a triumphal procession

Posted on October 1, 2017 by Jefferson Vann
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devotional post # 2156

2 Corinthians 2:12-16

2 Cor 2:12 Now I had previously gone to Troas for the purpose of spreading the gospel of Christ
and a door had been opened for me in the Lord,
2 Cor 2:13 but my spirit could not relax, because I did not find Titus my brother; instead, after getting away from them, I went on to Macedonia.
2 Cor 2:14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in a triumphal procession in Christ, and manifests through us the smell of the knowledge of Him in every place.
2 Cor 2:15 Because we smell like Christ does to God among those who are being rescued and among those who are perishing;
2 Cor 2:16 to the one we are a dead smell which is leading to death, to the other we are a living smell which is leading to life.

a triumphal procession

Paul’s imagery of a triumphal procession is deliberately unsettling. In the Roman world, a triumph was a public celebration of a victorious general, but it was also a display of the conquered. Those led in the procession were often prisoners of war, bound and marched toward execution. To describe himself in that position was to embrace the role of a captive whose life now belonged entirely to the conquering King. The humiliation of the prisoner only magnified the glory of the victor. Paul accepted that picture because it captured the essence of apostolic ministry: Christ had conquered him, claimed him, and now displayed him as evidence of divine victory.

This surrender did not diminish Paul’s joy. It clarified his purpose. As he traveled from city to city, preaching the gospel, he understood that he carried with him the fragrance of Christ. In the triumphal procession, incense was burned along the route, filling the air with a distinctive aroma. To the victorious army, it signaled celebration; to the condemned prisoners, it signaled death. The same scent carried two opposite meanings depending on who inhaled it. Paul applied that image to the gospel. The message he proclaimed was one fragrance, but it produced two radically different responses. To those being rescued by God’s grace, it was the aroma of life. To those hardened in unbelief, it was the scent of judgment.

The difference did not lie in Paul’s skill or personality. It lay in the spiritual condition of those who heard him. His task was to spread the fragrance faithfully; the response belonged to God. This perspective freed him from anxiety about results. Whether he encountered receptive hearts or resistant ones, he knew he was fulfilling his calling simply by bearing the aroma of Christ.

Paul had hoped to meet Titus in Macedonia, longing for news from Corinth. The text does not make clear whether that meeting happened immediately. But even in uncertainty, Paul found encouragement. Macedonia may have held no Titus, but it likely held people ready to hear the gospel. For Paul, that was enough. The triumphal procession continued. Christ was still leading him. The fragrance was still spreading. And wherever even one person breathed in the aroma of life, Paul found reason to give thanks.

LORD, open our hearts to the Spirit’s leading, so that we can find those who are seeking Christ.

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forgive, or be exploited

Posted on September 30, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

 

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devotional post # 2155

2 Corinthians 2:8-11

2Co 2:8 So I am encouraging you to reaffirm your love for him.
2Co 2:9 Because this is why I had written, that I might test you and know whether you are being obedient in everything.
2Co 2:10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Actually, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been on behalf of you in the presence of Christ,
2Co 2:11 in order that we would not be exploited by Satan; because we are not ignorant of his designs.

forgive, or be exploited

Paul understood that the Corinthians had been genuinely wronged. The sin committed within their fellowship was not a minor lapse but a betrayal that wounded the entire congregation. Their earlier reluctance to act had endangered the church’s witness, and Paul had urged them to take decisive action for the sake of the offender and the community. They eventually obeyed, removing the man from fellowship and allowing the weight of discipline to fall upon him. That obedience demonstrated their renewed seriousness about holiness and their willingness to submit to apostolic counsel.

But discipline is never meant to be permanent when repentance has taken root. Paul now discerned that the offender’s sorrow had reached its intended depth. The man had been humbled, confronted with the gravity of his sin, and brought to a place where restoration was possible. The danger had shifted. What once threatened the church through unchecked sin now threatened it through unchecked severity. A congregation that refuses to forgive becomes as spiritually unhealthy as one that refuses to confront.

