The Gift of the Holy Spirit; March 31, 2026

Posted on April 1, 2026 by jgarrott

Luke 11:13 “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

The verses ahead of this are a very interesting teaching on asking and receiving. I personally take comfort in verses 11 and 12, because in Greek, fish and snake are very similar words, and likewise, egg and scorpion. If Jesus could make puns, then it’s OK that I’m a punster! It’s also interesting that these are Greek puns, when most of the time Jesus was speaking Aramaic. It’s kind of like Japan today, where Japanese is certainly the main language, but English words are increasingly sprinkled through daily conversations. All that said, the climax of the teaching is this verse. Jesus has been talking about giving good things to those who ask, and the implication is that the Holy Spirit is the best thing God could give anyone. I’d have to concur! The problem is that many people seem to be afraid to ask, because they associate the Holy Spirit with things outside of their religious tradition, like speaking in tongues and such. Conversely, there are people who seek spiritual gifts without actually opening their heart to the One who gives those gifts. We need to trust God to give us good things, and we also need to seek Him before, above, and beyond anything He could give us.

This verse is intimately connected with my own spiritual walk. I had started hearing about the baptism in the Holy Spirit in Denver in 1973, and had read books like 9 O’clock in the Morning, The Holy Spirit and You, and They Speak with Other Tongues. This was all pretty new to me, but my Biblical background was such that I felt it was valid, so I started seeking it. The problem was, everyone said that if you were baptized in the Holy Spirit you would speak in tongues, and I was essentially seeking the gift of tongues, rather than the Holy Spirit Himself. I didn’t get that cleared up until after I brought my wife and daughters to Japan the first time, in 1974. It had been about a year since I started seeking, and as far as I could tell, nothing had happened. I talked with Alan Hiatt, a young Christians in Action missionary, about it, and he gave me some very sound advice. He first asked me how we receive anything from God, and of course, the answer was by grace through faith. He then asked if I believed God had promised His Spirit to me. I said yes, and quoted this very verse. He then said, “Ask God to baptize you in His Spirit, and then thank Him for doing that, whether you feel anything or not. (Emphasis added.) Don’t set conditions on what God is doing.” That night, sitting on my bed, I did exactly as he had said, and I indeed felt nothing. That was a Saturday night, and Monday morning I was sitting on a train next to a total stranger, struck up a conversation with him, and it suddenly hit me that I was telling him about Jesus. To my knowledge, I had never done that with a total stranger before in my life. With that realization, Acts 1:8 came to mind. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” I knew without the shadow of a doubt that God had been true to His word and baptized me in His Spirit, and I was overwhelmed with joy. Months later, the Lord started manifesting spiritual gifts through me, and I have experienced everything mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 at least once, but the point was driven home to me that I am not to focus on the gift, but rather the Giver. He is more than the sum of all His gifts!

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for Your overwhelming grace toward me. I pray that all who read this account would likewise open themselves to You, for You to give them what they need how they need it, to equip them to be Your servants, Your children indeed, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Joy; March 30, 2026

Posted on March 31, 2026 by jgarrott

Luke 10:20 “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

I don’t think at all that Jesus is forbidding us to rejoice over spiritual triumphs. He is rather telling us that our place in heaven is of far more value, far more worthy of joy, than anything we could experience on earth. Because we haven’t experienced the full joy of heaven, even those who have been there briefly in a near-death experience, we have trouble maintaining that perspective. Joys on earth are worth having, and aren’t to be discounted, but we always have something even better ahead of us. I like the tongue-in-cheek saying, “Serve God. The salary is good, and the retirement plan is out of this world!” The devil does all he can to distract us from this truth, enticing us with physical and emotional pleasures that lead to bondage and degradation and death. Modern science has given us insights into how he does that, with dopamine hits and endorphin highs of all sorts, but we need to remember that it’s ultimately a spiritual battle, and that in Christ, we are on the winning side. The devil tries to portray Christianity as a long-faced religion that’s no fun, and there have been some groups that have cooperated with that, sometimes in all sincerity. Conversely, today we have groups that are downright hedonistic, not restricting any physical pleasure. The answer to all of that is, as always, submitting to God and resisting the devil. (James 4:7) If we will do that, we will indeed have “inexpressible and glorious joy.” (1 Peter 1:8)

