God’s Calling; August 1, 2026


Matthew 15:32 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”

Sometimes God’s calling is very specific. Here, Jesus has a particular task in mind, along with a particular lesson He wants to teach His disciples. We too are called on many different levels. We are called first to repentance and faith. (Mark 1:15) Then we are called to take up our crosses and follow Jesus, and as Luke rightly notes, that is a daily commitment. (Luke 9:23) It is only then that the calling to specific tasks, such as making disciples, happens. And of course, there are countless subdivisions within those latter tasks. We need to rejoice that God would choose to use us at all, when He has the entire universe at His disposal. Sometimes His tasks for us seem impossible, as in the instance here. The irony is that the disciples had already seen Him feed an even larger crowd with one boy’s lunch, yet they still viewed their current situation with entirely human eyes. We too fall in the same way, failing to remember how marvelously God has carried us along in spite of ourselves. I wonder how tired God gets of our lack of faith? He shows Himself gracious and faithful and loving in countless ways, yet we stubbornly fixate on our circumstances and fail to look to Him in gratitude and expectation. The marvelous thing is that He will use those very circumstances to teach us more about ourselves and about Him, so we truly have nothing to be anxious about.

I am in the middle of a lesson on this very thing. I have plenty of things to do, but feel no motivation for any of them. I am not to depend on my feelings, or be bound by them, but rather know that my God has not changed in the slightest, and He will carry me through this season of my life as well. At the moment I am facing completing the choosing and printing of the pictures for my photo exhibit that starts in less than two weeks. I also have the service tomorrow, for which I’m thankfully already prepared. I have hospital visitation I want to do, but I don’t want to do it soaked with sweat, and showering in the middle of the day is irritating. We have other calendar items coming up, and my fleshly impulse it to give up on it all. I know who is behind that feeling, and it’s not my loving Lord! As He told Paul, His grace is sufficient for me. (2 Corinthians 12:9) Just as Paul reacted to being told that, I need to rejoice at the awareness of my own inability, because that makes room for God to display Himself in and through me, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this very timely reminder. Thank You for bringing the song, Just When I Need Him, to my mind as I was waking up this morning. Help me rest, relax, and rejoice in the reality that song expresses, so that Your purposes for me may be accomplished on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Being Childlike; July 31, 2026


Matthew 10:16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”

This is a very famous verse, but there’s a difference in nuance between the English and the Japanese that I hadn’t really noticed before, and that is in the term, innocent. I probably have it memorized from a different Japanese translation, but I’ve always quoted it with a term that means “not guilty,” when this translation uses a term that means “childlike.” There’s a real difference! If we are simply focused on being not guilty, we become legalistic, and that is certainly not childlike. Jesus said explicitly, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3) Those are strong words! We are all too prone to be “adult,” to calculate “what’s in it for me,” to try to figure out if we can do something, when God wants us to be His agents and let Him act through us. The list of things Jesus said to do in verse 8 are all beyond merely human effort. You might say that “heal the sick” is possible through modern medicine, but how about raising the dead? We are to exercise every ability and resource God provides, but we’ve got to remember that the actual results depend on God. Many Christian workers have crashed and burned because they set out to serve God in their own strength, instead of yielding themselves to God for Him to use as He pleased. I think that’s a big part of why we need to “change and become like little children.” If we will do that, God will delight to use us for His glory.

As I have written many times, pride has been a major snare for me. God gave me many abilities, but I thought they were mine, not on loan from Him. I thought that if anyone was qualified to serve God, or do anything else, for that matter, I was. How foolish! I don’t know when I stopped being childlike, but it was at a remarkably young age! People have sought “age reversal treatments” throughout human history, with the “fountain of youth” being a prime example, but nothing is impossible for God. He can take even a cynical old geezer and make them childlike! That may be one reason He allows such things as dementia, which are tragic on the surface, but can indeed make people remarkably childlike. I don’t want to force Him to use a technique like that on me. Rather, I want to be submitted and obedient to Him right now, not proud but grateful, so that I will be fully useful to Him in drawing others into His family, His kingdom, for their salvation and His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the experiences I’ve had with people who were “reduced function” for one reason or another, but as a result, were open to repentance and faith. May I be increasingly childlike by Your definition, so that Your purposes may be freely accomplished in and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Authority; July 30, 2026


