God’s Guidance; December 26, 2021

Posted on December 29, 2021 by jgarrott

Matthew 2:12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

This whole story is so extremely familiar that it’s hard to read it with any degree of freshness. I preached on verse 10 last week! However, this verse is a reminder that God does guide us, if we are sensitive to hear Him. The Magi were obviously pretty tuned to such things, because they had come all the way from Persia to find the baby Christ. Their avoiding Herod in this way brings to mind the story from the Old Testament, where God clued Elisha on what was going on with the Aramaeans. (2 Kings 6:11-12) God indeed knows everything that is going on, all the time, and if we will be submitted to Him He will let us know as much as we need to know. It’s not wise to get greedy, demanding to know more, but if our hearts are quiet before Him He will enable us to avoid all sorts of traps of the devil. Another thing we learn from this story is that there are always those who will try to interfere with God’s plans because they are more in tune with the devil than with God. As Peter said, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) God can tell us where the “lion” is waiting to attack us, just as He did in this story. Reading on, we learn that Joseph also was informed of the situation in a dream, and he too took action. (verses 13-15) Both the Magi and Joseph are illustrations of the simple reality that we have to follow the guidance God gives us, but if we do, things will turn out much better than otherwise.

I’ve never been one to receive dreams from the Lord, but I couldn’t begin to count how many times and in how many ways God has guided me. I am not to take pride in that, but rather be grateful for God’s mercy and grace and seek to be ever more sensitive to hear Him. I am still very prone to say and do things without His guidance, as I demonstrated just yesterday, striking out from self-centered ignorance and hurting people I care deeply about. I too need to choose to listen all the time, hearing God and hearing the people around me, so that my words and actions may flow with His Spirit and nothing else, for His glory.

Father, thank You for Your patience with me. I ask for wisdom in how to help heal the hurts I caused yesterday, and I ask for more restraint, greater sensitivity, so that my words won’t wound needlessly. I realize that my words have weight, and that can be a heavy responsibility at times. May the words from my mouth accomplish Your will and no other, for good and not evil, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Transformative Events; December 25, 2021

Posted on December 29, 2021 by jgarrott

Luke 2:20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

This is obviously a very familiar verse, and a catchy little chorus has been made of just the first half of it. I’ve always liked it, for two reasons. The first is the mental image of the shepherds, walking along singing, probably punctuated with intermittent exclamations of things like “Glory!” “Praise God!” “Hallelujah!” In all that they probably tried to replicate the song the angels had sung to them. That is a very joyous and glorious scene to me. The second thing is very simply that they returned, they went back to what they had been doing when the angel appeared to them. Life didn’t stop, and it doesn’t stop for any event, no matter how dramatic, triumphant, or even tragic. At the same time, the shepherds themselves were forever changed by their experience. From that point they never doubted the existence of God, angels, or the supernatural in general. We all have experiences that mark turning points in our lives. Some of those are good and pleasant, some may be tragic or even horrific. The question is never whether we will have such experiences, since we are hardly ever in control of them, but how we will respond to them when they occur. Jesus famously cautioned us about the negative side of that. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) God never allows anything in our lives that He can’t use for good. (Romans 8:28) However, if we respond wrongly, turning away from God instead of toward Him, the results are indeed tragic. Abuse is a good case in point. Particularly when the abuser is a “religious” figure, the abused person runs a high risk of rejecting God, but Jesus said that the fate of such abusers is more than horrible. (Luke 17:1-2) However, some abused people manage to come through their experience gloriously strengthened, knowing that by the grace of God they can get through anything. Conversely, some people are ruined by dramatic events that, on the face of it, would seem good, like winning the lottery or otherwise coming suddenly into a great deal of money, and some people make good use of it and are genuinely blessed, as well as blessing others. It’s all a matter of focus and internal values and priorities.

I haven’t had hugely tragic or triumphant events in my life, but I have certainly had experiences that have been transforming. Meeting, courting, and marrying my wife was certainly dramatic, and I am deeply grateful. Having God speak to me so clearly that it might as well have been audible is something I’ll never forget. Having Him show me a mirror so that I got a glimpse of the blackness of my soul absolutely devastated me at the time, but it was a moment of the deepest mercy and love, and it certainly changed me. At this point in my life I realize that all the events of my life are no more than bumps and wiggles in my “lifeline,” so to speak. The “big event” is when I stand before my Lord, set free from all that has held me back, so that I may have complete fellowship with Him. I am deeply grateful for all He has brought me through, and I’m sure he has more blessings planned, but my anticipation of that climactic day continues to grow. As the song says, “What a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see.” Those I leave behind will mourn, but I will rejoice beyond words to express.

