Why were the people impressed by Jesus' words? "Because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law." (Matthew 7:29) What does that mean? What is the connection between 'divine nutrition' and speaking with authority?

If I am not impressed by a person's position, by his authority, by his power I won't be impressed by his words or promises. Who heeds or pays attention to a person who does not know the future and has no power to carry out his or her promises? Our response to words addressed to us is often very different depending upon who we believe it is that is addressing us. For instance, it makes a great deal of difference to us whether the words that are addressed to us are those of our boss, those of a co-worker; those of an elementary school son or daughter; those of our parents; those of the president or the king. If someone says to me 'I give you eternal life' what does that mean to me if he has no power to carry out those words? If someone says to me, 'I will not treat you according to your iniquities' or he says, "your sins are forgiven" what does that mean to me if he has no power to carry out those words? How we react to the words of a speaker depends upon who we believe the speaker to be. It makes all the difference to know whether the speaker speaks with authority.

The Bible makes it very clear how important, indeed vital, it is to recognize who Jesus was/is. "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." (John 8:24) Without recognition of who is speaking it is impossible to discern the significance of the speaker's words and to respond to them appropriately. The Bible itself makes this point--"Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)

Words spoken with the authority of God are words to feed on. That is the meaning of 'divine nutrition'.

The first part of this meditation deals with the question, What does it mean that 'Jesus spoke with authority? What does it mean that the statements in the Bible are divine? The second part of the meditation looks at a way believers should be feeding on 'divine nutrition'.

What does it mean that the 'nutrition' is divine and what is the connection with words spoken with authority? Let's develop the thought.

A few examples from the New Testament illustrate the meaning of Jesus teaching or speaking with 'authority' ('exousia'). "In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice,  'Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!'. 'Be quiet!' Jesus said sternly. 'Come out of him!' Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him." (Luke 4:33-35)

What was the reaction of the people in the synogogue? "All the people were amazed and said to each other, "What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!" (Luke 4:36)

Another vivid example occurred when Jesus was crossing the Lake of Galilee with his disciples. A storm of such violence came up that the disciples woke Jesus and told him they thought they were going to drown. Jesus said to them, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" What did Jesus do? "He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm." What was the disciples reaction? "The men were amazed and asked, 'What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!'" (Matthew 8:26,27)

What does it mean to speak with authority? Often it means that the speaker's words, the very speaking of them brings events to pass, accomplishes or fulfills what the words declare. [Psalm 33:8-9] At other times they definitively declare what does or will happen in God's world.

The reaction of the people who witnessed Christ's miracles sums it up--Because they saw what Jesus did, because they saw what Jesus was able to do--by just speaking--they were amazed/astonished.

'exousia'

Looking at the way a single Greek word ('exousia') is used goes a long way in revealing the meaning of speaking with 'authority'.

Immersing myself in God's word brings me within the 'hearing' of many more of God's words that tell me why I should not ignore him who speaks with authority.

While in English many different words having to do with 'authority' or 'power' appear (in many translations including the NIV) a single Greek word 'exousia' underlies a great many of them. That a single Greek word underlies many different English words in different contexts brings to our attention the fact that the meanings of the term are often similar or overlapping as if each usage were a different facet of a single diamond.

Each of these facets reminds me of what it means for someone to be speaking with authority. It also shouts at me why I should pay the utmost attention to the words of God, the Creator, the Judge, and the Redeemer.

The term 'exousia' appears 93 times in the Greek that underlies the NIV translation of the New Testament. But to bring out the different shades of meaning in the particular contexts where the term occurs the translators employed many different English words such as 'authority' (50x) 'power' (11x) 'right' (9x) and all other uses (28x)

First let's look at some of the verses in which the English term 'power' appears as the translation.

• "Keeping a close watch on [Jesus], they [the teachers of the law and the chief priests] sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor." (Luke 20:20)

• When Jesus was being questioned by the Roman governor after he had been arrested and Jesus would not answer him, the governor said to him, "Do you refuse to speak to me?... Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" (John 19:10)
  

The term 'power' appears in the apostle Paul's statement that describes the mission or assignment that God had given him. God said to Saul/Paul, "I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.' (Acts 26:17-18) Deliverance from the power of Satan is set forth in the Bible as what salvation is all about.

