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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Abiding; January 23, 2020

Posted on January 26, 2020 by jgarrott

John 15:4 “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

This is the very simplest, most logical of principles, yet we have a lot of trouble getting it through our heads. In horticulture we don’t expect a cut branch to bear fruit, whether it is from a grape, an apple, or any other tree. However, we have trouble grasping that we are indeed branches of Jesus, and so we think we can do things completely independently, and much of the time we try to do exactly that. How utterly foolish! Another illustration the Bible uses to get this point across is that of the potter and the pot. God famously spoke it to Jeremiah, (Jeremiah 18:1-6) but Isaiah also used that image (Isaiah 29:16, 45:9) and even Paul referred to us as clay pots. (Romans 9:21, 2 Corinthians 4:7) We forget that we are dependent, created beings! Atheists formalize that to insist that there is no Creator, but even many who claim to be Christians live their lives ignoring God. The results are often tragic. It’s like an infant: deprived of its mother’s milk and touch, it will soon die. We use bottles and formula and the like when the mother’s milk is not available for some reason, but touch, nurturing, is hardly less important. Experiments showed that a baby monkey separated from its mother would choose a terrycloth doll that gave no nourishment over a wire doll that had nipples from which it could feed. Whatever image you use, the fact remains that we are given freedom to choose and to act, but we are still dependent on our Creator. We have an emotional need to be accomplishful, but Jesus is here pointing out that we can fulfill that in truth only when we are fully connected to Him.

This is a lesson that I haven’t been that fast to learn. I understood it in theory, but getting it to the core of my being was a different matter. As a pastor I desire that each of the believers grasp this truth, but they aren’t any better at it than I was! I seek to help them understand the importance of consistent daily devotions, but only a fraction of the congregation maintain that. Society presses in with all sorts of demands, but we fail to grasp that we can meet those demands (those that are right and reasonable) only as we are connected to our Source. It’s no wonder we suffer burnout when we disconnect our fuel line! The devil does all he can to blind us in this area, and he is all too often successful. I can’t convince people on my own, but I can speak the truth in love, and the Holy Spirit can use my words to open the eyes of believers. I too need to abide in the vine!

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for this message to share with the people on Sunday. Frankly, I am tired of trying to get this through to people. That probably shows I’ve been trying to do it on my own! Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, showing the believers what it is to abide in you by example, using words only to explain what they can see. I pray that You would give each of them a hunger for more of You so that they will rearrange their priorities and place You first indeed, for their great blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Emotion vs. Obedience; January 22, 2020

Posted on January 26, 2020 by jgarrott

John 14:23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

Anywhere you turn in the Upper Room Discourse, there is a powerful sermon. This section is about the promise of the Holy Spirit, and it would be hard to get any more important than that. That said, some in the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement seem to focus on emotion almost to the exclusion of obedience, and that is a drastic mistake. If you desire fellowship with God, there is no substitute for obedience, as this verse makes clear. A big part of the problem is that we confuse love with emotion. That confusion not only sabotages marriages, it sabotages our relationship with God. As Don Francisco sang memorably, “Love is not a feeling, it’s an act of your will.” We tend to think of love in terms of warm fuzzies, when often it is a matter of cold, hard realities. Starting with verse 14, “If you love me, you will obey what I command,” Jesus repeatedly connects love and obedience. We want all the “good stuff” the Bible promises, but that cannot be separated from the obedience of love.

My own life contains many illustrations of this. I first met Cathy, as best I can remember, in November of 1968. I got to know her to a degree over the following weeks, and I liked what I saw. In February, 1969, almost by accident, I asked her to go walking in the snow with me on a Sunday afternoon, taking pictures, after meeting up for church and lunch. We ended up talking for over 2 hours out in the snow, and spent the rest of the day together. After spending much of the next day talking together as well, (apart from college classes) that night I wrote my parents that I had found the girl I wanted to marry. On Thursday of the next week we got engaged, and we were married in May, less than 24 hours after I graduated from college. That was a decision on my part, even more than it was emotion, and I have never regretted it. I wish I could say that my decision to follow Christ was as consistent! There have been times when obedience was not the easy choice, but it has always been the best choice. The longer I live, the more the fellowship with God that Jesus speaks of here becomes my highest priority and joy. It’s not complete yet, and won’t be until I am before my Father’s throne, but I get enough tastes of it to make it all worthwhile. That’s not at all to say that I don’t have emotion, either with my wife or with my God. I have plenty! However, the emotion is the gravy, the relationship is the meat. As a pastor, I seek to lead others into this understanding, so that they too may have clarity as they face the lies of the world and the devil, and choose obedience to their Creator.

Father, thank You for this clear Word. Help me indeed be obedient to You in every detail, today and every day, so that nothing will interfere with my fellowship with You, not only for my blessing but for the blessing of those around me as well, and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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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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