psalm37fretnot

Isaiah 40:31 “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Dog Street is a nickname for Colonial Williamsburg’s Duke of Gloucester Street. It is quaint and well-trodden and almost in my own backyard. I have spent many hours walking on this historic pathway, mostly alone, but sometimes with my children and others. The street could generally be considered my “stomping grounds” since I walked the street as a student at the College of William and Mary many many years ago and still walk it today.

From participating in the Homecoming Parade with my sorority sisters, to watching my children march in the Matthew Whaley Elementary School Halloween Parade, to making it my “happy place” in my later years – this street holds my heart for some reason. Even for mishaps like my toddler son’s broken leg incident (don’t ask) when he was two years old and my broken arm in 2013 in a tripping accident while wearing crocks – this street is like my security blanket. I know it. I feel at home on it. I find peace and quiet there, even among the throngs of tourists.

Walking and waiting have a lot in common. Walking, it turns out, is very therapeutic for me. For the last 15 years, it has been my road for prayer, my opportunity to complete needed weight bearing exercise, and my remedy for getting stiff joints working and lower back pain relieved. For me, Dog Street is a perfect stress remover. I would add calorie burner, except on the days I go to Aroma’s to get a coffee smoothie…

Waiting on the Lord is also very therapeutic. It is my road for trust, my opportunity to believe His Word, and my remedy for removing doubt. Waiting allows God’s Spirit in. The July 20th devotional from My Utmost For His Highest (Oswald Chambers) challenges me to simply depend on God’s presence as the way to “wait on the Lord…walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) Depending on God’s presence rather than succumbing to emotional rollercoasters. Depending on God’s presence rather than giving in to addictive distractions. Depending on God’s presence instead of seeking the next big spiritual high or ministry position.

Waiting for the Lord doesn’t mean inactivity. It means walking forward in faith while knowing that God’s presence doesn’t depend on a specific location or practice. There is no perfect time and no perfect place and no perfect circumstance needed. Just simply God’s presence.

Psalm 37:7 “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”

Even when bad things happen, the Lord leads my soul beside still waters (Psalm 23:2). So, I will keep the Lord in front of me as I possess the realness of His presence. With Him I will unhurriedly and carefully walk forward in faith. I will not fret. I will not faint. I will not trip. I will wait for Him. I will walk with Him.

Psalm 23:3 “He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His Name’s sake.”

 

Psalm 37:18 “The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever.”

Sometimes things happen in threes. I have grown accustomed to waiting for that third shoe to drop in a sequence of unfortunate happenings. Recently, I experienced unresolved and annoying eustachian tube pressure from some plane travel that resulted in a doctor visit. Then, as I love to do, I moved some furniture in the house (nothing major – we are talking dragging a small table and hanging a scripture in a hard-to-get-at corner) and somehow twisted my lower back into a spasm. So, it wasn’t long before I accidentally dropped the beautiful custom made terracotta planter that my oldest granddaughters made for their Pop Pop for Father’s Day. Not completely shattered, but broken into multiple pieces!

There it was. Three unfortunate happenings. While there are medications for ear pressure and back spasms, there is nothing that can replace the thoughtful artwork of two very sweet granddaughters using their own pink handprints to bless their Pop Pop with his favorite flamingos. So, after asking for forgiveness and feeling pretty low, I set about gluing the pot back together. The photo does not show the extent of breakage and the number of glued cracks, but it does show a feeble attempt to put things back together.

I thought back to a major time in my life when I put “my common sense on the throne and then tried to attach God’s name to it.” (My Utmost for His Highest, June 27).  This was a time when I leaned ridiculously on my own understanding instead of trusting God. There were plenty of signs that God didn’t want His name attached to my so-called common sense decision. There were plenty of indicators that reminded me that I stepped ahead of God and just expected Him to make everything fit together nicely, despite a risky rationalization.

Well, nothing in that particular endeavor ever fit together nicely. And there were consequences. The pot shattered. Pretty far-reaching…

However, God is faithful to make His children fruitful in the suffering that comes from mistaken common sense. “The second son he <Joseph> named Ephraim and said, ‘It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.’ ” I realize that the Lord is the only One who can make things right and put shambles of our own making back together. In the land of our suffering, focusing on Jesus is our only hope for bringing His enduring good out of our bad decisions and their ensuing consequences. He is faithful to teach us to lean on Him.