Paul therefore urged them to reverse their posture. The same community that had acted firmly must now act tenderly. He prayed for the offender’s full forgiveness and encouraged the Corinthians to trust that forgiveness as real. Restoration was not merely a gesture of kindness; it was an act of obedience to the gospel. The church must mirror the mercy it proclaims. If they withheld reconciliation, they would create a lingering wound in the body, a place where resentment, suspicion, and despair could fester.

Paul warned that such a wound would not remain neutral. Satan thrives wherever fellowship is fractured. A disciplined believer left outside the circle of grace becomes vulnerable to despair, and a congregation that clings to punishment becomes vulnerable to pride. The adversary would exploit both sides, turning a moment of repentance into a new source of division. What began as a necessary act of discipline could end in a deeper, more destructive rupture.

Paul’s counsel reveals a profound pastoral balance. Holiness requires confrontation, but love requires restoration. A church that practices only one of these will eventually lose both. The Corinthians had shown courage in disciplining their brother; now they needed equal courage in welcoming him home.

LORD, teach us to listen to your voice, disciplining when it is necessary, and fully forgiving and reaffirming our love when we can.

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time to forgive

Posted on September 29, 2017 by Jefferson Vann
20160216-29

devotional post # 2154

2 Corinthians 2:5-7

2Co 2:5 But if someone has brought sorrow, he has brought it not to me, but to some extent — not to be too dramatic– to all of you.
2Co 2:6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority has lasted long enough,
2Co 2:7 so you should turn to forgive and comfort him instead, or else he may become overwhelmed by too much sorrow.

time to forgive

Paul’s earlier instruction to discipline the offending member had been clear and firm. The sin was public, scandalous, and unrepented, and the congregation’s initial tolerance had threatened the integrity of the entire fellowship. Their eventual obedience to Paul’s directive showed spiritual courage. They acted decisively, and the discipline produced the intended effect: the offender was brought low, confronted with the seriousness of his actions, and apparently moved toward repentance. What began as a crisis became an opportunity for the church to demonstrate fidelity to Christ’s holiness.

But discipline is only half of the pastoral task. Once repentance appears, the community must shift its posture. The same zeal that once protected the church from corruption must now protect the repentant from

LORD, give us the courage to confront sin in our ranks, and the wisdom to know when it is time to forgive and put it past us.

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the distance prescription

Posted on September 28, 2017 by Jefferson Vann
20160216-28

devotional post # 2153

2 Corinthians 2:1-4

2Co 2:1 Because I made up my mind not to make another sorrowful visit to you.
2Co 2:2 Because if I cause you sorrow, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have made sorrowful?
2Co 2:3 And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer sorrow from those who should have made me rejoice, because I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all.
2Co 2:4 Because I wrote to you out of much suffering and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the love that I have for you even more.

the distance prescription

Paul’s decision not to make an immediate return trip to Corinth reflects a pastoral instinct shaped by both affection and caution. The earlier visit had been painful, marked by confrontation and resistance, and he knew that another face‑to‑face encounter too soon might only deepen the wounds. So he chose the slower, quieter path: a carefully written letter addressing the issues one by one, paired with deliberate physical distance. The hope was that space would allow tempers to cool, consciences to awaken, and the Spirit to work in ways that a forceful personal appearance might hinder. Distance can sometimes create the room needed for repentance and reflection.

Yet the Corinthian situation shows that distance is not a universal cure. The very restraint Paul intended as kindness was interpreted as avoidance. Instead of seeing his delay as pastoral patience, some in Corinth viewed it as a slight. They assumed he stayed away because he did not care enough to come, or because he feared facing them. In a community already struggling with suspicion, factionalism, and wounded pride, the absence of an apostle could easily be twisted into evidence of unreliability. What Paul meant as a healing interval became, in their minds, another grievance.

