To Forgive or Not to Forgive - Martin Wiles

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT

To forgive or not to forgive, that is life’s dilemma.

Mickey had faced a lot in life. He’d had to forgive his first wife for walking out on him. So he wasn’t prepared for the words his second wife whispered one night in their bedroom: “I don’t love you anymore.” 

Mickey’s world also crumbled when he learned his wife had been unfaithful. Containing his anger took every ounce of energy he had. When his wife finally walked out, forgiveness was the last thing on his mind. When it became clear the marriage was not salvageable, he had to choose: forgive her and move on, or resent her and be miserable. 

God’s choice was similar. He created humans, placed them in a garden where all their needs were met, and gave them one prohibition. Shortly thereafter, they failed the test. He could assign them and their descendants a murky future or forgive them and provide a way for reconciliation. He chose the latter and made a path of reclamation that was foreshadowed by the skins he secured to cover their nakedness.

Thousands of years later, Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice that those first animal skins had symbolized. But why couldn’t God simply forgive without the gruesome suffering the cross demonstrated? The answer lies in the association between forgiveness and suffering. The first always entails the second.

Choosing to forgive entails suffering. If someone wrongs us and we choose not to forgive, resentment, hatred, anger, and plans for revenge will assume the place of forgiveness. We may think refusing to forgive hurts the other person, but we’re the one who suffers. Doing the opposite, forgiving, also involves suffering. 

Our willingness to forgive automatically brings suffering because we release someone from a debt they owe us for a wrong they’ve committed against us. Doing so goes against our human nature and brings pain. Jesus showed how to do it well. God allowed him to take on our sin so we could receive his righteousness. When we forgive others, we assume the pain they deserve to endure for hurting us. 

God forgave because he loves. He gives us the power to do the same. Let Him teach you how to forgive those who’ve wronged you. Failing to forgive leads to a life of misery.

Father, give me the grace and strength to follow your example of forgiveness. 

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Where Can We Find Absolute Truth - Martin Wiles

God’s way is perfect. All the LORD’s promises prove true. Psalm 18:30 NLT

Befriending a liar is taxing.

Ben was a friend who entered my family through marriage. Initially, I took everything he said at face value. Then I talked with someone who had known him longer than I had. Suddenly, Ben’s stories took on a new appearance. His stories seemed too good to be true. Perhaps the truth was somewhere in the story, but he embellished it so much that it was unrecognizable. My friendship with Ben never became what it could have been because I couldn’t trust his words as the whole truth. 

Ann also entered my family through marriage. Whereas Ben exaggerated to make himself look better or to make his stories more interesting, Ann told plain lies. Not so much in what she said as in what she withheld. As with Ben, I initially took her words at face value. Then I spoke with people who had known her longer than I had. Their stories agreed: “You can’t believe anything she says. She’s a perpetual liar.”  

But the story doesn’t stop with two. Charlie, another family member by marriage, also struggled to tell the truth. Not initially when she entered the family, but later when she went through some type of mid-life crisis. Deciding whether I could believe her made associating with her taxing—and unpleasant. 

Thankfully, God doesn’t mince words, renege on his word, or utter untruths. Every command God gives has a purpose, and every promise he makes will come to pass. Friends and family who keep their word and speak the truth are much easier to have relationships with. When we’re never lied to, we never have to worry about whether what they say is true. We accept it as fact. 

Every word God speaks is truth. In a time when many wonder where to find truth, I’m betting my life on the truth of God’s Word. It testifies to its own inspiration, relevance, and freedom from error. God’s Spirit inspired the writers, and they penned what He wanted them to say. God’s truth has stood the test of time and will endure to the end of time. 

When you’re looking for something you can depend upon, look to God’s Word. 

Father, I thank you for giving me your Word, which is dependable, trustworthy, inspired, and profitable in any situation we face. 

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What if Your Guide Is Blind - Martin Wiles

They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch. Matthew 15:4 NLT

He stared at her until she got up and exited the building.

Spring had arrived, and our church needed to schedule one of our two annual revivals. But one year, we decided to hold only one and hire a full-time evangelist.  