In Matthew 14:29-30, Peter trusted Jesus by getting out of the boat against all the distracting odds. He didn’t even contemplate the odds. He focused on Christ alone. But, when he allowed his own common sense to enter the picture, he got sidetracked by his own human sight. He contemplated the waves and gauged the wind, leaning on his own understanding.

If I spend my days under the Lord’s care, I won’t sink because I will keep my trust only in Him. Deep waters will not have any power to overcome me and common sense won’t wreak havoc in my circumstances. When trouble comes, in threes or in thousands, God will cause me to be fruitful on His own terms and in His own timing. I have experienced His “beauty from ashes” goodness many times.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

 

 

 

 

Psalm 37:29 “The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.”

It’s amazing how a faraway trip can change your perspective. I have recently returned from a 13-day trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, and Alaska. The wow factor for me included the immensity and power of the ocean, the beauty of the Hubbard and Mendenhall Glaciers, and the wonderfully cool temperatures of the area. Being almost totally unplugged was a great thing, too! And quality time with my husband, brother, and sister-in-law had immeasurable value.

I won’t lie. While I pondered God’s massive and beautiful Creation, I also saw a microcosm of the world at various ports, airports, and on the cruise ship. I couldn’t help but think of the many people missing the grace of God for plenty of reasons – distracted by great wealth and/or cultural pressures of various kinds.

I am thankful that God reminded me of His “otherness” and majesty on this trip. I needed that. He reminded me that He is faithful to purify the faith of His people. That He will open our eyes in various ways to give us fresh spiritual vision. That He will reveal to us the distractions that interrupt our worship of Him. Thankful that the view from the ship definitely knocked the apathy out of me, I couldn’t help but be in awe of the Creator Himself. That He would prick my heart to be anything but lukewarm. That He would show me His magnificent power. That He would reveal His creative genius through the expanse of the sea. That He would reveal how like dust I am (a bit of motion sickness reminded me). That He would open my ungrateful heart to the great gifts of family togetherness, the generosity of my husband, and the opportunity to see a part of Creation that I may never see again.

The tremendous Canadian and Alaskan sights can only be a foretaste of what our Great God has prepared for His children in the land where we will dwell with Him forever.

John 14:2-4 “In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

 

Removal of trees has become commonplace in our yard. What once attracted us to our wooded homesite 30 years ago has been replaced by a healthy respect for natural disasters and a determination to be preventive of said disasters in the future. We have a bit of storm anxiety these days and lots of stories to back us up… (That is not my husband up in our tree. We are not totally crazy.)

Hurricane Isabel severely damaged our house in 2003. The cooling shade trees of our thickly wooded subdivision quickly became the means for great damage resulting in months of expense and repair. Our family shelter simply couldn’t withstand the forceful winds and rain. Many trees fell during that fury. Others snapped during lesser storms that would come years later.

Anxiety takes a huge toll on people I know and love – including me. Anything I can’t control troubles me. Like trees falling on houses. Dramatic! So much for the wonderful shade and beautiful scenery. Even the tree removal “professionals” made me anxious. (Were they really “professionals?” I wonder still.) The tree guys have special shoes, tools, and ropes, but you still question if they’ll hold as large limbs come thumping down. The work is still dangerous and the ground still shakes.

Likewise, there are shoes, tools, and ropes that we plant around our lives, hoping for impossible outcomes of lasting support. Truths about the things we trust are steadily revealed. Medicines cannot absolutely guarantee restored health. I don’t even know what to say about the collapsing status of health insurance… Reputations fluctuate. Successful careers end. Good friends end up enemies. Often accidents cause death. Money is not the security we thought it was. Loneliness occurs even when we are surrounded by people. Social media superficializes relationships. The things we lean on for safety are no more than theater props – fake and feeble.

When our comfort is compromised, when our diagnosis is terminal, when our career is interrupted, when our friends betray us – God is the only rock in whom we can take refuge. I love the scripture passage Psalm 94:11-23, especially verses 18-19: “When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ Your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul.” I draw support from the Author and Finisher of my faith – Jesus. He doesn’t change and He is always there when my props give way. “But the Lord has become my fortress and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.” (Psalm 94:22)

Attempts to find security in health and financial resources, or in a good name and occupation, prove to be unsustainable. Yet, God sustains us with His love and provision when we completely trust Him. His resources are spiritual and His strength is eternal – no match for the fleeting and flimsy props that we hope will give us happiness. His salvation is forever. His kingdom is not of this world. Psalm 94:18-19 tells us that God’s love supports us when our footing gives way and His joy consoles us when we are paralyzed by anxiety. In Christ, our ultimate fortress, we no longer chase after collapsible props.

“Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.” (Psalm 94:17)

Photo Credit: Kim Clayton Lance

CONFIDENCE IN APPROACHING GOD

I John 5:14-15 says “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to HIS will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him.”

I was in a discipleship class about 25 years ago and had to memorize this scripture. I remember thinking then, as I do now, that this is an amazing promise and responsibility. It is amazing that Jesus makes us members of God’s family, the Father’s inner circle, because we know Him personally, and not just about Him. As believers, we have a God-given appetite for the Holy Spirit’s presence and we have precious communion with Him when we “remain” or “abide” in Him (John 15).

To abide in Him, we commit ourselves to a relationship whereby God speaks to us through His Word and we speak to Him through prayer, and the Holy Spirit draws us into the divine conversation between Father, Son, and Spirit. Although not beyond comprehension, this is still hard to grasp.

The responsibility we have is to “abide” or “remain” in Him. I am not sure which word carries more weight. But, I am sure that our store of spiritual power evaporates with the passage of time, daily distractions and spiritual warfare. Therefore, praying for the filling of the Holy Spirit needs to be a continuous activity of the heart, daily and nightly, personal and corporate.

Depending on the Spirit for comfort, counsel, wisdom, understanding, teaching, convicting, prompting and guiding is an essential activity for “Family of God” tightness, and so that we can be sure that we are praying in God’s will. From a corporate perspective, Charles Spurgeon has said that a church’s true spiritual condition can be gauged by its prayer meetings. He calls the measurement of divine working in God’s family a “grace-ometer” reading, and that slothfulness in prayer is surely indicative of God’s absence.

How precious are our prayers to God! Psalm 141:2 says, “May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.” And Revelation 5:8 says, “And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”

When I was a student in Christian high school many years ago, students were taught to remember Jeremiah 33:3 as “God’s telephone number.” Although there is no need for any technology to call on God, the scripture says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” What a mighty and powerful God we have! Unsearchable things will be disclosed. I will have power against the world in prayer. Out of my tears, fears, and need I can call out, cry out, implore aid and know that I am heard.

Jim Cymbala, Head Pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, wrote a book called Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, published in 1997, and in it he said, “God will manifest himself in direct proportion to our passion for Him. The principle he laid down long ago is still true: ‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart’ (Jeremiah 29:13).” Pastor Cymbala writes that when believers bring their needs to God, that the wind of prayer takes root as a gift of the Holy Spirit. The result of the deeper joy and power of God’s presence brings the reality of “greater things will be done” (John 1:50).

“Abiding” or “remaining” in Him is a serious responsibility. We know that our spiritual vitality, our fervency in prayer, and our closeness to the Lord are what bring glory to God. So, Hebrews 4:16 becomes our key to the divine unsearchable: “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” As God’s children, we are given this gift, this key, and the tremendous reality that we are in God’s inner circle, and therefore in His will.

 

 

 

 

 

Psalm 37: 5 “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this.”

There is a haunting question in scripture that Jesus asks an invalid (John 5): “Do you want to get well?” The obvious answer is yes. Who wouldn’t want to be healthy again after 38 years of disability? But, below the surface, the deeper meaning of wellness is provocative and may not always render easy yeses like we would imagine.

My pastor preached on this recently. (Check it out – Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, 2-26-17). He challenged listeners to think deeply about the diagnosis of un-wellness, or better yet, un-wholeness. I looked in the spiritual mirror and wondered why I and others choose to be satisfied with surface healing and push down our places of misery far away from our “wired in” longing for wholeness – spiritual, emotional, and physical? Why do we settle for forgiveness, but want nothing more? Especially after what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross?

Eternal life starts here. But, we look at it far off in the distance and forget that healing is available now. Hindsight has reminded me that my youthful profession of faith was seriously blind to what healing Jesus had already accomplished. But, by His grace, He enabled that first precarious faith step in my life. Like the invalid at the pool, I got up and knew something was different and even public, but I didn’t recognize the Healer yet. Like the invalid, I got to skip the expected pool path (“angel-touched healing waters”) and just move forward quietly with Jesus. In the meantime, God reached down through my Christian parents to plant me in a faith-fertile place so that I could eventually recognize the Healer for Who He is.

Against the backdrop of adult life and the wooing of the Holy Spirit, I finally recognized the Source of Wholeness – Jesus. Don’t get me wrong. I still chase after things to supercharge my sense of wellbeing – the next women’s conference, the next audio or video sermon, the next prayer meeting, the next theology book, the next ministry position. That just makes me a collector of Christian trappings, not a Christ lover. Real healing is in Christ alone. Be advised.

