Hubris and Humility; March 31, 2019

Posted on April 5, 2019 by jgarrott

Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!

Paul has just been writing about God’s plans for the Jews and the Gentiles and how they are intertwined, and it hits him that man could never have come up with such a plan on his own. I really believe that up through verse 32 this chapter is a prophetic revelation, and Paul was fully as amazed by it as we should be. Even he can’t grasp all the implications of what he has just written! Paul wasn’t the first Biblical writer to experience that, as he demonstrates by quoting Isaiah and Job in the following two verses, and he wasn’t the last, because God continues to blow our minds by revealing things to us that are too big for us to have dreamed up or figured out. Mankind prides itself on being able to figure things out, on being “higher than the animals,” but as God finally got through to me several years ago, the truth is that He’s smart and we’re not. The more we really grasp the truth of this little four-verse benediction, the better off we are. It’s not at all that God doesn’t want us to use the minds He has given us, it’s that we need to keep it all in perspective, maintaining a confident humility that we can learn, but only God knows it all, and that is a very good thing indeed.

This is extremely applicable to me, because I wallowed in conceit for many years. Now, it amuses me to think of how stupid I was to think I was so smart! Having been there myself, it’s easy to recognize lots of people who fall for that trick of the devil. One way of saying it is that they believe their own press releases. Celebrities of all sorts are quite liable to this, in sports, politics, the entertainment industry and what have you, but it isn’t limited to them. After all, I fell for it big time. I need to follow Peter’s advice: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” (1 Peter 5:6) Like Paul, I often find that I write things that I didn’t really know before I wrote them, and I recognize God’s revelation. I am never to take credit for that, even in my own thoughts – or especially in my own thoughts – but rather walk in gratitude and amazement that God would be so gracious as to speak through me. Today I will be giving a report to the church of our recent trip to the US. I need to stay fully sensitive to what He wants me to say and take no credit for anything myself, so that those who hear may be drawn to Him and understand that He wants to and can use and bless them too, for His glory.

Father, thank You for Your amazing grace. Thank You for being God, for knowing the end from the beginning and both knowing and desiring the very best for us Your children. May we be fully, humbly, submitted to You, to be and do what You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Walking in Trust; March 30, 2019

Posted on April 5, 2019 by jgarrott

Romans 10:11-13 As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Once again I was in real trouble knowing exactly what part of the longer passage I was to write on, because it is all so very rich. God’s truth is a limitless treasure that is a joy to delve into for more years than anyone could live on this earth. It is also amazingly internally consistent. Just in this chapter Paul quotes the Old Testament 12 times! (That makes me feel better about how many Scriptures I use in my messages.) What Paul is focusing on in these three verses is that salvation is on equal terms for everyone. Nobody gets a shortcut, but God is equally accessible to all. Because Japan has a “shame culture,” as opposed to the “sin culture” of the West, a difference in the translation between the English and the Japanese of verse 11 caught my eye. What makes it more complicated is that in Isaiah 28:16, which Paul is quoting here, there are yet two more expressions, making four different terms for what God is saying. They are, in no particular order, “put to shame,” “disappointed,” “dismayed,” and “frantic.” None of those are desirable, so the point remains that trusting God is the best course, regardless. The problem comes in the fact that we tend to trust almost anything but God, and that is tragic. It is impossible to live without some level of trust. If we don’t trust that the ground under our feet will support us, we can’t walk. If we don’t trust that God is who He says He is, we can’t walk in fellowship with Him. That’s why the devil, with his lies, builds up false expectations in our minds and hearts so that when those expectations are dashed, we lose trust in God. The more thoroughly we trust God, the more trustworthy we find Him to be.

This of course applies to me as much as it does to anyone else. I was enormously blessed to be raised by parents who trusted God, but they were no more perfect than I am. (And that’s saying something!) I grew up with the strong expectation that God was trustworthy, but I have failed to walk out that trust more times than I could count. I let all sorts of little things distract and frustrate me. For example, my computer crashed during the previous paragraph, wiping out a good chunk of what I had written. However, when I went back to it after the reboot, the Lord gave me what I think is a better turn of phrase to say what I was feeling. I am forever telling others to trust God, so it is “spiritually embarrassing” when I fail to do so myself. It was quite a few years ago that the Lord got it through to me that He’s smart and I’m not, but I also need to grasp that He’s righteous and trustworthy and I’m not, unless I am abiding in Christ. It is only when I abide in Him that I am righteous and holy and trustworthy and all those other things I so want to be. The good news is that when I do abide in Him by faith, I am all those things. To God be the glory!

