Conquerors; February 2, 2020

Posted on February 6, 2020 by jgarrott

Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Romans 8 is my wife’s favorite chapter in the whole Bible, and very understandably so. This last section is like a lawyer, building his case to show that without question his client is innocent. Paul was indeed trained in logic, and he uses it brilliantly here. He acknowledges that believers face many hardships, but here he states a marvelous truth that has sustained believers for 2000 years, in many cases all the way through martyrdom. The thing is, whatever our hardship, it isn’t the end of the story. Verse 28, about God working everything together for good, is even more famous than this verse, but this brings out that even if materially speaking we lose everything, even physical life, we still come out on top because we have eternal life in the God who loves us. Very literally, when we are in Christ we have nothing to be afraid of. That’s not to say we are to be reckless or foolhardy; we are to be good stewards of the body and physical life with which we have been entrusted. However, the devil loves to threaten, and those with weak faith can indeed be shaken. We need to remember that even physical death isn’t the end of the story, and walk in the peace and assurance of the love of God.

Naturally, this applies to me as much as it does to anyone. I’ve walked with the Lord enough that I can say with Paul, “To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21) I would certainly be concerned for my wife if I were to go first, since she has quite a litany of medical issues, and in no way do I look forward to life without her if she were to go first, but I know that God’s grace is sufficient for us both. (2 Corinthians 12:9) I have been disappointed, threatened, and betrayed, but none of those have in any way shaken God’s love for me, and I know it. At this point I am in remarkably good health for my age, and I have every expectation of serving my Lord on earth quite a few more years. I have no idea how many years, nor what those years will hold, other than the complete assurance that they will hold more and more of my Lord’s love for me, and that’s certainly something to look forward to.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all that’s going on right now. I indeed don’t know the future in the short term, that is, while I am on the earth, but I do know that I’ve already begun eternity with You. I pray that I would be increasingly useful to You in bringing others to that place of faith as well, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Suffering; February 1, 2020

Posted on February 6, 2020 by jgarrott

Romans 5:3-5 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

This is a justly famous passage, but many people leave off, or simply ignore, the very last part of it, and that is the key to it all. The first part sounds very noble, but many people would protest that their faith simply isn’t that strong, and they allow their sufferings/tribulations to tear them down instead of building them up. What makes the difference is the assurance that God loves us, and that has to be a supernatural revelation by the Holy Spirit. We tend to think of the Holy Spirit in terms of power, which isn’t unreasonable considering Acts 1:8. However, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, and God is love. (1 John 4:8) When we open ourselves to be filled with the Holy Spirit, as we are told clearly to do, (Ephesians 5:18) we open ourselves to the love of God, and that is wonderful beyond words. When you find someone who is “operating in spiritual gifts” but they are not loving, it may not be the Holy Spirit they are full of. As has been said, everything God does is love, even when it is stern correction. That’s why refusing to forgive is so deadly. (Matthew 6:14-15) Refusing to forgive, to love, is refusing God. Sadly, some people are so deceived they choose eternity in hell over releasing a hurt and loving instead. We want to receive God’s love for ourselves, but to do that in truth, we’ve got to allow it to flow through us to others as well. That is, frankly, very difficult at times, but nothing is impossible for God. (Luke 1:37) We try to separate our problems, and our lives, into different boxes, but it is all connected. Going back to this passage, to get through suffering, we need to let God’s love flow through us to those around us – even including the person or people who might have caused our suffering. As Paul said, we can do everything through Christ who strengthens us. (Philippians 4:13)

This certainly applies to me as much as it does to anyone. I don’t feel I have had acutely severe suffering, particularly compared to even my wife – so how is my character? I’m certainly not to seek suffering, but when it comes I am to rejoice in it, knowing that God loves me enough to grind down my imperfections. As a pastor I am constantly dealing with people who are suffering, or at least think they are. The thing is, suffering is largely subjective: if you think you’re suffering, you are. In teaching medical English to Japanese I teach such things as, “I have a stuffy nose.” The text has a side note that some people might say, “I’m suffering from a stuffy nose.” I point out how ridiculous that is, but many people are just that way. With no sense of perspective, their little bumps in the road look like Mt. Everest! The difficulty for me is in helping them gain perspective without putting them down completely. The key, once again, is opening up to the loving Holy Spirit of God. I am to speak the truth in love, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide my words, so that the truth may indeed set people free from the lying traps of the devil. (John 8:32)

