Tag: faith

Truth Without

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Truth Without

The truth is over the last week or so I’ve felt pretty low. I’ve struggled to sit down at my computer and write up anything. It’s not from a lack of content because I have a few weeks of drafts I could use, it’s been something else. I don’t know if I’ve got a case of the holiday blues, or something else. The fact right now is I need to fall back on scripture and trust in God to see me through whatever is going on in my heart to make me feel disconnected and distant. I know Christ can see into my heart and even when I cannot Christ knows. Jesus has a way of cutting straight through all the fluff and getting straight to the heart of the problem. I have been putting a lot of thought in my spiritual growth this last year, and as we enter into Christmas I consider where I am now verse where I was two years ago. Two years ago I was a broken man. I was sad, and struggled to find any happiness at all in my life. It’s not been almost 3 Christmas’s since my ex wife’s leaving and I can honestly say I am not the same person I was years ago. I look at my life and while I admit I’m not where I would like to be, I know that I’m exactly where the father wants me.

In my time of despair I turn to scripture. 1 Peter 5:7“casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” I turn to Christ in my time of need not knowing what is causing my distress, but knowing that in Christ all things are possible. No matter how low you are, there’s always time to turn to God. No matter what cloud you are floating on do not forget to turn to God and thank Him for both the good and bad times. We endure all things in the name of Christ, and it’s for us to remember who’s in control and who we live for to serve. Christ alone, and no matter how you feel this holiday there is joy and God will ensure you have a way to find it. 

This is a birthday celebration and we must remember how to act. It’s not about the gifts, or the mistletoe, or the food, it’s about a baby born to be the salvation for everyone. Be full of joy and let the worries pass away. I’m not sure what’s going on with me, but I’m sure it will pass.

Be Lonely No More

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Be Lonely No More

Many of us move through life and from time to time that lonely feeling takes hold. The deepness of that lonely feeling is one that leaches on with almost no end in sight for relief.

Psalm 139

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.

2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;

You understand my thought afar off.

3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,

And are acquainted with all my ways.

4 For there is not a word on my tongue,

But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.

5 You have hedged me behind and before,

And laid Your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is high, I cannot attain it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;

If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

9 If I take the wings of the morning,

And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,

And Your right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”

Even the night shall be light about me;

12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,

But the night shines as the day;

The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

13 For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother’s womb.

14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!

18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;

When I awake, I am still with You.

19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!

Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.

20 For they speak against You wickedly;

Your enemies take Your name in vain.

21 Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You?

And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?

22 I hate them with perfect hatred;

I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting.

We often feel lonely because we don’t have someone with us. Sometimes we can be in a crowded room and still feel like we are all alone. For two years I felt lonely from a companion standpoint, but somewhere along the line I found comfort in Christ. I wasn’t sure I’d meet anyone but when it came down to it, my biggest problem was my lack of trust in the Lord. When we truly take some time to think about Paul and his journey can you imagine how hard those would have been? Being lonely in your heart is an absence of Jesus. When we take some time to look through the psalm above, we can see David talking about how deeply God knew him, how God knew every part of him and his heart. When we put some thought, real thought in how special we must be to God knowing the creator of the universe also knows us intimately. We don’t have to live alone in this world because we are never alone so long as we allow Jesus to remain in our hearts.

Being patient with the Lord isn’t easy. We know that the Lord doesn’t want us to be alone, but there is a season for everything, and sometimes we are meant to be alone for a while. We don’t always know why, but when we put our faith in the Lord and we know that God has plans for us to prosper not for harm. God may not give us the relationship we want, but He always provides what we need. We need to focus on what we do have, not what we want. Trust in the Father to look out for you and know that He is truly with you while you’re sleeping, while your awake, knows when your naughty, and knows when you’re nice.

     I have spent a long time feeling lonely. I have watched and longed as friends dated, friends married, friends have had kids and even some have had grandkids and I have sinned with envy. I felt lonely of companionship but my brain and my heart were at odds. Knowing my God is with me always. Knowing God knows of all my heart and of my tongue. I cannot hide away from the Lord. If I cannot hide my transgression, then too shall I ever be alone? No, truly Jesus Christ loves me enough to comfort my heart, to bless me daily, and has delivered me from Hell Fire.

I’m not a perfect man, no I’m the farthest thing from. I have so long placed my hope in people to satisfy the lonely heart I had. That’s not to say you won’t desire someone, but be careful how strong you allow the desire to be. Do not allow yourself to place any heartfelt wish above Jesus Christ. If you cannot focus on Jesus, if Christ isn’t your first, you are last. Be open to the Love of God and hold fast to God’s plans. 

