33rd Devotional/Commentary

The Bēma

... The Bēma

... The New Heaven & New Earth

... The beginning of Our Eternal Life

Welcome back friends. In the last piece we examined the Great White Throne Judgment, where God judged each unbeliever from all of history according to their works or deeds. This judgement was carried out, based on the perfect record the Lord kept throughout history in His Book of Life, as mentioned in Daniel 7:9-10.

Daniel 7:9-10: As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was as white as snow. The hair of His head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before Him. Thousands upon thousands attended Him and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated and the books were opened.

The individual judgment of each unbeliever resulted in each being assigned a position in the Lake of Fire, according to God’s perfect sense of justice. God has never been unjust with anyone!

Now that the eternal destiny of Satan, all demons, and all unbelievers has been settled, our Triune God (Father, Son, & Holy Spirit) proceeds to the rewards ceremony of His children, born-again into His family through their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. God has been waiting through all of history for this glorious time with His children.

NOTE: The content dealt with in this devotion is the most relevant to how much you will enjoy heaven. The potential of how much you might enjoy heaven is unlimited.

Have you ever gone to a lot of trouble to prepare a party or a celebration or a special time for a group of people you want to thank and express appreciation? Whatever the unique scenario may have been, you wanted to recognize how these people had been as good and faithful and helpful as they knew how to be. These may have been children, grandchildren, employees, a group of volunteers or whatever, but you wanted to thank them. You desired to show appreciation to them and reward them in meaningful ways.

If you have done this, you can remember the joy and anticipation you had, as the time drew near to celebrate and recognize their efforts. So, you can easily imagine how the Lord Jesus feels, as the “Bēma”, draws near!

As we mentioned last time, the “Bēma” is the rewards ceremony identified as the “JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST" in 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, Romans 14:10-12, and 1 Corinthians 4:5.

2 Corinthians 5:9-10: So we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Romans 14:10-12: You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God. So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

1 Corinthians 4: 5: Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.

The Lord Jesus loves you and He will delight in this time, where He shows His appreciation for you through eternal rewards, that can never fade away or be lost. He will make you feel so special! Remember the great Christian song called “IT WILL BE WORTH IT ALL”?

IT WILL BE WORTH IT ALL

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Life's trials will seem so small when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race till we see Christ.

Listen to the words and music of the entire hymn here: LISTEN
Or click on this link:
http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=77d1873cb1135e503655

The Lord Jesus Himself explained in John 5:22-23, that He personally will be the judge at the “Bēma”.

John 5:22-23: Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

The writer of Hebrews explained in Hebrews 9:27 how people are destined to die once and after that to face judgment. The judgment that you and I will face as Christians (children of God), will not be punitive in anyway. The judgment we will face is the awards ceremony, where the crowns are handed out, by Jesus Himself. Can you imagine?

My original goal in our “6 legs” of the prophetic relay race to the end of time as we know it, was to finish up in this “6th leg”. But as I looked at the need to carefully examine the “Bēma” and “the New Heaven, the New Earth, and the New Jerusalem”...it seems wise to break these into 2 more individual parts.
Therefore, this piece will concentrate on the “Bēma”, and the last piece will focus on “the New Heaven, the New Earth, and the New Jerusalem”.

Leg 6: The “Bēma” or the “JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST".
Leg 7: “The New Heaven, the New Earth, and the New Jerusalem”.

What is the Bēma?

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be held this summer from July 24th through August 11th with more than 10,000 athletes competing. Each medal given out will be adorned with a hexagonal piece of iron from the most iconic symbol of France: the Eiffel Tower.

olympic medals
olympic podium
olympic podium vancouver 2010

Our modern Olympic games go back to the Games in Athens, Greece in 1896...but the first written evidence of the official Games dates from 776 BC. The Greeks began measuring time in Olympiads or the duration between each edition of the Olympic Games. The first Olympic Games were held every four years in honor of the god Zeus.

The ancient site of Olympia in Greece

Olympia is the ruined ancient sanctuary, and home of the ancient Olympic Games, and former site of the massive Statue of Zeus, which had been ranked as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Olympia is located near the western coast of the Peloponnese peninsula of southern Greece, 10 miles inland from the Ionian Sea, near a point where the Alpheus (Alfios) and Cladeus (Kladios) rivers meet. Set amid an idyllic countryside consisting of low, wooded hills alternating with farmland, the Olympia archaeological site is of outstanding cultural significance.

olympia, greece
https://www.britannica.com/place/Olympia-ancient-site-Greece/The-remains

Footnote: In 393 AD, the Roman Emperor Theodosius I banned the Olympic Games for religious reasons, claiming that they encouraged paganism. They were not revived until modern times.