I have to trust Him in the brief steps and seasons without really knowing what He is up to behind the scenes of my life. Then, hindsight shows me that He has been adding grace upon grace to my life and has formed in me a longing for true wholeness. Like the invalid, I often want to grow comfortable with my familiar affliction surroundings. But, like a Christ lover, I want to risk it all and allow the maybe painful movement of the capable Healer in my brokenness. I want to get really well.

Psalm 73:23-26 “Yet I am always with you; You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

 

Psalm 37:39-40 “The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.”

A few minutes of media exposure and you may wonder. When did appropriateness disappear? What examples are out there for our children to emulate in the future? What is everybody fighting about? Where can we find true peace?

Somewhere along the line the “adults” have forgotten to model respectful adult behavior for the younger generation of onlookers. The next generation is imprinting on what? My husband and I have raised three children by God’s grace. We now have four granddaughters to enjoy! And, we have lived long enough to know that human reproduction is so much more than bringing new life into the world. What we pass along to our children is how the world may hope to be renewed or not renewed.

Psalm 62:7 says, “My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.” If my salvation and honor depend on Him, then surely the salvation and honor of my children and grandchildren depend on Him, too. The Lord has transferred His purposes into my heart through my faith. It is His Truth, His Person, Who removes the futility from our days and gives the next generation One to follow.

While the world is clamoring for a strong man or ideologue to clean up all the messes made, we know that the Savior has already come. We already have One Who is our mighty Rock. His intentions inform all matters, public and private. He is our refuge. He is our salvation. He is our hope of renewal.

As Jesus graciously prepared his disciples for his departure back to the Father after his soon-to-be death and resurrection, he knew they would be perplexed until sometime later and that they would be pretty shaken in the meantime. They had formed a strong bond spending time together. Even with preparation, He knew they would be taken by surprise.

This is often the earthquake that our faith encounters. Jesus is very close to us. But, then we experience a great loss. Circumstances. Horrific news. No answers. Confusion. Heavenly peace that is severely threatened. Sudden happenings. Life.

Jesus promised the disciples that he would send them the Holy Spirit and provide the kind of supernatural peace that the world would never comprehend (John 14:25-27). He also promised this Counselor (Advocate) to all believers, then and now. What I want to pass on to my descendants is just this – Him alone. I want to see Jesus Christ reproduced in them through the Holy Spirit. I want them to have the peace that doesn’t make any sense except to believers. I want them to intimately know their Heavenly Father. I want them to pour out their hearts to the Father like the children they are – giving Him their tears, questions, frustration, exhaustion, and yes, angry railings.

I want young people to open God’s Word and see a real hope and future. Turn the audiovisual devices off. Turn the “divisive” off. Turn the whiners off. Turn the bad examples off. Let the Holy Spirit invade their thinking and their souls. Let reproduction be all about Jesus, in children and their children. In me. In you. I only want the children to say to their children, “He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God…(Psalm 62:6-7).”And mean it.

 

Psalm 37:1 starts with “Do not fret…”

Isaiah 44:8 says, “Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”

The image here is symbolic. It calls into mind great strength, support, and large presence. It calls into mind stability, impregnability, and might. Some years ago, I was standing in a hallway near my office when an earthquake actually happened (really shocking for the Hampton Roads area) and walls and floors actually moved. There was nothing substantial to hold onto. It passed, thankfully, and no one was hurt and no damage was observed. Maybe a crack or two in the sidewalks and parking lot. But, experiencing an earthquake will surely make you think. Where do we find safety?

Then there was that time when I tripped on a local side street and broke my arm. Wobbly shoes, uneven pavement, rushing, progressive lenses. A bad combination. I saw stars. I still feel that injury on rainy days. I learned to appreciate solid footing, supportive shoes, physical therapy and cautious steps. That injury surely made me think. Where do we find safety?

Then there is life in general. Pretty unsafe, I’d agree. Many are over-distracted with home security, car security, school security, retirement security, health security… You name it. Where do we find safety? Jesus Christ is the Rock of our faith, but we often like to back up our fragile faith with dependence on other security measures. We build our protective fences, thinking we have a measure of control. We get paralyzed by worry and may forget the strong foundation that Jesus provides. Walking by sight instead of faith leads us to make fear-based decisions. This leads us away from God’s truth.

