Serving God; June 17, 2020

Posted on June 21, 2020 by jgarrott

Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

I have lost track of how many messages I’ve heard preached on this verse, and I may have done a few myself. Some people might think that Isaiah’s response to God here is conceited, but this verse is the complete opposite of conceit. It’s not at all that Isaiah is saying, “I’m competent. Who better than me?” Rather, it is Isaiah being so overwhelmed by his vision of God in His glory that his response is total surrender, with no thought of what it might mean for him personally. (As a matter of fact, tradition tells us that Isaiah was martyred by being sawed apart.) There is no telling how many missionary careers were sparked by this verse, and probably some of those too ended in martyrdom. However, countless more people have ignored God’s call on their life, either because of various distractions or because they felt they were incapable of doing what they felt God was asking them to do. Actually, no one is capable of doing what God asks them to do, apart from the grace and power of God! However, God always supplies what He asks of us. So if you think, “I can’t do that,” you’re right, but if you will submit to God, He will do it through you. As I said, many people are simply distracted from God’s call on their life. We fail to obey Jesus’ instructions to seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, (Matthew 6:33) and in seeking after other things, lose sight of God. How tragic! However, repentance is always an option. We may have missed God’s original timing, but it’s never too late to make full commitment to Him so that He may do whatever He desires through us.

I went through various steps to get to where I am now, and I expect Isaiah had times of renewing his commitment as well, because it had been dulled by circumstances. Jeremiah is famous for his times of questioning God! As a small child I loved Jesus, and my decision to be baptized at age seven was a real one, but my commitment to God went all over the place, only occasionally intersecting with the line that He had drawn out for my life. I was 24 when God showed me the state of my heart and I repented in tears, but even then my walk with Him was not that steady. I have had various other moments of repentance and re-commitment, but God has been faithful. The more and better I realize that I can do absolutely nothing right on my own, the more available I am for God to use me. It’s exactly as He told Paul: “My power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) The moment I think, “I’ve got this,” I’m in deep trouble. I don’t ever have it, on my own. However, He’s more than able to take care of it, even using me. As an illustration, just a few minutes ago I realized that somehow I got distracted before I was finished creating the June Scripture list, and from today, the Japanese side of the paper has the wrong verse numbers. I create the list in English, then go through and list the appropriate books of the Bible in Japanese, and then copy the verse numbers from the English to the Japanese. Somehow I did it right through the 16th, and then from today the numbers are from whatever the reading was last month. I can’t even do paperwork right on my own! However, I can telephone the people I know do use the list for their devotions and tell them to use the numbers from the English side of the paper. Serving God requires humility, and every blow to my pride is a good thing.

Father, thank You for causing me to realize my mistake this morning, rather than being called short on it by a very confused church member! (I can easily picture who would do it!) Guide me in getting through to everyone this morning, and help me not make this mistake again. May I always be fully available to You, not taking anything for granted or falling into conceit, so that Your will alone may be done through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Beauty; June 16, 2020

Posted on June 18, 2020 by jgarrott

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time.

This is a very famous snippet of Scripture, made into a well-loved song, but the Japanese translation puts a different slant on it. It says, “Everything God does is beautiful in its time.” Frankly, not everything man does is beautiful, ever. Riots and murder and theft and a whole host of other things are ugly whenever and however they occur. The twist is that God can use even very ugly things for blessing, if they are released to Him. (Romans 8:28) The thing itself can be ugly indeed, but God can bring beautiful things out of it if we will trust Him fully. In the middle of the ugliness, that level of trust can be very difficult. Right now America is in the middle of a very trying time, to put it mildly. The ugliness of the slow, deliberate murder of George Floyd, captured on video, is something you can’t unsee, however much you might want to. I had to turn the playback off after only a few seconds because I already knew the outcome, and it was too horrible to keep watching. Frankly, the video of Sadaam Hussein being hung was much easier to watch, though that too was ugly indeed. The bigger tragedy comes, however, when ugliness begets more ugliness. Demonstrations on behalf of justice can be beautiful, but rioting, looting, and arson are without excuse. God can bring good and beautiful things out of the current mess, but only as people turn to Him in humility and repentance. If they – we – will do that, He will indeed give us “a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” (Isaiah 61:3)