This misunderstanding reveals the fragile relational climate in Corinth. Their history with Paul was complicated: deep gratitude mixed with lingering resentment, admiration mixed with critique. When trust is thin, even well‑intentioned actions can be misread. Paul’s delay created a vacuum, and the Corinthians filled that vacuum with assumptions shaped by their own insecurities and the influence of opponents who questioned Paul’s motives. The apostle’s pastoral strategy collided with the congregation’s emotional volatility.

The episode also highlights the limits of written communication. Letters can clarify doctrine and correct behavior, but they cannot convey tone, facial expression, or the warmth of presence. Paul’s words, though carefully chosen, arrived without the personal reassurance that might have softened their impact. The Corinthians needed both truth and tenderness, and in this case the distance made it harder for them to perceive the tenderness behind the truth.

Still, Paul’s choice was not a failure of love. It was an attempt to shepherd a troubled church without overwhelming it. The misunderstanding that followed became another opportunity for him to explain his heart, reaffirm his integrity, and point the Corinthians again to the God whose faithfulness does not waver even when human relationships falter.

LORD, give us the wisdom and the right words to confront our problems, not to wait until they get worse.

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validating seal

Posted on September 27, 2017 by Jefferson Vann

 

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devotional post # 2152

2 Corinthians 1:21-24

2 Cor 1:21 But God is the one who is validating us — along with you –in union with Christ, and has anointed us,
2 Cor 1:22 who also marked us with a seal, and put the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment, guaranteeing what will come later.
2 Cor 1:23 But I appeal to God for a witness on behalf of my soul, that it was in order to spare you I did not come to Corinth.
2 Cor 1:24 It is not that we have arbitrarily exercised dominion, knowing that you have confidence in us, but are fellow-workers for your joy, because you are standing firm in your confidence.

validating seal

Paul continues to address the lingering suspicion that his altered travel plans signaled some kind of judgment against the Corinthians. He knows that disappointment can easily harden into mistrust, especially when critics are already whispering that his word cannot be relied upon. Instead of reacting defensively, he draws their attention back to something they themselves had witnessed: the unmistakable mark of God’s validation on his ministry when he first labored among them.

During those early days in Corinth, the believers had seen the fruit of the gospel in their own lives. They had experienced the power of the Spirit through the preaching of Paul and his team. They had watched the unity, integrity, and consistency of the missionaries. They had observed conversions, transformations, and the birth of a church where none had existed before. All of this had served as God’s own endorsement of the team’s calling. It was not merely Paul’s reputation at stake; it was the memory of God’s work in their midst.

Paul now appeals to that memory. If God had placed his seal on the ministry of the team then, that same seal should shape how the Corinthians interpret the present situation. A delayed visit does not erase years of faithfulness. A change in plans does not nullify the divine validation they had already seen. The Corinthians had every reason to maintain confidence in the team, because their confidence was ultimately rooted in God’s past activity, not in the flawless execution of human schedules.

By reminding them of this, Paul is gently teaching them how to evaluate spiritual leadership. The true measure is not whether a leader’s plans always unfold without interruption. The true measure is whether God has demonstrated his presence and approval through that leader’s ministry. The Corinthians had already seen that evidence. Their own existence as a church was part of it.

Paul’s words invite them to interpret present disappointments through the lens of past grace. God had been at work among them through the missionary team. That reality had not changed. Their confidence should rest on what God had done, not on the temporary inconvenience of a delayed journey.

LORD, burn in our hearts the memory of your work among us, so that we stand firm in our confidence that your work will continue, no matter what.

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he keeps his promises

Posted on September 26, 2017 by Jefferson Vann
20160216-26

devotional post # 2151

2 Corinthians 1:19-20

2 Cor 1:19 Because the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed among you by us, namely by me and Silvanus and Timothy, was not “Yes and no,” on the contrary, with him it has always been “Yes.”
2 Cor 1:20 Because as many as the promises of God are, with him they are “Yes,” that is why it is through him we say “Amen!,” to the glory of God.

he keeps his promises

Paul returns to the memory of his ministry in Corinth because it exposes the contrast between what actually happened and what some are now claiming. When he, Silvanus, and Timothy preached the gospel among the Corinthians, their message was unified. There was no contradiction, no mixed signals, no shifting tone from one preacher to another. The team spoke with one voice about Christ and about the reliability of God’s promises. Their preaching was marked by consistency because the message itself was anchored in the unwavering faithfulness of God. That shared testimony should have been enough to silence any suspicion about Paul’s integrity.

