Address—R. Reeves
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7.
In all things more than conquerors.
To him that love us.
We know that neither death, nor life, nor angels, rulers, powers.
Depression. Things and things to come. Raven height, even death. Heights and death. Any other creature saying above, below, around.
From the love of God and Jesus Christ our Lord.
Well, I'd like to share some.
Thoughts with you this afternoon that have been.
Personal encouragement to me recently.
This broke his God's word and it has been given to us to encourage us.
And things don't always go exactly like we planned them in our lives and.
So the question arises.
Is God in control?
Is God in control?
And the testimony of this book is that for God's people, yes, God is in control.
And so we'll find some very encouraging things.
Along that line and 1St I'd like to ask you to look at a verse in Jeremiah.
Chapter 10.
God is in control.
We've been sending about it.
That all those things couldn't.
Separate us from God's love.
Makes no difference what they are. They can't touch his love.
And Rob his ability to bless us.
Jeremiah chapter 10, verse 23.
Jeremiah 10230 Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself.
It is not Amanda Roberts.
To the wrecked steps.
It's no wonderful that.
God has the ability to direct us, and He has a desire to do it. And even if we make a mistake and go the wrong direction, he can turn our mistakes into blessings in His wisdom and His love and in His power. The Lord. I know that the land man is not in himself.
It is not in man that walketh to director steps.
I'm speaking this afternoon to my fellow believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, and I ask you this question.
Would you want to take charge of your life from now on?
Would you want to say to God, let me let me manage the rest of my life?
I don't think there's a real believer in this room that would dare take that position and say yes, I'm confident.
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I'll take charge.
I think you would say like I would want to say.
More. It's better in your hands than mine.
It's better in your hands than mine.
We have a God that loves us.
And is on our side.
So that's one of the verses that point this precious truth out.
I know that the way of man is not in himself. It is not in man that Walker to direct his steps.
Turn with me also to Romans chapter 8 for another.
Verse that.
I have found to be a great encouragement for my own heart.
Romans chapter 8.
I.
Verse 37.
May in all these things we are more than conquerors to him that loved us.
Now to understand this, first I think we have to go back in that chapter to the.
35th Bush.
It says who shall separate us from the love of Christ. Now notice the things that are mentioned, tribulation.
Is that good?
Perfect distress.
You like that?
I don't persecution, no. I don't know much about it, but if I did, I wouldn't like it.
Babel.
Well, I don't know much about that either, but if I if I had to confront that, I wouldn't like it either.
Nakedness. Certainly not.
Apparel. Oh, I would like that.
Sword Well, I wouldn't want that either.
So all these things that are listed, it says tribulation, distress, persecution, family nakedness, perilous sword.
Now it's what it says in verse 37. It says in all these things.
But things? Well, that list of things.
Trouble the stress.
And all these other things we don't like, it says in all these things.
We are more of a comforters to him that love this. How can that be that?
How can that be that you can be a conqueror?
In such things as that.
Well, you can be and I can be.
If we realize that.
If God allows difficulties in our lives.
And it appears that we lose.
We can be winners even if we are losers.
Through him that loved us.
And we can be more than conquerors in all of these problems.
If we submit to what God allows.
And so when it's all over, we'd say, you know.
I'm better off.
After having that problem, then if I hadn't had it in the 1St place, and that's what it means to be more than a conqueror, it means to win even if you lose.
Not only Christians can do that.
Only those that know that God is in the control on the throne.
Can say such a thing as that. And so again, I see this afternoon something that has impressed me and I think you two very often that if we submit to the will of God in our lives.
That we win even if we lose, when we submit to God. And in all these troubles we can be more than conscious.
We not only get out of the trouble eventually, but we're further ahead because of it than if we never had it.
And that's what it means to be more than a conqueror.
It's like the story of the fellow who had his.
In the mountaintop mountainside, and one night a flash flood came down and washed away his house.
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No, nobody wants to have their house pushed away.
But the flood came down the mountain side, washed away his house. He was a loser.
But he went out and inspected the the site where his house used to be, and he saw that the the rushing water had cave carved out some of the ground and exposed a rich mine of gold.
Did he lose?
