The Body of Christ; November 10, 2026

Posted on November 11, 2026 by jgarrott

Acts 26:15 “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’
“ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied.”

This speech shows Paul’s high level of oratorical skill, but more importantly, it shows the guidance and anointing of the Holy Spirit. This particular verse, where Paul reports what Jesus said to him directly, is of extreme importance, because it expresses a truth that Paul expanded on in several of his letters, but which would not have occurred to him by human logic. That is, that the Church is in reality the Body of Christ. In persecuting believers, Paul had been persecuting Jesus. We use the expression, “paradigm shift,” for all sorts of things that seldom warrant it, but this statement changed the meaning of religion itself, and with it, the way we should see ourselves and the world. The danger here is that we take the human organization that we call the church as being the Body of Christ, when human organizations quickly become corrupted by the boundless assortment of human weaknesses. Sadly, that’s what happened when Constantine declared the Roman Empire to be Christian, and quickly imposed an essentially political structure on the Church. Constantine’s conversion has been called both the best thing that happened to the Church and the worst thing that happened to the Church! Today, it takes conscious effort to remember that the Church is the believers themselves, filled and guided by the Holy Spirit, and not the organizations they create, much less the buildings they use. The reasons for this difficulty are fairly obvious, because when you have a group of people, some sort of organization quickly becomes necessary. The early Church in Jerusalem soon learned this, and the office of deacon was created in response. However, even among the first deacons, other anointings and functions quickly manifested, with Stephen becoming the first martyr as a result of his bold evangelism, and Philip likewise becoming known as an evangelist. We get into a lot of trouble with rigid job descriptions! That said, as Paul told the Ephesians, “From [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” (Ephesians 4:16) The point is to recognize that we are an organism, before and far more than, we are an organization. We are to seek God to know how He has called and equipped us to function in the Body, and commit ourselves to full obedience. Any body that doesn’t do what its head tells it is in serious trouble!

This is something I am continually learning more about. Don and Katie Fortune’s teaching on Motivational Gifts has been extremely helpful in this in understanding the various parts of the Body, and the Coaching studies I’ve more recently encountered, through Ben Wong and others, have been helpful in understanding how those parts are to relate to and support each other, rather than simply clash. It’s neither simple nor easy! What I’ve got to remember is that it is Christ’s Body, and though I belong to and am a part of it, it’s not my possession. The ultimate question is my/our connection to Jesus Christ our Head. My focus as a pastor must be first on my personal connection to Him, and then on the connection of this church as a whole to Him. I’m still learning how to do that! I am gifted and called to teach God’s truth, but “the proof of the pudding is in the eating.” It’s all in application, because truth isn’t static, it’s active. I’ve got to follow through in doing all that God shows me, and lead the believers in doing likewise.

Father, thank You for this very clear Word. I had wondered what I was to preach on Sunday! Help me communicate this truth accurately and effectively, so that we, as part of the Body of Christ, may indeed be and do exactly what You desire and intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Disputes; November 9, 2026

Posted on November 10, 2026 by jgarrott

Acts 24:15 “I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.”

It has been true throughout history that some of the most violent, vindictive vendettas have been over seemingly minor differences. People who by rights should have been close friends have killed each other down through the centuries, and points of theology have been some of the biggest problems. Jesus’ worst enemies were the Pharisees, who prided themselves on their devotion to God and to His Law, which prophesied Jesus in detail. It was those same Pharisees who were accusing Paul here, but as he himself pointed out to them, he had been born and raised a Pharisee himself! (Acts 23:6) It’s not that we are to abandon truth that has been revealed to us, but that we are to see one another as equally human before God, and apply to each other the grace God has extended to us. As C. S. Lewis rightly observed, one thing we can be sure of is that when we get to heaven, every one of us will discover we were wrong somewhere. Taken to the extreme, this leads to Unitarianism, the teaching that all roads lead equally to God, and the Bible is very clear that’s not the case. This requires a basic humility, as well as the assurance that God does speak to us and lead us. Otherwise, we are left completely without mooring, “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” (Ephesians 4:14)