I will never forget an experience I had one time in a small prayer meeting. There were just four of us: an American Augustinian friar, a German Jesuit priest, a Japanese Pentecostal pastor, and me. We had been singing some worship songs (in Japanese) and praying together, and the joy of the Lord came upon me so strongly that I literally said in my heart, “Lord, if You have anything else for me to do here, You’d better back off a bit, because I think that one more drop of joy and my body would give up and I’d go straight to heaven.” I don’t always keep that experience in the forefront of my memory, but doing so would help me get through some of the rough spots I still traverse. I’m not to go “joy hunting,” as some people literally do, I think. Such a focus will never result in more than momentary pleasures. Rather, I am to commit myself more and more to obedience to and fellowship with my Lord. Everything else good flows from that, and it is good indeed. After all, Jesus said that the Father delights to give us His kingdom! (Luke 12:32)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for yesterday and all it held. Thank You for the assurance You’re giving me that this church will be just fine in our absence. Thank You for the opportunity I have today to interpret for the online conference. May I do so with full accuracy, not just on a linguistic level but on the spiritual level, so that every participant may receive all that You have for them in this conference, for the sake of the Body of Christ and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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God’s Provision; March 29, 2026

Posted on March 30, 2026 by jgarrott

Luke 9:3 He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt.”

Here, Jesus is sending out the 12, and in the next chapter He sends out the 72. That said, these are pretty extreme instructions. The point was to teach them that their heavenly Father would indeed meet all their needs, just as He had taught in Matthew 6. We give intellectual assent to the concept, but we tend to have a lot of trouble with it emotionally. We’re back to the idea of Kingdom Economics, which we touched on with the story of the “Widow’s Mite.” We are indoctrinated with the idea that the world runs on money, even though cash is becoming increasingly rare, and such ephemeral things as cryptocurrencies seeming to take over. The point is, on the eternal scale, all of that is meaningless. God has made it very clear that our stewardship of finances is of great importance, because it displays our priorities, but the ultimate supply of everything is God, who Created it all by expressing His will. When God spoke the universe into being, money and physical supplies are no issue for Him. The better we grasp that, the more peace and boldness we will have.

This is very close to home, when my wife and I are leaving for a 3 week trip in just over two weeks. I don’t think God is telling us to do exactly as Jesus told the 12, because our task isn’t identical. However, we are indeed His agents, just as the 12 were, so we should be anxious for nothing. Last night I woke up at 2 and never went back to sleep, though my body rested. I’m getting some real training in trusting God! The financial aspects of the trip are taken care of, but there are many other factors in it that keep my brain running. Having been out of American society for seven years, many things threaten to be very unfamiliar, and at 77, I don’t like that! I need to trust that God will provide the instruction and guidance I need, when I need it, and I’m not to be anxious about it ahead of time. That’s much easier said than done, particularly when I’m used to be the one everyone turns to for information. This is one more lesson in the stupidity of pride! I am to trust God no less than the 12 did, keeping myself available to Him at all times, for Him to say and do through me whatever He likes, for the blessing of those around me and for His glory.

Father, thank You for this further reminder. I had a similar sleepless night not that long ago, for exactly the same reason. Help me actually learn the lessons You are so faithful to teach me, so that I may grow to be all that You desire and intend me to be, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Being Like Jesus; March 28, 2026

Posted on March 29, 2026 by jgarrott

Luke 6:40 “The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.”