Yet some in Achaia were now using the change in Paul’s travel plans as evidence that he could not be trusted. If he failed to keep one promise, they reasoned, perhaps his whole ministry was unstable. Paul refuses to let that logic stand. Human plans may shift, but the gospel he proclaimed never did. His point is not to defend himself as a flawless planner but to redirect attention to the One whose promises never fail. God’s “Yes” in Christ is the foundation of every apostolic word. The reliability of the message does not depend on the unbroken execution of a missionary’s itinerary.

Paul’s argument exposes a deeper misunderstanding among the Corinthians. They were evaluating apostolic faithfulness by the standards of ordinary human reliability. If a leader’s plans changed, they assumed the leader’s word was suspect. But Paul insists that the gospel operates on a different plane. The trustworthiness of the message rests on God’s character, not on the missionary’s ability to anticipate every circumstance. The team’s unified preaching in Corinth had already demonstrated that their ministry was rooted in God’s unchanging promises, not in personal convenience or shifting motives.

By reminding the Corinthians of this, Paul is not excusing carelessness. He is teaching them to distinguish between the fallibility of human planning and the infallibility of divine promise. A servant of God may need to adjust plans, but the God who sent that servant never adjusts his commitment to his people. The Corinthians were being invited to rest their confidence not in Paul’s travel schedule but in the God whose faithfulness had shaped every sermon they heard.

LORD, thank you for being faithful to your word, no matter how much we fail.

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plans change, but God is faithful

Posted on September 25, 2017 by Jefferson Vann
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devotional post # 2150

2 Corinthians 1:15-18

2 Cor 1:15 And this was why I was confident, I planned at first to come to you, so that you could have a second helping of grace,
2 Cor 1:16 and travel by means of you into Macedonia, and back again from Macedonia to come to you, and have you send me on my way to Judea.
2 Cor 1:17 Was I being careless when I planned to do this? Or the things that I plan, do I plan them according to the flesh, so that with me there will be “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time?
2 Cor 1:18 But God is faithful, that is why our word to you is not “Yes” and “No.”

plans change, but God is faithful

Paul’s explanation of his altered travel plans becomes an unexpected moment of pastoral instruction. Some among the Achaian believers appear to have taken offense when they learned that he and his team had not come when originally promised. Disappointment easily turns into suspicion, and suspicion quickly becomes an accusation. In this case, a few voices were suggesting that Paul’s change of plans revealed inconsistency or unreliability, as though his word could not be trusted. Paul refuses to let that misunderstanding stand, not because his reputation must be defended at all costs, but because the issue touches something deeper: the nature of Christian faithfulness in a world where circumstances shift.

Paul uses the situation to teach that human plans, even the most sincere ones, are always provisional. Life is full of interruptions, obstacles, and unforeseen turns. A servant of God may intend to do something wholeheartedly and still be prevented from doing it. That does not mean the intention was wrong, nor does it mean the promise was empty. It simply reflects the reality that human beings do not control the unfolding of events. Paul’s own experience had taught him that God sometimes redirects even the best‑laid plans for reasons that only become clear later. What matters is not the unbroken execution of every intention but the integrity of the heart that made the intention.

This is why Paul contrasts the instability of human plans with the unwavering faithfulness of God. God’s promises do not shift with circumstances. God’s “Yes” in Christ remains constant even when the plans of his servants must change. By pointing to this contrast, Paul invites the Corinthians to adjust their expectations. They should not demand from human leaders the kind of absolute reliability that belongs only to God. Nor should they interpret every change of direction as a failure of character. Instead, they should recognize that God often works through the very limitations that frustrate human intentions.

