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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Religion; June 23, 2021

Posted on June 27, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 65:2-3 O you who hear prayer,
to you all men will come.
When we were overwhelmed by sins,
you forgave our transgressions.

Man can, and does, postulate all sorts of characteristics for deity. Investigating different religions turns up all sorts of concepts, backing up what many atheists claim, that man creates gods in his image, rather than the other way around as Genesis 1 proclaims. However, David here picks up two things about God that eclipse all sorts of theology that people argue about: God hears prayer, and He forgives sin. I am aware of no religion that doesn’t include at least some sort of prayer. Some religions twist that around to the point that people are really praying to themselves, calling it “meditation” or whatever. Meditation is good and useful when it is focused on our Creator and what He has said to us, but that requires taking the focus off of ourselves, and much teaching on meditation is inward-focused, telling you to “find” things in yourself. Biblical meditation allows God to show us things about ourselves, but the focus is on God. Biblical prayer arises from the conviction that our Creator cares about us, and is listening. Inseparable from that is the joyful faith that He forgives sin. Anyone who comes to God must acknowledge that He alone is truly holy and pure. We sing a song in this church that talks about trembling when we encounter God’s holiness and purity. Faced with perfect purity, it is natural to be overwhelmed by our own lack of it. That God forgives sin, that He has provided atonement through His own Son, is unspeakably magnificent and glorious. Such a God is more than worthy of our total love, obedience, and devotion.

I obviously grew up in a strongly Christian environment, but I have been exposed to a wide variety of religious traditions. Here in Japan I am surrounded by Shinto and Japanese Buddhism, and I have read about other branches of Buddhism, as well as Hinduism and Islam and various minor religions. Nowhere have I found anything to compare to the God of the Bible, who loves us enough to deal with our sins, forgiving them and taking them from us. From the time I came to Omura in 1981 I have been telling people I didn’t come to teach them a religion, but to introduce them to the Lord Jesus. (There’s a bit of a pun in that in Japanese.) This continues to be true. This past Sunday in a group prayer time a man who has only been a believer a few years said, “This isn’t a religion, it’s a way of life, faith itself.” I was very happy to hear him say that, but I hadn’t connected it to my statement from 40 years ago until just now. I think people find me strange because I’m obviously religious, in a sense, but I don’t focus on forms and ceremonies. It’s not that I don’t do ceremonies, such as baptism and Communion, but that the forms are almost irrelevant. I don’t want to make people be “good Baptists,” (or good Catholics or whatever) but I want them to be good disciples of Jesus Christ. For that, I’ve got to be more committed to my Lord than I am to any tradition, even though I feel I have benefited greatly from various good traditions. I need to rejoice in my Lord who hears prayer and forgives sin, and introduce as many people to Him as I can, for their salvation and His glory.

Father, thank You for Your indeed amazing grace to me. Help me not take it lightly, but be an open channel for that grace to flow to as many as will receive it, for their salvation and Your pleasure and glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Isolation; June 22, 2021

Posted on June 24, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 61:2 From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Verses six and seven indicate that David was already king when he wrote this, so we know that the imagery in this verse is metaphorical and/or emotional, but it’s still striking. We do sometimes feel like we’re “on the backside of nowhere,” disconnected from all we find familiar and comforting. The turn of phrase in the Japanese makes that a little clearer, using the same character in “ends of the earth” and “heart grows faint.” For all the fact that the earth is a globe, and thus has no “ends,” we would still agree, I think, that Antarctica, for example, would be “the ends of the earth” geographically. Few people ever have the chance even to visit there, but emotional isolation is a different matter. It is possible, and indeed not uncommon, to feel intensely lonely in a dense crowd. What we long for is the connection with others, the belonging. David recognized that God was the ultimate answer to that, because as Paul said, (quoting a Greek poet) “For in him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28) At issue is not whether God is near, but whether we feel He is near. The problems are always on our side. When we are submitted to Him, quiet before Him, then we can be aware of Him and our sense of isolation disappears. It is indeed nice to have other people in the picture, but as much as we might like that, it’s not essential. I’m reminded of the child who didn’t want to be alone in their room at night. When their parent reminded them that “Jesus is always with you,” they replied, “But I want Jesus with skin on.” When we have experienced such feelings ourselves, it is important for us to be willing to be “Jesus with skin on” for others.