This is the hope and goal of every true disciple of Jesus Christ. Jesus cautioned us several times to not expect to have it easier than He did, which is a pretty daunting prospect, considering all He went through for our sake. However, this verse is the promise of glory. There is a little chorus that expresses this beautifully: “To be like Jesus; to be like Jesus. All I ask, to be like Him. All through life’s journey from earth to glory; all I ask: to be like Him.” We will never be the Redeemer, because He is absolutely unique in that function, and we of course are not divine, but we can express His character, He love and grace and even purity, when we are cleansed by His blood. Jesus said we will do even greater things than He did! (John 14:12) That is to be our goal, and we are to be satisfied with nothing less. The thing is, that’s actually a very hard road, considering all that Jesus went through in terms of rejection and misunderstanding. We like to be understood and accepted! In some ways, martyrs have it easy, because they can give their lives totally all at once. Most of us have to do it a day at a time, and that can get very difficult. However, that’s what discipleship is all about, and the reward is more than worth it. Like Paul said, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17) They don’t seem so “light and momentary” in the middle of them, but the end result will so far out-shadow them as to make us forget them.

This is something I have thought about a good bit, actually. I don’t feel I have had a particularly hard time of it, but then, God is the judge of how good a disciple I am. Again to quote Paul, “I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.” (2 Corinthians 2:3-4) I am never to say, that’s enough, about anything I go through, but rather trust my Lord with His training program. My goal is to be like Jesus, fully pleasing to Him, accurately representing Him to the people around me so that they too may be drawn to Him in repentance and faith. To whatever degree that happens, that is a reward far beyond anything this world can offer.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your patience with me. As I am frequently aware, I would have given up on me a long time ago! Thank You for telling me to rest, relax, and rejoice in You. May I do that more and more, so that I may be fully available for whatever You want to do in and through me, on Your schedule and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Authority; March 27, 2026

Posted on March 28, 2026 by jgarrott

Luke 5:24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”

You might wonder why this story was included in Scripture readings on training disciples, but this was a powerful lesson indeed to Jesus’ disciples. They needed to know and trust Jesus’ authority, and this was pretty definitive. This incident probably scared the religious professionals present no end! Here was someone who clearly had divine authority, rather than just quoting some teacher from the past, and that wasn’t something they could claim. Jesus’ disciples, then and now, needed, and need, to understand that when Jesus told/tells them to do something, everything in the universe backs that up. As He Himself said in the Great Commission, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. (Matthew 28:18) This was just a warm-up! The devil, with the full cooperation of our flesh, seeks to denigrate the authority of Scripture every chance he gets, and it’s not pretty. We see all sorts of damage, destruction, and death as a result. No human being has the sort of absolute authority that God does, but His authority does operate through us, to the degree that we are submitted to Him. That’s why James could say, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) If we aren’t submitted to God, the devil will laugh at our attempts to resist him. The problem is, submission requires humility, and pride is our big stumbling block. We don’t like to submit! However, our lack of submission doesn’t change God’s authority in the slightest. If we want to operate in the authority and power of God, as Jesus did, we’ve got to be fully submitted to Him. That’s why repentance is essential for salvation. We’ve got to acknowledge we were wrong before God can make us right before Him. The good news is, if we do, He will. As this story says, He will indeed forgive our sins and heal us, giving us eternal life through faith in His Son. That is absolutely glorious!

I have experienced this on several levels. I remember telling someone once that I forgave them, and they got angry, demanding to know what kind of a high horse I thought I was on to be able to do that. They instinctively knew that forgiveness requires authority, and in a sense, it imparts authority as well, because we are acting as God’s agents when we forgive. One of the many astounding things Jesus said was, “If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (John 20:23) If I want to operate in God’s authority, and I do, I need to be a forgiving person. Forgiveness isn’t giving that person permission to do that thing again, but it frees me from the fallout of what they have done. I am uncomfortable with ordering people around, but I should never hesitate to forgive!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me operate as Your agent at all times in all ways, exercising Your authority so that Your will is done on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Kingdom Economics; March 26, 2026

Posted on March 27, 2026 by jgarrott

Mark 12:43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.”

