The Believer’s Reward; March 26, 2021

Posted on March 30, 2021 by jgarrott

Matthew 19:29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.”

You could call this verse, “The Missionary’s Reward.” However, it’s not at all limited to those who go to far-off lands to serve God. In many places in the world, and recently even in America, serving God can be very costly. Countless people have been estranged from their families, or even legally disinherited, because they have chosen to follow Christ. In America these days, standing up for Biblical principles can get you ostracized in various ways, cost you your job, get you sued, or even jailed. In a way that’s a good thing, because up until recently, in the US being a Christian came with a number of social perks, and as a result there were many who were Christian in name only. You won’t find that in China, for example. Talking with Dennis Balcombe, he told me that people committing to Christ in China do so with the expectation of at least being harassed by the police, and those accepting pastoral ministry do so with the expectation of jail or even martyrdom. (He himself has been arrested many times.) Just before His crucifixion Jesus famously told us, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Just before that He said, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” (John 15:20) The cost of following Christ is real, but the rewards are disproportionately enormous. As Paul noted, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) As someone has said, “God’s retirement plan is out of this world!”

As a missionary, born and raised of missionary parents, this verse has always been very real to me. I have known several people who were disowned by their family for becoming Christians, as well as many who could have had much more lucrative careers had they not committed to follow Christ wherever He led them. At the same time, the rewards for obedience are by no means limited to heaven. When people expressed admiration to my mother for “leaving so much to be a missionary,” her response was that the only thing she felt she had left was physical proximity to family. I grew up with relatives being “those people on the other side of the ocean,” but at the same time I felt closeness to other missionary families as well as to a number of Japanese Christians. I don’t think I ever felt deprived! God has met my needs, and I don’t think I have experienced active persecution for my faith. In any case, I don’t serve God for the reward, but because He is the only One worthy of my devotion.

Father, thank You for Your gracious faithfulness. Help me respond to You fully, whatever the seeming cost in this world, not to “gain points” but because Your kingdom and Your righteousness are worth more than all the rest of it put together. Thank You. Praise God!

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Imagination; March 25, 2021

Posted on March 27, 2021 by jgarrott

Matthew 17:2-3 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

This frankly reads like something from a science fiction novel. However, many believe it is the fulfillment of what Jesus said in the last verse of the previous chapter: “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” (Matthew 16:28) Jesus was experiencing the paradox of being outside of time, as part of the Godhead, but yet being in the flow of time as the fully human Son. Frankly, that’s something we can talk about but we can’t fully grasp, any more than physicists can fully grasp the multitude of dimensions they insist existed at the moment of Creation. Even when we create words to explain the idea, because we’ve never been there we don’t know what we’re talking about. Here, Peter, James, and John were given a glimpse of Christ as the King, which is to say, in His kingdom. It naturally blew them away, and I would imagine they had to compartmentalize it in their memory until after the Resurrection, when Jesus told them they could talk about it. And talk about it they did, because Matthew, who wrote this passage, was not one of those present. John was later given another glimpse of Jesus in His glory on the island of Patmos, and it was enough to make him pass out! (Revelation 1:17) We look at things through a human, temporal filter, and that filter can be very dense at times. Just because we can’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not there, and very real. There is a pitched spiritual battle raging in the world today, and it is actually a mercy that we can’t see most of it! At the same time, we can understand, with Paul, that “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12) Not seeing or knowing fully now gives us the opportunity to grow in faith, and that’s a very good thing.

I had never thought of my fondness for science fiction as being an aid to spiritual understanding, but God can use anything! I have long thought that our imaginations were one of the ways that we were created to be like God. (Genesis 1:27) Like everything else good, the devil does all he can to warp, distort, and abuse our imaginations, so we do need to be on our guard. We need to remember that our enemy can present himself as an angel of light! (2 Corinthians 11:14) If we aren’t careful, our imaginations can lead us into all sorts of sins, as we act out what we have imagined. (James 1:14-15) However, sanctified imaginations can lead us into visions of what God has planned for us, and many other things our normal senses couldn’t tell us. I have been blessed with a good imagination, perhaps honed by the fiction I have read, but I need to keep it submitted to my Lord, not letting it be abused by the enemy, so that I may walk in holiness and purity, fully available for whatever God desires of me.

Father, thank You for this Word. It wasn’t expected, but then, I can hardly predict You! Help me indeed use my imagination, and everything else You place in my hands, as You intend, for Your glory alone. Thank You. Praise God!

