Spiritual Growth; October 27, 2020

Posted on October 30, 2020 by jgarrott

Acts 18:25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.

This one verse should quiet those Pentecostals who put down their non-Charismatic brethren. On the other hand, it should at least soften the objections of some people to manifestations of the Holy Spirit. One totally unexpected outcome of the political mess that has been triggered by the Chinese corona virus has been the rapprochement between John MacArthur and Pentecostal leaders. When MacArthur was attacked by the California state government for holding services and he stood up to them, Che Ahn and others suddenly found themselves on his side, and it was a very unfamiliar feeling! I even saw a secular news broadcast with MacArthur and Pentecostal pastors together in the studio, talking about how unconstitutional Governor Newsom was being. This is simply further proof that God indeed works everything together for good! (Romans 8:28) That is not to say that ignorance of the things of the Spirit is a good thing. As the next verse tells us, Apollos was instructed in the things of the Spirit, and he obviously took it to heart, and became a great help to the Church at large. I personally think he was the author of Hebrews, though that is a relatively unimportant detail. What is important is that we are not to consider those who are ignorant as enemies. The devil is a very persistent and persuasive liar, and sometimes ignorant people can speak and act in hurtful ways, but we shouldn’t think of or treat them as enemies. After all, when God could turn Saul into Paul, who knows what He might do with that person who is opposing you?

I have had various people oppose me over the years. Some I have indeed chosen to avoid, but thankfully I haven’t been much tempted to enter into a vendetta against any of them. Some have accused me of spiritual pride, to be so sure I was right and they were wrong, and that is an area where I am well aware I am vulnerable. However, when the Lord has given me peace in the assurance He has given me, I am ready to extend grace to those who oppose. I am to remember that however correct my knowledge/beliefs might be, they aren’t the whole picture, (1 Corinthians 13:12) and be willing to learn from God through those who don’t seem to agree with me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all You did yesterday. There were many things, large and small – and You are the judge of what was large and what was small. Help me keep my eyes on You, yielding everything into Your hands so that You may indeed work it all together for good, and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Salvation; October 26, 2020

Posted on October 30, 2020 by jgarrott

Acts 15:11 “No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

We tend to remember Paul’s famous statement to this effect in Ephesians 2:8-9, but forget that Peter said this quite some time before Paul wrote to the Ephesians. The principle of salvation by grace through faith is absolutely central to the Gospel, which is why the devil attacks it constantly in various subtle and not-so-subtle ways. The particular attack here was overt. Circumcision is hardly subtle! However, he also hits us with baptism, tithing, Bible reading, and church attendance. All of those things are important for spiritual health, but they aren’t essential for salvation, and the devil does all he can to confuse that. And, there are many similar things we could add to the list. Part of the problem is that on at least some level we want to take credit for our salvation. That flat out never works. That’s why Paul told the Ephesians, “not by works, so that no one can boast.” When we try to take credit for our own salvation or that of anyone else, we are putting ourselves in the place of God, and that is what the devil tempted Eve with in the Garden of Eden. The flip side of this issue is that if the devil can’t convince us that salvation depends on our doing something, he then tries to convince us that all the things we do are completely unimportant. That’s a lie too! All the things I mentioned above should flow out of gratitude that we have been saved, not as an effort to be saved. (Ephesians 2:10) When we get the cart before the horse, people who get baptized in order to be saved just get wet. If there is no repentance, there is no salvation. There too, human weakness can make it all tricky. Our repentance is often shallow and it needs to deepen, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we weren’t saved in the first place. Sometimes people have an experience with the Holy Spirit that is so dramatic that they think they weren’t saved before, and they connect gifts of the Holy Spirit with salvation itself. That too is a sad mistake. It is true that the Holy Spirit is given to all who believe in Christ, (Galatians 3:2) but we are filled to varying degrees, and not all receive the same gifts. We are to seek to be filled more and more, as I spoke about just yesterday, and we are to desire gifts to equip us to serve God, (1 Corinthians 14:1) growing and maturing in faith and obedience, but all of those things follow after salvation, and are not some sort of litmus test as to whether someone is saved.

