Peter; September 10, 2020

Posted on September 14, 2020 by jgarrott

1 Peter 2:24-25 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

It’s clear that Peter is restating Isaiah 53:4-6, and it is all the more moving for that. He had been a direct observer of the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy and he had experienced the benefits in his own life. I have a very warm spot in my heart for Peter, because he is such a beautiful example of a deeply flawed human being who recognizes his total dependence on, and debt to, Jesus Christ. It is certainly no accident that God chose him to lead the Early Church. He is a perfect illustration of the Kingdom reality that the way up is down. That is, as he himself wrote, if we humble ourselves before God, He lifts us up when it is appropriate. (1 Peter 5:6) This is something Jesus talked about, (Mark 9:33-37 and many more) and Peter experienced it first hand in a number of ways. Paul is famous for writing about grace, but Peter certainly experienced it and rejoiced in it. In the section from verse 13, Peter is very practical, applying life in Christ to real-world situations that we all deal with. (We may not be slaves, but some employment situations feel like we are!) However, he comes back to Jesus, because everything is about Him.


I too need to be totally centered on Jesus, fully aware that I can do nothing good on my own. (John 15:5) I have my own set of weaknesses and faults, and I am fully as dependent on the grace and mercy of God as Peter was. My prayer is that I would be as faithful to the end as he was. Some people have pointed out that in some ways I am more analogous to Paul, having been raised steeped in Scripture in an academic family, rather than as a fisherman or manual laborer, but I don’t try to “take sides.” Rather, I am to live out my own unique calling in my own unique circumstances, and encourage those around me to do the same.


Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all You did yesterday, and for all You have planned for today. I expected to be in the hospital today, so my schedule is clear. Help me not waste a minute of today, but rather do Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Prayer for Healing; September 9, 2020

Posted on September 13, 2020 by jgarrott

James 5:14-15 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

Having been associated with the Charismatic Movement since 1973, this is a very familiar passage indeed. I have seen many people healed through prayer, and I have seen many people who didn’t seem to benefit from prayer. What I haven’t seen much of is people following this specific pattern, of the sick person calling for the elders of the local congregation and asking for their prayer. I believe it was Yongi Cho who wrote that only about 30% of the people they prayed for were healed, but they knew that if they hadn’t prayed, those people would not have been healed. Something that struck me just now in reading this passage yet again was the element of the will of the sick person; they were personally to call for the elders to come and pray. Also, this isn’t a matter of going to “a healer,” someone with a special gift of healing, (1 Corinthians 12:30) but rather of asking for prayer from the elders of the local congregation, with whom the sick person is already in relationship. Paul is clear, as was Jesus, that elders are not to “lord it over” those in the flock, but they are acknowledged as having spiritual authority and responsibility. Calling for them to come and pray is specifically acknowledging that authority. Far too many people today are really submitted to no authority, and the ill effects of that reverberate throughout society. Just as the Roman centurion recognized, authority is of great importance. (Matthew 8:5-13) If we aren’t submitted to God, and by extension to His representatives, then we have no hope of resisting the devil (James 4:7) and walking in all the blessings God has prepared for us. Another element here is the matter of sin. The Bible is clear that not all disease is the direct result of sin, but some of it is, and we must never rule out that possibility. Receiving healing often calls for repentance, of unbelief if of nothing else. In it all, we must remember that the healing power is from God, and not from any human agent He might use. Too much healing ministry focuses on the minister, and God will not honor that.

I don’t know what my “success rate” is, but I am not to let that stop me from praying for people, for healing or for anything else. I am sharply aware that the power doesn’t come from me anyway. I am to remember that some cases take longer than others, and not give up. Dramatic healings are spectacular, but they aren’t necessarily the most effective. My wife’s health has been an issue for many years, as it is even this morning. I’m not to give up! For that matter, I’m in the middle of a medical procedure myself, and I’m not to be anxious. It is all part of the mystery of prayer. After all, why would the Creator of the universe listen to prayers anyway? However, the Bible and experience tell us that He does, and He is more than gracious. I am to be a ready channel of that grace, anytime and to anyone the Lord directs.


