Open Our Hearts Wide

“Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:43

In Pope Francis’ homily on November 24, 2019 during his apostolic visit to Japan, he said that the thief beside Jesus on Calvary was “meant to be there to accompany the Lord’s suffering. And that moment does nothing more than confirm the entire meaning of Jesus’ life: always and everywhere to offer salvation.” We too can be that thief, with all our faults, failures, and vacillations. Sometimes we are hot, sometimes we are cold, and sometimes we are lukewarm towards the Lord, and our responsibilities to our brothers and sisters. 

In the same homily, Pope Francis also says, “the Second Vatican Council reminds us, they are sadly mistaken who believe that, because we have here no lasting city and keep our gaze fixed on the future, we can ignore our responsibility for the world in which we live. They fail to see that the very faith we profess obliges us to live and work in a way that points to the noble vocation to which we have been called.” 

Advent is approaching and it is a perfect time to share, to be a bringer of joy, hope, and blessing to those who have little of the gifts of the season. Let us open our hearts wide, and our wallets wider so we can truly be beside Jesus not only as He suffers (“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40) 

…but also when He reigns. 

Take heart!

“Blessed be the Lord, my rock, ​who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war.” 

Psalm 144:1

Almost no one wants war, except of course those who earn a lot selling arms and weapons of mass destruction. Then there are always people who take advantage of their superiority, and who are able to twist the narrative to justify their aggressive actions. 

But there is a crucial war being waged around the word that we do not see. In Ephesians chapter 6, we are advised to put on the whole armor of God so we can take a stand against our enemy’s schemes. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” 

This reminds me of the termites we found hiding in our basement cabinets a long time ago. The cabinets looked the same as always but when you opened them, all our books and magazines had been eaten away! Our enemy is like that. He does not want us to know he is there wreaking havoc, destroying what is important to us. 

We cannot escape trouble as Jesus says in John 16:33. But that’s not all Jesus said. He reassured us with, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace…But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Together with Jesus we can be overcomers, victorious and unafraid! Yes, Jesus, train me for battle! I want to fight by Your side! 

The Path to Life

“In the way of Your decrees I rejoice, as much as in all riches.” Psalm 119:14

Can I say this honestly? That I value God’s Word more than riches? Recently there was a Powerball drawing in the US that reached $1.9B in prizes! I asked my nephew to buy me a ticket thinking to give the bulk to Angat Buhay. I am so aware that many, many people who won lotteries destroyed their lives afterwards. Some even committed suicide and many said they hoped they had never won it! And so I’m not in the habit of buying lotto or any kind of sweepstakes. 

I didn’t win obviously but it was fun thinking of how to safeguard myself from the siren call of having too much money. 

I think the only way we will desire God’s Word as a treasure far beyond whatever this world can give us is if we have a relationship with Him. Letters from a stranger will never hold more significance than letters from my mom or dad to me. So if we want to resist the lure of the world and all its “riches”, we have to put time into getting to know God and how much He loves us. 

“You will show me the path to life, abounding joy in Your presence, the delights at Your right hand forever.” Psalm 16:11

Build a Fence

“...because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” Luke 19:44

If anyone had the right to be stressed, it was Jesus. He knew what was His fate. And true enough, he sweated blood, which only occurs under conditions of fear, extreme physical and emotional stress. The condition is called Hematidrosis, when the capillary blood vessels that feed the sweat glands rupture. 

I don’t know anyone who has experienced this, but stress is prevalent in our society today, especially in the Philippines. According to a new report released by analytics firm Gallup, stress is at a record high for workers around the world, with Filipinos having the highest stress among Southeast Asian nations. 

Whenever I feel stressed, I find comfort in the Bible or a favorite devotional. In “Streams in the Desert” for Nov.21, I read, “Talk to God about whatever may be pressuring you and then commit the entire matter into His hands. Do this so that you will be free from the confusion, conflicts, and cares that fill the world today....burden Him with it, and you will have put the concerns and cares of the matter behind you.”

“Build a little fence of trust around today; fill the space with loving work and therein stay.” We should also take the Acclamation for today seriously, “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” (Psalm 95:8) 

If we do this, we will not miss God visiting us with His peace and wisdom.