Paul’s lesson extends beyond the immediate controversy. It suggests that believers should not fear making commitments, even though commitments may sometimes need to be altered. Nor should they collapse under guilt or shame when circumstances prevent them from doing what they fully intended. The work of sustaining the world, rescuing the needy, and holding everything together does not rest on human shoulders. That role is already filled. God alone carries the weight of perfect faithfulness, and the limitations of his servants are part of the way he teaches them to trust him rather than themselves.

LORD, we will trust you, because you are faithful, even when our plans have to change.

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almost there

Posted on September 24, 2017 by Jefferson Vann
20160216-24

devotional post # 2149

2 Corinthians 1:12-14

2 Cor 1:12 Because what we are bragging about, what our conscience tells us, is this: that we behaved ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with dedication and integrity before God, not with fleshly wisdom, but with the grace of God.
2 Cor 1:13 Because we are not writing any other things to you than what you have read or still understand, and I hope you will understand it completely,
2 Cor 1:14 just as you have only understood us partly, so that we are your reason for rejoicing, just as you also are ours, on the Day that our Lord Jesus comes.

almost there

Paul’s confidence in the Corinthians at this point is careful but real. He knows they have not fully grasped everything he wrote earlier, yet he also knows they are not completely in the dark. They have understood part of his instruction, and that partial understanding has already begun to shape their response. They are moving in the right direction, but they are not there yet. What remains is the slow, patient work of clarification—helping them see what they missed, correcting what they misread, and untangling the ways his earlier words have been twisted by others.

Some individuals in Corinth were using Paul’s previous letter as ammunition against him. They claimed that his counsel was merely worldly advice, shaped by human motives rather than divine authority. This accusation reveals how easily apostolic instruction can be distorted. A phrase lifted out of context, a warning misunderstood, a command interpreted through personal bias—these are enough to turn pastoral guidance into a weapon. Paul recognizes that the problem is not simply ignorance but selective hearing. The Corinthians had grasped enough to think they understood, but not enough to understand accurately.

This dynamic is familiar in the reading of any epistle. Apostolic letters are pastoral responses to real situations, written with urgency, emotion, and theological depth. They require careful attention. It is easy to misunderstand them, especially when reading through the lens of personal preference or when influenced by teachers who have their own agendas. Partial understanding can be even more dangerous than complete misunderstanding, because it gives the illusion of clarity while leaving crucial truths unrecognized.

Paul writes again not because his earlier letter failed, but because it succeeded just enough to require further explanation. The Corinthians had begun to respond, but their response needed refinement. They needed to see the heart behind his words, not just the surface meaning. They needed to recognize that his counsel was shaped by the cross, not by worldly calculation. They needed to understand that apostolic authority does not operate according to the categories of human wisdom.

By clarifying his earlier instructions, Paul is not defending his reputation for its own sake. He is protecting the integrity of the gospel and the health of the church. Misunderstood apostolic teaching leads to distorted Christian living. Clear teaching, patiently explained, restores unity, trust, and obedience.

LORD, give us the wisdom to search the scriptures diligently, and make sure we completely understand them.

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death sentence

Posted on September 23, 2017 by Jefferson Vann
20160216-23

devotional post # 2148

2 Corinthians 1:9-11

2 Cor 1:9 Yes, we ourselves were living with the verdict of a death sentence, with the result that we did not have confidence in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead,
2 Cor 1:10 who rescued us out of so great a death, and will rescue. We have set our confident expectation on him, that he will rescue us yet again,
2 Cor 1:11 you also helping together on our behalf by your prayers, so that thanks will be given by many people on our behalf for the gracious gift given to us by many people.

death sentence

Paul’s confidence in this passage grows out of the same kind of tension that marks nights like the one remembered in the Philippines—moments when danger feels close, when imagination fills in the worst possibilities, and when sleep refuses to come. Fear does not always announce itself with visible threats. Sometimes it arrives in the quiet hours, whispering that safety is thinner than previously believed. In such moments, the mind searches for something solid to hold. For Paul, as for many who have walked through similar darkness, one of the anchors was the knowledge that the people of God were praying.