Father, thank You for this strong reminder. You know who comes to mind! I pray that I would be Your agent to help people choose to forgive, recognizing their own need for forgiveness, so that indeed, Your kingdom may come as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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The Obedience of Faith; January 31, 2020

Posted on February 3, 2020 by jgarrott

Romans 1:5-6 Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

Paul describes his calling in various ways, but this is certainly a good one. Frankly, the only difference between his calling and that of every believer is the factor of his being called to travel to many different countries. The unifying factor, taken directly from the Great Commission that Jesus delivered just before His ascension, is the matter of calling people to the obedience that comes from faith. The way Jesus put it was, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20) Not so many people are called to other nations, but all are called to make disciples, and a disciple is going to obey what the Lord has commanded, because of faith. The thing is, for us to make disciples, we need to be disciples. That is the biggest difference between people we read about in the Bible, like Paul, and the average “person in the pew” today. We may believe, or at least say we do, but does that faith produce obedience? We aren’t dogs, but most of us need to go to Obedience School! The thing is, our lack of obedience betrays our lack of faith. If we genuinely believe that the wages of sin is death, (Romans 6:23) but that God loved us enough to send His Son to take those wages on Himself so we could have eternal life, (John 3:16) then our gratitude will compel us to obey such a gracious Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:14) Failure to obey God means that we really don’t believe Him. The devil is constantly bombarding us with lies. “Did God really say …?” (Genesis 3:1) We have to be committed to obedience in order to stand against him. (James 4:7) When we have that commitment, we will not only resist the devil and be obedient to God, we will make disciples for Christ.

This certainly applies to me! Whether I am a missionary or not is debatable, since I serve in the nation where I was born, but my parents were certainly missionaries, and the Great Commission has been operative in my family for a long time. However, I haven’t been the most efficient at making disciples! That is an issue for everyone serving in Japan, but God is the final Judge, and I’m not to make excuses. I am to be personally obedient to the Lord and I am to call others to do likewise. I am not to back off from correcting or admonishing out of a fear of man, but I must always speak the truth in love. I tend to be somewhat of a perfectionist, which can be a real problem when it manifests itself in totally nonessential things. How the chairs are lined up in the sanctuary has nothing to do with whether the person arranging them is a disciple of Jesus Christ! I also need to make a clear distinction between obedience to Christ and obedience to me. If I am not following Christ myself, I pray that others would not be obedient to me! I need to walk in full humility, while at the same time being aware that God does indeed speak through me with some regularity, through no special quality of my own. As Jesus said, “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” (Luke 17:10)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your grace and patience in using me in spite of myself. Help me be the faithful disciple that You desire, so that many may indeed be brought into the obedience that comes from faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Books; January 30, 2020

Posted on February 2, 2020 by jgarrott

John 21:25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

I think we see a bit of John’s sense of humor here. However, there’s a bit of important truth here as well. The thing is, we never have all the information, so we need to act on the basis of what we have. In the world that can be risky at times, but we have a powerful safeguard: the Holy Spirit. As John had already recorded, Jesus said expressly that one of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to “teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26) That’s pretty powerful backup! We do need to hear it the first time for the Holy Spirit to be able to remind us of it, so reading the Bible is essential, but rather than being anxious about our own memory, we need to be focused on being open to the Holy Spirit. We frankly do not know the future. By faith we know our eternal destination, but even there the details are sketchy at best, and we certainly don’t know everything along the way. We are not to sweat it, but live fully in each moment in fellowship with our Lord. Gaining knowledge about God is certainly not bad, but being obsessed with prophecies about the future, even the “timeline” in Revelation, can distract us from what God wants us doing right now. Prophecy is real and relevant today, but much of what is written is human speculation rather than direct from the Lord, and filling our minds and our bookshelves with it doesn’t make us more useful in God’s kingdom. In John’s day the production of a book was a really major undertaking, since everything had to be copied by hand. Today, in extreme contrast, books can be produced almost as fast as the words can be entered into a computer. I started to say, typed, but now dictation systems are increasingly reliable. That doesn’t mean the book is worth reading! Our focus is to be on our Lord, hearing what He is saying to us and recognizing what He wants us to take in, so that we may be shaped into the disciples He desires, for His glory.

