Bible Ballistics: BBs #214 A Fortnight Of Thanks-Living #4

I thank God today for friends. What a blessing to have friends, to be a friend and to be friendly. God says people who are “friendly” will find friends, and some even closer than blood!

“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24

To have a friend is such a blessing and a privilege, but they don’t come easy, nor do they come cheap—and they shouldn’t! Friends should be important enough to us that we are willing to invest ourselves into the lives of others. And while that investment may cost us greatly, the value and return on the investment is of immeasurable and consequential reward. I thank God for my friends, and also for the privilege that God has given to me to walk by their sides in gladness and in sorrow, to be the “picker-upper”, and sometimes to be the “picked-up” one. But through it all the joy of sharing life, love and caring with others is second only to joy of knowing God, who also calls us “friend”!!

“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” John 15:15

Jesus is making His Father “known unto you”—because that’s what ‘friends’ do! Friends open their hearts and share of themselves with one another. Friends care, they sacrifice time and energy to support and stand by one another. Friendship isn’t always convenient, in fact sometimes it may mean sleepless nights and long days; but a real friend is available in that time of need, often without even being asked. Have you been that one in need? Have you experienced the joy and satisfaction of being the one meeting the need?

As I told a friend, who had been going through a seemingly endless time of “need” and feeling bad because others were always helping her, “Your time to give will come, and you will know how much it means to receive love and help from those who care”! We must remember that people don’t always need us when it’s convenient, but when they have a need—that’s when they need us. In my opinion the cost of friendship is a sacrifice of love, and those who give it will always receive back more than they spend! That’s what friends do! God is my best friend! Am I His friend?

“And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” James 2:23

Do people see Jesus in you? Are you a friend of God? Do you spend time with Him? If God is our friend, then we can learn how to be a friend to others, and that is the desire of my heart. I’ve been privileged over the last few days to spend time with a friend of many years, and while we don’t get to be together often, when we are together it is such a joy and delight. We’ve each been in the need of help, and we’ve each been privileged to meet the needs of one another –and oh what joy that brings to our hearts when we can share all those “precious memories” of joys and sorrows shared.

Are you being a friend to the friendless? Have you been blessed with those real, precious and faithful friends? Then thank God today—and call that friend, that loved one and tell them so!! Don’t wait until it’s too late to share!

“A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Proverbs 17:17

Bible Ballistics: Amazing Revelations-Part 2??? Vol. 6#26

As we continue on with our look at these last three chapters of Daniel, we will tie the action of chapter 10 to 11. We must remember that chapter and verse divisions were added for simplicity of use, but are sometimes confusing when we separate a flow by the artificial placement of a chapter division. And here at Daniel 11 we have that very situation. When we begin to look at chapter 11, it can be confusing to figure out who is speaking, but when we go back to chapter 10 we realize that chapter 11 is simply continuing the dialogue from chapter 10:10. So let’s dive in!

“Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him. 2 And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia. 3 And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. 4 And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.” Daniel 11:1-4

As we mentioned last week, Daniel’s heavenly messenger reveals that he has assisted Darius the Mede in the unseen realm, and also says that there will be four more kings in the Persian realm, with the last one antagonizing the new emerging king of Greece—Alexander the Great! He reveals in greater detail the things that Daniel was given in chapters 7 and 8. Verse 4 also mentions the early demise of Alexander and the fact that his kingdom would be divided into four less powerful kingdoms. And that is where we’ll jump in today.

“And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.

6 And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king’s daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times.

7 But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail: 8 And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the north.

9 So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land. 10 But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress.

11 And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north: and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his hand. 12 And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it.

13 For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches. 14 And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall.

15 So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand.

16 But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed. 17 He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him. 18 After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him. 19 Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.

20 Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle. 

21 And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. 22 And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant. 23 And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people. 24 He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers’ fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time. 25 And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army;

and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him. 26 Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain.

