Personal Righteousness; July 3, 2021

Posted on July 8, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 143:10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God;
may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

This should be the daily prayer of every believer. David has just acknowledged that “no one living is righteous before You.” (verse 2) It is with that awareness of his own unrighteous bent that he asks for teaching and guidance. There are a few Psalms in which David seems convinced of his own personal righteousness, but this is far wiser than those! We certainly aren’t to wallow in sin, but never are we to think we’ve got everything down perfectly. We need to be like Paul, who not only famously proclaimed his own imperfection in Romans 7 and Philippians 3, he stated how each of us should be all the time: “My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.” (1 Corinthians 4:4) God doesn’t show us all our faults at once. That would destroy us! Rather, He shows us things one or two at a time, so that we can deal with those issues and move on to the next. That’s what it is to have a clear conscience. Often, a clear conscience is an indication that God is ready to sharpen our spiritual vision so that we can see more things that need to be dealt with! It’s interesting that David speaks of God’s “good Spirit.” The term used in Japanese for “good” here isn’t simply the opposite of bad, but could be rendered, “deep of compassion and ultimate goodness.” David hadn’t been baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit as has been available to all believers since Pentecost, but he had tasted enough of Him to know He was good, and that was the kind of guide he wanted. We too need to be active in seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance, because there’s an awful lot of demonic “guidance” running around, seeking to lead us into swamps and off of cliffs. When we are following the Holy Spirit, we will certainly be doing God’s will.

I will never forget the time the Lord gave me the briefest glimpse of my own soul, back in 1972. I was totally wiped out! I couldn’t see details, but I could certainly tell it was a cesspool. (We don’t use that word much any more, but it means septic tank, or holding tank for a latrine.) Over the years He’s worked on and with me to get the “cess” out, but some of it has been pretty thick and crusted. I like another analogy that I think I learned first from Jack Hayford. That is of a field with a huge boulder in it. The field is our heart, and the boulder is our sin. At the moment of salvation the boulder is taken away by God, and we rightly rejoice. However, over time we discover that the field is dotted with head-sized rocks, and we are responsible for lugging those out of the field. Some are pretty heavy, and we have to get help. It’s at that point that we notice all the fist-sized rocks that are all over everywhere! We can pick those up and throw them out, but that can get very tiring. And of course, that brings us to all the gravel that is endemic throughout the field. That illustration has really been brought home to me with our vegetable garden. The area where we have it was low and flooded in rain, so when dirt was being removed from adjacent building sites, I asked for and received a few truck-loads. The problem was, mixed in with the dirt were not only rocks, but broken roof tile and sewer pipe, and assorted junk. This is the third year we have grown vegetables there, and I keep getting out more rocks and trash! It’s important that I keep adding appropriate fertilizer and minerals, but beets don’t do so well when they’re having to push rocks out of the way! My heart is the same way. I need to keep taking in the “fertilizer” of the Word, and be alert to the rocks and trash the Lord shows me is there, whether of long standing or recently blown in by the storms of life or tossed in by the devil. I want my heart to be level ground, rich soil to produce the harvest God desires.

Father, thank You for this clear illustration. Help me use Your words to express Your truth in love at all times, so that all who take it in may indeed be set free, (John 8:32) for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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My Way vs. God’s Way; July 2, 2021

Posted on July 7, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 142:3 When my spirit grows faint within me,
it is you who know my way.

For once we have perfect agreement between the English and the Japanese! That leaves me very confident of the meaning of the words themselves, but it leaves room for interpretation of what they imply. I think the situation described here is emotional exhaustion. We’ve all been there, when we hardly know which way is up, and really don’t much even care. Physical tiredness is usually related, so proper sleep is an important step, but that’s certainly not the whole story. The second line gives us real insight into the situation, because David recognizes that God knows both where he is and where he should be. All too often we know neither! Occasionally this might apply to being geographically lost, but it is far deeper than that. To be honest, I doubt if any of us know fully “where we are” on every level. We may think we are fine when we are in grave danger, and we might be anxious when we’re on exactly the right path. God alone knows fully, so the vital thing is knowing and following Him. We might know that our eventual destination is heaven, but we have very little understanding of the route by which we are to get there, or the stops along the way. That uncertainty is one of the things that can wear us out emotionally, so that’s why it’s so important to trust that God indeed knows all the details, and His plan is for our benefit. From the first time I heard it I have thought that Frank Sinatra’s signature song, My Way, was one of the most pathetic songs possible. The music is very skillful and has brought the song great popularity, certainly in Japan, but the lyrics, fully descriptive of the life of Frank Sinatra and so many others, display an ignorance of and indifference to God that is pathetic indeed. When we try to dictate the details of our life we make a total mess of it, as indeed he did, squandering the gift of a magnificent voice and other abilities. David blew it too, but he came back to God. That needs to be our goal.