For many years my counseling has included the statement, “God can use even this for good, if you will release it to Him.” Sometimes that’s been believed and received, and sometimes not. I have seen God do amazing things in some pretty horrible situations. I have seen people be healed, and I have seen people die in peace, with the assurance that their death was just physical. I have seen relationships restored, and I have seen hurts released. Often, the good that God has worked has not been what I expected or even wanted, but He alone sees the end from the beginning and knows all the potential side effects of everything. Recently there have been prophecies that have been exciting, and prophecies that have tested my faith. I am to be faithful in my moment-by-moment obedience, so that the result will be God’s beauty and nothing less. I have loved Jesus’ statement that “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33) for many years, and God has told me personally to rest, relax, and rejoice, but following through with that can really stretch my faith at times. I am to choose to trust and obey, whatever is going on, because as the hymn says, “There’s no other way to be happy in Jesus.”

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all that You are doing, even in the middle of the ugliness. Help me see Your beauty and rejoice, whatever the devil and my flesh are telling me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Self-control; June 15, 2020

Posted on June 17, 2020 by jgarrott

Proverbs 16:32 Better a patient man than a warrior,
a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.

The overall impact is the same, but it’s interesting to see that the Japanese renders this verse as, “He who slows his anger is better than a warrior, he who rules his heart is better than he who takes a city.” Countless people down through the ages have ruined their lives by impatience and lack of self-control of all sorts. It is hardly accidental that Paul told Timothy, “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7) Likewise, the last fruit of the Spirit he listed was self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) When we are tempted to run wild in any way, the best course is always to choose to hand control over to the Holy Spirit and submit to Him. That applies in times when we’re too scared to move, too! Right now unbridled emotion and lack of self-control are being splashed over our screens with depressing frequency, and they are being applauded and even egged on by some in positions of authority. That is really sad. The Bible is clear that justice is of great concern to God, and we are to be agents of justice, but it is certainly true that “Man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” (James 1:20) God is the only one who is both wise enough and strong enough to keep it all together, so when we’re losing it, we need to turn things over to Him. It is indeed a major problem when those people charged with maintaining justice, either on the streets or in the courts, act contrary to justice, and we’ve seen and are seeing some horrible examples of that. However, listening to God to hear what He wants us to do about it is always the best course. Even those on the front lines in this battle aren’t to let their emotions or base motives control what they say and do. Modern technology gives us a front row seat, even if we aren’t directly involved in the conflict, so we have all we need to be prayer warriors, submitting our will so that God’s kingdom may come as His will is done.

As I wrote just yesterday, the flood of bad news can be overwhelming at times, but there too the answer is the Holy Spirit, just as Paul told Timothy. I am to live each moment in fellowship with God by His Spirit, submitting both my emotions and my impulses to Him, and acting on the impulses He gives me. His appointments are exciting, fun, and enormously productive! I am to remember that the reason for my existence is to fellowship with my Creator and please Him, and so delight to do just that. I know that He desires the absolute best for me, so I am to trust Him enough to give my absolute all to Him. My self-control is imperfect, so I need to replace it with God.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all You did yesterday. I do pray that we would see the healings and the harvest that You are indicating You have planned for us, so that indeed Your kingdom may come as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Good News; June 14, 2020

Posted on June 17, 2020 by jgarrott

Proverbs 15:30 A cheerful look brings joy to the heart,
and good news gives health to the bones.