• "Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them." (Revelation 20:6)

Though the English term 'power' does not occur in the following two verses the idea of 'power' does. Where the terms 'dominion' and 'jurisdiction' appear in English they are translating that same word 'exousia'. "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:13-14) The second verse where 'exousia' appears in the Greek also illustrates the above quoted phrase 'the dominion of darkness'--"When he learned that Jesus was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time." (Luke 23:7) Here we come back to the idea of being under the power, the control of somebody. A shade of meaning which is very close to that of 'having power over' is that of 'having control of'.

A verse which describes the behavior of individuals in the early church when, in general there was widespread sharing of possessions, brings out this shade of meaning which 'exousia' has. The Bible records that one individual (Ananias) sold his property but did not bring all the proceeds as he alleged to the apostles. This is how the apostle Peter replied to this individual. "Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." (Acts 5:4)

• In the apostle Paul's discussion of whether it is right for a man to marry or remain unmarried, says, "But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin--this man also does the right thing."         (1 Corinthians 7:37)

• In the last book of the Bible  unrepentant sinners are seen cursing God because of his role in their suffering--"They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him." (Revelation 16:9)
  

Oh, how the many meanings of the term 'exousia' intertwine and overlap. Each of the meanings of 'exousia' communicates the message that I should be humbled and comforted by him whose every word is spoken with 'exousia'--authority and power.

Perhaps the verses that make this point most vividly are the verses which record Jesus' instruction to his disciples about whom they should fear or whose power and authority they should be concerned about. He said to them,  "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him." (Luke 12:4-5)  And who is that?  God.

'Authority'

But most often it is the English term 'authority' that is used to convey the meaning of the Greek 'exousia'. When the Greek term is translated as 'authority' the meaning often (but not always) overlaps that of 'power' as when we think of a person who has the authority or power to write checks for a household or company.

On one occasion when many of the leaders of the Jewish religious establishment witnessed a miracle of Jesus they were thinking (as Jesus knew) that only God could forgive sins. One of the purposes of Jesus' miracles was to make a point, that is, to show who Jesus was. He said this: "But that you may know that the Son of Man (Jesus designation of himself) has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . He said to the paralyzed man, 'I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.'" (Luke 5:24)

• "He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness." (Matthew 10:1)

• "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you." (Luke 10:19)

What was the temptation that Satan words put before Jesus in the wilderness? "The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, 'I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.  So if you worship me, it will all be yours.'" (Luke 4:5-7)

• "Then Jesus came to them [his disciples] and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." (Matthew 28:18)

• "For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him." (John 17:2)
  

Why were the people impressed by Jesus' words? "Because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law." (Matthew 7:29)

As in English, another word that often expresses the meaning of 'exousia' is the word 'right', as when we speak of a person who has the right to write checks for the household or company.

• "Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?" (Romans 9:21)

• "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city." (Revelation 22:14)

• In a discussion of the practices of other apostles the apostle Paul asked the rhetorical question--"Don't we have the right to food and drink?  Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas?" (1 Corinthians 9:4,5)

• In the parable of the 'Workers in the Vineyard' the landlord who hired and paid off  the day laborers asks the rhetorical question--"Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money?" (Matthew 20:15)

• A very familiar verse in which the term 'exousia' is translated as 'right' is John 1:12--"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."
  

In (28) other contexts English terms other than 'authority' 'power' or 'right' are used to translate the Greek word and bring out other meanings or nuances.

Greek terms have as many different shades of meaning the same way many English words do. Take the English word 'power'. Webster's College Thesaurus categorizes different uses of the word--
--as in power of speech--faculty, capability, capacity, aptitude, talent, skill, qualification, property, quality

--as in physical power --strength, force, might, potency, energy

--as in the power to fire an employee--right, authority, prerogative, license

Other terms or phrases that bring out the thread of meaning that runs through the translations of the single Greek term 'exousia' are 'in charge', 'ability', 'reign'.

(An aside on the practice of translations--Since in different contexts different shades of meaning of the word 'exousia' or 'power' may be better expressed by various English terms it is only to be expected that in the many different contexts in which a single Greek term is used in the Bible different translators will choose different English words to express the particular shade of meaning that the translator(s) believes the Greek term in that particular context emphasizes.)

The matter of 'speaking with authority' can be approached from another vantage point, a vantage point that is even more powerful than that of the word study that reveals the many overlapping and intertwining meanings of authority, power, right, etc.

