The Gift of Tongues; January 25, 2022

Posted on January 26, 2022 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 14:18-19 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.

This is a direct amplification of verse 12: “Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church.” Tongues are a gift for which Paul was thankful, but they build up the one speaking, rather than those listening. (Unless it is one of those rare occasions when the tongue in question is directly understood by others present, which we have experienced.) Our focus needs to be on being available to God for Him to use us in building others up, just as Paul said. So why would Paul have been grateful to “speak in tongues more than all of you?” Tongues are very useful when we want to pray, need to pray, but have no knowledge or presence of mind to pray in a language we know. Because they don’t use the mind directly, they enable praying while doing other things, such as driving a car, housework, or countless other things. As it says in verse 4 and several other places, speaking in tongues builds up the speaker, and sometimes we all need building up! We are to be grateful for any gifts God gives us, but our focus should be on using whatever gifts we have as God intends, building up the Body of Christ.

Numbers of groups teach that the gift of tongues will always accompany the baptism in the Holy Spirit, but as I have written before, that understanding almost kept me from receiving the baptism. It was when I let go of my preconceptions and thanked God for being true to His Word that I did receive, but I only realized I had done so a couple of days later, when it hit me that I was talking to a total stranger about Jesus, and Acts 1:8 came to mind. It was a matter of months later that I received the specific gift of tongues. I find myself very much in Paul’s position, speaking in tongues frequently but not in public. I would be thrilled if everyone in the church spoke in tongues, because some of them really need building up! I need wisdom in encouraging the believers to seek and receive spiritual gifts, and in recognizing and applying the gifts they have already received. That could easily be a series of messages, but more than preaching, the believers need coaching to help them recognize things rather than having them dictated to them. This church will not become properly Christ-centered until the believers realize they are as much a part of the Body of Christ as I am.

Father, thank You for all that you are doing in this church and in me. I really have been a major “lid” holding the church down, preaching at them instead of coming alongside and showing them things. I pray that in all things we would all grow as You intend, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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God’s Discipline; January 24, 2022

Posted on January 26, 2022 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 11:32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

I have probably done public reading of verses 23-26 of this chapter more than any other part of the Bible, because of regularly celebrating Communion. Somewhat less often I have read through verse 29. However, I’m not sure I’ve ever publicly read this verse in a service. It actually should be a very comforting verse for most believers. Frankly, we don’t like being disciplined, any more than children do. That’s actually a good thing, because the avoidance response is a good tool to help us stay on the path. However, as it says in Hebrews, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11) God’s discipline is always for our good, as parental discipline should be (though sadly it isn’t always). If God let us get by with things, our natural human tendency would be to go further and further afield, resulting, as this verse says, in our being “condemned with the world.” Believe me, we don’t want that! The problem is that we often don’t connect the circumstances of our lives with God’s discipline. We attribute every bad thing to someone or something outside of ourselves, failing to judge ourselves, as it says in the verse before this. One of the biggest problems in modern society is the rejection of the very concept of personal responsibility. Even violent criminals are excused because “they had a rough childhood.” That kind of talk (it’s not really thinking) is a concerted effort on the part of the devil to destroy society, because he is always out to “steal, kill, and destroy.” (John 10:10) Not every rough thing in our life is our fault, by any means, but we always need to be humble before God to ask Him to show us how we are to respond. Often enough, repentance is the first thing called for, but if we fail to recognize that, things will just continue to get worse.

