Commitment, Endurance, Faithfulness.

Thank you. Yeah, it's been good to be here. I really appreciated what James shared. If you just kept on going, you would have just simply preached my message.

! The words that come to my mind this morning are several words I've been really thinking about, meditating on. Commitment.

Endurance. And in faithfulness. And I think James touched on all three of those and gave at least three examples that I have as well. So God is, I think, bringing that together to one message.

So, praise the Lord. It's good to be here again and to see more people. See everyone here this morning, or most of us.

I want to turn our Bibles to Matthew chapter 24 to start. I have numerous other scriptures as well, but we'll start there in Matthew 24 verse 9.

And this message may be somewhat of a warning to us, but also I trust an encouragement and an inspiration.

Maybe more encouraging for us older ones and more inspirational for you younger ones, I hope, to endure. Matthew 24. Matthew 24 verse 9.

Actually, in verse 5, Jesus said, For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many. But then in verse 9, he says, Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you, and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

And then many, and then shall many, and then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

I had circled that verse in my Bible years ago. And the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come.

That verse 13, where Jesus said, But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Wow.

So it's not just the ones that got saved 30 years ago, or 5 years ago, or 40 years ago. Jesus said, It's he that shall endure unto the end.

In verse 10, he says, And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. When I read that, I thought, wow, isn't that the truth?

Aren't many offended? Aren't many offended at the gospel? They're struggling with truth. They're offended over it, because it doesn't match their life.

Or their life doesn't match the gospel. And so they're offended by it. Or maybe they're offended of other things. And then it says, They shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

We see that in our day. Where people are betraying each other. So-called Christians, even. And many false prophets shall rise and deceive many.

So I want to focus on that, as far as the enduring part. The time between our salvation and our end.

That time. I think maybe I shared last time about salvation itself. But what about after?

What about the after we're saved? Faithful until he comes. Many start.

But not all finish. Isn't that true? Have you seen that? People start out, but they don't finish. The race, like Paul did.

Many make a profession. Fewer continue when the road becomes hard. But Jesus didn't just call us to be saved or to follow him.

He calls us to continue. Think about the things that Jesus taught us in the scriptures. About abiding. Abide in me. He that overcometh.

To endure until the end. You know, a race is never won at the starting. It's not when you start the race that you're winning. Although it's very important to start.

If you're going to run the race, we need to get started. But that's not where you finish. That's not where the victory is. The final victory is won at the end.

You know, a wedding is not proven. A good marriage is not proven by ten minutes of wedding vows.

You know, it usually takes about five or ten minutes. That's not where a good marriage, again, it's where it starts. But it's won by faithfulness that is lived out over a lifetime.

In the same way the Christian life is not judged only by how strongly we began. But by whether we remain faithful to Christ.

I think that this thing of enduring and being faithful needs to be preached.

It needs to be practiced. It needs to be lived. It's something that the Lord has been doing in my heart lately. He's trying to get it across to me that it's okay, like James was saying, to just keep on.

To just endure. And to fight the good fight of faith. Like Paul said in 2 Timothy 4.

There's a number of verses. Maybe we'll just turn to that. And read several verses there. 2 Timothy.

Yes, chapter 4. I have fought a good fight.

Very familiar scripture here. Very familiar verse. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.

Which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day. And not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

All them that love his appearing. If we love the thought of Christ appearing. Christ's return. Watching and waiting.

There's a crown of righteousness for us too. I love how confident Paul was. You know, he wasn't, I don't believe there was any arrogance in him. Or pride in this.

When he wrote this. When he said, I have fought a good fight. You know, he went through a lot. That man did. He suffered greatly. We'll look at some of that later.

He didn't just say, I once believed. He said, I have kept the faith. God is able to complete that work that he began in us.

That verse just popped in my mind now. That he is faithful and just. He fought, he finished, and he kept. That is endurance. Jesus warned of a great falling away.

I believe that to fall away, you have to leave something that you once had. Right? You had something.