A church member had recently begun a van ministry. Each Sunday, she faithfully picked up kids from the neighborhood and brought them to church. We never saw any of their parents—until one night during our revival. 

A young mother with a small child walked in and sat near the front. Her baby was restless, the preacher was preaching passionately, and the mother was trying to quiet her. I saw irritation wash over the revivalist’s face as the mother kept sitting and listening while her baby whimpered. See, we had no scheduled nursery—we had no nursery-age children in the church—and no one got up and offered to take the small child to our nursery. 

Then it happened. He stopped preaching and gave her the Aren’t-you-going-to-leave stare. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, she did. We never saw her or her child again. A potential believer was lost. I suppose the evangelist believed the adage, “children should be seen and not heard.” I wondered where he found that in the Bible. I also wondered whether he ever felt any shame about turning away someone who needed and wanted to hear about Jesus. 

Those Jesus called blind guides were not dastardly criminals, but religious leaders. It’s ironic that he called them that, but they led people astray with their traditions and added interpretations to God’s law. Jesus corrected them with scathing words. 

Traditions can be good or bad, but even good ones become bad when we elevate them to the same level as God’s Word and then make others feel guilty for not obeying them. This makes us blind guides, and our destiny is to fall into a ditch. Our hypocritical actions will lead others farther from God, not closer to him. 

God wants us to share his truth, not the interpretations or traditions we’ve developed around it. His truth—and his truth alone—sets people free. 

Don’t let your traditions or personal convictions hinder you from delivering God’s simple truth to others. 

Father, I thank you for your truth. May I faithfully deliver it, without adding anything. 

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Surrender Is Not Giving Up - Douglas Vandergraph

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV 

Quitting and surrendering are different. Quitting says, “Nothing matters, so I am done.” Surrender says, “God matters more than my need to control the outcome.” From the outside, both can look like letting go. Inside the heart, they move in opposite directions.

Trust becomes difficult when we can see only part of the road. We want explanations before obedience and guarantees before peace.

But surrender does not mean becoming passive. It means doing what is ours to do and releasing what is not ours to control. We can make the phone call, prepare carefully, apologize sincerely, work diligently, seek wise counsel, and pray faithfully. We cannot force another person’s response, manufacture an opportunity, or command tomorrow to cooperate.

Jesus modeled surrender in Gethsemane. He did not pretend the suffering ahead was easy. Instead, He prayed honestly and then entrusted Himself to the Father’s will. That is not defeat. That is faith under pressure.

Today, identify the outcome you keep trying to control. Name it before God. Then ask, What part is mine to do faithfully, and what part must I release? Do the first with courage. Give the second to God.

Father, show me where control has replaced trust. Give me courage to obey and humility to release what belongs in Your hands. Amen.

Douglas Vandergraph is a Christian writer, Bible teacher, podcaster, and digital creator whose work centers on Jesus Christ, Scripture, spiritual growth, practical encouragement, and long-form Bible study. He has built an extensive free Christian library and a YouTube community of approximately 600,000 subscribers, with more than 2,000 videos across his broader body of work. Douglas writes and speaks to help people connect Jesus’s teachings with grief, prayer, forgiveness, perseverance, purpose, hope, and ordinary life.

Links:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@douglasvandergraph

Christian Library / Master Index: https://douglasvandergraph.com/douglas-vandergraph-master-index

Christian Website: https://www.douglasvandergraph.org

Primary Website: https://douglasvandergraph.com

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What Can We Do with God - Martin Wiles

In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall. Psalm 18:29 NLT

Stephen Winter said, “Life is not ‘Hollywood’ perfect.”

Nathan found that out too. For fifteen years, he ambled in the wilderness, leaving God on the back burner. His marriage to his high school sweetheart was marred from the beginning when, on their honeymoon night, she said, “I miss my momma.” Six months later, she left him for a colleague. After a short fling, she moved in with another man. 

For three years, Nathan kept women at a distance. Then he decided to start fresh in a new town, where he met a young lady, fell in love, and married her two years later. He finally made his way back to God but watched this wife go through a mid-life crisis and leave him and their two children sixteen years later. 