I’ve definitely had times when I was wandering aimlessly on many levels, and I don’t recommend it. The irony is that I have known from childhood that God had a way that was best, and that He had a way specifically for me, but I haven’t sought it for too much of the time. I haven’t set up grand plans for myself – I’m not big on planning in general – but too often I haven’t paid attention to whether the path I was on was truly God’s way for me, even when I was supposedly a “full-time Christian worker.” That has led to wasted effort and unnecessary detours. However, God indeed doesn’t waste anything, but turns my foolishness and even my sin around and uses it for good. (Romans 8:29) That’s not at all to say it wouldn’t have been better if I had sought Him in the first place! At this point I have much more of my physical life behind me than I do ahead of me, but it’s still important that I spend each day, each moment, in the way God knows is best, both for me and for those around me, and indeed, for His kingdom. That is to be my goal, and I’ve got to remember that only He knows the details, and so listen attentively to Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I see all sorts of things going on in my life and in the world around me, and I can’t begin to keep it all straight. Keep me from panic, and keep me from abdicating my responsibility in each thing that involves me. I find I am easily distracted from what is actually the task at hand. Help me focus on You so that I may recognize what that task is and apply myself to it fully, for the sake of the Body of Christ and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Dieting; July 1, 2021

Posted on July 2, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 141:3-4 Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil,
to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers;
let me not eat of their delicacies.

I hadn’t realized there was a dieter’s proof-text in the Bible! Verse three first caught my eye, because I am very much a man of words and I presumed David was talking about speech here. But then I got to the end of verse four and I realized it was talking about what goes into the mouth, not what comes out! Obesity is something of a national plague in the US at this point, with over half the population overweight. The seriousness of that has been driven home with the corona virus pandemic, because the most common “co-morbidity,” and actually one of the most predictive of a poor outcome, has been obesity. Countless people are obsessed with their weight, trying one diet after another but with little success, and many more have simply given up. I think very few people think of it in spiritual terms, but that is very much a factor. The devil wants to mess us up any way he can, and it’s much easier to do with attractive things like food than it is with unpleasant things. As always, the devil cannot create things on his own, so he miss-purposes and misuses things God created for our benefit. Delicious food certainly fits into that category, as does sex. Just as there are drug addicts, there are sex addicts and food addicts. None of that is God’s fault. James rightly pointed out, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:13-15) That’s pretty stark, isn’t it? We make all sorts of excuses for our weight and other issues, but weight always comes down to the balance between fuel intake and energy output. You could even say it’s an engineering problem. Where the NIV says “wicked deeds,” the Japanese says, “lawlessness.” Sometimes the laws in question are as simple as the laws of physics! We are responsible as stewards of the bodies we have been given, so we need to pay attention to the “maintenance rules” set by the “manufacturer.”

I well remember the first time we visited the US after we had moved to Omura, and we took a young woman from our church with us. We had a layover in LAX, and we went to a coffee shop. The Japanese girl’s eyes were quickly riveted on a woman who had put two chairs together to sit on, and she overflowed on both sides! We had to dissuade our friend from asking the lady if she could take her picture! Frankly, and sadly, that sort of scene is not uncommon any more. I have personally been blessed with a fairly good metabolism and have stayed active, though I’ve never been into sports. At the point I was nearing the age at which my father died, 64, I decided I needed to be more serious about my health maintenance, and joined the city gym. That turned out to be inconvenient in a number of ways, and I switched to regular walking, which I have maintained since. Still, I have “love handles” that don’t please me, and I could stand to lose about 5kg. I have long maintained that as excellent a cook as my wife is, it’s a miracle I’m not grossly overweight! However, that’s an excuse. It all comes down to controlling how much I take in, as my wife has demonstrated beautifully, dropping 28kg over several years without strenuous exercise, simply by watching amounts, and not by forbidding any particular type of food. With such an excellent example, I have no excuse!