So I didn't move one.
And so there's an example of somebody was more than a conqueror trouble, yet? Can't deny it. But the trouble only gave him a greater victory at the end. Now that's what you and I have.
As being children of God when we submit to what God allows and I have 5.
Places in the scriptures to share with you this afternoon that show us this precious truth. The first one is in Genesis chapter.
26.
Maybe it's chapter 25.
It's chapter 25.
And this was brought to my soul just yesterday as my wife and I were reading the scriptures.
And I want to share it with your brother.
This is something that happened in the life of Rebecca.
Chapter 25 of Genesis and verse 20.
Isaac was 40 years old when he took the back of the wife, the daughter of the fool, the Syrian of Eden, Aram, the sister of the Syria.
And Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren.
And the Lord was entreated of him, and Rebecca his wife conceived.
Now here is a problem.
Rebecca becomes the wife of Isaac. And of course, when a marriage occurs, there's a desire for children.
But Rebecca didn't have any children.
And it doesn't look like she was going to have.
And so they prayed about it.
They prayed about this need in their home.
In verse 21, it says Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife.
Because she was there.
It's interesting as you think about Abraham. He had this same problem with his wife.
In fact, I have this problem.
With Isaac.
And you'll find the same problem happens in the life of Jacob.
It shows us that.
And God was moving in a miraculous way towards the coming of the Messiah.
Overstepping all of the natural hindrances of life.
Well, they prayed. They prayed about it, and God was God was willing to answer their prayers and give them a child. But now notice what it says in verse 22.
And the children struggled within her.
How many children?
Plural.
And she said, if it be so, why am I thus?
And she went to inquire of the Lord. Now here's the point.
Rebecca wanted a child, but she didn't want twins.
And you can imagine she wanted a nice little baby and she would say, oh, I just have a little baby and we could raise a family and.
I should felt the same way about it.
They pray.
But lo and behold, what happens?
She gets more than she asks for.
Instead of having just one baby, she has twins. Now they say that that's quite an ordeal for a woman to have twins.
But.
She says If it be so, why am I left? In other words, Rebecca says.
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Why did this happen to me?
Put the emphasis on the word this.
Well, she said. We wanted a child, all right, and we prayed to the Lord about it. Now he's given.
Why did this happen to me?
It might be So why am I? Well, she didn't get her way.
Why? Because God had a bigger plan than hers.
An all beloved brethren, That's what I want to learn from passages like this and others that we will show this afternoon, I trust, and that is that God has a bigger plan in our lives than we have.
Is a bigger plan in our lives than we have. And though she didn't have exactly what she wanted yet, Rebecca got two boys instead of one, and she became the mother of those two lines that go all the way through the word of God, and God uses them to accomplish his gracious purposes.
Now did she win or did she lose?
By getting God's bigger plan for her life.
I believe that she won and.
I want to feel in things that God allows in my life that.
Things don't go exactly the way I want them.
That because I belong to Christ. And, beloved brethren, because you belong to Christ.
We can believe that if we submit to God.
That those things don't go exactly as we have planned them.
Yet.
God has a bigger plan than we'd ever imagined, and he can use us far beyond what we had first imagined or asked for. Well, I see that in Rebecca.
And God used her to be the mother of two instead of one, and he was then able to accomplish his interesting ways with man in this world to accomplish his ultimate objectives.
So when a Rebecca says why did this happen to me?
If we were to be able to consult with her just now, we would say Rebecca.
Are you glad that God's plan was bigger than your plan?
She would say yes.
I'm glad that God's plan was bigger than mine.
Well, I take encouragement of that when things don't go my way.
I believe that I have the assurance of this book.
Come to this book and take scriptures like this and others that we'll see and say God has a bigger plan.
For me and with me than I have ever imagined. And when it's all over, we'll be glad and we'll be more than comfortable.
Now the next.
Individual that I'd like to talk about this afternoon in this regard is Simon Peter turn to Luke Gospel chapter.
22 I think it is, yes. It's Chapter 22.
Peter is a good example of this principle that we're talking about this afternoon. It's a principle, brethren, that.
That can be used for our encouragement.