This is very close to home for me. I loved Jesus as a small child and committed myself to Him in baptism at age seven, but wandered off in spiritual pride until the Lord brought me back sharply at age 24. That experience was so dramatic that I requested, and received, a second water baptism, but in retrospect, I believe I was already saved. I have been something of an “anti-legalist” much of my life, but I realize the importance of such things as tithing and daily devotions for being able to discern and follow God’s best. As a pastor, I have sadly baptized some people who were perhaps saying the right things but hadn’t really repented, so they just got wet. However, even there I must release them to God, because I never saved them in the first place, nor could I have. One young man in particular comes to mind, who really seemed on fire, but after his father succumbed to cancer his mother’s pressure pulled him away from the church completely. I cannot say that he is not saved, though I haven’t seen him for 30 years. (He’s not exactly a young man now!) And there are others. I am to be faithful to proclaim the Gospel in all purity, asking God to use the words He speaks through me to bring people to repentance and faith for their salvation, and for His glory alone.

Father, this isn’t just a huge issue, it’s the fundamental issue. Help me be an instrument of Your salvation indeed, and not a hindrance in any way, so that as many as possible may be born again into eternal life, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Missions; October 25, 2020

Posted on October 29, 2020 by jgarrott

Acts 14:26-27 From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles

We forget how utterly groundbreaking this 1st missionary journey was. In the first place, travel wasn’t nearly as common or as safe then as it is now. The very fact that they returned intact was worth celebrating! On top of that, the idea of sharing the Gospel freely with Gentiles, though it had started in Antioch, was still very new, to the point that the very next thing that happened after this was the Council of Jerusalem, debating whether this whole thing was to be accepted or not. There were many firsts, but the principle of missionaries reporting back to their sending body was a precedent that has been followed to this day. Everyone is called to be a witness, (Acts 1:8) but not everyone is sent great distances to do so. Those who have stayed closer to home need the opportunity to be aware that they too are part of what God is doing. God isn’t just interested in the “far lands,” any more than He is just interested in your next door neighbor. As Paul later wrote to Timothy, God “wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4) When missionaries report on what God has done through them, it should encourage those who have supported them in prayer and finances, for mutual rejoicing and praise to God, strengthening the faith of everyone involved.

This is in some ways very close to home and in other ways distant from me. My parents were Southern Baptist missionaries, and at that time the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board was the largest missionary-sending body in the world. My grandfather, W. O. Carver, had been very instrumental in that, and at one point over half of all Southern Baptist missionaries were graduates of the Carver School of Missions and Social Work (now absorbed into Southern Baptist Theological Seminary). My parents were appointed as single missionaries in 1934 and 1935, respectively, and in those days it was no small matter to travel to the other side of the world. Ocean trips took several days, at the very least! Travel was such an issue that the cycle was five years “on the field” and one year “home” (though the emotional home eventually became the field of service). In contrast, when my immediate family came to Omura we had no “sending body,” (long story there) and visits to the US have been strictly a matter of finances and arranging schedules. I have never “reported in” on visits to the US, and even the church I pastored before we came to Omura has given us little opportunity for that sort of thing, other than on a personal, individual basis. Frankly, I think I’m the poorer for it. I’m not just talking about finances, though that has been an issue for us, but much more the feeling that people were lifting us up in prayer consistently. I am an “independent, self-supporting missionary,” but there is no such thing as genuine independence in the Body of Christ, and every one of us is ultimately supported by God. I have failed to acknowledge that properly from my side, as well. I have told people that rather than being a missionary, I might more accurately be called a Caucasian pastor in Japan. I cannot change the past, so my focus is to be faithful and obedient right now, whatever that may mean.

Father, I didn’t expect to write on this today. Thank you. Thank You for the message You’ve given me for this morning on being filled with the Spirit, because it’s inseparable from being witnesses wherever we are. I do pray that all of Your children in this city (since this is where You have given me responsibility and authority) may be filled with Your Holy Spirit to be Your witnesses indeed, wherever You want to use them, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Opposition; October 24, 2020

Posted on October 29, 2020 by jgarrott

Acts 14:2-3 But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders.