I have wrestled with this issue a great deal. This church is non-denominational because I am convinced there are far too many divisions in the Body of Christ. I disagree with various things taught by just about every denomination, but at the same time, I know that anyone who has received Jesus as their Lord, the Son of God and the only Savior, is my brother or sister in Him. That said, I take strong exception to some of the things taught by the Mormon Church, as well as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and some other groups. I believe there are probably individuals in each of those groups who are saved, who haven’t swallowed the over-all theology to the point of denying Christ, but that determination is up to God and not me. Again, I am convinced that Islam is fundamentally in conflict with Christianity and that they do not know the God of the Bible, whatever linguistic tricks get played in translating between Arabic and other languages. I am in complete agreement with the effort to ban the practice of Saria law anywhere in the United States, because the US was founded on Biblical principles, however much it has strayed from them. I am to see every human being as equally created by God and loved by Him, and indeed, pray that the same grace that has been poured out on me may be received by them, however much we might disagree in the moment.

Father, thank You for this reminder. You have me ministering in a non-Christian country, so this issue is perhaps easier for me to see than for some in the US. I pray that I would be a consistent vessel of Your grace and truth, not siding with Satan, “the Accuser,” but standing firm in Your Gospel, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Progressive Guidance; November 8, 2026

Posted on November 9, 2026 by jgarrott

Acts 23:11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

Paul had already planned to go to Rome, but he wasn’t planning to go the way God intended! Had Paul not been imprisoned in Caesarea, Luke would not have had the time to research and write his Gospel, and had Paul not been imprisoned in Rome, he would not have had the time or the focus to write all his letters. In this verse we have the record of God telling Paul one element of His plans for him, but he was not given the details that might have scared him off. It’s actually a good thing that God doesn’t reveal everything to us ahead of time! We can only absorb so much at once, and our courage is often limited. We speak of “bandwidth,” and it’s part of the human condition. God lets us know what we need to know when we can handle it, and we need to be at peace with that. People posit the thought question, “Would you want to know the moment and method of your death?” Whatever our answer to the question, it would not be a good idea. Recently, “death with dignity,” also called “Medical Assistance In Death,” has grown in popularity, to the point that a significant percentage of people in Canada die that way. That’s tragic. As long as we can think, we can pray. As long as we can smile, we can bless others. The fact that we are on this earth is proof our Creator has functions for us to fulfill, and trying to duck out of those is irresponsible. And every event in our lives up until the moment God calls us home has meaning. We need to so live that we can say with Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7) We don’t need to know every detail of the fight ahead of time, we only need to know the next waypoint of the race. That violates our desire to be in control, but that’s what faith is all about. God’s plans for us are good, as I have been preaching about for the past several weeks!

I preach about this, but I’m not perfect in my own implementation. I too need to choose faith, trust, and obedience. I have experienced God’s grace in overflowing measure, in more ways than I could count, and I can indeed testify that it’s all I need. (2 Corinthians 12:9) I am to be listening carefully to know the next waypoint in my race, but I’m not to be anxious about it in the least. As He has told me, and keeps reminding me, I am to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him. I will indeed see His glory, and when, where, and how are simply things to look forward to. I may well have suffering ahead of me, as Paul did, but that’s nothing compared to what God has prepared for me. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the message You’ve given me for this morning, on Guidance. Help me indeed recognize Your guidance and follow it, and not just talk about it to others! Thank You for the way You are laying out our church schedule for the end of the year. Help me trust You with every detail, so that Your plans may be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Preaching; November 7, 2026

Posted on November 8, 2026 by jgarrott

Acts 2:32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.

This was not a prepared sermon! That really hit me just now as I read it yet again. Peter, an uneducated fisherman, gave a logically connected, theologically accurate message in which he quoted multiple Scriptures and proclaimed the eternal plans of God. Sermon preparation is not a bad thing, certainly, but it is no substitute for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This was of course on the occasion when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the believers, but He has not changed in the 2000 years since then. Those to whom God gives the opportunity and responsibility to preach need to seek first for the guidance of the Spirit, and then apply whatever tools they have been given to the message they are given. Some people have a gift for oratory, but that is no guarantee they will speak God’s message in God’s words. Adolph Hitler was obviously gifted as an orator, and no one would say for a moment that he preached God’s Word! That’s not at all to say that preachers aren’t to hone their craft, as the saying goes. Failing to do so is presumptive. However, if the message isn’t God’s, and the motivation His Spirit, then the results will ultimately be empty. At the same time, the hearers bear responsibility as well. We aren’t to be completely uncritical of the sermons we hear, because few are completely pure. Most especially, when we hear a message that the Spirit within us confirms is from God, then we are accountable to apply it and put it into practice. And that applies to preachers as well. Jesus was the only preacher to ever do perfectly everything the Father said through Him. Every preacher needs to realize, in all humility, that they are the first target of every sermon they preach.

