It’s week three of radiation treatment – time to be thankful – Psalm 23

Yesterday, I began the third week of my radiation treatment for prostate cancer. As I was laying in the tomography machine, the 23rd Psalm began to go through my mind. It was very comforting. Peaceful. Reassuring. And yes, that is the Psalm with the valley of the shadow of death. The Psalm that reminds us of what we have to be thankful for.

It's week three of radiation treatment - time to be thankful - Psalm 23 is article #19 in the series: Do not waste your cancer. Click button to view titles for entire series

Yes, what I just said is all true.

My sister told me one time that she doesn’t need God. That religion is good for me if it brings comfort. But she doesn’t need it.

That was an odd thing for her to say. Why? Because even as she and her husband insist they don’t need religion, his parents were afraid of dying and wondering what comes next.

Maybe you noticed one part of the problem for them. If you need a hint, think about the title of this site: God versus religion.

It’s not necessarily “religion” that we need. It’s God that we need. In many ways, religion has turned into “God” created in man’s image. But isn’t it supposed to be us created in God’s image?

So, in a very real way, I can see the problem with “religion”, if it’s thought of as man’s rules about God. And then that leads to concerns at the end of our lives. For some, it also leads to concern during our lives, even in the prime of life, when something bad happens. Finding comfort in “friends” that never met because all they do is play multi-user games over the internet isn’t comfort at all. It’s a false sense of “comfort”. Maybe even flat-out denial.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the 23rd Psalm, and how/why it is so comforting. Even while being hit with radiation to kill cancer cells.

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

Ps 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

Ps 23:2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

Ps 23:3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.

Ps 23:4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

Ps 23:5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Ps 23:6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

Now that you’ve read it, maybe you remember this is used at funerals. And you think, isn’t that kind of depressing, using a funeral Psalm to write about something that’s supposed to be curing me? No, it’s not depressing. Not at all. Let’s go through it and see why not.

God is taking care of me, and will continue to do so – time to be thankful

Ps 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

Right away, we must make a decision. Is a shepherd leading the sheep to slaughter? Or is the shepherd protecting the sheep from danger?

Remember, when it’s us as the sheep and Jesus as the shepherd, the difference between being led to slaughter or protected from danger are polar opposites. Not just life and death, but eternal life versus eternal death. Heaven or Hell.

Jesus told us as much, very clearly, in the passage below.

The Shepherd and His Flock

Jn 10:1 “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.

Jn 10:7 Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Jn 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

Jn 10:14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Jesus is the shepherd who wants to lead His flock through the dangers of this world, protect us from the evil one, give us a fulfilling life now, and eternal life with Him forever after that.

On the other hand, Satan is the evil one, the thief, who wants to keep us from having the life Jesus offers us. That’s both in this life and in the next. Satan’s goal is that we have an unfilled life here on earth, where we’re afraid, unsure, and have no promise or even hope for our future in the next life.

Please notice, no hope also includes those like my sister’s in-laws who worry about their situation, but also for my sister and her husband who have no hope because they refuse to think far enough ahead to have any aspirations for hope for an unconsidered future.

As for me, I want Jesus, the Shepherd, who will let me know when I’m getting off the path of life that’s most fulfilling here on earth and that will lead to eternity with Him later.

Jesus and the Holy Spirit guide me – time to be thankful

Ps 23:2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

OK, we probably won’t literally lie down in green pastures and walk along quiet waters. But that isn’t the intent of what David wrote anyway. Rather, they are symbolic.

green pastures—or, “pastures of tender grass,” are mentioned, not in respect to food, but as places of cool and refreshing rest.

the still waters—are, literally, “waters of “stillness,” whose quiet flow invites to repose. They are contrasted with boisterous streams on the one hand, and stagnant, offensive pools on the other.  ¹Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 354). Logos Research Systems, Inc.

This is the kind of path Jesus will lead us on. That’s as opposed to Satan, where there will be mountains, winding paths, and rough waters. All those things represented danger and evil in the Bible.

And yes, green pastures and still waters are present with Jesus, even during cancer treatment.

I didn’t lie down in a real green pasture, but in a tomography machine. A machine that uses potentially dangerous radiation to treat my prostate cancer. And yet, with Jesus, one I can lie in calmly and give thanks to Him for being with me.

That’s signified in the “still waters” I felt, even during the treatment. Calm. Peace. Protection. Love. All from my creator.

Jesus keeps me on the path – time to be thankful

Ps 23:3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.

Yes, there is a path. A path that most won’t find. But we can find it with Jesus. He told us that in the passage below.

The Narrow and Wide Gates – Matthew

Mt 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Destruction is where the thief, Satan, will take us.