Paul never pretended to possess an inner reservoir of strength capable of carrying him through every crisis. He did not trust his instincts, his resilience, or his strategic abilities to deliver him from the death sentence hanging over his team. He had been pushed far beyond the limits of human endurance. What sustained him was the conviction that God was present in the suffering and that the prayers of the saints were part of God’s means of deliverance. Prayer, in Paul’s understanding, was not a sentimental gesture. It was participation in God’s work of preserving his servants.

The connection between divine help and the intercession of believers is central to Paul’s confidence. God had already shown himself faithful in past crises, drawing near when the team felt crushed and hopeless. That history of divine comfort formed the foundation of trust. But Paul also recognized that God often works through the prayers of the church. The believers’ petitions were not background noise; they were instruments through which God strengthened, protected, and rescued his servants. Their prayers created a kind of spiritual companionship, even across distance, binding the community to the missionaries in their hour of danger.

This is why Paul speaks with such assurance. He does not minimize the severity of the threat. He acknowledges that death was a real possibility. Yet he also knows that God listens to the cries of his people and acts through them. The prayers of the saints become part of the story of deliverance. They shape outcomes, sustain courage, and remind those in peril that they are not abandoned.

In this way, Paul’s confidence is both humble and bold. It is humble because it admits weakness and rejects self‑reliance. It is bold because it rests on the character of God and the faithful intercession of the church.

LORD, keep us praying, and keep protecting your servants.

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shared encouragement

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Jefferson Vann
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devotional post # 2147

2 Corinthians 1:6-8

2 Cor 1:6 But if we are suffering, it is for your encouragement and deliverance, or if we are encouraged, it is for your encouragement, which produces in you the patient enduring of the same misfortunes that we also experience.
2 Cor 1:7 And our expectation for you holds firm, knowing that, as you are sharers of the misfortunes, so also you are of the encouragement.
2 Cor 1:8 Because we do not want you to miss the fact, brothers, about the suffering that came to us in the province of Asia, the fact that we were weighed down extremely, beyond our power to endure, so that we thought we would even lose our lives.

shared encouragement

Paul’s catalogue of hardships was not a lament but a testimony. Every painful episode—whether danger, rejection, exhaustion, or despair—became another place where God drew near. Those experiences did not push the team away from God; they pressed the team deeper into dependence on him. Affliction stripped away self‑reliance and exposed the limits of human strength, but it also opened space for divine comfort to be felt with unusual clarity. Paul came to see that none of the suffering was wasted. Each trial became another doorway through which God’s sustaining presence entered, shaping the team into servants who understood both the cost and the consolation of following Christ.

This pattern was not meant to remain confined to the missionary band. The believers throughout Achaia were woven into the same divine plan. Their own endurance would be strengthened as they watched Paul’s team persevere. The steadfastness of the missionaries became a living demonstration that God truly upholds those who suffer for his name. Their survival, their continued faithfulness, and their refusal to abandon the work served as visible proof that God’s comfort is real. As the Achaian congregations observed this, they were being prepared to face their own hardships with courage. The encouragement that flowed into Paul’s team was now flowing outward, forming a chain of consolation that linked community to community.

This dynamic reveals something essential about Christian service. Those who never encounter trouble cannot meaningfully strengthen others who are walking through fire. Encouragement gains its weight from experience. Words carry authority when they rise from a life that has been tested and upheld. Paul’s team could speak hope into suffering because they had lived through suffering and discovered God’s faithfulness within it. Their scars became credentials. Their perseverance became instruction. Their comfort became a resource for the wider church.

In this way, hardship becomes part of the ministry itself. It equips servants of God with the compassion, patience, and credibility needed to support others. The comfort received in affliction becomes the comfort offered in fellowship. God’s people are shaped not only by what they learn but by what they endure, and the encouragement that sustains one group becomes the inheritance of many.

LORD, show us how to turn our troubles into testimony of your faithfulness.

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