Father, thank You for this reminder. There are so many lessons You teach me that I am so slow to learn! Help me indeed trust You fully, walking and running with You, in joy and peace, for the sake of Your kingdom and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Trusting God; March 29, 2019

Posted on April 4, 2019 by jgarrott

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

This is one of the most quoted verses in the whole Bible, but we still pay it far more lip service than we do actually believe it. When things happen that we don’t like, our usual choices of action seem to be panic, anger, despair, or something similar. The idea of thanking God for whatever it is rarely progresses beyond the theoretical stage. From here through the end of the chapter Paul pounds home the truth that God is bigger than anything that could possibly face us, so when we commit ourselves fully to Him, there’s absolutely nothing to be afraid of. Because this is so hard for us to grasp on the emotional level, Paul touches on it again and again. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7) That peace, incidentally, is something every person alive desires and seeks, whether they realize it or not. When we have that peace, it becomes easy to follow something else Paul said very famously. “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:19-20) It is only when we are convinced that God is God and we belong to Him that we are able to thank Him for everything He allows in our lives. It is never that He desires evil for us, but rather that He sees the end from the beginning and orchestrates everything so that it turns out for our good, just as this verse says. Even in the Old Testament Joseph famously said, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20) Over 20 years ago now I was lying in bed thinking, not actively praying, “There are so many things I wish were different.” At that point I heard the Lord say to me, in words that I don’t think anyone else could have heard but which might as well have been audible, they were so clear, “How do you think I feel?” That was a powerful lesson that God never desires evil for us, but He often allows us to experience the consequences of sin, our own and that of others, as well as simple mistakes, to teach us and grow us to be more like His Son indeed, for our blessing and His glory.

I am in the middle of another training incident in this. Yesterday morning I was rejoicing in all the little pleasures and joys of being home again, but then after lunch I went to the cell phone store to see about correcting a problem with my phone. I had taken my Chinese phone (that I had happily been using for over a year in Japan) to the US to try installing an American SIM card in order to use it there. At a store in one city I did get such a card, and it seemed to work in the store, but it never worked thereafter. In another store in another city, I was told that phone was simply not compatible with the US cellular system, so I gave up and bought a cheap phone to use for the duration of the trip. However, for the rest of the trip I had to eventually turn the power off completely to the phone I had brought from Japan, because it kept rebooting at regular intervals. Yesterday at the Japanese phone store I discovered that the phone that I had used happily for over a year would no longer recognize that it had a SIM installed at all, making it useless as a phone, and since I had used it that long, it was out of warranty. My instant frustration and depression was quite interesting, from an objective standpoint. Here I was so upset at something that was essentially a luxury, that 20 years ago I would not have dreamed of. I have looked down at those who have seemed glued to their phones, yet I am being shown that I am in no way superior to them, regardless of differences in degree. I am to thank God for this experience and allow Him to show me what He wants me to have, in all humility and gratitude, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this experience. It is an expensive one financially, but in various ways You have been showing us that it’s never about money, it’s about hearing and obeying You. Help me walk in gratitude and trusting obedience at all times, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Our Bodies; March 28, 2019

Posted on April 4, 2019 by jgarrott

Romans 8:23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

This whole section has lots of marvelous, life-changing truth, but recent experience has really made this verse click. 12-hour-plus jet lag, coupled with 24-hour-plus travel time, on either side of almost three weeks of whirlwind scheduling that involved over 1000 miles of driving, can really make your body groan! Such experiences can really help us understand that these bodies aren’t intended to be eternal but will be replaced with glorified bodies, as Paul wrote about extensively in 1 Corinthians 15:25-57. That’s something it really helps to keep in mind, along with the Lord’s words to Paul when he had a major physical problem: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) God does heal our physical bodies often, as He promised in Isaiah 53:5, but that is essentially peripheral to His over-all salvation. This trip has been particularly rough on Cathy, with her Parkinson’s Disease and other issues, and it hasn’t been easy on my 70-year-old body either, but God has given us some marvelous experiences along the way. We have renewed contact with friends from many years ago and met relatives we never knew we had! God has used us to bless others, and He has certainly used others to bless us. That said, at the point we arrived back in Omura last night, we were certainly groaning inwardly – and outwardly as well! God never wastes anything He allows us to experience, if we will only open our hearts to receive His lessons in all humility and gratitude.

