Jesus’ Love; January 21, 2020

Posted on January 23, 2020 by jgarrott

John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

This was a landmark moment in Jesus’ ministry. Up until now He had given several fresh interpretations of Old Testament commandments, but here He says He is giving a new one. Even so it is hardly out of line with the Old Testament, because Jesus Himself had said that the second-greatest commandment was to love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:39) However, He here says, not simply as we love ourselves, but as He has loved us. That’s a game changer! The sacrificial love that Jesus demonstrated, being born as a human being in the first place and then living among us in what we today would consider very primitive circumstances, ultimately suffering a very horrible death in our place, would be unimaginable if He hadn’t shown it to us. Paul wrote memorably and beautifully about that love, and the result of it, to the Philippian believers in Philippians 2:5-11. He there echoes Jesus’ command, saying that we need to have Jesus’ attitude, which is of course love itself. The only problem with this is that we aren’t capable of generating such love in ourselves; we need to receive it from God and allow it to flow through us. I bring that point up in my standard wedding sermon, because we get all confused between romantic love and God’s love. Romantic love, being emotional, can be ephemeral, changing with the breeze. As the song from Finian’s Rainbow says, “When I’m not near the girl I love, I love the girl I’m near.” Even between a husband and wife (and sometimes especially between a husband and wife) love needs to tap into God’s love or we are in deep trouble. After three years Jesus’ disciples had seen the character of His love for them, even though they hadn’t yet seen Him die for them. Just before this He had taken the most menial of positions and washed their feet, so that was fresh on their minds. (John 13:1-17) The thing is, God never asks anything of us that He doesn’t supply, so the fact that Jesus commands this should give us great hope. This means that it is possible for us to love one another as He loved us, and that love will be our most powerful witness to the world. A Roman historian, writing during the great persecutions of the era, said that the Christians knew how to love each other, and they knew how to die. He was confirming exactly what Jesus said here!

This naturally is as challenging to me as it is to anyone. However, I have a more immediate example as well. Several years ago while one of my distant cousins was in Japan she visited the home of a respected Japanese church leader, and saw a framed picture of my father, who had died some time before that. When she commented on it, she expected to hear something about how my father had been loved, but what she heard was, “Oh, how he loved us!” My father was known for many things, but I think he would have been happiest to know that was how he was remembered. For that matter, I can think of no greater legacy for myself, but it is clearly not something I can generate on my own. Just as in my relationship with my wife, I’ve got to let God’s love flow through me, in all purity and power. Jesus’ love is in no way weak. He spoke firmly to His disciples, and political correctness wasn’t His style in the least. I’ve got to love people enough to risk their not liking me! It is only when I operate in His love that I can lay any claim to being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Father, thank You for this strong reminder. Thank You for the various ways You enable and allow me to demonstrate Your love. I ask for Your anointing as we distribute Gideon Bibles this morning, and then as we go visit a friend in the hospital this afternoon. May every part of my life be a reflection of Your love, so that everyone who sees me may be drawn to You, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Accepting Christ; January 20, 2020

Posted on January 23, 2020 by jgarrott

John 13:20 “I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”

Jesus said some things in the Upper Room Discourse that we tend to choke on. This is one, and then there is what He said just a little later: “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:12-14) We choke because they seem to be too good to be true, and then they also don’t seem to be born out in our experience. At times we are left with the same prayer the disciples expressed to Jesus: “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:5) They said it initially when He told them just how much they needed to forgive one another, but it is a natural response to much of what Jesus taught, because He was speaking to how we were created to be, rather than the image that we have accepted of ourselves and the world we live in. Paul was referring to that factor when he chastened the Corinthian believers, saying they were acting like “mere men.” (1 Corinthians 3:4) The thing is, when we are abiding in Christ by faith, we are indeed supernatural beings. Down through the centuries there have been believers who have astounded those around them by living and acting as Christ’s agents indeed. When we fail to do that, it isn’t because we aren’t “living up to our potential,” it’s because we aren’t living up to Christ’s potential, abiding in Him and letting Him abide in us. Any time we aren’t seeing Jesus’ words fulfilled in and through us, we need to get further into Him, releasing more of ourselves to Him.