Matthew 8:9 “For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

Jesus indeed had every reason to be impressed with this man’s faith, because he clearly understood the whole concept of a chain of command, and he believed that Jesus had the authority to command whatever He pleased. There are those who abuse such authority, but we need to understand the concept. There are many people who think they don’t want to be under any authority, but they fail to recognize what a terrible thing genuine anarchy is, and they also fail to recognize what Paul pointed out to the Romans: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (Romans 6:15-16) The fact of the matter is that we will serve something, whether it be good or evil. It is only when we recognize and submit to our Creator that we are truly free. The centurion in today’s verse had sworn allegiance to Rome. He operated in that framework, and understood it. That’s why it was so significant that he grasped that Jesus had authority over the physical universe itself. We often fail to understand that, in practical terms rather than just theoretically. That makes our obedience hesitant, or even conditional: “If God does this for me, then I’ll obey him.” What nonsense! We don’t get to dictate to God, but He very graciously tells us to ask. (Matthew 7:7-8) The better we understand the absolute authority of God, the more incredible we understand that privilege of asking to be. The authority of God isn’t to oppress us, it just is, because He’s our Creator, and it just so happens that He loves us enough to die for us.

This is something I have known in theory for as long as I can remember, but my practical application of it continues to grow. I have experienced some miraculous things in my life, and I have seen miracles happen in the lives of others. I am grateful for such things as the laws of physics, that make the physical universe possible, and I am also grateful for the laws of morality, which are equally immutable. I have seen God in His grace seem to bypass laws in both those categories, and I know that He alone has the authority to do so. I know that it is only as I choose to recognize and submit to His authority that His authority will be exercised through me. I am personally hesitant to exercise authority, but I need to be submitted enough to Him that His authority will operate through me. This isn’t a matter of indulging in whims, but of making myself available so that His name may be acknowledged as holy and His rule and reign be established as His will is done, on this earth with the perfection that it is in heaven.

Father, thank You for this strong reminder. I’m not sure where You’re taking me with this, but I offer myself to You for whatever You want to do through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Fishing; July 29, 2026


Matthew 4:19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

This is understandably one of the most famous “callings” in the Bible, but it just struck me that all four of these men were net fishermen; they didn’t catch one at a time, they caught dozens, at least. We tend to think of evangelism in terms of one-on-one encounters. Those are certainly valid, and Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch is a Biblical example of that. (Acts 8:26-40) However, large gatherings are also valid, and everything in between. Billy Graham was certainly a master “fisherman,” as were Reinhard Bonnke and many others, but the point isn’t so much the method as the catch. I’ve seen videos of commercial fishermen with poles, lines, and hooks, but no bait on the hooks, sailing their boats into a mass of fish, dipping their hooks, and pulling out large fish one after another. I think they scatter food, called chum, to get the fish to gather, but the point is that there’s not just one way to fish. We need to be actively looking for the opportunities God gives us to “fish,” and bring in the “catch” that He desires.

I have never thought I was gifted as an evangelist, but I will confess that it really feels good to “reel one in!” I have used gifting as an excuse to stay in my comfort zone, but excuses don’t cut it with God! The perfect “fishing technique” for Japan hasn’t been found yet, but that certainly doesn’t mean I’m to quit trying. My most recent experience was one who was literally begging to be “caught!” The “chum” I’m to use is simply the love and grace of God. There are countless people who are hungry for it, but they don’t accurately identify their hunger, and try to satisfy it with other things. I’m to put it out there unconditionally. When the Holy Spirit opens their eyes to it, they will jump into the boat! There are people I’ve shared the Gospel with in various ways over the years who have never recognized their own need of salvation and the possibility of it. They think of religions as walled gardens, and they think they’re stuck in the Buddhist or Shinto one, and can’t accept that the Christian one is open to all who will repent and believe. I could go on and on about hinderances to the Gospel in Japan, but none of them are too difficult for God. I’m not to focus on the difficulties, but rather on my omnipotent Lord, who loves all these people so much He died for them.

Father, thank You for this reminder. May I be effective as Your agent however You want to use me, evangelizing, teaching, nurturing, discipling all You bring to me, so that Your house may be full, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Prompt Obedience; July 28, 2026


Matthew 2:14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt.

