Jeremiah 33:10

 Jeremiah 33:10 says, Thus saith the LORD; Again there shall be heard in this place, which ye say shall be desolate without man and without beast, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man, and without inhabitant, and without beast,  God said that the land of Judah would be bare, but that it wouldn't stay that way. even if the people gave up hope of the land being occupied again, God gave them assurance that it would be.  No matter how bad things may seem, we as Christians need to keep our faith in God.  Verse eleven adds, The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.  God said that they would once again praise Him, because He would return them to the land.  God had given them the land to begin with, and they had only lost it due to a lack of faith.  If our life seems to be hopeless as followers of Christ, we need to simply return to Him in faith once again and we will find the joy of our salvation once more.  Verse twelve states, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Again in this place, which is desolate without man and without beast, and in all the cities thereof, shall be an habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down.  God said that the land would once again be full of shepherds who would tend their flocks in peace.  God did not promise a land of military might, but a land of shepherds filled with His peace.  Verse thirteen adds, In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the vale, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks pass again under the hands of him that telleth them, saith the LORD.  God said that the land would be filled with cities and people throughout.  The sheep would be under the authority of the shepherds, just as the people would be under the authority of God.  Verse fourteen says, Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.  God told Jeremiah and the people of Judah that the day was coming when He would restore them.  The day is coming when we as God's people will be called home to heaven, God's promised land for us.  Verse fifteen adds, In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.  God then gave the promise if the coming Messiah.  This is where the only hope of salvation lies.  Just as the people of Judah and Israel failed to live up to God's standards and therefore earned all the destruction that came to them, so does everyone at any time in history.  Yet, God provides a way of redemption through faith in Jesus Christ. Verse sixteen states, In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.  God said that Jerusalem and Judah would be saved, and that it would be done for glory of God.  We must always give God the glory in our lives if we are followers of Christ.  Verse seventeen adds,  For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel;  This was not a promise of a descendant of David being on the throne physically forever, but of the coming Messiah Who would be spiritually on the throne forever.  Verse eighteen continues, Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.  There would never be a lack of a Priest, but this was not an earthly priest, because they once again became corrupt, but a heavenly Priest, Jesus Christ, the Messiah.  He is still our Priest today, standing in our place before God if we put our faith in Him.

Jeremiah 33:1

 Jeremiah 33:1 says, Moreover the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying, God didn't quit speaking to Jeremiah while he was imprisoned, and if we were to find our self imprisoned for speaking God's word today, that does not mean that He will no longer be able to use us.  We cannot be locked away from God and His word to us.  Verse two declares, Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name;  Jeremiah once more identified the God Who spoke to him as the only true God.  We need o always remember Who God is.  He is the Creator of all things.  Verse three adds, Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.  Jeremiah said that God instructed him to call on Him and that He would show Jeremiah great and mighty things that Jeremiah did not know.  God will give to us an understanding of life that we cannot know without putting our faith in Him.  Verse four states, For thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are thrown down by the mounts, and by the sword;  God said that He was going to tell Jeremiah things about Jerusalem and Judah that he could not see, or know, on his own.  If we would have a true understanding of the world today, then we must look to God to give us that understanding, and not to the situation that we may find ourselves in.  Verse five adds, They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but it is to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have slain in mine anger and in my fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hid my face from this city.  God said that the people of Judah were going to fight against the Chaldeans, but that they were going to lose, because God was not with them because of their sin.  If we have sin in our life, especially if we claim that the sin is God's will, we will suffer defeat in the world today.  Verse six declares, Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.  God said that those who remained true to Him or returned to Him in repentance would be restored to the land that He had given them once more.  If we have strayed away into sin, God waits ready to restore us once more if we return to Him in faith.  As stated many times, if we are truly a born again believer in God, I do not believe that we will ever lose our salvation, but we can certainly lose the joy of our salvation and our effectiveness as servants of God.  Verse seven adds, And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first.  God said that He would return the people of Judah and Israel to the land and restore them once more.  We cannot defeat the sin of the world on our own today, but if we put our faith in God, He will keep us safe.  Verse eight continues, And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me.  God said that he would cleanse the people of Israel of all their iniquity and heal them.  Forgiveness of sin and restoration to a right relationship with God can come only from putting our faith in Him.  We cannot earn forgiveness by our own ability.  Verse nine concludes, And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it.  God said that He would be glorified by what He was going to do for the people of Judah, just as He should be glorified by our salvation today.