Father, thank You for all You bring us through. Help me indeed respond to everything as You desire and intend, so that Your purposes may be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Name of Jesus; December 24, 2021

Posted on December 28, 2021 by jgarrott

Matthew 1:21 “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

I doubt that many people think much about the name, Jesus, or more properly, Yeshua. The majority of English speakers don’t even know the English spelling and pronunciation are something of a fluke. The bilingual NIV/Shinkaiyaku Bible in front of me at least has the footnote, “Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the Lord saves.” In many societies names are deeply meaningful, but that is largely lost from American society today. Continuing family names is still common, or even naming babies for famous people, but we see people making names up out of thin air as well, thinking only about whether they sound nice or are unique. That makes us overlook the meaning of names in the Bible, even this “name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11) This is totally tied in with John 3:16, because the Son came to earth to be our Savior. That makes it all the more ironic and sad when people use His name as an expletive. For that matter, relatively few English speakers know that Christ is the Anglicized form of the Greek word for Messiah, or that both of those words mean Savior. (The Japanese term for Savior is more explicitly, Saving Lord.) All the facts about who Jesus is, even apart from what He has done and is doing, are worthy of a great deal of thought and meditation. The better we know Him, who and what He is, the more secure we will be against all that this world throws at us, either trials or temptations.

My name is deeply family related, and I am very pleased with it, even if “Jackson Maxfield Garrott” does get a bit cumbersome at times. When I was still a baby someone asked my mother what my name was, and when she told them, they said, “That’s a mighty big name for such a small baby.” My mother replied, “He’ll grow.” Whether I have grown to be worthy of the name I was given is for others to decide. Of far greater importance is my relationship to the name of Jesus, and how accurate it is that I am called a Christian. I want others to know that the Lord saves because of me. I often perform weddings at a “wedding chapel” for largely non-Christian groups, and I always talk about God’s love. Many Japanese are aware that the Bible says, “God is love,” (1 John 4:8) so I bring that up and then contrast God’s love with human love, talking about Jesus as the ultimate expression of God’s love. In that, I tell them that Jesus means, God is salvation. Simply telling them that doesn’t accomplish their salvation, but it gives them the opportunity to repent and believe for their salvation, and that is my prayer for them.

Father, it seems like every year at Christmas I get totally stressed out because of all the things to be done, and I fail to marvel at the magnificence of what You did in sending Jesus. Forgive me. Thank You for the service we’ll be having tonight. There are still things to be completed before then. Help us receive Your wisdom and strength for each task, resting, relaxing, and rejoicing in You, so that Your salvation may be manifested in and through us as a witness to many, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Hiding from God; December 23, 2021

Posted on December 28, 2021 by jgarrott

John 3:19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

John 3:16 is rightly the most famous verse in the Bible, but people really need to keep reading past that. God doesn’t vindictively dump people into hell, but they choose it for themselves. They mostly don’t realize it’s hell they’re choosing, but they choose their evil deeds over God’s light. Privacy is indeed an issue in society, but often the ones who are most prying into other people’s affairs have the most reason to hide their own. Almost 50 years ago the Supreme Court invented a “right” to abortion out of the right to privacy, based on the 6th Amendment in the Bill of Rights, which protects against “unreasonable searches and seizures.” Thankfully that looks about to be exposed for the insanity it is, but the whole issue is an excellent example of the reality behind this passage. People want to cover up the evil of their immorality through the evil of murder. However, that’s just one example. Politicians are an excellent case in point, because they feel their “exalted status” allows them to do things “common people” aren’t allowed to get away with. They forget that “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:13) Accountability doesn’t seem to be in their vocabulary! Seeing things in the dark isn’t the half of it, because God sees even into the depths of our heart. That is a joyous truth for those who love God and seek to follow Him, but it is a fearsome reality for those who try to turn their backs on Him.

I’m a strange one in this area, because I have known and understood from a young age that God could see everything, and yet at times I chose to do things that I knew weren’t pleasing to Him. At this point in my life I want Him to point out to me things that still aren’t pleasing to Him, but sometimes I can be pretty dense. Looking around me I see people all the time who are trying to hide this, that, or the other, but it doesn’t work very well even in relation to the people around them for very long. Sometimes the results are immediately tragic, like the neighbor where we used to live deliberately driving her car off a cliff, when none of us knew she was in such emotional turmoil. Sometimes God gives me words of knowledge about people, and it can be very shocking to them when I indicate I know things about them that they thought were hidden. I am to act on such knowledge as God intends, starting first with prayer, and not let myself get puffed up over it. I’ve got to remember at all times that I too am totally dependent on the grace and mercy of God.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me rest, relax, and rejoice in the knowledge of Your omniscience, living in such obedience to You that I’m not worried about hiding anything at all, so that I may be transparent enough for those around me to see You through me, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Choosing Salvation; December 22, 2021