The Fog Lifts

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The Fog Lifts

The darkness is thick and heavy. The weight presses down upon you like a boulder. What is this darkness you ask, why can’t I see? The fog that sits, and is so heavy is sin. We cannot hope to remove the sin on our own. We cannot lift the boulder that’s placed on our shoulders like Atlas. The sin in our lives will multiply and divide until we are so buried under it we have no chance to move. Thankfully there’s a cure for this great cancer and the cure is Jesus Christ.

There are other kinds of fog that will set on our lives, but usually it all comes back to a situation that was caused by sin, and leaves behind darkness. For me, even though I didn’t cause my spouses affair I was left in the darkness of trauma, fear, self-loathing, and I couldn’t see my way out. During my trauma something happened and a light shined through the darkness and acted as a lighthouse shining a way for me to travel. One might ask, if God was so great why didn’t He just tell me all the answers, or show me all I needed to know? While those are legitimate questions, the truth is very simple, God wants us to grow on our own, and when we grow in Christ the right way, we learn, we experiences, and God wants us to do this on our own with His guidance. So I was left with a light shining the way, and over the last two years I have found a path that shines brightly. There was one area of my life that was still shrouded in darkness, and that was my love life.

As my love life continued to fail, I often prayed to God asking for answers, or at least a path. As I mentioned in yesterdays post, I wasn’t specific with my prayers, and if you were God of the universe you’d probably have a sense of humor also. God thinks answering prayers in a way we don’t expect is funny. When we aren’t specific and He has a plan, often times we look at them and don’t always take them as blessings, but our tiny feeble little minds cannot possibly understand the big picture as God does.

We must trust in the Lord and not be ridged in our own ways because the moment we think we know more then God, is the moment we will be cast down a dark path. Trust in the Lord for as said in Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV)11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” I’d like to take a closer look at this passage and focus on the word hope. As we enter this holiday season we focus a lot on ‘Good Will’, and ‘Cheer’, and ‘Joy’, but were does all this come from? We have joy because we know Christ came and we know that he prepares a room for us in Heaven, but more important then the joy, is the Hope we received knowing that Jesus Christ would overcome death, and without Christ we had no hope, just eternal darkness and fire. Because of that hope we know that our future is bright. No matter what comes our way in this life, no matter how bad things get for us here on Earth, we are not doomed to this life forever. We live in this life to prove ourselves to Christ, to show we carry the love of Christ in our hearts, so we may enter the gates of Heaven.

As my path has changed since God spared my life, I was struggling in one area of my life, and that was companionship. I prayed daily for God to send me someone and while He delivered it wasn’t exactly what I originally had in mind. God’s sense of humor does not escape me, and as I have realized, God often does the exact opposite of what I say I’m going to, or not do. I told God I wasn’t going to go into the ministry, and well….. That didn’t go as I had planned. I told God I would never get into a long distance relationship, and well, again, that went about as well as the first plan of not going into ministry. You’d think I would have learned to stop telling God what I’m not going to do. The path I am on is not easy, and it in fact may turn out to be slightly more complicated then I would have liked, but I often think back to Romans 8:28 (NKJV) “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”  As my new relationship continues to go well and we grow, I see that God’s plan was to have my life connected to the Philippines in some way. This path will both give me the opportunity to go there and to minister while I’m there, but also fulfill the promise to offer me companionship. God saw fit to answer two prayers at once, and I cannot fault Him for his creativity and ingenuity.  God’s funny that way, and whenever I think I have God figured out, and think I know where He has be headed, He throws a curveball and I find I knew very little all along. Though, even though I try not to count the steps now, I see the fog lifting on the last part of my life, and I see light in every corner. God truly does deliver when you are following His path. That’s not to say there won’t be hardships, or hurt, or pain along the way, on the contrary those things are promised. Don’t let the fog set in on your life and drain you of hope. While we may not always see through the fog in every situation, we know that God will guide us through. We have hope knowing that Jesus Christ was born, lived, died on the cross, and on the third day rose again in fulfillment of the scripture. 

God Thinks He’s Funny

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God Thinks He’s Funny

Have you ever told God what you want and without specifics? I have found God has a unique and laughable sense of humor. I had been saying for years I would never be involved in a long distance relationship, but again God laughed and said ‘here watch this.” I know it seems strange but I was certain I had at least figured out the direction, but God has a habit of telling me not to be so sure I know the direction my life will take.