Father, thank You for this reminder. I do ask for Your wisdom in dealing with Cathy’s dizziness, along with everything else going on today. I ask for Your guidance in things related to my health today. May I be focused on You, Your kingdom and Your righteousness, and not on anything less, regardless of how demanding of my attention it might be. Thank You. Praise God!

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Spiritual Therapy; September 8, 2020

Posted on September 13, 2020 by jgarrott

Hebrews 12:12-13 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

I have taught Medical English at Nagasaki Rehabilitation College for over 38 years now, and it has never hit me that this is a description of physical therapy! At the same time, the section ahead of this makes it clear that this is a physical metaphor for a spiritual reality. I’d call it ST for Spiritual Therapy, except that we already use that for Speech Therapy. In any case, vast numbers of people are spiritual invalids, limping along or even bedridden, spiritually speaking. The task of the minister is not to point fingers, but rather to enable recovery. At the same time, just as with physical therapy, there needs to be cooperation on the part of the “patient.” A major, and vital, part of any program of therapy is getting the person’s wholehearted participation in the process. That frankly can be difficult, because therapy can be painful, whether it’s the physical kind or the spiritual kind. The verse just ahead of this is very true and instructive: “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11) Just as in physical therapy, the goal is not pain, but sometimes pain is an unavoidable part of what is necessary to reach eventual healing. Physically and otherwise, pain can be a vital indicator of what is wrong, what needs to be healed. However, we must be careful that our “ministry” doesn’t disable those already in trouble, but rather heals them. There are limits to how much pain, physical or emotional, a person can tolerate at one time. Especially when pain is unavoidable, we need the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit to minister correctly.


This is a truth I should understand very well, and not just because of my long association with the school. Cathy’s father had a stroke, and his right side was affected. It was over an hour each way to the hospital where physical therapy was available, so when he was discharged they gave him exercises he could do at home for therapy. The problem was, things like squeezing a sponge ball were painful for him, and without a therapist there to encourage him, he quit very quickly, not realizing that his failure to follow through put extra stress on his wife, because he became less and less able to do things for himself. That phenomenon is evident in therapy patients of all sorts, spiritual as well as physical. I am to “teach and admonish with all wisdom,” (Colossians 3:16) not condemning but encouraging, so that the people in my care may be brought to full spiritual health, actively participating in the Body of Christ and fulfilling God’s purposes for them, for His glory.


Father, thank You for making this clear connection that I indeed understand very well. Help me also not draw back from the discipline that doesn’t seem fun at the moment, but is necessary for my growth. May I be Your agent on every level, for true health in the Body of Christ, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Body of Christ; September 7, 2020

Posted on September 9, 2020 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

This section of 1 Corinthians is a supremely anointed metaphor, one that anyone can grasp, and it deals with a vitally important subject. Unity and division of labor are both vital issues in any organization, and certainly so in the Church, as well as in each local church. We speak glibly of a “body of believers” without really thinking about all that means, the way Paul lays it out in this chapter. Part of that comes from leaders thinking they’re more important, but just ask someone with cerebral palsy how much good that does if nothing follows your lead! We don’t like to admit how much we are dependent on others, and we don’t like to accept the responsibility of others being dependent on us. However, that’s an inescapable reality, whether we like it or not. For a genuine Christian, it should be a joy. Since Christ is our ultimate Head, (Ephesians 1:10 and many more) we should rejoice to be counted as part of His body, organs if you will. I may be no more than a toenail, or even a hair follicle, but I’m part of the Lord of the universe! That is glorious indeed, and we should rejoice in it. However, the flip side of that is recognizing that others are as much parts of the body as we are. That has been a problem throughout Church history, and it’s a problem in just about every local congregation today. It is true that bodies can become cancerous, and excision can become necessary. However, the only one with the wisdom and knowledge necessary to do that right is our Head, so total submission to Him is essential. It is all too common for one member of a local body to decide that another member is “inconvenient,” or an irritant, and set about trying to exclude them. They don’t realize that is like sawing off your own toe, at least! We need to value each other and build each other up, recognizing our own value in the process, and so be fully functioning and useful to our Head.