But if you fall away from it, you leave what you once had. I don't like using a computer for this. But my printer didn't work.

I'm not quite used to scrolling. Yes, Jesus warned in Matthew 24 also. He warned about that they will deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you.

And he talks about falling away. The love of many wax cold. If you think about that term, that phrase, if love waxes cold, is it yet love?

I mean, have you ever had cold love? But what used to be love becomes coldness, I think, is what Jesus was saying. The love of many shall wax cold.

And many will fall away. And in these verses there in Matthew, back to Matthew 24, it's kind of a downward spiral. First, you know, he talks about affliction, offenses, betrayal, about deception, about coldness.

And finally, the last, there is the falling away. These things are happening around us. And then the end shall come.

But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. You know, it's not our enduring by itself. Like, we can't endure by ourself.

In fact, we must be engrafted or abiding in the vine to endure. I want to be clear about that.

It's not just me being faithful. It's God within us that gives us the power to be faithful. And it's through the blood that initially saved us.

People don't usually leave Christ in a sudden moment. Their love cools slowly. Prayer becomes less important. The Bible is neglected.

Church becomes optional. Sin becomes tolerable. The world becomes attractive. Then one day they're gone.

Jesus did not promise that the road would always become easier. But he promised grace for those of us that continue. You know, we don't like the thought of persecution.

I don't like the thought of being persecuted for my faith. But I think there's a greater danger of the falling away than there is about persecution.

Cooling off is much more dangerous. Cooling off is much more dangerous. Cooling off is much more dangerous. Cooling off is much more dangerous. Cooling off is much more dangerous. Cooling off is much more dangerous. Cooling off is much more dangerous.

Somebody said to me recently something about... I forget the word exactly, but... I feel like I've become more casual. And I don't want that.

I want to be hot. I want to be for the Lord. Sold out. Hebrews 12, verse 2 and 3.

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God, for consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be weary and faint in your minds.

You know, Jesus does ask us to endure. But before he asked us, he endured himself. He himself was our example.

And that's why we can look to him. He's the author of our faith. He endured betrayal by Judas. He endured rejection by his own people.

Being misunderstood. He endured temptation of Satan, or by Satan. He endured false accusations, mockery, scourging, the cross, and the shame of being treated as a criminal.

Yet he never turned back. Jesus went into the fiercest battle first. Every road of obedience that he asked us to walk, he already walked.

He already walked before us. And that's, I believe, why the Scripture says to consider him, consider him the author of our faith. When we grow weary, we must look back to Christ again and to consider him.

There's a verse that comes to mind that, something about Jesus, sanctified himself.

He sanctified himself for our sake. But he endured greatly, did he not?

He told us to take up our cross. If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

You know, it's not a decision. Christianity is not one great decision and then a life of ease.

In other words, we don't decide to follow Christ and be baptized, be born again, and then it's ease. And I think that we live in a culture today that promotes ease and self-life.

It promotes self-life so much. But rather than that, it's thousands of decisions that we make in life, little decisions to follow Christ.

Jesus said to follow him daily, take up our cross daily. We don't just carry the cross when we feel inspired. We deny ourselves when obedience is costly.

Sometimes when no one applauds, right? Nobody knows. And when the flesh wants an easier path.

This morning I was thinking about our constitution in America, the American way, where we have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I never quite thought of it that way. Even though I'm thankful that we have a religious freedom, I'm not throwing that away or anything.

But if you think about those terms, life, liberty, and the pursuit to make me happy. And Jesus said, take up your cross.

Deny yourself. Wow. Has the church bought into that doctrine that I need to pursue what makes me happy? I'm afraid we have.

Too much. Myself included. Too much of that. We've made that constitution thing maybe our Bible.

Or at least that verse. That chapter. The American church has bought into this thought. I am convinced of it. And it affects our way of thinking.

To get what I want. And to get it now. Because I have a right to be happy.

That thought. Think about that. Rather than, God, what do you want for me? You told me to take up my cross. To follow you. To be a slave to you, Lord Jesus.