Luke's Gospel, chapter 22, verse 31.
Well known passage.
The Lord said Simon Simon. Behold, Satan has desired to have you.
And he might sift your sweet.
I'd like to point out that Satan had to ask permission to to put Peter through this process.
Satan wanted to do it, but he had to get the Lord's permission. Satan has asked to have you.
Sometimes God allows Satan to bring us trouble, but he doesn't do it without getting permission.
Has desired or he has obtained you by asking according to my margin that he might sift you as weak.
But I afraid today that thy faith will not, and when thou art converted, strengthen thy grave.
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And he said it had been more I'm ready to go with the both under prison and into death, he.
And he said, I tell thee, Peter, that the **** will not prose this day. Before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knows me.
Well, that's enough for us to read on this subject of Peter, but Peter had some big plans of.
Demonstrating that he was one of the world's best soldiers.
The strongest of the disciples. Why? I said, I'm ready to go anywhere with you. I'm ready to die with you. Well, the Lord knew more about people than he did. And verse 32, He says I have prayed for thee that thy faith fell off.
And $1.00 converted strengthened that way.
Well, brethren, what was the bigger plan?
What was the bigger plan in Peters life?
Peter thought he would stick close to the Lord and and be his first helper and be right where he wanted him to do everything necessary, but the Lord allowed him to fall flat on his face.
God had a bigger time to feel, and part of that bigger plan was to let him miserably fail.
So that.
Will be stronger.
And more useful.
Act it was all over than it was before, so he says. When you are converted, strengthen your breath.
Well, you and I know the story well. How Peter, he made a mess of things, didn't he? He even start to swear about it, deny the Lord.
But he never denied that who Jesus was. He just denied that he was connected with them.
The Lord allowed all of this.
The teach Peter is on nothingness.
To demonstrate his own patience and to prepare Peter for the job of a pastor to provide, he could strengthen his fellow believers.
For God's plan was bigger than Peters plan.
And when it was all over and Peter had been allowed to floor flight on his face.
Miserably. Miserably, miserably. Missed the mark.
But it was all over, God said to Peter. Now, Peter, take up your pin.
And I'm going to use you to feed my lambs.
Feed my sheep and to shepherd my sheep. Now Peter was able to do that in a way.
After he had failed.
You know that he could not have done it before because Peter found out what was within himself.
He found out the gracious heart of the Lord.
And Peter was then able.
To more effectively shepherd the sheep and more effectively shepherd the lands of the flock. So here's another case collaborative where.
God's plan is bigger than Peter's plan, even to the point where he allows Peter to fail. Does he throw him? Throw him aside? Does he say I can no longer use you, Peter? You. You. You've sinned away your usefulness.
You know, he shows Peter that.
Peter can never again look down upon his brother.
There's a person, John's Gospel, where the Lord restores Peter and he says that Peter.
Do you love me more than these?
It worked pretty bad. It was a time when Peter made a big to do about it, as if he loved the Lord more than the rest of it.
But after Peter got, got caught in the in the mill of his own pride and so on, and came out the other side a humble man.
He didn't never dare say, Yeah, I I love you, Lord, more than the rest of them. Never dare say that again. And it's a consequence that Peter was more capable of helping his brother.
When thou art converted, strengthen thy brother. So I say, beloved brethren, that was part of God's big plan.
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To make Peter more useful.
More helpful to us who have realized, many of us that we have come so far short, we can go to the writings of this dear man theater and be encouraged and say.
This helps me. This helps me. But these are words that came from a man who had failed and who was able to feed us and to shepherd us in a way he could not have done before. So if there's if.
Our hearts a feeling of failure.
And at times there are feelings like that in my in my life.
Sometimes I'm almost overwhelmed by a sense of.
I don't know how to say it but.
Marvel's overwhelmed by a sense of.
Having accomplished nothing in **** life.
And I said well.
It's a sympathy anything done.
Well.
It's things like this that encourage me.
And there have been times when I have gone to the Lord and I say Lord Jesus.
I'm going to cast my nothingness.
Upon your everythingness.
And then that brings relief to my soul.
And I I say, that's been a blessing to me, brother.
