Music; October 8, 2020


Isaiah 33:17 Your eyes will see the king in his beauty
and view a land that stretches afar.

It’s interesting to identify the Scriptural sources of songs we’ve known from childhood. This obviously forms the basis of We Shall See the King Someday, which is a chorus about the joys of heaven. It is slightly more tangentally related to Glory For Me, a hymn about heaven. Music has amazing power, both for us and over us. Recently one of my childhood friends posted a list of popular songs from the ’60s, and just seeing the titles immediately made the songs “play” in my head. That is essentially neutral in itself, but the content of the songs can influence us more than we realize. One song that I despise for the lyrics has amazing staying power in my brain because of the skillful music. I won’t honor it by quoting it or even giving the title, but we need to be careful what we invite into our minds and hearts. That points out the huge benefits of an environment of faith, especially for children. As it says in Proverbs, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) There are an enormous variety of musical styles, not to mention ethnic varieties, but we need to be very careful as to what lyrics we are taking in, as I’ve already said. There are some incredibly foul lyrics out there, and cultural norms as to what is acceptable for public consumption are degrading badly. However, when we take in encouraging lyrics, and especially Scriptural lyrics, we are strengthened and protected, better able to resist the devil and his lies, and that is desirable indeed.

I am frequently impressed with how incredibly blessed I was in my upbringing. We were both a household of faith and a very musical household. We all sang, and it was assumed that each person would play at least one musical instrument. I’m very grateful for that. I have met a person who literally did not know how to make their voice change tones to sing a melody! Some of the best memories of my childhood are of my family singing together, either just gathered around the piano “singing through the hymnal” or in a regular family worship service we shared with a Japanese family that was close to us in many ways. I am very aware of the power of music. It thrills me when music lifts me into the presence of the Lord, but it grieves me to see “worship leaders” manipulate congregations emotionally to make them think God is moving when He’s not. It likewise grieves me to see Christian singers, or even worship teams, simply performing, rather than worshiping God through music. Skill is valuable and to be worked for, but it is no substitute for a heart submitted to God. All that said, I must be careful that I myself worship in spirit and truth through music, and not just go through the motions.

Father, thank You for the blessing of music. May I always use it as You intend, strengthening myself and those around me in faith, drawing us all closer to You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Repentance; October 7, 2020


Isaiah 30:15 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.”

This is at the same time a beautiful offer from our Creator and a tragic response that is true of so many. We so want to be in control of our own lives, our own salvation! Free will is real, but it is the freedom to trust God or not trust Him, to obey Him or rebel. Even when we say all the right things, often our hearts are in defiance, and God know our hearts. Where the NIV says “repentance” here, the Japanese says “returning,” as in coming back to God. There can be no coming back to God without acknowledging that we had gone away from Him, and that is repentance. It is amazing at times how stubbornly we resist repentance. The Japanese term for repentance as such is written as “regret and start over.” Our problem is that we regret the results of our rebellion, but we don’t regret the rebellion itself, and so we don’t discard the rebellion in order to start over. We want salvation (by our definition) and we want strength, but we resist getting quiet enough before the Lord to receive it. That is tragic indeed. However, as it says in verse 18, “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” We need the humility to acknowledge that we can’t go it alone, and receive what God so graciously offers to us.

I remember one time 46 years ago that the Lord gave me this verse as I was ministering to a dear missionary friend. He was going through a rough time, and God was saying to him that he wasn’t in rebellion, exactly, but he was trying to fix the situation in his own strength and wisdom, and that wasn’t going to work. This verse is important to everyone, no matter how dedicated to God they might be. I certainly have the tendency to want to fix things myself, in many areas. Sometimes that seems to work pretty well, but I’ve got to remember that when it does, it’s because God has done it through me. Hebrews puts it this way: “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:9-11) Sometimes it can seem like hard work to let go and rest! God wants us to be yielded and available to Him, but I’ve got to remember that whether He uses me or not is His choice and not mine, other than the commitment to availability.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the nine days in the hospital I’ve had recently, forced to step out of what I saw as “my work,” but being used by You to share Your love and grace with men who would not have heard otherwise. Help me be quiet enough, trust You enough, to receive the strength You want to pour through me, for the sake of Your kingdom and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Pride of Accomplishment; October 6, 2020


Isaiah 26:12 Lord, you establish peace for us;
all that we have accomplished you have done for us.