Jeremiah 32:34

Jeremiah 32:34 says, But they set their abominations in the house, which is called by my name, to defile it.  God continues to list the sins of the people of Judah, saying they set an abomination, or idols, in His house.  We need to be creful that we do not bring any kind of idol into the church today.  Verse thirty-five adds, And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.  They worshipped Baal, and allowed their daughters to be sacrificed to Molech, which God said He had prohibited them to do, and leading the people of Judah to sin.  If we are allowing idolatry into the church today, we may be guilty of leading others to sin.  Verse thirty-six declares, And now therefore thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city, whereof ye say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence;  Once more, God made it clear that the city of Jerusalem was going to be destroyed, and that this was the result of the sins of the people.  Verse thirty-seven adds, Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely:  God also gave His promise that the people of Judah, and Israel, would once again return to Jerusalem.  These would be the people who continued to put their faith in God, or returned to Him in faith.  Those who worshipped idols would not be restored. but would die in exile.  Verse thirty-eight states, And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:  Those restored to Jerusalem would be God's people in truth and not just in name, because He would really be their God.  It is not enough to just claim to be God's people, but we must truly accept Him by faith in Jesus Christ and live under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse thirty-nine adds, And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:  God said that He would unite the people in their obedience to Him for their good and the good of their children.  If we are followers of Christ, we must be united as His people and in obedience to Him.  Verse forty declares, And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.  This everlasting covenant came through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.  God said that when people accept this everlasting covenant that he would not turn away from them.  Verse forty-one adds, Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.  God said that those who returned, those who had remained faithful to Him, would be planted in the land that he had given them.  As followers of Christ, one day we are planted forever in the kingdom of God.  Verse forty-two states, For thus saith the LORD; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them.  Just as God was going to punish those who refused to be obedient to Him, and they were supposed to be His people, He was going to restore those who really were His people.  We have the choice today of either suffering everlasting punishment because we refuse to accept Christ as our Savior and Lord or having everlasting life with God because we do.  Verse forty-three adds, And fields shall be bought in this land, whereof ye say, It is desolate without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.  Then verse forty-four concludes, Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe evidences, and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south: for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the LORD.  God said that though the land was desolate that it would be restored once again.  The land would once more have value.  If we have not accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and lord our life is desolate, but if we accept Him then our life will be filled with the value that God intends for us to have.

Jeremiah 32:26

Jeremiah 32:26 says, Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,  Verse twenty-seven adds, Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?  Jeremiah said that the word of the LORD once again came to him, declaring that He was the God of all flesh and asking if anything was too hard for Him.  God is indeed the Creator of all flesh, and everything else, so we should never question His ability to meet all our needs if we pit our faith in Him.  Verse twenty-eight states, Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it:  God said that He was going to give the city of Jerusalem over to the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that he would take the city.  If we fail to remain faithful to God, then He may allow us to be defeated spiritually.  Verse twenty-nine adds, And the Chaldeans, that fight against this city, shall come and set fire on this city, and burn it with the houses, upon whose roofs they have offered incense unto Baal, and poured out drink offerings unto other gods, to provoke me to anger.  God said that the Chaldeans were going to burn Jerusalem to the ground because the people who were supposed to be His people had offered sacrifices to Baal there, and poured out offerings to other gods.  I believe that anything that we do that worships any thing other than God as followers of Christ will one day be burned away.  Verse thirty continues,  For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have only done evil before me from their youth: for the children of Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, saith the LORD.  God told Jeremiah that the people of Israel and the people of Judah had been rebellious against Him since they were a young nation.  Israel was singled out more than Judah, but it wasn't a comparison to justify Judah.  The Bible tells us that we have all sinned and that the only hope of salvation is to come to God through faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  It doesn't matter if we are better than someone else.  Verse thirty-one declares, For this city hath been to me as a provocation of mine anger and of my fury from the day that they built it even unto this day; that I should remove it from before my face,  God said that Jerusalem had been a provocation to Him since the day that was built, and that He was going to remove it from before His face.  We think of Jerusalem as the holy city of God, but God said this was not true.  We may think that we are building great works for God, but He may see them as something to destroy.  Verse thirty-two adds, Because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke me to anger, they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.  God said that the governmental and spiritual leaders and all the people of Israel and Judah and the people of Jerusalem had provoked His anger.  This would be all of those who were called His people.  As Christians, we need to make sure that our actions do not provoke the wrath of God.  Just claiming to be a child of God is not enough, but our actions must be consistent with His word.  Verse thirty-three concludes, And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction.  God said that He had taught the people of Israel and Judah His word from early on, but that they had turned their backs on Him.  They would not listen to His instruction.  God calls everyone to Himself through faith in Jesus Christ, but too many people of the world turn their back on His call.  We as followers of Christ should never be guilty of doing so.