Ministering in Japan, this verse has long been an encouragement, a hope, and a frustration to me. I have had assurance that I was sent by God, and people have seemed to accept me graciously, yet they draw back from acknowledging their own need for a Savior, accepting Christ into their hearts. Part of that may be their level of acceptance of me. From childhood it has been a raw spot with me that I am hardly ever accepted as Japanese, simply because I am Caucasian. I have been shocked and hurt when even close friends have said and done things that showed they expected me to be different because of my ethnicity. However, what Jesus is talking about here isn’t limited to that. It is when people accept me as someone sent by God that they accept Christ and the Father. They don’t need to accept me as Japanese, they just need to accept me as Christ’s representative. I need to switch my focus from myself to Christ. This is something I tell others to do all the time, yet I need to do it better myself! My goal isn’t people accepting me, it’s people accepting Christ. I have known this, but I need to grow in living it out.

Father, thank You for this powerful Word. Help me not take it casually, but allow it to work in me and through me so that I may be Your agent indeed, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Integrity; January 19, 2020

Posted on January 21, 2020 by jgarrott

John 13:15-17 “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”

This really was the story of Jesus’ whole life and ministry on earth. God had all that He wanted to teach mankind wrapped up in the Person of His Son, who lived it all out where people could see it rather than just dictating it to them. Yes, He taught in words, and many of those are deep indeed, but most importantly He lived it all out as an example. I wonder how soon after the crucifixion His disciples remembered His teaching about loving your enemies? When they did, I’m sure His words from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” (Luke 23:34) echoed in their minds and hearts. Here, He did the action first and then told them what it meant, washing their feet – the most menial of tasks – and then saying this. It’s that last line that really hits home. I think everyone knows better than they do. Fundamentally, we are all hypocrites. However, when we genuinely submit ourselves to Jesus as Lord, He enables us to live out the truth that is in us. That’s why Paul could say, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13) He wasn’t talking about being a spiritual Superman, he was talking about living out the truth he knew. The appropriate term for that is integrity. As Jesus said, that brings blessing indeed.

This is an issue I’ve been aware of for most of my life. Sometimes I think James 1:22 was written just for me! (Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.) I have been familiar with the Bible since childhood, and it’s rare for me to hear anything that is genuinely new to me. However, whether I am living out that truth is a different matter. As I am often reminded, spiritual pride blinds me to how I am speaking the right words without living them out. At the very least, that deprives me of the blessing that God intends for me. I see all sorts of books and articles about “living your destiny” and the like, but what it boils down to is simply acting on the truth I know. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, or even 10 minutes from now, but I know that Father God loves me and Jesus is Lord. If I really live that out, in full obedience to my Lord, it doesn’t matter what happens; I will be greatly blessed, and God will be glorified. Thinking back over the life of the saint who died Friday morning, his life was not one the newspapers would write up, but he was remarkably faithful to the Lord in spite of countless hardships, and he was blessed far more than someone who wins the lottery. His current reward in heaven is beyond the ability of human language to express.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You again for prompting Cathy and me to so see Pastor Izumi on Thursday, to bless him, his wife, and his daughter less than 24 hours before You called him home. Thank You for the assurance that Your blessings for me are no less perfect. Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, allowing You to work Your perfect will in and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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God’s Opinion; January 18, 2020

Posted on January 21, 2020 by jgarrott

John 12:42-43 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.

John had no trouble seeing through the motivation of people because he had heard Jesus address this very topic: “How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?” (John 5:44) These were spiritual leaders, the cream of the cream, and yet they cared more about their leadership position among men than their standing before the God they claimed to serve. Probably many of these, like Nicodemus, came out into the open with their faith after the crucifixion and resurrection, but their repentance was doubtless very painful to them, filled with regret for having been so stupid. We human beings have a seemingly limitless capacity for being stupid! The irony is that we delight in laughing at the stupidity of others, feeling superior in the process. The Internet is filled with “fail” videos, and some of them reach the level of sadism, showing even fatal accidents. We need more self-awareness than that! There is a Japanese proverbial expression that is all too often appropriate: “Acorns comparing height.” As Paul said, “When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.” (2 Corinthians 10:12) Our standard is to be God Himself, particularly as expressed through His Son, Jesus Christ, so there is no room for pride or for looking down on anyone. When God tells us to do something, our obedience needs to be immediate and complete. “Political correctness” should be out of the question. We aren’t to hurt people needlessly with our words, but we are certainly not to dance around the truth because of the opinions of people. That can indeed get us “put out of the synagogue” sometimes, but we are to fear God and not man, and love God more than we love man. It strikes me that what this is talking about is not loving man, but rather loving man’s opinions, which is a perverted form of self-love.