One word jumps out at me from this: So, starting verse 3. (The Japanese softens it just a little, to “Even so.”) This is hardly the way most people would respond to people’s minds being poisoned against them! However, throughout the New Testament, and indeed, throughout the history of the Church, we have the record of people taking opposition as a sign they were doing things right. Various times Jesus made it very clear that those who follow Him will face the sort of opposition He faced, so believers have taken it as a badge of honor. The Church in America has been pampered for much of the 250 years the nation has existed, and the current anti-Christian discrimination that is showing up in various places (and thankfully, some of it getting struck down by courts) is a good wake-up call. American Christians are used to praying for Christians under persecution in other areas of the world, but I know of at least one pastor in Sudan who, being told American churches were praying for him, responded that he prayed for American believers that their faith would not drown in the sea of luxury. I think he was given direct revelation by the Holy Spirit! We are not used to paying a price for our faith, which makes us value it little. It is a simple fact that people fail to value things that don’t cost them anything. Jane Fonda recently said that she thought COVID-19 was “God’s gift to the Left,” but in point of fact, it may well be God’s gift to the Church, to snap them out of their stupor and expose all the vile things that have come out over the past year. This is not a time to treat people as enemies, but it is certainly a time to take sides, to open our eyes and see what is Scriptural and what is not. Dr. Cal Guy, whom I was privileged to have as a seminary professor, said that those in active opposition to the Gospel were far better prospects for evangelism than those who simply didn’t care. Saul/Paul is of course the chief Biblical example, but Dr. Guy told of a man who literally spit in his face – and not just saliva – when he was doing door-to-door evangelism, but who later was saved and became a deacon in Dr. Guy’s church. We give up far too quickly!

This is a somewhat uncomfortable thing for me to write about, because I have had little active opposition to ministry in Omura, but I have also had little harvest. Maybe I need to be making bigger waves! Japanese culture emphasizes harmony, and people sometimes bend over backwards to avoid disturbing what they see as harmony. However, their perceptions are often distorted, because uniformity isn’t the same thing as genuine harmony. Japanese believers sometimes face ostracism from their family and associates, but more often, it is the fear of such ostracism that holds them back. I’ve never had any opposition to faith in my family, quite the opposite, so I have no direct empathy with such believers. All I can do is pray for them and speak the truth in love, asking the Holy Spirit to sort it all out. At the very least, I need to encourage them not to fear opposition, but rather to take it as an honor, just as Paul and Barnabas did.

Father, thank You for this Word. Help me say what You want me to say, when and how and to whom You want me to say it, so that Your Word may have its full work as You intend, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Jealousy; October 23, 2020

Posted on October 25, 2020 by jgarrott

Acts 13:45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying.

The Japanese describes the actions of the Jews here a little more graphically than the NIV: “They cursed him with filthy mouths.” It takes no imagination today to grasp what that was like, since too many people can’t seem to open their mouth without using filthy words. The important thing here is that these Jews were motivated by jealousy. It strikes me that so much of what we see going on, politically and otherwise, seems motivated the same way. Some are consciously stoking that, seeking to divide and defeat by it. America was founded on, among other things, the concept of equality of opportunity. However, that has never been a guarantee of equality of outcome, and some people are twisting things around to demand such things as equal income regardless of effort or ability. Such things destroy societies and nations, as history and current events show us clearly. Jealousy cannot rejoice at another’s success, and is one of the most petty of emotions. I have no idea whether these Jews had been seeking to tell the Gentiles in their town about the God of Abraham, but somehow I doubt it. If they had been doing so with pure hearts, they would have rejoiced at what God was doing through Paul. As it was, all they could do was see that he was getting massive response, and since they had never gotten that, they wanted to put a stop to him, not correct their own way of doing things. Sadly, that sort of thing is not uncommon among churches and ministers today. Jealousy is certainly not limited to politics! Whether we seem “successful” or not, we each need to recognize that we are all created by one God for His purposes, and offer ourselves to Him for however He wants to use us. Just yesterday I was reminded of the essentially unknown evangelist who led Billy Graham to Christ. When I was sharing that with my wife, she gave me the further detail that the hymn, Just As I Am, that Billy Graham used to such powerful effect in inviting people to commitment, was written by someone who was handicapped and felt totally useless. If we reject jealousy and submit ourselves, just as we are, to God, then He will use us for His glory, whether we ever see it with our physical eyes or not.

