When we obey God, He delights in us. Joshua reminded rebellious Israel that the land God was bringing them to was because of his delight in them. Number 4:8 “If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey.” If they would just persist in following God and trusting in Him, they would receive what He had promised. Likewise in Deuteronomy 30:9 Moses reiterates this, “The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers,” God wants to bless us with His best, but what is the cost? 1 Samuel 15:22 nails the answer, “Do you think all God wants are sacrifices— empty rituals just for show? He wants you to listen to him! Plain listening is the thing, not staging a lavish religious production. Not doing what God tells you.” The Message translation makes it clear that God wants obedience over any show of allegiance or pretense. The ESV and NIV use the word delight in this verse, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.”
What delights the Lord God enough that He would shower them and us with blessings? God desires obedience. Those that follow Him will be blessed. God made this promise to Abraham when He called him to follow him in Genesis 12:2-3 “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Abraham obeyed God and went where God directed. The promise was that all of the earth- all of us would be blessed through him. We see this fulfilled in Christ. Galatians 3:14 “so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.” Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,” We see through Abraham that obedience lead to blessings in his life and then into ours. Christ is the ultimate blessing and through Him we can be a blessing to others as we walk in obedience.
Through today’s scriptures we see that obedience (listening and doing what God desires) brings blessing and blessings are a way God shows His delight in us. How are you doing with your obedience to Him? Do you search the scriptures for the way He desires that you live? Do you pray and ask the Holy Spirit’s guidance in your daily life? Proverbs 10:22 says “The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.” You will know when you are blessed by God as His blessings make us rich- body, soul and mind and there is no sorrow or regret with the blessing.
Today’s promise describes to us the power of faith in our lives and its effect on the world around us.
1 John 5:3-5“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
Promise: God promises that faith in Jesus will overcome the world and that obedience to His Word shows my love for Him.
This promise is HUGE in God’s Word. Our faith in Jesus and His saving work on the cross holds the key to victory for us over sin that is present in our own lives and throughout the world. In these days where sin seems to be rampant and we see disrespect directed at those who profess faith, knowledge that our God is sovereign gives us true hope! We can be assured that God does reign and someday the words of Philippians 2:10-11 will be true. “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” He will overcome the world and will reign victorious.
What we know from these verses: my obedience to God’s Word demonstrates my love for Him, keeping God’s Word is not a burden for the believer, faith in Jesus gives power to live a victorious life, faith in Jesus is more powerful than the pull of sin, salvation from sin comes only through faith in Jesus.
Lenten Reflections: Am I showing God that I love Him by keeping His Word? As I studying God’s Word to know what it is He desires of me?
We think about God loving us and showing us how much He cares for us, but do we think about our love back to Him? This verse tell us that obedience is God’s love language. For those who love Him, He will see that they are victorious. Faith in Jesus is the key as it causes us to want to please and show our love for God. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can know my faith in Jesus has power and I will be victoriousin Him.
Linda
Related Verses: 1 Samuel 15:22, Psalm 119:33-37, Micah 6:8, John 14:15,21, John 16:33, Acts 4:12, Revelation 17:14.
My word for 2023 was Obedience. To me and my rebellious spirit, that is a tough word. I have found it calming this year as I have leaned into my walk with the Lord and waited upon Him. Obedience goes hand in hand with patience as I sought to follow Him and must reign myself in so that I do not run ahead. Personally, I set a goal of reading the entire Bible in a year, it seemed like an overwhelming task. As I committed my days to Him, set a time and a place for my reading, God was faithful to meet me there. I was amazed that only 1 or 2 times during the year did I miss a day and have to catch up on the reading. Even during my trip to Europe, I kept it up. Even during my visits to relatives, with my busy schedule, etc., I kept it up. God met me each and every day in His Word to guide me through. The two verses I choose for this year: Psalm 128:1 and Deuteronomy 10:12 have been beacons of hope and resolution throughout the year.
“Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.’ Psalm 128:1
“And now, Linda, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 10:12
As we look forward to 2024, may we take some time today to reflect and thank God for His goodness and faithfulness to each of us. In this world filled with strife and turmoil, may we hold onto the Hope that we find in Jesus and know the God Keeps His Promises, all of them.