This vantage point is what the Bible says about the identity of the speaker--which in this case is God, God the Son. As already mentioned, the Bible makes it very clear how important, indeed vital, it is to recognize who Jesus was/is. "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." (John 8:24)

Without recognition of who is speaking it is impossible to discern the significance of the speaker's words and to respond to them appropriately. How does the Bible put the matter--"Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)

How are we to respond to God?--"with reverence and awe,  for our "God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:28,29)

Who The Speaker Was

Now let's dwell on what 'gives' Jesus the authority to bring things into being or bring events to pass in nature or history through the words he speaks.

Over and over again the Bible states who the one who speaks with authority is. Let the authoritative statements of God about himself ring in your ears; gaze on them; contemplate them. Who is the one who spoke and speaks with all authority? The Bible says this about him ...

• "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him." (Colossians 1:16)

• And this--"The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." (Hebrews 1:3)

• And this--[Jesus is the one] "who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him." (1 Peter 3:22)

• And this--"For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority." (Colossians 2:9-10)

• And this--"When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, 'Who then can be saved?' Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" (Matthew 19:25-26)

And God is the one speaking the words in the Bible! "Does not the potter have the right (the same Greek word that is used for power or authority) to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?" (Romans 9:21)

What other response than humility, awe and trembling is appropriate when in God's presence, when we hear him saying, "In him [in Christ] we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will." (Ephesians 1:11)

• In the gospel according to John we hear Jesus' prayer to the Father in heaven--"For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him." (John 17:2)
  
  And this-- "Then Jesus came to them [his disciples] and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.'" (Matthew 28:18) No wonder God is the one to fear and to heed. No wonder his words are words that carry all authority!
  

What does it mean that Jesus spoke with 'authority' or 'power'? Sometimes it meant that his words brought to pass what his words declared. Because of who he was Jesus had the power to perform miracles as we have already seen. "Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them." (Matthew 4:23-24)

The Evidence of Miracles

How did Jesus reply to the messengers of John the Baptist who came with the question, 'Are you the promised one or should we look for another'. Jesus pointed to his deeds, his miracles, which were the very miracles which God said in the Old Testament that the coming savior one would work (Isaiah 35:4-6)  "When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor." (Matthew 11:2-5) The earth-bound miracles Jesus was doing was the proof of who Jesus was.

Why did Jesus tell the paralyzed man who was placed before him on a 'stretcher' to "get up and go home"? To show the people present (who believed what the Old Testament taught--that only God could forgive sins) that by bringing about a miraculous healing of a paralyzed man (an earth-bound miracle) that Jesus was God, that he had that 'exousia', that authority/power to perform the 'eternal' miracle--to forgive sins. Saying that 'your sins are forgiven' is another way of saying to the forgiven one 'you will never be subject to the punishment of eternal death for sins).

That I (and anybody else whose eyes have been opened by God) might know that He is the one who has the authority, the power to carry out his words Jesus performed miracles--"The Jews gathered around him, saying, 'How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.' Jesus answered, 'I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you [the people Jesus was speaking to] do not believe because you are not my sheep.'" (John 10:24-26)

God's word tells us that "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.  But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:30-31)  Miracles were not just acts of genuine compassion, they were pointers with a purpose.

If Jesus was not who he claimed to be I would still be guilty of sin and liable to the eternal death penalty. How did Jesus put the question? "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." (John 8:24)

How important it is to recognize whose words are found in the Bible. Over and over again the Bible states who the one who speaks with authority  is.

In part I we looked at the meaning of the idea that Jesus 'spoke with authority', that is, the speaker's words, the very speaking of them brings events to pass, accomplishes what the words declare [Psalm 33:8-9] or definitively declares what does or will happen in God's world. (e.g. John 8:24; Romans 8:6-7; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 Peter 3:11, 13)

What is 'divine nutrition'? It is a record of God's acts and words spoken with all authority.

In part II we are looking at a way in which we need to be benefiting from 'divine nutrition'. What way is that? Feeding on his word, on 'divine nutrition'. While every word of God is authoritative and to be heeded, in Pt II of this meditation the focus is on the way God says that the position of the genuine believer is unique--how their position is secure because of what God has done and will do. What verses of 'divine nutrition' are more designed to bring to us that "peace of God, which transcends all understanding" (Philippians 4:7), the peace that believers should be experiencing in this world of trouble (John 16:33) than these verses?

Let's try such a feeding... Let's try gazing at a few of God's many, many declarations while remembering that each statement is an expression of our Creator God's awesome authority. Let's try gazing at a few of God's many, many declarations while holding onto the certain knowledge that they 'contain' godly treasures or godly 'vitamins'. Don't rush through his words. Dwell on them. Feed on them by keeping each thought in mind until all the Christian 'nutrients' have soaked into us, until they have been digested and become part of us.