When the ancient games began, a judge would sit at what they called the “Bēma SEAT”, where each race would finish i.e. the finish line. That judge would determine the winner and give him an award immediately after the completion of the race.

Back then, the winners were not really given physical rewards like the 2024 medals pictured above, but were given crowns made from olive leaves. These leaves were taken from what the Greeks considered the sacred tree at Olympia.

The first place winner got the crown and was seen as one who personified the Greek concept of arete (the aggregate of qualities, as valor and virtue, making up good character and excellence.

(https://www.dictionary.com/browse/ar%C3%AAte)

Those who came in second or third got nothing for being a contestant. That is why Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:24 to run in such a way as to get the prize. Now we thank God, that each believer at the “Bēma”, who has run the Christian race, will have the chance to have their works judged by the fire, and then rewarded for any of our works that survive.

A Comparison of “blessings now” and “rewards in heaven”!

  • When you as a Christian are trusting, faithful, sacrificial, and obedient...with a servant’s heart...in this life, you reap many blessings for it...that enrich your life now. From these same spiritual qualities, you will receive eternal rewards in heaven, that will enrich your existence forever and ever.
  • When you take the time to read and study the Bible each day and immerse the truth of God’s Word into your soul, you are preparing your spirit and soul for an increased capacity to enjoy heaven and eternal life. This is true, because God’s Word is eternal, true, pure, peaceful, and joyous. The more of it you have in your soul when you die, the more you will enjoy heaven and the presence of God. Therefore, every time you pick up your Bible, open it, and give it the time and concentration it deserves, you will be enhancing your ability to enjoy heaven and every aspect of your eternal life.

Again, as you think of the concept of judgment, the “Bēma” is not a judgment leading to condemnation or punishment of any kind. This judgment is an examination or evaluation of your works...the way you lived your life and spent your time and did or did not invest in things of eternal value...important to Jesus Christ.

You will be examined and evaluated to see what can be rewarded. The Lord Jesus will bring to light any and every little thing, that He can reward you for. He already knows, but He wants you to see, and others will also see. This will be a public event. The following verses encourage us to live in such a way, as to be ready for the “Bēma” awards ceremony.

Ephesians 6:7-8: Serve wholeheartedly (in whatever you are doing), as if you were serving the Lord...not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are a slave or a free person.

2 Timothy 4:8: In the future (at the “Bēma”) there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness - which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day...and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

James 1:12: Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial. For once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life - which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Revelation 2:10: Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life.

1 Peter 5:4: And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

Revelation 3:11: I am coming quickly. Hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.

Therefore, the Lord Jesus used this historical Greek tradition (the Olympics) as a way for the Apostle Paul and the Apostle John to visualize and write down for us, what His own rewards ceremony would be like. He also identified this as His judgment seat, where we and all our works will be exposed to the core.

Let’s make it clear that the judgement each believer will go through at this time does not determine who will get to be in heaven. The salvation of each believer present at the “Bēma”, was settled long ago. This judgment is the special time for the Lord Jesus to recognize and reward true-spiritual service, sacrifice, obedience, and faithfulness.

The rewards we receive at this time will last for all of eternity or to say it another way...we will enjoy these rewards forever. They will be a part of our conscious enjoyment of heaven and our eternal life.

Therefore, they are extremely important and valuable. That is why Paul got very specific about the urgency of spending our time in this life on that which would be a blessing to us forever. In 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 below, Paul identifies every single thing we do as having either:

~ Temporal Value or Eternal Value ~

1 Corinthians 3:10-15: By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss, but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

NOTE: If we consider beforehand, whether something we are about to say or do is really valuable, we must ask ourselves who would it be valuable to. Will it be valuable only to us in this life? Or, will it be valuable to our spouse, our children, our grandchildren, our neighbors, our coworkers, our fellow church members, or the citizens of our city, state, or nation? And, most importantly, will it be valuable to the Lord Jesus Christ? Will He see it as valuable in this life and in eternity?

  • The foundation he mentions above is salvation itself. If you have Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, you have the eternal foundation. Remember how Jesus compared the wise person, who built his house on a rock foundation, compared to a foolish person who built his house on sand...in Matthew 7:24-27.

    Matthew 7:24-27: Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.