I enjoy the praise of people as much as anyone, so I’m talking to myself here. It feels really good when people say nice things about you and to you, especially when you think they’re deserved! I’ve got to remember that every good thing about me is totally by the grace of God, and not really something I’ve earned. I am responsible as a steward of God’s gifts, but I cannot be a good steward of them in my own strength and wisdom, so even there I’m dependent on God. I am to compliment people appropriately, but always speak the truth in love, seeking to turn their attention from me to the God who loves them far more than I ever could. Again, when people praise me, I am to seek to deflect that praise to God, to whom I owe everything good anyway.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for doing everything perfectly, and for occasionally even using me in the process. Thank You again for prompting us to visit that saint two days ago, and for taking him home less than 24 hours later. Thank You for enabling us to sing, When We All Get to Heaven with him, giving him permission to go to his reward. He was certainly someone who cared more about your opinion than any other. I do pray for his wife and children in this time. They are rejoicing to know he is with you, yet grief is still real and appropriate. May they too care only what You think and say about them and their situation, and receive strength and comfort to thank and praise You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Loving Life; January 17, 2020

Posted on January 20, 2020 by jgarrott

John 12:24-25 “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

Jesus spoke on this theme several times. That is hardly surprising, since He was the only person ever born for the express purpose of dying, as He Himself says in verse 27. I don’t think this means that He didn’t enjoy His daily activities. In The Visual Bible video project, the actor who portrayed Jesus in Matthew prayed a lot before he accepted the role, and the result is powerfully anointed. The most striking thing about his portrayal is that Jesus comes across as being delighted to be who He was, doing what He was doing. When He heals someone, He’s as happy as the person who gets healed! I really think that portrayal was accurately led by the Holy Spirit. God does want us to enjoy being His children, doing His work as His agents. At the same time, our life in this world is but the barest shadow of our life with God in eternity. Jesus was certainly not suicidal, and He doesn’t want us to be. However, making physical life our priority blinds us to the richness of all that God has planned and prepared for us. Yesterday I had the privilege of visiting a dear saint in the hospital. He is 85 and has severe pneumonia, and his wife and children are already planning his funeral, appropriately enough. However, the visit with him, and then with his wife and daughter in the home, was joyous and not depressing. None of us has any doubt of his eternal life, which will in no way be diminished by his physical death. As Luke quotes Jesus as saying, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24) “Taking up our cross” is indeed dying, but at the same time it is a joyous process when we are following our Lord.

This morning I was struck by the various layers of deception and misunderstanding under which we all labor. It’s not so difficult to see how others are deceived, but we fail to recognize it in ourselves. I’m tired of that! That’s one of many things I certainly won’t miss about this life. I think I could put that under the heading of “hating my life.” At the same time, I am daily presented with opportunities to serve God, to act as His agent toward those around me, and that is joy indeed. I can certainly identify with what Paul said: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.” (Philippians 1:21-24) In reference to what Jesus says here, I earnestly desire the fruitfulness that comes after death, in His illustration of the grain of wheat. Recently I have been talking with several minister friends around my age who are all concerned about succession. Some, including me, have already dealt with multiple potential successors who haven’t worked out for one reason or another. Once I’m gone, I won’t have to worry about that! My focus needs to be on the reality that it’s God’s life and not mine, God’s ministry and not mine, and trust Him to do what is best for the Body of Christ and for His glory, as long as I am here and thereafter as well.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for yesterday and all it held. Thank You for what You are going to say through me on Sunday, though I currently have no idea what that will be. Help me indeed not hang onto this life, but at the same time live it fully, in joyful obedience to You, so that Your will may be done in and through me on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Memory; January 16, 2020