A Good Return

“To everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not,  even what he has will be taken away." Luke 19:26

Today's parable in the 19th chapter of Luke is about a master who left a talent each to his 10 servants while he went off to claim a crown. A talent is no small sum of money. Each talent was about 20 years wages of an ordinary person. So for someone on minimum wage, that would have been more than two million eight hundred pesos. They were entrusted to not only take care of it but to make it grow. When he came back, one servant made the mistake of just keeping the huge amount of money in a handkerchief!

When one is given a job, we have to do our best and use our skills so that the company who hired us earns from our labor directly or indirectly. If we are a good employee, we will make sure our employer earns a lot from our efforts! The same is true with what God gives us. We don't own anything. What we have is God's investment in us. And one day there will be an accounting of what we have done with all that God entrusted to us- our time, talent and treasure.

Sometimes in a business there is a dishonest employee. He steals money. Instead of the company earning from him, the company loses money :^((( In Jesus' story, the master reprimands one servant not because he stole, but because he should have, at the very least, put the money in the bank instead of keeping it in a handkerchief, so it could earn interest. The master takes the talent from him with much disapproval and gives it to the one who earned 10 times the talent! What would this demanding master have done if the servant absconded with the talent?

God rewards those who use their talents well. Those who are faithful with little will be entrusted with more. Those who neglect or squander what they have, or use it for evil and not good, will lose what they have, and even be punished. Perhaps it's time to take stock of our own talents and see if God is getting a good return on His investment in us.

 Father, teach us how to please You! 

Nothing is Impossible

“Zaccheus, hurry and come down...”  Luke 19:5

This well known and well loved story about Jesus and the short tax collector, Zaccheus, teaches us we must never give up on people, and we must never ever give up on ourselves. Just one touch, one call from Jesus can change everything. No matter how bad, selfish, or arrogant a person is, even if that person has stolen billions from the national coffers, or killed so many babies in wombs of mothers, there’s a God shaped hole in all of us that only God can fill. Hurting people are those that most need God, especially when they are intentionally mean, insensitive, or cruel. 

Zaccheus was sort of a comic character. He was of short stature and had to clamber up a tree to see Jesus. He was the chief tax collector in Jesus’ day and he was very very rich. That meant that he was corrupt, mean and insensitive to people’s plight like so many in our government today. But that God-shaped hole inside him yearned for something, someONE! When Jesus was passing through his town, Zaccheus ran on ahead and climbed the sycamore tree, forgetting his dignity, the better to see Jesus. 

“Zaccheus, come down,” Jesus called, “I must stay at your house.” Did Jesus really say that? I must stay in your heart and fill that gaping hole where only I belong! You don’t have to go searching anymore for what you need. You don’t have to keep harassing people, and amassing wealth. I will teach You that I am your treasure. I am your joy. 

So if there’s anyone we know, insecure, grasping, cursing all the time, threatening, or bullying us or someone we know, let us pray. Get plenty of people to pray that Jesus will call him down from that lonely tree and fill his heart with what he needs. He may become like funny Zaccheus and turn his life around and follow Jesus! He may give away half of his wealth to serve the poor! Nothing, absolutely nothing, is impossible with God!

What Do You Want Me to Do for You?

 “What do you want me to do for you?" Luke 18:41

The Gospel reading today in the 18th chapter of Luke is about a blind man named Bartimaeus. He was begging by the road when he heard a crowd pass by. "What's happening?" he asked. When someone told him it was Jesus of Nazareth, he shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

The people in the crowd shushed him, reproved him, rebuked him, and told him sternly to be quiet. Perhaps if it was us, we would have been intimidated and shut up. After all, we would have spent a lifetime living in the shadows, just waiting for someone to help. Perhaps we would have been afraid, unwilling to risk more censure. There were probably many blind and sick people who were shushed by the crowd as Jesus passed. But Bartimaeus is mentioned not only in Luke, but also in Mark where he is named, and Matthew, because he did not give up. In the Amplified Bible, the translation reads that Bartimaeus screamed and shrieked some more, "Jesus, have mercy on me!!!!"