My task at the moment is to internalize and apply all that the Lord has taught us over this time, not only to Cathy and me personally but also to the church in our absence. One thing I have realized already this morning is God’s grace and mercy in the little, mundane things of our daily lives. Being able to do some things that were completely routine before has given me joy and gratitude, and that is a great blessing. I try not to take things for granted, and I often caution others about that, but I am reminded of how prone I am to do it myself. I am reminded that Paul said being ungrateful was one of the negative signs of the Last Days. (2 Timothy 3:2) I don’t want those negative things being applicable to me! We have received grace upon grace, not only throughout this trip but every day of our lives. As I go through today, and each day, I need to give God the gratitude and praise He, and He alone, deserves.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You indeed that we are safely back home in Omura. I do pray that everything You have done throughout this period may be put to full use, growing us and growing this church as You intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Condemnation; March 27, 2019

Posted on April 3, 2019 by jgarrott

Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

This is an extremely important verse, particularly in light of all that follows. It would be easy to read Paul’s description of our position in Christ and think, “I’m not like that.” If we actually need to repent of something that’s one thing, but the devil likes to accuse us (after all, that’s what his name means) of things that have no real basis in fact. We are indeed in Christ if we receive His forgiveness and salvation by faith, but the devil loves to insist that we are not. We must not forget, he’s a liar! What we need to do, when we read such packed passages as Romans 8 (and actually, any Bible passage) is to ask the Holy Spirit to open our mind and heart so that we can grasp what He is saying to us and receive it. Sometimes reading the Bible rightly brings conviction and repentance, but repentance always brings forgiveness and cleansing, (1 John 1:9) and that is joyful indeed. The devil wants to rob us of that joy, because he only comes to steal, kill, and destroy, (John 10:10) but he has no power to do that if we are submitted to God, (James 4:7) so that is what we need to do. After all, that could be said to be a description of what it is to be in Christ Jesus!

This naturally applies as much to me as it does to anyone, and it is also a vitally important truth for me to communicate as a pastor. I have dealt with far too many Christians who labored under condemnation! Actually, many of those were basically unwilling to repent, and realizing that, instead of genuinely humbling themselves to repent, they just condemned themselves. That is tragic! Actually, there are linguistic problems to expressing this issue in Japanese, so I’ve got to have the wisdom and anointing of the Holy Spirit in doing so. I can think of several people right now who need to get this straight in their mind and heart, so I have my work cut out for me. I’m never to give up, but neither am I to strive in my own strength. I can’t get these truths across on my own, but the Holy Spirit can use me to get it done, so my job is to stay available and responsive.

Father, thank You for this reminder. You know who came to mind as I wrote, and I ask You to reveal this truth to them, whether You use me in the process or not. May we as a church walk in all that it means to be in Christ Jesus, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Union with Christ; March 26, 2019

Posted on April 3, 2019 by jgarrott

Romans 7:4 So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.

By current standards this verse would be considered PG13, at least, and many adults would be uncomfortable with it as well. We have made sex to be “attractively dirty,” and have trouble considering it as something spiritual at all. Frankly, I think that is to our great loss. We lower it to the level of animals, and that deprives us of some of the most beautiful imagery in the Bible. Here, this is also something of a “gender bender,” because it speaks of believers of either gender “bearing fruit” (birthing children) for God. Even secular psychologists tell us that sex has a strong emotional component, and treating it lightly can cause severe emotional damage. Paul goes even further, speaking of spiritual unity in sex, even if it’s with a prostitute. (1 Corinthians 6:15) That’s pretty extreme! Today, someone having only one partner throughout life is the exception rather than the rule, and that is a very sad state of affairs. Sometimes it takes a special revelation from God for us to grasp the reality of our “union” with Christ. Even talking about it feels awkward! However, God designed us so that the marital relationship can teach us a great deal about our relationship with Him, if we will allow it to do so.

This naturally applies to me as much as it does to anyone else. I have been enormously blessed with a good marriage, and we celebrate our 50th anniversary this year. That has given me a lot of appreciation for this spiritual truth. My wife and I are not only united physically, but spiritually to a degree that I could not have imagined 50 years ago. Over those years we have also grown in our unity with our Lord. I’m very grateful that there’s no such thing as “spiritual menopause;” we can keep having spiritual children as long as we are on this earth. Medical reasons have limited us to two physical children, but we have many more spiritual children and pray to keep growing the family! However, just as with physical children, “it takes two to tango;” I cannot generate spiritual children on my own. I’ve got to “stay intimate” with my Lord if I’m going to keep “bearing fruit” for Him.