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Taking Up Your Cross; March 24, 2021

Posted on March 27, 2021 by jgarrott

Matthew 16:24-25 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

Jesus’ disciples obviously heard what Jesus was saying, because Peter had just rebuked Jesus for talking about what He was going to go through. (verse 22) Jesus didn’t mince words! Many people today have never seen a dead person, but that certainly wasn’t the case back then. Executions were often public, just as Jesus’ crucifixion was, and the average life expectancy was much shorter in general. The disciples wouldn’t have taken Jesus’ words as metaphorical, the way we do today, but as literal, and they were shocking. Being told to “carry your cross” was graphic imagery indeed, and in Luke’s record of this teaching he even adds the word, daily. (Luke 9:23) That addition actually makes it clear that Jesus isn’t talking just about a literal piece of wood, but the imagery is still graphic in the extreme, if we really hear it the way Jesus said it. In thinking about this I remember James and John, the sons of Zebedee. James was the first of the 12 apostles to be martyred, (Acts 12:2) and John is said to have been the only one of the 12 to die a natural death, well past 90. However, both brothers took up their cross and gave their life for Jesus. I personally think James had far the easier road! We are very prone to try to “save our lives” in various ways, hanging onto things the Lord is telling us to discard, refusing risks into which the Lord is leading us, and in general “loving this world” (1 John 2:12) more than we love the things of God. We don’t like to think of martyrdom, and wonder if we would have the faith and courage to go through such a thing, but we forget about the whole “carry your cross” business of daily life. God does want us to enjoy life, and those who insist otherwise aren’t following the right Lord. (John 10:10) However, everything in this life, other than our fellowship with our eternal Lord, is temporal, and should be held lightly, even including physical life. When this life ends we will spend eternity with our Lord, so we need to choose our Lord wisely!

I grew up with the example of parents who loved and served God, and I have absolutely no question as to their eternal reward. I likewise have assurance of my own salvation, but that doesn’t mean I’m not tempted or distracted, and at times want to be through with the whole business! At such moments I indeed need to “Fix [my] eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of [my] faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. [I need to] consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that [I] will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:2-3) Jesus repeatedly made it very clear that following Him isn’t “a walk in the park,” but the end result is more than worth it. As Paul said, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17) Looking at it that way, the daily slog, or even martyrdom, is a small price to pay.

Father, thank You for Your grace to me on so many levels. May I indeed take up my cross without complaining, whatever form that cross takes, and follow Christ faithfully, so that all of Your purposes for me may be fulfilled, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Metaphors; March 23, 2021

Posted on March 26, 2021 by jgarrott

Revelation 14:16 So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

There are two sickles and two harvests mentioned in this passage. Here, Christ Himself is wielding the sickle, and then in verse 19 an angel is wielding a different sickle. To me, this verse speaks of the harvest of the righteous, and the grape harvest is of the wicked, because it says the grapes are flung into “the great winepress of God’s wrath,” and the result in verse 20 is gruesome indeed. However, Christ is gathering His people into His barn, and that is a result to be celebrated. The Bible uses many metaphors, sometimes to opposite intent. Here, the grapes are gathered for punishment, but in the Upper Room Discourse Jesus famously said that He is the vine and we are the branches. (John 15:1-8) We aren’t to be slaves to the metaphors! Most of the prophecy throughout the Bible is expressed in metaphorical terms, and we are told that “Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable,” (Matthew 13:34) and parables are extended metaphors. There are many, many languages in the world, but my understanding is that metaphors are used in every one of them. The ability to illustrate one thing using another is actually a sign of higher brain function, and we do it all the time. Some metaphors are totally standard, like “a lead balloon.” (Actually, Mythbusters proved that it is possible to float a balloon made of lead foil, if the foil is thin enough.) Some truths are so big and so deep that it is impossible to express them other than through metaphors, which is why Revelation is so confusing to those who try to take it literally. I for one don’t expect heaven to be a giant cube! (Revelation 21) The thing is, God uses every method possible to express His truths to us, so we need to allow the Holy Spirit to open our minds and hearts to receive and understand them as He intends, for our blessing and His glory.

I have long delighted in metaphors of all sorts, and the “pun disease” with which I am afflicted (or with which I afflict others) is a reflection of that. I wrote my first poem when I was in the 4th grade, and have written many since. Poetry would be empty indeed without metaphors! In my preaching and teaching I need to be careful that the metaphors I use communicate rather than confuse. Jesus certainly set me a good example with His parables. I need to use every tool God places at my disposal to communicate the Gospel to all who will receive it, so that as many as possible may repent and believe for their salvation.