I’ve experienced the Lord’s discipline, and I’ve also gone through rough situations that were simply to train me to keep trusting God. I’ve ignored God enough that I’m not surprised when bad things happen, but that doesn’t mean I’m to “take them lying down,” so to speak. I’m quick to counsel humility before God when I’m talking with others, but I must never forget it myself! To be honest, one thing I’m looking forward to about heaven is that since I will be free from the presence of sin, I’ll also not have to endure any more of the Lord’s discipline! That said, fear of discipline should not be my prime motivation for staying on the “straight and narrow,” but rather my love for God, in response to His love for me. As a parent I know that it is painful when my children do things that hurt themselves, and my heavenly Father is the same way. I want to be pure, holy, and obedient so that I won’t hurt Him!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your discipline, and for how gentle You have been with me even in that. May I respond to everything in my life as You want me to, so that I may be transformed more and more into the likeness of Your Son, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Drinking; January 23, 2022

Posted on January 25, 2022 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

This verse is the perfect follow-up to verse 23: “‘Everything is permissible’ – but not everything is beneficial. ‘Everything is permissible’ – but not everything is constructive.” God’s rules are always for our good, but the devil does all he can to convince us otherwise. Back in the Garden of Eden there was only one prohibition, and our ancestors blew it, with the enthusiastic encouragement of the devil. The particular issue here is actually witness to others, whether non-believers or immature Christians. These days, at least in most countries, we don’t have the issue of meat that has been sacrificed to idols, but the issue of alcohol, and for that matter, cannabis, is very current for many. As Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18) The guiding principle should be exactly as this verse states: Does this action on my part bring glory to God? If we ask ourselves that with frequent regularity we will be protected from all sorts of snares of the devil and will live lives of peace, joy, and satisfaction.

This particular issue hasn’t been so difficult for me. Going to a Baptist college, the idea of alcohol had an exciting ring of the forbidden to it. I never have liked the taste of beer, but bourbon Coke tasted pretty good to me. One day I decided to try getting drunk, which I had never experienced. I didn’t want to make a fool of myself in public, so I drank the first quarter of a bottle of Coke, filled it back up with bourbon, and then went to my dorm room and drank the whole bottle in about 15 minutes. I didn’t even feel a buzz. Either the Lord intervened directly, or He gave me a very efficient liver! Whatever the reason, I never felt any compulsion to drink. In the Army, I was one of only four people, I think it was, that didn’t smoke weed, but I discovered, courtesy of one of the mess hall cooks, that cannabis seed makes a very delicious seasoning for beef gravy. (He was later discharged for that sort of stunt.) Likewise, I certainly inhaled plenty of second hand pot smoke, because of all the guys around me. (Of course, that was 50 years ago, and what was grown on Oahu where I was stationed was much less potent than what is available today.) However, I was never particularly tempted to smoke it for myself. That has been a huge blessing to me. Now, people around me are amazed that I don’t drink or smoke at all, but I feel no urge to do so. I explain to them that, whereas I have a very efficient liver, many do not, and with my position in society, were I to drink, those watching me would consider it a license for them to do so also, and their results would probably be very different from mine. I don’t drink or smoke because I feel no need for it, and I want to be a wholesome influence on those around me.

Father, thank You for Your grace to me in this area, as in every other area of my life. I am so blessed! Help me indeed so live as to give You glory in all I do, drawing those around me to know and love you, for their salvation. Thank You. Praise God!

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Communion; January 22, 2022

Posted on January 24, 2022 by jgarrott

1 Cor 10:16-17 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

This is a passage that isn’t covered very often in very many churches! It actually is justification for calling the celebration in question “Communion,” rather than “The Lord’s Supper.” I don’t think it goes so far as to justify the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation, which says that the bread and wine are literally transformed into the flesh and blood of Jesus, but it does argue against the currently common practice of having completely separate, sealed packets of a bit of bread and a little grape juice. I understand the hygienic reasons for avoiding the common loaf and particularly the common cup, but I think we miss something in the process. The bread and drink are symbols, yes, but we need to have a deeper grasp of that symbolism. In particular, I think we need to appropriate the unity mentioned here. There is only one Savior and Lord, yet we fracture His Body, the Church, using all sorts of excuses. Communion should be a powerful symbol of a unity that is then lived out in countless ways. Unity doesn’t mean uniformity, but it is the antithesis of division.