Jesus. In John chapter 8, verse 31 and 32. Then said Jesus to those Jews who believed on him, If you continue in my word, then you are my disciples indeed.

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. He spoke these words to people that believed on him.

Yet he said that true discipleship is revealed by what? In these verses. By continuing. If you continue in my word.

You don't just start. But you continue. Then you are my disciples indeed. A beginning matters.

But continuance proves the reality of that beginning. And then that scripture that I had mentioned a few times about abiding, that's found in John chapter 15, verses 4 to 6.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine. No more can you except you abide in me.

I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered. Believe here that the key word here is to abide.

To remain, to continue, to stay. A branch does not live on yesterday's connection to the vine. It must remain.

You can't cut a branch off, trim a tree and cut the branch off and think it will keep on living because it was attached yesterday. It's going to die.

So we must remain to abide. We endure by remaining close to Christ through prayer, through obedience, like we heard this morning.

His word and the fellowship of his people. I have quite a lot of scriptures.

I might pass over a few here. When I look at Luke chapter 8, a couple of verses in Luke chapter 8, it says, They on the rock are they.

I'm talking about the seed here. They on the rock are they, which when they hear, receive the word with joy, and these have no root, which for a while they believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

Jesus giving an illustration here of the seed. And Jesus said that some believe for a while. They begin with joy, but they have no root.

Temptation, pressure, or disappointment reveals that the word never went deep enough. And I, this morning, am just thinking about that, how all of those things happen to us, don't they?

temptation, trials, disappointments, things that are hurtful, they all happen. Jesus said, it's not a matter of if, it's temptations will come, Jesus said.

They all happen, but will we endure? These things reveal what the word has done in us.

Appreciated this morning, the couple brothers mentioning about the word on the ministry chat. The power of the word of God. Let's never forget that.

And last evening, Brother Dan mentioned about the power of the blood and focusing on that and claiming that. I forget what all we talked about then, but the power of the blood, the power in prayer as well.

And then, he goes on, he says, but that on the good ground are they. Praise God for this verse. But that on the good ground are they which in an honest and a good heart have heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Which one are we this morning? Are we going through with this initial joy of salvation and not very deep?

Or is our heart good ground that's been tilled up and it absorbs and it drinks in the life that God puts there and that we can be faithful and endurance is not excitement without roots.

It is patient faithfulness that remains when feelings change. Sometimes our feelings, sometimes we don't feel that great a Christian, do we?

I know if we're honest, if I'm honest, there's times and I think I shared a little bit of that last night that you know, there's times we're discouraged maybe. And we don't feel that great.

But are we remaining faithful? Are we still looking unto Jesus? Jesus said in Luke 9, and Jesus saith unto him, no man having put his hand to the plow and looketh back is fit for the kingdom of God.

And then he also in Luke 17 warns us to remember Lot's wife. Lot's wife began to leave Sodom.

What was her name? Anybody know her name? Just Lot's wife. Okay. But she began to leave Sodom.

But her heart remained behind. She was moving outwardly while looking back inwardly. Do we do that?

We look back inside in our old life. Things that we used to do and we quit because we found Jesus, but there's still that appeal.

Does it still have an appeal? Or have all things become new? For her, that sinful city had an appeal.

I could never understand as a young lad why she turned into what a judgment. What was, I mean, what did she do that was, she just looked back.

You know, I'm thinking physically, she just looked back. But no, God's saying she looked back with her heart. Her heart was wrong. And Jesus gives us this solemn warning because it is possible to leave something physically while still longing for it spiritually.

When he talks about a farmer plowing and looking back, we can't go very straight when we're looking back.

I was mowing grass yesterday and trying to go as straight as Justin does, but one time I looked back and I was about halfway off my row just like that.

Just reminded me of that. But we're not to look back in the Christian life. Now in, excuse me, now in Revelation chapter 2, Jesus said, fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer.

Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life. What a promise. Revelation 2 verse 10. Do not fear those things that we shall suffer if persecution does come or other things in life that cause us to suffer, whether it be disappointments or sadness or whatever pain we face.