This verse rings true right now precisely because the converse is true: bad news tears us down. Last night a TV show had a psychologist on who was talking about “corona depression,” giving 10 signs of it and saying that if three or more applied to you, you probably had it. Several applied to depression in general, but the one that matched this verse was “an obsession with news about the corona virus.” Ignorance is not bliss, but focusing on negatives, no matter how true they might be, is destructive. This is where faith really comes into play. A person of faith and a person without real faith will respond to the same situation entirely differently. That’s because the person of faith has accepted the ultimate Good News of forgiveness, redemption, and eternal life in Christ Jesus. That gives them the emotional and spiritual health to meet any situation. Just before He was arrested, scourged, and crucified, Jesus said something very important to His disciples: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) He knew that the world was going to go completely dark for them as their humanistic dreams were torn apart, but He wanted them to have peace in spite of that, so He gave them the good news that He had already overcome the world. He was about to overcome death itself, but He knew they wouldn’t believe that until they saw it. When the world presses in on us, we too need to fix the eyes of our heart on the Good News of the Kingdom of God. Otherwise we allow the devil to steal our peace, kill our joy, and generally destroy our lives. (John 10:10) God wants us to be spiritually healthy, and for that we must focus on the Good News.

I tend to be something of a news junkie, but I have learned I must be careful as to my news sources, and above all to filter everything through the Holy Spirit. Cathy largely swore off of news after the two overloads of the 9/11 attack in the US and the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. I have to relay some items to her that I feel she should be aware of, but I seek to be as positive as possible in doing that. Even I have to back off at times from the flood of information, because so much is sensationalized in a negative way. I’ve got to focus on good news in order to stay healthy! That said, events certainly seem to point to Revelation 12:12. The more the devil kicks up a fuss, the more I need to focus on the Lordship of Jesus Christ, knowing that whatever happens in the short term, the ultimate outcome will be glorious. That is the Good News I need to focus on in my own heart, and it is what I need to proclaim to those around me who are drowning in the sea of bad news.

Father, thank You for giving me this perspective. I see so few who have it! Help me be an agent of Your grace to them, letting Your truth flow through me in love so that they may be set free indeed from the many traps of the enemy, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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What God Wants; June 13, 2020

Posted on June 15, 2020 by jgarrott

Proverbs 15:8 The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked,
but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

This verse doesn’t necessarily click for us today because we don’t practice sacrificing animals to God, but the modern equivalent would be making a large financial offering. Back then, wealth was measured mostly in agricultural products and what you could get for them. The point here is that if your heart isn’t right, you can’t buy your way into God’s good graces. Of course that directly contradicts the practice of selling indulgences that Martin Luther reacted against so strongly. As much as we might think we understand it logically, we have great difficulty grasping emotionally that God doesn’t need anything we could possibly give Him materially. What He wants is our heart, submitted and obedient to Him, so that He can fellowship with us as a father his children. He doesn’t love our things, He loves us. That’s why, as this verse says, if our heart is right before Him, a simple prayer is far more pleasing to Him than a huge offering would be if we were in rebellion against Him. We have such trouble understanding God’s love. We look at ourselves and think we are unlovely. The world judges us on the basis of appearance, possessions, and accomplishment, but God looks at us as His kids. We want our children to be successful and have plenty and we even like them to look good, but none of that changes the fact that they are our children, and we love them on the basis of that. When they love us in return and honor us as their parents, that is the best thing they could do for us. That is precisely how God feels about us.

I had the great blessing of being raised by parents whom it was easy to honor and love. As a pastor, I am sharply aware that many people have not been so blessed, and are often deeply wounded by the very parents who should have nurtured and disciplined them. As a spiritual parent I am called to be God’s agent in binding up such wounds. In a sense, sometimes I am the bandage He wants to apply to their life. Sometimes I do it right, and sometimes I don’t. I have wounded more people than I like to think about. I am to speak God’s truth in love, because all such wounds are essentially lies about the character of God. When we have absolute assurance of God and His love for us, nothing anyone can do can wound us very deeply. I am to speak God’s truth so that people will be able to navigate the maze of lies that surrounds them, but I must do it in His love or it will be no more than a noisy gong or clashing cymbals to them. (1 Corinthians 13:1) I am to seek to help people understand what God really wants of them, so that they may receive all that He has for them, from eternal life on down.

