Tag Archives: freedom

It’s time to shake the chains, June 3, 2019

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

In yesterday’s lectionary we see a story that could have come from the headlines today. “Religious fanatics destroy livelihood of poor peasant girl: riot ensues!” Here’s how Luke tells the story to Theophalis in Acts 16 as translated in The Voice.

One day, as we were going to the place set aside for prayer, we encountered a slave girl. She made a lot of money for her owners as a fortune-teller, assisted by some sort of occult spirit. She began following us.

Slave Girl (shouting): These men are slaves like me, but slaves of the Most High God! They will proclaim to you the way of liberation!

The next day as we passed by, she did the same thing—and again on the following days. One day Paul was really annoyed, so he turned and spoke to the spirit that was enslaving her.

Paul: I order you in the name of Jesus, God’s Anointed: Come out of her!

It came right out. But when her owners realized she would be worthless now as a fortune-teller, they grabbed Paul and Silas, dragged them into the open market area, and presented them to the authorities.

Slave Owners: These men are troublemakers, disturbing the peace of our great city. They are from some Jewish sect, and they promote foreign customs that violate our Roman standards of conduct.

The crowd joined in with insults and insinuations, prompting the city officials to strip them naked in the public square so they could be beaten with rods. They were flogged mercilessly and then were thrown into a prison cell. The jailer was ordered to keep them under the strictest supervision. The jailer complied, first restraining them in ankle chains, then locking them in the most secure cell in the center of the jail.

Picture this: It’s midnight. In the darkness of their cell, Paul and Silas—after surviving the severe beating—aren’t moaning and groaning; they’re praying and singing hymns to God. The prisoners in adjoining cells are wide awake, listening to them pray and sing. Suddenly the ground begins to shake, and the prison foundations begin to crack. You can hear the sound of jangling chains and the squeak of cell doors opening. Every prisoner realizes that his chains have come unfastened. The jailer wakes up and runs into the jail. His heart sinks as he sees the doors have all swung open. He is sure hisprisoners have escaped, and he knows this will mean death for him, so he pulls out his sword to commit suicide. At that moment, Paul sees what is happening and shouts out at the top of his lungs,

Paul: Wait, man! Don’t harm yourself! We’re all here! None of us has escaped.

The jailer sends his assistants to get some torches and rushes into the cell of Paul and Silas. He falls on his knees before them, trembling. Then he brings them outside.

Jailer: Gentlemen, please tell me, what must I do to be liberated?

Paul and Silas: Just believe—believe in the ultimate King, Jesus, and not only will you be rescued, but your whole household will as well.

The jailer brings them to his home, and they have a long conversation with the man and his family. Paul and Silas explain the message of Jesus to them all. The man washes their wounds and feeds them, then they baptize the man and his family. The night ends with Paul and Silas in the jailer’s home, sharing a meal together, the whole family rejoicing that they have come to faith in God.

I’ve had a really hard time getting going with this passage today. It’s not that there isn’t a ton of material here. I’ve started and stopped midstream half a dozen times already. But nothing seems to fit. Maybe there’s too much here. Maybe I’m trying to make one sermon out of what should be several. It’s pretty easy to talk about the slave girl who was freed from her life as a fortuneteller.

I could also talk about the businessmen who were more interested in their money than in the freedom Paul and Silas gave to their slave girl. Their story within the story is where I got the headline to start this podcast. It seems that in our culture, we are much more interested in material things that we are spiritual things. So, we could build a sermon or two or three around these two men.

I thought about doing a podcast based on the unwarranted beating that Paul and Silas received for just being who they were — followers of God.

I thought about a podcast that focused on the joy that Christians can have even in the face of suffering. There Paul and Silas were in jail beaten, bruised, in shackles and chains, no light, no food. They had every reason to complain. But instead, Scripture tells us they sang and prayed and all the other prisoners listened and I expect many joined in. There’s a lot to be said about the joy we can have just because we have God’s spirit in us.

I thought about the jailer and how quick he was to think about suicide as a means have a escaping punishment for something he didn’t even do. It happens so often in our everyday lives. We face suffering because of things that are completely out of our control, and we sometimes make some crazy decisions instead of really examining the problem and potential solutions before we jump in with our rash actions and make a mess of things. A lot could be said about the jailer’s actions before Paul and Silas stopped him from carrying out his decision from which there was no return.