This applies to me in spades. I come from a line of bibliophiles, or even biblioholics. My mother always knew that when my father went on a business trip to Tokyo, shortly after he got back there would be a box of books arriving that he had purchased while there. After we got to Omura we donated over 1000 volumes to a Christian school, but then our own acquisitions keep piling up. On the other side of the equation, my maternal grandfather wrote quite a few books, and for that matter, I write an average of over 500 words a day, which I understand is a good goal for someone who wants to be an author. However, my motive isn’t to produce books, but rather to cement in my own mind and heart what God says to me each morning. My wife then edits that a little and then I make it available on the Internet. I actually went so far as to publish a printed collection at one point, but the response was hardly overwhelming. I keep flirting with the idea of specific e-books, but I’m not convinced that’s God’s idea. The thing about books, whether reading or writing them, is that God is the source of all genuine knowledge, so the focus needs to be on Him and all the glory go to Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the gift for words that You have given me. May it be used always as You intend, not burdening people but lifting them up and drawing them to You, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Jesus’ Appearance; January 29, 2020

Posted on February 2, 2020 by jgarrott

John 21:12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.

From Jesus’ resurrection on, people had trouble with visual recognition, from Mary Magdalene in yesterday’s reading (John 20:14) to Cleopas and his friend on the way to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) to right here. However, other factors confirmed His identity. We tend to fixate on externals, when what is inside is far more important. (1 Samuel 16:7) Many years ago an important book came out about American foreign policy, titled, The Ugly American. It was listed as fiction, but it was strongly rooted in fact, and could be called an illustration of the English proverb, “Pretty is as pretty does.” We have recently had an illustration in the opposite direction with the elimination of General Soleimani of Iran. Pictures show he was a rather strikingly handsome man, but he was one of the most prolific terrorists of our day. Entertainers play off of their looks, and plastic surgery abounds. Jesus is obviously the opposite of that, to the point that after His resurrection His physical appearance was almost irrelevant. Much has been made of what He might have looked like, from the Shroud of Turin to forensic reconstructions of an average man of that region at that point in history, but all of that doesn’t matter. The point was, and is, the presence of the Godhead in Him. That’s why Paul could write that “We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18) In other words, the more we walk with Him, the more we look like Jesus! Our physical characteristics are irrelevant, because what matters is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27)

This is something I have come to understand more and more over the years. I realized a long time ago that there were people in whom I could see Jesus, even when I didn’t realize that was exactly what it was. On this earth we are all imperfect images, but the more we let Him fill us, the more we fellowship with Him, the more accurately we portray Him. We have a picture of me portraying Jesus in a church skit in Sasebo 45 years ago, and I laugh to see it. I hope I look much more like Him now, even though his natural body never made it to 40 years old. Some of the people I have known who looked very much like Him, spiritually speaking, were women! I do indeed pray the words of the little chorus, To Be Like Jesus. However, the more I focus on how I look, the less I will look like Him! It is as I focus on Him, letting Him have total control of me by His Spirit, that His image shines through me.

Father, I do indeed want to be the “Spirit and image” of Jesus. Thank You for Your patience with me when I have delayed that process in various ways. I pray that those who see me would indeed see Jesus and be drawn to Him, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Recognizing Jesus; January 28, 2020

Posted on February 1, 2020 by jgarrott

John 20:14, 16 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).

