Daniel’s Weekly Devotions

This week, let’s look at 2 Corinthians 3:16. This is a beautiful verse!

¹⁶ but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.— 2 Corinthians 3:16

In this passage, Paul is illustrating the access that we now have to the Lord by contrasting it with Moses’s encounter with God when he received the Ten Commandments, along with plans for the Tabernacle and other laws. Here is the description of this from Exodus:

¹⁸ Then Moses said, “Please, let me see Your glory.”

¹⁹ He said, “I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim the name Yahweh before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” ²⁰ But He answered, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.” ²¹ The Lord said, “Here is a place near Me. You are to stand on the rock, ²² and when My glory passes by, I will put you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. ²³ Then I will take My hand away, and you will see My back, but My face will not be seen.”— Exodus 33:18-23

²⁹ As Moses descended from Mount Sinai—with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands as he descended the mountain—he did not realize that the skin of his face shone as a result of his speaking with the Lord. ³⁰ When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face shone! They were afraid to come near him. ³¹ But Moses called out to them, so Aaron and all the leaders of the community returned to him, and Moses spoke to them. ³² Afterwards all the Israelites came near, and he commanded them everything the Lord had told him on Mount Sinai. ³³ When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. ³⁴ But whenever Moses went before the Lord to speak with Him, he would remove the veil until he came out. After he came out, he would tell the Israelites what he had been commanded, ³⁵ and the Israelites would see that Moses’ face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil over his face again until he went to speak with the Lord.— Exodus 34:29-35

This is a very interesting story. In the first part, Moses has been taking down laws from God for quite some time (in the Scripture, since the bottom of chapter 20), and he asks to see Him. God tells him that he can’t look on His face and live, but he can see His back. In the second part, every time Moses spoke with God, he had to wear a veil on his face afterwards, because the people could not look on him due to how radiant his face was! In some sense, one’s closeness to God determined how much of His glory one could see. Only when Moses had entered into the inner part of the Tabernacle could he remove this veil.

Now, we come to the time after Jesus has come and given His life for us. Let’s look at today’s verse in its context.

¹² Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness— ¹³ not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel could not look at the end of what was fading away. ¹⁴ But their minds were closed. For to this day, at the reading of the old covenant, the same veil remains; it is not lifted, because it is set aside [only] in Christ. ¹⁵ However, to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, ¹⁶ but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸ We all, with unveiled faces, are reflecting the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.— 2 Corinthians 3:12-18

Let’s skip verse 12 for now, as verses 13-15 describe the way it “was” instead of the way it “is.” Moses put a veil over his face due to the closed-mindedness of the Israelites. In verse 15, “reading Moses” refers to the reading of the first five books of our Bible, what we call the Pentateuch, but Hebrews call the Torah - to this day, the Torah is read as part of traditional orthodox Judaism. It does not recognize Christ as having fulfilled the law, so the focus is continually on following the law given in these Scriptures. Paul says that when this happens, the veil remains.

Verse 12 and verses 16-18 describe the way it “is” now. We can use boldness because the veil has been removed. Verse 17 describes this as “freedom,” translated in the King James Version as “liberty.” We don’t have to go through a “closer-to-holy” intermediate person like Moses in order to get to God, and it’s not a one-way God-to-us communication either. We can go directly to Him, and He can speak directly to us, either in our hearts or through His Word. When Jesus was crucified, God even gave a symbol of this.

⁵⁰ Jesus shouted again with a loud voice and gave up His spirit. ⁵¹ Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was split in two from top to bottom….— Matthew 27:50-51a

This curtain was the entrance to the Holy of Holies, the inner part of the temple that was restricted to priests once a year to offer the sacrifices for the people. Jesus’s payment for our sins was complete - we are no longer restricted when coming before Him!

Finally, in verse 18, we see the reason for this. We come before God with no veil, and can view His glory directly. We benefit from this, as we are transformed and become closer to the image of God. However, this also benefits others - we, like Moses, should reflect this glory! Others should be able to look at us and see Him. This is my prayer this week - that we will become so close to God that we will reflect His glory to the world around us.

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This week, we’ll take a look at Philippians 3:16.