This message is short and sweet. Do not be so quick to think you know the plans God has for you. Don’t be so ridged that you aren’t willing to be flexible to God’s path. Don’t be so close minded that you think whatever you believed you wanted is better for you then what God wants for you. When you trust in the Lord and move accordingly God will always show how truly amazing His plan is, and how wonderful things can be when you are following close like we ought to.

While I thought so many things were certain to happen, now I see God gives us exactly what we need, or in my case, who. 

So that’s the message today, be flexible, and trust in the Lord. 

Do You Feel Outmatched?

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Do You Feel Outmatched? 

I was watching an episode of Batman the animated series and batman was physically outmatched by a robot. Do you ever feel you are outmatched in life? Perhaps you have felt intimidated by someone who’s bullied you? Do you feel that you are physically outmatched by a spouse who chooses violence to keep you subservient? There’s always going to be people out there who use physical strength, emotional attacks, even intellect to make people feel inferior. I have been bullied in my life and I’ve been made to feel low, worthless at times. When I was going through both of my prior divorces I was made to feel at fault, and that I was trash. I felt emotionally outmatched and as the spiritual war was underway I missed some very important cues that would have helped me along the way.

One of the things that makes Batman such a great crime fighter is his ability to plan for contingencies, and learn quickly to adapt to his surroundings and his mistakes. Do we learn from our mistakes? Do we face off against the Devil and his Demons and learn from our mistakes? We face challenges every day, and we face new trials often, but how often do we feel like we just can’t handle the situation. In my own life I have felt like I couldn’t take another step. I have felt outmatched and outgunned by the Devil’s attacks. The way we feel however doesn’t always mirror reality. The reality is, God’s on my side, and always has been. I haven’t always walked close enough with Jesus to realize that, but thankfully, God understands our weakness, and He is the God of many chances, giving us time to learn from our mistakes. We must learn that we will face bullies, and trials, and even sickness in this life, but this life isn’t the one we should be worried about. Our eternal salvation is based on Christ’s love and grace, and we have a choice to make in our lives, whether to live in that love and treat others accordingly, or we can be cruel, and hateful people. When we consider the actions of others, and how they treat people, we can understand the nature of their hearts. Those who walk with Christ, not just those who believe in him, but those who truly show Christ in their heart and allows that to reflect as who they are, will be the light in this life.

Batman walks a line few of us could walk, but one thing we can take away is the intellect to adapt and overcome. There’s always a bigger fish out there, someone who’s stronger, smarter, but if we are guided by love, and the Holy Spirit, we can overcome anything, any adversities we may face.  Romans 8:31“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”  With God on our side we will never be outmatched or outgunned. We will never have to fear, or worry because God is never not with us.  Joshua 1:5“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” 

God is always on our side, so if you feel like you’re facing the world alone, those are feelings, they aren’t reality, so take a step back, pray, clear your mind, and dive into the word. You will find your strength in Jesus Christ.

Happy Thanksgiving

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Happy Thanksgiving 

2 Corinthians 9:11 (NKJV)11 “while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.”

It’s a short and sweet kind of day. We have Jesus Christ and no matter what trials we are going through it’s a blessing because God waists nothing. Every trial, every gift, everything is something to be thankful. Spend this time with your family, and truly enjoy life. We only get one of them, and there’s nothing in this world worth stealing your joy.

Psalm 107:8-9 (NKJV)

8 Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,

And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

9 For He satisfies the longing soul,

And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and remember to count your blessings. 

Vengeance Is Mine Sayith The Lord

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Vengeance Is Mine Sayith The Lord

You just don’t understand what they did to me! You don’t know how badly they hurt me! It’s easy to ask for revenge, dream or desire that vengeance. Scripture is very clear that we are not to take vengeance into our own hands. We are not wise, and certainly not unbiased.

Psalm 116

I love the Lord, because He has heard

My voice and my supplications.

2 Because He has inclined His ear to me,

Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.

3 The pains of death surrounded me,

And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;

I found trouble and sorrow.

4 Then I called upon the name of the Lord:

“O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!”

5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;

Yes, our God is merciful.

6 The Lord preserves the simple;

I was brought low, and He saved me.

7 Return to your rest, O my soul,

For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

8 For You have delivered my soul from death,

My eyes from tears,

And my feet from falling.