Once again, Nathan wondered how God could have allowed it and how he would ever get through the mess he was in. But he did, and four years later God sent him a wonderful woman who pulled him out of his depression and repaired his broken life. He discovered he could do anything with God, but nothing without Him.

David the psalmist was a military man and a king, but he had faced his share of hardships on the way to his position—and still faced them. When the prophet Samuel came to anoint a new king for Israel, David’s father didn’t even invite him to the selection party and left him in the field tending sheep. Later, after becoming king, one of David’s sons led a rebellion, ran him out of town, and then topped off his insolence by sleeping with his father’s concubines in public view. But David made it through each tumultuous episode because he discovered he could do anything with God.

I’ve discovered what Stephen, Nathan, David, and many others have: life isn’t perfect just because I have chosen to follow God. God doesn’t promise it will be. He does promise, however, that with his strength, we’ll get through, that the trial will contain a seed from which we can learn valuable lessons, and that we’ll grow spiritually if we respond with trust instead of bitterness. 

With God’s strength, you can face whatever life throws your way. Trust him when the trials come. 

Father, help me meet life’s trials in your strength, not my own. 

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What Happens When We Drink Confusion - Martin Wiles

You have been very hard on us, making us drink wine that sent us reeling. Psalm 60:3 NLT

Life brings periods of confusion quite naturally, but what happens when we drink confusion on purpose? 

Lonnie had listened to church folks tell him how much God loved him. One day he acknowledged his sin, repented, and accepted Jesus as his Savior. But shortly thereafter, he was confused when, at a church business meeting, the church voted to excuse itself from a local men’s fellowship because churches populated by another race wanted to join. Didn’t God love all people? Lonnie thought so. 

Garrett was confused too. He had accepted Christ when he was younger but had grown further away. He and his wife rarely attended church. His first marriage ended in divorce, and his current one was in trouble. Then his wife’s drinking problem led to a wreck that killed their youngest child. Couldn’t God have prevented this? 

Carine had a heart for children’s ministry. When a new Vacation Bible School director brought in numerous children from the community, her heart was touched. She decided to begin a van ministry. Every Sunday, she picked up children and brought them to church. When teachers threatened to give up their classes, when no one would sit with the children, and when no one even attempted to speak to them, Carine was confused. Didn’t Jesus tell the little children to come to him?

David was also periodically confused. If God favored Israel, why did he occasionally let their enemies defeat them? 

I, too, can throw my hat into the ring of confusion. God, if you love me, why the divorce, why the financial struggles, why the rebellious children, why the unemployment, why the layoff, why the betrayal, why the death, why the sickness, why the (you fill in the blank).

David found confidence amid his confusion. But you have raised a banner for those who fear you—a rallying point in the face of attack (Psalm 60:4). Whether it looked so or not, God was in charge and in control. What appeared as a mess to David wasn’t to God. What looked like indifference wasn’t indifference at all. 

The only way we can walk through periods of confusion with our faith intact and our eyes looking upward and forward is to believe the same. God loves us and orders the steps of our lives—even when the evidence seems to point to the contrary. 

Don’t let life’s confusing seasons dampen your faith in a loving God.

Father, when life gets confusing, strengthen my faith that you control the details and will orchestrate good from bad. 

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To Hover or Not to Hover - Martin Wiles

You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Exodus 19:4 NLT

A mother hen had nothing on Sadie.

Sadie was a hoverer. I knew her from church and watched her hover—over the piano, over people, and over her two children.  

Instead of letting her teenage son sit with the other young people, Sadie made him sit on the front row—the row she sat on. Until he graduated from high school and left for college, he idled in the front row while Sadie hovered over him. By the time their daughter reached her teenage years, Sadie had relaxed her hovering—but just a little. Perhaps seeing her son rebel against religion and God during his college years explained the small amount of leniency that crept into how Sadie parented her daughter. Occasionally, she’d let her sit with the other young folks, but not often. Most of the time, she—like her brother—sat on the front row by her mom. 

Sadie’s hovering didn’t keep her children from rebelling, but at least she had the assurance that she’d done her best. God’s hovering didn't keep his children from rebelling either. No sooner had he delivered them from Egyptian slavery than they rebelled against everything he had taught them. 