We have great trouble grasping Kingdom economics, because we are limited to the physical plane of things. We acknowledge that God created the universe just by speaking it into being, but we have trouble grasping emotionally that He is never at a loss for finances. We are entranced by numbers, and likewise tormented by them. We are indeed to be faithful stewards of the finances God makes available to us, as Jesus made very clear multiple times, but we need to remember, emotionally as well as intellectually, the principle Jesus is expressing here. Because God has no need of our finances, what He desires is our hearts, and our use of finances is a clear demonstration of our heart. The poor widow in this incident was without question blessed handsomely by God, but quite probably not financially. She was putting into practice something Jesus famously taught early in His ministry: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) In the next verse, Jesus tells us that she gave God everything she had to live on. Humanly speaking, we want “the rest of the story,” telling us how God paid off her mortgage and so on, but we aren’t given that information. If we were, too many people would be tempted to “give to get,” motivated by greed rather than love for God. We are never to be careless with finances, but they are to be very low, essentially nonexistent, in our priorities.

I am getting fresh lessons in this area. Personally, over a year ago Cathy received a sizable inheritance from a relative she didn’t know thought much about her. We were totally unprepared emotionally, and have had to make a number of adjustments. Right now we are about to take a trip that is costing more than I’ve even thought about spending on a trip before, and that too is requiring mental and emotional adjustments. I talk about “kingdom economics,” but I’m not so proficient in them myself! The other side of that coin is that we will be having our annual church business meeting the week after Easter. We have a brother in the church who is from a strongly denominational background, and he has been harping on our budget. As a legally registered church, we have to notify the government of our budget, because there are plenty of religious scams around, so we do that, generally just echoing the previous year’s expenditures. However, in the 40+ years this church has existed, we have never set financial goals, “giving goals.” In fact, we don’t pass a plate in the service, but have an offering box in the foyer. Giving is between the believer and God, and I never want to “put the screws on” to get people to give. That would make it a tax and not an offering, and God’s Church doesn’t run on taxes. I want every believer to experience the joy of giving, as well as the joy of seeing God’s provision. I want us as a church to seek and recognize God’s plans for us, knowing that if we indeed seek Him, His kingdom and His righteousness, first, everything we need for that will be provided.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I believe You want me to share it with the congregation on the 12th. I ask for Your wisdom to do it in love indeed, so that each believer may grow in their love and commitment toward You, and we as a church be and do all that You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Impossible; March 25, 2026

Posted on March 26, 2026 by jgarrott

Mark 10:27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

This is a vitally important, fundamental principle that we give lip service to, and at the same time have great difficulty really believing on an emotional level. It’s particularly interesting because it was spoken in relation to the difficulty of getting into God’s kingdom. The disciples were quite astonished because Jesus said it expressly in relation to wealthy people, and from the disciples’ viewpoint, the wealthy had an easier job of following all the religious regulations. I think Jesus said what He did because the wealthy tend to trust in their wealth, rather than in God. However, no amount of wealth will excuse you from death, and the more you have, the more people are likely to fight over it after you’re gone. I’ve heard people say that the famous “camel through the eye of a needle” statement in verse 25 simply means you can’t take it with you, but I think it was more literal than that. Jesus was using something that, humanly speaking, was obviously impossible, in order to build up to the statement in this verse. We are created in God’s image, (Genesis 1:27) but we tend to imagine God in our image, and we make all sorts of mistakes in consequence. We throw around the word, omnipotence, but we have no emotional or even intellectual grasp of it, because we are so obviously finite and limited. Saving mankind was an obviously impossible task, but God went to the absurd length of sending Himself, in the Person of His Son, to become a human being in every sense and then take the penalty for our sin on Himself. That is the ultimate example of God making the impossible possible, and it applies whether you are Elon Musk or dirt poor.