I thought about how Paul and Silas accepted the jailer into their brotherhood even after the beating they received. How many of us would gladly befriend those who imprisoned us or beat us or harmed us for no good reason. But that’s exactly what Paul and Silas did. In fact, it seems that the jailer’s family became the nucleus for another house church within the city. You never know what will happen when we let God take charge of things.

So you see, there’s so many things in these few verses that point to God’s goodness. There are so many spots as this drama unfolds where we see God’s handiwork. We see him reaching out through Paul and Silas because of their willingness to listen to his spirit and just do what they know they should with his prompting. Because of the commotion around them and the nudging of God’s spirit in them, they were able to free this slave from a horrible life. They were able to help a jailer and his entire household come to know God in new way. They were able to bring such joy and peace to a jail full of criminals that when all their chains were broken and all the cell doors shook off their hinges, no one wanted to leave. Rather, they all wanted to stay to listen to the singing, to be part of the pray meeting, because they knew they were in God’s presence.

Can we still see these kinds of things today? I don’t know. God hasn’t changed. The real question is, are we as committed as Paul and Silas? Do we believe the way they believed? Are we ready to give our all to do whatever God wants us to do as they were? Are we ready to be just an instrument with no recognition, no glory, no fame, nothing except an instrument in the hands of God.

When Christians begin to get rid of self and really believe in God the way Paul and Silas believed in God, when we begin to give ourselves completely to him, I think we will begin to see miraculous things happen all around us. They actually are there already if you have the eyes of faith to look up and see his hand at work. Just believe and let him do his work through you.

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

You cannot go wherever you want (Leviticus 16:2), July 24, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
As much as we might think we can, we cannot go wherever we want. Moses learned that a long time ago.
Scripture
1. Leviticus 16:2
2. Go, talk to Aaron, and warn him that he cannot go whenever he wants…
Devotional
1. I hope you don’t mind, but I’m using another warfighter story today since I’m still deep into a training exercise for a medical command this week. I think it will illustrate my point pretty clearly, though.
2. We have the units operating on a linear battlefield at the moment. When combat units fight side by side in that fashion, they have what are called lines of coordination that determine exactly where their left and right boundaries are so they reduce the risk of firing into friendly forces. That boundary is usually an easily recognizeable feature like a road or river or some other terrain feature that won’t change despite the intensity of the battle. And one of the units, not both, will own the feature, the road, river, or whatever it might be.
3. So units don’t go into each others territory without prior coordination. One unit’s soldiers don’t cross the line without coordinating with their adjacent unit first. The reason is easily understood. If you cross the boundary without coordination, you might get shot by friendly force. Not a good thing for anyone. So units warn their soldiers where they cannot go. Don’t cross this road. Don’t cross this river. Don’t go over this hill. Stay out of the adjacent unit’s area. You can’t go wherever you want!
4. It’s true in our everyday life. We find barriers on the road. One way signs, road blocks, locked doors. Physical barriers that keep us out of places that unless we have the proper authority, we cannot enter those places. I can pretty much guarantee that most if not everyone who hears this has never personally seen the gold in sitting in Fort Knox. We cannot go there. We cannot go wherever we want. If we tried, we would be turned away. If we tried by using force, we would be met with equal or greater force and be turned away. I can assure you that you cannot get to the gold in Fort Knox. It is protected from intrusion and theft and you cannot go there. You cannot see it. You cannot go wherever you want.
5. There are some severe consequences for overstepping your bounds if you cross physical barriers that are there to restrict your movement. Another example are the barriers our law enforcement personnel put in place during flash floods. Some people are foolish enough to think the barriers don’t apply to them and find themselves caught in the torrent of water grasping on whatever they can when their car is washed off the road. The near death experience and $2500 fine helps remind them you cannot go wherever you want.
6. All of these examples talk about physical space, but what about our behavior? What about our spiritual lives? What about pushing past the fence that God puts in place to keep us from suffering the consequences of sinful behavior. His laws keep us in line. His laws are much like telling our kids not to put their hand in the flame. Don’t go there, you’ll get burned.
7. God tells us, don’t do these things. There are consequeces you don’t want to pay if you cross these boundaries. You cannot go wherever you want.
8. If we would just listen to Him. If we would just pay attention to the warning signs He puts in our path and then refuse to go around them, our journey of life would progress so much better. We would find ourselves with so much more joy and find our priorities ordered properly in the things we face every day.
9. We understand in our daily lives we cannot go wherever we want. It’s important we apply that same understanding to our behavior and our spiritual lives. Otherwise there are consequences we do not want to pay.
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Bible Reading Plan – www.Bible-Reading.com