Father, thank You for this clear reminder. Thank You for the lady who called and then came by yesterday, wanting to know what it took to be able to come to church. She is as ignorant of church as anyone I’ve ever met, but she is evidently hungry for what she senses she could find here. I pray that Your truth, Your love and grace, would transmit to her effectively, filling her heart and meeting her need, as a testimony to all who know her and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Parenting; June 12, 2020

Posted on June 15, 2020 by jgarrott

Proverbs 13:24 He who spares the rod hates his son,
but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

This verse is heartily despised by many today, and we are seeing the results in society all around us. Physical abuse is of course not a viable option, but failure to discipline is emotional abuse. As has been amply demonstrated in the current pandemic, “experts” all too often make pronouncements for devious motives, and the results can be tragic. That applies in every one of the social sciences, that is, those that deal with human interaction. Economists are notoriously inaccurate! However, it is in psychology and psychiatry that some of the deepest damage is done. I had a friend 40 years ago who was a clinical psychologist, and he maintained that psychology could diagnose, but only God could heal. I’ve not seen anything to contradict that. Specifically in reference to this verse, Dr. Benjamin Spock was the great “parenting expert” when I was a child, and he was very down on “corporal punishment.” Sadly, and tellingly, before he died he published one last book confessing that he had been wrong, and lamenting the monster that he had unleashed. Research over the past several decades has shown that boundaries are essential for healthy child development, because without them a child becomes anxious. Over the course of a human life, the period in which we are least anxious is the period in which we have the least freedom of movement: in the womb. It is as we grow and mature that we become able to handle greater multiplicity of options, but parents often project their own preferences on their children and give them more “freedom” than they really want, whatever they are demanding. Parents who give in to their children all the time are quite literally spoiling them, as in spoiled food that is good only to be thrown out. Back when multi-generational homes were the norm, new parents didn’t panic because their own parents were there to guide. Today such homes are the exception, and new parents often feel totally unqualified. To be honest, they often are! No parents are perfect, but it is painfully obvious that a married father and mother provide the best foundation for future success for any child. Some have turned out very well without that, but they are the exception rather than the rule. Children need both nurture and discipline from both parents to have assurance that they are valued and loved.

I am aware that what I have just written will provoke a strong negative response in some people, but I am convinced of it from the Biblical record, from my personal experience, and from observing all sorts of families for the past 70+ years. When I am talking about parenting with couples before I perform their wedding, I tell them what I have observed in my older grandson. Since we live in Japan and they live in Washington State, I got to see him for the first time when he was 14 months old. My impression was that he was an amazingly happy child, hardly ever crying. About the third day of our visit, the reason for his good disposition became obvious. He and Cathy and I were playing in the living room, and he did something for which he had been scolded before. When his mother (our daughter) noticed that from the kitchen area, she called him down by name with a firm, “No.” She then asked Cathy to slap his offending hand. Hearing that, he extended his hand, and then slapped it himself! The reason he was such a happy child was that he had full assurance that he was loved, because he had appropriate boundaries. Now entering teenage, he is still remarkably assured and mature for his age. That gives me great comfort to feel I didn’t do too bad a job with my daughters!

Father, thank You for the privilege and the responsibility of parenting. I am a physical father, but I am a spiritual father to far more. I don’t have the same options with my spiritual children! Help me apply appropriate discipline in each case, not relying on my experience or my “wisdom” but listening to You in every case, so that each one may be raised as You intend, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Words; June 11, 2020

Posted on June 14, 2020 by jgarrott

Proverbs 12:18 Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

The Bible has a lot to say about words and speech. Just pulling the references would take quite a while! This particular verse brings to mind Jesus’ strong admonition that “I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37) Here it says “reckless,” and Jesus said “careless,” but they are very similar. Too often we wound without really intending to, and Jesus said we are accountable for that. This verse also gives the flip side of that, with the possibility of healing words. Such words are truly a sign of wisdom. There are people with multiple academic degrees who wound others almost every time they open their mouth. They may be intelligent, but they aren’t wise! Conversely, there are people who make you feel better every time you talk to them. They are the wise ones, because you can’t really be that way without a respect and love for your hearers that comes from a proper appreciation for your mutual Creator. As it says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10) If you speak healing words, people will want to be around you. If your words wound with any regularity, you will soon be very alone indeed. This is a very different thing from “political correctness.” It is not healing to speak nonsense. That is “virtue signaling,” rather than either love or wisdom.