Jeremiah 32:16

Jeremiah 32:16 says, Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the LORD, saying,  After Jeremiah had done as God instructed him to do, then he prayed to God again.  Once we have done what God tells us to do, we still need to pray to Him for guidance.  Verse seventeen states, Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:  Jeremiah began by acknowledging the greatness and power of God.  We need to acknowledge the same thing today.  Even as our heavenly Father, He is still the all powerful Creator of the universe.  Verse eighteen adds, Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name,  Jeremiah continued by acknowledging the lovingkindness of God, and His punishment of sin.  Verse nineteen continues, Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:  Jeremiah said that God's eye was on every individual, and that every person was judged individually by his or her own works.  This has always been and always will be the case.  Verse twenty declares, Which hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even unto this day, and in Israel, and among other men; and hast made thee a name, as at this day;  Jeremiah acknowledged what God had done in Egypt, all the signs and wonders He gave to the Pharaoh so that the people of Israel would be freed from bondage.  The sign and wonder that we need to behold today is the sign of Jesus Christ dying for our sins that by faith in Him we might be set free from the bondage of sin.  Verse twenty-one adds, And hast brought forth thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with great terror;  Jeremiah acknowledged the power of God that had been displayed in Egypt, and we should never forget the awesome power of God.  Verse twenty-two continues, And hast given them this land, which thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey;  Jeremiah said that God fulfilled His promise to the people of Israel when He gave them a land flowing with milk and honey.  Verse twenty-three states, And they came in, and possessed it; but they obeyed not thy voice, neither walked in thy law; they have done nothing of all that thou commandedst them to do: therefore thou hast caused all this evil to come upon them:  Jeremiah said that even though God was faithful in keeping His covenant with Israel, they were not faithful in keeping theirs with Him.  As followers of Christ, God's people, we need to be faithful in our obedience to His word.  Jeremiah said it was because of the evil of the people that God was punishing them.  Verse twenty-four adds, Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest it.  Jeremiah said that what God had said was going to happen had happened.  God's word will always come true.  Verse twenty-five concludes, And thou hast said unto me, O Lord GOD, Buy thee the field for money, and take witnesses; for the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans. Jeremiah said that God had instructed him to buy a field and he had done so, even though the city was currently under the power of the Chaldeans.  We don't need to worry about what God asks us to do even if it may not make sense at the time.  We simply need to act in faith.