For far too long I failed to recognize how much I need other believers, other parts of the Body. I saw the tragedy of divisions between different groups, like denominations, but I failed to see that I couldn’t go it alone on a personal level. Thankfully, that is changing. God has gifted me in a wide variety of areas, but my tendency to try to do it all myself has been a hindrance to this church from the start. Now, however, I’m shifting to trying to find who can do a task that needs to be done, rather than trying to acquire that skill myself. That will be far more healthy and productive in the long run!


Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all the mistakes I made in recording yesterday’s service. I’ve been “the tech guy” in so many situations for so long that it’s hard to let go of that sort of thing. I do ask for the right person to handle it. I pray that I would fill the niche You have for me, and not try to cover more than You intend, so that every member of the Body may have joy and satisfaction in serving You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Ignorance; September 6, 2020

Posted on September 9, 2020 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 12:1 Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.

For once, I really prefer the NIV to the Japanese! Where the NIV (like most English translations that come to mind) says, “I don’t want you to be ignorant,” the Japanese says, “I really want you to know the following things.” There is a Japanese term for ignorance, but the translators chose not to use it. Ignorance isn’t sinful, but it can certainly be dangerous, and indeed, many Christians are ignorant when it comes to spiritual gifts. I could literally teach for many hours on the subject, and I’m tempted every time it comes up! This chapter is naturally of prime importance in such teaching, along with Romans 12 and Ephesians 4, but the point is, we do well to press in to know as much as possible of what God has done for us in Christ Jesus, not to puff us up but so that we will be more useful to Him in establishing His kingdom. That brings up the point that we aren’t to pursue knowledge for its own sake, but so that it can be used to do the will of God. There are denominations that require academic tests for ordination. I think that is a grave mistake. Information is no substitute for a living relationship with our living Lord! That said, information is to an extent absolutely essential. As Paul said, how can people believe in someone of whom they have not heard? (Romans 10:14) In that same chapter he speaks of the Jews having zeal but not knowledge. (Romans 10:2) We are to seek more knowledge of God, and to share that knowledge with others, but we must not let that knowledge just be information on a shelf, but rather apply it actively in service to our Lord. (James 1:22)


Because my motivational gifting is Teacher, I have always been a “knowledge hound,” seeking it and drinking it in. I used to read the Encyclopedia Britannica for fun when I was in the 4th grade! At the same time, I have learned the hard way how easy it is to deceive myself with “head knowledge,” just like James said. I do not want to be ignorant and I don’t want others to be ignorant, but I can’t force anyone to accept knowledge, any more than I can acquire all knowledge myself. I’ve got to be at peace with what Paul expressed in the chapter right after this: “Where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.” (1 Corinthians 13:8-10) At the same time, I can take comfort in what he said right after that: “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12) I must not let knowledge substitute for obedience. As James pointed out, even demons have knowledge of God, but it does them no good. (James 2:19)


Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for making us capable of learning, of gaining knowledge. Help me keep my focus on knowing You, more than on knowing anything else, and help me communicate that knowledge to as many as possible, so that I and they may walk in that knowledge in obedience, for our salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Going With the Flow; September 5, 2020

Posted on September 8, 2020 by jgarrott

Acts 28:6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

Reading the whole story of Paul’s journey from Caesarea to Rome it occurs to me that quite probably several of the soldiers in his guard were believers by the time they got to Rome. Not only did they essentially owe their lives to Paul after the shipwreck, they saw this miraculous sign and then the healing of all the islanders that followed. Thinking about it, they certainly allowed Paul and his party to do anything they wanted until they got to Rome! As far as the islanders here were concerned, I’m sure that Paul assured them he was not divine and instead pointed them to Christ, given what he did in Lystra, as recorded in Acts 14. We go through all sorts of things in life, but if we are yielded to God and flowing with His Spirit, He will use every one of them for blessing and for His glory. (Romans 8:28) We get anxious for no reason at all! I’m reminded of something I read a few years ago about a mother traveling with her young son, when the next flight they were to take was canceled for some reason. As they were walking to the van that was to take them to a hotel to wait for the next available flight, she was overheard saying to her son, “This, Son, is what we call an adventure.” Rather than being upset about changed schedules and the like, she was teaching her son to take life as it comes, roll with the punches, and enjoy the process. I think we all need to take that lesson!