This is a subject close to my heart, because I am a man of words. As verse 14 says, I make my living with words, in various capacities. That makes it all the more important that my words heal, and not wound needlessly. My father pointed out to me that sometimes healing requires a scalpel, but he cautioned me that in such cases my words must be clean indeed, and not contaminated with pride, envy, or especially not hatred. I have had experience with using words as weapons, and to be honest, it has felt good to my flesh to make a good strike, skewering my hearer. That is ultimately destructive to me, as well as to my hearer. God will call me to account for it! I am gifted with words, and I must be a good steward of that gift. My words should indeed bring healing, even when they occasionally “knock the scab off” of old wounds. If I rely on my own wisdom I will be wounding with considerable frequency, so I’ve got to rely on God’s wisdom instead. When I am fully submitted and committed to Him, His words flow through me, accomplishing that for which He sends them, (Isaiah 55:11) for His glory alone.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Sometimes my use of words seems unrelated to all of this, like when I was creating exams yesterday for my Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy classes, but even there my choice of words should not be to wound, but to build up and heal. I should be dealing in words that will benefit my students’ future patients. Those exams are done, but I pray that as the students take them, the result will be healing and further learning, for the benefit of the students and their future patients, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Light; June 10, 2020

Posted on June 14, 2020 by jgarrott

Proverbs 4:18-19 The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what makes them stumble.

Verse 18 is well known, and the Japanese translation I use has been set to music almost exactly to make a very nice little chorus, but verse 19 isn’t so well known. Since they are intended as a pair, the contrast is an important part of the message. If you’ve ever tried walking outdoors very early in the morning, you know that things are often hard to distinguish, and appearances can be deceptive. That is very much the way things are for the brand-new Christian. More mature believers are sometimes shocked at the choices of “baby” Christians. However, over time right choices become more obvious. Hebrews puts it this way: “Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:14) It’s that “constant use” that makes our way brighter. In contrast, there is no inner illumination for someone who has consistently chosen evil. There are people in prison who literally can’t figure out how they got there. (This is not to put down those who are falsely imprisoned. That is a serious subject and I applaud such efforts as The Innocence Project.) For that matter there are many videos on the Internet for people to laugh at the stupidity of criminals. People who can’t figure out how to proceed in life need to start with an honest commitment to the One who created them. That won’t instantly solve all their difficulties, but it will at the very least open the door to the light, and they will be able to begin to distinguish good and evil, as it says in Hebrews.

In my own experience there is a corollary to this: if your back is to the light, the way ahead of you looks dark. I have had moments when I willfully turned away from God, and things indeed got pretty dark. In a way that’s part of the training mentioned in Hebrews, because doing it wrong teaches me not to do that again! It’s been about 64 years since I was baptized, and I’ve done my share of stumbling in that interval. However, God is totally faithful, and I have no reason whatsoever to complain. As a pastor I seek to help others recognize the light and turn toward it, rather than away. I’m more successful with some than with others. I am not to be discouraged, but remember that Jesus said to “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) I am not the source of the light, but by God’s grace I can reflect it to those who may see very little light at all.

Father, thank You for amazing grace. Thank You for the encounter yesterday that I was concerned about, but which turned out so well. Thank You that You indeed have perfect wisdom for every situation. Help me keep remembering that, and that such wisdom doesn’t originate in me. May I not distort Your light, nor mask or hide it. May I continue to look forward to the full day of standing before Your throne with all those You have enabled me to bring with me, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Applying Wisdom; June 9, 2020

Posted on June 11, 2020 by jgarrott

Proverbs 3:1-2 My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you prosperity.