The last of my selected verses on Obedience is 2 John 1:6 “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”
God spoke to Solomon in a dream and said if he walked in His commands he would be blessed with a long life. 1 Kings 3:14 “And if you walkin obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” Later in 1 Kings 11:38, God told Solomon, “If you do whatever I command you and walkin obedience to me and do what is right inmy eyes by obeying my decrees and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you.” Here God says walking in His commands would result in a generational legacy of faith. Both of these are benefits of walking with God and following His pathway, His truth, His Word in our lives. The Apostle John adds something else to obedience in 2 John 1:6. He says that walking in God’s ways, keeping His commands is a walk of LOVE. This love is not only towards God but towards all those that live in and around us. Our perspective on life is to be one of love. Jesus explained this in Matthew 22:36-39 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
When one is seeking to live in obedience to God’s Word by following His commands, our first priority is to love God! Our love should be all encompassing in that it involves our heart, soul and mind- our whole being. God wants all of us not just a portion. What would that look like in our lives? Being sincere about our commitment to God and the practice of being involved in Bible Study, prayer and worship. Ask yourself, why do I do what I do? Is it out of love for God? If our motivation is out of love, it will flow and help us commune with God on a new level and totally immerse us in His love. If it is not done our of love for God, it will be a constant struggle and stain on our lives.
The second priority for walking with Jesus in love is to love others. John states this in 2 John 1:6 ‘his command is for you to walk in love.’ I love John 13:34-35 where Jesus tell us, “A new command I give you: Loveoneanother. As I have loved you, so you must loveoneanother. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you loveoneanother.” The love Jesus is talking about here is sacrificial love for one another. What would walking in love sacrificially look like in your life? Would it mean going the extra mile to help someone in need? Would it mean speaking to a stranger or friend about the love of Jesus? Would you mean praying diligently for those who are lost, hurting or seeking God’s help in their lives?
Obedience is not just giving lip service to God and his commands but LIVING Them in LOVE. The blessings of living a life of love is brought back to you in abundance. You are at peace in your heart, mind and soul and you can and will experience God’s blessing of a life lived for Him and be leaving a legacy of faith behind you.
My journey into the area of Obedience continues as I look today at Psalm 128. The focus of verse 1 is explained in this short and beautifully worded psalm.
Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. 2 You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. 3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. 4 Yes, this will be the blessing for the man who fears the Lord.
5 May the Lord bless you from Zion; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. 6 May you live to see your children’s children— peace be on Israel.
The first point the psalmist makes is that obedience brings blessing. The obedience is specific as it is about walking in the fear of the Lord. This fear is not panic or terror but reverence and awe. Keeping the Lord with you each day as a loved and cherished companion, knowing He knows right from wrong and will guide your steps, is this kind of obedience. The psalmist also points out that walking in obedience to God daily will bring blessings to your household and all of your family. I love this idea that walking with God reflects on those around you for good. By your words and deeds you will make Him known. Paul gives us this idea when he wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:14 ” The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” When we walk with Jesus, His grace is on us and poured out to others in His name. This is a beautiful thought to ponder and absorb. Your life has meaning in Him and will impact others for Jesus!
The psalmist also make the point that a life lived in obedience will reflect the peace of God and bring prosperity to our life and the lives of our children. Peter opens his second letter with this same idea. 2 Peter 1:2-3 “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” God promises grace and peace to those who follow Him and Peter tells us that God has given us all we need to see and live in that peace and to do it with abundance. Is your life peaceful? I’m not talking about being free from conflict, but do you have worries about your eternal future? Do you know that you belong to Him no matter what happens? Is your life filled with abundant love from God? As you look into His Word, do you see His love for you and His peace? Consider Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: Whilewewere stillsinners, Christ died for us.” and John 14:27 “PeaceIleave with you; mypeaceI give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” God promises His love and peace for us. It starts when you receive Jesus as your savior and repent of your sins. It will continue into eternity! Now that is love in abundance and bountiful peace that we did and do not deserve!
Seeking to walk in obedience to Jesus and show His love to those around you today. You will be blessed!
Now that I have my word for the year, I need to delve into the scriptures I’ve chosen. There were 4 scriptures that resonated with me and 2 I chose for my focus verses.
The first of my 4 verses that I chose is from 1 Samuel 15:22. King Saul was anointed by Samuel, the priest, as King and blessed by God. The Lord gave him instructions on how to deal with the evil Amalekites. He was to completely destroy them and not take any plunder at all. Saul mustered his army and went to battle with the Amalekite King. He won the battle but took King Agag prisoner and took his flocks as his own. Here is the story after Saul returns from battle, 1 Samuel 15:13-29
When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”
15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”
16 “Enough!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”
“Tell me,” Saul replied.
17 Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ 19 Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”
20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”
22 But Samuel replied:
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”
24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them. 25 Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord.”
26 But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!”
27 As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. 28 Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you. 29 He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.”