Father, thank You for language, on so many different levels. Help me use language, metaphorically and otherwise, as You intend, to build people up and draw them to You, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Patient Endurance; March 22, 2021

Posted on March 26, 2021 by jgarrott

James 5:7-8 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.

This last part of James’ letter has many memorable verses that I have meditated and spoken on many times, but I don’t think I’ve ever really done so about this bit. It actually seems very timely at this point from a number of factors. In the first place, I’m planting a garden myself, and I’m very excited to see lots of seeds coming up. In the second place, world events are making a lot of people long for the return of the Lord! Frankly, I would have to count myself among their number, even though at the same time there are a lot of temporal events that I am very interested to see how they turn out. I’ve been a space/science fiction buff for 60 years, and I have a lot of appreciation for Elon Musk at the moment! That said, humans going to Mars can’t compare with Christ returning to Earth, so that isn’t an obstacle to my anticipation. The political situation, along with the societal decay that has engendered it, is what has so many people longing for Christ’s return. As has been very wisely said, politics is downstream from culture, and American culture has been sexualized to an amazing degree, especially over the past 100 years. There have been decadent cultures dotted throughout human history, but the scale and the intensity are currently at the upper end of the scale, especially with the wholesale slaughter of innocents on the altar of sexual pleasure. We live in an Information Age indeed, and the tsunami of information about decadence of all sorts threatens to drown us all. That makes James’ words here extremely appropriate. I like the fact that the Japanese term used here is closer to “endurance” than simply “patience.” I think we do well to think of it as “patient endurance.” Even Jesus wanted to be done with the suffering He knew awaited Him, (Luke 12:49-50) but He patiently endured on the Father’s schedule. We need to keep our eyes on the prize (2 Corinthians 4:16-17; Philippians 3:14) and know that God already has it all worked out, whatever it looks like to us in the moment.

I go through times of being excited about all that I see happening around me, and times of wishing I could already hear the Last Trumpet! (Revelation 11:15) My garden is giving me plenty of anticipation, but at the same time I know there is plenty of work to be done before the harvest. I need to approach my coming encounter with the Lord the same way, whether that encounter is strictly personal or whether it is indeed the end of the age. The fact that it hasn’t come yet means that I’ve still got work to do. Some of that work may simply be enduring! I’m not to complain, but rejoice that the Lord does choose to use me in various ways, and give myself totally to Him.

Father, thank You for this clear reminder. Thank You for all You did yesterday. That large, 3-generation family showing up yesterday was quite a shock, but hardly a bad one. It was a reminder that things can change overnight! Thank You also for the ongoing lessons of the garden. Help me receive all the lessons You have for me, responding as You intend, so that indeed, Your name may be acknowledged as holy and Your kingdom come as Your will is done in and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Active Obedience; March 21, 2021

Posted on March 23, 2021 by jgarrott

James 4:17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

Ouch! This verse has got to bite any thinking believer. We tend to think of sin in terms of commission, things we do that we shouldn’t, but this is dealing with omission, failing to do things. Actually, there is a very famous story Jesus told that deals with exactly the same thing. At the very last of the story of the judgment of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25, Jesus said, “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’” (Matthew 25:45) Then those “goats” are sent off to eternal punishment! That actually fits in very well with the even more famous parable of the talents, recorded in verses 14-30 of the same chapter, just ahead of the sheep and the goats. We like to focus on the blessing given the first two servants in that story, but the condemnation of the third servant rose from what he did not do with what had been entrusted to him. We are not to be passive in our faith, expecting everything to be handed to us. It is true that all real power comes from God and we can do nothing without Him, but we are called on to seek Him for the opportunity and the ability to do what He desires with what He provides. James distills all of that down to this one short verse.

I’ve certainly committed sins of commission, actively doing things I knew were not pleasing to God, but I have probably committed far more sins of omission, failing to do what I knew He was indicating to do. Someone has humorously observed that sins of commission are far more fun! However, sin itself is nothing to joke about, because what comes from it is death. (Romans 6:23) Like probably the vast majority of human beings, I tend to be lazy, and as James says, that can generate a lot of sin. I have a tendency to feel that simply knowing Biblical truth is enough, when, as again James points out, knowing it and failing to apply it is just deceiving myself. (James 1:22) I have long felt that verse was written especially for me! All of this said, I still am not to get anxious or frantic. God has told me personally to rest, relax, and rejoice. My heart is to be keyed to Him, desiring to do His will but trusting Him to show me what that is. There are countless “good things” I could be doing, but trying to earn God’s favor is actually the opposite of faith. I am not to draw back from anything He does want me to do, but I’m not to be neurotic about searching for things to do.