This chapter of Proverbs has so much extremely helpful stuff in it that I have loved for many years that I decided to write on the only two verses in today’s reading that are not underlined! The book starts with the assertion that these are “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel,” (Proverbs 1:1) but Solomon himself doesn’t seem to have abided by some of the most important things in it, specifically verses five and six in this chapter. Likewise, he obviously didn’t transmit this wisdom effectively to his own sons, because his successor was so foolish that he promptly lost half the kingdom! All of that goes to verse one here, because Solomon himself, as well as his son, forgot these wise words and did not keep these commands in their hearts. It all comes back to what James said: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22) Human beings seem to be experts at deceiving themselves by isolating truth as an intellectual concept and failing to apply it. That may be the key to the difference between “intelligence” and common sense. You can have a high IQ and still be essentially useless in society. We have all suffered the effects of the leadership of people who were “the smartest person in the room,” yet failed to honor God and apply His truth. Human decision-making always suffers from insufficient information, and both military tacticians and computer experts will tell you how dangerous that is. The only one with full information is God, so it certainly makes sense to listen to Him and do things His way. Anything less is hubris, and history is filled with sad examples of the results of such conceit.

I have long felt that James wrote the verse I quoted just for me! In line with that, I have long loved verses five and six of this chapter. I am quite a case history of the distinction between knowing something as information and having it in my heart to apply it. By the grace of God a good portion of His Word has made that migration, but there’s still a lot of room for improvement. Right now I am in the middle of a situation that intellectually, I have all the answers for. However, I have no answers for touching someone’s heart and opening it to God’s truth, evicting the buildup of the devil’s lies. It is only as I have and exercise that humility that God will be able to use me to bring about His good plan for the person in question. My need to depend on God and listen to Him certainly doesn’t stop there, but extends to every detail of my life. It is only as I receive and apply what He says to me that I will have the success that He and I desire, for His glory.

Father, thank You again for all that You are doing. Thank You for the many ways You are teaching me. Thank You for the lessons from this year’s vegetable garden. Thank You for the lessons that come through the people around me. Help me receive all that You teach me, not just as a “data bank” but as effective operational instructions, so that I may be and do all that You desire of me, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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PTSD; June 8, 2020

Posted on June 10, 2020 by jgarrott

Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.

The Bible does not back off from the reality that not all wounds are physical. The Japanese for this verse says, “He heals those whose hearts have been hit and broken,” implying a wound rather than a disease. “Modern Medicine” was slow to recognize this, but we have come around to more understanding of PTSD. In and after WWI it was just called “shell shock,” but at least it was recognized as a “wound of war.” Many men, and in recent years, women warriors too, have come back from war profoundly changed. Military veterans are understandably sensitive on this issue, and some seek to make the term, PTSD, exclusive to themselves, but the fact remains that there are many kinds of trauma, and they can all have lingering effects long after the fact. Rape and other kinds of abuse certainly come to mind here. The thing is, God knows and cares, and in Him we can have healing. It is dangerous to ignore such wounds, but at the same time they are not to be used as an excuse for destructive behavior, which is an all-too-common situation. The devil loves to turn anything into an excuse to ignore God! Often the wounded individual needs help and support in recognizing how they are wounded, so that they can open their heart to receive the healing God offers. Just as this verse speaks of “binding up their wounds,” being wrapped in God’s love is enormously healing! Sometimes we need to be visible expressions of that love.

By God’s grace I was not sent to the actual battle during my time in the Army, but I knew many who went through a lot, and at least one childhood friend lost his physical life. I ran into some others for whom that might have been the more merciful outcome. Right now I am in contact with several who are still recovering from what they experienced, though it was many years ago. Quite removed from physical battlefields, as a pastor I deal with people with all sorts of invisible wounds. It is very dangerous for me to think I have the knowledge and wisdom to heal those wounds myself, but I do know the One who can and does heal. There is a person in this church who was in severe clinical depression, and now they are the most solid, joyful believer you could hope to meet. There are others for whom I pray the same sort of healing miracle! Again, I don’t have wisdom, so I need to be totally open to the Lord to allow His grace and love to flow through me. He can heal, I can’t. He can bind up wounds, and my attempts can leave things even worse. I am to recognize the opportunities God gives me to be His agent and make full use of them, so that the works of the devil may be defeated and people healed and delivered.

Father, thank You for this timely reminder. Guide me today in the contacts, the communication that needs to be done. May Your will indeed be done in each life and situation, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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