In His Love and Glorious Service: Season 3 Maturing in Your Walk with Christ

IN HIS LOVE AND GLORIOUS SERVICE

MATURING IN YOUR WALK WITH CHRIST

- SEASON 3 -

Charlie Lusco

Copyright © 2011 Charlie Lusco

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible

Verses from songs by Lee Harris used by permission.

Poem by Randy Beamen on April 18th entry used by permission.

Other portions of poems by John Dunn and others are Public domain.

Proofreading services & Copy Editing with Polishing by Stephanie Rook of Crowning Touch Virtual Office Assistants, LLC

Definitions used in text are from Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary. Copyright 1975 by G & C Merriam Co.

Throughout the text I do not use the Capital Letter for the name satan. I choose to not respect that use in the name of the prince of darkness. He does not deserve a capital S

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-1125-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-1126-9 (dj)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-1127-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011920427

Printed in the United States of America

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/05/2011

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

PROLOGUE

September 1

September 2

September 3

September 4

September 5

September 6

September 7&8

September 9

September 10

September 11

September 12

September 13

September 14

September 15

September 16

September 17

September 18

September 19

September 20

September 21

September 22

September 23

September 24

September 25

September 26

September 27

September 28

September 29

September 30

October 1

October 2

October 3

October 4

October 5

October 6

October 7

October 8

October 9

October 10

October 11

October 12

October 13

October 14

October 15

October 16

October 17

October 18

October 19

October 20

October 21

October 22

October 23

October 24

October 25

October 26

October 27

October 28

October 29

October 30

October 31

November 1

November 2

November 3

November 4

November 5

November 6

November 7

November 8

November 9

November 10

November 11

November 12

November 13

November 14

November 15

November 16

November 17

November 18

November 19

November 20

November 21

November 22

November 23

November 24

November 25

November 26

November 27

November 28

November 29

November 30

December 1

December 2

December 3

December 4

December 5

December 6

December 7

December 8

December 9

December 10

December 11

December 12

December 13

December 14

December 15

December 16

December 17

December 18

December 19

December 20

December 21

December 22

December 23

December 24

December 25

December 26

December 27

December 28

December 29

December 30

December 31

EPILOGUE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I dedicate the words in this third Season of Service to

you, the reader. I pray that in your reading the words to

come forth from the heart of God, through this meek and

unworthy vessel, you will feel the love of Christ,

which is beyond comprehension, and understand that

in crying out to’ HIM,’ you will be heard.

Know then that your SOS has reached the throne

and that your Seasons of Service in His love

have just begun, and will proceed as you continue to grow

and mature in His love and glorious service.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

In acknowledging the people God has brought into my life, I feel called to let the reader know that I am an acknowledged sinner who finally realized on September 7th 1983 that I needed to repent and become a follower of Jesus Christ. It is an ongoing journey.

In writing these three seasons of devotions, I fought through depression, disability, anger, failure, bouts of recurring sin, and much pain. Nevertheless, by the grace of Jesus I finally realized that the personal reason for this entire journey was for the benefit of further humbling me. I asked God so many times, how much lower could I feel. How could He continue to allow me to feel such rejection, loneliness, betrayal and have such feelings of worthlessness.

I grasp for straws and wonder when this process of humility will run its course. When will I see that light at the end of the tunnel? As you read these devotions, you may recognize an event in your life. You may shake your head and say, God has spoken that to me. You may also get a fresh revelation from God about something in your life. As God gave me each devotion, He always seemed to lead the way. He was ever-present and ever-loving and full of mercy and grace. All of God endured in me throughout this journey. Without Him ever by my side, I could not have written anything that would glorify Him and lead you, my beloved, into a deeper relationship with Him. That is the purpose. That is His love. That is the reason you were created for Him. That is why by living for Him and working every day in His strength you can finally understand that you were called to walk in His love, and work in His glorious service. I cannot emphasize enough that you read these devotions with prayer and a heart open to hearing from Him.

What has come through my personality to your eyes from Him, may differ from what I thought as I was writing it. I hope and pray for a special touching of your heart from the words in this journey of this third season of service and then the other two.