Here we have a clear indication of Mary Magdalene’s emotional state. She’s just seen and talked with two angels, but she’s not even interested! Then, seeing Jesus Himself, she doesn’t recognize Him for all the tears in her eyes. Even when He speaks to her, at first she doesn’t recognize Him. It is only when He speaks her name that it breaks through to her who He is. If we think about it, we should all be able to identify with Mary. We get all caught up and involved with our circumstances and emotions to the point we can’t see past the end of our nose, and God has to do something extraordinary to get us to recognize Him. God speaks to us all the time, but I think the majority of the time we fail to recognize Him because He isn’t appearing in a way we expect. Another risk is that if we have strong preconceptions of how God would speak to us, the devil does a counterfeit to deceive us. As Paul said, he can appear as an angel of light! (2 Corinthians 11:14) We need to have our hearts tuned to Jesus to enable us to see Him in our everyday situations, hearing Him accurately and walking in fellowship with Him. The best way to move toward that is to get into a regular habit of reading the Bible with the expectation of hearing from God. Too many people don’t read the Bible at all, or read it only out of a sense of obligation, even though they claim to believe in Jesus as their Savior and Lord. What a waste! The Bible is given to us, among other reasons, to give us a reliable standard for what God sounds like. He speaks in many ways, but He is not going to contradict what He has already said. When we are thoroughly familiar with the Bible, it is easy to recognize God when He speaks through another person or through things around us, not to mention speaking directly to our heart. The key, however, is not to be so consumed with our circumstances that we can’t recognize Him, the way Mary was.

I’ve been there done that, as the saying goes. I couldn’t begin to count the number of boxes I’ve tried to put God in, as to when and where and how He was going to speak to me. You would think I would have learned better by now! Thankfully, I think I have grown in my listening ability, but I still have a lot of room for improvement. Objectively speaking, my very highest priority is fellowship with my Lord, but in practical terms I am still all too likely to be distracted by something else. I have had Him speak to me in all sorts of unexpected ways, and it’s always refreshing when that happens, but at the same time it makes me realize that I’m almost certainly not recognizing Him much more of the time! I need to walk in full humility, getting rid of all the “boxes” of my preconditions and allowing Him to speak to and use me whenever, wherever, and however He pleases, for His glory.

Father, thank You that You do speak to me and allow me to walk in fellowship with You. Help me get past all the distractions and recognize You in all of life, so that my obedience may be immediate and total, building up the Body of Christ for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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It Is Finished; January 27, 2020

Posted on January 31, 2020 by jgarrott

John 19:30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

It is difficult for us to imagine the level of suffering Jesus experienced up until this moment. The physical suffering wasn’t unique to Him; torture is sadly common even today. However, Jesus was also experiencing the weight of mankind’s sins, which was something He had never experienced before, never having sinned. In the middle of all of that He prayed His famous prayer, recorded by Luke: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34) He also made the effort to provide for His mother, recorded in verses 26-27 just before this. It strikes me as interesting that He chose the youngest of the 12 to care for His mother, when society might have judged one of the more “mature” disciples as more suitable. However, Jesus knew hearts, just as He does today, and He chose John. The last mention we have of Mary is as part of the group that gathered in the upper room up until Pentecost, (Acts 1:14) but I think we can be confident that John fulfilled his charge well. After taking care of His mother, Jesus said, “That takes care of everything,” as it records here, and He died. He was laying down His life, as He had said He would do. “I lay down my life–only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” (John 10:17-18) There was no other way it could happen, because He was the Son of God. That said, a Roman soldier latter confirmed it with a spear. (John 19:33-34) There is no question that the Son of God gave up His life to save us, and that changed the entire flow of history. We do well to meditate on this and let gratitude consume our souls. As the chorus says, “All that I have, all that I am, all I will ever be, cannot repay this love-debt I owe; I surrender to Thee.”

This of course applies to me as much as it does to anyone else, because my sins too cut me off from my Creator. My problem was that for many years I didn’t recognize that fact and I walked in blind pride, thinking I was one of the “good guys.” Without Christ, I am as much headed for hell as the worst murderer. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He was talking about the dirty work of my salvation, not just that of “those people out there.” I have received this by faith and taste it every day, and I want everyone to do so as well. However, I can’t force anyone to repent and believe. All I can do is speak the truth in love and let the Holy Spirit use my words to work in people’s minds and hearts. He did it for me, and He can do it for them.