This is appropriate for me right now, because all sorts of things are happening that are out of my control. We have a major typhoon headed our way, scheduled to hit early Monday morning. As a result, the medical center where I’m being treated has canceled all surgeries for Monday, including my skin graft, and I’ve been rescheduled for Wednesday the 23rd. That in turn means that I will be in the hospital on Sunday the 27th, and unable to preach. The phone call from my surgeon came in actually while I was teaching my first nursing school class of the term, so I had to cancel it (twice) and call her back, but the class itself went very well. Then in the afternoon an old friend (literally – he’s 85) came and installed a used air conditioner we were given in our house kitchen. (We already had one in the church kitchen.) We got in some really good visiting in the process, as I helped him in various ways. The air conditioner works beautifully, but the fellowship was even better. I really don’t know what all today will hold, though I have some ideas and some things I would like to happen, but the point in it all is to accept God’s schedule and delight in it, doing God’s will and not letting the devil steal my peace or joy at any point.


Father, thank You for this reminder. This is something You’ve been trying to teach me for a long time! I don’t remember how many years ago You told me, one November, to rest, relax, and rejoice. May I indeed do that, as an example to others and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Getting the Word Out; September 4, 2020

Posted on September 7, 2020 by jgarrott

Acts 19:10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

Reading this, we first need to realize that what was called Asia in those days was essentially what we call Turkey today. Even so, that is a large area to have been covered in two years from a city on the southern coast, particularly in light of the fact that they didn’t even have printing presses back then, much less electronic communications. That said, it struck me just now that this doesn’t say “received,” it says “heard.” Hearing doesn’t necessarily mean repenting and believing, as in the Jews mentioned in verse nine. That said, people need to hear if they are to have the opportunity to repent and believe, so getting the word out is extremely important. Today we have electronic means of communication that would have been beyond the dreams of those in Paul’s day, but the very overload of information causes people not to digest much of what comes in. In some ways that’s entirely appropriate, because there’s a lot of junk out there. That calls for all the more skill in those who are presenting the word of the Lord, along with intense prayer for the help of the Holy Spirit. This chapter starts by telling of some believers who had never even heard of the Holy Spirit. (verse 2) Probably very few Christians are in that boat today, but at the same time a majority of Christians ignore the Holy Spirit in their daily lives. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus, and as He said, apart from Him we can do nothing. (John 15:5) We are to use every means at our disposal to inform people of the Gospel of salvation in Christ, but we must do so with a profound awareness of our inability to do it effectively in our own strength. We aren’t to take it personally when people reject the Gospel, any more than Paul did in Ephesus, but rather keep seeking out those whose hearts are open to receive.


I have been ministering in Omura for 39 years this month, with what some would call minimal results. However, the Word has gone out, and some have received it. Recently we started live Internet broadcasts of our services, and the number of people reached each week has literally jumped by a factor of eight or more, with considerable potential for further growth. As I write, our church website is being totally redone, making it more accessible and attractive. All of that is in line with a prophetic statement by a missionary friend of mine from Hong Kong, who said that the ministry of this church was going to be multiplied through the Internet. That is all exciting, but we still have the basic reality that we can do nothing apart from Christ, apart from the flow and power of His Spirit. I am to keep moving forward, building on the foundation He has allowed me to lay in the hearts of many, both believers and those who are not yet believers, so that the result will be entirely in and of Him, for His glory not only in this city but around the world.