God has brought me so much love in this journey, first my wife Deborah, my daughter Joy Rose and my son Jason. God has given me a wonderful life and sweet memories of my parents, Santi and Rosemarie Lusco, the constant joy and uplifting words of advice and love from my mother-in-law Joy Hands and her husband Ken; the example of mercy and service given by my parents, my wife’s parents, and my former Mother-in-law Theresa Holland, who all raised big families and never were short of love or patience; the enduring example of what a true shepherd is has been so evident in the life of Alvin Lusk, a man with one mission in his heart - to be as Jesus was, and to go as Jesus went; all this and enduring hope in Christ of one day meeting the brother-in-law I never met (the late Allen Hands) and my sister’s loving husband Ron Walsh who rest in the presence of Jesus.

Without the dedication of my wife Deborah to our family, her many sacrifices in taking over the primary breadwinning role in our family during my disability, and her prayer, these devotions may never have been completed. Her loving encouragement, the bravery of my son Jason, my sweet daughter Joy Rose’s love, purity and innocence, and the prodding from my family and friends all have helped to enable me to put on paper this humble message of love, mercy, truth and encouragement. By the grace of God and the love of Jesus Christ, ever-present in her heart, my wife has been able to minister to her many special-education students and still show our family unconditional love, with a humility and sensitivity that touched our hearts and helped us make our way through the ongoing journey of our new life in Pennsylvania. I love them

Charlie

Permission to obey is a gesture of mercy,

And will absolve you of so much eternal pain.

Instead of rebelling, let Him quench all of your thirst

Now that He has your attention, and sends loving rain.

Tomorrow is not promised, yet you trust in His will,

Only now you have weapons, which lead you to grace.

Giving and releasing all your self is like a pill

Reminding you of Him, and His walk up that hill.

Only Jesus can protect you, in your new race

With His strength and His love, you obey Him until…

PROLOGUE

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing.

JAMES 1:2–4 (NKJV)

When I began writing this book, it was a New Year’s resolution. That resolution lasted a month. The next year I made the same resolution, with the same results. Five years went by and I ignored the prodding of God, though many in my family, friends and business associates were encouraging me to write. Thus, the first two months of messages are a bit shorter and differ somewhat from my writing at this later date.

All along, in my heart, I knew I needed to obey God. However, the business of my life and physical problems gave my mind the excuse it needed to avoid the calling from my Lord. Finally, I paid real attention to Jesus and what began as a resolution became a journey.

The pages you are about to read are meant to encourage, educate and enlighten you. God’s Word is paramount and I hope that through the revelations given me by the Holy Spirit, you can see the truth of God’s love and the calling of all His children to serve Him.

All of us are gifted by God, in many different ways, to serve Him and those around us. We are all blessed as we abide in His glorious love, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in our calling. Just as Jesus called Lazarus from the tomb, He is calling out our names, His children, to boldly come forth and show generation after generation the truth of the gospel message, through those various talents brought to us by the Holy Spirit.

Beloved, you are gifted. You have a significant purpose in your life. God has anointed you and is calling you to serve. He needs you. He loves you. He cherishes you. He did not make you His robot. Rather, He cries out to you, hopefully a willing servant, and asks you to accept His love and be released into His glorious service.

Are you willing? Are you ready? Can you feel the love of Christ flowing through you and calling out to you? Let Him fill your heart, mind and body with His glory. Feel His mercy, accept His grace, embrace His mission and live as though you belong to Him. He has written to you encouragement, love and truth through the words in this year of devotions and messages. divided into three seasons. This is the third season, and the longest.

It is my sincere hope that the scriptures, messages and poetry in this book and the others touch your heart each day, and help to open your eyes to the love that Jesus Christ has for you. He is the only way to eternal life in the glory of God the Father. I hope you are thirsty and ready to drink from His everlasting cup of grace. I hope you are ready to answer the call, or continue in it, as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ baptizes you into His love and glorious service for the rest of your life. May His face shine upon you and may you enjoy His peace which passes all understanding. May His love move in your heart and bring you everlasting joy.

Charlie

September 1

Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.

DEUTERONOMY 11:18–21 (NKJV)

Back to school! The signs are everywhere in every store. Just in case I have forgotten that my child is eagerly awaiting her first day in second grade, the stores are there to remind me that I need to buy her new clothes and supplies. Fortunately, we are blessed and can afford to get my precious little girl some nice clothes to wear this year. While I understand that how my child is adorned on the exterior is not the critical issue of her education, it is a critical issue for many parents who are stuck in the fashion mode, and must keep up with the latest trends.