Father, the magnitude, the weight, of Your grace is beyond human words to express. As a man of words I keep trying, but it’s a lost cause! Help me live out my life in grateful response to Your grace, so that even one more person may look at me and realize that You love them too, and so repent and believe for their salvation. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Unity; January 26, 2020

Posted on January 31, 2020 by jgarrott

John 17:20-21 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

It is deeply meaningful that in the last hours before He was arrested, Jesus didn’t just pray for the disciples who were there with him, He also prayed for all who would believe because of what those disciples had to say. That naturally includes every believer alive today, since none of us were on hand in the 1st Century. Once again we are back to the very deep truth that God, being outside of time, sees everything as now. As Jesus said to the Sadducees who didn’t believe in resurrection, God isn’t the God of the dead but of the living. (Matthew 22:32) Jesus didn’t just die for the people of the 1st Century, or even for all the people from Adam until then. He died for every person who has ever lived or will ever live. The dividing line for us all is whether we believe God and choose to follow Him. Jesus wants all who believe to be united as one, to the degree that the Trinity, though three, is one. That’s not something our human minds can really grasp. The thing to remember, though, is that if Jesus asked for it, it’s going to happen! Today we see almost limitless division in the Church, the Body of Christ, and that certainly doesn’t fall in line with this. Some of that is because of the very real heresies that have crept in, as Paul recognized. (1 Corinthians 11:19) However, Paul was extremely aware that the vast majority of divisions were for really trivial causes, and that grieves the heart of God. When our ultimate goal is unity with the Trinity, as Jesus says here, then we need to examine our unity or lack of it with our brothers and sisters. Pride is a huge factor in divisions, and we must be merciless in dealing with it in ourselves. At the same time, we are not to go around accusing others of pride, because that is being holier-than-thou. We are all equally in need of God’s mercy and grace! We are not to swallow heresy, but neither are we to allow honest differences of interpretation to be causes of division. I don’t think the Body of Christ needs organizational unity, other than being under one Head, Jesus Christ our Lord, but we certainly need unity of heart, of spirit. Some divisions come because of differing gifts and callings, as Paul discussed in 1 Corinthians 12 and elsewhere. Those are not bad, but we must never look down on others because they don’t have the same calling we do.

I could obviously go on about this for a long time! Growing up on the mission field, I think I learned very early that I had far more in common with any other Christian, regardless of the denominational label, than I had with any Buddhist or atheist. At the same time, our church activities were pretty strictly limited to our own denomination. That bothered me more and more as I grew, emotionally and intellectually and spiritually. I attended a denominational seminary and pastored a denominational church in the US, but that denomination rejecting me as a missionary because I was Charismatic really made me examine the whole issue. When the Lord opened the way for us to come to Omura without any external support, I was still quickly pulled into denominational activities, but after less than three years we pulled out. I made some real mistakes in that time and caused needless hurt, but God used it anyway. Right now we have fellowship with individuals and groups of many different labels, and we pay no attention to the labels. As C. S. Lewis noted, when we get to heaven we will all discover we were wrong about something! I am to preach about Christ in the love of the Father and the power of the Spirit, seeking the unity that Jesus Himself asked for, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this strong reminder. We have the possibility of visitors today from India who are wanting to worship You while they are in Japan. I have no idea of their denominational background, but I know that if they love Jesus, we are in the same family. Various things are changing in various churches in the city. May we all focus on You and hear what You are saying to us, so that Your plans may be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Prayer; January 25, 2020

Posted on January 27, 2020 by jgarrott

John 16:26-27 “In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.”

This is an enormously important passage that has shaped the way Christians have prayed for 2000 years, but at the same time it is a truth that we have trouble believing. We automatically tack, “In Jesus’ name” onto our prayers, hardly thinking what that means, and we are very slow to believe the Father really loves us individually. That last part is why so many people pray to Mary or any of a number of saints. If Jesus Himself said He didn’t need to ask the Father for things on our behalf, it makes no sense whatsoever to ask anyone else! We conflate Father God with our human fathers, and feel that He’s too busy to listen to us, and we’re too unimportant anyway. Jesus directly contradicts that kind of thinking here, saying that if we love Him and believe in Him, that’s enough for the Father. We have such trouble believing that’s true! When even human-created computers can do literally millions of things simultaneously, why would the Creator of the universe be unable to care personally about each of His children, listening to them and meeting their needs? Jesus told us the Father even keeps track of how many hairs we have on our head! (Matthew 10:30) All we need to keep track of is loving and believing Jesus. Of course, if that love is genuine it will prompt full obedience. (John 14:15, etc.) We have a tendency to forget that little caveat. We like to run off and do our own thing, and then pop off a little prayer and expect God to answer, like some sort of supernatural valet. How foolish! God responds to our love for Him and His Son, and that love is objectively measured by obedience. Of course, we all stumble at times. However, the very person who recorded these words of Jesus also wrote, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9) That is where faith comes in. We’ve got to believe that God’s love and grace are greater than any sin we could possibly commit, but never take that as permission to sin. When we have that firmly in our heart and mind, then nothing can keep us from praying, with great joy at being able to talk with such a marvelous heavenly Father.