Cast my nothingness upon the everythingness of the Lord Jesus.
And that will make it worthwhile.
To be here. Well, Peter is another example of this matter. Peter was more than a conqueror and it looked like for a while he was a loser.
But when it's all over and he gets through God's training course, Peter is more than a conqueror. Now the next. The third.
Situation that I'd like to share is in John's Gospel, Chapter 11.
All of these are familiar passages, but I believe they all show this precious principle.
But in all things we are more than conquerors to him that love us.
When we submit to the Lord, but even when we lose.
We can win.
John's Gospel, Chapter 11, The abdication of Mary and Martha and Lazarus.
We'll start reading from verse one and I'll just pick a few verses out because we won't read the whole chapter. Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus or Bethany, town of Mary and her sister Martha.
Verse three Therefore his sister said unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thy lovest is sick.
Number six.
When he had heard, therefore, that he was sick.
Before 2 days, still in the same place where it was.
That's interesting, isn't it?
Do you treat your loved ones that way?
You don't think you do it?
If your closest loved one says to you, I'm sick.
There's not a person in this room. That said, well, let's bring this matter up in a couple of days.
Well, you don't act like that, you say. Where do you hurt?
Can I get you an aspirin or two?
Or something else?
Give them back like this.
But it says when Jesus heard therefore the Lazarus was sick. Verse six give out two days.
The same place? Very well. Why did he do that?
I believe that he did it on the basis of the principle that we're talking about this afternoon, that he had a bigger plan.
He's got a bigger plan for all these people, Mary, Martha, Lazarus get a bigger plan than just to make Lazarus left.
Of course 11.
These things that he and after that he said to them our friend loud were sleeping. But I draw that I'm not wake him out of sleep. This is after two days.
Then said his disciples, Lord of his sleep, he said well.
I bet Jesus spoke of his death.
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OK, thought, And he had spoken of taking rest and sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
Well, this didn't look good, did it?
Could the Lord Jesus have gone to Lazarus?
Could he not have healed him from a distance? Yes, he could have. There are other places in the scriptures where we see the Lord Jesus did not have to be right on the scene to heal.
Hiccup we're not somebody, well, a long ways away.
But in this case, you didn't do that.
But because we have something different.
And you know the story. Well, we won't repeat it all, but.
He allows others to die. He allows Lazarus to be put in the grave.
And he allows these two dear sisters to cry.
Was the Lord allowed tears?
Yeah, he does.
The Lord allows tears.
Why? Because he has a bigger plan.
He has a bigger plan than our tears.
And so he comes and talks to these two girls and two sisters.
And they kind of chided with him, Martha, when she met him, she said.
If if you'd been here, he wouldn't have died.
And even when married saw and she said if you would have been here, he wouldn't have died. Neither one of them understood the big plan.
Was it still a plan? Yes. What?
Neither one of them realized that there would be a display of this power that would go beyond anything they could have imagined. And so when the Lord Jesus in verse 35.
Seize their tears.
We have a demonstration of his sympathetic heart.
And let's not think rather, that the Lord is not touched with our our feelings when He allows trials in our lives. Let's not think that He's indifferent.
And to our tears and our feelings. Let's not think that he is, because here's a proof of it, the shortest person in the Bible, Jesus wept.
Demonstrates that though he allowed these tears, he would be.
This is our blessed Lord.
And then we see the glorious effect.
Take him to the gravesite and he says take away the stone.
Well, they say we don't dare do that because.
He's already smelled bad. He's been dead for days, he says. Take away the stone.
Our blessed Lord stands outside that grave and in that majestic voice of his, the voice of the Creator God, the eternal Son of God, from heaven, he says Lazarus come forward. Lazarus come for someone who said it's a good thing, he said Lazarus.
Because if he hadn't, said Lazarus, they'd all.
That's the power of the word of Christ, and they all will come out someday. But he said, just for this time, he says. Lazarus, come on.
And he says that he that was bound and he that was, I don't know how he got out.
Why, when they buried people in those days, they round them all out with strips of cloth?
How did how did Lazarus get out of the grave? And the only answer I got for you is by the same power that gave him life.
Now the Lord says, loosen and let him go.