My daughter will be going to public school again this year and while our schools in my home town may be the best in the area, she will not get any spiritual guidance. It is not allowed. This puts the ball squarely and prominently right where it belongs....in my lap...Her Father. God has given me the responsibility for my family. He did not give this responsibility to the principal of our schools. It is my task to learn God’s laws and imprint them in my heart and show them to my family through my actions, love, care, study and words.

I am my child’s spiritual teacher. I must speak words of encouragement and love to my family. As the spiritual head of my wife, daughter and son, God is challenging me to speak of Him to them at all times. He is sharing with me the pressing need that they have to know His truth and that He is looking to me to tell them. It is MY responsibility. If I do not have God’s Word in my heart, and speak of it when I have breakfast with my kids, and after school, at dinner, when we take walks and when we go to bed at night, then who is going to get it to them? I cannot and will not entrust this vital responsibility to someone else.

Over time I have learned that if you want to turn off a child’s attention immediately, begin any sentence with Thou Shall Not! Most likely, as soon as they hear what follows they will begin to formulate ways to do just that! So, how do we teach them to love God with all their heart and all their soul and all their minds? We teach them by loving them as God loves us. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If you abide in my word, then are you My disciples indeed. (John 8:31 NKJV)

By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:35 NKJV)

How can I continue in Jesus’ Word unless I know them? How will my children, my wife or my neighbors know God through me, unless I know Him first? Unless I read, study and keep God’s love in my heart, I cannot possibly show it to anyone else. If my life is bound up in doubt, anxiety and trouble and I exhibit it, how will anyone whom I meet want what I have?

God has given us the life of His only begotten Son Jesus, so that we can now have an example of how He expects us to conduct our lives. We have a measuring stick. We have the example. We have Him. "Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, Show us the Father?" (John 14:9 NKJV) I must give my all to writing the love of God on my heart, not just on my doorposts. I must live what I know. I must love as He loves. I must care as He cares. I must walk in His steps to the utmost abilities I possess. This is the legacy I need to pass on to my children. It is not a legacy of worldly domination or the ladder of worldly success. Rather, it is a legacy of compassion and love. It is a legacy of the divine Master who has given instructions to all of us as parents, on how to properly raise these children … our children.

Our children will surely go to school and learn to read, to write, and to add and subtract. But it is up to us (Moms and Dads–especially Dads) to teach them how to love and how to live a life for God. They won’t learn it in any kind of school. The responsibility for my child belongs to me–no one else! I don’t care if she goes to the First Evangelical Christian School of the Most Precious Blood in the Most Holy Communion Assembly! While my child is under my roof, their spiritual education is MY responsibility. I will answer to God for how my son and daughter were taught. He won’t be looking for the school principal. He’ll be looking for me.

Beloved, don’t shrink from this responsibility. Embrace it! Remind yourself of the promise that is mentioned in the scripture above; that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth. Your children look to you.

Train up your children, as only He would do

Experience His love and then show them too.

Abide in Him and He will abide in you

Chase after His ways and learn them anew.

He waits for you to show them love,

Excitedly you do

Remembering your teacher.

September 2

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:58 (NKJV)

It is very easy to become discouraged in this world. Expectations are so high. Bosses give us ultimatums. Spouses pour responsibility on each other when they just can’t take it anymore. At the end of each day, in which you have worked yourself nearly to the bone, you are faced with another just like it, after only a few hours of sleep. This isn’t meant to further discourage you. It is just a fact of life. Life is hard. You know it and I know it. We have the scars to show for our battles.

When we think of only the temporal rewards that life offers, we can become even further discouraged. As heirs of eternal life in Christ Jesus, should we not be thinking more of the rewards of our labor? Should we not be thinking more of the plentiful harvest that is at our feet? Isn’t it better to think of the eternal rewards that await us, rather than on the few temporal things that we seem to idolize?

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’ The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:50–57 NKJV)

So you see, my beloved. Your efforts are NOT in vain. As you trod the paths of Christ and teach His love and His compassion and His wisdom, the ears will be bent to your words and will hear Him, through you. He needs your voice. He needs your passion and your sense of urgency. He wants your heart. Death could not hold Him down and now do not let discouragement hold you down. Don’t expect a miracle just because you pray for it and then give up because you didn’t get your way with Him! The answering of our prayers is out of our hands. It is His business. It is the responsibility of our awesome God to use His infinite wisdom in deciding on the answers. When you think you know better, it might be time to get back in His Word for a refresher course and for a bit of humility.