I have been a preacher for the majority of my life. I was ordained in 1979, but I was baptized in the Holy Spirit in 1974, and at this point I’m liable to start preaching any time I start talking! That said, preaching class in seminary was quite frustrating. In the first place, quite a few people, both students and faculty, couldn’t understand why I was taking it, because I was a Religious Education major. In the second place, the focus was entirely on technique, and I was required to quote commentaries in every sermon I prepared. The “icing on the cake,” so to speak, was when the teaching assistant, a doctoral student, graded me down on my final sermon, from Isaiah 1, because I used exactly the terminology Isaiah did. The teaching assistant said my terminology was “too extreme!” Today, experience has made creating a coherent outline much easier, but I approach every sermon as an opportunity for God to speak through me, rather than for me to express my own ideas. In my observation, He’s been marvelously faithful to do that. I am periodically asked to record short messages for CGN, (Christian Global Network) a broadcasting company out of Korea, and I’ll be doing that again in about 9 days. The producer who called me this time said that they always look forward to coming here, because I preach real messages! Since I record three, back-to-back, I obviously reuse messages I’ve preached here, but I’m careful to let the Lord show me which ones, and He’s in charge of how they come out. I actually spend very little time in preparing messages, because the Lord speaks to me so consistently in my morning devotional times, and I just relay what He has said to me. I do have a sheet of paper on the wall beside me here that says, “Preaching to Change Lives,” that actually has done me more good than my seminary class, but I apply the points in it only after I hear what God wants me to say. I never want to preach beautifully crafted trash!

Father thank You for the incredible privilege of preaching Your Word, Your words. May I never be presumptive, but rather be a responsive vessel for Your use, so that Your Word may accomplish, in and through me, everything for which You send it, (Isaiah 55:10-11) for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Relationship; November 6, 2026

Posted on November 7, 2026 by jgarrott

John 5:45-47 “But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

Jesus of course spoke this to the Jews of His day who refused to believe in Him, but it certainly applies to “Bible-believing” people of all stripes today, both Jews and “Christians.” The irony Jesus was pointing out is still operative! There are whole groups today who seem to believe in “Father, Son, and Holy Bible,” refusing to believe that God still speaks and works actively through His children today. Like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, they worship the words instead of the Word. It’s not at all that the Bible is inaccurate, but that they decline to listen to the Author of the Bible. Such people range from those hung up on “textual criticism” to those who insist on “plenary inspiration,” but their defining characteristic is their lack of a personal relationship with the One of whom the Bible speaks. Their faith is in a religion rather than a relationship, and that is sad indeed. It’s not at all that God’s truth changes with the seasons, but rather that it is just as much alive today as when it was recorded, and we need to let it live in us. As Jesus was pointing out here, even Moses in the Torah spoke of the One to come after him. Jesus didn’t explicitly mention them here, but some of the prophets, most notably Isaiah, went into considerable detail about Him, so non-messianic Jews are indeed without excuse – but then, so is anyone who refuses to believe the Gospel, as Paul pointed out to the Romans. (Romans 1:20) Sometimes God has an easier time getting through to someone who has never heard the Gospel before than someone who has gone to church their whole life! Saving faith isn’t about formulas, it is about repentance and relationship – and that doesn’t make it any less miraculous.