Freedom (John 8:31-32), July 4, 2017

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2017-07-04-devotional-Freedom (John 8:31-32)

Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Today marks the end of my daily format. With retirement and some changes in life events and personal and family priorities, I will change to a weekly format beginning this month. You can expect “A Little Walk with God” to continue, but it will be released each week on Mondays instead of the daily format you have had in the past. Thanks for your continued support and if you like what you hear, share it with your friends and send me a post to let me know what you think about the new format.
Scripture
1. John 8:31-32
2. Jesus (to the new Jewish believers): If you hear My voice and abide in My word, you are truly My disciples; you will know the truth, and that truth will give you freedom.
Devotional
1. Independence Day. The day a group of courageous men signed a document that started an experiment in democracy that has endured longer than anyone dreamed. 241 years ago, we declared our independence from the tyrannical rule of the king of England and formed the spark of democratic rule among the 13 colonies which would soon form the United States of America.
2. Those early colonists wanted freedom from British rule. Freedom from laws and taxation and governance in which they had no say or influence. They wanted freedom to rule themselves and set their own direction for the formation of this new land in which they lived and died. They wanted freedom.
3. Little did they know what would happen over the next centuries. Little did they understand that the United States would become the most powerful nation in the world both militarily and economically. Little did they understand the influence the constitution they drafted would impact the world of which they were only beginning to explore at the time. They sought freedom for themselves, their children and their children’s children.
4. But what about today? What do we want? We hear a lot about people wanting freedom, but do we really understand what that means or what we really want?
5. Freedom then and now does not mean the absence of authority or rule over us. Without rule and order and authority we would have utter chaos. Just look at the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the lack of rule and order in New Orleans. Without order and authority, freedom means people often fall into animalistic behavior. We are better than that.
6. Freedom does not mean absence of authority and order. We need order and authority to maintain peace and safety in our communities. We need government to ensure those basic necessities of life are taken care of in an orderly fashion for the common good of all of us. We need authority in our lives. Freedom includes authority over us. Always.
7. Jesus says following His teachings lets us know the truth and the truth sets us free. So what does that mean?
8. First, we need to understand that following His teachings means being like Him, being a disciple. That’s what disciples were in His day. Students who set aside their past beliefs and understandings and learned from their teacher. They adopted the teachings of their mentor and became like him in every way. They ate and dressed like him. They began to mimic his language and his thought process. They developed his mannerisms and in as many ways as possible began to be their teacher. They grew up in the image of their teacher, indistinguishable from their master.
9. So Jesus is telling those around Him, be His disciple. Be like Him. Do what He does. Learn His teachings. Follow in His footsteps. When you do these things, you will know the truth.
10. When you know the truth, you will be free. What will you be free from? Questions, the unknown, guilt, the burden of sin, fear, lack of purpose. You see, when you know the truth, suddenly you see the world the way Jesus sees it. You understand the reason we are put here on this earth. You know the peace that comes from knowing God’s forgiveness of your sins and the release of the guilt that plagues us because of our disobedience. You fear God as in recognizing the awesomeness of His mighty power, but you no longer fear God as in being troubled about His wrath for your past. You find freedom, real freedom.
11. But with that freedom, you know who you serve. You are clearly and forever under His authority. You know you must and will follow His teachings. He is your Ruler, your King, your Director, your Guide, your Authority in all things. Yet you are truly free. Why? Because when you follow Him, you know the truth. You know Him and He is truth and you are free in Him.
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Bible Reading Plan – 2 Kings 1-5

What does peace mean to you? (John 20:20-21), April 28, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s and you saw peace signs everywhere. Technology brought the Viet Nam War into our living rooms for the first time in history and we heard the daily body count from across the sea. Everyone longed for peace.
Scripture
1. John 20:20-21
2. Jesus: May each one of you be at peace.

As He was speaking, He revealed the wounds in His hands and side. The disciples began to celebrate as it sank in that they were really seeing the Lord.

Jesus: I give you the gift of peace. In the same way the Father sent Me, I am now sending you.