I have had flashes of jealousy, but I am grateful that it has not been a controlling influence in my life. Most of my life I have been very aware that God has been more than gracious toward me. I have never had a huge income, but my needs have been met. I have never had a huge congregation, but God has touched people through me. I have felt that in general, people were more likely to be jealous of me than I of them! I continue to pray of an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on this nation, and when that happens, I’m sure my activities will change a great deal, but that is very much His business, and whatever my circumstances, my task is to be faithfully obedient. I am to speak blessing on all, sincerely and not sarcastically. I am to continue to rejoice that God would use even me in His plans, in no matter how small a way, and give Him the praise and glory He deserves.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I do ask Your mercy for America in this crisis time, and I pray that Your children would wake up to what is going on and submit themselves afresh to You. I pray that my words, both verbal and written, would be what You want to say through me, accomplishing Your purposes for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Barnabas; October 22. 2020

Posted on October 24, 2020 by jgarrott

Acts 11:25-26 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

Barnabas certainly lived up to his name! Actually, his name was Joseph, but the apostles had nicknamed him “Son of Encouragement” because of his personality, and that was the name he went by for the rest of his life. (Acts 4:36-37) I find it very unsurprising that he’s my wife’s favorite character in the Bible. He was obviously well respected in the church at Jerusalem, since they chose him to go check things out at Antioch (verse 22). He had been a witness to the transformation of Saul, from a fire-breathing persecutor to a staunch defender of the faith, and with the new situation of many Gentiles coming to faith, he saw that Saul’s strong grounding in the Old Testament was just what they needed to keep the new believers from being led astray by wild ideas and philosophies. It took a good bit of effort, and frankly courage, for Barnabas to go to Tarsus to fetch Saul, but Barnabas was obviously committed enough to the Lord to do whatever he felt the Lord was telling him to do, and frankly, the whole world has been changed as a result. Saul of course went on to be called Paul and to write half the New Testament, shaping the Church in countless ways. Not so many people remember Barnabas today, but without him, we wouldn’t have Paul. I’m reminded of the story of the essentially unknown evangelist in North Carolina who had a service in which there was just one convert: a very disappointing result to be sure. However, that one convert turned out to be Billy Graham, and the whole world was impacted, with millions brought to salvation. We aren’t good judges of ourselves, even, because God often brings about results that we never dream of. Barnabas was humble enough to recognize God’s gifts in others and work to bring those out. We need more like him!

Encouraging is one of the specific gifts listed in Romans 12:6-8, and I have a feeling Paul was thinking of Barnabas when he wrote that. It is a gift my wife has far more than I do, and it is one I covet for myself. My major gift (out of that list) is teaching, and as a teacher I tend to feel (though it’s not entirely logical) that just giving people correct information should change them. I have learned the hard way that’s seldom true! At the same time, I know that we need to have the foundation straight and strong for what is built on it to be valid and secure, so teachers are necessary in the Church as well. It’s just that teachers seldom make very good evangelists, whereas many if not most successful evangelists are strongly gifted as encouragers. Like Barnabas, I need to recognize the gifts in others and teach and equip them to make full use of those gifts for the sake of the Body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-12)

Father, thank You for this strong reminder. Thank You for how You are growing and shaping me even now, teaching me to coach and encourage rather than dictate. Thank You for the ministry I could do by telephone last night. May I continue to grow to be the servant that You desire, so that I may in turn help others to grow as You intend for them, for the sake of the Body of Christ and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Speaking the Truth; October 21, 2020

Posted on October 24, 2020 by jgarrott

Acts 6:10 They could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.

No argument can stand against the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit. Failing in that, those in opposition to Stephen turned to violence, and eventually stoned him to death. That particular reaction has been repeated countless times down through the ages, starting with Cain killing Able. When evil is losing, it strikes out. We see that a great deal today, with violence being utilized by those on the losing side of clear, reasoned debate. Their goal is to silence those speaking truth by fear and intimidation, but we need to remember the Biblical record. Stephen was stoned to death, but received a clear vision of the glorified Christ in the process, (Acts 7:55-56) and was without question received into glory with great honor. Among those left behind, many if not most were emboldened to proclaim God’s truth all the more. Those in Christ need to remember that the worst anyone can do to us is kill us physically, and as Paul said, that has many advantages! (Philippians 1:23) Those on the side of truth aren’t to seek confrontation, but they aren’t to shy away from it. Not every member of the Body of Christ is called to Polemics or even Apologetics, (the areas of verbally attacking opposition and defending the faith) but we are all to stand firm in Christ whatever comes against us. The same wisdom and Spirit that empowered Stephen are available to us, should the need arise.