  • Once you have this foundation, then you can build upon it, a structure (your thoughts, your attitudes, your motivations, and your actions), that will last forever.
  • If you build upon this foundation (spend your time and energies during the rest of your time on earth), using temporal things like gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw (worldly things), you will lose all of these things. They will be burned up during your judgment at the “Bēma”.
  • In this case, you will still be saved, but as by fire...as one who physically escaped a house fire, but lost all of their worldly possessions. AND Jesus won’t have anything to reward you for. That would be really sad.
  • If you build upon this foundation (spend your time and energies during the rest of your time on earth), using spiritual, and eternal perspectives and values, then these fruits will endure the “Bēma” judgment fire, and the Lord Jesus will be able to reward you for these wise choices and the fruit they produced.

Therefore, Paul is urging each one of us to be a wise builder, as he was, and use each day of our lives for Christ and that which is important to Christ.

Paul saw a direct correlation between fighting and running. Therefore, he spiritualized the two concepts and said living the Christian life is like being in a boxing match and/or running an Olympic race.

1 Corinthians 9:24: Run in such a way as to get the prize. (Each believer has the chance to be rewarded.)

1 Timothy 6:12: Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

2 Timothy 4:7: I have fought the good fight! I have finished the race! I have kept the faith!

Hebrews 12:1: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin (any sin) that can so easily entangle us. And let us run with perseverance, the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

The biggest challenge for any Christian, to stay free from entanglements (in the Hebrews verse above) is “DISTRACTIONS” in the world. There are more distractions in the world today, than ever in history and they are multiplying daily. These distractions keep a multitude of believers from being effective for Christ.

Imagine you are viewing an ER Room through a large window, with ER doctors working feverishly to save a life. As you watch, you notice a doctor step away from his life-saving work on a patient, to move over to a corner of the ER Room...where a large high tech video gaming console is built into the room. As you watch, the doctor picks up the controls and resumes a game he had started before the current patient was brought in for surgery. After a few minutes, the doctor lays the gaming controls down and resumes his work on the patient.

...Would you think this doctor was distracted?
...How does Jesus feel when He sees His disciples distracted with worthless and trivial pursuits?

Galatians 6:21: Those who cleanse themselves from the latter (the worthless/trivial matters) will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

If you were told you had four weeks to live, would you re-evaluate how you spend your time. What would you change? How would you start managing your time with 30 days to live?

  • After my sign-off below, please see the true story of how Rosemary reorganized her life around serious Christianity, after life-threatening health issues.

Therefore, as you continue to ponder the time you will appear before Christ at the “Bēma”, may it motivate you to be faithful...knowing the inheritance you are looking forward to.

Note: God’s children will inherit experiences like this and so much more:

  • Eternal life with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and the elect angels.
  • The rewards and crowns given to them by Christ Himself for true spiritual service, sacrifice, obedience, and faithfulness.
  • Unending fellowship with all believers.
  • The unfathomable joy and pleasure of living in the NEW JERUSALEM, which is 1,400 miles long, 1,400 miles wide, and 1,400 miles high.
  • Living in a city, which has 12 gates made of single pearls, a wall made of jasper and decorated with every kind of precious stone (jasper, sapphire, agate, emerald, onyx, ruby, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, turquoise, jacinth, and the amethyst).
  • Walk on streets made of pure gold, as transparent as glass.
  • The chance to gaze upon your precious Lord and Savior every moment of eternity.

In 2 Timothy 2, Paul exhorts each one of us to join him, in being a good soldier of Jesus Christ and a spiritual athlete who competes according to the rules and a faithful farmer, who does the hard work necessary for a bumper crop.

Paul urges us to do these things, not only in light of the “Bēma”, but also for the pure joy of pleasing God. Consider these three metaphors, that will help prepare you for the “Bēma”.

Verse 3: Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

  • Engaging in the Lord’s spiritual battles, not the trivial, temporary, and carnal battles of the world.

Verse 4: No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.

  • The Lord’s soldier has no time to waste on temporal matters, but must focus on eternal affairs...the Father’s business. In Luke 2:49, Jesus said He must be about His Father’s business. We must be about our Lord’s business. Each of us has to ask ourselves if we are really kingdom focused or are we distracted by so many things in the world.
  • Do you view yourself as an active soldier for Christ or a civilian pursuing your own interests?

Verse 5: Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules.