I had the huge blessing of being raised in a home with a deep and abiding love for the Bible, with an even deeper love for the One who wrote it. (Or I should say, caused it to be written.) When I was living at home, my parents had very little of what we would call “Pentecostal” teaching, but my father had a very deep encounter with the Holy Spirit before he even married my mother, and he was certainly open to Him. As a consequence, when I was first introduced to the Charismatic Movement, back in 1973, I immediately recognized it as Biblical, not realizing that my own wife had been baptized in the Holy Spirit in 1972! She herself didn’t realize what had happened at the time, but just knew that she had a burning hunger for God and His Word, so in a number of ways, we learned together. That said, our roots are firmly in the Baptist tradition, considering the Bible to be the ultimate written guide for everything. You could call us “Bapticostals!” At the same time, I need to pay careful attention to what Jesus says here. I am never to place tradition ahead of my Lord. A major percentage, at least, of Church tradition is rooted in the Bible and what God has said and done, but if I place the tradition ahead of the roots, I’m in trouble. As I have said ever since I arrived in Omura in 1981, I didn’t come to teach a religion, I came to introduce people to the Lord Jesus Christ. (There’s a pun in that, when you say it in Japanese.) It is an unspeakable joy to have an active relationship with my Creator, and it is an incredible privilege to lead others into such a relationship themselves.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your overwhelming grace toward me, on every level. Thank You that my heart CT went smoothly yesterday, just as I had asked. It was a very interesting experience! I pray that the results will be interpreted accurately, so that when I go for the results on the 19th, the medical recommendations will be in line with Your healing and health for me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Recognizing Answers; November 5, 2026

Posted on November 6, 2026 by jgarrott

Luke 24:21 “But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.

Human beings are funny. We can hope for something intensely, and then not recognize it when it’s right in front of us. This story of the disciples walking to Emmaus is a perfect example of that. These disciples had hoped, with excellent reason, that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah, and then when things hadn’t played out as they had imagined, they were so distraught that they not only couldn’t believe the report of the women, they couldn’t recognize Jesus Himself when He was physically present with them. It occurs to me that a similar thing may be happening right now. The recent US election certainly didn’t turn out as most genuine Christians had hoped, for the simple reason that not enough Christians went to the polls. However, this will be an opportunity for the whole country to see the evil in those who want to destroy the country, and repent. It is also a lesson, always appropriate, in depending on God and not on human beings. Politics will not save America, or the world; only God can do that. Those who know Him need to be praying and working for genuine spiritual revival. As Andrew Breitbart famously said, politics is downstream from culture, and America culture is certainly sick right now. Believers need to repent of their participation in the diseased parts of that culture and genuinely seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness. That two of the worst candidates in this election function as pastors, despite their extremely anti-Biblical positions, and were actually elected, is a condemnation of the spiritual atmosphere of the nation. Jesus very graciously taught the two men in this story and then revealed Himself to them, and I believe He is going to reveal His purposes in what has just happened to those who are seeking Him today. After all, countless things are pointing toward these being the Last Days, and Revelation makes it clear that things are going to get pretty rough before we see the Lord coming in the clouds.

Getting the election results yesterday was very much a gut punch for me, so this is a Word to me. I had looked forward to watching one of the conservative podcasts as they discussed the results coming in, but my personal schedule interfered, and when I tried, I felt a clear check, that I wasn’t to do that. This is a clear and strong lesson in the things God has been saying to me over the past several days. It just occurred to me that I haven’t even checked to see the results in Virginia, where I voted absentee. I say that I want God’s will to be done, regardless of my personal feelings, but I too tend to gravitate to my feelings rather than to faith. It is clear to me that we are in intense spiritual warfare. Some battles we lose, but the ultimate victory is guaranteed. I need to restore my focus on that glorious reality, and rest, relax, and rejoice in my victorious Lord.

Father, thank You for this Word. Thank You that I’ll be having the CT scan of my heart this afternoon. I pray that it may be fully accurate, and the right decisions made as a result. I pray Your peace, for me and especially for Cathy, that we may trust that Your plans for us are good in every respect. I release the schedule to You, so that everything may happen when and how You intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Values; November 4, 2026