In my case with radiation treatment, the difference is stark.

Five days a week, for eight weeks, I’ll take the path from my house to the hospital. And then from the parking lot to the radiation oncology area. And then from the waiting room to the treatment room.

Then the treatment is over, I reverse that path to return home.

Normally, for me, that would be so depressing.

I am not afraid, because Jesus is with me – time to be thankful

Ps 23:4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;

Without Jesus, that path would be filled with anxiety, fear, and depression. But it’s not. So you see, the path isn’t physical. I would take the exact same physical route/path, every day, with or without Jesus. The difference is whether or not I fear taking that path.

For those of you who have read much other stuff here, you know that I’m more likely to walk the path of anxiety and depression. Yes, even as a Christian. It’s a physical issue. Chemical imbalance. But with the strength from Jesus/ the Holy Spirit, I am walking this path without anxiety, fear, or depression.

No, it’s not literally the valley of the shadow of death. Even though, in my case, and with everyone with cancer or other diseases, it could be death, I’m not talking about physical death here. Rather, I’m talking about spiritual death.

If we don’t have a good foundation of faith in Jesus, things like this can turn us away from God. That’s the spiritual death I’m talking about.

At the risk of making this too long, I want to take you back to the Old Testament to look at a foundation. The foundation of Solomon’s Temple, built for God. And then, the building of the Temple. Finally, God filling the Temple.

But first, consider the following, where we see that as Christians, we are now the Temple of God. Here’s the passage where Paul wrote about building the foundation on Christ, and how we are now the Temple. Especially, check out the underlined verses.

On Divisions in the Church

1Co 3:1 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men?

1Co 3:5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

1Co 3:10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

1Co 3:16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

1Co 3:18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; 20 and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” 21 So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

I’m not going to include all the passages from the Old Testament. It’s far too long. However, I invite you to check them out using the links below. Then, we’ll get into a short summary of each chapter.

How does the building of Solomon’s Temple apply to us today, as Christians?

Now that you have the chapters, the headings assigned to each chapter in the NIV translation, and maybe(/) read them, here’s what to consider, at the highest level. Of course, if you read any of the chapters, you can dig deeper into how they apply to us today.

CHAPTER FIVE

Contents: Preparation for building the temple.
Characters: God, Solomon, Hiram.
Conclusion: Satan does all he can to hinder the work of God’s temple; but when he is withheld for a time, we should be extra zealous in that which is good that we might carry it forward to completion. (Acts 9:31).
Key Word: Temple, v. 5.
Strong Verses: 5, 17.
Striking Facts: v. 17. The costly stones speak of Christ who was laid for the foundation of the spiritual temple, an elect and precious stone.

The key verses:

1Ki 5:3 “You know that because of the wars waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build a temple for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD put his enemies under his feet. 4 But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster. 5 I intend, therefore, to build a temple for the Name of the LORD my God, as the LORD told my father David, when he said, ‘Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my Name.’

Yes, Satan, the thief, will do everything possible to prevent us from following Jesus. To take away everything we’re offered. And to leave us with no hope and no future.

17 At the king’s command they removed from the quarry large blocks of quality stone to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple.

This is one place where we see the stones as representing Jesus. The sold foundation. The only way we can stay with Jesus, allow Him to help keep us on the path, and to have the life and the future He offers us, is to have our foundation solidly built on God’s Words (the Bible) and on His Word (Jesus – see John 1:1).

CHAPTER SIX

Contents: Work on the temple begun. Dimensions and materials.
Characters: God, Solomon.
Conclusion: We should not mistake noise and notoriety for spiritual progress (v. 7). Quietness and order both become and befriend the carrying on of spiritual work.
Key Word: Finished, v. 14.
Strong Verses: 12.
Striking Facts: Christ is the true Temple (Jn. 2:21). God Himself prepared Him (Eph. 1:4; Heb. 10:5). In Him all God’s spiritual children meet and through Him have access to God.

The key verses:

1Ki 6:7 In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.

God’s Word is God’s Word, whether we’re talking about the Bible or about Jesus. We shouldn’t change it. As mentioned earlier, He created us in His image – not the other way around.

1Ki 6:11 The word of the LORD came to Solomon: 12 “As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, carry out my regulations and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. 13 And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.”

Verse 7 shows that we should not change God. This one shows that, by the same token, we must know and follow everything Jesus taught, exampled, and commanded us. Christianity is not a case of God loves us and will save us no matter what we do, say, or think.