9 I will walk before the Lord

In the land of the living.

10 I believed, therefore I spoke,

“I am greatly afflicted.”

11 I said in my haste,

“All men are liars.”

12 What shall I render to the Lord

For all His benefits toward me?

13 I will take up the cup of salvation,

And call upon the name of the Lord.

14 I will pay my vows to the Lord

Now in the presence of all His people.

15 Precious in the sight of the Lord

Is the death of His saints.

16 O Lord, truly I am Your servant;

I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;

You have loosed my bonds.

17 I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,

And will call upon the name of the Lord.

18 I will pay my vows to the Lord

Now in the presence of all His people,

19 In the courts of the Lord’s house,

In the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!

Pay your dews, your response to the Lord for we have so much to be thankful for. Even when we are wronged we shall not take matters into our own hands. We will always get our ‘pay back’ wrong. We will never be able to repay perfect punishment, and it’s the mercy, and grace of God we must put our trust in. God will always deal out the perfect punishment in the perfect timing for each individual, and always equal to each persons transgression. How do we teach a lesson? Who are we to think we know how to reach into someone’s heart to give conviction of a person’s soul? A message must point towards a heart of repentance in order to balance the sin.

Do not think you are God, as we are simpletons compared to the Lord. God will do what is needed to teach us the lessons we need. Are we one to call for vengeance when we are just as disobedient, just as sinful as the next? We ask for God’s blessings but we don’t show our own thanksgiving for the gifts we’ve been blessed with. We often serve ourselves but we don’t want to serve the Lord but we accept the gifts freely. We give so little in return, and in instead of spreading love and mercy, and kindness, we spread fear, anger, hatred and dissention. We spread darkness. Romans 12:19 (NKJV)19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 

Instead of seeking vengeance when you are wronged, repay with kindness. Psalm 97:11 (NKJV)11 Light is sown for the righteous, And gladness for the upright in heart. Do not be so quick to cast stones, for as Jesus said John 8:7 (NKJV)7 “So when they continued asking Him, raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”  Go forth in kindness, and repay wrong with Love. Do not perpetuate hate and anger, but instead light up the darkness. 

When The People Turn On You

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When The People Turn On You

Many years I have watched as people have turned their backs on me, turned and walked away. The day may come when the strength of men fail, and when we realize strength is not of man, but that of the Lord. It is not of our own strength we achieve anything but that of Christ who lifts us up. What shame when man puts himself on high above God and puts God on a shelf. Fear Mongering is a strong attribute of some and how man can raise the stakes for all in anger and hatred. It may only take one person to sway a crowd and turn an assembly into a riot. What happens when this occurs in life, the one of your personal circles? People may turn their backs on you and while it hurts, sometimes, deeply we must realize man/women will always fall short.

I have experienced both loss as I have watched as God is put on the shelf and as those who abandon God all together. We forget so quickly how to follow God and in the moment we are so easily swayed to follow the Devil. In this we forsake our friends, our family, and we forget so quickly the command of our Savior Jesus Christ, to love your neighbor. No mattr what happens we must remember people do not represent God. Even a pastor a man of God will fall, and fail at some point. No matter who they are, or how righteous they seem to be there may come a time when they turn and take a wrong path.

I remember thinking about scripture when I came up with this topic. I was listening to a lesson about Paul but what I was thinking of is when Jesus first enters Jerusalem, welcomed by palms and the crowds singing and praising him. How quickly that changed in a matter of day, and that same crowd that was singing Hozana, turned to Crucify him. If people turned on the savior over all of our sins, how easily do you think they will turn on you?

In acts we see this same thing happen to Paul over and over again. Paul goes in to the city, preaches and teaches at the Synagogue or somewhere in the city, he’s a novelty for a little while, and then he starts to upset certain people, and that’s when it goes down hill. Paul was beaten, jailed, stoned, all in the name of Christ. If we think that somehow we should be free from this same behavior of others, what makes us so special? I’m not condoning that kind of negative, hurtful behavior, but living in this world it’s a fact of life.

One last thought is this; when you are following the name of Jesus don’t be surprised if you upset those around you who don’t like what you are preaching, or even the person you’ve become. In acts 19, we see Paul affecting the statue sales of the goddess Diana. Quickly the crowds turned and as one man began to get the crowd rowdy and they even kidnapped some of Paul’s friends, just to get to Paul. Paul was affecting the wallet of those who crafted statues of this goddess, and ultimately was affecting the bottom line. How do we affect those around us when we preach and teach about Jesus Christ? How have we changed since following Christ and affected friendships around us? Remember this, “It’s better to stand with God and be judged by man, then to stand with man and be judged by God.” Don’t place too much thought in what man/women thinks of you, it’s better to focus on what God thinks of you.