It’s very interesting that this is the passage for today, when I woke up with Don Moen’s song, God Will Make a Way, on my heart and mind. It fits perfectly with what Jesus says here. I have seen many “impossible” things happen in my life, whether anyone around me recognized them as “miraculous” our not. I should have this statement by Jesus ingrained in my heart, but I still get anxious about things at times. My wife and I are now less than three weeks away from our first overseas trip in seven years, and it seems “impossible” on several fronts. In the first place, my wife was at peace with the idea that she would never visit the US again in this life, with her medical conditions, but God said, “Not so fast.” In the second place, the finances are hardly trivial, but God has provided. In the third place, there’s the feeling we’re leaving this church “in the lurch” by taking off for three weeks, but God is making it very clear that this is a very necessary step in the spiritual growth of the church, as well as in the individual believers. There are a number of things that aren’t clear yet, but they too will become clear as necessary, and we are to rest, relax, and rejoice in our Lord as we literally “go along for the ride.” Many years ago the Lord told me, “Don’t be surprised at what surprises others. Expect great things of Me.” I don’t think of that Word to me very often, but maybe I need to keep it in focus, because nothing is impossible with Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for how often You wake me up with a song in my heart and mind – even when I’m still half asleep! May I truly live out all the truth You have poured into me, so that my faithfulness may be pleasing to You, and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Motivation; March 24, 2026

Posted on March 25, 2026 by jgarrott

Mark 6:34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

The motive for teaching isn’t to make the teacher feel good, (though it often does) but to meet the needs of those being taught. There are sadly some teachers who do it for the paycheck, but there are certainly more efficient ways to make money. There are more who are in it because they crave the position of authority, of being the one “in the know.” Neither of those are good for the students, or for society. As always, Jesus is our perfect example. He taught because He saw the people needed it, and He did so at considerable inconvenience, at least, to Himself. He and His disciples were worn out from ministry and He was wanting to debrief them from their time on their own, but confronted with need, He met it. We aren’t to be working constantly, but we need to recognize that God has created and equipped us as agents of His grace and mercy, and rejoice to allow Him to use us in that way. We too are surrounded by “sheep without a shepherd,” and we need to allow the Great Shepherd of the sheep (Hebrews 13:20) to use us to meet their needs. We can’t do it properly in our own strength and resources, but we need to remember that God can do it, even using us. Jesus trusted that His Father would support Him in ministering to this crowd, and we need to do the same.

Having been in secular teaching for 42 years and Christian ministry for longer than that, I’ve learned this from many angles. I will be the first to say that there is satisfaction in teaching, most especially when people are eager to learn, but there are also frustration and burnout, and wisdom is called for. I got into secular teaching simply because I needed an income source to be able to do ministry, but I quickly discovered that the pay wasn’t necessarily worth it! Actually, teaching Medical English in a private vocational school in Japan, the pay was generous for the hours taught, but when I was able to add Speech Therapy to what I was teaching, my satisfaction level went up greatly! My particular focus was vocal production and pronunciation, and those weren’t on the curriculum anywhere else, for budding speech therapists! Knowing that what I was teaching would equip them to help others was a huge motivation. In church ministry, I am surrounded by people outside the church who know nothing of the Gospel, and in the church, by people who don’t know how to apply the Gospel to their daily living. I urgently want to meet those needs, but I certainly can’t get it done on my own. As Jesus did, I need to rely on my Heavenly Father to pour His Spirit through me to accomplish His gracious will. Like Jesus, I need to recognize that my sustenance is to do the will of my Father. (John 4:24) That verse is quoted on my physical father’s gravestone, and I can do no better.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me not only do Your will, but do it for the right reasons. Anything less isn’t really Your will! I ask You to guard and guide me each day, so that I may be an effective agent of Your kingdom, drawing people to You for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Hearing God; March 23, 2026

Posted on March 24, 2026 by jgarrott

Mark 6:3 “Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

I find it very interesting that Jesus had brothers named James, Judas, and Simon, as well as close disciples with those same names. Of course, James and Judas (Jude) are most famous, because they both contributed letters to the New Testament, but regardless of that, this was not a small family. Jesus learned a lot by being a big brother! I find it a pity that His sisters aren’t named, just mentioned. All of that said, the people saying this thought they knew all about Jesus because they knew His family, and they pegged Him as a carpenter/craftsman, not as the Son of God. For that matter, even His own siblings didn’t believe in Him until after His resurrection. Familiarity indeed breeds contempt! The thing is, we need to recognize when God is talking to us, regardless of who He uses to do it. That can be difficult! The most extreme example in the Bible is when Balaam’s donkey talked to him, (Numbers 22) but we encounter people who don’t seem far removed from that. The point for us is in learning to hear God whatever the medium. For many years RCA Victor used a picture of a Dalmatian dog with his head cocked to the side, listening to a phonograph, with the caption, “His master’s voice.” There are countless voices speaking to us all the time, and we need to be so familiar with the Bible that we recognize when God is using something else to speak to us, because He will never contradict the Bible. The Internet is a virtual tsunami of information, and hearing God in all the noise is a challenge indeed. However, if we are submitted to His Spirit, He will give us the discernment we need. Going back to the passage, it is the height of wasted opportunity that these people couldn’t see and hear past Jesus’ physical background. We need to be wiser than they were!