My parents also hovered over me. Their hovering didn’t prevent my rebellious behavior. I thought I knew best. I needed to spread my wings and fly—to sow my wild oats. Neither did my hovering keep my children from rebellious acts. They, too, needed to fly on their own. 

What children do once they leave the nest is beyond a parent’s control. The fact that they might—and probably will—rebel doesn’t alleviate a parent’s responsibility to hover. God does, and we should too—but with caution and wisdom.

Hovering entails unconditional love. God has it, and all parents should, too. Parents should teach their children God’s rules and principles, but we must also love them whether they obey or not. Unconditional love includes discipline. God does it when we go astray—and parents should too. Like parents, I’ve watched hens, ducks, and geese scold their young when they wandered away, but they also worked diligently to bring them back. 

Hover lovingly over your children. As a parent, God gave you that responsibility. And believe it or not, your children will eventually appreciate it. 

Father, help me to bring my children up in the nurture and admonition of your commands, while loving them unconditionally. 

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Pictures of the Church - Martin Wiles

I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. John 17:21 NLT

Some churches need to move into uncomfortable territory.

I’ve been in numerous churches. Older churches have common features. Often built of brick, they are rectangular, with a steeple on top. Two or three straight rows grace the inside with a stage up front where the spiritual leader—along with the choir—sits and stands. Attached to the rectangular structure is one or more additional structures containing classrooms. 

But not all churches look like the above. Some are circular and may have vinyl siding. Instead of pews, they might have chairs arranged in a half-moon shape. Increasingly, untraditional church structures are popping up—many in storefronts. Their outsides don’t look like the churches of old.  

The church, however, is more than a structure. It’s composed of the people who belong to it. Those who attend regularly, use their gifts and talents, and serve in Christ’s name in the community. Therein lies the rub. Getting them to do all those things in a spirit of harmony.

Jesus must have known getting his followers to work together would be a challenge. He prayed they would be one even as he and the Father were. If they didn’t work together in harmony, his name would be spoiled—and so would the church's testimony.

I remember a church leader who said, “I want there to be one place I can go where they aren’t.” The “they” were people from another race. Martin Luther King, Jr., said eleven o’clock on Sunday morning was the most segregated hour of the week. He was right. Most churches are homogeneous. We flock to our own kind—the same race, culture, social standing. Fill in the blank. 

Jesus wants us to be one. He didn’t create us to be separated or segregated. We are on the same journey with the same goal at the finish line. While Christ is probably proud of the great work his churches are doing, he would be prouder if we did it in a spirit of unity and togetherness. Doing so means moving out of our comfort zones, but doing so also moves us into God’s will.

Be willing to unite with other Christians to carry out God’s work. After all, we are all in this together. 

Father, unite your people in a spirit of oneness as we carry out the great work you’ve given us.  

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Identity: Was Versus Is - Martin Wiles

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:27 NLT

I wasn’t sure who I would become, and I wasn’t always sure I wanted to remain who I was. 

I’ve been many things. I was a preacher’s kid from the time I was eight years old until my dad died when I was forty-nine years old. I was once a grandchild. That identity vanished when my last grandparent died. For a short period, I was an Orkin exterminator. Crawling under houses, seeing animals I didn’t care to see, hitting my head, and smelling odors convinced me I didn’t want that identity. 

For two years, I worked in a warehouse. Someone else decided I shouldn’t continue that identity when they laid me off and never called me back. Then I became a textile worker for four years. I went from weaver to floor sweeper to supervisor. When I answered God’s call to enter the ministry, I went from textile worker to preacher. Along the way, I also taught school. 

Those are positions I once held—labels I once carried—but they weren’t who I was. As a nine-year-old lad, I listened to my dad explain the plan of salvation. I asked Jesus to forgive my sins and come into my heart. I pledged to follow him as my Savior. In that moment, I became what Paul called a new person. Everything old passed into the past, and a new life began. I was a Christian who might be a preacher’s kid, grandchild, textile worker, Orkin exterminator, teacher, or preacher. My real identity, however, was bound up with Christ.