Posted on November 5, 2026 by jgarrott

Matthew 12:12 “How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

The Pharisees had just asked Jesus a question about the Law of Moses, specifically intending to trip Him up. Jesus didn’t decline to answer, but He gave the reasoning behind the answer before He said it, just as He did when asked about divorce a little later. (Matthew 19:3-6) Many things Jesus said were shocking to His immediate hearers, and often, to people in many different cultures today, but they were always God’s truth, which means they were and are unassailable. That said, part of Jesus’ answer here is sadly unpopular with some people today, and that is that a person is worth far more than a sheep. They will say that “Life is life,” just as they say, “Love is love,” in regard to LGBTQ issues. Jesus states unequivocably that such thinking is inaccurate, period. We aren’t to be needlessly cruel to animals, but placing them on the same level as human beings is wrong, period. We often hear of “fur babies,” as people cherish their pets instead of having actual children. That’s one of the reasons for the plunging birth rate, though it can also be said to be a result of it as well. We are made to cherish children, and when that emotional need isn’t met, we look for substitutes. The Pharisees in Jesus’ day were substituting legalism for genuine human concern, and Jesus was saying that was wrong. The devil doesn’t care if it’s legalism or hedonism or whatever, so long as he can get people to violate God’s value system. Laws are important, as is certainly being demonstrated in the US and Europe and around the world today, but we need to receive our values from the One who created us, and seek to reflect both His love and His righteousness.

I have always been an animal lover, to the point that I even had a pet snake for a while as a child. Even today it is rare that I encounter a dog with which I can’t quickly make friends. Even so, I think one of our neighbors was a bit shocked that I demolished our dog house the day after our most recent dog died. I valued that dog and treated it well, but not to the level of a human being. There are animal rights activists who will do things that actively endanger human beings in order to protect or “liberate” animals. I feel sorry for them in their delusions. I am to value everything in God’s creation, but know that it is only for human beings that Christ died, and order my value system accordingly. A physically or mentally handicapped person is as valuable as an Einstein, Elon Musk, or Olympic athlete, and I must not forget it. Likewise, no material treasure on earth can come up to that value. People mistreat other people, even to the point of killing them, for material gain all the time. Welfare fraud is part of that, not to mention getting people killed for insurance payouts. I am to seek God for His values and follow them, so that I may be faithful as His child.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me live according to Your values indeed, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Hope; November 3, 2026

Posted on November 4, 2026 by jgarrott

Zechariah 9:12 Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope;
even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.

This is one time the Japanese translation loses some of the poetic impact of the English, because it says, “prisoners who have hope.” “Prisoners of hope” seems much more impactful to me! That said, the implication is still clear. This is talking to people who haven’t given up completely. We get into all sorts of messes, some of our own making and some simply circumstantial, but we are never to lose hope. As Solomon noted, “Anyone who is among the living has hope—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!” (Ecclesiastes 9:4) The thing is, our hope needs to be founded on the only One who never changes, because everything else is unreliable. This can be tricky, because hope isn’t just wishful thinking. True hope isn’t just a matter of what we want, but the assurance of the character of the One who created us, who loved us so much He sent His Son to die in our place, taking the penalty for our sins that separated us from Him. When we have that assurance, everything else fades into the background, regardless of how important it might seem in the moment. Today is Election Day in the US, and millions of people are caught up in expectation and/or apprehension. It’s not that the election is unimportant, but rather that it can’t hold a candle to the glory of God. Believers are to be focused on praying that God’s will be done, as well as submitting themselves to be instruments of that will, be it elections or constitutional amendments or whatever, because God’s plans are always better than man’s, regardless of the issue.

I got my absentee ballot in a while back, and I will be watching the results with great interest. However, I’ve got to keep it all in perspective, remembering that this world and its systems are temporary, regardless of how long I personally experience them. I am to remain in prayer, and at the same time be responsive and faithful in every task the Lord has for me personally. We just had the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted, and that is also a huge issue. Some issues I am to relate to only in prayer, and in some I am more actively involved, but the point is to stay focused on my Lord and be faithful in my obedience to Him. When He uses me, nothing is impossible!

Father, thank You indeed for the hope that I have in Christ Jeus my Lord. Help me share that hope with as many as will receive it, so that Your kingdom may indeed come, one person at a time, as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Trust; November 2, 2026

Posted on November 3, 2026 by jgarrott

Micah 7:7 But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,
I wait for God my Savior;
my God will hear me.