Isaiah was not only an anointed prophet, he was also an anointed poet. The first 13 verses of this chapter have so many deep truths, expressed in such impactful ways, that choosing a snippet on which to write is very difficult. Verse three is rightly famous, and is something I have quoted countless times. The current political turmoil in the US had me wanting to write on verse 10, and verse 13 seems very applicable to Japanese Christians. However, I settled on this verse because it is a truth we forget to our peril, yet it is forgotten all too often. Human beings are prone to pride of various sorts, and pride of accomplishment is certainly one of them. However, pride makes us blind to reality, and that is certainly dangerous. America in particular has been susceptible to this, because America has accomplished so much during its brief existence. There are now many younger nations, but America is still less than 300 years old, compared to well over 1000 years for Japan, for example. So long as America has acknowledged God it has been blessed, even with all its faults. However, prayer was taken out of the public schools, and everything has snowballed since then. Right now America faces an existential crisis, and only humility and repentance can restore it. All the good things America has done should be remembered, but in context, remembering and acknowledging the grace of God. It was when King Nebuchadnezzar became inflated with pride of accomplishment that God struck him with mental illness. (Daniel 4) In a number of ways America seems literally insane right now, and denying God is at the root of it. I could go through a list of the social ills of the nation, and every one is in some way people shaking their fists at God. “America First” is not a bad national policy, but “God first” is the essential personal policy. It is when individual Americans, from the top down to the lowest unknown, turn to God and seek Him that America will be healed. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

I didn’t expect to write on this, but it is certainly timely! America faces an absolutely pivotal election in less than a month, and voting is already going on. On top of that there is a Supreme Court vacancy, and incredible spiritual warfare related to both those things. And all of that is in the context of a global pandemic that has been absurdly politicized. Like many others, I feel overwhelmed at times, but that is an indication of my own failure to stay focused on the Creator of the universe. When He created everything, this is no problem for Him! I am to examine my own heart and repent as called for, and pray for others to do the same. I have had a lot of practice in dealing with pride! God has been incredibly gracious toward me in spite of my blind pride, and I need to pray that grace toward others, neither holding back nor feeling superior. If the believers of America approach the current situation with a holier-than-thou attitude, it is hopeless. It is as they humble themselves, just as God told Solomon, that God’s grace will be manifested, and I am certainly no exception to that.

Father, thank You for this strong reminder. I do pray for America. As I was hearing an Australian commentator saying just yesterday, America has an outsized influence on the whole world. I do ask Your mercy, that many more may repent and believe, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Hearing God; October 5, 2020


Proverbs 3:32 For the Lord detests a perverse man
but takes the upright into his confidence.

Some people say they want to hear from God, and others insist that claiming to hear from God is a sign of mental illness. I really think they would change their tune if they actually heard from Him! However, those I have heard express that attitude seem to me to fit into the first category mentioned here. There are many motives for wanting to hear from God. Some people desire it as a source of power, as a way of having control over others. That immediately puts them into the first category, and if they do hear, it’s most probably a lying, evil spirit rather than God. This verse says that the way to hear God is to be upright, that is, to be both honest and humble. The Japanese says that God is on close terms with such people, and the NIV says He tells them things. Those are both expressions of the same sort of relationship. If we aren’t seeking to please and obey God, then we don’t really want to hear from Him, because we don’t want Him to correct us. However, it’s when we recognize our own weaknesses and know that He is our only hope of salvation that we earnestly seek Him. As He told Jeremiah, it is when we have that attitude that He opens His heart to us. “’Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 29:12-14)