Father, thank You for this reminder and clarification. Thank You for the times You have enabled me to be obedient to You, and for Your grace and forgiveness for the times I have failed to do that. Help me hear You more accurately and obey You more completely, living out the Word You have poured into me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Different Harvests; March 20, 2021

Posted on March 22, 2021 by jgarrott

Hebrews 12:11 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.

There are all kinds of harvests, because there are all kinds of seeds planted. Sometimes God drops seeds into our hearts, as here, and sometimes the devil does, as in the parable of the weeds. (Matthew 13:24-30) As in yesterday’s reading, we do a lot of sowing, in cooperation with either God or the devil. It’s no secret what produces the best crop! We frankly don’t like it when God sows discipline into our lives, but we can be grateful when the harvest time comes. The devil tries to deceive us as to what is actually going on, so that we will rejoice in the weeds and grumble about the discipline, but as always, he is a liar who never desires good for us. (John 8:44; 10:10) If we choose to turn and tune our hearts to God, He will give us wisdom to distinguish between good seed and bad, and refuse the bad, but strictly on our own, we won’t make the right choices. We’ve got to remember that James’ famous admonition begins with, “Submit to God.” Only then can we “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) We also need to remember that this is an ongoing process for as long as we are on this earth. The devil doesn’t give up, so we must not either. He doesn’t much care exactly what damage he does to us, just so long as he does damage us. That damage might not be in overt sin, but might be as subtle as stealing our peace and joy. We are to submit to God on every level so that we won’t let that thief steal anything from us!

This of course applies to me. People expect that a pastor who’s been walking with the Lord for as long as I have would automatically welcome the Lord’s discipline and would need very little of it. That might logically be the case, but I can be very illogical! I have tasted the fruit of submission to God, and it is good indeed. I have also tasted the fruit of ignoring God, and that is bitter ashes. As I say in my Faith Declarations, “By the grace of God, each day I am more accurately hearing and obeying the Holy Spirit, for it is written, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ By the grace of God, each day I am more accurately detecting and resisting Satan, for it is written, ‘Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’” That has got to be more than words; it must be my consistent practice, so that I will walk in all that God intends for me and yield nothing to the devil.

Father, thank You for this strong reminder. Thank You for all You are doing on so many levels. Thank You for the physical seeds I could plant in the garden yesterday, and for today’s rain. I pray that on every level I may reap the harvest that You desire and intend, for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Sowing and Reaping; March 19, 2021

Posted on March 22, 2021 by jgarrott

Galatians 6:7-8 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

In current society this principle is either forgotten or steadfastly ignored. Thinking about it, it’s amazing that so many people think they can ignore a fundamental principle of the universe. It’s rather like ignoring gravity! A commentator I really like calls it “magical thinking,” and it is sadly endemic. That is, “If I feel this way, or if I want it badly enough, then that’s the way it is.” To use Paul’s phrase, that’s mocking God, or trying to at any rate. Paul is quite correct that such efforts cannot succeed. You don’t have to be a theologian, much less a genius, to recognize a lot of things about God’s creation. Ignoring those things, or trying to, is an open invitation to personal destruction, just as it says here. Like Paul wrote to the Romans, “Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20) Magical thinking will get you nowhere, but seeking God and obeying Him will get you “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” (Ephesians 3:20)

I don’t know that I’ve actively mocked God, but I’ve certainly ignored what I knew He had said many, many times, and that falls under what Paul says here. That’s why I know I’m totally dependent on the grace of God. I am to press in to know more of God and be quick to repent when I slip up, but at the same time I’ve got to remember that forgiveness is real, and fully effective if we will allow it to be. 1 John 1:9 is very famous, but at the same time I don’t think we really grasp all it means in practical terms. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” God’s forgiveness isn’t just removing a penalty, it’s removing the offense! Jesus’ younger brother Jude only left one short letter as part of the New Testament, but he wrote something that resonates deeply in my spirit, courtesy of Don Francisco and the song he wrote from it: “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy–to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” (Jude 1:24-25) As a pastor, I need not only to remember that for myself, but also to communicate it to all to whom I minister, because it is an essential part of the Gospel. We reap what we sow, yes, but the glorious Good News is that Jesus has provided the only way out of what otherwise would be a hopeless situation.