Posted on December 24, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 12:3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

I can still remember clearly how, though not exactly when, my attention was first drawn to this verse. Andrae Crouch was talking in between songs on a praise and worship tape, and he quoted this verse. I was struck by it, and at first wasn’t sure it was from the Bible since I didn’t remember running into it, and by that point I had already read through the Bible a few times. It still resonates in me, however, and I think the meaning is important. The Japanese here says “springs” rather than “wells,” implying a more active provision, but in either case, what stands out to me is that you have to draw the water of salvation yourself. It’s not at all that we can save ourselves, but our will, our volition, is definitely involved. As the secular proverb says, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. Salvation has been made available to all mankind through the blood of Christ on the cross, but each person must first know that they need salvation, and then choose to repent and receive it. The work of evangelism is first to let people know they are headed for destruction, and then to let them know that salvation is available. It is not to hit them over the head with a Bible until they “get saved.” As Paul pointed out so memorably to the Romans, “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” (Romans 10:12-15) Receiving salvation requires a fundamental humility that is all too often lacking. Men in particular like to feel they have “done it themselves,” when eternal salvation is the ultimate example of something you can’t do for yourself. However, once you recognize both your need and God’s supply, drawing the water of salvation is a thing of joy indeed.

Ministering in Japan, I run into various barriers to evangelism. In the first place, Buddhism has no real concept of salvation. The highest good is Mu, nothingness, an extinction of self. Only a few ascetic monks actually pursue that, but the fallout of that sort of nihilism is that very few Japanese really believe that salvation is available in any form. Materialism is king, regardless of how “spiritual” things might seem. The devil has been working for many years to bring about that state of affairs in the US, too, and he has been sadly successful. I am never to give up, but continue speaking the truth in love, living as an example of the Gospel I preach. If I don’t rejoice in the salvation I have received, why would anyone else want it? I have already shared the Gospel in three different class Christmas parties, to widely varying response. I can’t force anyone to drink! We have the Christmas Eve service coming up in two days. I have no idea who will show up, but whoever does will be demonstrating at least an inkling that they can get something good here. I am to share the Gospel as simply and as joyfully as possible, so that as many as will may choose to drink.

Father, thank You for Your salvation and for the privilege of sharing the Good News of that salvation with others. I pray that Your Spirit would work through me and around me to break down all the lying barriers and set people free to repent and believe, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Righteousness and Faithfulness; December 21, 2021

Posted on December 24, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 11:5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

The Japanese translators had trouble coming up with more than one word for an item of clothing you put around your waist, so they used a slightly arcane word for the second instance of waist instead. To me, the point of this verse is that righteousness deals with our relationship to God and His laws, whereas faithfulness deals with our relationship to the people around us. We are back to what Jesus said were the first and second commandments. (Matthew 22:37-40) That the same imagery is used for both here is an indication that they are essentially inseparable. If we aren’t treating the people around us right, then we aren’t relating rightly to the God who made both us and them. This is something that Jesus dealt with frequently in relation to the Pharisees, and James really hammered in his letter. It is rather meaningless to claim to love and follow God if we fail to demonstrate His love to the people around us. Frankly, this can be a difficult issue. We think we love mankind, but specific individuals really get under our skin! That’s why Jesus’ words, recorded right after He taught us the Lord’s Prayer, hit so hard: “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15) I don’t think that gets preached on very often! We aren’t called to be doormats, giving people permission to do anything to us, but we are called to forgive, no matter what they do to us. That is exercising both righteousness and faithfulness, and that is the example Jesus set.

By God’s grace I’ve never been one to nurse a grudge, but I will certainly confess to having room to grow, both in loving God and loving my neighbor. Sometimes I have trouble loving myself! The point is, I’m never to be satisfied with where I am, and I’m never to give up on growing to be more like Jesus. That doesn’t mean I’m to be constantly picking at myself by any means, but it does mean I am to recognize that my own righteousness and faithfulness are inadequate, and allow the righteousness and faithfulness of Christ to flow through me by His grace. And that includes loving me, because He certainly does!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for yesterday and all it held. Thank You for Your plans for today as well. Thank You that I can trust You to carry me through this very busy season. I do ask Your anointing on the two class Christmas parties today, that the students will not only have a good time but especially that they would receive the Gospel as I tell the story of Jesus, from conception to resurrection. May Your righteousness and faithfulness through me draw them to repentance and faith for their salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Power; December 20, 2021

Posted on December 23, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 147:10-11 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of a man;
the Lord delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.