Background: Paul was writing to the Christians in Corinth, so he spoke about the runners who compete in games, and how they had to go into strict training. They had to exercise self-control when they trained for a competition. Athletes who competed in the games in Olympia had to swear an oath confirming that they had abstained from wine, meat, and sex in the previous ten months. Runners focused on winning the prize, which in the games in Olympia and in Isthmia was a crown. (Source: Louis Mare - Associate Pastor at New Life Church Witbank - Published Aug 5, 2019)

Remember the values of Olympism!

The three values of Olympism are excellence, respect, and friendship. They constitute the foundation on which the Olympic Movement builds its activities to promote sport, culture, and education with a view to building a better world. (specialolympics.org)

What are the values of Christ’s Marathon Runners?

⇒ Moral Excellence (Pure in thought, body, and motivation!)

⇒ Christ-Like Respect (Honor one another above yourselves!)

Agape Friendship (Unconditional love and sacrifice!)

Do you view yourself as an athlete for Christ or a spectator watching in the stands?

Verse 6: The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.

Do you view yourself as an active farmer for the kingdom, constantly sowing, watering, fertilizing, and cultivating your crops (people God brings into your life)? It takes real work, time, prayer, and patience. That is why Paul gave us these verses.

Galatians 6:9: And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

In closing, let us remember a few specific examples of people throughout the Bible, who were recognized for their godly spirit or godly attitudes or godly actions. It is these kinds of things, that will be rewarded at the “Bēma”.

...Abraham’s trust and obedience, proven through his willingness to offer up Isaac, as a sacrifice to God (Genesis 22).

...Joshua’s trusting obedience to set aside human reasoning and have the Israelite army march around Jericho for 7 days in a row and 7 times on the 7th day (Joshua 6).

...Joseph’s trusting obedience to take Mary as his wife, even though she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1).

...Noah’s trusting obedience to build an Ark before the flood came, even though it had never rained before...ever (Genesis 6-8) and it took 120 years to build.

...Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s trusting obedience to not bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image (Daniel 3).

...Job’s trusting obedience to not turn against God in the midst of such great human suffering. Job said, “Even if God kills me, yet will I trust in Him” (Entire Book of Job). Before he was tested, God told Satan how Job was without blame. He could not be blamed for any moral or spiritual fault...outwardly or inwardly. He was faithful.

...Joseph’s faithful obedience to run away from Potiphar’s wife and not let her seduce Him. Joseph said, “How can I sin against God and my master?” (Genesis 39).

...Ruth’s faithful obedience to stay with her widowed mother-in-law Naomi (after Ruth’s husband also died when they were only a young couple) and serve Naomi and help take care of her, rather than go live her own life (Book of Ruth).

...The humble and faithful service of Doras (Tabitha) in making clothes for the poor and needy (Acts 9).

...Enoch’s consuming desire to just please God. He wanted to please God so much, that God just went ahead and took him to heaven (see the Old Testament example of the rapture in Genesis 5).

...The widow who gave up her last few cents as an offering to God in the temple (Mark 12). She would rather give than live.

...Paul and Barnabas were described with two words in Acts 13:1-3. It says they were “faithful servants”.

There is no end to this list, but these examples give us a window in to the kind of attitudes and actions, that will be recognized and rewarded at the “Bēma”. The Lord Jesus loves people and created people to be in fellowship with Him (and the Father and Holy Spirit).

He created Adam and Eve and then He came down to spend time with them each day in the Garden of Eden. That was a great joy for Him. And now at the “Bēma”, He sets the stage for the rest of eternity, by rewarding His children, whom He also recognizes as His brothers and sisters and friends.

If you are a child of the Lord, then you are also a brother and/or sister of the Lord and you are a personal friend of the Lord...YOU HAVE IT MADE!

So, do all you can to give Him things to recognize and reward you for at this ceremony. He will delight in it and how do you think you will feel, when He locks His eyes on you and says, “Well done, you good and faithful servant (and friend)! You have been faithful in and with a few things, so I am going to reward you much! Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21)

In the next and last leg of our prophetic race, we will see linear time as we know it, transition into eternity, as God creates the new Heaven and the new Earth in the last two chapters of the Bible...Revelation 21 & 22.

In Revelation 21:6-8, Christ proclaimed...“It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.”

May the Lord Jesus Himself, infuse you with a fresh anointing of His eternal mindset, which will allow you to redeem the time you have left.

"Th-Th-The, Th-Th-The, Th-Th...That's all, folks!"

Yours in Christ,
Gene

Rosemary’s Story

'AFTER THE ACCIDENT, I BEGAN TO SEEK GOD SERIOUSLY!'