I will never forget the first time I heard the Lord in what might as well have been audible words. I was faced with some sort of major decision and I wanted to know God’s will on it. I was driving, and praying as I drove. “Lord, speak to me! I need to hear what You are thinking on this issue.” I had been praying like that nonstop for several minutes, when suddenly I heard Him say to me, “Well then, shut up.” I was utterly shocked, and I did shut up, and then I laughed. I realized that I had been so full of my supposed “need to know” that my heart was closed to hearing Him, so He had to use my ears. It was such a shock that I now have no idea what the issue was about which I was praying so earnestly, but I’ll never forget hearing God in that way, and the lesson of needing to be quiet before Him. I was greatly blessed to be raised by a father who not only was totally dedicated to God, he operated on the foundational principle of absolute honesty. To me, he was the very definition of an upright man. It is my desire and goal to be like him, delighting in God even as I am pleasing to Him, doing His will for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your patience in the many times I have been so caught up in what I saw as the problem that my heart wouldn’t get quiet enough to listen to You. Thank You for meeting with me morning by morning like this. You are indeed more than I could ever ask for. May I be the son You desire, in all gratitude and obedience. Thank You. Praise God!

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Faithfulness; October 4, 2020


Psalm 145:13 The Lord is faithful to all His promises
and loving toward all He has made.

I was attracted to this part of the Psalm, but when I went to type in the Japanese it was missing! Then I looked at the footnotes and found that this section is found in one manuscript of the Masoretic Text, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Syriac, and the Septuagint, but not in most manuscripts of the Masoretic text. That is all the stranger because this is one of the many acrostic Psalms, with each verse starting with the succeeding letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and not having this part leaves a gap. I’m grateful that we have multiple sources by which to confirm the text, but it’s very sad to have evidence that much Scripture copying was essentially mindless, without thought and contemplation of what was being written. Coupled with the content here, that tells me that God is faithful but man is not, and that’s something we need to remember. People will disappoint us, in one way or another, always. We disappoint ourselves! It is genuinely refreshing when people do keep their promises and don’t disappoint us, but we need to remember our own weaknesses when that doesn’t happen. That’s why we need to be constant and consistent in our dependence on God. As Jesus said so very clearly, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) One of the great hymns of the faith is Great Is Thy Faithfulness. God’s faithfulness is in often stark contrast to human unfaithfulness, so we’ve got to stay fixed on the Rock of our salvation.

In teaching Medical English to Japanese, when I get to the word “confidence” I tell my students I don’t like the Japanese equivalent. That’s because it’s written with the characters for “self” and “belief.” In other words, believing in yourself. I tell them I don’t do that, because I’ll always disappoint myself. Instead I believe in God, and He gives me assurance to keep going in spite of my weaknesses. Pride has been a major pitfall for me all my life. God has gifted me in many areas, and I have been tempted to rely on the gift instead of on the Giver. That doesn’t work! However, dealing with my own unfaithfulness and unreliability has given me more empathy for those around me, making it easier for me to forgive them. After all, God has forgiven me much more! I am eternally grateful that I serve a totally faithful God.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the person who came by yesterday to ask forgiveness of Cathy and me for an incident now several years in the past. We had simply moved on, praying for her occasionally when we thought of her, but her life was largely wrecked by the attitudes that brought on the incident. I do pray that what was said and done here yesterday would enable her to listen to You instead of to the devil, and that she would be able to forgive herself, accepting Your forgiveness, so that she may be set free indeed, for her blessing and the blessing of all those around her, and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Family of God; October 3, 2020


Psalms 119:63 I am a friend to all who fear you,
to all who follow your precepts.