Father, thank You for this very unexpected reminder! Help me indeed be a good steward of this body You’ve given me, and help me be an encouragement to others to do likewise, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Israel; June 30, 2021

Posted on July 2, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 122:6-7 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May those who love you be secure.
May there be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels.”

This prayer has been urgent at many times throughout history, but certainly now. Those who don’t know history, and particularly those who aren’t aware of spiritual warfare, are often mystified at “all the fuss” that’s made about the nation of Israel and Jerusalem its capital. Anyone reading this is likely to have some ideas about it, however. The significance of the nation, the people-group, God chose the vehicle for His revelation of Himself to the whole world can’t be overstated. There have been genocides against various people-groups dotted throughout history, but nothing with the ferocity and persistence of that aimed at the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Their very existence is a statement that God exists, and He cares about the affairs of men. Those who are in rebellion against Him, starting with Satan, can’t stand that, so they try to wipe them out. This is in no way to claim that Jews are perfect, or even that they don’t need Jesus, the Messiah they have overlooked for 2000 years, but it is to say that they have a special place in God’s plans, as the Bible proclaims from Genesis to Revelation. The current sharp resurgence in antisemitism is one of the many things that indicate that these could well be the Last Days indeed. As John recorded, “Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” (Revelation 12:12) We will not stop God’s plans, as laid out in Daniel, Revelation and the like, but we can pray that the devil be thwarted, and that means praying for the peace of Jerusalem. It is interesting how easy it is to see the spiritual position of political movements by their attitude toward Israel. That should be a clear indicator to all disciples of Jesus Christ what their politics should look like! Among politicians there are rats by every label, and no perfection anywhere, but there are clear indicators for anyone who is looking for them.

As long as I can remember I have been proud that I was born the same year as the modern nation of Israel, 1948. Probably the best-loved non-Christian music book in our house was The Fireside Book of Folk Songs, and I learned Hava Nagila at a young age. Through no specific intent on our part, my wife, children and I were adopted into the Messianic fellowship when we were in Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and we still have contact with some of those brothers and sisters in Christ. I have no Jewish genetics, (at least as far as My Heritage can determine) but I have always felt a deep affinity for that branch of the Children of God. Ministering in Japan as I do, my interaction with Jews, Messianic or otherwise, is rare, but I do get Internet newsletters that keep me informed of the situation on the ground in Israel. I’ve never been, physically, but I have a remarkable sense of connection. I do pray for Israel and the Jewish people frequently, though not on any sort of schedule. I certainly look forward to my Lord’s return to the Mount of Olives! When and how that will happen, and my part until that day, is in His hands.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for how clearly the lines are being drawn all over the world, showing who is on which side. I do pray that Your children would rise up, not in vengeance but refusing to be plowed under, so that those who are on the fence, or even ignorant, would see Your truth and choose it, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Perspective; June 29, 2021

Posted on July 1, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 102:12-13 But you, O Lord, sit enthroned forever;
your renown endures through all generations.
You will arise and have compassion on Zion,
for it is time to show favor to her;
the appointed time has come.

This Psalm is interesting because it claims to be “a prayer of an afflicted man, when he is faint and pours out his lament to the Lord.” We have no idea who wrote it, nor the circumstances around it. In that sense, it could be called generic. The first 11 verses are both personal and really down, with no real hope in sight. However here, with that important word “but,” it really changes gears. From this point on through the end of the Psalm it is almost entirely focused on God and on the nation, rather than the writer’s personal distress. In that respect it is a good example for us. The more we are focused on our personal misery, the less likely we are to remember the magnificent grace of God. It is when we shift our perspective to look at God instead of ourselves that we can receive hope and peace. It’s not that we aren’t important and valuable to God, but rather that His plans are far bigger and broader than we can grasp, and we have to be at peace with that. We need to realize that God is in charge, not just of the nation or even of the world, but of all of creation. On that scale, we are like a single cell of our body, if that. Each cell is important, but the cells of our body are continually replaced, just as we are on this earth for a limited time. Rather than being upset because we aren’t in charge, we need to be grateful that God cares about us at all, when in fact, He even keeps count of the number of hairs on our head! (Luke 12:2) When we gain that perspective, it’s much easier to accept what Jesus told us just before His crucifixion: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