(Disclaimer: If you are actively living in sin, or traveling down a bad path, if people point that out, that’s NOT what I’m talking about. We are to stand up to sin, and we are to help the sinner get back on track.) 

Jesus Through The Fog

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Jesus Through The Fog

Life is an endless array of new experiences that come our way whether we want to or not. The hope is that we can navigate our life in a fog and pray we can maintain a good path, one led by Jesus. We may not truly know what tomorrow will bring, but we still have the son to guide us. Faith in Christ to navigate the uncertainty and foggy conditions of life is so important.

When I was in the military we learned about the fog of war “is the uncertainty in situational awareness experienced by participants in military operations. The term seeks to capture the uncertainty regarding one’s own capability, adversary capability, and adversary intent during an engagement, operation, or campaign.” (Wikipedia) Life is very much the same way, and when it’s full of uncertainty all we can do is attempt to navigate the best we can. As we find our way through the blinding clouds we must understand that not everything we come across is a blessing. We are taught to test these things, 1 John 4:1“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”  The darkness always seems different then the day, the objects we think we know bend and contort to different shapes. No matter the fog, the darkness, or any situation you may find yourself, look to the sky because there is always hope in Jesus Christ. There is no darkness to dark, no fog that is too think that will keep Jesus from you. You are saved by the blood, cleansed by perfect grace and love, and you weren’t given a spirit of fear, but one of courage. The son will always burn away the fog to make things clear, sometimes, we just have to be patient. 

I Have A Dream

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I Have A Dream

John 17:3“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

What do you want tomorrow? Where do you want to be, not in this walk on Earth but in your walk with God? I have a dream for God to look at me and say “Well Done.” I look to grow in wisdom of the Lord. God created man in the likeness of himself, not by the way we look, but by our spirit of love, a spirit of compassion, of giving, and the ability to grow I have a dream for my epitaph to read “He walked with God” I have a dream to not live a hundred years without, but as many days that I have with God. It’s better to walk with God for a short while to spend eternity with God, rather then any number of years to live with Earth as your kingdom only. 

I have a dream to leave a legacy of God’s love for generations after me. I have a dream to live my life in a way my father, my Abba, would be proud of me. To have God extend his perfect hands with the hole still piercing His flesh, to ask me to join Him on this journey. Jesus says come for everything is ready. Jesus wants to walk with a sinner like me. So here I sit, I have a dream to hold on to Christ’s hand a little tighter. I have a dream to grow closer to God of the universe because as imperfect as I am I have a paid for ticket to enjoy an eternal life free from persecution, war, famine, bullies, pain, suffering, heartbreak, and when the Lord comes He will wipe away the last tear I should ever cry. I have a dream that the day I kneel humbly before the cross I shall hold my invitation in my heart and God will tell me “welcome home”

How great is God to love a sinner, a wretched, hypocrite like me. God is so amazing that I do not have to live this life with a spirit of fear, but a spirit of courage to stand tall and firm in this life against the wiles of the Devil. God calls us to walk with Him, to grow from the baby Christian to be a warrior Christian.

I have a dream to draw others to God by walking differently in this life, that people notice so I may be able to show the love of Jesus with as many as I can. I have a dream to dive into the word of God, so I may be approved not by man, but approved by my Heavenly Father.

I have a dream to see the gates of Heaven and know that I am welcomed home. I have a dream to rid my flesh of weakness, and to stand strong in this war all around us. I have a dream to strengthen others in God’s love, to show them a better way, to show them truth, the only truth, that God, the God of the universe, creator of Heaven and Earth, and that they are loved so completely by the creator. I have a dream to show what God has blessed me with, not to raise myself in status, but to show how powerful, how gracious, how forgiving God is. I have a dream that all people would come to know the Father, and trust in Him.

I have a dream to see my loved ones in Heaven, to see their perfect selves, to feel close to God, and be surrounded by nothing but light and joy. I have a dream to one day be welcomed home, and know that all the years in this life will have been worth the pain and suffering, and I shall no longer worry about the fight, as I will be able to finally rest. I have a dream to count my days in the fullness of God’s love and mercy and grace, and have joy all my days of this life.