Another identity I left behind when I chose Christ was sinner. I love the song, “I’m Just a Sinner Saved by Grace,” but I question the theology. Yes, I was saved by grace, but the Bible doesn’t continue to classify believers as sinners. Instead, it classifies us as saints. We’re not perfect—and won’t be this side of heaven—but we are saints because Christ has given us his righteousness. We are God’s children, friends, and joint heirs with Christ.  

Knowing who you are is crucial. It will shape your actions and attitudes when you face life’s difficulties. 

Father, thank you for changing my identity when I trusted your Son as my Savior. 

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Building a Lasting House - Martin Wiles

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. Proverbs 24:3-4 NIV

Houses are constructed; homes are made.

As a preacher’s kid, my daughter lived in several different homes. The trend continued during her college years. While living on campus, she stayed in several different dorms. Then, when she and a couple of her friends moved off campus, she lived in houses and apartments. After graduation, the practice continued. 

Each place was different. Some were large, some small, some cluttered, some neat, some filled with furniture and treasures, and some sparsely furnished. Growing up as a preacher’s kid—and being a preacher myself—I’ve experienced the same.

According to wise King Solomon, it takes wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and education to build a house, apartment, or any type of building. But we can’t measure, cut, and assemble these elements. I believe the writer had a deeper meaning in mind.

Personally, I’ve never built anything except chicken coops, hog sheds, and one small utility shed, but even those small projects required planning, buying materials, measuring, cutting, and putting pieces together if I wanted them to do the job I built them for. 

Through his parable of the wise and foolish builders, Jesus points to the importance of a good foundation—something the writer of these verses would probably agree with. The foundation Jesus referenced was more than a literal foundation made of wood or concrete. It was a relationship with him. 

While houses are built, homes are made by the lives of the people who live there. When inhabitants build their lives on a relationship with Jesus Christ and live with character, integrity, and principles, that home becomes a place that shines a light far beyond the walls holding it together. 

Commit to building your home with the right elements. When you do, it will withstand any storm that may come. 

Father, give me the courage to construct my home with lasting materials. 

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Love Fulfills - Martin Wiles

For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:14 NLT

In a split second, their lives were changed.

Bobby and Jackie were a young couple with a small child. He had been called into youth ministry and was serving in a little church not far from Jackie’s home. Things were going well—until the accident.

Out of nowhere, a truck slammed into their vehicle. Jackie and their infant daughter weren’t seriously injured, but Bobby’s life was changed forever. The wreck placed him in a vegetative state for the remainder of his life. 

I was told the story when I became Jackie’s pastor. Now the daughter was a young child without a father; Jackie was a young wife and mother who, for all practical purposes, had no husband; and Bobby lay in a nursing home fifty miles away. 

I visited Bobby once a month, and every time one of his family members was present. They all took turns caring for him. Bobby was fed through a tube, but he still needed constant attention. Coughing spells racked his body. Fluids drained from his mouth and nose. 

As I watched Bobby’s family tend to his special needs, I realized what the apostle Paul meant. For the committed Jew, the law consisted of the Ten Commandments, the ceremonial laws, and the laws added by the religious authorities. For Paul, it was simply God’s moral laws, and all of them could be obeyed by merely loving one’s neighbor.

I’ve seen enough love for the wrong reasons. The consequences are never pretty. But loving for the right reason paints a beautiful portrait. We can experience and demonstrate love because Christ has loved us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us and now gives us the opportunity to love others for him.

Loving others sets an example. As I watched Bobby’s family perform the unpleasant parts of caring for an invalid, I was reminded of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. The example was inspiring. Loving others sets an example for those who desperately need to see love in action. 

When we love our neighbors as ourselves, we also point them to Christ. Our words may not crack the hard shell of someone who doubts or disbelieves in Christ, but it's hard to argue with acts of love. They say what our words can’t adequately speak. 

Just ask, and God will give you myriad opportunities to put love for others into action.

Father, give me the fortitude to love others as you love me so I might point a hurting world to a healing Savior. 

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Fear Not - Martin Wiles

But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 19:14 KJV

Fear kept him from going where he wanted to go.