I’m not sure how many years back John 16:33 really took root in my heart, but it was quite a while, and I’m very grateful. It helps me understand that my difficulties are no big deal! I certainly don’t want it to happen, but I could lose everything on the scale of Job and it wouldn’t change the magnificence and faithfulness of God one bit. I don’t expect disaster, but even if it happens, God is still God. I have read the Revelation to John many times, and the scenes it paints are often horrific, but the outcome is glorious. Many feel we are already in the events described there, and that could well be the case. It won’t be easy, but eternity will be more than worth it all! (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Father, thank You for this reminder. I’m too easily distracted from this truth! Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, just as You told me to do, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Lifespan; June 28, 2021

Posted on June 30, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 90:10 The length of our days is seventy years–
or eighty, if we have the strength.


I find it deliciously ironic that this is from a Psalm introduced as, “A prayer of Moses the man of God.” Moses didn’t lead the Israelites out of Egypt until he was 80, and he was active for a full 40 years after that! The thing is, we don’t know how long we will live, and it messes us up to worry about it. This Psalm in general, though it starts with a beautiful declaration of the sovereignty of the eternal Creator, is pretty dark and pessimistic. As a prayer, verse 12 seems to me to be quite good: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” The thing is, since we don’t know how long we will live, this comes down to the wisdom of being aware of our mortality, and so making the best use of each day. That’s not to say we are to be driven to accomplish stuff, but rather that we should ask our Creator how we are supposed to use each day. Even Jesus took His disciples aside for rest from time to time. However, each of us exists for a reason, and fulfilling the purpose for which we were created is the only way to real peace and satisfaction. The one common purpose each human being has is to seek and find God during their time on earth, whether that be short or long. Secondary or tertiary to that, each of us has assorted unique tasks that God has in mind for us, and the more of those we fulfill, the more joy and satisfaction we have. A danger we all face is in thinking different people are to have the same task. Often our individual purposes are complementary, so we work together and find joy in doing so, but still, no two people have the identical function. Being forced to do someone else’s job is bondage, and trying to get other people to do your job is frustration! We are prone to try to mimic people we admire. That can be educational, teaching us things about self-control and the like, but it has real limits. We are to learn from whatever sources the Lord provides, but our path is ours alone, laid out by our loving Creator. Precisely because we don’t know how long it will be, we need to be faithful and obedient, rejoicing in and being grateful for each moment the Lord gives us on earth, whether that moment seems enjoyable or not.

This is very pointed for me, since I’ve already passed the lower limit mentioned by Moses. As a matter of fact, my paternal grandmother, on reaching 80, decided that was enough, and though she didn’t commit suicide, she died within the year. I don’t want to do that sort of thing! On the other hand her son, my father, didn’t wake up physically from heart surgery at 64. Many people said his life was “cut short,” but as another Japan missionary who visited him in the hospital the day before the surgery said, “I never saw a man with more reason to live, or more ready to die.” (That missionary, incidentally, died not long ago, well past 90.) In another couple of months I will have reached the age at which my mother graduated to heaven. There is nothing in my current health picture that would indicate I don’t have quite a few years left, but the point is how I use them, however many or few they might be. Yesterday I spoke on “Prayer of Commitment” from Romans 12:1, including Jesus’ remarks in Luke 9:23-24 about taking up our cross daily. My task each day is to seek my cross for that day, surrendering my life for my Lord so that I may gain it for eternity.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that my life is in Your hands, and I don’t need to be anxious about it. Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice, just as You have told me to do. May I fulfill every one of Your purposes for me, on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Decisions; June 27, 2021

Posted on June 30, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 86:11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.