27 And both of these kings’ hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.

28 Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land. 29 At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter. 30 For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. 31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. 32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. 33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. 34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. 35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.” Daniel 11:5-35

Without going into a lot of detail, what we have here is an accurate account of the history of more than 200 years, and so accurately to the actual events that the critics insist that it couldn’t have been written before hand—it had to have been written “after” the fact! But they forget that we serve the God of ALL creation, who wrote the end at the beginning!!! We have a conflict continuing several hundred years covered in this account that Daniel received and recorded for us. It is between two of the four kingdoms that came out of the Greek Empire of Alexander the Great. Conflict between the Syrian Empire and the Egyptian Empire—the Seleucids Dynasty and the Ptolemy Dynasty—and the import of this is there location. If you will look on a map, guess who sits right between these two areas? ISRAEL—God’s chosen people, and that makes this vision one of great import to Daniel, his people Israel and to we who believe the Bible to be God’s revelation of the ages.

One of the main portions of this account is of Antiochus Epiphanes in verses 21-35, one who would come out of the Greek Empire (I believe a pre-cursor of the Anti-Christ) and wreak havoc on Israel, and defying God while defiling His people, His land and His temple! This vile one, or despicable person as he is called in some other translations, is the epitome of evil, especially of evil toward God’s people. And when he comes through Israel, after one of his defeats, he will afflict them greatly. But we see great hope for them and for all of us who follow God and His Son Jesus Christ.

“…but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” Daniel 11:32b

Like Ephesians 6:10 reminds us:

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”

Our job is to follow Jesus, regardless of the opposition, and let God accomplish HIS purpose in, through and with us, by His presences and His power, even when it includes suffering. That is an often neglected part of the modern gospel, but it is part of what Jesus told us would come to those who followed him.

“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12

Now I will simply share with you my opinion of the balance of this chapter: while some think that verse 36 reverts back to a general discussion of Antiochus Epiphanes, I think the introduction of “the king” is a change of character, one who is not Antiochus, but different, later “vile person” who will arise in the end. The one who is called by several names: anti-Christ, the beast, the wicked one, and the man of lawlessness. The one who will come in the end to deceive and lead the world against God, by the power of Satan. (See 2 Thessalonians 2; Revelation 12 & 13, 19; and Matthew 24 for more information)

“And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. 37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. 38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. 39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. 40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. 41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. 44 But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. 45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.” Daniel 11:36-45

Here we see the chapter division dilemma again, we recognize that chapter 12 is a continuation of verse 11:45, which places this last “person” of chapter 11 in the end times, as I understand it.

“And at that time

shall Michael stand up,

the great prince

which standeth for the children of thy people:

and there shall be a time of trouble,

such as never was since there was a nation

even to that same time:

and at that time thy people shall be delivered,

every one that shall be found written in the book.” Daniel 12:1

So what do we see here? “At that time” is the time referred to in the close of chapter 11, the time of “the king”—a future time, not more of the precious “vile person”. What will happen at that time?

Michael will stand up for Israel—

There will be a time of unparalleled trouble—

Israel will ultimately be delivered—

All those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life!

“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” Daniel 12:2-3

This time of “trouble” will bring the judgment of God as well as the rewards from God to His faithful servants. While this is still in the same time of trouble/tribulation, it is referred to by several different names in scripture:

“Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? 7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it. 8 For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him:” Jeremiah 30:6-8

–The “time of Jacob’s trouble”.

“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand; 2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.” Joel 2:1-2

–The “day of the Lord”.

“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” Revelation 3:10

–The “hour of temptation”.

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” Matthew 24:21

–The “great tribulation”.

We see that a time of great judgment is coming, and we must recognize that God will accomplish His purpose, and while we can choose to be on God’s side or not, we must recognize that consequences will follow the choice! It’s your choice but the consequences have already been set.

And in closing Daniel receives a commission to press on, even though there are things that he doesn’t understand about this last revelation he is recording for us:

“But thou, O Daniel,

shut up the words,

and seal the book,

even to the time of the end:

many shall run to and fro,

and knowledge shall be increased.