Devotional
1. What does peace mean to you?
  1. There will never be peace between nations.
  2. We can’t even have peace within nations as evidenced by our most recent elections here.
  3. We often can’t achieve peace in our own households as evidenced by divorce rates climbing toward 60%
  4. So what is peace?
2. Definition of peace: 1. freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility. 2.freedom from or the cessation of war or violence.
  1. Is this what Jesus promised His disciples and us?
  2. Freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility?
  3. Slander; persecution; martyrdom
  4. Where is the peace He promised?
3. If looking for peace in regard to our relation to the world, it will never happen
  1. The world hated Him and will hate us
  2. Promised trouble in this world and all who follow Him have found trouble if they share His message or live the life He demands of us
  3. The world opposes us and tries to turn us to their ways
  4. When we don’t they do everything they can to destroy us
4. So what kind of peace did Jesus leave?
  1. Inner peace
  2. Peace with ourselves and with God
  3. Freedom from the guilt that plagues us because of estrangement from God in our wickedness
  4. Doesn’t mean we’re murderers or robbers
    1. Although, Jesus says hate means murder
    2. Coveting, means robbery
    3. Robbing God with our tithes and offerings
  5. All have sinned against God
  6. Failed to honor Him and live the life He wants us to live
  7. We know we need His forgiveness
  8. He gives assurance of forgiveness and peace
5. What can you give in exchange for that peace?
  1. Nothing
  2. Nothing in all the world is worth the peace you can have in knowing your sins are forgiven
  3. Every follower of Jesus who is really all in for Him knows that
  4. His legacy is peace
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

Imposing on our freedoms (John 8:31-32), February 24, 2017

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Have you ever considered just how many laws we must follow every day? Some are so old and archaic they don’t just border on the ridiculous, they fell off the cliff long ago. Here are a couple to consider: It is illegal to milk another person’s cow. The entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a formula for making beer at home. It is illegal for one to shoot a buffalo from the second story of a hotel. Talk about imposing on our freedoms!
Scripture
1. John 8:31-32
2. To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Devotional
1. In this country, we talk a lot about freedom. But I think sometimes we have a real misconception about what freedom really means.
  1. Definition: 1.the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint: He won his freedom after a retrial. 2. exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc. 3. the power to determine action without restraint. 4. political or national independence. 5. personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery: a slave who bought his freedom. 6. exemption from the presence of anything specified (usually followed by from): freedom from fear. 7. the absence of or release from ties, obligations, etc.
  2. We can define it, but can we really live within the scope of these words?
  3. Not without infringing on the freedom of someone else except for perhaps the first, at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint
  4. All others are illusions if we live in community with others to maintain order and preservation of the community
2. Look at definitions
  1. Exemption from external control – establish laws and regulations to govern our behavior for the health and safety of the community
  2. Power to determine action without restraint – laws and regulations restrain our actions, cannot do anything we want
  3. Political or national independence – no nation is completely independent in today’s society, we are interdependent because of the trade, commerce, migration of people from state to state, negotiate our freedoms to avoid conflict
  4. Personal liberty – we talk often about the loss of personal liberties: some speech today puts you in jail – hate speech; loss of religious freedoms; debates about what Second Amendment means; even where you live (codes), how much you can make (taxes), and more
  5. Exemption from the presence of anything specified (usually followed by from): freedom from fear – often an emotion that still lingers and we cover with some tools we’ve learned
  6. Absence of or release from ties, obligations, etc. – just as with laws and regulations, we will always live under some kind of laws as long as we live
3. Man’s laws are fickle and always changing, difficult to understand and impossible to follow
4. Follow God, His rules have never changed. Believe in Jesus for forgiveness and life. His spirit will live in you to help you live His within the laws He gives, freedom from the oppression and guilt of the laws that burden others.
  1. Know the rules
  2. Know the spirit of what God wants for your life
  3. Know the truth of who God is and what He wants
  4. Know freedom because of who you belong to and whose rules you fall under
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

Life under the law isn’t the answer (Galatians 4:8-31), Mar 13, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Galatians 4:8-31
Set – Deuteronomy 23; Galatians 4
Go! – Deuteronomy 22-24; Galatians 4

Galatians 4:8-31
⁸ During the time before you knew God, you were slaves to powers that are not gods at all. ⁹ But now, when you are just beginning to know the one True God—actually, He is showing how completely He knows you—how can you turn back to weak and worthless idols made by men, icons of these spiritual powers? Haven’t you endured enough bondage to these breathless idols? ¹⁰ You are observing particular days, months, festival seasons, and years; ¹¹ you have me worried that I may have wasted my time laboring among you.