¹⁶ In any case, we should live up to whatever [truth] we have attained.— Philippians 3:16

In this case, I believe that some context would help. Philippians 3:14 is a very popular verse, but let’s look at verses 12 through 16 to get the full picture.

¹² Not that I have already reached [the goal] or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. ¹³ Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, ¹⁴ I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ Therefore, all who are mature should think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this to you also. ¹⁶ In any case, we should live up to whatever [truth] we have attained.— Philippians 3:12-16

Paul was a traveling evangelist, and the last person to see Jesus face to face (Acts 9:1-7). If there was anyone on this earth who would have achieved “perfect Christian” status, it would have been Paul. But, here in verse 12, Paul tells the church that he is not a fully mature Christian - he still struggles to grow in Christ. In verses 13 and 14, he tells them that he doesn’t think that he’s arrived, but that he pushes on every day, reaching towards that goal.

In verse 15, Paul encourages the church to adopt his mindset. And, we should adopt it as well - none of us will ever know everything there is to know about the Christian life, and the blessings that God has in store for us. And, notice what Paul says will happen to us when we do this - if we “think differently about anything,” God will correct our errant thinking.

This brings us to verse 16. Whether we’re striving towards the goal, or we’re content to sit stagnant in our current level of knowledge and fellowship with God, we are responsible for living up to the knowledge we have. As the Spider-Man adage goes, “With great power comes great responsibility.” We have been given knowledge and power by the One Who has all the power and knowledge in the universe. We are definitely responsible for discharging this power and using this knowledge the way He wants us to.

When Jesus was on earth, He told a parable about a servant who had been given responsibility while a master was away, and what happens when that servant does not faithfully use what he has been given.

⁴² The Lord said: “Who then is the faithful and sensible manager his master will put in charge of his household servants to give them their allotted food at the proper time? ⁴³ That slave whose master finds him working when he comes will be rewarded. ⁴⁴ I tell you the truth: he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁵ But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and starts to beat the male and female slaves, and to eat and drink and get drunk, ⁴⁶ that slave’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. ⁴⁷ And that slave who knew his master’s will and didn’t prepare himself or do it will be severely beaten. ⁴⁸ But the one who did not know and did things deserving of blows will be beaten lightly. Much will be required of everyone who has been given much. And even more will be expected of the one who has been entrusted with more.— Luke 12:42-48

Notice verses 47 and 48 - the one who knew what he was supposed to do and did not do it would be punished severely, while the one who didn’t know what he was supposed to do would be punished much more lightly. In the case of use knowing God’s Word, though, knowing that God expects us to study and learn the Bible means that we know our Master’s will.

So, then, our responsibility with regards to Philippians 3:12-16 is two-fold. First, we must strive to know God on a deeper, more intimate level, and the way to do that is by studying His Word. Second, we must live up to the knowledge that we do have. While ignorance of the law does not necessarily make one’s actions illegal, knowingly violating the law not only makes one’s actions illegal, but shows a lack of respect for laws and the ones who have made them. The same principle applies spiritually - knowingly disobeying God’s laws shows contempt for the One who has made them.

I pray that each of us will gain knowledge and understanding, and, having gained it, be able to live up to its expectations in our lives.

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This week, our journey brings us to 2 Thessalonians 3:16.

¹⁶ May the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with all of you.— 2 Thessalonians 3:16

This is an end-of-the-letter salutation from Paul to the church at Thessalonica. Paul began and ended most all of his letters by talking about the “grace and peace” of our Lord, and his hope that it would remain with those to whom he was writing. This theme of peace is one that is woven throughout the Bible. The word “peace” (or some form of it, like “peacemaker”, “peaceful”, etc.) is found in 266 verses in the HCSB. We’re not going to look at the other 265 verses, but we’ll look at a few of them.