Satan is going to try to derail you. Satan is going to hate you for every good word you say about Christ. Satan will try to convince you that you are so bound up in sin that you can’t possibly be an effective witness. Rebuke it! Take your sins to the throne where you are supposed to take them and repent! When you have repented then move on and be steadfast. Don’t be swayed by the lies from hell. Satan does not want your witness to be heard by anyone. He just wants to shut you up. Well don’t! Tell him to Shut UP! Tell him that your labors are not in vain and that you will shout out the glories of God until your last breath. Give the devil his notice. Terminate him.

Love assigned is love so new

Appearing each day the sky is blue.

Between the days you bolster it

Or practice showing how it fits,

Reminding yourself of how to show

Such love that only God bestows.

September 3

This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

EPHESIANS 4:17–19 (NKJV)

The first day of school is over and we all survived. All things were going well until after dinner. An accidental shove of one child caused parental bedlam, amidst the chorus of activity by almost a dozen children. In our modern world, people sue other people over almost anything. The dad who put up the swing–set and house in his backyard should have been prepared for scrapes and bruises and horseplay. Twelve children playing in close proximity can be cause for concern of even the most calm parent.

What I noticed after this episode was the degrading chit chat among the neighbor parents and the pointing of fingers and the general gossip and twisting of facts, all the while a little girl was crying and hurt because she could not understand what she did wrong. How are we to explain to an innocent seven year old the malice of an adult? How can we show a child love, when we are filled with anger and bitterness? Paul tells us that we should probably expect this type of behavior from those who are not followers of Christ. He cautions us that as followers of the Lord we must not get entangled in their web of worldliness, because we are renewed in our mind and our spirits. Within this newborn disciple is a spirit of cleanliness and righteousness unto God. The disciple needs to walk away from his former conduct and put on the truth of love, which Christ assured will set us free. Putting on love means wearing it, even in the face of hate. And that, my beloved, is a challenge to any of us.

Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:25–32 NKJV)

In the heart of God lies harmony. In the Garden of Eden, before the fall, there was harmony. All nature was living in union and in peace. After sin, the peace was gone and rebellion had taken its place and roared its’ ugly head. And now in our world, seemingly so removed from that harmony, we see wars between nations, and wars between neighbors. Unrest is the normal state of things. Pride, gossip, lies, social position, greed all are part of this terrible disharmony in the world. God never intended it to be this way.

It seems to me that in this condition of spiritual death, that so many live, we are not even aware of the absence of harmony. It has become more important to keep ones pride intact, even if it means hurting an innocent child. Sin has become the norm, and righteousness the joked about behavior of the neighborhood oddball. How have we come to this? How have we become a world of accusers that refuse to accept responsibility. This altogether sounds like the devil to me.

She ran home in tears, sobbing so hard as she stumbled into the arms of her Mom. As she cried and cried, the Mom stroked her head and her back, offering words of comfort and peace. Without an understanding of the meanness shown to her, the child looked to her Mother for comfort and it was given to her. Unconditionally Mom reassured her. Without hesitation she offered her child love and surrounded her with her arms. What she couldn’t do was undo the sin. What she couldn’t do was guarantee no more pain. She did what she could do and that was to love. She prayed for harmony in the neighborhood and sent back love, from whence came hate. And that is the way of the Lord.

The way of peace will seldom come

when hate is in the air.

No song or beat of any drum

denies what is right there.

The challenge is to be renewed

in spirit and in mind.

To give back love through and through

brings harmony in kind.

September 4

He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me. They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress, but the Lord supported me. He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me .

PSALM 18:16–19 (NLT)

In this Psalm King David was singing these words the day God saved him from all his enemies and from Saul. He called God his ‘strength,’ his ‘fortress, his ‘rock,’ his ‘shield,’ and his ‘savior.’ His troubles were not minor ones. He was overwhelmed and thought himself near death. Deep were his troubles and he saw his chances for survival as dim, unless He called out to the Lord. He knew he could count on God.