5 Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river. 6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? 7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that

it shall be for a time, times, and an half;

and when he shall have accomplished

to scatter the power of the holy people,

all these things shall be finished.  

8 And I heard,

but I understood not:

then said I, O my Lord,

what shall be the end of these things?

9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel:

for the words are closed up

and sealed till the time of the end.

10 Many shall be purified,

and made white,

and tried;

but the wicked shall do wickedly:

and none of the wicked

shall understand;

but the wise shall understand.

11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away,

and the abomination that maketh desolate set up,

there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

12 Blessed is he that waiteth,

and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.

13 But go thou thy way till the end be:

for thou shalt rest,

and stand in thy lot

at the end of the days.” Daniel 12:4-13

So? Daniel was told that a time period of 3 ½ years would unleash great tribulation for his people, but that he was to rest in His God, His faithfulness and the assurance of God’s eternal purposes. In other words—be ready NOW for THEN, and leave the rest to God. And no, I don’t know the answers to the 1,290 days or the 1,335 days—but God does, and I trust HIM. We know that the time, times and ½ time is equal to 3 ½ years, but after that I have found no “Biblical” answer of certainty to the other two numbers mentioned here. I’ve seen lots of suggestions, but no convincing proof from God’s Word, so like Daniel, I’ll just rest in the one who does know, and press on. I hope this has helped you to have confidence to dig into the Word of God and let God speak to your heart as you handle His Word with integrity

“Study

to shew thyself approved unto God,

a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,

rightly dividing the word of truth.”    2 Timothy 2:15

Bible Ballistics: BBs #213 A Fortnight Of Thanks-Living #3

I think God for the privilege of worship. Regardless of whether you choose to assemble for corporate worship on Saturday or Sunday, the issue I’d like to address is our worship of God every moment of every day with hearts full of gratitude.

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24

Jesus Himself said that we MUST worship Him in “spirit and in truth”. And we can only do that when we worship the right “God” the right “way”! And who might that be and how? Only one answer:

“Jesus saith unto him,

I am the way,

the truth,

and the life:

no man cometh unto the Father,

but by me.

7 If ye had known me,

ye should have known my Father also:

and from henceforth ye know him,

and have seen him.”  John 14:6-7

We worship God through believing Jesus Christ the Son of God, and being “born again” by the Spirit of God. And oh, how grateful I am to have received the gift of eternal life!!! Which God gives to all who come to Him in repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Then we are enabled to truly worship God every moment of every day through the power of His Spirit dwelling in us!!! He-the Holy Spirit- is the proof that I belong to Jesus! And dear friends that is the thing I am most grateful for—belonging to Jesus. How about you?

“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” Romans 8:9

No matter how many words people may use “about” God, unless we know Him in the salvation that Jesus purchased at Calvary, our hearts cannot truly worship. And Jesus came that we could truly worship God in “Spirit and Truth”.

“But as many as received him,

to them gave he power

to become the sons of God,

even to them

that believe on his name:

13 Which were born,

not of blood,

nor of the will of the flesh,

nor of the will of man,

but of God.” John 1:12-13

“…….. the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me……..” Isaiah 29:13a

So, are we worshipping God and being grateful for the honor? Do we truly know Him? Are we worshipping Him in “Spirit and Truth”? Or, are we practicing “lip service” only? Only you can answer these questions, and I challenge each one of us to examine our hearts; and then take our real worship of thanks to God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—today and every day, from a heart that belongs to Jesus.

 

Bible Ballistics: BBs #212 A Fortnight Of Thanks-Living #2!

I thank God for the five great children in our family, as well as the four wonderful grandchildren. What a blessing to be the parents of children and watch them flourish and grow.

It’s not always easy to be a parent, especially a godly, Bible believing parent. Our prayer is that all our children will come to have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, and that we will live out a vibrant Biblical faith before them. Being people who truly love children—both having them and taking the time to be a part of their lives, leading them to, and teaching them the truths of God’s Word, to prepare them for the dangers and pitfalls of the world.

“Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. 4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. 5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.” Psalm 127:3-5

While we live in world that claims to “love” children, we see on every hand that children are often only “loved” if they’re convenient, planned, affordable and or timely. I can’t find any of those ideas in the Psalm, but that they are “an heritage of the Lord”. How can we say we “love” children, when we care for and protect the “trees”, and the “whales”, and the “endangered species” but not the unborn? Our world wants to save everything but “human babies”—which seem to be, on the other hand, totally expendable on the altar of convenience, lust, sexual freedom, selfishness, greed and immorality.

I pray that God will truly give us a heart to love, appreciate, desire, and be grateful to have children in our lives again. And when we do, may we teach them diligently the truths of God. And we can only do that successfully when we follow the imperatives of Deuteronomy 6:

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Deuteronomy 6:5-7

Only when we know and love God ourselves can we share His ways with the children in our care, sharing the truths of God in life lessons all along the way. If we will be diligent to do this God says we will see results:

“And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord our God hath commanded you? 21 Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand:” Deuteronomy 6:20-21

God said that if we will live holy and righteous lives before our children, teach them the truth at every teachable opportunity and lead them to the knowledge of God, according to His Word, they will then, in time, ask us “why” do we live “this way”? Then we can share with them what God has done, and is doing in our lives by His loving grace.

So, I challenge to us all to truly be grateful for our children and grandchildren. To be grateful enough to live before them a holy life, that they might see what it means to know God. And when they ask us “why”, to have an answer that agrees with the life we have been living before them. Are you grateful?

Bible Ballistics: BBs #211 A Fortnight Of Thanks-Living #1!

I am very glad that we spend this time of “Thanksgiving”—a time to remind people to be thankful!!! That’s a pretty tall order in our world of “entitlements” and the demand for one’s “rights”, whether it’s “right” or not! A world lacking “gratitude” is a world gone awry. So, we’re going to spend the time between now and Thanksgiving Day considering some of the things that we can be “grateful” for.

I’d like to start this emphasis on gratitude by thanking God for my spouse, my loving and faithful husband! It is a great privilege and honor to have been blessed by God with a wonderful, godly man to spend my life with, to serve God with, to share the joys and sorrows of life with. God calls us to be conscious of our blessings in this regard:

“Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.” Psalm 5:18

“The aged women likewise, ….. 4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,” Titus 2:3-4

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;” Ephesians 5:25

Whether you’re the husband or the wife, we are called to rejoice with our spouse, to love each another as Christ loved His church—“and gave himself for it”. Self-sacrificing love is a rarity these days, but it’s what we are called to exercise toward those to whom we are married.

But there’s even more that we need to consider from scripture. There is never any attitude of thankfulness that can tolerate an attitude of “superior” and “inferior” within the marriage relationship! We are each made in the image of God—male and female, and as we practice self-less, self-sacrificing love, that we talked about above, we must understand that there is an order of function within the marriage union and the home; an order reflecting God’s establishment of the home—a loving leader and a loving companion. We are to strive for a union of interdependence not one of superiority and subservience.

“Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. 10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. 12 For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.” 1 Corinthians 11:9-12

While we don’t have time to go into the detailed context of this passage, it is dealing with the marriage relationship, and Paul is calling us to recognize our “interdependence” NOT each one’s “independence”!!! We are to respect and appreciate our differences and acknowledge that “all things of God”, meaning that we are to love, respect and be grateful for the spouse that God has blessed us with-becoming “ONE”. The husband isn’t to “lord it over” his wife, neither the wife to be “demanding” of her own way, but each one is to remember that we were created to “complete” NOT “compete” for dominance in the home. Striving together with gratitude, remembering that God created each of us and He brought us together and has created us to function together for the growth of one another, and His glory! To demonstrate to the world what real love and respect looks like in a godly home.

So, take some time today and tell your special spouse how much you love them, appreciate them and are thankful that God placed them in your life. And I intend to do the same—every day, not just once year!!