Yet our Savior is always present to provide firm eternal footing. The only basis for security is the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Jeremiah 10:12 says that God founded the world by His exquisite power and wisdom and understanding. Then, He sent His Son to be the surpassing, rock strong foundation of our faith. Because of Him, we are spiritually safe.

Let me backpedal. Practical plans to ensure the physical and financial protection of our families have an appropriate place in earthly life. But, God says that we have no need to tremble and no need to be afraid. If we are the Lord’s witnesses and if heaven is our eternal home, then we give our tears, cares and fears to him. He is our Rock.

Here’s where we land in faith. From the familiar hymn by Edward Mote, we pledge, “On Christ the solid Rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.” I am a witness. It’s true. There is no other Rock.

 

Psalm 37:7 “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him…”

I’m not going anywhere today. I can’t. The new fallen snow, though beautiful, boxes me in at the very back of a heavily wooded neighborhood. Ugh!

However, having unhurried time, no places to be in particular, and no deadlines that won’t be moved due to inclement weather… Well, there’s a real silver lining in this predicament. Stillness. Patient waiting. Radical. Though costly in a consumer world, though foreign in a distracted world, though unplugged in a techno-world. It is quiet in God’s world today. Snow is a beautiful reminder of the wonder of stillness. Stillness before the Lord.

Hebrews 11:7 says, “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.” Noah was a true hero. In stillness, he was able to hear from the Lord. In patience, he was able to build and build and build for over 100 years and endure whatever ridicule went along with it. He heroically, but soberly served the Lord. And it was costly.

Arthur Ashe once said, “True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.” Sometimes serving the Lord involves being still. Sometime serving others involves being still. Sometimes it involves waiting patiently.

Today is a good day to be still. A good day to wait patiently on the Lord. A good day to be grateful for real heroes. My hero husband has already knocked the snow off my car – because he knows how my mind works (I don’t usually want to be still)… I am very grateful that he knows me so well.

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” So, I’m at a standstill today, but glad for it. Grateful today for my Holy Hero – Jesus Christ. Thanking Him for the beautiful snow that commands stillness and reminds me of Him.

I’m not going anywhere today. I can’t. I’m going to be still and wait.

Photo Credit: Kim Clayton Lance

Psalm 37:11 says, “But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.” The meek. The quiet. The gentle. The obedient. 2 Corinthians 13:11 says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.” The humble. The yielding. The submissive. 1 John 3:16 says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”

I was driving my dad to a doctor’s appointment a few days ago and we were reflecting on the convoluted pathway to making things right between two estranged people or entities. Together we have 140+ years between us and similar thoughts about what step one looks like. It is tiny. It is timid. It might backfire. But it is possible. Only possible because of God’s grace and mercy. The kind of grace and mercy that removed the spiritual blinders of our hearts and revealed the power of redemption through Jesus Christ, to me and to my dad.

So here’s the thing. One courageous text, one courageous phone call, one contact, one gesture, one meeting – can be a good step one. Many “start overs” can be involved. Not like a New Year’s resolution, but an honest attempt to lay down our lives again and again. Pain is required. Dr. Henry Cloud, in his book Necessary Endings, says that pain is supposed to move us to do something. Step one. That something should reflect hopefulness. That something should encourage forgiveness, but not be confused with reconciliation, because the two things are different.

We can be whole even if reconciliation with a brother doesn’t happen. It takes only one to forgive, but two to reconcile. Reconciliation between humans is the dream, but forgiveness by the one is a wonderful step one. Step one gives you peace and it doesn’t hinge on the other one. And real peace comes from the One Who literally gave His life so that we could be reconciled with the Father. Through the Power of One (Jesus) – the One Who opened our spiritual eyes to know Him as the Loving Reconciler of our broken relationship with God, we have the only reconciliation that really matters.

But don’t stop trying. Take step one. Release the thing that someone owes you. The apology, the correct version of the truth, the acknowledgement of responsibility, the return of property, damage-fixing, comfortable togetherness, kindness, love, respect… Forgiveness doesn’t require a response from the other party. Step one. Endure the hurt and give God the opportunity to manifest the life of Jesus in your reaching out. Release your expectations. Except – always have the expectation that Jesus is continually at work doing His Father’s redemptive work. Always have the hope that reconciliation may occur through the Power of One – Savior. Always believe that forgiveness may lead to reconciliation.

Step one. Chase away the fog of brokenness. Attempt to mend fences. The meek are gentle while obedient. Colossians 3:13-14 says, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”