Posted on January 20, 2020 by jgarrott

John 11:40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

It is not certain exactly when Jesus is referring to, but then even the Bible is very open about the fact that it isn’t a complete record of all that Jesus said and did. (John 21:25) What is recorded here is certainly consistent with all that we do have written down. With our technology today it is easy to wish someone had had a digital recorder to follow Jesus around all the time, or better yet, live video, but that would be total overload. What is available to us, however is the Holy Spirit, because He was with Jesus not just on this earth but from before Creation. That’s why Jesus told us, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26) We need to be listening for what God wants to say to us at all times, especially when we are reading the Bible but at other times as well, and allow the Holy Spirit to jog our memory whenever it’s appropriate. It has been shown that we tend to prioritize our memories and push less important memories aside, so the help of the Holy Spirit here is essential, since we aren’t good judges of what we need to remember. The wise course for us is to get as much of the Word into our “memory bank” as we can, just as the Psalmist said. (Psalm 119:11) When we do that, it is a simple matter for the Holy Spirit to call on those memories to instruct us, and also for us to see through the lies the devil tells us every day. Lies are the devil’s chief weapon, and truth is the best defense.

This certainly applies to me! I have a lot of the Bible in my memory bank, but I certainly need the Holy Spirit as my “reference librarian” to help me recall and apply it when appropriate. This particular statement that Jesus made to Martha is one I certainly need to remember right now. I have pastor friends retiring or even dying all around me, and the image of Lazarus in the tomb doesn’t seem inappropriate. However, even when things seem totally dark from a human perspective, God is in no way discouraged, or even limited. I need to remember that actively, recognizing and rejoicing in my own weakness so that His power may be displayed. (2 Corinthians 12:9) I think I am honest in desiring God’s glory and not my own, so just as He told me to do, I need to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him, trusting Him fully so that I may indeed see His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your faithfulness to remind me of all I really need to remember. Help me rejoice in that, and not be anxious about what I don’t remember! Thank You. Praise God!

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Death and Life; January 15, 2020

Posted on January 17, 2020 by jgarrott

John 11:25-27 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”

I think I have used this passage at every believer’s funeral I have ever conducted. It is an enormously important passage, and one that has sustained believers for almost 2000 years. When we can agree with Martha in her declaration of faith, death indeed “loses its sting.” (1 Corinthians 15:55) Instead of a terminus, it becomes a transit point that I like to call a “graduation.” We are on this earth to learn many things, and our goal should to be to leave it “magna cum laude,” great with honor, or even “summa cum laude,” complete with honor. We have the ultimate Teacher, (John 13:13) so our attitude should be to absorb everything He tells us, making it part of us to live it out. Most people live most of their lives in fear of death, and it can really rob them of the joy of living. It is only when we let go of our claim on physical life that we can lay hold of eternal life in Christ in all its fullness. Whether our time on this earth is long or short is largely irrelevant, just as our length of time in an academic school doesn’t have a lot to say about our quality of life after that. What matters is that we learn that we are sinners in need of salvation, and that God has provided that salvation through faith in His Son, who died in our place to take the penalty for our sin, and then rose on the third day as a demonstration that it is all real and true. When we have that worked into our heart, mind, and life, then graduation is something to be eagerly anticipated!

I honestly don’t remember ever fearing my own death, which made it all too easy to attempt suicide when I was in college. God graciously intervened in that, because He didn’t want my transcript to be stamped, Incomplete. I have always loved the story of Lazarus’ resurrection, but I am very aware that he died again, physically speaking. As Jesus said to His disciples before going to Bethany, it was good that all of this happened, so that their faith – and the faith of millions after them – could be strengthened. (John 11:14-15) I don’t think Lazarus objected to being used as an object lesson. I have sometimes wondered if he resented being brought back to the physical world, but I think his faith was strong enough to handle it. My wife, Cathy, is one of those in the Lazarus camp, having died and been sent back herself, though in her case it was just a matter of minutes, rather than days. She certainly has no fear of death at this point! I’ll confess that I’m far more afraid of her death than I am of my own, but I know that God’s grace is sufficient for us, whatever He has planned. I am at times concerned that I come across as uncaring after the death of a believer, because my confidence in eternal life is so strong. However, I know that grief and bereavement are very real, and I must honor those going through that and come alongside them, not to speak so much as simply to be there. Faith in Christ is all about life, on this earth and eternally, and I am to be a demonstration and herald of that truth.