God's authoritative word tells me, "Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." (James 2:10) It tells me that "there is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins." (Ecclesiastes 7:20; See also Romans 3:10,12; 1 John 1:8,10; Psalm 130:3) "The Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin." (Galatians 3:22) I can certainly identify with such statements. I often feel, ''I am just not good enough'!" And God's penalty for spurning and transgressing his standards of behavior is not just a 'slap on the wrist'. It is death. (Romans 6:23)  But there is a 'but', a big one.

God's authority/power/right is not circumscribed by the power of sin in me or in the world as other verses in God's word make clear. He does not leave everybody under the power of sin. What does the Bible say to me-- "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world ... Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:1-3,4-6)

His care for his children is not overcome or nullified by my sinfulness. "What the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature [which we all have], God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering." (Romans 8:3) "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification." (Romans 4:25) The actions of God for the benefit of believers spoken of here were completed in the past. The tense is past.

When I am keenly conscious of sin in my behavior I need to feed on God's 'divine nutrition'; I need to remember this--that God's authoritative word records God's actions and their results. That record says, "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;  as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:10-12) I must remember " that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ...." (Galatians 2:16) God's word also says, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.'" (Galatians 3:13)

The Bible also says, "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1) Why not? Why is there no condemnation for those who are in Jesus? Because as God's authoritative record of his own actions says, "he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed....the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 3:5,6; see also 1 Peter 3:18) In the New Testament God's word says it this way: "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed." (1 Peter 2:24) In another place in His word it says, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Who am I to spend all my time noting my very real 'inadequacies' and concluding that they inhibit God, that they prevent God from carrying out his purposes for his people? (What an incredible thought--to think my sins have the power ('exousia') to render God's mercy ineffectual for me in that they put me outside of the purpose and care of God.) The Bible says, "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) It says, "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32) "Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." (Romans 8:33-34) The apostle Paul expresses the outlook or vision of the Christian's faith, saying, "I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)

The message of the Gospel is not that God rewards people with forgiveness and eternal life only on the condition that he or she behaves perfectly. The message of the Gospel is (in the very words of Jesus)-- "whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." (John 5:24) Or, to use other biblical language, "He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves." (Colossians 1:13) Remember the verbs describing God's actions on behalf of believers are in the past tense.

Has any believer the right to doubt the awesome supremacy of God's purposes for his adopted children? The apostle Paul reminds the believers in the church at Philippi that "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6). In the book of Hebrews we hear God's statement--"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5) "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it." (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24) In the book of Jude we hear God being praised because of what he is able to do-- "To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy--to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." (Jude 1:24-25)

The apostle Peter expresses this truth in these words--"In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5)

Thank God (as the hymn puts it) 'God's grace is greater than all my sin.' It is God himself who has delivered us from his own just wrath against individuals who have spurned and transgressed his will. He did this by the sacrifice of his Son (Colossians 1:22; Galatians 1:4; Romans 3:25; 8:3). Without God's action, without his rescue operation, I would still be in the position of having to pay for my every transgression of his holy standard. (Colossians 1:12) It is the actions of God that I rest on. It is the actions of God that I am grateful for. "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him." (Romans 4:7-8; quoting Psalm 32:1-2)

My record of sins and my failure to live up to God's standards does not negate God's purposes for everyone who believes in him. What did Jesus say --"And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.  For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:39-40) Not only will everyone of them that God the Father gave to his Son not be lost, but everyone of them will appear before God in perfect condition, in the condition of being holy and blameless. Ephesians 1:4; Jude 1:24; Romans 8:29)

The words that record this truth were spoken with all authority. Jesus said, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." (John 10:27-30)

What I am glad for? That the 'person' who stated 'he does not treat us as our sins deserve' (Psalm 103:10), who stated 'your sins are forgiven' (Matthew 9:2,5), who stated 'I give you eternal life' (John 10:28; 17:2) etc. spoke these words with all authority. They were not spoken by a president or a king; they were spoken by my God. 

How good it is to feed on God's completely true statements daily as we feed our bodies daily....

 

(If you appreciate what you read here please tell your friends about this URL and sign my guest book on the homepage. Also, if, as you read any of the meditations, you feel you know of a situation that beautifully illustrates any of the points made I would be delighted to learn of it. I might incorporate it.)    mailto:camppp21355@comcast.net

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