Those have been letting go, and this story is so precious because it isn't long. In fact, in the next chapter they sit down and have a meal with the Lord Jesus, and you have Martha and Mary and Lazarus.
Now if you could ask Martha and Mary and chase Martha. Mary, are you glad? Are you glad that Jesus didn't come and heal your brother while he was sick? You're glad.
What would they have said?
They were both upset. Yes, we are now.
Because now we see.
Had a bigger plan.
00:35:01
Than we haven't imagined.
And they would say, you know, we kind of feel like we've more than one, but look for a while like we lost.
You say, well, Martha, Mary, would you? Would you say that you're more than comfort? They say yes, we're better off now than we would have been if Lazar had Lazarus had been healed. We are more than conquerors, it's true.
What a wonderful story that is. And it only points out the thing we're talking about today, that God has a bigger plan in our lives. I believe he has a bigger plan in my life than my own thoughts, and I'm glad.
I think it'd be the worst possible thing that could happen for the Lord to put me in charge of the rest of my life.
That would be the worst thing that could happen.
That's far better for me to say, Lord Jesus, you've got a bigger plan than anything I could imagine from. And Lord, just go ahead with your plan. And if you give me tears and if you give me sorrow, Lord, it will be because your plan is bigger than that and.
At the end of the matter, I'll be more than.
This is the book, brother, that teaches us this proof. It's the truth, and it is for our encouragement that these things are given to us.
How the next?
Person I want to talk about is the Apostle Paul and turn to 2nd Corinthians chapter.
I think it's chapter 12.
Not sure about that, but it'll you'll see it in a minute.
Yes, it's Second Corinthians, chapter 12.
2nd Corinthians chapter 12.
You'll see this principle in the life of that dear servant of the Lord, the Apostle Paul.
Verse 7.
Lest I shall be exalted about measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given unto me a thorn in the flesh.
Do you like thorns?
I don't. I don't even like splitter fire in the flesh.
Messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exiled above measure.
For this thing beside I, the Lord, thrice that it might be deported from me. And he said unto my Grace is sufficient for thee.
For my strength is made perfect and weakness.
There's a man that had trouble. We don't know what it was, and God in his wisdom has not told us. We. We have certain ideas, but since you can't, you can't prove them by Scripture. But not to think about it.
Whatever his thought in the flesh was, it was something that annoyed him. In other words, he he got the point every day.
You got to thrown in your flesh. You get the point every day. Well, I can do it. I don't things that bother me. He got the pride every day and he prayed about it. Lord, I don't want fish. It hurts, it hinders. It slowed me down. Take it away.
We'll take it.
Don't take it away.
But he says, I'll tell you what I'm going to do for you, Paul. I'm not going to take away your card. What? I'm going to give you my grace.
And he says that would be enough. My grace is sufficient for these.
And I'm going to show you that by your weakness, you're going to learn more about my power.
Did they lose? Did he lose because his prayer wasn't answered?
Now he says in verse 9 the latter part the most gladly. Therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities. What's that? How can you say that?
Well, you can't say it unless you're more than accomplished. Oh, otherwise it. I'm glad that I got this trouble. Our glory and my intermination that the power of Christ may rest upon me. He was more than a father.
In the wonderful.
Can we do this? How can we be this?
By faith. By faith and grammar. And this is what the book is for, that's what this book is for, to encourage us to go on trusting the Lord. And in Pauls case, he would say that just like we're talking about, He would say, you know, God's plans bigger than mine.
And I'm going to just say it better than mine. Now that was in Paul's personal life. But turn to Philippians chapter one and you'll see that it not only was in his personal life, but also in his service for the Lord.
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Morgan's chapter one. This principle applies in files work for the Lord.
Philippians chapter one and verse 12.
But I would you should understand, brother, that the things which have happened to me.
Have found out rather to the firmness of the gospel. Talk about the fallout.
There's a fallout. The things which happened unto me have fallen out rather to look further of the gospel. What had happened to him? He said. My poem is incorrect. This man got put in jail.