It is remarkable the level of instant connection that is available between people who mutually fear/love God and seek to be obedient to Him. This is something that non-believers notice and are amazed at. However, it’s a natural outgrowth of the fact that we are all part of the same family, children of one Father. I have completely lost track of how many people have told me their church family is much closer to them than their physical family. As David said, “God sets the lonely in families.” (Psalm 68:6) It is sadly true that church membership isn’t a guarantee of spiritual kinship, because some people are just “paper Christians,” in it for any number of reasons other than genuine repentance and faith. A cloak of piety has been used in many scams, so we unfortunately need to be careful. However, that doesn’t change the fundamental reality of the fellowship we have in Christ. As Bill Gaither wrote, “I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God!”

I have experienced this literally all over the world. I remember some years ago attending a conference in Hong Kong and running into a couple of Russians. They got all excited that I could say yes, no, and thank you in Russian, but that was the extent of it, and their English wasn’t much better. However, we knew we were brothers in Christ, and that was wonderful. We currently have a missionary family from Taiwan attending our church twice a month. They’ve been here less than a year and are having a bit of a rough time with their language study, but we still have sweet fellowship with them. (Their 6th grade son is already doing very well in Japanese.) At the same time, there are American English teachers in town who avoid us like the plague because they are explicitly not Christian, and they don’t want anything to do with us, to the puzzlement of some Japanese. I don’t turn down any divine appointments, and when circumstances bring us into contact with such people I seek to let the love and grace of the Lord flow through me to them, but they are certainly not in the category of family. It comes down to needing to let the Holy Spirit show me who does and who doesn’t fear God and seek to follow Him. If I will be faithful, He will be more than faithful, and I will never lack for family.

Father, thank You indeed for the fellowship that is in Your family. I pray that I would be increasingly effective in drawing even more people in, so that they in turn may draw more, for a massive harvest in Your kingdom, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Freedom; October 2, 2020


Psalm 119:32 I run in the path of your commands,
for you have set my heart free.

I don’t know the Hebrew, but I like both the NIV and the Japanese translations of this verse! The first half is identical, and it too is significant. Running isn’t a halfhearted endeavor! Our obedience should be complete, not holding anything back. It’s the second half where the translations branch, and I like them both. The NIV brings to mind Paul’s statement: “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17) wholehearted obedience to God is inseparable from genuine freedom, in either direction. People who seek freedom by rebelling against God are badly deceived by the devil. At the same time, we can’t fully obey God without the liberty of the Holy Spirit. When we are going through the motions without our hearts being in it, that’s not true obedience, and it’s not pleasing to God. Then we have the Japanese translation which is, “You have enlarged my heart/ made my heart broad.” The Japanese expression of “a broad heart” is closely related to the English idea of a broad mind, and it means open and able to accept new people and new things. Of course, there’s the joke that has some real truth to it: “He’s so open minded his brains fall out.” This doesn’t mean to be accepting of things that are in violation of God’s commands, particularly when it follows the first half of this verse. Rather, it means accepting people who might not be obedient to God, because how else will their eyes be opened? Also, it means accepting new situations and new revelation that we might never have anticipated. We speak of “putting God in a box,” as something not to do, but what we are actually doing is putting ourselves in boxes, walling ourselves off from God’s blessings. That won’t happen if we are running in obedience to our Lord.

This of course applies as much to me as it does to anyone. I too have deliberately disobeyed God, thinking I was being “free” but not realizing I was binding myself. There is no greater freedom than flowing with the Spirit of God! Getting out of the hospital I am very appreciative of the freedom to do things, but I am quite aware of the reality that physical freedom is minor compared with spiritual freedom. There’s an originally Japanese chorus that I have translated to say, “Jesus Christ has set my spirit free, so I will praise His name with all that is in me.” I am deeply aware of, and deeply grateful for, the freedom I have in Christ. As has been said, faith in the cross of Christ liberates us from the penalty for sin (past action), the power of sin (present reality), and the presence of sin (future hope). That liberty is what I seek to share with all who will receive it.

