days, wouldn't it be a good idea to be right with God? God has promised to return for His children. That day is coming VERY soon. Don't miss out on this one-time event!!

Jesus Paid It All - Newsboys

Hunger and Thirst

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." - Matthew 5:6

Do you know what we need in this world? We need some good, old-fashioned hunger and thirst. Let me explain.

When Jesus spoke on the Mount of Olives to his disciples and to those who had come to be healed or fed, He was not talking about actual physical hunger or thirst. He was talking about spiritual hunger and thirst. And it wasn't food or water that the people should be craving either. It was righteousness.

So, what IS righteousness anyway?

Righteousness - the being and doing right; conformity in character and conduct to a right standard. A coming into spiritual oneness with God, because for Christ's sake the believer in Christ is treated as righteous.

The verse said that "BLESSED are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness." Do we HUNGER for it? Are we THRSTY for it? Or is righteousness something we no longer have to attain because we have Jesus in our lives?

I think we need to crave righteousness like we haven't eaten in a week and are craving a cheeseburger. We need to thirst for it like we just walked out of a desert into a diner and the waitress asks us what we'd like.

WATER!!!

But we don't hunger or thirst for it, do we? We go to church on Sunday and that's enough it seems.

I think what's missing is our spiritual brokenness. The realization that we will starve to death without God's nourishing Word. If we truly hunger and thirst for righteousness, then this verse should have incredible meaning for us today.

"Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." - John 6:35

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for Jesus!

With All Your Heart

"I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart." - Jeremiah 24:7

Do you remember a guy named Christiaan Barnard? He was a heart surgeon from South Africa. Dr. Bernard performed the world's first heart transplant back in 1967. Or did he?

According to our opening Bible verse, GOD has performed millions of heart transplants, LONG before 1967.

God removes hearts of stone and installs hearts of flesh.

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." - Ezekiel 36:26

A heart of stone is not good. Uncaring, unfeeling, a heart of stone is something that God does not want us to have. God wants us to love Him and to love others. It's His first and greatest commandment.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” - Mark 12:30-31

What does it mean to love God "with all your heart?" I think it means to love God without conditions. To love Him above ALL things. To place God first in our lives. Even above ourselves.

That's the first question we have to ask ourselves. Is God first in our lives? If not, the next question must be, "How can we change that?" How can we place God first in everything we do? How can we serve others without thinking of ourselves first?

That's easy. Ask God to give you a new heart. Ask Him for renewed energy for doing His will. As God for the courage to walk up to someone and ask them, "How is your heart feeling today? Would you like a transplant?"