In this church we are blessed to be few enough in numbers that, though we use separate little cups for the grape juice, we use a common “loaf” of unleavened bread that Cathy bakes for each occasion. Since we celebrate Communion every 4th Sunday, we will be doing so tomorrow. I think I should bring this passage out as we do so. We decided years ago to stick with grape juice rather than wine, not just because of members who were minors but because we had a recovering alcoholic in the church, and knew that it would certainly be less than kind to him to use wine. Raised in a Southern Baptist framework, I was taught that The Lord’s Supper was strictly symbolic, as was baptism, but my view has shifted over the years. I feel there is spiritual significance and power in those physical actions, and we take them lightly to our great loss. I don’t want to deprive the believers here of any of the blessings God has for them by my theological interpretations. I actually celebrate Communion by myself every morning as the first step in my devotions, using left-over bread from the congregational celebration and, most often, iced tea. When I’m on a trip, I use whatever is available, and over the years that has included a wide variety of bread/crackers/etc. and drinks. Without exception, though, as I take the “bread” I thank Jesus for giving His body for me and renew the commitment of my body to Him, and as I take the first sip of the drink I ask for a fresh infilling/immersion in His blood. I feel that has been very valuable in keeping me faithful to Him, because the temptations and deceptions are unrelenting.

Father, thank You for sending Your Son. Lord Jesus, thank You for coming, and for giving Your body and blood for our salvation. Help me walk in, and communicate, that incredible truth, so that all the schemes of the devil may be defeated and Your rule and reign be established, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Wisdom; January 21, 2022

Posted on January 24, 2022 by jgarrott

1 Cor 1:20, 25 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

This is a fundamental truth we see displayed around us all the time. We see atheists, and even some “theologians,” with all sorts of letters after their names make pronouncements about God, to the point of absurdity. There is much that can be learned about the physical universe through research and study, and we can even learn things about God through observing the natural world, (Romans 1:20) but conceit is incredibly blinding. The moment we think we can be wise, or strong or any other good thing, without God, we become utterly stupid and weak. I have always liked a Japanese proverbial expression, “acorns comparing height,” when it comes to human pride. As Paul says later in this same letter, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” (1 Corinthians 8:1) Even if our facts are accurate, they need to be rooted in God and expressed in love, or they are “a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” (1 Corinthians 13:1) Again, as God told Paul personally, “My power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) It is when we acknowledge our own foolishness that God’s wisdom is manifested through us, and it is when we acknowledge our own weakness that God’s strength is manifested through us. Knowledge isn’t a bad thing, but it isn’t the final answer. Even if something is “true,” empirically speaking, God still has the final say. Recognizing that is the essence of “the fear of the Lord,” that Proverbs so wisely tells us is “the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)

As I have written many times, intellectual conceit has been a major snare for me. This passage hits very close to home! I come from a line of scholars, with both my grandfathers having doctorates and my father getting his at the tender age of 23. For that matter, not only my mother but both of my grandmothers were college graduates, which in those days was rare for women. The mercy in that was that all of the people mentioned loved God and were committed to following Him. That’s where real wisdom comes in. I have many scholars among my relatives of the succeeding generations. Some have adhered to the wisdom of God and some have not, in some cases sadly so. I have learned the hard way that genuine success is not a function of IQ or academics but of a heart that is humble before God, seeking to know and obey Him. I desire for God’s wisdom and power to be manifested through me, but for that to happen I have to realize that mine are worthless compared to His, and submit myself to Him in full obedience.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the good, productive day yesterday. Thank You for the times of fellowship with You as I was driving. Thinking about it, I’m sure that was connected to the other good things that happened. You have given me a message on Fellowship with Christ for this coming Sunday. May I walk in that indeed, today and every day, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Fellowship with Christ; January 20, 2022