Father, thank You again for the privilege of sharing with those men in the hospital. I pray that what they saw in me would give them a hunger for You, so that they may receive Your grace for themselves and live with You eternally, for Your pleasure and glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Difficulty; October 1, 2020


Psalm 116:10 I believed; therefore I said, “I am greatly afflicted.”

I definitely prefer the Japanese translation of this verse, which the NIV gives as a footnote: “I believed even when I said, ‘I am greatly afflicted.’” Acknowledging difficulty doesn’t preclude faith! We don’t know the author of this Psalm, much less what difficulty he had experienced, but it is obvious that he thought he might well not survive the experience, and it is also obvious that he was fully committed to God. Verse 15 is the most famous line in this Psalm: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” That doesn’t mean it is something He desires, it means it is something He takes very seriously. Suffering and death are part of the human condition on this fallen earth, but they aren’t the end of the story, nor the most important part. Our time on this earth is an opportunity to discover our Creator and come into a right relationship with Him, and then to turn around and help others do the same. It is when we do that, that we come into the category of “saints” mentioned in verse 15. I find I am very frequently telling people that God doesn’t pick on us; He only allows suffering in our lives to cause us to recognize that we can’t go it alone and so reach out to Him. Jesus put it this way: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Acknowledging that we’re having a tough time of it isn’t the same as turning our back on God. Jesus said rather bluntly that apart from Him we can do nothing, (John 15:5) but as Paul discovered, we can do everything we are called on to do when we are abiding in Christ. (Philippians 4:13) History, and not just the Bible, is filled with examples of people who were indeed overcomers, even all the way to martyrdom. In His messages to the seven churches of Asia Minor in Revelation 2 and 3 Jesus repeatedly uses the phrase, “he who overcomes.” It is when we honestly acknowledge our troubles and commit them to God that we indeed overcome, and that is a blessing indeed.

As I have indicated repeatedly, I don’t consider my current situation of having had a basal cell carcinoma removed, and then had a skin graft to patch the hole left behind, to have been a major trouble. It has certainly intruded on my schedule and it is costing me some money, but here in the hospital I see many people in much more serious and/or painful situations. I have had some marvelous opportunities to share the reality of a living Savior with four other patients, as well as generally spread “the aroma of Christ,” and that has certainly been worth what I have had to endure. That’s not at all to say I’m not delighted to be getting out of the hospital today! However, it is to say that I am once again reminded that God’s plans are always higher than ours, (Isaiah 55:8-9) and they are always good. (Jeremiah 29:11) Difficulties are never an excuse not to believe!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the four men with whom I have had the privilege of sharing my experience of You and Your salvation. I do pray that Your words through me would continue to work in their hearts and minds, drawing them to seek you and repent and believe for their salvation. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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No Fear; September 30, 2020


Psalm 112:7-8 He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

This whole Psalm is a listing of the blessings that accrue to a person who “fears the Lord, who takes great delight in His commands.” (verse 1) Like many other Psalms it is an acrostic poem, with each succeeding line starting with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet, so in some ways it could be seen as a collection of truisms, things that you might take for granted. Even so, the Psalms that were created in that pattern often have powerful statements of truth. Back in the days before printing, memory was relied on a great deal more than today, and such patterns were very helpful in that. These two verses deal with the topic of fear, which is relevant to any day and age. Today people are afraid of COVID-19, political upheaval, climate catastrophe, and any of a number of other things. The answer to them all is just as it says here, fearing God more and above anything else and delighting to be obedient to Him. It is amazing how properly fearing God cancels every other fear! The first one listed here is a fear of bad news. It isn’t unusual that people in the middle of a normal life will be afraid of bad news, even if it never comes. However, if we really trust God, it doesn’t matter what news comes. The second fear mentioned here deals with enemies. Right now it does seem that many people are badly deceived by the devil and are following his directions. When we have a correct view of God, we will rest secure in the knowledge that “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) Fear tears us down before anything bad actually happens! That’s why the Bible says so many times not to be anxious. When our priorities are right, we literally have nothing to be afraid of. (John 16:33-34)