Something that comes up again and again in the Biblical narrative is the matter of prompt obedience. We have a few examples of the opposite, such as Jonah, but the people God was pleased with didn’t delay in their response to Him. Joseph is a prime example, because when God told him to go ahead and marry Mary, it seems he did the legal paperwork immediately, (Matthew 1:24) and here, he doesn’t wait until morning to get out of Bethlehem with Jesus and Mary. Since God created time, He understands timing better than we do. Like the angel said to Daniel, sometimes what He shows us is for the future, (Daniel 10:14) so we need to be sensitive and not run off without getting full instructions. A friend once felt God was telling him to go to Africa as a missionary, and he dropped everything and went, generating a mountain of problems for a lot of people and ultimately having to return to the US in fairly short order, having accomplished little if anything. His attitude of obedience was commendable, but he lacked wisdom and understanding. Even so, we aren’t to let “prudence” get in the way of our obedience. We need to be fully committed to obedience, but also ask God for wisdom in how to obey. (James 1:5) Heart attitude should be our first priority, and that includes the humility to know that we don’t have all the answers.

This brings to mind one particular event in my life. The first Sunday in January, 1974, my wife and I were in church in Denver, listening to a message by a missionary who had left Vietnam because of the war, and one of us turned to the other and said, “Do you want to sell the trailer and move to Japan?” To this day, neither of us remembers which one spoke to the other, because the Holy Spirit was speaking to us simultaneously. We immediately contacted my parents, who had been offering to pay for a visit, since we had their only grandchildren, and asked whether, instead of round-trip tickets, they could pay for one-way and baggage. Naturally, they were very upset at that idea! (NOT!!!) From there, things moved with amazing speed, and we arrived in Fukuoka on March 1st, with no loose ends left behind. Had we delayed, my time with my father would have been cut short, since the Lord took him home in May. Obedience carries blessings! I haven’t always been so prompt in my obedience, certainly, and I haven’t always been so sure it was God I was following. My wife and I got  engaged 11 days after our first date, in February, and we were married in May of that same year – 57 years ago. At the time, I can’t say that I was consciously being obedient to God, but I certainly knew what I wanted to do! God has been more than mercifully gracious to me over the years, and I desire to be promptly obedient to Him for as long as He keeps me here – and for eternity after that!

Father, thank You for this reminder. My father also confessed to struggling with procrastination. Help me recognize what You have for me to do at all times, whether it seems trivial or huge, and do it with all the ability You give me, on Your schedule, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Salvation; July 27, 2026


Joel 2:32 And everyone who calls
    on the name of the Lord will be saved;
for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
    there will be deliverance,
    as the Lord has said,
even among the survivors
    whom the Lord calls.

This verse is famously quoted by Peter in Acts 2:21 and Paul in Romans 10:13, but the idea of calling on the Lord for salvation is scattered elsewhere in the Old Testament as well. God calls to us, but He responds to our calling out to Him as well. That’s a good thing, because He’s the only Savior! People trust in all sorts of things to save them, but they generally have a distorted view of what salvation is in the first place. We usually think in material terms, but we aren’t just material beings. Some of the greatest tragedies happen when people treat other human beings as simply material objects, generally for their own pleasure or convenience, but they will be held accountable for such things in the end. We aren’t animals who have spirits, we are spiritual beings who inhabit bodies, and we need to understand salvation in that context. Frankly, most of us have a lot of trouble doing that. Our bodies delight or our bodies hurt, and that commands our full attention. Our bodies are strictly temporary, but we are still responsible for their maintenance, and some people fall down badly there, too. We need to remember that everything material, including our bodies, is simply on loan to us for the duration of our time on earth. God is the Quartermaster who hands it all out, and we are accountable to Him. However, our focus is to be on the spiritual, the eternal, because that is what real salvation consists of.

I’ve written recently of a man who is currently in the hospital with liver failure who is a beautiful illustration of this verse. His wife and daughter were saying yesterday that his mind isn’t always “present,” so to speak, but he knows he became a Christian week before last, and he rejoices in that. As I said again yesterday, we know that his healing is already provided, but we don’t know if it will be manifested in his current body, or when he is before the Throne in heaven. However, we do know that he is saved, for all eternity! He called on the Lord, and the Lord answered. That is what I try to facilitate, but not many recognize the necessity or take advantage of the opportunity. I can’t force anyone to do it, but I can make it available, and it is my joy and privilege to do so.

Father, thank You for Your salvation, that You make so freely available. Thank You for the rock-solid assurance I have of it, and for the privilege of offering it to others. May more and more repent and believe, receiving their salvation and in turn, offering it to others, for a mighty harvest in this land, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Human Nature; July 26, 2026


Hosea 11:2 But the more they were called,
    the more they went away from me.
They sacrificed to the Baals
    and they burned incense to images.