Jesus says, to be faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life. Jesus did not say be faithful until life becomes painful. He said, be thou faithful unto death.

And I believe this is the call of the gospel. Not temporary enthusiasm, but lifelong allegiance to Christ. Commitment.

I've wondered already, what has happened to commitment? What happens when people just aren't committed to Christ?

It's because maybe there's something in the heart looking back. And if the Christian thing works and goes well, then okay.

But if it becomes difficult and we're climbing this mountain, and it becomes difficult, rather than take a little rest and be rejuvenated and come back to Christ in prayer, we just head down off the mountain again.

We give up. The crown is promised to those who remain faithful. Brother James talked about Noah.

Noah built that ark for many years. What was it, 120 years? Imagine that a little bit. Yes, he was mocked, I'm sure.

Note here, every day the hammer fell, there was another testimony that Noah believed God more than he believed the crowd.

Hebrews points to Noah. It says, By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house.

So many years, so many people mocking, and I say many because there was nobody that believed except in his family.

And it doesn't even say for sure that they fully believed. I don't, I mean, it doesn't, they were with him. He probably had him convinced, but can you imagine the turmoil for that many years?

The people, like James said, they probably thought this man's crazy. He's building an ark. But he heard God and he was going to obey him. no matter what.

Joseph, faithful through the times that it seemed probably that God was far away. He had these wonderful dreams from God.

He had his father's blessing, the coat of many colors. And then came the pit, being sold into slavery, and then false accusations, prison, years of being forgotten, and yet he remained faithful.

It is just one of the most compelling stories about being strong and being faithful. Yet he rejected the bitterness. He rejected his and he was faithful in every place he went, even in prison.

Even the jailer made him the head of the prison. Sometimes the promise is delayed because God is preparing the person who will carry it.

Think about that. Sometimes we want everything to happen right away and fast and let's go. but sometimes God is just putting us through things to maybe make us fit for what he wants to do.

What feels like waiting may actually just be training. I believe that about Joseph. We can easily see that in his life but in our life it's a little harder to see that.

We become so impatient. Psalm David wrote about Joseph in Psalm 105. He sent a man before them even Joseph who was sold for a servant whose feet they hurt with fetters.

He was laid in iron until the time that his word came. The word of the Lord tried him. And then of course we have Job.

Job lost his children his wealth. We know the story well I believe. His health comfort reputation the understanding of his friends even his own wife told him to just curse God and die.

And yet he said even if he would slay me I will remain faithful. Daniel I heard about Daniel's friends this morning but Daniel himself now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed he went into his house and he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did a time and I don't think Daniel just all of a sudden when he faced the lion's den all of a sudden he became committed or faithful he just did what he always did he just kept doing what he was doing he had practiced faithfulness for decades things had changed governments changed laws changed but

Daniel still prayed the great test only revealed the habit of his life wow what a faithful are there faithful men like that today are we faithful I believe we are I see that in a lot of us that we keep on going no matter what let's be encouraged in that now let's look at Paul yet in the New Testament 2nd Corinthians 11 24 to 27 2nd Corinthians 11 this is interesting of the Jews first I'm sorry of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one we know the thing about forty stripes so they gave him thirty nine five times that's 195 stripes thrice was I beaten with rods once

I was stoned thrice I suffered shipwreck in weariness and painfulness in hunger and thirst in cold and nakedness sounds like an exciting life not really for the physical he was beaten he was imprisoned he was rejected shipwrecked hungry cold and opposed yet at the end he could say I have finished my course he did not measure success by comfort he measured it by faithfulness that's how God measures our life by faithfulness not by comfort or or should I say the pursuit of being happy I find that too much in my life the pursuit of happiness how

Christians drift and stop enduring you know the devil doesn't come by saying deny Christ today he doesn't usually do that but he whispers smaller things about skipping prayer about not needing the word church can wait you deserve this compromise compromise you've done enough maybe it's time to retire we hear that a lot from older people one compromise becomes another and one cold day becomes a cold heart here's a thought that maybe Peter didn't just deny Christ in one sudden step we read that he slept!