Some of us would say, Lord you, you don't even really miss the boat. Why, this is the best preacher blessed Lord, you've ever had. Here's a man that preaches to people everywhere he goes and sold her safe. And now, Lord, this guys in jail, you've missed it. Lord, haven't you done something wrong?
He says they found a lot further falling out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that my mom Christ are manifested all the palace. In other words, it was God's way to get the gospel into the palace.
Fall God's plan is bigger than Paul's plan.
What am I going to learn? He was more than a.
Now the last one I want to share with you today is found in the 11Th of Matthew.
And we've often thought about this.
But it illustrates the principle that we're considering.
Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 11.
Verse 2.
Matthew 11 Two now when John Hurt in the prison the works of Christ.
And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, Or do we look to another?
Jesus answered in 7th. And then go and show John again those things which you do hear and see.
The line received their sight, the lame walk, the leopards were cleansed to death. Here the dead are raised up, and the poor at the gospel preached to them. Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me.
Now verse 11.
Verily, I send you among them that are born of women. There is not reason the greater than John the Baptist, notwithstanding he that's least in the Kingdom of heaven, is greater than he. Well, now here's another case.
One of the finest servants the Lord ever had John the Baptist.
And I don't know of any failure in John's work or life.
But here he is put in prison.
Did John choose it? No.
The Lord chose me.
And here's John in prison and he says I just can't figure this out.
I've been sent to announce the coming of the Messiah, and I know from the book of Isaiah that when the Messiah comes, he's going to open the door to the prison and let the prisoners out. And here I'm in jail. It doesn't make sense.
John Museum. The old brothers are scratching his head. I just can't figure this out.
It says in the Bible that the that the prisoners would be released when Jesus and when the Messiah came and John said.
So he says his servants are said to, the Lord said. Are you the one that's supposed to come, or do we look for another? Because somebody got to Get Me Out of jail.
Well, what's the point? John didn't know.
John did not know Necrot's plan was bigger than his plan.
He didn't know that his period of service had come to an end and that now.
A whole new line of administration was going to take place in the world and it would bring in the church.
They would bring in the Gentiles, and John never preached to the Gentiles. He never preached A sermon to the Gentiles as far as I know.
00:45:03
And now the Lord, said John.
Verse six Blessed is he who shall not be offended in me. In other words, John.
Translate it this way in the language that I understand better, it says John. Don't be mad at me for what I've allowed in your life.
That's what he means, I believe, he says. Blessed is he that's not offended and made.
Hello brother, when am I going to learn that?
What am I going to learn?
That what God allows in my life is the best.
And will I be angry at God? Nobody alive?
There'll be no blessing in my life if I am.
But the blessing will come if I submit. And the Lord, says John, you'll get a blessing if you don't become offended because of what I've allowed in your life.
What's the point? The point is, brethren, that God had a bigger plan than John had.
God knew what he was doing far beyond.
And this is such a precious consideration for myself.
In all these things, we are more of a comfort to him about this.
And I believe and I'm trying to learn.
And the scriptures teach them. They teach me and encourage me that what God allows.
In my life.
Is a purpose of love.
And though I may not understand it.
I can be sure.
That his plan is bigger than my plan. And when it's all over it, When it's all over it, I'll say it blessed God and Father. Your plan for me was better than my plan for me. It is not a man that walks to director steps.
The web man is not in himself, And Jeremiah says, And I've given and I've enjoyed with you, dear brethren here, fellow, this afternoon, I've enjoyed with you five books of this principle.
And I don't say that I have learned.
I don't. There are times when I think that God may have made a mistake in what he allows in their life.
But that doesn't mean I'm right.
This book says God loves me and this book says he has a bigger plan than I could ever imagine. So why don't I submit?
With him and go on in faith.
Trust him and take the grace that was given to Paul. The form that may come to me may have a point and hurt every day.
But will will it be better to have had the sor and the grace that not to have disorder?
Judge, finish up.
Believe it would be better to have had the grace.
With the thorn, but not to have had this long enough.
Well, let's sing that song again. It's got kind of a 2 middle.
Stick with you the rest of the week and you go about your job in your home. You'll you'll be thinking about this song, I'm sure.
157.
This is the truth.
Well, may the Lord help me. That's why.
With his bigger plan.
157.