I’m a member of a Facebook group for children of missionaries, many of whom, like I, are missionaries themselves. Frankly, a sense of isolation is very common in that group, not feeling like we “belong” wherever we are. From the standpoint of the “sending country,” the expression, “the ends of the earth” is often very appropriate! The community, the acceptance and understanding we feel in that group can be very sweet and affirming. At the same time, we need to remember that our ultimate acceptance and belonging is in Christ, and nothing less. I currently feel more accepted than I have perhaps any time since I became aware of the world outside my immediate family, but I must not let that be a substitute for abiding in Christ and letting Him abide in me by His Word and His Spirit. I can never be isolated when I am in Him!

Father, thank You for how accepted I feel at this point. It’s a sign of the depth of it that I haven’t thought about it in quite a while! I ask that You use me as “Jesus with skin on” to demonstrate Your love to many, so that they too may discover “the Rock that is higher,” for their salvation and healing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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God Cares; June 21, 2021

Posted on June 23, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 55:22 Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.

To be honest, I had forgotten that this was in the Old Testament. I just had Peter’s expression of this in my mind: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) The Japanese translation here is much closer to what Peter wrote than the NIV is. In any case, the truth is that God cares about His children. From one standpoint that seems absurd. Why would the Creator of the universe care about such insignificant beings as we are? However, we have the very clear evidence that He cares so much that He sent His Son to die in our place, taking the penalty for our sins. The flip side of that is that He cares whether we are obedient to Him or not. Some people don’t want God to care, because they want to do their own thing. We have such trouble really grasping that all of God’s commands are for our good. If He didn’t care about us, collectively and individually, then it wouldn’t much matter what we did, because we’d all go to destruction anyway. We don’t know who wrote Psalm 116, but it contains a very important truth: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” (Psalm 116:15) We might misunderstand that, thinking God is happy when someone dies, but the actual meaning is that human death is something of great importance to God. The Psalmist probably didn’t have a clear understanding of eternal life, but he did grasp that human life is a big deal to God. There are many things that are essentially beyond the grasp of human intellect, and the depth of God’s love and care is one of those. We can’t really explain it but we can receive it by revelation. As in so many things, it comes down to our choice: we can choose to believe, and we are incalculably blessed if we do.

Once again I am reminded of something I wrote just two days ago when the subject was depression. I was thinking about all the junk in the world, and God clearly said to me, “How do you think I feel?” The thing is, He cares. I have every reason to believe that, not only from the Bible but from everything in my life, but I still waver from it at times in practical terms. Part of my difficulty is that my caring burns out. Caring is emotionally expensive! However, not caring leaves me emotionally bankrupt. I can’t begin to carry the burdens of everyone around me, but instead of running from them, I need to let God carry those burdens, and sometimes even use me in the process. When I want to be like my Lord Jesus, I need to let Him express His caring through me, for the blessing of many and for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You also for the example of my wife, who is the most caring person I know. She is greatly loved, because she loves so much! Help me learn from her, and from You how to be a more effective and accurate vessel of Your caring for everyone in my sphere, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Answers to Prayer; June 20, 2021

Posted on June 23, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 54:7 For he has delivered me from all my troubles,
and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.

The introduction to this Psalm indicates it was written when David was in yet another really tight spot. That leaves us with the question of whether this verse is referring to past times the Lord had delivered David, or whether it is a faith declaration of what God was about to do. In either case, the focus is on God and His power, and not on how clever or strong David is. When we pray it is helpful to remember all the times God has answered prayer, or even acted before we prayed, (Isaiah 65:24) to bolster our faith and give us anticipation of what He might do this time. Prayer is hardly a deterministic system, where if you do A, then B will always happen. It is far more wonderful and powerful than that, because it isn’t limited by our perceptions or intellect. That’s all the more reason to be careful our prayers are focused on God, and not on ourselves or our circumstances. Joy Dawson very wisely said that to hear clearly from God, we need to die to the issue about which we are praying. By that she meant that we need to surrender our judgment, our desires, to God, trusting fully that He knows the end from the beginning and He desires the very best for us. Sometimes we get ourselves into situations where the way out, even, is quite painful, and of course, Jesus cautioned us that in this world we will have trouble, regardless. (John 16:33) However, we need to rest in the assurance Paul had, that “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17) We will come to that assurance only when we get our eyes off of ourselves and our circumstances and fix them on Christ Jesus our Lord. (Hebrews 12:2)