Father, thank You for this strong reminder. At this point I have many older friends, and at times they seem to be “dropping like flies.” Help me respond to each situation as Your agent, speaking truth and life to all who receive it, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Commitment; January 14, 2020

Posted on January 17, 2020 by jgarrott

John 11:16 Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

I have a warm spot in my heart for Thomas. He is famously known as “Doubting Thomas” for demanding proof of Jesus’ resurrection, but here he demonstrated a depth of commitment we should all emulate. So many people become Christians because of what they think they can get out of it. Thomas, in sharp contrast, was willing to follow Jesus even if it meant his physical death. I think it’s no accident that when the apostles were scattered in the persecutions after Pentecost, tradition tells us that it was Thomas who went furthest, all the way to southern India, sharing the Gospel the whole way and founding a group of believers that rejoices to trace their history back to him. Jesus actually seemed to make a practice of challenging His disciples in the area of commitment. In one famous interaction, He challenged the 12: “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:67-68) God doesn’t want us to follow Him at our convenience, but out of a conviction that He is our life, and nothing apart from Him is worthy of comparison. In the American Revolution, the famous phrase that was used to describe those who served at their convenience, was “sunshine soldier, summer patriot.” Just as the Founding Fathers pledged their “lives, fortune, and sacred honor” to the cause, we need to be totally committed to Jesus Christ as Lord, even if it means nothing but suffering and death on this earth.

My personal fondness for Thomas comes from the fact that when God confronted me with my spiritual pride, my response was exactly what Thomas’ was when Jesus told him to confirm that He had really risen from the dead. Like Thomas, I fell to my knees and cried out, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) I have never been called to face active persecution, but I have been called to a life of relative obscurity and sparse results. I would be thrilled if God were to pour out a Spirit of repentance and this church were to overflow with new believers, but my commitment and obedience don’t depend on results. There are times when I would be thrilled if the Lord were to say, “OK, that’s enough. Come on home.” However, until that time I am not to complain about anything, but give Him the worship of obedience. Yesterday at the annual Kyushu Revival Conference in Fukuoka, the speaker used Matthew 18:21-22 to talk about forgiveness, and it struck me that those in ministry perhaps need most to pay attention to that, because they are perhaps the most sinned against. As I was told in seminary, preachers quickly learn that people don’t consider it a sin to lie and say they’ll be in church next Sunday. The more we care about people the more open we are to being hurt by them, and pastors are certainly called to care. That’s why it was so wrenching when God told Jeremiah not to pray for the people. (Jeremiah 7:16, 11:14) I have never been told not to pray, so I’d better be praying, whether people seem to be responding or not!

Father, thank You for the conference yesterday, and for getting us there and back safely. Thank You that we weren’t directly involved in the accident on the expressway that slowed us a good bit in getting back. Thank You for what You said through the speaker, and for what You did in various people in various ways. Help me be fully responsive and obedient to You at all times in all ways, whether I know what’s going on or not, so that Your will may be done on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Life in Christ; January 13, 2020

Posted on January 16, 2020 by jgarrott

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

I quote this verse so frequently that it’s one of the few I am completely confident of chapter and verse. That said, I am usually quoting either the first half or the last, and seldom the whole thing. The first half is a very concise and useful description of the devil that’s important to keep in mind when he offers his various enticements. They all seem attractive in some way at first, but their purpose is exactly as Jesus says here: to to steal what is good from us, to kill what is good in us, and as much as possible to destroy God’s plans for us, which are the very definition of good. The second half is Jesus’ very succinct description of His own ministry, and that can take a lifetime to unpack. In the first place, Jesus came to bring life. As He said several times in various ways, He Himself is eternal life. (John 14:6, etc.) As the clever t-shirt says, “No Jesus, no life. Know Jesus, know life.” John was sharply aware of this, because his own brother was the first of the apostles to be martyred, (Acts 12:2) but he himself, though he endured great hardship and persecution, was the only one of the original 12 to die what is considered a natural death. He had tasted the reality that Jesus isn’t stingy with Himself, but gives life abundantly to all who will receive it. One of our problems in receiving all that God wants to give us is our definition of abundance. We tend to tie it to material goods, and at the least to our own appetites. This has led to the “name it and claim it” school of theology, which is mistaken because it makes man the standard, instead of being totally focused on God’s kingdom and His righteousness. (Matthew 6:33) Some people have been so deceived by that sort of thing that when it collapses they lose their faith in God to a very deep level, which betrays where it came from in the first place. A chorus from over 45 years ago said, “I want more of Jesus, more and more and more. I want more of Jesus than I ever had before. I want more of His great love, so rich and full and free. I want more of Jesus, and He wants more of me.” My father modified the last line of that to say, “so I’ll give Him more of me.” To receive the abundant life that God has provided for us in Christ, we need to let go of everything else. Jesus taught that, (Matthew 13:44-46) but we don’t like to hear it.