instead of watching remember in the garden then he followed afar off he stayed away from Jesus then he warmed himself at the enemy's fire and then he denied Christ falling is often the process so is endurance watch pray remain close and refuse to step away a closeness with Jesus to remain close I want to look at Elijah yet you know Elijah he stood boldly against the prophets of Baal Elijah is such a story about that I can identify with as far as discouragement and yet we look at Elijah's life and we're like how could he do that it's amazing he stood against all those prophets of

Baal but afterward he became exhausted and discouraged he even sat under a Jupiter tree and wanted to die became that discouraged God did not cast him away God fed him he allowed him to rest he spoke to him and he sent him back to his calling in first Kings chapter 19 verse seven and eight and the angel of the Lord came again the second time and touched him and said arise and eat because the journey is too great for thee and he arose and he did eat and drink and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights I don't have this in my notes but the story of Elijah how that he let's look at that for just a minute let's look at some of the miracles that happened that God did through

Elijah can you name one I mentioned the prophets Baal but what were some of the things that happened just one anyone yes the the widow right her flower kept coming what others he ran yeah what about fire fire from heaven came down on the altar there were a couple others right somebody was raised from the dead had he died or very sick

I can't remember but yeah that that was one what were you saying yes that's the one I wanted yes so anyways yeah just the reason I wanted to point those out is you would think maybe I say that carefully but you would think that with all the good things that happened in his life how God used him how could he sit under a tree and say God just take my life and all that happened that I can find is that a woman declared a death on his life Jezebel she said that she's going to have him killed and he got so discouraged by that that he just wanted to give up anyway it's not the end of the story but yeah he ran outran that chariot was that when oh and it didn't rain for however long three and a half years and then he prayed and it rained and then he on the way back to the city he ran ahead of the horses for about 17 miles and he beat the horses yeah he had a lot going for himself but he was discouraged he was a man sometimes we get discouraged even when good things have happened in our lives but we don't need to remain there

Galatians Paul says to not be weary in well doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not you know if I know brother Dan he and maybe others have built furniture or you build you do construction but when you build a piece of furniture or a cabinet or something and you may spend a lot of time a lot of hours on one piece and one of the some of the strongest joints of that piece of furniture or that cabinet is hidden you can't see it the unseen work gives the piece its lasting strength God often does his deepest work in hidden seasons of testing waiting and obedience we need to have a long term vision not short term we get so short term so you know one day and then but we need to think about

God what are you doing in my life what do you want to do in my life we don't suddenly become faithful in persecution I don't believe I mean sure God could revive somebody in persecution but we learn endurance through daily obedience I really appreciated what James had shared this morning I could think of the wise virgins and the foolish virgins things but I think I'll go on Matthew 24 also Jesus said in verse 45 46 who who then is faithful and wise a wise servant whom his lord hath made ruler over the household blessed is that servant whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing!

I have to think of that verse also that he that is faithful in little things what is it how does that end shall be ruler over many forget how that's quoted exactly but the idea is that we must be faithful in small things also Paul said in Colossians to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel the gospel to believers should never become old we should be excited about the gospel about how the gospel has changed us may it never grow old may the story of salvation our salvation our experience in

Christ never grow old who would we be without Christ for we are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end the Hebrew writer said James 1 verse 12 blessed is the man that endureth temptation for while he is tried he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him I don't believe that the apostles weakened the words of Jesus I think they enforced it and continued with the same word how do we endure to keep our eyes on Jesus to not just stare at the difficulty we talked about that last night so glad our brother brought that up we don't just see the difficulty and the hardships but we see the blood we see