David recognized the common human condition of being indecisive, and he wanted his decisions to come down on the side of God’s truth. This is a very wise prayer! We need to remember that David didn’t have most of even the Old Testament as we know it, and he certainly didn’t have his own personal copy of even the Books of Moses at least until he was king, if then. We have the huge advantage of the ready availability of the whole Bible, but the question then becomes, do we use it? We too need to pray this prayer! The statement of intent in the second line is vital to receiving the request of the first line. If we aren’t going to live out what God shows us, why would He show it to us? Again in the second half of the verse, the stated purpose of being decisive is to be in right relationship to God. It’s no good to be decisively in rebellion against God! Some of David’s Psalms are pegged to specific events in his life, but more are not. It is interesting to see his spiritual growth, but it is clear that the consistent thread throughout his life was his awareness that God was real, that He cared, and that it made a difference how David acted and responded to Him. We need to have that thread in our own lives! Just as David slipped up at times, sometimes very badly, we too will not be perfect, but our goal, our purpose, must be to walk in God’s truth.

I haven’t gone off the rails as far as David did, but then I’ve had less excuse, because I was raised from birth with the Bible to teach me God’s ways. Indecision is sometimes a problem for me, as I think it is for everyone, but I’m very grateful to have the foundation principle of doing what God wants. I’m indecisive only when I’m unsure exactly what that is. I’ve learned – and I’m still learning – to hear God in many different ways: through the Bible of course, but also through circumstances and through people around me and even through secular fiction and articles. I can’t say my decisions have always been accurate, but God has been remarkably faithful in guiding me. My heart is divided only when I take my eyes off of my Lord and fix them on my circumstances and my flesh. When I fear God, that is, acknowledge Him as transcendent over everything, then decisions become much easier and more accurate.

Father, thank You for this reminder. We’ll be needing to make some decisions today about church programs and activities. Help us all turn to You as David did in this verse, so that we may do Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Focus; June 26, 2021

Posted on June 28, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 84:5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

It’s a little difficult to read Psalm 84 because of all the songs that pop up in my head! It has certainly been used by God to bless many people through music. That’s definitely appropriate, since the introduction indicates it was intended to be musical. (I wonder if gittith is a tune name, a musical style, or a particular instrument?) This particular verse talks about those who are set on drawing near to God. The Japanese expresses it as, “in whose hearts is the highway to Zion.” I wonder if the NIV translators were just trying to be more relatable to the average English-speaking reader, or if they were actively trying to avoid being taken for “Zionists?” If the latter, it’s sad indeed. Zion was the physical location of the tabernacle of David, where the Ark of the Covenant, and thus the very presence of God, was available to all. When our hearts are fixated on drawing near to God, to being in His presence, then He does flood us with His strength. As he told Paul, and as countless believers have experienced, His power is indeed “made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) Often our own weakness forces us to focus and depend on Him, and that is precisely why God allows all sorts of difficulties in our lives. Thinking that we can get by without God is the surest way to failure, and it leads to eternity apart from Him. We aren’t to be desperate and anxious about it, but we do need to be careful to keep our focus on God and what He desires. The Bible tells us that in countless ways.

Yesterday I watched a video in which Dennis Prager, a devout Jew, said that his relationship with God wasn’t one of love, but that he really wanted to do whatever God wanted of him. In a way I found that admirable, but in another way I found it sad. I continue to pray that Dennis, whom I respect very much, will discover and acknowledge that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, and through that, open his heart to the love of God expressed so famously in John 3:16. Too many Christians leave off the “doing whatever God wants” part, but the motivation for obedience should be love that is a response to God’s love for us. I grew up convinced that God loved me, and I avowed my love for Jesus in return, but my obedience was spotty. For that matter, it’s still not perfect, but He’s working on me! I am deeply grateful that He has indeed placed “the highway to Zion” in my heart, and I rejoice to travel on it, ever closer to Him.

Father, thank You for drawing me to Yourself. Thank You for my hunger for more of You, and less of myself. May I be effective in drawing others along with me as I draw near to You, so that together we may give You the thanks, praise, and obedience You alone deserve, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Influence; June 25, 2021

Posted on June 28, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 69:6 May those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me,
O Lord, the Lord Almighty;
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me,
O God of Israel.