Father, this really brings to mind Jesus’ statement that “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14) Help me play the part You have for me in that, for a mighty end-time harvest, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Suffering; September 3, 2020

Posted on September 7, 2020 by jgarrott

Acts 14:19-20 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside of the city, thinking he was dead. But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.

This story is told matter-of-factly, almost casually, when a stoning is a horrific thing. Paul was wounded so badly that those who did it assumed he was dead and dragged him out of the town, which in itself could cause significant injuries. That Luke would record it in this way is an indication of the brutality of life in the 1st Century. Disease wasn’t the only thing that shortened the life expectancy! However, God still had work for Paul to do, and He sent him back. Many scholars think that this is when Paul had the experience he describes in 2 Corinthians 12:1-6, and I would have to agree with them. My wife had what is called a near-death experience in February, 1975, and even she didn’t really want to come back at the time! Her experience came from a heart attack, but Paul’s came from a stoning. You can be sure his time in heaven was far more pleasant than what he faced when he came back! This records that when the disciples gathered around him he just got up, and the very next day set out for Derbe. We don’t know the extent of the miraculous healing he experienced, but my body hurts just thinking about doing that after such injuries. We in the Western church are such wimps! As it says in Hebrews, we don’t know anything about resisting sin to the point of shedding our blood. (Hebrews 12:4) We join the church looking for “your best life now,” and balk at the least hint of sacrifice for the sake of the kingdom of God. Only a small percentage of church members even tithe their income. It’s no wonder we have so little power! When we are fixated on having it easy in this life, whatever we say we believe, we are certainly not “storing up treasure in heaven,” as Jesus told us to do. (Matthew 6:19-21)


This is very close to home at the moment, and not just because we have Matthew 6:21 as our Verse for the Year. I’m in the middle of treatment for a basal cell carcinoma in my scalp. The initial tumor was removed early last month, but when tests showed malignancy, surgery was scheduled to remove the area around that, so I now have a plug taken out of my scalp. Yesterday I went for the post-op check for that, and was told that more malignant cells were detected in the center of the plug, but the edges were all clear, so now I’m scheduled to have skin graft surgery on Monday, taking skin from my upper chest to cover the hole, giving me an instant bald spot. None of this is particularly fun, but people have been amazed at how casually I am taking it. The thing is, I am sharply aware that whatever suffering (I really wouldn’t call it that) I am going through, it doesn’t begin to compare to what even my wife has gone through with her various surgeries, not to mention what Paul experienced in this passage. I have no room to complain! For many years I have been very attached to something Jesus said just before His arrest and crucifixion: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) The less I am emotionally invested in this world, and even in my body, the more I will be able to enjoy the blessings of heaven even before I go there. As Paul said, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17)


Father, thank You for this reminder, and for the circumstances that make me open to receive it. Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, whatever is going on with me or around me, so that I may be fully available for whatever tasks You have for me, for Your pleasure and glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Racial Discrimination; September 2, 2020

Posted on September 6, 2020 by jgarrott

Acts 10:34-35 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.”

This was indeed a momentous revelation that changed the course of history. Most people today can’t really imagine the degree of racial discrimination that was endemic in the Jewish people. However, even today we have “white supremacists,” along with antisemitism of all stripes. We also have the BLM movement, that also uses race as a political wedge to divide people. Sadly enough, one people-group discriminating against another is one of the most common features of human history. From God’s perspective, however, that is all total nonsense. He created us all, and we are all of equal value by definition. At the same time we are all different, and some racial stereotypes can have a high degree of validity. What does not change, regardless of skin color or ethnicity, is that God loves us, but “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6) There is no people-group, not even the Jews, that has an automatic “ticket to heaven,” and there is no people-group that is automatically excluded from heaven. God chose Abraham and His descendants as instruments of His revelation of Himself to mankind, and as such they do have some special promises given to them, but as Paul assures us, those who believe in Jesus are accepted in Him, and all those promises come to them as well. (Romans 4:16)