This reminds me of the story of the widow and the corrupt judge in the same chapter of Luke. Because Bartimaeus was persistent, Jesus could not ignore him. Just as Jesus does not ignore our prayers when we come to Him in our need. One very important lesson I learned from this story is that there will be many who will try to stop us from praying. It may be the distractions of the world. It may be ourselves. We stop praying because we don't want to be disappointed. Maybe we stop because we are sulking that God does not answer right away. It may even be brothers and sisters in the church crowd, shushing us because they just don't believe God will make miracles today! Lesson? Pray without ceasing and just don't give up! 

God is Faithful

 “…not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” Luke 21:19

This a good assurance especially after Jesus said in the same instance, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”

We need to always be wary because we have an ancient enemy out to destroy each and every one of us. He wants to destroy our country, our political institutions, our churches, our work places, our schools, our marriages, our families, our children. It seems to me like the world is getting more and more out of control.

We used to have well meaning, upright statesmen in the Senate and Congress. Now it seems all the cockroaches and rats are coming out of the woodwork aligning with each other to support their selfish ends! The church has always had its own worms destroying the wood of the ark, but now it seems the devil himself has infiltrated within! 

That’s why it is assuring that Jesus said even the hairs of our head are counted. That means every second of every day, God knows what’s happening to us, because our hair is always falling off and there are new ones growing! Even while the enemy is plotting all the time to destroy us, to make us quarrel with our spouse, or to introduce our children to pornography or digital cocaine, God is there. We only need to turn TO Him, to read His Word which is sharper than any two-edged sword that will reveal to us even our secret sins. If we repent, and intercede for one another, for our Church and our poor country, our God is faithful to hear us and heal us. 

Pray Without Ceasing

“Always pray and not give up, do not turn coward, do not faint, do not lose heart." Luke 18:1

In Jesus' parable in Luke 18:1-7, there are two protagonists. One widow and one corrupt judge. Jesus used a widow in His story to emphasize her desperate situation. During His time, a widow had no influence, no social standing, no position in society. But she was able to get the judge to rule favorably because of her persistence. Jesus' sense of humor shows when He says the judge thought, "I care little for God or man but this widow is WEARING ME OUT. I am going to settle in her favor or she will end by doing me violence."

Jesus proceeds to give us the secret to the heart of God: "Will not God then do justice to His chosen who call out to Him day and night? Will He delay over them do you suppose? I tell You, He will give them swift justice."

Can you imagine how amazing that is? That we have the power to change the heart of God? I want to get into the habit of interceding right away when I hear of a need. Sometimes on Facebook, or on a blog or text message, someone asks for prayer. Wouldn't it be great if instead of just saying, "I will pray", we take the time to pray right then and there, to write our prayer?

Although we should act as if everything depends on us, much more should we pray as if everything depends on God, because it does!!! "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of." (Alfred Lord Tennyson)

I Treasure Your Promise

“Within my heart I treasure your promise, ​that I may not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11

If our lives were in danger, and we are asked, "Are you sure God will save you?", what will we answer? My answer would be a resounding yes! That no weapon formed against me would prosper! (Isaiah 54:17) Not that I would remember the exact bible verse which I just googled, but I do know I can stand on the promises of God. In a few days I’ll be 66 years old, and I can say that my whole life, I have lived in the shelter of the Most High and the shadow of the Almighty.  He alone is my refuge, my place of safety. He rescues me from any trap and protects me from the plague. I need not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor fear the dangers of the day. I need not dread whatever stalks in darkness nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Psalm 91 goes on with many more promises, and in the Bible, there is so much more to claim. 

I know that my security lies not on myself, nor my husband, nor money in the bank. If we trusted only in our strength, and our wisdom, we would be severely disappointed! But if we place our trust in God and His promises, then we can walk upright in hope. God did not promise to bless us and protect us because we are good, but because He is faithful and because He loves us. But God always gives us a choice. We have to choose to claim His promises. We have to choose to listen to Him.  We have to choose NOT to listen and follow the enemy.  Sometimes God does allow bad things to happen. These may be a consequence of our actions, or it may not be. But if we stay trusting God, He will be sure and bring us through the dark valleys. 