Posted on January 23, 2022 by jgarrott

1 Cor 1:9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

It has been pointed out by many people that the church in Corinth had many problems, but Paul started his letter thanking God for them. This verse tells us why he could have such confidence. There are three elements to it. Word order is very different in English and Japanese, but in both languages the verse starts with “God.” When our focus is on other things, which by definition are less than God, we are easily distracted. Those things might be temptations of various sorts, or they might be an awareness of our own gifts and abilities, or lack thereof. It’s not at all that we are to ignore everything else, but rather that God needs to be supreme in our heart and mind so that we see everything in relation to Him. In so doing, we need to have a clear and accurate image of God in our heart and mind. This verse brings up one of His characteristics that is often totally overlooked by those who don’t know Him personally, and that is His faithfulness. The NIV gives that extra punch by closing out the sentence with it, and the Japanese brings it out right at the beginning, but in either case it is vitally important. The thing is, God is faithful but we aren’t. Spiritual growth can be said to be growth in faithfulness. The less mature we are, the more likely we are to be sidetracked by all sorts of temptations, and the less likely we are to follow through with what God tells us to do. We can’t rely on our own faithfulness, but God’s is totally dependable. What this verse is saying is that this totally faithful God has called us into fellowship with His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We aren’t just called to “be good little boys and girls,” but to have fellowship, intimate communication and interaction with, the Son of God! If God feels far from you, you need to realize two things: God hasn’t moved, and you need to repent and grow. It is logically obvious that our greatest joy and satisfaction will come when we are fulfilling the purpose for which our Creator made us, and here we have it: fellowship with His Son. That can seem like an impossibly high goal, but it’s the one our Creator set for us, and remember, He is faithful! Of course, perfect fellowship will be experienced only when we are before His throne in heaven, but we can taste it here and now, and that should be our goal. (Psalm 42:1)

I have tasted fellowship with God enough times that you would think I’d be totally obsessed with it, but unfortunately that’s not the case. My flesh still gets in the way in various ways, which is why I look forward to being through with it! I am at times painfully aware of my own unfaithfulness, but I have experienced God’s faithfulness too many times to doubt it. I well remember one time I was in a small prayer meeting and the presence of the Lord, the sheer joy of it, was so intense that I felt one more drop would cause my physical body to give up, and I would go straight to heaven. I actually expressed in my spirit, “Lord, if You have more work for me to do here, You’d better let up a little.” Obviously He did that, and that was several years ago. Of the three other men in that prayer meeting, one has gone on to heaven, one I am in contact with fairly often by Facebook, and I recently reestablished contact with the third. God is faithful for them, too! As a pastor, I deeply desire that each of the believers discover the joy of fellowship with Jesus Christ, and that’s why I urge morning devotions all the time. We all need to set the tone of each day by consciously seeking to be in fellowship with our Lord.

Father, thank You for Your faithfulness! Thank You for the incredible privilege of fellowship with Your Son. Thank You that He was born, lived, and died as a human being, in addition to being divine, so that He indeed understands what we are going through. I ask You to use me to bring more and more people into fellowship with Him by faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Women in Ministry; January 19, 2022

Posted on January 22, 2022 by jgarrott

Romans 16:1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea.

In reading through this great list of names I was quite struck with how many women there are, starting with Phoebe. In her case, the NIV gives a footnote that “servant” could be translated “deaconess,” but the Japanese just uses the term for deacon, which isn’t gender-specific. So much for all the arguments about women in ministry! As my grandfather W. O. Carver always insisted, Paul’s remarks in 1 Corinthians 11, and particularly the infamous “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent,” (1 Timothy 2:12) are taken out of context. As my grandfather explained, there were societal customs that dictated all sorts of things, such as the whole matter of meat that had been sacrificed to idols, that aren’t to be normative for the Church through the ages. Many people have been hurt, and even churches torn apart, by men who didn’t want to share the limelight. Societal norms need to be respected to a degree, but are never to take precedence over the Holy Spirit. God’s kingdom operates in many ways, with a virtually infinite variety of roles, but everything is under and in submission to God Himself, which makes differences insignificant by comparison. Problems arise from pride, both in men and women, and we’ve got to remember that that’s what got Lucifer thrown out of heaven.