The circumstances Micah has just described are sad indeed, and all too familiar for many. We are created as social animals, and when we can no longer trust the people around us it is truly devastating. However, God is not like that, and this is Micah’s declaration of faith. His first step is fundamental: he chooses to look at God rather than at the people around him, or even at himself. We ourselves are polluted by the society we live in, and aren’t reliable standards of righteousness and justice. God, on the other hand, is totally pure and reliable, so He is our reference point by which to evaluate everything else. That’s why pride is out of the question, because we can never measure up to Him. Everything He does for us is grace, and it is only by the atoning sacrifice of His Son that we are able to stand before Him. That said, Jesus has indeed made the ultimate sacrifice for us, so if we anchor our faith in Him, we can truly “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) That’s why Micah, who didn’t yet know of the cross and resurrection of Jesus, could say that he would wait in hope for the God of his salvation. We do have the New Testament Gospel, so we have all the more reason to rest in the assurance that Micah expresses here.

Because of the family environment in which I was raised, I’ve always had a bedrock knowledge that God was trustworthy, but I have still had times of not being sure He would act in the ways I desired. I’m still learning that His plans are always better than mine! From time to time I am reminded of the statement attributed to Einstein: “Two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity. And I’m not so sure about the universe.” I have certainly demonstrated stupidity more times and in more ways than I could count, regardless of the IQ. As I told my students many times, when teaching Medical English, I don’t have confidence – written in Japanese as “self faith” – but assurance, because I have betrayed myself more times than I could count, but God is always reliable. I am trustworthy only to the degree that submit to and obey my God. When I get puffed up in myself, I’m no more solid than cotton candy. However, when I abide in my Lord, His character is manifested in me, and that’s what I desire.

Father, thank You for this reminder. With the US election coming up tomorrow, many people are afraid of what happened in the recent Brazilian election. Humanly speaking, that’s a possibility, so every believer needs to look to You and vote in obedience to You. Help all Your children trust in You, and not in the candidates themselves, so that Your purposes may be accomplished as You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Ezekiel; November 1, 2026

Posted on November 2, 2026 by jgarrott

Ezekiel 37:3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

This is one of the more famous tales in the whole Bible. What jumped out at me just now was Ezekiel’s humble wisdom in responding to God. You could say that God was using the Socratic method, asking questions in order to teach, and Ezekiel responded perfectly. There is the possibility that Ezekiel’s answer here includes the implication of “Lord, You know there’s no way these can live.” However, he didn’t say that, and that was very wise. You could say that this is an ultimate example of “God said it. That settles it.” The God who spoke into nothing and said, “Let there be light,” can do absolutely anything at all! Ezekiel lived in very difficult times, and went through hardship and heartache, with his wife’s death. (Ezekiel 24:15-18) However, the Lord showed him things He showed no one else, and Ezekiel was greatly blessed. We have a lot we can learn from him and through his life. In this particular instance, he simply did as the Lord told him, and the results were miraculous indeed. This was without much question a vision, rather than a physical occurrence, but the message was absolutely clear, and it is one that echoes down through the centuries. We too need to know that God’s will is absolute, and it is good indeed. Accordingly, we too need to be fully obedient to whatever the Lord says to us, however He says it, so that we may participate in His plans for His glory.

I have the feeling this is a very timely Word for me. I am faced with various “impossible” circumstances, along with seemingly contradictory guidance from the Lord. I’m getting strong indication that my ministry will be involving much more traveling from now, at the same time that I am manifesting angina, and face tests on my heart. Likewise, such travel will take me away from here, but my succession in this pulpit is not settled, and there is the very big issue of my being the caregiver for my wife. Some of the travel she may do with me, which I would certainly prefer, but there is the question of how much would be possible for her. The lesson of Ezekiel, repeated with Mary of Nazareth and others, is that nothing is impossible for God! I need to remember that, and focus on listening accurately and acting obediently, so that God’s purposes may be accomplished on His schedule for His glory.

Father, thank You for this strong reminder. Thank You for all You’re doing. It makes my head swim at times! Thank You for the wedding You allowed me to conduct yesterday, and for speaking through me in it. Thank You for the service this morning, and the message You’ve given me for it. Thank You for the marriage counseling I’ll be doing this afternoon, and for the assurance that You will be there, too. Help me flow with Your Spirit on Your schedule, today and every day, so that Your will may be done for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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