Growing up as a Caucasian in Japan, I have always been aware of ethnic and racial differences, but I was also raised to know that differences don’t preclude equality. (On my first arrival in the US, not yet 4 years old, I was quarantined with mumps, and one nurse was the first Black person I had ever seen. I insisted on speaking Japanese to her, because in my experience, anyone with skin darker than my parents’ had to be Japanese!) As long as I can remember I have been proud of having been born in 1948, the same year as the modern state of Israel. I don’t think I knew any Jews growing up, but I loved the Jewish songs in The Fireside Book of Folk Songs that was a household staple. In Seminary in Texas, for reasons known only to God, we were adopted into the informal group of Messianic students and their families, and they were floored that I knew Jewish folk songs better than they did. Today I rejoice in the reports I get from OneForIsrael.com, of how more and more Jews are discovering that Yeshua is indeed their promised Messiah. All of that said, my own particular calling is to the Japanese. In my opinion, their sense of racial identity is comparable only to that of the Jews, and it is often a major barrier to their accepting the Gospel. They admire what they see in me, but can’t believe that it is equally available to them, because we are “different.” The common Japanese term for foreigner, gaijin, literally means, “person outside, outsider.” I have dealt with rejection all my life, but that becomes tragic only when they reject the Gospel as “non-Japanese.” This revelation to Peter needs to permeate Japanese society, to bring about the massive harvest that I know God desires.


Father, thank You for Your plans, that are greater and higher than anything man could come up with. Thank You for what You did here yesterday, bringing together people who needed assurance of Your love in a way that I couldn’t have planned if I had tried. I do pray for Your kingdom to come and Your will to be done in each life, shattering the lies of the devil and setting people free, for a ripple effect that will draw many into Your kingdom for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Actions; September 1, 2020

Posted on September 6, 2020 by jgarrott

Acts 9:34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up.

There are many records of healing in the Bible, and a common element is the afflicted person being told to do something. This isn’t the case every time, but action seems to give form to faith. When the 10 lepers asked Jesus for healing, He told them to go show themselves to the priest, and it was in the going that they realized they had received their healing. (Luke 17:11-19) On two different occasions Jesus also told a paralyzed man to take up their mat and walk, (Mark 2, John 5) and Peter was probably there both times. All of this ties into what James wrote about faith and actions. Protestations of faith aren’t very convincing without actions. We are spiritual beings, but we are also undeniably physical beings, and we can’t divorce the one from the other. Even in the 1st Century there was a heresy that said that because we were spiritual beings it didn’t matter what we did with our bodies, and that was used as an excuse for all sorts of debauchery. Paul addresses that in several of his letters, perhaps most notably in Romans 6. We are saved by grace through faith, and not by our activities, (Ephesians 2:8-9) but genuine faith will be active. (Ephesians 2:10) The flip side of that is another thing the Bible talks about a lot: empty activity. Doing things just for the sake of doing them doesn’t benefit anyone. More than one prophet relayed God’s instructions to stop religious rituals, even though they had been commanded in the books of Moses, because the people’s hearts weren’t in them, and/or their daily lives didn’t line up. The same thing applies to prayer. When we pray in genuine faith we will “put feet to our prayers,” acting in expectation of God being true to His Word and His character. If we feel God might be speaking to us, the best thing is generally to do whatever we think He might be saying, and He will confirm it to us.


The faith/works tension has existed throughout history, and I can’t ignore it. Not only do I need to be active in my own faith, as a pastor I need to be admonishing those in my care to do likewise. I’ve found, time and time again, that if I act like I believe, my tiny, shallow faith is grown and deepened. I frequently tell others that faith is like muscle: it needs to be exercised to be strengthened. I’ve certainly found that to be true in my own life. I am not to demand of others what I’m not doing in my own life. We all need to be growing together, as God’s children and His servants.


Father, thank You for all the opportunities You give me to exercise and grow my faith. Help me be Your agent to help those around me do likewise, so that all the lies of the devil may be defeated and Your kingdom come as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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