This certainly applies to me, as I have learned through sometimes painful experience. I have had prayers answered instantly, I have had them answered over time, and I have had prayers receive a rather firm, “No.” I need to thank God for every one of those, and not just the “quick answer” type. I need to trust God enough to ask, seek, and knock, (Matthew 7:7-8) trusting that however God answers, it will be the best thing for me, whether it’s what I expected, or desired, or not. (Matthew 7:9-11) And actually, I need to rejoice and thank Him before I know what the answer will be. I’m reminded of the story of a Bible smuggler into eastern Europe before the fall of the Soviet Union. He was in a room with a row of tables across the middle for customs inspection, and he had a suitcase of “contraband” Bibles. It came his turn, and the customs agent opened his suitcase, seemed oblivious to all the Bibles, closed it up and sent him on. As he moved to the other side of the room with his bag he was naturally rejoicing, but then he heard God say to him, “You’re doing that on the wrong side of the room.” In other words, he should have been rejoicing before the customs agent opened his bag. I don’t have that kind of faith consistently yet, but I would sure like to! However, I’ve moved a long way in that direction, and my peace and joy continue to grow.

Father, thank You for Your incredible faithfulness. Thank You for the countless times You have met my needs far better than I could have specified, and often better than I was asking. I am faced with challenges daily, but You already have it all worked out. Help me rest, relax, and rejoice in that assurance, just as You have told me to do, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Depression; June 19, 2021

Posted on June 21, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 42:1-2 As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?

I personally think these two verses express the biggest reason God allows trouble in our lives: to get us to recognize our need for Him so that we will seek Him. There is literally no substitute for that, even though we try to substitute various things for God all the time. This particular Psalm (along with Psalm 43, which is in all probability part of the same original Psalm) deals explicitly with depression. Sometimes we tend to think depression is a modern problem, but it is as old as mankind. There are lots of reasons for it, but it fundamentally comes from truncated vision, the inability to see beyond current events and circumstances. Frankly, there’s plenty going on around us to cause us to feel down, but at the same time, we are surrounded by God’s gracious blessings. Depression comes when we focus on the one and not the other. There are chemical/biological things that influence depression, either positively or negatively, and I’m not discounting that, but I stand by my premise. The Psalmist here recognizes that with the admonition to himself, first stated in verse five and repeated in verse 11 and 43:5, to focus on God. I’m sure I will be accused of being simplistic, but that is ultimately, and always, the answer. We can think of countless excuses, but it comes down to the choice to trust God. Depression isn’t something that can be switched on and off like a light, but if we manage to focus on seeking God, He will answer.

I don’t write this casually. I attempted suicide once when I was in college. I can say with assurance that suicide is the ultimate expression of being self-centered. Lately “bipolar” is a popular diagnosis and excuse, but in my observation, people who are being chemically treated for such a condition are some of the most pathetic people around, because their emotions are compressed from both sides, to the point of being essentially unable to feel anything emotionally at all. People who are emotionally sensitive do need a support structure of family and friends, but running from emotion isn’t the answer. Many creative people have this issue, and squashing their emotions can likewise squash their creativity. Handel had this issue, and wrote the entire Messiah in the space of about two weeks, hardly sleeping, and then crashed. Thankfully there were no psychiatrists to dope him up, and with the support of those around him he recovered and went on to create much more magnificent music. In one of my own experiences, I was lying in bed, not consciously praying but just thinking, “There are so many things I wish were different.” Very clearly, so clearly it could have been an audible voice, except that my wife beside me didn’t hear anything, I heard the Lord say, “How do you think I feel?” Ever since then I have been comforted by the assurance that though things are a mess right now, God isn’t through with it all, and He is to be trusted.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s not something I’m likely to forget! I ask for wisdom and compassion as I deal with people around me all the time who are depressed, often with good reason. Help me point them to You without making them feel I am taking their suffering lightly. I’ve had some real problems in that area. May I be so focused on You that those with whom I interact may likewise lift their eyes to You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Testifying; June 18, 2021

Posted on June 21, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 40:10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly.