This needs to be a regular part of the prayers of any church leader, but it unfortunately doesn’t seem to be for too many. As John Donne wrote way back in 1624, no man is an island; what we do always involves and impacts others, whether we realize it or not. David had experienced the reality of this many times himself. The fact that he prayed this doesn’t mean he always lived it out! He certainly wasn’t thinking of anyone but himself when he spotted Bathsheba and called her to him! Generally, the more visible a person is, the greater their influence, but even the most anonymous person impacts those they encounter. Looking at it negatively, if we fail to fulfill the purposes for which we were created, we are depriving others of blessing that God has intended. That’s why the New Testament speaks so frequently of our being parts of the Body of Christ, with Paul explaining that metaphor in some detail in 1 Corinthians 12 and elsewhere. We don’t think about how the different parts of our physical bodies affect each other, but injury or disease point it out to us very strongly! Different cultures place different emphasis on this, with American culture tending to the individualistic and Japanese culture tending to the group, but ultimately, each individual is personally accountable to God for their actions, which certainly includes how they impact the group. Americans need to realize they aren’t as independent as they like to think, and Japanese need to realize that going with the group doesn’t absolve them of individual responsibility.

Growing up as an American in Japan, attending a US Air Force dependents school while being in Japanese society otherwise, I probably have been more aware of this issue than many are. However, I have made countless self-centered, selfish decisions in spite of that. Having been a school teacher and pastor for the past 40 years, it’s been my job to influence people! On top of that, as a Caucasian in Japan, I have been very visible all my life. Anonymity has never been an option, as has been driven home in the multiple times I have overheard a total stranger telling someone else all about me! I can’t escape influencing others, so I need to be humble before God, praying this prayer from my heart, so that God alone may be glorified.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I pray that my influence would indeed draw people to You, and in no way drive them away or give them an excuse to despise You or Your children. Thank You. Praise God!

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Full Commitment; June 24, 2021

Posted on June 27, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 66:18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.

It’s interesting that the Japanese puts this verse in the present tense rather than in the past like the English, but both are conditional: “if.” Thus the lesson is the same. Human beings are complex creatures, to the point that we sometimes can’t even trust our own motives, but God, as our Creator, sees through everything and knows our hearts in intimate detail. We sometimes don’t want to admit that we are cherishing sin, but it certainly happens, and God will make it clear, either to our heart or to the whole world. To our heart is far preferable! The point is to be sensitive and submitted, quick to obey both in positive action and in rejecting things contrary to God. It’s always a matter of choosing God over everything else. Jesus put it in what, for the day, were very graphic terms: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24) We associate crosses with jewelry, but in the 1st Century they were an instrument of cruel execution. Even choosing physical life over Christ excludes us from the eternal life that is found only in Him. The most difficult part of this is that, as Jesus said, it needs to be daily. We slip and fall in countless ways, but forgiveness is always available IF we acknowledge our sins and turn to God in repentance. (1 John 1:9) It is when we think, that wasn’t so bad, that we are starting to cherish our sin, and a barrier comes up between us and the fellowship with our Creator for which we were created.

I’m certainly speaking from experience here! I often think that, of the sons of Zebedee, James had the far easier course in being beheaded for Christ, in contrast to John who lived to past 90. I can think of far too many examples of times I chose other-than-God ahead of God, which makes me deeply grateful for His mercy and grace. I know that I am holy only in Christ, but I also know that in Christ, I am genuinely holy. That makes it imperative that abiding in Him be my highest priority. I do not want to cherish anything, whether it looks like sin or not, ahead of Christ Jesus my Lord.

Father, thank You for this strong Word. Thank You for reminding me last night that I’m to speak on Prayer of Commitment this Sunday, and for how that has been falling into place and building even as I have been writing these notes. I pray that I would speak Your truth in love, saying everything You want me to and nothing You don’t want said. Keep me from aiming at anyone, or from holding back from a fear of offending anyone. May I myself be fully committed to You so that I will be useful to You in drawing others into full commitment as well, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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