The Japanese here just cleared up something I have thought for a very long time was odd about this passage. English translations generally put this as the NIV does: “the legs of a man.” The Japanese says, “foot soldiers.” That makes worlds more sense to me, since horses were seen as mighty instruments of war. The English phraseology brings up an image of “beefcake,” bodybuilders and the like, which is rather jarring in this context. The Psalmist is actually talking about military strength, which is emblematic of human strength in general. In line with many, many other passages in the Bible, this is pointing out that God is after our hearts, not what we can do for Him. This brings to mind the famous incident of Paul’s “thorn in the flesh,” where God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) God has absolutely no need for our “strength,” because it is totally meaningless in comparison to His omnipotence. Rather, God desires, and delights in, those who recognize their dependence on Him and submit themselves to Him in gratitude and obedience.

I have never been particularly fixated on muscle strength, though I think I am in pretty good shape for my age at this point. However, I have tended to think of myself as “strong” in various other areas, and it has been a snare to me on various occasions. This past week, when I was called on to speak to a group of around a thousand people in a setting where I was very much under the spotlight, I felt very weak indeed, and was actively depending on God. He followed through magnificently, and an adjective I heard several times from people who were talking about the message was “powerful.” It wasn’t my power! It was amusing even to me, but in the dressing room before the program a pop Christmas song was running through my mind: “All I Want for Christmas is You.” The original is entirely about a boy-girl relationship, but I sang it, in my heart and mind, to God, because that was how I was feeling. The thing is, that’s how God feels about us, not just “for Christmas,” but desiring our hearts, our devotion, all the time. If I will indeed reciprocate, then He will delight to use me in His wisdom and power, which totally eclipse my own.

Father, thank You for this clear reminder. Thank You for getting me through the day yesterday. I was certainly feeling weak emotionally for much of the day, for various reasons, but You followed through magnificently. I have various things weighing on me for today and through this week. Help me not worry about whether I can carry them, but rest in the assurance that You can more than carry them, even using me. May I be a useful instrument of Your grace, power, and love, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Trusting God; December 19, 2021

Posted on December 23, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 136:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.

This particular declaration is found multiple times in Psalms, and was obviously a standard, and frequent, part of worship. Here it is used as an antiphonal chant, between a leader and either a choir or the whole congregation. I’ve heard it used both ways in modern churches, and as such it can be a very moving worship experience. As I’ve commented before, the Japanese says “grace” rather than “love,” but that difference isn’t so significant in this context. The whole point of the Psalm, and the expression in general, was to get people into the habit of thanking God. “He is good; His love endures forever” is very general, so this Psalm fleshes that out with various acts of God, both in nature and in Israel’s history, ending up with the reminder that He is the “God of heaven,” that is, the Creator over all. When we are mired in our own little difficulties, frustrated that things aren’t turning out as we would like, we would do well to remember the many ways God has demonstrated His might and power, as well as His individual concern for us His creatures. That should help us regain a bit of context and perspective. A popular song of many years ago had the line, “Don’t they know it’s the end of the world? It ended when you said goodbye.” The younger we are the more likely we are to feel that our personal “tragedy” is earth-shaking, often causing older people to smile. However, even mature adults can be consumed by their own circumstance, when others are doubtless having it even worse. We need to remember first of all that God is the Creator, the One who spoke the universe into being. As mankind has had to be reminded again and again, nothing is impossible for Him. (Luke 1:37) At the same time, He cares about each one of us. John 3:16 is of course justly famous, but Peter’s reminder is also very important: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) After all, Jesus said that He keeps track even of the hairs on our head! (Luke 12:7) When we have that bedrock assurance, nothing can shake us.

I have certainly had to grow in this truth, and I can’t say I’m there 100% even yet. I too get tied in knots over ultimately inconsequential things. It is a comfort that Paul faced the same situation! (Philippians 3:12-14) As a pastor I am constantly dealing with people in a wide variety of difficulties, with a wide variety of maturity to handle things. My difficulty is in helping them understand the reality of God’s power and love without making them feel put down, that their difficulties are unimportant. God really does care, but He’s far more concerned with our character than with our comfort. For myself and for those to whom I minister, I’ve got to remember that growth is the goal, and that “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for how much of this season You’ve already brought me through. Thank You for the service this morning, and the caroling this evening. May everything happen as You desire, blessing all involved, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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God’s Word; December 18, 2021

Posted on December 20, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 119:62 At midnight I rise to give you thanks
for your righteous laws.