Did you notice that King Saul did not obey the Lord’s commands but says he did in verse 20. He thought that partial obedience was obedience. Does that sound familiar? When God requires us to not murder or covet, yet we hold murderous or covetous thought in our minds that is only partially obeying the Lord. When God requires us to keep the Sabbath holy, yet we feel it is okay to miss church or not ever go because we don’t feel like it or it interferes with our rest time that is partial obedience. When we believe in God and desire to follow Him but only do it half way that is partial obedience. King Saul only partially obeyed the Lord and choose what he wanted to do instead. He kept King Agag as a trophy to parade before the people as a symbol of their victory and they only kept the best of the sheep and cattle and killed the rest. To compound this sin of disobedience, Saul tries to put the blame on his men. He said his soldiers brought back the best sheep to use as sacrifices. God tells King Saul what he thought of his partial obedience in verse 22. You thought to bring the best sheep as sacrifices to me, said the Lord, but I’d rather have total obedience. Don’t try to cover your disobedience with an excuse. As a result, God removed the throne from King Saul and his descendants. Later Samuel anointed David king but he had to wait 14 years before Saul to died in battle. During those 14 years, Saul tried to kill David repeatedly and remove him as the future king. His plans always failed as God protected David and his kingship was established.
What do we learn about obedience in this story? God requires that we totally, wholeheartedly follow Him. He wants our total surrender to His ways and plans. Partial obedience = disobedience. This concept is hard to see sometimes as we like to rationalize how our doing part of what God wants and see that as okay with Him. Looking at this story, God wants it all. The glory for the battle victory belonged to the Lord and was not Saul’s to take as his own. They were ridding the land of an evil group of people. By partially obeying the command, we see later in 2 Samuel 1 that David was still fighting the Amalekites and one actually came to him and reported Saul’s death. God knew the Amalekites would continue to be a thorn in the side of Israel, influencing them with their evil ways and God wanted that influence gone. The parallel for us is that God knows the evil or worldly influences He desires eliminated from our lives. He desires our wholehearted devotion. By only being partially obedient to Him, we are allowing those influences to remain in our lives and leaving ourselves open to temptations and sin.
Where do you need to be obedient wholeheartedly, not partially? Are you only partially committed to Bible Study or daily reading of the Bible? Do you only go to church when you feel like it or do you make it a priority to worship God each week? Where do you choose the majority of your friends? Are they from the world around you or from others believers? Friends can be a powerful influence on you as well as those you can influence. Ask yourself, where is most of my influence coming from? Who do I need to influence for the Lord?
Ponder this verse and examine your own obedience and ask God to show you where you are only partially obeying Him. He will reveal this to you as you seek Him, then repent and seek to be totally obedient. God desires obedience as it pleases Him. “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”
Linda
Here are a couple of quotes on this subject- old and new.
It has been a slow start to 2023 for me. After giving the challenge on January 2, I have been silent on my choice of a Word for the year. I have been in prayer and the Word God has given me is Obedience. There are lots of good connotations that are connected to this word as well as hard one too. So I went in search of related words that would help me refine and define more fully obedience. I took the words and placed them in a graphic to give me a visual representation to post in my office. My related words of heart and soul, love, keeping commandments, fear of God, blessings, heart, service, love others and love Him have really helped me see a broader aspect of Obedience. The related words came from verses I referenced on obedience.
The scriptures I found that spoke to my heart were:
Deuteronomy 10:12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,” I personalized this verse and put my name in the place of Israel so it reads for me: “And now,Linda, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,”
Psalm 128:1 “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.”
1 Samuel 15:22 “But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”
2 John 1:6 “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”
As you can see the words in my graphic came from scripture and helped me see a direction for my obedience. The Lord will define more fully what He means for me this year in the way of obedience first to Him, then my obedience to love and serve others as I am serving Him. I am looking forward to what God will show me this year, 2023, and how He will use my obedience to Him to bring blessings into my life.
I pray you have found the Word God has given you for the year already or are still pursuing it. God promises if we ask he will answer, and if we seek Him and we will find Him. Keep on knocking.
Luke indicated in 2:22-23 that Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus went to the temple to offer a sacrifice for their new born son and for Mary’s purification. Law required that she wait 40 days after giving birth to a son to enter the temple and had to offer a sacrifice for her purification. This was an important event as they were consecrating, dedicating their new born son to God. All firstborn be it animals or people were to be dedicated to the Lord. During this event, they first met Simeon who had been told by the Lord that before he died he would see his Lord and Savior. He trusted God and believed God’s Words that he would indeed see his savior. He knew God to be a promise keeping God.
After their encounter with Simeon and hearing his prophesy, they encountered Anna a prophetess.
Luke 2:36-38 “There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
Doing the math, she was over 91 years old and since the temple was very large, she lived their daily spending her time worshipping and praying. Being a prophetess, she would have received prophesies from the Lord. Other such women in the Bible were Miriam, Moses’ sister, Deborah the fearless leader during the time of the Judges, Huldah, Hannah and the daughters of Philip. Anna’s encounter with Jesus, Mary and Joseph was brief but revealing as God showed her the one who would redeem the Jews.