I haven’t gotten into too many arguments over the truth, but I will confess to being frequently tempted these days! I have been saddened to see people who have every reason to know better standing on the side of those opposing Biblical principles. As God allows me I do speak truth to them, but I must always be very careful to do so in love. (Ephesians 4:15) Even saying that, however, I must love God before and above everything else, and not let humanistic considerations cause me to abandon His truth. Yielding to a lie is not love! I have been in the painful position of having to tell a transgender person that God, and I, accepted them as a person, but that we could not accept them as a woman, because that was not what God created them to be. They went away sad, but I still pray for them. I have seen numbers of people messed up by other people, thinking they were being loving, failing to counter the lies they were proclaiming. I am to love God and love my neighbor enough to always speak the truth, whatever the consequences to me. That’s what Stephen did, and he is a worthy example to follow.

Father, I don’t expect to be martyred, but I don’t fear it. Help me be Your vessel of truth so that people may be set free, (John 8:32) for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Being Filled with the Holy Spirit; October 20, 2020

Posted on October 22, 2020 by jgarrott

Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

This is a famous and vitally important incident in the life of the early Church. They were getting their first taste of official, organized persecution, and their response to it made all the difference. Rather than cowering (which is what the officials hoped for) they prayed for boldness, and got it. This is the second record of a group-infilling of the Holy Spirit, after the first at Pentecost. It had been less than a year, but they needed it again! The thing is, we aren’t intended to be cisterns of the Holy Spirit, but rather conduits, or even fountains. There is an unlimited supply of the Holy Spirit, (John 3:34) so we must not have a poverty mentality, so to speak. If we try to keep the Holy spirit bottled up inside us, we will quickly discover that He is very little in evidence. Rather, the more we let Him flow through us, the fuller we become, pushing out all the undesirable things that are otherwise so persistent. It is no accident that it is right after this that it says, “All the believers were one in heart and mind.” (verse 32) There is no greater tool of unity than to be filled with the one Spirit! Likewise, the generosity and unselfishness of the early Church came from the Holy Spirit, just as it does today. The world is amazed at the generosity of believers, but when you’re filled with the Source of everything, it comes with the package! It is by the Holy Spirit that we understand, as Paul said, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) You could say that being filled with the Holy Spirit is the answer to every issue in Christian life, and God stands ready to pour His Spirit out on all who will open their hearts to Him in truth.

This is of course as true for me as it is for anyone else. I too need to remember that the instructions are to “[keep on being] filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18) The Greek tense there is continuous, and I must never think I have “enough.” I have had many distinct times of being filled, including one in which I asked the Lord to hold off, because one more drop and my physical body would have given up, but none of those were “enough” to carry me through to the end. I need always to be hungry for more! Just as eating a delicious feast won’t carry me for more than a day or so at the most, I am to keep taking in the Word of the Lord on a daily basis, opening myself up to His Spirit as I do so. I am to seek to allow the Holy Spirit to flow through me in every interaction I have, because it is only as He is flowing that I am genuinely filled. It has been said that we leak, but we were never created to be holding tanks, and I must never forget that.

Father, thank You for this strong reminder. Thank You for the opportunities I have to allow Your Spirit to flow through me today. I pray that my students would have hearts and ears to receive what You want to pour through me. I pray that my interactions this afternoon would likewise be opportunities for You to use me. And I pray that I would be a consistent, unstinting supply to my wife, so that together we may be all that You desire of us, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Grace and Truth; October 19, 2020