Throughout the psalms, God rescues this King from one calamity after another. Why? The answer is in verse nineteen, because He delights in me. God delighted in David. He adored Him. I guess this love was a little more special than the ‘regular’ unconditional love God has for all of us. I know that my parents loved me unconditionally from the moment I was conceived. However, as I grew up I certainly did not always delight them.

When King David had an affair with Bathsheba, the Lord did not delight in what he did. David disappointed God and yet when He needed to be rescued he was. When I disappointed my parents, my wife, my son, my daughter, my sisters, my neighbors something different happened. Now I know that my parents still loved me, but you’ve got to wonder if they were thinking ‘What’s up with this behavior?" When I provoked either of my children unto wrath, were they wondering it too? I’ll bet they were and I understand it. Sibling rivalry caused stress at times and I know that we did not always delight each other with things we said.

God loved King David with a very special love, because He knew that David’s heart was right, even though his behavior was falling short at times. This is just like all of us. No matter how far along the spiritual path you or I may be, we fall short. I fall short every single day. Some days just a little. Other days a lot! I disgust myself with my behavior at times. I am angry with impulsive choices I make. Many times my defensive behavior at an accusation or occurrence is made out of pride and weakness. Beloved, this should not be, but alas it is. I am weak. He is strong. I will fail. He will not. I sometimes am drowning in my sin, but He will rescue me. When my back is to the wall and I have nowhere to turn, He is there for me reaching out His hand.

This is how we should strive to be. This type of love takes work and dedication. This type of love takes God. As we grow in our spirit and are more trusting on our heavenly Father for our life, we can begin to react more and more like He acts. We can love a little more like He loves. We can forgive a little more like He forgives. We can be there for our family and neighbors more and more like He is.

God is never happy when we sin, but He knows our hearts. And when we come running back to Him asking forgiveness, He is ready with His forgiving heart and promptly takes us in His arms. If we let Him, He will take away our fears and our sorrows. The biggest bonus of all is that because of Jesus, He will take away our sins. "For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect." (Psalm 18:31–32 NKJV) How wonderful is our God, who will rise up like a warrior and protect us and then gently carry us in His sweet arms of love, caressing our minds, souls and spirit with everlasting faithfulness.

I believe in Him and need to trust

for He is faithful and always just.

No matter what the day might bring

God is there and I should sing.

My rock, my comfort, He is my King,

He helps me out in everything.

No worries anymore, I am free

for God will always rescue me.

September 5

When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.

MATTHEW 27:24 (NKJV)

It is truly no wonder why there is so much cynicism in the world today. It seems that those of us who are not cynics end up getting hurt frequently, because of our trusting nature in this world where really everyone will surely let you down. If this statement is true, then just who can you trust?

Surely, we can see that Jesus could not trust Pontius Pilate to set him free. In fact Jesus had to be counting on him to play his part as well as Judas played his. As Pilate pondered the fate of Christ, he weighed exactly what his decision’s effect would have on his own comfort and survival. He did not care about Jesus. He only cared about his career. He was weak and unspiritual. He was lost and instead of correcting such a huge injustice, he catered to it, and sent Jesus to His death on the cross.

My dear friends–in–Christ, how often do you see this replayed in your neighborhoods, churches, schools, and families? How often do you see pride stand in the way of justice? How often do you see selfishness stand in the way of honor? How often does the will of God go by the wayside because of disobedient Christians and uncaring heathen? Would you let a friend be hurt so that your agenda would go forward? Please be honest. Please examine your heart and look to see if you have allowed a horrible injustice to go on because of what you had at stake with the one who purported the injustice. Have I hit home? I hope so.

Jesus of Nazareth did nothing wrong. He never sinned. He loved. He cared. He completed what man had always wondered what man was supposed to be in completion. He never strayed from the path His Father set for Him. He obeyed to the end, even in the face of death. He did not care if someone did not like Him because of the truth He stood for. He was uncompromised, unlike anyone I have known in my life. He would never stand for some of the horrible things people do to others for the sake of ego, pride, jealousy, anger, hate, or politics.

When I see a child suffer because of adult injustice it makes me more concerned than any other injustice. It is sin in its most vile form. Jesus loved children. He told us we had to be like them in order to inherit the kingdom of heaven, and yet we so often cast their feelings aside, for our own prejudicial agendas. This is just so vile in God’s eyes that I can only imagine the punishment for someone who