MAY 23RD, 2022

*I’ve always been skittish, ruled by my emotions. I tend to burn the candle at both ends, jumping into things and saying yes to everything, without thinking. There’s no doubt I believed in Jesus as a young person. But early on, I wasn’t fully committed. I did things in my own strength. I had one foot in the world. I didn’t understand what it meant to keep close to God, to surrender.

*In my first year out of university, I was teaching physical education in an industrial town north of Adelaide, in the middle of nowhere. One weekend, I drove a student to hockey trials back in Adelaide and I had a massive head-on collision. The other driver was on the wrong side of the road and drunk.

*I had lots of injuries. I was taken to the local hospital, unconscious. I remember at the time I was admitted, I had an event – a strong sense that I was falling down a well, tumbling and I couldn’t return. It was really dark. When I came to consciousness, I was in the hospital bed…and I remember making a bargain with God. If He saved me, I would commit my life fully to Him.

*Often we say those things to God, but we don’t get there straight away. My hand developed gangrene. My jaw was broken and my eye was caught in fractured bone in the eye socket. My entire face was lacerated and swollen, covered in blood and glass. My parents didn’t recognize me.

*I was taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital, which saved my life. There were two top surgeons available, including a well-known facial reconstructive surgeon. I had the best attention. I stayed in hospital for two months and then I kept having hand operations for two years. I had plastic knuckles put in and my hands were wired straight. I lost 60 per cent usage of one hand.

*It changed me. I began to seek God more seriously. But then later, I began having seizures all of the time. They said I’d also had a brain injury in the accident. From then on, if I stayed up late at night, burning the candle at both ends, I would have a seizure.

*For the first time in my life, I really had to change my habits. I had to become self disciplined, which I’d never been before. It took a long time. It was a process. But the key thing that happened was in my late 40s. I was asked to take on a serious role of Bible teaching and training women. It required 18 hours a week of studying and teaching the Bible, as well as numerous trips overseas for training. I had to really trust God.

*For the first time, I had to become regular with my Bible study and prayer during the day, rather than all over the place, late at night. It deepened my prayer times. I’m so thankful. I think it was God’s way of keeping me close to Him, listening to Him. I didn’t have much choice. For the first time, the boundary lines were changing for me. Where would I be without them?

*The scripture that God used for me was when Paul spoke about his thorn, although I don’t equate myself with Paul! Paul said to keep him from becoming conceited, he was given a thorn in his flesh. For me, it was to keep me walking closely with the Lord. I know that God kept me close to Him because of the seizures.

*On a few occasions, I did ask the Lord to take them away, and sometimes I’ve fought against them. But the Lord has said to me, ‘Rosemary, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness…and it will keep you close to me.’

*It’s now been 30 years since I took on that ministry role and I’m still involved in it. Those prayer times have set the pattern for my whole life, to this day. In God’s faithfulness and mercy, He has kept the fire burning in me.

2 Corinthians 12:8-9: Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’.

Rosemary’s story is part of Eternity’s Faith Stories series, compiled by Naomi Reed.

Do you have some thoughts, feelings, or questions about what you read today in this specific devotional/commentary?

If you will submit those using the form below, Gene can read them, study them, and reply to them just as soon as possible.

4 Comments

  1. Oscar Houchins on July 4, 2024 at 11:39 am

    Again brother Gene, thank you for your considerable work and dedication! I may be one that barely escapes the fire, as I was away from the Lord from circa 1980-1999, but am seeking his guidance hence forth, and your devotionals are very helpful! Love in Christ Jesus, Oscar

    • Gene Gobble on July 9, 2024 at 5:44 pm

      Well my ole friend…You have probably done more for the Lord than you will ever realize and now you are back on the job full time. And I would not be here and doing this now, with Oscar being that faithful witness in the beginning. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!
      Gene

  2. Camby on July 9, 2024 at 1:46 pm

    I really appreciate your thoughts and comments. 
    So, keep up the good work!
    Jay Link
    Stewardship Coach
    Camby, Indiana

  3. Margaret Ann on July 10, 2024 at 11:50 am

    Just read the latest devotional. But I will also listen to it when that is available. It deserves more than once through. You do a great job of putting this together visually, Scripturally, and thoughtfully. When I read what you’ve written I’ve found thoughts I hadn’t thought before or angles I hadn’t considered before.
    The visuals greatly augment your writing. You must put in so much prayer and listening and research and responding to God. Well done, good and faithful servant of God.

    Love to you

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