Father, Your Word and Your promises are true. Help us to always trust in You, even during those times we do not understand why You are allowing things to happen to us. Help us to always stand on the the rock of Your word, and to believe Your promises. 

You are the Vine, Jesus!

"I am the vine, you are the branches." 

John 15:5

We are branches grafted on to Jesus, the true vine. The Father is the vine grower. In the late 19th century, the European variety of grapes was nearly wiped out because of the plant louse phylloxera. It was saved when someone thought of grafting this European Vitis vinifera grape variety on to Native American varieties which were resistant to the bug. Up to now, any vine not planted with grafted rootstock is in danger of being destroyed by these microscopic sap-sucking insects. 

We too are in danger of being destroyed. The enemy does not want us to know that there is "phylloxera" damaging the way we think, the way our children think, the way our leaders think. This louse is everywhere in our society and there is nothing the devil wants more than that we are all unaware and oblivious. In the same way that phylloxera attacks the roots and prevents the flow of water and nutrients to the vine, the enemy wants to attack the very foundation of what we believe in. 

We only need to look to the Bible for the solution. Lord, may we be grafted to the true vine, and may we be taken care of by our Father, the vine grower. May we not be deceived by the enemy who wishes to destroy us by any means possible.  

What Would Jesus Do?

“Zeal for your house will consume me.” 

John 2:17

In the 2nd chapter of John, we see an uncharacteristic side of Jesus. When He went to the Temple during the annual Passover celebration, He was dismayed to see money changers, and merchants selling in the outer court. This was the area where the Gentiles were supposed to pray and meditate in peace. Instead it was a hubbub of cattle, sheep and doves, and the noise and movement made it 

impossible to pray. 

What did Jesus do? He made a whip from some ropes and chased the merchants out of the area. He turned over the tables of the money changers, scattering their coins. He told them, “Get these things and animals out of here! Don’t turn My Father’s house into a marketplace!!!” 

The leaders demanded, “What right have You to do this?” These same leaders should have been the ones to make sure the Temple and Temple grounds were kept holy so people would have a place to pray and worship God.

Today we have church leaders who are not taking care of Our Father’s house. They have not turned it into a marketplace, but into something worse. I am sure Jesus would like to turn a whip on many of the horrid things happening in the Church today. We’ve read about how some Catholic clergy protected child molesters in the church. How about some respected religious leaders participating in a nationwide struggle in the US to make abortion more accessible? Many religious groups and faith leaders support abortion access and are actively working to protect the right to safe, legal abortions. Which side would Jesus be on in this genocide of innocent babies? 

Father, there is so much upheaval and deception in the world today. May You not punish us in Your righteous anger, but protect us from the work of our enemy who seeks to destroy the Church, our country, our families. Let Your glory destroy the darkness in this world. May we constantly turn to You that You may live in us and we may radiate the presence of Christ to the world around us. 

Unprofitable Servants

When you have done all you have been commanded, say, “We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do." Luke 17:10

I will never forget this verse because one time I felt I did a good job for God and congratulated myself. So puffed up with pride, I got home, and this is the passage that greeted me! 

If we are full of ourselves as I so often am, but open to God's correction, we can depend on God to teach us to be humble. Here in this passage it seems as if God is a hard taskmaster who does not appreciate the work we do for Him. However, I know that when we feel insecure, uncertain of God's love, we can also go to His Word where He will say we are His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10), and He did everything so that we can enjoy fullness of life (John 10:10), and be with Him in a place where we will never doubt our exalted status as His sons and daughters (2 Cor. 6:18)

When He says we are "unprofitable servants", He teaches us to model ourselves after Himself. Jesus humbled Himself, was humiliated, and did not act entitled like many of us do sometimes! He knew what His purpose was! He was a servant of all! He accomplished His task! We too have a purpose and out of gratitude to God's calling us, we say, “Here I am Lord, use me!" 