¹² Brothers and sisters, I have become one of you. Now it’s your turn—become as I am. You have never wronged me. ¹³ Do you remember the first time I preached the good news to you? I was sick, and ¹⁴ I know my illness was a hardship to you, but you never drew back from me or scorned me. You cared for me as if I were a heavenly messenger of God, possibly as well as if I were the Anointed Jesus Himself! Don’t you remember? ¹⁵ What has happened to your joy and blessing? I tell you, the place was so thick with love that if it were possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and handed them to me. ¹⁶ And now, do I stand as your enemy because I tried to bless you with the truth? ¹⁷ I’ll tell you what these false brothers and sisters are counting on: your attention. They are ravenous for it. They are not acting honorably or in your best interests. They want to keep you away from the good news we proclaim so they can have you all to themselves. ¹⁸ Listen, there’s nothing wrong with zeal when you’re zealous for God’s good purpose. And what’s more, you don’t have to wait for me to be with you to seek the good. ¹⁹ My dear children, I feel the pains of birth upon me again, and I will continue in labor for you until the Anointed One is formed completely in you. ²⁰ I wish I were there. This letter is really harsh, yet I am really perplexed by you.

²¹ Now it’s your turn to instruct me. All of you who want to live by the rules of the law, are you really listening to and heeding what the law teaches? Listen to this: ²² it’s recorded in the Scripture that Abraham was the father of two sons. One son was born to a slave woman, Hagar, and the other son was born to a free woman, Abraham’s wife, Sarah. ²³ The slave woman’s son was born through only natural means, but the free woman’s son was born through a promise from God. ²⁴ I’m using an allegory. Here’s the picture: these two women stand for two covenants. The first represents the covenant God made on Mount Sinai—this is Hagar, who gives birth to children of slavery. ²⁵ Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and she stands for the Jerusalem we know now. She has lived in slavery along with her children. ²⁶ But there is a Jerusalem we know above. She is free, and she is our mother. ²⁷ Isaiah wrote,

Be glad, you who feel sterile and never gave birth!
Raise a joyful shout, childless woman, who never went into labor!
For the barren woman produces many children,
more than the one who has a husband.
²⁸ So you see now, brothers and sisters, you are children of the promise like Isaac. ²⁹ The slave’s son, born through only what flesh could conceive, resented and persecuted the one born into the freedom of the Spirit. The slave’s son picked at Isaac, just as you are being picked at now. ³⁰ So what does the Scripture say? “Throw out the slave and her son, for the slave’s son will never have a share of the inheritance coming to the son of the free woman.” ³¹ So, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but sons and daughters of the free.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

It is so easy to slip into the Pharisaical bonds of religious order. Just follow the rules and you’ll make it to heaven. The problem with following the rules is no one can do it. Since Adam first fell to the temptation of Satan in the garden and disobeyed My rule concerning the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, humankind has failed to keep the rules. Some seem simple, but as you heard from Jesus when He spoke, even the simplest become the seeds for transgression in the mind of sinful man.

The law was necessary to give you some tutelage as to the standard of living I require of humankind, but I knew from the beginning it was a standard you could not keep in your own strength. It only reminds you of your frailty, sinfulness, and self-centeredness. It takes more than a list of rules to keep you from breaking them. In fact, the list entices you to stretch your behavior to see how close you can come to violating the law without breaking it, but you always end up crossing the line.

It is the carnal nature you inherited from your parents throughout the generations to the first parents, Adam and Eve. They passed on to you their bent toward evil and selfishness and you pass it to your children. Without My intervention, you can no more keep My laws than you can flap your arms and fly. But My law is the standard I hold for living in My kingdom. So how can anyone make it?

John 3:16 is the answer. Believe in Me. Then I give you eternal life. Confess your sins to Me. Then I forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. That’s your ticket. That’s what it takes to enter into My kingdom. That’s the secret sauce that enables you to come near Me. Because when you believe in My Son for forgiveness of sins, I see His blood, not your sins. I see His holiness, not your sinfulness.

Let Me into your life and the rules become easy. Let Me rule your life and the rules of life take care of themselves. Let Me direct you life and you’ll find your thoughts directed differently. Your actions unfold differently. The rules you’ve struggled to keep will no longer feel like the burden they once were. You’ll find freedom you’ve never felt before. Paul discovered it and told his friends about the genuine experience you can have, too. Don’t live under the stress of the law, but under the freedom of My love.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.