My first response to this is, that’s human nature for you. This seems very much like the behavior of a 2-year-old child, with tragic consequences. We had a friend with a grandson around that age, and he loved trains. He got out of the house one day and made it to the railroad tracks, but was spotted by someone, the closest station was notified, and the train was stopped until he could be corralled. He was punished, but obviously not enough, because he did it again, this time was not spotted, and the undercarriage of the train hit his head, and after a week’s coma, he died. That to me is very much what is described here. God is the perfect parent, but we are far from perfect children. Our behavior gets us into countless messes that God doesn’t desire or intend. The devil dangles all sorts of worthless things in front of us, distracting us all too effectively from devotion and obedience to the One who created and loves us. He even uses things God created for our good and twists them into goals in themselves, replacing God in our attention and devotion. Genesis is very clear that everything God created was and is good, but when it is twisted, it can actively serve evil. Referring specifically to this verse, God gave us creativity and skill, but when those good gifts are used to create carved idols, great evil is generated. The same may be said for countless other things, including sex and ambition and on and on. We need to ask and allow the Holy Spirit to show us how we have distorted the things God has given us, and then repent and follow Him in the right application of everything He has provided. That is the path of true blessing.

I have as much experience as just about anyone in this area, I think. God has blessed me incredibly, but my application of those blessings and my attitude toward them have been all over the place. He is still teaching me to listen to Him, but my spiritual hearing certainly has room for improvement. He told me years ago to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him, but I still get tied in knots over all sorts of things. At this point, I have considerable appreciation for the saying “There’s no fool like an old fool.” I need to listen to and apply everything He says to me, so that I may fulfill every purpose He has for me, for my blessing, the blessing of those around me, and His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for that dream this morning that pointed out I still need Your internal “house cleaning.” May I not resist what You are doing in me, but stand firmly against every impulse of the devil, so that I may be useful to You indeed, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Faithfulness; July 25, 2026


Jeremiah 35:19 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab will never fail to have a descendant to serve me.’”

The Bible records many object lessons of disobedience, but this is one of faithfulness. It shows the value of good traditions. There are many who discount traditions of all sorts, particularly those that seem limiting in any way, but tea-totalling isn’t a bad tradition! At a time when many bloodlines were about to be cut off by war and starvation, the promise that the Rechabites would always have descendants was actually a pretty big deal. We get nervous about how God sees all our sins, and rightly so, but we should also take comfort in how He also sees every act of faithfulness. This isn’t at all to say that we aren’t all in vital need of God’s grace and mercy, but it is to say that good deeds don’t go unrewarded. Society is so warped that there is an ironic saying that no good deed goes unpunished, but that’s not the case with God. Society does indeed sometimes punish faithfulness to God and His precepts, but God will reward such faithfulness, and that’s far greater and longer-lasting than anything society can do. Just recently I noted the denomination that has dis-accredited two seminaries for refusing to abandon Biblical principles on sex and marriage, but God is going to bless those schools, and particularly the people responsible for their principled stand. Society will always try to pull us away from God, but everything that keeps us close to Him, even tradition, comes with an eternal reward.

I am incredibly blessed to come from a family with a strong tradition of service to God, with a father, two grandfathers, and even a great-grandfather who were ministers and/or seminary professors. Some people would say I “didn’t have a chance,” but I am the only one of my siblings in full-time ministry. Some people have made much of my having been in Omura for 45 years, and at times I have faced the accusation of simply lacking the initiative to try anything else. However, as I have told numbers of people, I intend to be here until God Himself gives me different orders, and I personally expect that to be when He graduates me to heaven. I am to welcome new things, but never to the destruction of what He has done in me. Like Paul, “I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12) I want to be fully faithful to my Lord, hearing and obeying Him in things big and small, so that He may be pleased with me. He certainly deserves no less.

Father, thank You for Your incredible faithfulness to me. Help me be faithful to you indeed, as an example to all who see me, drawing them to You for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Obeying God; July 24, 2026


Jeremiah 1:7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.”

The calling of Jeremiah was a major event in the history of the Jewish people, but only God knew that at the time. As God famously said in verse 3, He had planned Jeremiah’s ministry before he was even conceived. Like so many people, Jeremiah tried to object to his commission. At this point he was a youth, but people don’t stay young! No objection we can make stands before the purposes of God. It is in a way comforting to us today to realize that even people like Moses and Jeremiah tried to get out of the assignments God had for them. We’re as human as they were! Like them, we need to learn to take our eyes off of ourselves and fix them on Him, knowing that He will enable us to do anything He tells us to do. Frankly, we don’t know the outcome of our obedience. In the short term, it might seem delightful or it might seem horrific, but if we are indeed obedient, the ultimate result will be glory beyond our ability to imagine it. (2 Corinthians 4:17) God’s power is far greater than any weakness we might have. Our weaknesses should only serve to teach us to depend on Him!