Peace was used as a greeting to Gideon…

²³ But the Lord said to him, “Peace to you. Don’t be afraid, for you will not die.”— Judges 6:23

It was also used by the angels, when announcing Jesus’ birth…

¹⁴ Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!— Luke 2:14

David used it to describe the safety that he felt from God’s protection…

⁸ I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, Lord, make me live in safety.— Psalm 4:8

In fact, Isaiah prophesied that one of the Messiah’s names would deal with His peace-making qualities…

⁶ For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.— Isaiah 9:6

In these four verses, we see a common theme - the source of peace is God, through His Son Jesus. But how to we get this peace? Ask God for it! According to Peter, the disciple of Jesus who went on to lead the early church…

¹⁰ For the one who wants to love life and to see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit, ¹¹ and he must turn away from evil and do good. He must seek peace and pursue it, ¹² because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are open to their request. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.— 1 Peter 3:10-12

But we don’t even have to take Peter’s word for it. Jesus told His disciples,

²⁷ “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful.— John 14:27

Ask, and you will receive - that’s a promise from God. I pray that the peace of God will overwhelm you as you live for Him on this earth.

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This week, we’ll take a look at 1 Timothy 3:16.

¹⁶ And most certainly, the mystery of godliness is great:

He was manifested in the flesh,

justified in the Spirit,

seen by angels,

preached among the Gentiles,

believed on in the world,

taken up in glory.— 1 Timothy 3:16

Paul wrote this to Timothy after going over the qualifications for pastors and deacons (1 Timothy 3:1-13). The standards Paul laid out are not easily attained. Paul completes the discussion, though, by telling Timothy that he has written these things so that he will know how people in the family of God should behave, and then writes the verse above. This last verse gives us insight into Jesus’ life, which Paul believes will help us live up to the standards that God has set out.

First, Paul says that “He was manifested in the flesh.” Jesus came to earth as one of us - a human being Who encountered all the temptations we will ever encounter, yet He remained without sin. He eventually gave up His life on a cross, so that through His sacrifice, we can escape Hell and obtain Heaven. However, He did not stay dead - three days later, He resurrected! Just this part is a great “mystery”, but it should inspire us to do what we can to make sure that His sacrifice is as effectual as it can be. Whenever one person accepts His finished work as payment for their sins, it does not diminish the grace remaining for everyone else; just like the old hymn “There’s Room at the Cross” says, “Though millions have come, there’s still room for one.”

Second, Paul writes that He was “justified in the Spirit.” During the three days that Jesus’ body was in the tomb, He was in the Spirit, taking our punishment. He was separated from God (the only time that has ever happened or will ever happen), being tormented for our sin. Through this, He was justified, and we can be justified as well. This payment is complete.

Third, Paul writes that Jesus was “seen by angels.” Wouldn’t that have been great to see - how the angels must have welcomed Him! I’m not sure if this is talking about the angels that stayed behind in the now-empty tomb, or if this was the host of angels in Heaven who saw Him. But, either way, I’m sure they must have been excited to see Him alive again. He had done what had been promised more than 4,000 years prior, and through it defeated Satan for good.

Fourth, Paul says that He was “preached among the Gentiles.” This was important for Timothy, as it is for most of us reading this. As John wrote…

¹¹ He came to His own,

and His own people did not receive Him.— John 1:11

The Jews of that day, for the most part, rejected Him. But, He still came to earth to not only save the Jews, but to extend that salvation to the rest of us (Gentiles) as well. He Himself preached among Gentiles, and after He ascended back to Heaven, He continued to be preached to Gentiles.

Fifth, Paul says that He was “believed on in the world.” This shows that, even though Paul was writing to Timothy early in the life of the church, many had already believed on Jesus, and accepted His payment for their sins. It’s always encouraging to have an example, someone who has come before you and accomplished the same thing you want to accomplish. Paul is encouraging Timothy and the believers at his church, letting them know that others have believed on Him, and already obtained the forgiveness they desired.

Finally, Paul says that He was “taken up in glory.” Jesus did not stay on earth once He had resurrected - He returned to Heaven. This is important, and it ties in both with what Jesus said, and with what Paul had written to others. Jesus said…

² In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you. ³ If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also.— John 14:2-3

And Paul, writing to the church at Thessolonica…

¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will always be with the Lord.— 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

So, how do you understand mysteries? I don’t know. There are still things about what Paul has written that I don’t understand. But, what I do know is that we can understand the parts of this mystery that Paul wrote to Timothy. Each of these parts points back to a central theme - Jesus’ finished work of salvation. Because we have received this salvation, we should live as those who have been forgiven, and encourage others to accept this gift as well.