Posted on October 22, 2020 by jgarrott

John 1:16-17 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

I get happy every time I read John 1! It’s so familiar, I knew I was to write on this part of it before I even opened my Bible. I’m not sure, but this chapter may actually be one of the reasons why John is my favorite Bible character, short of Jesus Himself. He was intensely aware of being loved by Jesus, (John 19:26 and several more) and he responded by opening himself up to the Holy Spirit fully, writing words that penetrate and remain in the mind and heart. I could do no better! To get back to the passage, John isn’t negating the Law of Moses, but he is putting it in proper perspective in relationship to the grace and truth of God. The Japanese expresses verse 16 as, “Out of His overflowing abundance we have all received grace upon grace.” I like that! God is gracious to all, whether we recognize it or not. The devil does all he can to get us to focus on negatives, to complain and feel resentful, because then we will fail to give God the praise and thanks He deserves and our own peace and joy will evaporate. After all, he “comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.” (John 10:10) The more and better we grasp the overwhelming grace of God, the better off we are in every respect. Jesus warned us that “In this world you will have trouble,” (John 16:33) but understanding how much worse it could be, and how gracious God is being toward us, helps us avoid getting into a pity party. Those never help anyone!

Of course, if all of this remains just nice-sounding words in my mind and heart, it does me little if any good. I’ve got to apply it! I like John, but other people have compared me more to Paul. Paul had a high IQ, but John had a high LQ – Love Quotient. That’s what I want! Both apostles were extremely faithful and persistent in their obedience to Christ, and I certainly desire that in my own life. I can’t say that I desire the persecution that each of them endured, but as Paul said, “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17) I’m not to fear opposition of any sort, visible or invisible, but place my full trust in my Lord, knowing that He is far greater than anything that can come against me. (1 John 4:4)

Father, thank You for this joyful reminder. Help me live it out indeed, in each moment of my life, as an example for all who see me and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Entitlement; October 18, 2020

Posted on October 21, 2020 by jgarrott

Luke 4:28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.

This whole story is one I have loved for a long time, particularly where Jesus reads Isaiah 61:1-2 and says He is its fulfillment, but it struck me just now, perhaps for the first time, that the two examples Jesus gives, the Sidonian woman and Naaman, were both Gentiles. No wonder the people of Nazareth were upset. They had just been told that Gentiles would be chosen by God ahead of them! At the same time, both the stories Jesus referenced point up the grace of God. Paul goes into this issue at length in Romans 9-11. We have a strong desire for entitlement, to think we are due certain blessings, but the Bible is very clear that everything is a matter of grace. Looking around us today we can see the damage caused by a sense of entitlement, with people engaging in all sorts of behaviors that are destructive to themselves and/or to those around them because they haven’t been given everything to which they think they are entitled. That kind of thinking can literally send people to hell. Jesus was very clear on this issue. When people came to Him to report some tragic deaths, His response was to give them another similar example and say twice, “Unless you repent, you too will all perish.” (Luke 13:1-5) We forget that we aren’t entitled to a thing, because our sins have forfeited it all. Once we get that straight in our minds and hearts, we are grateful for God’s grace and far happier. It is fine to strive for the best, but we need to remember that God isn’t obligated to give us anything He hasn’t explicitly promised us – and the vast majority of those promises come with conditions that we are likely not to have met. God is gracious and He is love and He delights to do good things for His children, but we need to remember that we aren’t entitled to any of it; it’s all grace.

This was a lesson I almost didn’t learn, and failing to learn it would have destroyed me. I grew up as a Caucasian in Japan, which allowed me to get away with a lot of stuff that a more oriental-looking child could not have done. On top of that, my parents were considered very “high status,” for a number of reasons, and I took it all as a matter of course. On top of that, school work came easy for me, and I fell into the attitude that I was indeed “the cream of the cream,” and I was entitled to everything I enjoyed. It wasn’t until I was a married father that I heard the testimony of a man who had been a preacher’s kid but had lived for his flesh and the world, until God made it clear that he couldn’t get into heaven by hanging onto his father’s belt. I was struck to my core, and felt like God was showing me a mirror to see my own soul. I suddenly realized that my sense of entitlement was all a lie, and it had blinded me both to the depth of my need and the height of God’s grace. How very merciful of God, to open my eyes! I wish I could say that pride and entitlement never tripped me up again after that, but honesty is certainly the best policy. Just yesterday I was saying that one of my foundational attributes at this point is gratitude, but it has taken me a long time to get here. I see so many people around me who seem blind to the blessings they have, and so fail to recognize and enjoy them. Just as John Newton realized, the more we understand God’s grace, the more amazing, the more wonderful it is.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You indeed for the uncountable abundance of Your grace toward me. Help me be an open channel of that grace to all around me, so that they too may recognize you, repent, and believe for their salvation. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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