I first told my parents that I wanted to be a missionary when I was 10, but I promptly forgot that, and planned to be an archaeologist. My parents didn’t forget, and so were not surprised when I chose to move my young family to Japan in 1974. The road did not go as any of us expected it to, but after two years in Japan at that point and then going to seminary in the US, and assorted things that felt like roadblocks and detours, we arrived here in Omura in 1981, and have essentially been here ever since. Many things have happened in these 45 years, some of which we rejoiced in and some of which we endured. Every one of them shaped us, often in ways we did not realize at the time. Right now, when we are officially in what the Japanese government classifies as “the latter part of old age,” God is doing beautiful things through us at a remarkable rate, and I’m deeply grateful. Yesterday I was reminded that I had completely forgotten a major responsibility I have, but that was just another reminder of my total dependence on God. I can’t even remember things without His help! This evening we will be having an evangelistic concert here, and I’ll be going to the airport in a couple of hours to pick up the couple who will be performing. I have no idea how many people will show up for the concert, and I certainly can’t force anyone to come, so I’ve got to leave it in His hands. I have hopes of what He might do in the concert, but again, I can’t make it happen. I’ve just got to be obedient and flow with His Spirit. God’s plans are perfect, and He might even use me in the process!

Father, thank You for Your grace, Your power, Your plans. I am certainly not a Jeremiah, but I want to fulfill every part You intend for me, so that Your name may be acknowledged as holy and Your rule and authority be established as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Responding to God; July 23, 2026


Isaiah 65:12 “I will destine you for the sword,
    and all of you will fall in the slaughter;
for I called but you did not answer,
    I spoke but you did not listen.
You did evil in my sight
    and chose what displeases me.”

Here we have an expression of the consequences of failing to respond properly when God calls. There are indeed some people who actively rebel against God, but far more simply ignore Him, choosing their own way and failing to listen and consider what God is saying to them. God doesn’t pick on such people, but He may abandon them to what they have chosen. The consequences are indeed tragic, as God expresses here. God desires to do good to every human being, drawing them into His loving arms to live with Him forever, but free will is real, and far too many people will choose not to respond to God’s invitation. That bothered God so much that He sent His only Son to die for us, taking on Himself the penalty for our rebellion, our indifference, but His salvation still depends on our repentance and faith. We have the way opened for us, but we have to choose to walk in it. Evangelism is letting people know there is a way to eternal salvation, but it carries no guarantee that people will accept it. As always, the problem is pride. One of the most tragic popular songs ever is Frank Sinatra’s My Way. It is a perennial favorite, but it puts words to the attitude that God says guarantees our destruction. How sad is that?

As I am often reminded, pride has been an issue for me all my life, just as it is, really, for every human being. Most people aren’t as stupidly conceited as I was, but they still fail to acknowledge their Creator and choose to listen to Him. I am currently on the side of those seeking to share the Gospel, and it is a continuing sorrow that so few actually accept it. I am currently thinking of two men with the same last name, one of whom has been a neighbor for nearly 30 years, and one whom I just met. They both are in their 80s, and have serious medical issues. My neighbor was just taken to the hospital by ambulance, unconscious, and I have no idea of his condition. His wife seemed very glad that I was standing there when the EMTs carried him out of the house and put him in the ambulance, but though they have been very kind and friendly over the years, neither of them has come to services or otherwise indicated that they welcomed the Savior I sought to introduce to them. The other man, in contrast, wept in joy when I entered his hospital room, quickly expressed his desire to be a Christian, and when I laid out the Gospel to him, proclaimed, “I believe!” I baptized him on the spot, and in the few days since, his doctor says his condition is improving, though he had been “on the brink,” as the saying goes. Whether he gets out of the hospital or not, I know what his eternal destiny is! I was instrumental in his commitment, but he came to it through the witness of his daughter, so I just harvested the fruit of her labors. I cannot control how people will respond to the Gospel, but I can continue to share it by every means the Lord opens up to me, so that as many as will may receive His free gift of salvation.

Father, thank You for the privilege of being a harvest worker. May I be faithful in scattering the seed and watering, knowing that only You can bring the harvest, so that many may make the right choice for eternity. Thank You. Praise God!

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