Jesus we see life we see the cross to consider him that endured the cross stay in the word Jesus said if you continue in my word then you are my disciples indeed pray before temptation comes Jesus told his disciples to watch and pray that you enter not into temptation for some reason that jumped out at me this time like it didn't before I always got the watch and pray thing you know watch for Jesus watch for the signs but it says that you don't enter temptation so we should be praying for ourselves before we enter temptation that God would protect us that we would be watchful to be alert and not sleeping maybe we wouldn't have so many temptations to remain among faithful believers isolation makes discouragement even stronger fellowship does help we need each other

I was thinking this morning about also about the church and how that in the army in the physical army of the world the government's armies how that they have each other's back we could learn so much from that like they don't have to even know each other so to speak they just see the uniform and you're with us we fight together and Christians learn from that that we're in God's army we're with each other amen we help each other we need each other we don't fight each other to remain among faithful believers deal quickly with offense a wounded heart that refuses forgiveness can become a doorway to falling away

I know of a young man that says he has no grudges but his life doesn't portray that his words don't say that and to remember the reward the suffering is temporary this life is temporary we're only going through this once but to remember the reward our crown is eternal and also number seven is to rise again after failure Peter that wasn't the end of his story was it denying Christ can you imagine if that's all we read about Peter he denied Christ three times he became one of the strongest preachers of the gospel and he he preached with authority and with no fear he didn't have to deny

Christ anymore he felt terrible but he returned to Christ and he became faithful failure does not need to be the end of our story no we can rise again and go on we can keep going Hebrews 10 35 cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompense of reward for you have need of patience that after you have done the will of God you might receive the promise now the just shall live by faith but if any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him God speaking but we are not of them who draw back unto perdition but of them that believe to the saving of the soul the just shall live by faith are we living by faith in the son of

God how will we finish it's not about who of us has the greatest testimony of being saved is it that's wonderful but and we should share our testimonies I'm not in any way diminishing that but let's remember that that I mean the greatest testimony of salvation of a person that walks away from God later how great is it it's about being saved and being faithful it's both he who remains faithful when those feelings fade when your prayers seem unanswered when friends turn away when temptations come and when obedience becomes costly sometimes being obedient costs us a friend doesn't it are we willing are we real

Christians that we obey Jesus no matter what cost me a friend or we try to compromise and go halfway we kind of we kind of kneel a little bit James you know maybe just kind of off to the side we kneel to that thing that idol to keep peace with our friends or do we stand strong and we say no way when friends turn away are you with me that we want to hear our Lord say well done thou good and faithful servant enter thou into the joy of thy Lord you know Jesus didn't say well done thou famous servant or well done thou gifted servant you've really been gifted but he praised faithfulness heaven values what the world often overlooks steady obedience quiet sacrifice long patience and love that refuses to grow cold have you grown weary!

this message is for me have we grown weary tired of the battle look unto Jesus has your love begun to cool return to your first love life Jesus talks about that in revelation he doesn't like that lukewarm stuff have you been following from afar off like Peter did draw near again have you fallen rise and come back to Christ have you been tempted to quit then just remember we're not home yet it's not quitting time do not trade an eternal crown for temporary relief by the grace of

God let this become our testimony like Paul where he said I have fought a good fight I have finished my course and I have kept the faith again Jesus said but he that shall endure unto the end the same shall be saved I do want to say in closing that it is the grace of God by the grace of God we're not saved by faith we're saved through faith but it's always by grace it's always his power his strength and so but without faith we can't we can't attain it we cannot have grace without faith we can't please God without faith the Bible says shall we pray father we thank you for your word thank you lord for your encouragement to us in all areas of life thank you that you are faithful you are our example of what faithfulness is you are our example of lord jesus of what enduring is you endured the cross despising the shame and lord you are our example of how to live our lives so father

I pray that you would help each one of us to follow you to not just have a cross to bear but to follow you also to follow your ways to follow your truth to follow where you lead us like that song that we sang this morning where you lead we will follow even if the road is weary and long and difficult more difficult for some than others it seems but you know exactly what we need and we want to be surrendered to you help us Jesus to be fully totally and completely surrendered to you and that we will follow where you lead help us we need you in this day in this age to be faithful we pray in Jesus name amen