Increase My Faith

“Increase our faith.” Luke 17:5

Whenever I gave an art workshop, I always said that creativity is like a muscle. We all have it, but if we don’t exercise it, it will be limp, and useless. Use it all the time, and it will bloom, grow, and strengthen. There are many exercises and challenges available online to increase creativity. Creativity is not just for artists. Business people, teachers, mothers and fathers, every one on the planet  needs it all the time to be more effective, and successful in their jobs, different roles and relationships. 

In Matthew 13:58, we read that Jesus did not do many miracles in His hometown because of the people’s lack of faith. Is faith like a muscle as well? Can we grow in faith just as we can grow in creativity? No doubt about it! Like the gift of creativity, God has also given each one of us, a seed of faith. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ”, St. Paul writes in Romans 10:17. We have to become familiar with God’s Word, plant ourselves in it, stand on it, and put it into practice. 

We can go to God’s gym to develop our spiritual muscles by exercising our faith everyday, by believing in God’s promises, by rebuking the enemy’s whispers of hopelessness and deception. If someone is sick, we should pray for him and not be shy or insecure that our prayers will not work. Whatever challenge comes our way, let us use our faith muscles, pray continually, and one day we will be spiritual Schwarzeneggers!!! 

Let us become so strong in the faith that the devil trembles when we get up in the morning!!!  

God of the Living

“He is not God of the dead but of the living, for to Him all are alive." Luke 20:38

Do we really realize that 100% of us, with no exception are going to die? This body which we take so much care of, is decaying, even as we breathe.

St. Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4:8, "For bodily exercise and discipline is of some value, but Godliness and spiritual training is profitable, has value for all things in every way, for it holds promise for the present but also for the life to come."

I can't help comparing the time we spend for our bodies (dressing up, putting on make-up, eating, exercising, counting calories, buying clothes and shoes, etc.) with the time we spend tending our spirits. Our body is not who we are. When we take care of our body, we are taking care of a temporary thing, a decaying thing. But when we take care of our spirits, we take care of the eternal.

Jesus, as He was on the cross, called out, "Father, into Your hands, I commit my Spirit." To commit means to entrust for safekeeping. Jesus didn't say, "I commit my body", perhaps because He knew He would get a brand new one. It was so easy for His Father to recreate His mangled and bloody body, just as He will for us one day.

Do we spend more time taking care of our physical bodies than we do for our true selves, our spirits? Let's take stock of our priorities!!!

Whatever You Need

“My God will fully supply whatever you need, in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

When I attended a retreat as a single woman, God gave me a vision, it was the first and last time He did that. It was very vivid and I remember it to this day, many many years later. I was in a beautiful garden, a wildly amazing, magnificent garden lush with beautiful plants, trees and colorful flowers. And Jesus was with me as we walked along a path. He said, “This is my garden. I am the gardener here. I take care of all of these plants. I prune each and every one of them. Come and I will show you a plant I do not prune.” He led me down the path to a dead, decaying tree. It was of course brown and shrivelled.  “I am sure you do not like to be like this plant.” 

Then He said, “I will go now. Where I am going, you cannot come. I am building your house. It is not a big house but it has everything you need.” True enough, through the many years, my God has supplied what I have needed. One time as I quieted my heart to listen, I felt Him saying: “Come and be comforted. When you are tired, in need of replenishment of your resources, I have an unlimited supply. When there is a job you need to do and you seek wisdom, I have an unlimited supply. If you need healing for your heart or body, there is healing in My wings. If you need a shelter from the storm raging around you, come and I will protect you. If you are caught between a rock and a hard place, I will give you escape. I am Your Father. There is nothing I will not do for you. Just trust. Seek to find me in the storm, in the difficulty, in the trial, in the questions. I am your Father, first and foremost. I was there in the beginning, in the middle, and I will be there in the end.”

Rejoice!

 I rejoiced when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord." Psalm 122:1

I was very excited when my mom said we were going on a pilgrimage to Europe. Not only would we go visit Assisi, San Giovani Rotondo, and Lisieux, etc., we would also see the Eiffel Tower again, the Louvre and Notre Dame. If we get excited to see places in Europe, or in other parts of the world, how much more would it be a thrill to go to the house of the Lord?