No. Christianity is about God loves us too much to leave us where we are. We have the free will to accept or reject Jesus’ offer of salvation. If we accept it, we demonstrate our acceptance with our actions. Acceptance and faith come first, ten actions follow from there. However, if we refuse the offer, we are not saved.

1Ki 6:14 So Solomon built the temple and completed it.

Just as Solomon began building the temple with a foundation of rock, and then completed it, we must do the same. We must learn about Jesus. Have faith in Him. Trust Him. Build our faith on who Jesus really is and what He has for us. Then, and only then, can we follow the path He has for us.

We don’t just say some words and become fully grown Christians.

Jesus, the shepherd, wants us to choose Him and to follow Him.
Satan, the thief, wants us to reject Jesus.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Contents: Work on the temple and Solomon’s house.
Characters: God, Solomon, Hiram.
Conclusion: God who is best should be served and honored with our best.
Key Word: Work ended, v. 51.
Strong Verses: 51.
Striking Facts: The temple is not only a type of Christ but of the believer who is also spoken of as a temple, or habitation of God. (1 Cor. 3:16–17; 6:19). It should be as beautiful as the Holy Spirit can make it, therefore we should be yielded to His master strokes.

The key verse:

1Ki 7:51 When all the work King Solomon had done for the temple of the LORD was finished, he brought in the things his father David had dedicated—the silver and gold and the furnishings—and he placed them in the treasuries of the LORD’S temple.

Let’s look at the letter to the church in Laodicea, in Revelation, to see what Jesus said about gold and fire.

To the Church in Laodicea

Rev 3:14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

Rev 3:19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

Rev 3:21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

This is a church that had no good news about its members. Jesus was prepared to spit them out of His mouth. He urged them to buy from me gold refined in the fire. That brings to mind Paul’s earlier words:

1Co 3:10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.

All of this shows the care we need to take in laying our foundation of Jesus. And the care we need to take in following Him. It’s not just some words. It’s not easy either. It’s only with the strength we gain from The Holy Spirit that we’re able to stand firm against the thief Satan.

A shepherd’s rod and staff are comforting?

your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

Really? This is probably the most difficult part of the parable to come to grips with for many people. But, yes, really, a shepherd’s rod and staff are comforting.

How can that be? well, let’s look at the purpose of a shepherd’s rod and staff. And also, at The Shepherd’s rod and staff.

The rod.

The shepherd uses the rod to keep attackers away. To protect the sheep from wolves and other animals that prey on them.

The Shepherd, Jesus, uses the rod to keep us safe from our accuser. The thief. Satan. However, having said that, we must realize something. Check out the passage below to see what it is.

The Last Supper – Luke

…

Lk 22:31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Lk 22:33 But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”

Lk 22:34 Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

…

Notice, Satan asked God for permission to, as it were, sift Simon as wheat. A very strong and painful trial for Peter. At the end of the segment we see what it was. Permission was granted. But look what Jesus prayed for. It wasn’t that Simon not have to go through the event. No, Jesus told Simon His prayer was, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.

We will go through these things as well.

It seems that, right now, one of mine is cancer. But think about that prayer. Jesus has already defeated Satan. Jesus’ prayer is much more powerful than Satan. And even though my own strength cannot protect me from Satan, Jesus’ rod can, and is, protecting me.

The staff.

The shepherd’s staff is used to rescue the sheep when they need to be saved from something. It can be used to hook the sheep by the neck or a leg and bring them back to safety from whatever dangerous situation they stumbled into.

The Shepherd, Jesus, uses His staff for similar reasons. But there is a difference. The Holy Spirit will try to get our attention when we’re straying off that path we need to follow. But He’s not like the shepherd with a physical staff than can pick us up and move us. Instead, it’s what we call “the still small voice” that’s telling us to watch out, get back in the path, whatever’s appropriate. However, we are free to ignore Him.

It’s incredibly comforting to know that Jesus has that figurative rod and staff to both help protect us and keep us on the path. At least to the extent we allow Him to. If we choose to ignore Him, He will give some pretty strong indications, but He’s not going to force us to do anything.

An overflowing cup – time to give thanks

Ps 23:5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Honestly, I don’t see the importance of the table prepared so my enemies can watch. Not under the New Covenant. Especially since, hopefully, I pray for my enemies.

Having said that, I do give thanks for my overflowing cup. Much more so than I ever expected. I write quite a bit trying to address people who don’t know the truth about Jesus. Or who don’t know anything about Him. And trying to explain what The Bible really says, given its context, language and people at that time. We have such a watered down version of Christianity these days.

It’s sad. And worrisome. I can’t help but wonder, how much of the full life Jesus offers to us are we missing because we just don’t understand what’s possible.