When I first read through today’s passage I wondered where the reference was to thanks, so then I read it again more carefully and I recognized this was in it. Too often we fail to allow the Word of God to soak into us, either glossing over it because it’s “too complicated,” or in my case, letting familiarity breed contempt, taking the words lightly because they’ve been read so many times before. Whatever the reason, failing to let God’s Word penetrate into our heart and mind is not just a waste, it is actually dangerous. Though translations can at times be suspect, the problem is not with the Bible. God’s Spirit is more than capable of straightening out twisted translations, if we will allow Him to do so. I know of people who have been gloriously born again from reading the deliberately twisted New World Translation used by the Jehovah’s Witnesses! Despite their denial of the divinity of Jesus, they couldn’t hide that glorious reality completely. Especially for long-term Christians, our attitude needs to be that of the writer of Psalm 119, completely dedicated to God and His Word, allowing that Word to soak into and percolate through us. It is more than worthy of such devotion. My seminary professor grandfather had a question he would often ask his students: “How big is your Bible?” He didn’t ask it in class, but in private conversations, and the answer was generally along the lines of, “Well, Dr. Carver, I think it’s about the same size as yours. Maybe a little bigger.” My grandfather’s response was, “I’m not talking about printed matter, I’m talking about what’s in your heart.” “Hiding God’s Word in our heart,” as this same writer wrote in verse 11 of this Psalm, isn’t a matter of memorization, though it might include it, but of letting the meaning permeate us, get into and under things, like the phobias and preconceptions that shape us. It is when that happens that we receive the healing, the transformation, that we need and we become the faithful children of God that He desires.

When I went back and re-read the passage so that I noticed this verse, my immediate reaction was, “He was like Cathy!” My wife, with a considerable litany of physical issues, sometimes has difficulty sleeping, and when that happens she will get up, as quietly as possible, and go into another room to pray and read the Bible. This morning she wasn’t in pain, but her mind was flooded with thoughts and she felt her restlessness was disturbing me (though I wasn’t aware of it that I remember) and she got up. Sometimes I worry about her getting enough rest! I don’t often get out of bed in such cases, but when I wake up in the night my thoughts are often of God and His Word, and I am deeply grateful. God never sleeps, and neither does His Word. Our physical bodies certainly need sleep, but I want His Word to keep working in me by His Spirit whether I am awake or asleep, to do His will in and through me for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You also for the wife You have given me, who is my partner in faith as in everything else. I pray that today and every day I would be the husband to her that she needs and You intend, so that together we would be an effective testimony of Your love and grace, drawing many to repentance and faith for their salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Stones; December 17, 2021

Posted on December 19, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 118:22-23 The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is of course a passage that Jesus quoted about Himself. (Mat­thew 21:42) At the same time, it applies much more broadly. God’s judgments and evaluations are not the same as man’s, and we should never forget it. Even Paul essentially wrote Mark off after he left the group on Paul’s first missionary journey, so strongly that when Barnabas wanted to give Mark another chance, it led to a split between Paul and Barnabas, and Paul took Silas with him instead. (Acts 15:37-40) As it turned out, God used that to multiply the work, but Mark was restored to the point that he was the one who transcribed Peter’s memories of Jesus, writing the book that bears his name, and in Paul’s last letter he explicitly says, “Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:11) Even Paul had to admit that he had rejected a “valuable stone.” All that is not to say that we are to be soft on each other; failures of various sorts aren’t simply to be excused. However, forgiveness isn’t the same thing as excusing, as I tell people all the time. We are to submit our evaluations of people to God, allowing Him to show us whom to trust with what, when and how. He’s likely to surprise us! Like with Paul and Mark, we may find that we have erred badly. Virtually every character in the Bible did things that on the human level would have been disqualifying, but those that repented, God used anyway. We don’t want to reject “stones” for which God has a special use.

I apply this to myself, because I was rejected by the mission board of my choice, but God sent me out anyway. I have been tempted to reject myself as a failure more than once, but God has continued to shape and use me. I was enormously uptight about my speaking engagement yesterday, but God followed through marvelously. I’ve got to remember that none of it was to my personal credit, despite what various people said afterward. It was just proof that God can use a pebble on the ground in remarkable ways, if it’s in the right place at the right time. I’ve also got to remember this in relating to others. There are people I would have great trouble trusting in ministry because of what they have done in the past. My wife is much more of a “Barnabas” in that area than I am! I am not to write anyone off, but continue to speak the truth in love and allow God to decide whom He will use when, where, and how.

Father, thank You for Your incredible grace and faithfulness. I don’t know what the repercussions of yesterday will be, but I leave that in Your hands. May indeed Your kingdom come and Your will be done, for Your glory alone. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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