At first glance this might seem to conflict with another famous verse from Psalms: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11) However, in Japanese there’s no conflict, because the Psalm 119 passage says, “I have stored up your Word in my heart.” The point here is acknowledging blessings. Frankly, we do that far too little, because we feel entitled to all we have. Much is made of “entitled young people,” and that is indeed a major problem, but it certainly isn’t limited to the young. As has come up in my readings recently, parents who shield their children from any possible hurt or even disappointment are doing them no favors. We can’t appreciate good stuff until we understand that bad stuff exists. This Psalm is well known and loved, with the first four verses having been set to music multiple times. Verse six and verse eight are both quoted in the New Testament as referring to Jesus. However, from verse 12 on, David is speaking of his current dire circumstances. We gain much more understanding of David when we realize that he wrote some beautiful songs of praise while he was in pretty bad situations. In other words, he was not hiding God’s abundant goodness to him simply because the current moment didn’t seem so good. Testifying to God’s character is always a good idea! The fact of the matter is, as Jesus told us, in this world we will have trouble. (John 16:33) The more we focus on God, remembering how incredibly good and gracious He has been to us, the better we will be able to rejoice in Him regardless of what is going on around us. On top of that, the more we do that openly and vocally, as this verse talks about, the more those around us will be led into a right relationship with their gracious Creator.

I think one thing that inhibits me from testifying of God’s blessings is that I’m afraid of being seen as bragging. There really is the danger it would turn into that, but the far greater danger is of my failing to give Him the thanks and praise He deserves. Sometimes I get the response, “Of course God’s good to you. You’re a missionary.” I’m a missionary not to get God’s blessings, but in response to them! I seek to teach others not only to recognize God’s grace to them but also to be vocal about it. That’s really difficult in Japan, where people tend to be very private and bragging is strongly discouraged. My concerns about being seen as bragging myself come from that. I need God’s wisdom all the way around. However, the difficulty should not keep me from the attempt, either of testifying myself or of getting others to testify.

Father, Your grace and blessings are indeed without number, and even I fail to recognize the vast majority of them. I ask You to open my eyes to see You more and more, and to use me in opening the eyes of others to do likewise, to that we will be the grateful, obedient children that You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Confession; June 17, 2021

Posted on June 20, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalm 32:5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”– and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Confession is an interesting thing. We certainly aren’t telling God anything He doesn’t already know. However, the act of confession frees us from the prison we have created for ourselves by our sin. It is when we try to hide everything that we wind up in more and more bondage. That’s not to say that being open about our sin gives us license to continue it; that is making a mockery of the grace of God. That’s exactly what the “pride” movement is doing, trying to get others not only to accept but affirm degeneracy of all sorts. The vast majority of such people got into perversion through the sins of others against them, in one way or another, but that ultimately isn’t an excuse. We all encounter a great deal of junk of one sort or another, living in a fallen world and surrounded by fallen individuals, but how we respond to what is done to us is ultimately our own responsibility. That’s what confession is all about: accepting responsibility. Another trick of the devil at this point is to try to get us to atone for our own sins, rather than accepting that only God can do that. That’s what Judas did, committing suicide in an acknowledgment of his sin without submitting himself to God for Him to deal with it. His confession to the priests (Matthew 27:3-5) didn’t cut it, because he was just confessing to people and not yielding himself to God. Genuine confession is inseparable from repentance, which is turning from the sin in question. If you confess your sin but then continue to wallow in it, you certainly haven’t repented. The devil does his utmost to convince us we can’t really be freed from our sin, and sadly, he’s often effective, causing people to give up. Paul wrote extensively about this in such places as Romans 6, where he admonishes us to “count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11) That doesn’t mean we’ll never slip up, as Paul himself laments in Romans 7, but then he starts the next chapter with a glorious affirmation: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) Confession to God is what opens the door to that glorious grace.

I could write at considerable length about this because I have experienced it so much myself! I well remember one time when I was liberated from a persistent sin by a verse from Peter: “But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.” (2 Peter 1:9) God used that verse to get through to me that when sins are confessed and repented of, they are gone. The devil keeps bringing them up, telling us nothing has changed, but he’s a liar as always. It’s just like John wrote: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 ) I earnestly look forward to heaven, where I will be freed from the presence of sin, but meanwhile I can rejoice that right now I am freed from the power of sin.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s such a vital truth, yet so many are blind to it. I pray that You would enable me to communicate it to others so that they may be freed from the traps of the enemy, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Seeking God; June 16, 2021

Posted on June 20, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalms 27:8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, I will seek.