If I just quote this verse and fail to apply it in my own life, I’m just deceiving myself. (James 1:22) I have seen countless examples of the devil stealing, killing, and destroying, and I have also tasted the abundant life that is Jesus Himself. There’s no comparison, when it comes to value! This is why my life is dedicated to warning people about the devil and sharing with them the abundance that is Christ. I am almost constantly amazed at the depth of God’s grace and love for me, even when I’m in the middle things like the 3-week cold I’m finally recovering from. I may feel miserable, but God is still good! Last night Cathy tripped in her work room and fell heavily. I set a new record for getting from my study up the stairs to check on her! She has bruises and strains, but nothing broken, and yet again I am reminded that God’s grace is sufficient for us. (2 Corinthians 12:9) That in no way contradicts what Jesus says here about abundance, but is a demonstration of how God desires to get us through the troubles we experience in our time on this fallen world. As Jesus said, I need to rejoice! (John 16:33)

Father, thank You for this reminder. I really have no words to thank You sufficiently for the magnificence of Your grace toward me. Help me live out my life in gratitude and obedience, so that as many as possible may know You through me, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Abiding; January 12, 2020

Posted on January 16, 2020 by jgarrott

John 8:31-32 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Verse 32 is widely quoted, but almost always out of the context of verse 31. We like the idea of being set free by knowledge alone, but we don’t like the precondition of obedience. It is fascinating that Jesus said this immediately after the events leading up to verse 30: “Even as He spoke, many put their faith in Him.” We get all happy the moment anyone believes, and that’s not wrong, but Jesus immediately set about “winnowing out the chaff,” so to speak. This is the opposite of “easy believeism.” He was essentially saying, “So you like what you heard? Stick with it, if you want the full benefit.” Modern society knows very little of “holding to” or “abiding in” something. We tend to be all about instant gratification, wanting what we want when we want it, but that is the opposite of genuine maturity. If we are genuinely “seeking first God’s kingdom and His righteousness,” (Matthew 6:33) then we will set the distractions aside to focus on God and what He has said to us. Jesus said a lot about “abiding” in the Upper Room Discourse just before He was crucified, sometimes using the word and sometimes not. (John 13-17) Actually, the theme permeates the whole New Testament, as my father discovered when he wrote his dissertation on “In Christ.” However, he told me that he didn’t really understand it until after he was in Japan as a missionary, and he had an encounter with the Holy Spirit in which he opened himself up in a commitment to obedience. In other words, it was a clear-cut choice to abide in Christ, in His Word, in His Spirit. If we want to be set free by the truth, we need to be committed to follow the truth.

This is something in which I continue to grow, and in which I expect to continue to grow until I am before God’s throne. It’s been 64 years since I was baptized, and it’s been quite a journey so far. I am constantly confronted with the choice of following Christ and His Word, or the world and my flesh. Thankfully that choice is more and more automatic, but I must not take it for granted, and I must not assume that I automatically discern the choice correctly. Deception is the devil’s specialty, and I’ve got to be on my guard. (1 Peter 5:8) I need to let God’s Word “percolate” through me, or to use another metaphor, to “chew the cud” of the Word so that I may live it out in fullness. (John 15:7) Only then will I walk in the freedom of being Christ’s disciple indeed.

Father, thank You for this powerful reminder. I’m speaking on “Born Again” this morning, but this is the natural and necessary outgrowth of that. I pray that Your Word would flow unhindered through me so that many would receive it with joy and let it transform them into Your disciples indeed, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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