Father, thank You for this glorious reality. It’s hard to write about, even for me! I do pray that I would be able to draw ever closer to You, so that our union may produce the fruit that You intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Salvation; March 25, 2019

Posted on April 2, 2019 by jgarrott

Romans 3:22-24 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Verse 23 is one of the “proof text” verses many Christians have memorized as part of the “Roman Road” of evangelism/salvation. That’s not bad, but we always need to read Scripture in context, so I’m glad the NIV doesn’t use verse numbers as sentence divisions. (The Japanese puts a period at the end of 22, but 23 and 24 are part of the same sentence, so 23 by itself leaves you hanging.) Verse 23 is a statement of our guilt, and that is indeed important. If we don’t understand we need salvation, we aren’t going to receive it. However, Paul’s point is much bigger than that. In verse 22 he says, “There is no difference.” The Japanese is even more specific: “There is no discrimination.” Racial discrimination has been a problem with mankind at least as far back as recorded history. In the early Church, the whole question of whether Gentiles were even eligible for salvation was a major issue that God had to deal with rather dramatically, first with Peter individually (Acts 10) and then with two major Church Councils. (Acts 11 and 15) Paul was in a sense the instigator of the second of those Councils, so there neither was nor is any question of his position on the issue. Here, verse 23 gives the diagnosis, but verse 24 gives the remedy, and that is justification by faith. We tend to choke on that word, taking it as theological and difficult, but it actually is much more common than we think. Legally speaking, we speak of “justifiable homicide” in the case of killing someone in self defense. Many years ago I heard justification, as in this verse, explained as “just-as-if-I’d never sinned.” That may not cut it with your English teacher, (and I am one) but it’s not a bad explanation in terms of the spiritual reality of salvation. Paul’s point, that every human being needs to grasp, is that absolutely everyone is in need of salvation, and it is equally available to us all through faith in Jesus Christ. The first half of that might sound like bad news, but it’s just recognizing reality. The second half is Good News indeed, which is why it’s called the Gospel.

I have perhaps more understanding of this than many people, because at one point I had the stupidity to feel that my pedigree made me “more eligible” for salvation than others. NO! There is NO DIFFERENCE. I am just as much in need of God’s grace as a mass murderer. I am thankful that God has kept me from being a mass murderer or anything similar, and I am grateful for my spiritual heritage, but the absolute purity of God means that the slightest sin disqualifies us completely from being united with Him. That’s why Jesus had to die on the cross for me, to cleanse me from all my sin. And He has given me understanding that the cross is enough to atone for any sin, even mass murder. Repentance is painful to our pride, but it is absolutely glorious, because it opens us up to all that God has done for us in Christ Jesus. That is my message, and I am to proclaim it far and wide.

Father, thank You for this powerful reminder. We have seen many people on this trip, and all of them have been in need of repentance in some way – and that includes us! I ask Your grace and mercy for us all, that the tricks and traps of the devil may be defeated and we all walk in the completed work of Christ, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Righteousness; March 24, 2019

Posted on April 2, 2019 by jgarrott

Romans 1:17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Here Paul is stating the overarching theme of the whole letter to the Romans. There is obviously a little difficulty in translating one expression in this verse. Where the NIV says “by faith from first to last,” and gives “from faith to faith” as an alternate translation in a footnote, the Japanese says, “starts in faith and continues in faith.” We are never more at risk to the devil’s wiles than when our faith wavers, not so much in strength as in what we are trusting. When we are walking in total dependence on God, we are righteous indeed. However, as soon as we think, “I’ve got this,” we are in grave danger, as Paul pointed out to the Corinthians. (1 Corinthians 10:12) We also tend to trust things like organizations, or even our own pedigree. I was hardly righteous when I thought I was in good shape because my parents were missionaries. We can’t depend on the faith of someone else, no matter how connected to them we might be. However, when our faith really is in Jesus Christ the Lord, we are made to be the very righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) This really is a very deep subject, which is why Romans is the most “theological” of Paul’s letters. In the process, Paul recorded some of the most glorious truths in the whole Bible, giving shape to the foundation of our faith, and we have every reason to be deeply grateful.

I’m not sure I would say Romans is my favorite book in the New Testament, but it’s certainly not at the bottom of the list! Romans 8 is Cathy’s favorite chapter in the whole Bible. As I read Romans, and specifically, read portions of it each day for the next several days, I need to focus on what God is saying to me personally now, not relying on past insight or “standard interpretation.” I am not to put my faith in the words themselves, but in the Lord who speaks them to me. That can be a tricky point at times. I am to walk in the obedience that comes from love, (John 14:15) knowing that my righteousness comes not from what I do but from the One whom I serve, so that He may receive all the glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s a very basic point, but if the foundation is weak, everything can crumble. Help me indeed walk in obedient trust all the time, taking my eyes off of myself and keeping them on Jesus, (Hebrews 12:2) so that I may not be deceived by the devil or anything else. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Fear of the Lord; March 23, 2019