I had the enormous blessing of being raised in a home where prayer was as natural as breathing. As a result, I have never hesitated to pray. My wife has even complained that I should let her know when I’m about to pray! It has never seemed strange to me that God would be aware of every detail of His creation. If He knows everything I say anyway, why would I hesitate to address words to Him? At the same time, I am growing in my understanding of what it means to pray in Jesus’ name. If my prayer, my heart, is not in line with Him, then tacking His name onto my wish list isn’t going to accomplish anything. The heart of everything I ask of God has got to be, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.” However, if that is at the heart of my prayer, then I can pray with total freedom and boldness.

Father, thank You for the incredible privilege of prayer. Help me never take it lightly, and help me be more and more effective in communicating Your plan for prayer, Your desire for fellowship, to each of the believers, so that they too may rejoice to walk with You in full intimacy at all times, for their eternal blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Belonging; January 24, 2020

Posted on January 27, 2020 by jgarrott

John 15:19 “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”

We all have an innate desire to belong, but if we choose the wrong place to belong, we get into deep trouble. That is the biggest, most basic pull of gangs. Those who get caught up in gangs generally lack an effective father-figure in their lives, which lays them open to the pull of a group that will both provide support and demand allegiance, quite regardless of what they do. That is simply a focused version of the general pull of the world, and the remedy is the same: an awareness of our Father. Jesus chooses us, as He says here, not on the basis of our ability but on the basis of our availability. That’s why Peter tells us to “make your calling and election sure.” (2 Peter 1:10) God has an “all-volunteer army!” We can’t accomplish anything strictly on our own, but the choice to allow God to work through us is ours, and is an essential part of belonging to God. As Jesus says here, the down side of belonging to Him is actively not belonging to the world. In the short term that can seem pretty rough, frankly, especially for someone who doesn’t have much spiritual maturity. The world can be very seductive at times! However, just like walking through a bar district in the full light of day exposes how tawdry it is, the light of God’s truth exposes all the lies of the devil for what they are. All the enticements the world and the devil use are temporal, temporary, whereas God offers us eternal life, and “a kingdom that cannot be shaken.” (Hebrews 12:28) That’s where we need to choose to belong.

Growing up as a Caucasian in Japan, a missionary kid in an Air Force Dependents School (or a fish out of water in the US), belonging has been an issue for me all my life. I have gone through all sorts of responses to it all, trying to fit in at times and actively withdrawing at times, being hurt by rejection (real or perceived) and glorying in my differences. I will be eternally grateful that God blocked some of my attempts to belong, to the wrong groups or in the wrong way. I have had to grow in my awareness of availability being the key to being secure in belonging to Christ. Since I am still a Caucasian in Japan, sometimes the old wounds of rejection flare up, but I have received a lot of healing in that area. Japanese society places a lot of weight on belonging, and it is often a major issue in someone becoming a Christian. We have a member here who never felt accepted in society, and when I offered him baptism he rejoiced to accept, more for the sake of belonging than because he understood all the theological implications. His spiritual and emotional growth since then have been noticed by many, to their surprise. I need to make the whole issue of belonging very clear, both to express God’s acceptance of us as we are and His requirement that we yield everything to Him, allowing Him to change and use us.

Father, thank You for this clear Word. Thank You for the opportunity yesterday to talk with and encourage a brother who has been experiencing the pull of the world. I pray that everyone in this church would not mourn their not belonging to the world, but rather rejoice to belong to You, living as Your agents, bright lights in this dark world, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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