The rest of my life – time to be thankful

Ps 23:6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

I can’t speak to all the days of my life. I did eventually find the path. I’m doing better at staying on it. But, I also know full well that this is a journey. A journey that will last for however long the rest of my life is. That may or may not be all that much longer, here in this life. But I pray it will be forever in the next life.

Conclusion – It’s week three of radiation treatment – time to be thankful – Psalm 23

Well, that’s a whole lot longer than I expected! But we’re not quite done. You may have noticed, there’s a chapter from 1 Kings we haven’t looked at yet.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Contents: Ark brought in; Skekinah glory fills the temple. Solomon’s sermon.
Characters: God, Solomon.
Conclusion: All cost and pains are lost on stately structures unless God has been in the work, and if He fails to manifest His glory in them, they are after all but a ruinous heap. A temple without the ark and the glory are like a candlestick without a candle.
Key Word: Dedicated (filled with glory) v. 11.
Strong Verses: 10, 27, 57, 58, 61.
Striking Facts: It is a great thing when a nation’s ruler can be led of the Spirit in prayer and when he realizes that all answer to prayer is only on the ground of the shed blood of Christ. vv. 22, 62. (Heb. 9:22; 10:19–20).  ²Brooks, K. (2009). Summarized Bible: Complete Summary of the Old Testament (p. 71). Logos Bible Software.

There are several key verses listed, but I chose just this one verse:

1Ki 8:10 When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. 11 And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple.

When we’re baptized, when we accept Jesus into our life and promise to have Him as our Lord and Savior, we are given the Holy Spirit of God. We become a temple of God. The glory of God is in us.

The question is, or at least one of the questions, what are we going to do as temples of God? Will we really love and try our best to follow Jesus? To be led by His Holy Spirit?

To get back to the original thought, beginning my third week of radiation treatment, all of what you just read is why I gave thanks to God while lying in that tomograph machine. It’s why I am thankful, even with Cancer. Even after surgery failed to remove all of the cancer cells. And even in the middle of having a radiation treatment.

How? Because I know, without a doubt, if it wasn’t for my faith in Jesus, I don’t know how I would’ve even gotten this far. Just the initial diagnosis, three and a half years ago, would have been devastating.

But now? I go to the hospital five days a week.

I talk to one of the crossing guards every time. He’s always so happy and friendly. And encouraging. And me, who’s normally so private, I enjoy our short conversations.

And there’s the receptionists in radiation oncology. So friendly. Helpful. And a pleasure to see each day.

Then there’s the team in the radiation room. All of them, but especially one in particular. The very private me really appreciates the friendliness. We’ve talked about my dog and her cat. And watching car chases on TV news. Plus, believe it or not, there’s fun. Like today. She always helps me get up after a relaxing session under the warm blanket in the machine. I think I may be the only one who likes it. Anyway, today, she just asked if I needed a hand. And then help up a little plastic cat’s paw. It was so funny.

When I first started going, I was always getting lost. Even looking a bit confused is enough for someone to stop and ask if you need help. Not grudgingly, but pleasantly. I’ve even had people walk e far enough to where I could see where I needed to go.

The point to all that is this: I know from experience that if I was depressed, I wouldn’t have noticed any of that. And on the off chance I did notice, I wouldn’t have cared. Plus, if I was my normal self, much of that probably never would’ve happened.

But now, I’ve grown to the point in my faith where I can actually go through this – even after more than three years and knowing that I can still find out sometime in the next five years that the cancer is back – I can go through this and thrive. Have fun. Hopefully bring some joy into the lives of the people I come across in the hospital.

Beyond that though, there’s Jesus’ words to Peter.

But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers

I know I can put my name in there in place of Peter, and that prayer is for me also. There are moments when I get down about this. But it’s only moments.

Writing this series is another part of why I can feel joy through all this. If anything can help anyone get through something similar in their own lives, or the life of a friend or family member, then I’ve helped strengthen someone.

If it’s someone I know, I hope I see you again, in Heaven. If it’s someone I don’t know, I hope to meet you in Heaven.

For now – it’s twelve down and twenty six to go.

I know – it’s pretty long. Thank you for reading this far. There’s just so much to say. So much to be thankful for. And so much of my cup running over that I want to share.

You know, someone told me I’d get tired of seeing the people at the hospital after a while. Not yet. It’s part of my day that I look forward to. That’s life to the full. The life Jesus promised.

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Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay

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Footnotes

• 1
  Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 354). Logos Research Systems, Inc.
• 2
  Brooks, K. (2009). Summarized Bible: Complete Summary of the Old Testament (p. 71). Logos Bible Software.