This is something I have been almost amused to realize over the past few weeks. When I have told people about having surgery for a basal cell carcinoma and then needing a skin graft after that, they have reacted with seeming shock and even fear, yet I have felt no fear myself. I know that injections of local anesthesia can be quite painful, but I have had very little fear of them. The idea of cutting out a plug of my scalp and then filling the hole with a plug from my lower abdomen has seemed to horrify some people, but I have been quite unshaken by the idea, and I am quite grateful. I know that there will be things in my life that will be quite unpleasant at the moment, but I know that my God is more than able to deal with them, and that is enough. My fear certainly won’t make it any easier! My focus is to be on God, in full gratitude and obedience, and leave everything up to Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for this experience I’ve been having of no fear when others seem to be afraid for me. Help me be effective in sharing the good news of Your power and love with all, including those who have made the initial steps of faith. May we all learn to trust You fully and fear nothing the devil or the world can throw at us, delighting to be in Christ. (John 16:33) Thank You. Hallelujah!

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The Fear of the Lord; September 29, 2020


Psalms 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.

The first line of this verse is justly famous, and is echoed in Proverbs 9:10. The second line has a very interesting difference in the Japanese, as compared to the NIV. Intending to be easier to understand, I’m sure, the NIV translators inserted “his precepts,” whereas the Japanese, (following the Hebrew, I’m sure) simply has, “All who perform this gain good understanding.” We have trouble understanding “performing” the fear of the Lord, but it’s certainly worth taking the time to let the Holy Spirit illuminate our heart. The fear of the Lord is far more than a set of rules, which the NIV seems to limit it to. Rather, it’s an attitude that should control our whole life. This isn’t a “quaking in your boots” sort of fear, but rather a deep awareness that God is GOD; He is absolute in every way. When we really grasp that in the depth of our being, it changes how we see and respond to every element of our lives. The reason the wording here is important is that this isn’t something theoretical or academic, it is the most practical and “real” thing possible. When we fail to fear the Lord we tend to make ourselves the standard by which we measure everything else, and that leads to more problems than I could list. When we do fear the Lord, we understand that He is absolute righteousness and holiness and love, and that changes absolutely everything. There is a strong move in the world today to deny absolute truth. People say, “Whatever works for you,” and want you to let them do whatever they want to do. When we try to insist on absolute truth, we are quickly accused of being judgmental, discriminatory, and a whole raft of other things. All of that comes from a fundamental rebellion against God, and we need to recognize it as such. Right now there is uproar in the US because of the nomination to the Supreme Court of someone who demonstrably lives by this verse. With great horror she is accused of being a Committed Christian! All who know her personally, however, of whatever political persuasion, testify of her deep, consistent wisdom and understanding, just as this verse promises. We all need to emulate her!

This is very close to home for me. I have long loved Proverbs 3:5-6, precisely because I have a strong tendency to lean on my own understanding. I have learned that I have to be comfortable with not knowing everything! I have learned, sometimes the hard way, that God, knowing the end from the beginning, always has the best idea in each and every situation. I don’t like uncertainty, but that’s how I grow in faith. Being obedient when I don’t know the specific outcome can be hard at times, but that’s what the fear of the Lord is all about. When I entered the hospital on the 23rd of September I didn’t know I wouldn’t get out until the 1st of October, but God did, and He has done good things each day. I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but He does, and I’m to be at peace with that. As He told me years ago, I’m to rest, relax, and rejoice, letting Him be God and delighting to serve Him however He directs.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for giving me the message for Sunday while I have plenty of time to work on the outline. I do ask for guidance and anointing in that, and in every moment of today, that I may be Your instrument, delighting You as I delight in You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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