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When Paul wrote to Titus, he stopped one verse short of us having a 3:16. Instead, we’ll look at Titus 1:16 (with verse 15 included for context).

¹⁵ To the pure, everything is pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; in fact, both their mind and conscience are defiled. ¹⁶ They profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, and disqualified for any good work.— Titus 1:15-16

Paul had been to the island of Crete, and when he left, he left Titus there to continue the work of building the church on Crete. It was a tough mission field for Titus - there were people who wanted to overthrow the church, and were financially profiting from teaching what was wrong. (vv. 10-11) In fact, here’s how one of their own described them.

¹²One of their very own prophets said,

Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.

— Titus 1:12

Titus certainly had his work cut out for him! But, Paul’s advice to him on selecting leaders of this young church can help us today, even though most of us probably attend well-established churches (or could if we wanted to). Paul starts verse 15 by saying “To the pure, everything is pure…” Paul hasn’t been talking about those who are pure, but he is reminding Titus that there are people who have accepted the Word of God in their hearts, and have been made pure. This is the type of person we should strive to be. Paul mentioned purity when he told the Philippian church where they should focus their thoughts.

⁸ Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things.— Philippians 4:8

Even Jesus mentioned those who are pure in His Sermon on the Mount.

⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God.— Matthew 5:8

Paul follows this short description with a contrast. The “defiled” are different; they claim to know God, but their words and their works are at odds with one another. They may know about God in their heads, but they do not know Him in their hearts. Paul describes these people as “detestable, disobedient, and disqualified for any good work.” (v. 16)

Rather than focus on what these folks (or us today) have done wrong, think about this. If Paul had thought that the detestable, disobedient, vile beasts of Crete were beyond hope, would he have gone and started a church, and left Titus there to continue it? I doubt it. No matter how far gone we may think we are, it is God’s grace that can bring us out of that, and purify our hearts. The purity that Paul spoke of in verse 15 is not something we can manufacture ourselves; rather, it is the outcome of us allowing God to come into our hearts and lives, and Him getting rid of the things that are keeping us from the purity He desires.

I pray that we will allow the Holy Spirit to purify our hearts, and make us willing, strong vessels for His work.

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This week, we’ll look at 1 John 3:16.

¹⁶ This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers.— 1 John 3:16

John is reminding the recipients of his letter that Jesus provided the ultimate example when it came to love. He gave everything for us. But one of the most amazing parts of His sacrifice is that it was just that - a sacrifice. No one took Jesus and killed Him against His will. In fact, Jesus mentioned in John 10:17-18 that He would lay His life down willingly.

¹⁷ This is why the Father loves Me, because I am laying down My life so I may take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from My Father.”— John 10:17-18

Jesus’ sacrifice is truly our example. But, if we were saved, and then died for someone else, there wouldn’t be very many Christians around! Giving up our lives is noble, and there are many who have done that for others - military people, police, and firefighters risk that and often make that ultimate sacrifice for their fellow man. But rather than put our lives on the line, this should remind us that anything God asks us to do less than that is really no trouble at all. Laying down our lives can just mean giving up something of ours for the benefit of someone else.

¹³ No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.— John 15:13

These are Jesus’ words. May we follow His example, and lay down our lives for others.

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(Since there are not 3 chapters in 2 John, this “3:16″ isn’t an actual 3:16.)

⁶ And this is love: that we walk according to His commands. This is the command as you have heard it from the beginning: you must walk in love.— 2 John 6

That sounds like circular reasoning, doesn’t it?

“What is love?”

“Walk in His commands.”

“Well, what are those commands?”

“Walk in love!”

It isn’t actually circular reasoning - I believe that there are two different things we can take from this. The first of these reminds us of Jesus’ words, when asked what the greatest commandment was.

³⁴ When the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they came together in the same place. ³⁵ And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test Him: ³⁶ “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”

³⁷ He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the greatest and most important commandment. ³⁹ The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.”— Matthew 22:34-40

Both parts of the greatest two commandments, according to our Lord, deal with love. This is the second principle we can see in this passage. Even looking back at the Ten Commandments, we can see this.

² I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.

³ Do not have other gods besides Me.

⁴ Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. ⁵ You must not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers’ sin, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, ⁶ but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commands.