It has occurred to both my wife and me to wonder how we will be received on our upcoming trip to the US. There are some who have contacted us, wanting to see us because they know we walk with the Lord and they are eager to hear Him through us. There are others we don’t expect to respond that way. We are to be faithful, listening to God ourselves and allowing Him to speak through us as He likes, not being puffed up or presumptuous, but simply available. As Paul said, we are no more than clay pots, (2 Corinthians 4:7) but the treasure within us is real.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the help from our son-in-law yesterday in locating a place to stay in Louisville, and that I could make that reservation. Learning how to do things with my cellphone rather than my computer isn’t comfortable for me, but I know You want me to keep growing! Thank You for speaking through me in the service yesterday, and for how You already have everything lined up for our future. That’s exactly what You had me speak on! Help Cathy and me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, so that Your purposes may be accomplished on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Individual Differences; March 22, 2026

Posted on March 23, 2026 by jgarrott

Mark 5:20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

Here we have a disciple who didn’t physically follow Jesus, though he wanted to. There are many kinds of disciple, and the Lord is the only one who can determine which are faithful and which are not. I would imagine that this man was as secure in his place in heaven as any of the 12 apostles! Different people have different giftings, and accordingly, different assignments. I recently read an article about Fannie Crosby, who wrote many hymns that are loved even today, but was blind most of her life. She was given musical ability and linguistic ability, and a phenomenal memory, but not eyesight. She was faithful with what she had, and generations since have been greatly blessed. She herself told people not to feel sorry for her, because she was happy and very fortunate. You might think that is an extreme example, but no more so than this man who had been possessed by a legion of demons. Everyone’s story is different, but we are all accountable to our Creator, who loves us whatever we think. Some people allow themselves to be consumed by regret and resentment at their situation, but they have lost sight of the reality that life on this earth is no more than a preparation exercise for eternity. I deeply love Andrae Crouch’s song, Through It All. It expresses in clear terms that all we go through is ultimately to bless us, because it draws and shapes us to know and love our Creator, if we will allow it to do so. The man in this story had absolutely nothing but his conviction that Jesus was the Son of God, and he had been told that by the demons that had oppressed him! (verse 7) However, that was enough, and the contrast between how he had been and what he had become was a powerful witness to all who knew him. Everyone’s story is different, but each person is capable of releasing their circumstances to God and committing themselves to Him. If we will do that, we will be His disciples indeed, to our eternal blessing and His glory.

Of course, this applies to every human being. I’m in the process of writing my own autobiography, which I hesitated to do because I didn’t want to toot my own horn, so to speak. However, the awareness that my life has been a testimony to the grace and faithfulness of God has finally brought me around to start writing. It’s going to be a long book! As a pastor, my job is to help other people believe, and then to apply that faith in their own lives. There is infinite variety in that, because there is infinite variety among human beings. I am not to try to push people into molds of my making, but rather help them recognize what God has done in and for them, so that they may in turn exercise that in faithfulness and accountability to their Creator. And of course, I’ve got to do the same. I must remember that no two disciples are identical, but that doesn’t mean that one is more or less faithful than another.

Father, thank You for this unexpected Word. Thank You for showing me what to read, since I completely blew it for today when drawing up the reading list. I ask for Your guidance for everyone else using this list as well! May we all hear what You are saying to us, however You choose to say it, and respond in loving obedience, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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