I have seen people of both genders who had no business teaching, whatever they thought of themselves, and I have been greatly blessed by the spiritual insights of both women and men. My mother was distressed when the mission board demoted her to “missionary wife” after she married my father, when she had actually applied to be a missionary before he had. I feel that distress was quite understandable, but at the same time my mother’s internal turmoil was her own issue, to the degree that she didn’t release the issue to God. In the secular world, the “Women’s Liberation Movement” started with some reasonable and even noble goals, but it was quickly hijacked by the devil, and easily so because there was so much pride involved. I am to treat all people with honor and respect, recognizing that God can use anyone, and seeking to encourage each person in their individual gifting and calling.

Father, thank You for this reminder. There are many difficult things, not to mention unknowns, about this whole issue. Help me look to You constantly and hear You clearly and obediently, so that Your plans for everyone may be fulfilled, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Relationships; January 18, 2022

Posted on January 22, 2022 by jgarrott

Romans 14:7-8 For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

This is an important truth, but there are many who would dispute it. We don’t like to admit we are property, that we belong to God. American culture in particular stresses individual autonomy, and this seems to fly in the face of that. That’s just evidence that America isn’t perfect, either! I have long maintained that suicide is a supremely selfish, or at least self-centered, act. All of us impact those around us, whether we realize it or not. When we are totally focused on our own pain we have great trouble recognizing how our death would affect others, or even why it matters. A recent tragic story in the news was of a young couple, both law officers. The husband had been in the military, and his PTSD from that caught up with him and he killed himself. Where it gets even more tragic is that his wife, in her grief at the loss of her husband, killed herself too – leaving behind a child less than a year old. Both of the adults in that needed to read this passage! This past Sunday I spoke on Relationships. It is of utmost importance that God created us as social beings, related and relating to one another, all on the basis of our relationship to Him, our heavenly Father. Paul is stressing that last fact here. Our relationship to God governs every other relationship in our lives. If the vertical is right, then the horizontal is much more likely to be right. It’s no coincidence that the cross is made up of a vertical piece and a horizontal piece. It’s also no accident that the vertical piece is longer. It is only when we have our vertical relationship to God straight that we can rightly relate to those on either side of us. We tend to think of people as either “above” or “below” us, particularly in Japanese society, but compared to God, every human being is on exactly the same level. It would take a scanning electron microscope to detect the bumps! We often fail to recognize our impact and influence on others, and that is a real problem. God intends that we be instruments of His grace and blessing to those around us. It is only when we fit into His plan for us that we achieve the peace and satisfaction we desire.

This naturally applies to me, just as it does to everyone else. As I confessed on Sunday, I’m not by nature a “people person.” However, being married to one of the most connected people on the planet for over 52 years has been very educational! I’ve been slow to learn it, but it has finally sunk in how much I need other people, and how God wants to use me in meeting their needs as well. I certainly still have my selfish, self-centered moments, but I’ve come a long way from how I once was. The acronym JOY – Jesus, Others, Yourself – seemed rather trite to me the first time I heard it, but there’s a lot of truth in it. As someone who belongs to the Lord, I need to be fully available to Him as an instrument of blessing to those around me, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the very full day yesterday, and for all You have planned for today. Help me recognize and follow Your plan each moment, not only to get done what’s on my schedule but to impact those around me as You intend, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Fundamental Laws; January 17, 2022

Posted on January 21, 2022 by jgarrott

Romans 8:1-2 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

This is a justly famous, vitally important passage with which I am naturally very familiar. However, the Japanese translation I use gives me fresh insight. In English we only have one word, “law,” to express what are actually various different things, but Japanese has three terms that I’m aware of. There is judicial law, as in a human court, there is God’s law, as in the 10 Commandments, and there is the term used for fundamental principles, as in laws of nature such as gravity. Interestingly, that is the word used here. You can’t annul gravity by executive decree, legislative action, or judicial judgment! However, things like the “laws” of aerodynamics counter gravity all the time, as witness all the airplanes flying around. That’s the sort of thing Paul is talking about here. The law of sin and death doesn’t disappear, but it’s more than countered by the law of the Spirit of life. That’s why we need to be careful to walk in the Spirit at all times, as we are admonished to do several times in the New Testament. Otherwise, the law of sin and death takes over, as when the engine quits in an airplane. That’s why Paul wrote, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1) If we fail to walk in the Spirit of Life, it’s as though He doesn’t exist for us. The good news is, repentance is always available!