⁷ Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will punish anyone who misuses His name.

⁸ Remember to dedicate the Sabbath day: ⁹ You are to labor six days and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the foreigner who is within your gates. ¹¹ For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.

¹² Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

¹³ Do not murder.

¹⁴ Do not commit adultery.

¹⁵ Do not steal.

¹⁶ Do not give false testimony against your neighbor.

¹⁷ Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.— Exodus 20:2-17

Think about it - if you love the Lord, you won’t have other gods, you won’t worship idols, you won’t misuse His name, and you’ll set aside a day to remember what He has done for you. By the same token, if you love your fellow man, you’ll honor your parents by recognizing what they’ve done for you; you won’t murder your fellow man; you won’t steal from them, whether their spouse or an earthly good; you won’t lie about them; and you won’t be jealous of the blessings they have received from God.

So, you see, it’s not really circular at all. Love is the command, and the command is love. May God grow in us His love, both for Him, and our fellow man.

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Revelation 3:16 is our text for this week.

¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth.
— Revelation 3:16

We first should look at the context of this verse. This is the part of Revelation where Jesus is writing the letters to the seven churches, and this is from the letter to the church at Laodicea. Verses 14-22 comprise the entire letter to the Laodiceans…

¹⁴ To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

“The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originator of God’s creation says: ¹⁵ I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth. ¹⁷ Because you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy, and need nothing,’ and you don’t know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked, ¹⁸ I advise you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, and white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see. ¹⁹ As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be committed and repent. ²⁰ Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and have dinner with him, and he with Me. ²¹ The victor: I will give him the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I also won the victory and sat down with My Father on His throne.

²²“Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”
— Revelation 3:14-22

In verse 14, the Author of the letter identifies Himself as “the Amen,” the “faithful and true Witness,” and the “Originator of God’s creation.” The first term is not an uncommon term - most people, when they pray, will end their prayer with “Amen.” This means “so be it,” and implies that what has preceded it is valid and true. The next term, “Witness,” reminds the readers that Jesus came and remained a faithful Witness to the Father (John 14:24b). The final term, the “Originator,” speaks to the power that the Author has over the people to whom He is talking. He existed long before they did (John 1:1), and their very existence is due to His working.

The biggest problem that Jesus has with this church (expressed in verse 16) is that it is no longer working for Him. The members aren’t actively supporting evil, but they have become lulled to sleep, as it were, while on the watch. It has been said that all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing*. This is all that Satan has to do. He doesn’t have to get us to turn to evil, he just has to get us to turn from good! He can do this through distractions, busyness, or, in the case of the Laodiceans, complacency.

As is always the case, though, Jesus doesn’t just find fault; He tells the church what they need to do. They had a false view of themselves in their minds, which He identifies in verse 17. They think that they are rich, and have fine clothes, and are well-fed, not realizing that they are actually poor, naked, and hungry. They are like the person described in James 1:23-24, that look at themselves in the mirror, then immediately forget what they just saw. The church knew better, and Jesus had better things in store for them. In verse 18, He offers them the very best in wealth, clothing, and food; and, in verse 19, He assures them that He rebukes those that He loves. This echoes Hebrews 12:8, where the author contends that if you don’t receive correction, you are not a child of God.

If the passage stopped there, that would be good enough. But it doesn’t! In verses 20 and 21, Jesus offers them even more - a personal, intimate relationship with Him. The picture is beautiful; ever a gentleman, He stands at the door and knocks. If we let Him into our hearts, we can have fellowship with Him; and, though this fellowship begins here on earth, we will also be together with Him, victorious over sin, and will be with Him on His throne! What a transformation - from making God vomit (v. 16) to reigning with Him (v. 21)!

The key to this is in verse 20. He is standing at the door and knocking. If you have never let Him in before, I pray that you will consider it. If you have, but have been shutting him out, filling your heart with everything but Him, I pray that you will let Him back in. He can do wonders in cleaning out the dust and grime, but He’s not interested in making you feel badly about it. He simply yearns for that fellowship with you - whether you let Him in is your call.

* This quote is commonly attributed to Edmund Burke, but cannot be confirmed to him - see the “Quotes” section of the link.

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