Thank you, Ben. And what a sweet thing it is to have friends like that. Some people have

capacities for friendship, and others don't. And so it's nice to be befriended by somebody who has

deep capacities for the kinds of affections that ought to be awakened when you're a friend.

Well, let me ask God one more time to help me and you that this would be really profitable for his glory and for your good.

Father, I pray that my mouth would be full of truth, that I would be faithful to the scriptures, both in saying what's there

and in saying it in a way that would be appropriate to its value.

And I pray that the balance of Scripture would be also captured so that nothing is out of proportion.

And I pray that the power of it would be felt and that students would know themselves loved by God in a way that would not be resented if the love for them is for your glory.

I pray that your value would be our supreme treasure

and that the way we fit into your purposes

would be according to your will and not our dream.

But that our dreams would be conformed to your highest purposes.

So do these deep things now in us, we pray.

In Jesus' name, amen.

So the question I'm posing for you is, and it's fresh, it's old for me,

and the way I'm thinking about it in the last 48 hours or so is fresh.

So this message emerged on the airplane flying to Seattle a few days ago.

The question I'm posing is, why does God perform all his acts of love for us in a way that reveals that he is loving us for his glory?

Why is God so jealous to reveal his love for us that way?

Let me ask it another way.

Why does God make much of us in a way that is designed to make much of him ultimately?

And one of the reasons that I ask this question is because there are people,

...