This Psalm is loaded with familiar, dearly loved passages, many of which have been set to music. However, I think this verse is what has impacted me most personally. The Japanese puts a slightly different twist on it: “My heart says in your place, ‘seek my face.’” In other words, David recognized that the voice, the desire in his heart, was a Word from the Lord. God speaks to all of us far more often that we generally recognize, but we have to choose to obey what He says to us, as David does here. “Lord, You are telling me to seek Your face. I choose to seek Your face.” The specific term for “seek” that the Japanese uses actually means, “earnestly desire and ask for.” It’s the same “earnestly desire” that is used in Psalms 42:1. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” When we recognize that God is telling us to seek Him, we need to choose to obey. It’s like Jesus so famously told us in terms of seeking our physical needs: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) We have all sorts of impulses, some from God and some not, and it is our choice which we will pursue. The path of blessing is always to follow God!

Many years ago I wrote, “Yes, Lord,” beside this verse in the Bible I was using at the time. I wish I could say I have been totally consistent in following through with that in the years since! I can say that the longer I walk with the Lord the easier and more natural it is to seek Him above and before anything else. I just wish I didn’t act so “unnaturally” at times! I am reminded of a man who has recently expressed a commitment to follow the Lord in baptism. However, when I talked with him about the timing, he wanted to put it off for a year! He actually said, “I want to play around for a year.” He quickly realized what he had said and backpedaled, but I think he was expressing his true feelings. He has already put off such a commitment for several years because of a “pet sin,” recognizing that Jesus will allow no other gods beside Him, and he is still being deceived to value that sin above eternal salvation. God is speaking to his heart as surely as He did to David, but he hasn’t yet responded fully to say, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.” It’s easy for me to see what’s going on in him, but I am too often blind to my own deviations from the path the Lord has laid out for me. The “toys” the devil dangles in front of me can be pretty distracting at times!

Father, thank You for this clear reminder. Thank You for indeed speaking to me, and frequently at that. Help me recognize and obey everything You say to me, seeking the intimacy with You for which I was created, so that all the lies of the devil may be defeated and I be fully useful to You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Blessing Others; June 15, 2021

Posted on June 17, 2021 by jgarrott

Psalms 20:1-2 May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.

It’s interesting that this is labeled “A Psalm of David,” whereas others are labeled “prayers” of David. I think that’s because the focus here isn’t on David himself; he’s actually praying blessing for others. Blessing others is one of the highest return-for-effort activities we can do. The only reason we don’t do it a lot more often is that we are so self-centered. The famous priestly blessing in Numbers 6:24-26 has been set to music multiple times, to marvelous effect. Just recently my younger daughter, who leads worship at her church in the US, used one of those arrangements in a farewell service for their pastor, to marvelous effect. Not only was the pastor and his family blessed, or even everyone in the congregation, but also, I think, all who saw and heard it via the Internet. Imparting blessing with our words is real, however illogical that might seem. Genesis 1 says that God spoke the universe into existence, and He has given us the gift of speech as well. How we use that gift is our responsibility. As James points out, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.” (James 3:9-10) We have been given the privilege of praising God and blessing people, and we do well to make full use of it. I think many people hesitate to speak blessing to others because they think it would seem like they are putting themselves on a higher level than the person they are blessing. That’s not the case at all, because the fulfillment of the blessing comes from God, not us. Blessing others is simply acting as a tube so that some of God’s living water can drip through, at least.

I had a real revelation in terms of intentionally blessing others not long after we came to Omura, almost 40 years ago. Yongi Cho came to Fukuoka for a big meeting to encourage Japanese Christians, and he touched on the subject. I have absolutely no memory of what he said, actually, but I do remember getting the message from the Lord that I could and should bless others intentionally with my words. The group I was with had lunch, I think it was, at a little restaurant, and there was a little girl, maybe three years old, not with our group, running around. I very clearly remember speaking blessing to her, and how much it blessed me to be an agent of God’s blessing. In the years since I have tried to make a practice of that, but I haven’t been as consistent as I could have been. For many years now I have opened each of my school classes with prayer, praying blessing on my students, and I have gotten some very grateful feedback. I’m very thankful the Lord opened my eyes to the practice of blessing, because it has certainly blessed me!

Father, thank You for the privilege of blessing others. Thank You for Your unlimited blessings to us all – even the ones that don’t feel like blessings in the moment. Help me be a faithful and consistent channel of Your blessings, that many would be drawn to You for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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