What can we learn from Anna and her encounter with Jesus? God knew the exact time in history that His Son would be revealed to the world. He placed Simeon and Anna there at that moment to confirm for us that Jesus was His Son and had a divine purpose. He was not a random child of Jewish parents but God’s Son. He was the one through whom God would redeem all mankind. God chose devoted followers to speak of Jesus’ coming work in the world. They were elders, revered and respected for their lifestyle, devotion to God and their ability to speak prophetic words from God. Their appearance in the life Jesus was confirming for Mary and Joseph and showed how much God loved them. God wanted them to know, along with Anna and Simeon, that Jesus was His Son and they were a part of His story. God graciously included them in His work to save mankind.
How is God including you in His work? Has He given you people to tell of His wonders and grace? I like to think of these as God opportunities or God moments. Has He given you people to serve and help so that they may see Him in and through what you are doing? Has God called you to stand firmly for Him and wait patiently like He did Anna and Simeon? What ever God has for you in the New Year, embrace it, claim His promises, and cling to Jesus daily so that His work may be accomplished through you. You will be blessed. Remember, Obedience brings blessing. 2 John 1:16 “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”
Make 2023 a year of obedience and love as you seek to walk with Him daily.
The Sea side post-resurrection appearance continues………Peter was distressed that Jesus questioned him 3 times about his love, obviously he forgotten he had denied Christ 3 times. Here at the Sea of Galilee Jesus insisted the answer is “Follow me!”
John 21:17-19 “He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.”19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
Peter was upset at the Lord’s insistent questioning of his love, and Jesus replied with a prophecy about Peter’s life and death to come, and how he would bring glory to God. What Jesus required of Peter was obedience- ‘follow me’!
Peter then asked about John and received this rebuke from Jesus in verses 21-22. “When Peter saw him (John), he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” Jesus wanted Peter’s focus to be on Him not on the future and what would happen to others. As Jesus said, He would take care of John, but Peter needed to focus on following Him.
Let us take encouragement from this scene for today. Just like Peter, we need to focus our lives on following Jesus, being obedience to His Word and walking with Him daily. We do not need to ‘worry’ about others or question Jesus about their work and walk. We have enough to do to keep our own focus on Him. This does not mean we are not concerned about others, but Peter was just being nosy here and wanted to know what would happen to John in the future- is his life going to be better than mine? Since the Lord’s answer was always “Follow me”, that is what is crucial in our life too. Obedience to Jesus is what He desires. We are to keep our focus on Jesus and not compare our circumstances to others. Later Peter so beautifully wrote in 1 Peter 1:22-23 “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;”
Let us take seriously our walk with Jesus and His command ‘Follow me!” May we let the distractions of the world fall away as we walk forward in obedience with our Savior.
Our last ‘put upon’ scripture for this Lenten season is meaningful as it teaches an attitude and practice that God desires of all committed believers. Paul is instructing the Corinthian Christians about the collection of offerings for the suffering Christians in Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Christians were under extreme persecution at this time and believers throughout Asia minor were concerned and seeking to aid them in their time of need and distress. Paul was planning to go and take the offerings if he could, if not then he assured them that some other brothers would take their offerings to these suffering Christians.
1 Corinthians 16:1-5 “Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put somethingaside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 3 And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.
What lesson was Paul teaching in his request for them to set aside a portion each week for these needy people? I am calling it planned generosity. Many of us can be generous on the spur of the moment, carried by emotion or emotional pleas but this was to be planned. They needed to learn to set aside a portion for God’s use each week. Since many of the people of Macedonia were poor, they needed to plan and set aside a little bit at a time and then amazingly they would have a lot to give. This relies on God’s faithfulness to provide and our faithfulness to be obedient and set monies aside.
I had not thought of planning for generosity, but I’ve done it. When you decide to set aside money to pay for a camp scholarship to be used in the future, when you know there will be a Pastor Appreciation month coming in October or the love gift at Christmas. In the case of the Corinthians, it was giving that was over and above their regular giving and needed to be planned for. Give this some thought. Next time you have a bonus or some unexpected monies, ask God what you should do with it and set it aside. You don’t have to give it right then as perhaps God has something else in mind for those funds. Set it aside as Paul instructs and wait for the project or time God wants you to give it. You will be blessed by the planning and blessed by the listening and following God’s direction.
Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can depend upon God to direct my giving and allow Him to grow my obedience and faithfulness.
As we have seen throughout this Lenten season, God wants to grow and mold us into who He sees we can be in Him.
Fearless Living 