Father, thank You for this clear reminder. I can think of several people who are probably in need of this right now. Help me communicate it effectively so that the lies of the devil may be exposed and defeated and people be set free to walk in all that You have for them, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Abounding Grace; March 18, 2021

Posted on March 21, 2021 by jgarrott

2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

In reading this verse the first thing that came to mind was something Paul wrote a little later in this same letter. Reporting God’s response to him when he asked for healing of a physical problem, he wrote, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’” (2 Corinthians 12:9) That’s not the same image as “grace abounding” in this verse, but it’s just as real and it’s vital to understand. We have a huge problem with feeling entitled. We feel that if we do A and B, then God has to come up with C, and it doesn’t work that way. Just yesterday I read a horrible, extreme example of what entitlement can do. A man showed up at the house of his girlfriend (with whom he had a child) and demanded half of her “stimulus” money, which she had just received. She refused, saying that she was working to support their child and he was doing nothing. When her brother stepped up to support her, the man pulled out a gun and started shooting, killing four people, and then grabbed his infant daughter and left. When he was caught, he said she had “made him do it.” That’s where a sense of entitlement ultimately leads. He wasn’t entitled to anything, and he will be paying for his actions for a long time, at least, and possibly for eternity. We aren’t entitled to anything, but God likes to do good stuff for us anyway. What we need to do is seek Him so that we will position ourselves more and more in the flow of His grace. When we really understand it’s all grace, we will be grateful, and many studies have shown that gratitude is the most fundamental component of genuine happiness. The man I just wrote about has no gratitude whatsoever, and he is miserable to the nth degree, making others around him miserable in the process.

Once again I am grateful for the parents who raised me. As a case in point, at Christmas we weren’t told the presents came from Santa, but rather that each gift came from someone, who was to be thanked. We also prepared gifts for our parents and each other (even when it was actually our parents’ money that purchased them), and it was actually more exciting and enjoyable to see the others open what we had gotten for them than it was to receive gifts ourselves. When I was raised that way, our older daughter’s first words were “Thank you,” and we have some very cute tales as a result! She hasn’t had the easiest life, but right now she is a remarkably well-adjusted, and happy, person. When I start going over all the ways in which God has been gracious to me it can be overwhelming, because there is no end to it all. It’s not that everything in my life goes as I would like, any more than it was for Paul, However, God’s grace has certainly been sufficient on every level, and I am deeply grateful.

Father, You know more ways in which You have been gracious to me than I have even recognized. Help me walk in full gratitude and obedience, so that Your grace through me may draw many more to repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Socialism; March 17, 2021

Posted on March 21, 2021 by jgarrott

2 Corinthians 8:12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

It is fashionable in some circles to claim that socialism originates in the Bible, pointing to this passage as well as to the practice of the Early Church in Jerusalem. (Acts 4:32-35) However, there is a massive distinction between socialism and Biblical generosity. What we find in the Bible is strictly voluntary, motivated by the convictions of the givers, whereas socialism is government-commanded, motivated by envy and/or greed. One conservative speaker has done an experiment recently on several college campuses, talking with students who espoused socialist ideas and claimed that “the rich” should support “the poor.” He tells them, “OK. That sounds like a good idea. Let’s all go sell our smartphones and donate the money to the local food bank.” They immediately change their tune! Socialism sounds good only to those who will receive stuff, not to those from whom it will be demanded. Christian generosity is based on the conviction that God is our Supply, as in the Hebrew “nickname” for God, Yahweh Yireh, commonly mispronounced as Jehovah Jirah. (Genesis 22:14) Christian generosity is an opportunity to participate in God’s supply chain, and is an even bigger blessing to the giver than it is to the receiver. (Acts 20:35) Being stingy benefits no one, but having “generosity” commanded by government is robbery.

Recently someone in a Facebook group for Missionary Kids asked for reports of miracles, and the response was massive. There were reports of healings and even resurrections, protection and supply. In the reports of supply, the miraculous element was that those doing the supplying had no idea of the need, yet they met it. I have experienced that myself, as well as God multiplying what we had and making things last much longer than they had any reason to. I have also experienced the joy of being an agent of God’s supply to others, with no compulsion other than the inner voice of the Holy Spirit. Having tasted that, it’s fairly easy to see through the socialist smokescreen. I’m not to dump on those who are currently deceived by such fine-sounding slogans as, “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” Rather, I am to speak the truth in love so that it may penetrate through the fog and set people free. (John 8:32)

Father, thank You for Your abundant supply and for the privilege of being a channel for it at times. Help me hold all things loosely, recognizing that they are Yours and letting You do with them as You desire, for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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