Jeremiah 32:1

 Jeremiah 32:1 says, The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar.  God's word once again came to Jeremiah.  It is now closer to the time of the desolation of Judah.  Verse two states, For then the king of Babylon’s army besieged Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah’s house.  Judah had been besieged, and Jeremiah was imprisoned in the king of Judah's house for prophesying the destruction of Judah,  Verse three adds, For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;  Zedekiah had imprisoned Jeremiah for his proclaiming the word that came from God, but Zedekiah asked him why he did so.  People today may question our proclaiming God's word, and some may even be imprisoned for doing so, but if we are followers of Christ, we must never cease to proclaim or compromise His word.  Verse four continues, And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes;  Zedekiah especially questioned the part of Jeremiah's prophesy that said that Zedekiah was going to be taken away captive and come face to face with Nebuchadnezzar.  Verse five concludes, And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the LORD: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper?  The rest of the prophets were still prophesying victory, and Zedekiah questioned whether what Jeremiah was saying was really God's word.  God said that Zedekiah would serve in Babylon for the rest of his life.  No matter how many people may proclaim something that does not agree with God's word, we must never believe it.  Verse six declares, And Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying,  Verse seven adds, Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is thine to buy it.  While Jeremiah was imprisoned, God's word came to him once more, instructing him to buy a field from his uncle by right of redemption.  He was told that Hanameel would come to him with the offer.  God was still at work in the life of Jeremiah.  Verse eight says, So Hanameel mine uncle’s son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD, and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.  When Hanameel came to Jeremiah at the prison offering to sell him the field, he knew that it was God's word that had told him to do so.  Even if we do not see the immediate purpose behind doing what God tells us to do, we must do it anyway.  Jeremiah may have wondered if he would ever receive any benefit from buying the land, but he knew that God had told him to do so.  Verse nine adds, And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle’s son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver.  Jeremiah bought the land, and I assume it was for the price that he was asked to pay.  Matthew Henry has a long discussion about the small price, but I think we can only conclude that Jeremiah paid what was asked.  Verse ten states, And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances.  Jeremiah said that he had the transaction recorded and that he paid the price asked for the land.  The whole nation was about to fall captive to Babylon, but Jeremiah still had faith that one day the land would be his again.  We have God's promise today of a heavenly home, and we must live by that belief.  Verse eleven adds, So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open:  Verse twelve continues, And I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle’s son, and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison.  Jeremiah had the Jews that were imprisoned with him witness the transaction.  They may have felt that it was a wasted thing to do so, but Jeremiah was only doing what God had told him to do.  Verse thirteen states, And I charged Baruch before them, saying,  Verse fourteen adds, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days.  Jeremiah called for Baruch to take the evidence and seal it in an earthen vessel according to God's direction.  Verse fifteen concludes, For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.  Jeremiah said this was to be done because of God's promise that Jeremiah would one day return to Judah.  We need to stand firm in God's promise even if the world seems to be coming apart around us.

Jeremiah 31:27

Jeremiah 31:27 says, Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast.  God said that the day was coming when he would reestablish the kingdom of Judah and of Israel.  The people may have divided into two kingdoms physically, but they were still all God's chosen people.  Verse twenty-eight adds, And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD.  God said that He had watched over them while they were being destroyed, because of their own rebellion, and that He would watch over them while they were restored, after they turned to Him in faith again.  If we are being destroyed in the world today, as long as we remain faithful to God, He will one day restore us, even if it isn't in this lifetime.  Verse twenty-nine states,. In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.  God said that there was coming a day when people would no longer say that children were being punished for the sins of their fathers. Verse thirty adds, But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.  God told them and tells us that each individual is responsible for his or her own sins and not for those of any other.  Verse thirty-one declares, Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:  This promised new covenant was made with the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It would apply not only to the people of Judah and Israel but to all who would believe.  Verse thirty-two adds, Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:  God said it would not be the same as the old covenant that they broke.  We are not under the covenant of the Law, but of grace.  Verse thirty-three declares, But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.  God said that instead of being written on stone tablets that the new covenant would be written in the hearts of the people.  We, like the people then, fail to live up to all of God's law, but if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, then we are saved forever.  Verse thirty-four adds, And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.  Before, the people had relied on the priests and prophets to know God's word, but under the new covenant every person would be able to know God's will for them self.  We do not have to go to anyone else to know God and what He would have us to do in life.  In fact, we must go individually and establish a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Verse thirty-five states, Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:  God said that He was the Creator and Sustainer of all creation, and we must acknowledge Him as such.  Verse thirty-six adds, If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.  God said that if those seed, the ones who had established a personal relationship with Him departed, then the nation of Israel would cease to exist forever.  Verse thirty-seven declares, Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.  God said that the vastness of the universe could not be measured, and that He as Creator would cast off the people of Israel if they failed to live up to the new covenant.  Verse thirty-eight says, Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the city shall be built to the LORD from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner.  Verse thirty-nine adds, And the measuring line shall yet go forth over against it upon the hill Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath.  Then verse forty concludes, And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the LORD; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever.  These verses spoke of the physical rebuilding of Jerusalem, but the real promise is not of a physical city, but of a spiritual relationship with God that can never be plucked up or thrown down if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.