Posted on April 1, 2019 by jgarrott

Acts 26:17-18 “‘I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'”

How glorious can you get? This is the commission of every missionary, yet so few accept it. Actually, it is the commission of every believer! We fail to grasp the reality of what it means to be a witness of Jesus Christ, (Acts 1:8) and so fail to make disciples as Jesus told us to do. (Matthew 28:18-20) As a result, we fail to be genuine disciples ourselves, going along for the ride instead of actively participating in the process. I think a major part of the problem is that we fail to understand what it means to be “under the power of Satan,” and that apart from Christ, that is exactly where we and everyone else is. We can’t understand salvation if we don’t understand damnation. There’s an old fashioned word for you! We have lost a great deal as the devil has worked to eliminate it from our vocabulary. I’m reminded of a story I read recently of someone who prayed the Lord’s Prayer as they were dying, and at first found themselves in hell, before Jesus called them up to heaven and subsequently sent them back to earth. They reported that it was pitch black, and they heard horrible, agonized screams. They said, “Where am I?” and a voice replied, “Where do you think? This is hell.” The devil has mounted a full-force campaign to make us think that hell is a fiction, because he doesn’t want the fear of hell to drive anyone to God. As long as we think the worst that can happen to us is “the lights going out,” we aren’t going to have much incentive to deny the lusts of the flesh. (1 John 2:16) Without the fear of God we are total idiots, as we and everyone around us proves every day. (Proverbs 1:7) This is also behind the devil’s push to destroy discipline as a concept in raising children. When parents can literally be arrested for spanking their children, those children lose all sense of accountability, and that is exactly what the devil wants. Legalism is not the answer, and we are indeed saved by grace and not by works, (Ephesians 2:8-9) but without the awareness of right and wrong, we are hopeless.

This has been an issue all my life, and I think it is for everyone. I was incredibly blessed to have strongly believing parents who did their best to raise us in the fear and love of the Lord, but that lesson didn’t “take” perfectly, as I don’t think it does for anyone. I had plenty of love, but not enough fear! It took me a long time to understand that genuine love for Him requires obedience. (John 14:15) As a pastor and missionary I seek to raise up disciples for Jesus, but they all have the same struggle. Sometimes it takes a close encounter with the consequences of disobedience – depression, disease, or a host of other things – before people wake up to just how amazing God’s grace is. I am not to put people down, and I am always to speak a message of hope, but I must not sugar-coat the consequences of our turning our backs on God. I see people all around me, people I love and care about deeply, completely ignoring God in their daily lives, and I can only pray God’s mercy on them.

Father, thank You for allowing us to make this trip, and for Your guidance and support in it. It has grieved me to see how few people give You any priority in their lives, even though they may profess love for You. I do ask Your grace and mercy on us all, so that as many as possible may escape the clutches of the devil and come into Your life indeed, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Speaking Truth; March 22, 2019

Posted on April 1, 2019 by jgarrott

Acts 24:25 As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.”

This has always seemed a little amusing to me, if it weren’t so serious. Many, many people have Felix’s response to hearing the Gospel. Paul wasn’t preaching “your best life now,” he was telling it like it really is, that we are accountable before God for everything we say and do, and it is only by faith in His grace, through the cross of Christ, that we have any hope at all. Frankly, I don’t think the Gospel gets presented that way very often. However, Paul was so committed to God’s truth that he could only speak the truth in love, whatever the consequences to himself. He demonstrated earlier in the chapter that he could be just as smooth a talker as the “district attorney” who was accusing him, but he wasn’t going to say anything that was less than the truth, even to get himself out of a really tight spot. If he had buttered Felix up, instead of confronting him with his need for repentance and faith, he might well have been released. However, the years of his imprisonment that followed allowed him to write the letters that form half of the New Testament, and all mankind has been blessed. He had already written some of those letters, but some of them could not be written, as far as he was concerned, until he had gone through more. Here he gives us a perfect example of “speaking truth to power.” We need to follow his example, even if the consequences to us are the same as they were to him.

Of course this applies to me as much as it does to anyone else. I am not to offend needlessly, but I am certainly not to hold back from anything the Lord is saying because of a fear of offending. I have done that far too many times! I am not to be needlessly confrontational, but I must overcome my fear of man that makes me draw back from conflict. I am to allow the Holy Spirit full control of my mouth, whether I am speaking English or Japanese, and not just when I’m speaking in tongues. I must not value people liking me more than I value their eternal salvation!

Father, thank You for this reminder, particularly as the next 48 hours will be packed with personal interactions. I pray that my words would be gracious and “seasoned with salt,” (Colossians 4:6) blessing my hearers and also challenging them to draw close to You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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