One of my family’s favorite things to do during the Christmas season is looking at lights. One Sunday evening, my wife, daughter, her two sons at the time, and I decided to ride to a neighboring town where the local park was decorated. And where Santa sat in a Boy Scout hut giving out candy, asking children what they wanted for Christmas, and letting them take a picture with him. The grandkids were excited.

Our one-hour drive had given our grandsons time to fall asleep. Waking them brought tears, whines, and a reluctant agreement to get out and see the lights and Santa. As we stood in line outside the small hut, they screamed, whined, and growled. Our daughter finally had enough and said, “Let’s go.” No Santa.

Both boys calmed down after a stroll around the park, so we decided to try the “Ho Ho” thing again. This time, they were excited. But when we made it inside the hut, only one remained excited enough to sit on Santa’s lap. The younger one wanted to get close enough for a candy cane but wasn’t about to sit on Ho Ho’s lap. Excitement drew him, but fear drove him away.

Jesus must have been a little different than Santa. Since the disciples were trying to keep the children away from him, the children must have been flocking to him—sitting on his lap, gathering around his feet, asking him questions, wanting him to tell stories.

Some maintain the Old Testament God is different than the New Testament Jesus. I beg to differ. The writers of the Old Testament tended to emphasize God’s holy nature. He cannot look upon sin and will punish those who choose to rebel against His standards. Thus the fear—or holy reverence—of him.

Jesus, however, showed us God’s loving side. Yes, he has standards, but his love reaches all people—and so does his offer of forgiveness. Like the little children and the crowds, God wants people to flock to him. He created us for a relationship with him.

Don’t let fear keep you away from God. Like Santa, he wants you to sit on his lap, spend some time with him, and get to know him. It’s a decision you won’t regret.

Father, take away my fear or unconcern so that I will come to you for comfort, encouragement, guidance, and forgiveness. 

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Wind Grabbing - Martin Wiles

I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind. Ecclesiastes 1:14 NLT

The parking lot symbolized what once was but would never be again.

In the early 1980s, Ryan’s Steakhouse was the most popular eating establishment in Greenwood, SC. One could choose from a bar of meats, salads, vegetables, starches, and homemade desserts—or order from a selection of juicy steaks. Sunday lunches—as well as Sunday nights after church—saw the restaurant packed.  

Then other popular restaurants encroached on Ryan’s territory. Places like Chiles, O’Charley’s, and Outback Steakhouse. Ryan’s cut out their signature steaks and went solely to a food bar. Crowds thinned. And one day, they closed their doors. Financial struggles, along with waning crowds, made the decision. 

What’s left of Ryan’s was once on my daily walking route. As I walked up and down its parking lot, I thought back on what once was. Cars packed the parking lot and overflowed into a neighboring restaurant’s lot. Lines of people snaked out of the front door, waiting to pay and be seated. The smell of steaks simmering on the grill filled the air, along with conversations and laughter as people mingled. 

But no more. Grass grew through cracks in the asphalt. Leaves and pine straw littered the lot. Empty pallets, pieces of rock, and other left-behind paraphernalia spoiled the ground—as if someone was in a hurry or reluctant to leave. 

Sometimes, as I walked through the deserted parking lot, I longed for the good ‘ole days. Yet, I know they’ll never return. What once brought satisfaction to many, me included, won’t ever again. 

King Solomon, the writer of Ecclesiastes, knew disappointment as well. He hadn’t sampled Ryan’s, but he had everything else. As the wealthiest man alive, he could, and did. However, nothing brought him lasting satisfaction. Pleasure was always one grasp away. Just when he thought he had found it, the wind blew it from his grasp. 

Such is the nature of things, whatever they are. Restaurants, relationships, play toys, possessions, power, prestige. They’re all temporary, here for our momentary enjoyment. Perhaps that’s why Jesus said to store our treasures in heaven … to invest in what outlasts time. Those things that will have a lasting influence long after we’re gone. 

The Ryans of the world lose their popularity and often close their doors. Your life, too, will one day end, but you can leave a legacy for others to remember and emulate. 

Father, guide me to invest in what will outlive my life. 

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