Indeed when my mom died, and my dad left us a few years later, it was very difficult for us. But we also knew they were leaving us to be with the One who loved them first and the One who loved them best. We all have that to look forward to if we live in the Lord’s presence. Death for us should not evoke fear or anxiety, but joy!

Rejoice with Me!

“Rejoice with me!" Luke 15:9

In Jesus' time, one knew a woman was married if she wore a headdress with 10 or more silver coins. This was usually a dowry from her father to provide for her family if times got tough. This belonged not only to the woman, but to the husband as well. 

The woman in Jesus' parable of the lost coin, was probably searching for one of the coins from her headdress. There were no bank accounts in those times, and a husband could accuse a woman of wrong doing if one of those coins were missing! According to Lady Hoise in a 1956  set of notes on Bible Lessons, “She was sweeping, not only for a bit of metal, but for home and shelter and respectability; her right to a safe and honorable place in society, perhaps even for her right to her children.”

That is why she was so frantic and anxious. It was very precious to her. It was valuable and had much significance. Every day she would wear her headdress, and she would know immediately, when she took it off to keep it at night, that one of them was missing. After sweeping every nook and cranny of her home, she found it, and she rejoiced and called her neighbors to rejoice with her. She celebrated with an impromptu party!

We are that lost coin. Just as that Greek drachma had the face of Caesar inscribed, each of us bears the image and likeness of our Creator. When Jesus told this parable to the righteous Pharisees, He was telling them how precious and valuable each tax collector is to Him, each sinner. God pursues us, each one of us, as if we are that lost coin on His headdress. We have a place reserved for us. As there is a place reserved for the Pharisee who rejects Him. Thank you Lord that we are precious to You! That You will pursue as no matter what! That is such a comfort for me who sometimes acts likes a Pharisee!

God Redeems

“As gold in a furnace, He proved them, and as sacrificial offerings He took them to Himself.” Wisdom 3:6

The Incas believed gold to be the 'tears of the sun', and many cultures through the ages have valued gold. According to Pliny, a Roman author, naturalist, philosopher and naval commander of the early Roman Empire, “gold is the only thing that loses no substance by the action of fire, but even in conflagrations and in funeral pyres receives no damage. Indeed it improves in quality the more often it is fired, and fire serves as a test of its goodness.” That’s why when we undergo trials and challenges, we liken it to being purified, the fire of adversity melting away our many imperfections. 

But smelting is too painful to think about, and I prefer the image of us as clay in our Father’s hands in Jeremiah 18. He forms us, molds us, makes us, and all the time, He has to restore us, and transform us. God needs a perfect sacrifice, and as we are, we need a lot of work!

The Japanese have a beautiful way of redeeming broken pottery. This art form known as Kintsugi or “golden joinery” puts together the shards of the broken object with lacquer mixed with gold powder. There is a philosophy behind the practice which we can relate to. When we are broken, we need not think we are of no value to God and to others. God can redeem us in a way that our brokenness is part of who we are and we become more beautiful to Him. 

Father, thank You that You will do everything to make us beautiful in Your sight! 

Blessed

“Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” Matthew 5:6

There is an old song by the group Kingston Trio named “Desert Pete”. It tells of a water pump in the desert. When travelers cross the dry dusty cactus desert, they are joyfully surprised to find this water pump. There’s a bottle of water and a note stuck to to the pump which says, “This pump is old, but she works. You’ve got to prime the pump. You must have faith and believe. You’ve got to give of yourself ‘fore you’re worthy to receive. Drink all the water you need but leave the bottle full for others.”

The traveler has to pour all the water in the bottle over the pump to get it to work. If he drinks all the water first, the pump won’t work, he’ll get thirsty again and the next travelers won’t be able to drink. 

Life is like that. We are all travelers, pilgrims, thirsty and hungry for the meaning of life and our purpose. Some of us, just take our one life and spend it on ourself. But we will soon be empty again. Some of us meet Jesus and empty ourselves into His hands. He will be the living water for us, and He will give our life meaning and purpose.

Click to listen to this 1963 song- 

https://youtu.be/08kEFELCb3I