This naturally applies to me as much as it does to everyone else. I’m certainly not immune to gravity! I’m back to the vital importance of applying the truth I know. James hit the nail on the head when he wrote, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22) Mere lip service doesn’t free us from anything. As I am reminded rather often, as someone actively involved in telling others what God says to do, I’ve got to be careful that I’m doing it too! However the glorious truths of Scripture, like this passage, are just as true for me as they are for anyone else, so I am to rest, relax, and rejoice in my Lord, just as He has told me to do.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for the very clear illustration You gave me of how this works. Guide me in when and how I am to share that with others. Thank You for all You did yesterday, and all You have planned for today. May I indeed walk in Your Spirit each moment, so that Your life through me may touch all I encounter, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Eternal Life; January 16, 2022

Posted on January 21, 2022 by jgarrott

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is one of the more famous verses in the whole Bible, but it’s still worth fresh attention and meditation. To this point Paul has been using the image of slavery in talking about our relationship to sin, but here he at least says we get paid a wage for it – but what a wage! This is a truth the devil does his utmost to hide, which is all the more reason for us to trumpet it everywhere. The problem is, until our spiritual eyes have been opened, we don’t recognize the death that is reigning in us even while we’re walking around. It’s kind of like taking a poison a little bit at a time, perhaps thinking we’re “building up immunity,” when actually we’re adding up to the fatal dosage. The only antidote to that poison is the blood of Jesus Christ. That an antidote is available is the best news in the whole world! The problem is that most people don’t recognize the poison for what it is. Mankind has always been on a quest for eternal life, probably in an instinctive desire to restore what was lost in the Garden of Eden. Burial rituals in different cultures can be a fascinating study, with the Egyptian pyramids as an extreme example. All those human efforts are ultimately futile, and that includes the “scientific” efforts today to extend physical life to 120 years and beyond, and even to “record human personality” in digital form so that we could live forever, essentially, as computers or android robots. Those who have had what are called “Near Death Experiences,” including my wife, testify to the futility of that. It’s like we’re striving to keep living in a dirt-floor hovel when we are offered a luxurious mansion! The thing is, this isn’t just a “pie in the sky by and by” thing, because eternal life in Christ begins the moment He is enthroned in your heart. Eternal life in Christ, far more than quantitative, is qualitatively infinitely above anything we can achieve on our own. Since we can’t earn or achieve it, God offers it to us as a gift, as Paul says here. We are to be good stewards of the life we have here, but going from this to the next, for those who are in Christ, is pure joy and glory.

I’ve had a cousin and her daughter die just recently, the cousin at an advanced age with Alzheimer’s, and her daughter with MS. For both of them it was a huge release, and since they were both believers, a glorious graduation. For those left behind, particularly the daughter’s husband, there is sadness, but not for the two “graduates.” I have lost count of the people I’ve “seen off,” and there has been a wide variety. For active believers, there has even been joy in the process. For those with no faith, only sadness. For the majority, there has been a relinquishing of them to God’s judgment, because He alone knows the content of our heart. For myself, I have a joyful anticipation of my graduation, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy life here and now. However, I certainly experience a lot of things I won’t miss when I’m gone! Meanwhile, I have the privilege and responsibility of sharing the Gospel with as many as will receive it, so that they too may join me in the eternal life that God offers.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me be faithful in every moment of the eternal life You have given me, in this body and after, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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