Judgment; January 11, 2019

Posted on January 14, 2019 by jgarrott

Rev 6:16-17 They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

I would venture to say that this isn’t anyone’s favorite Scripture passage. We don’t like to think of the world, of God, or of ourselves this way! The Bible has many, many references to God’s judgment, but we block it out of our minds and insist, “A loving God wouldn’t do that.” God’s love can’t be separated from His holiness and power. I am constantly confronted – in myself and in others – with the human tendency to imagine God in light of us, as though He were no more than a great big, powerful person. That is understandable, since we are both created in His image (Genesis 1:27) and finite, in sharp contrast to His infinity. However, it presents many problems. When we attribute merely human characteristics to God we make Him, in our imaginations, less than He really is, and so less able to save us. That is both unfortunate and ironic. We want to make Him more approachable, but in the process we make Him into an empty idol. God is alive and real and greater than we have words to describe. He is everything we could ever need, and yet He is essentially indescribable. That such a Creator God would care so much about His creation as to send His Son to die in our place to enable us to come to Him in faith is the greatest scandal possible, really beyond our imagination. We can’t grasp the magnificence of it if we also fail to realize that our attitudes and actions deserve a scene such as these verses describe. We can’t grasp the greatness of God’s grace unless we accept how utterly essential it is to us. The only defense against Judgment is abiding in Jesus Christ by faith.

I don’t really like to think about this any more than anyone else does. I do long for Christ’s return, but at the same time I want Him to delay so that as many as possible may have the opportunity to repent and believe for their salvation. People wanting to be buried in a landslide is a horrible picture indeed! The irony there is that even that will not shield anyone or anything from God. I’m not to go trying to “scare people into heaven,” but I must not hide His holiness or sugar coat His judgment. I am far more comfortable proclaiming the love and mercy of God, but they mean very little if we fail to grasp the alternative. The greatest revival in American history was the Great Awakening, shortly before the Revolutionary War, triggered by a sermon by Jonathan Edwards titled, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. I’ve never preached such a sermon. I need to be willing to say and do anything my Lord asks of me, not fearing the reaction of men, because He is more than worthy of my total devotion.

Father, thank You for the incredible privilege of proclaiming Your Word, week by week and day by day. Help me be fully obedient to that Word myself, not deceiving myself, (James 1:22) so that as many as possible may be spared from Your judgment because of repentance and faith. Thank You. Praise God!

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Discipline; January 10, 2019

Posted on January 12, 2019 by jgarrott

Revelation 3:19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

Verse 20 is very famous, depicted in paintings and quoted in songs and evangelistic materials. However, this verse is generally overlooked, because we don’t like the idea of rebuke and discipline! That Jesus said this to John certainly backs up Hebrews 12:4-11, which in turn quotes Proverbs 3:11-12. We want a permissive God who overlooks our “peccadilloes” and lets us do whatever we like. That’s certainly not the God of the Bible! He wants a Bride, holy and blameless. (Ephesians 5:25-27) We have a lot of trouble associating discipline with love, but the Bible and good parenting are certainly in agreement in that area. As the Hebrews passage points out, we taste human parenting, most of us from both sides, as children and then as parents, so we need to extrapolate that to understand that God is indeed the perfect Father. Many people feel that the message to the church in Laodicea is the most severe of the seven, but we must not overlook the fact that even this verse says “those whom I love.” The fact that we are imperfect and go astray doesn’t make God stop loving us. The fact that He corrects us, sometimes strongly, doesn’t mean He doesn’t love us. The thing is, the devil loves to accuse us, (that’s what his name means) so we need to learn to distinguish between his accusations and our Father’s corrections. The devil immediately goes from specific sins to blanket statements, saying we’re always wrong or we are simply no good. God, on the other hand, is specific about how we need to change. The biggest problem with the Laodiceans was that they were complacent, satisfied with the status quo to the point that they were nauseating to God. (verses 15-16) That’s why here He tells them to be earnest. The Japanese clicks a bit better than the English in this verse, because the term for “earnest” is literally, “hot heart.” That is the perfect correction for the lukewarmness that had been pointed out.

I have experienced this multiple times. When I was steeped in spiritual pride, God showed me a spiritual mirror so that I could see how dirty I had become. When I had lost the focus of my ministry, He sent someone to give me a strong word that I was treating the church like a hobby instead of my calling. When I was so busy demanding that He answer my questions that I couldn’t really hear Him, He told me to shut up. Right now seems a very confusing time, with many things going on at once, and I have no idea how it will all turn out. I need to receive this as discipline for my tendency to want to be in control, to have all the answers. I am forced to acknowledge that I can control nothing but myself, and I’m not very good at that. Before God, there is absolutely no room for pride of any sort. I need to be comfortable with that, resting, relaxing, and rejoicing in Him just as He has told me to do, recognizing the task at hand and doing it with my whole heart as unto Him. It’s the recognizing part that often gives me the most trouble, but He is growing and guiding me, and I need to be gratefully obedient.

Father, thank You for this Word, and for all that You are doing in me and in this church. I really have no wisdom in myself, so help me listen to You accurately and follow You completely, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Open Doors; January 9, 2019

Posted on January 12, 2019 by jgarrott

Revelation 3:8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

Every small, weak church would like this to be them! As came out a few days ago, the majority of the world’s churches aren’t very big, regardless of the impression secular media try to give. It’s interesting. On the one hand they try to portray the Church as this huge, threatening thing that is trying to control everything and squeeze all the fun out of life, and on the other hand they try to present it as something inconsequential that can safely be ignored. Of course, neither of those is at all a true picture, because they originate from the liar, the enemy of every human being whether we recognize it or not. There are big churches that are true to Christ and pleasing to Him, but size isn’t the issue; faithfulness is. We tend to become jealous of churches that seem “successful” to us, rather than seeking God as to what He wants us doing on a day-to-day basis. Just yesterday I saw a headline something like, “Church with many healing miracles sees explosive growth.” I didn’t stop to read the article. We are to rejoice when God does things like that, but not think God loves them more than He loves us. We are indeed to examine ourselves and see if there is anything in us that hinders the flow of the Spirit, but not be so introspective that we fail to make full use of the opportunities God gives us. (Ephesians 5:16, Colossians 4:5) God delights to give open doors to His children, as it says here. That’s another way of expressing what Jesus said in our Verse for the Year, Luke 12:32, where He talks about giving us the kingdom. It may seem like every door is closed, but if our focus is on Him rather than on our circumstances, we will discover that more doors are open than we had imagined.

Talk about a Word directly to me! The past two years have seen two major projects seem to fall through completely. Neither is impossible even now, but in my humanity I don’t see how. I need to focus on faithfulness, doing the task at hand as my sacrifice of praise to my Lord. (Colossians 3:17) I need to seek to recognize the opportunities He gives me so that I won’t miss any of the doors He is opening. At the same time, I’m not to go banging my head on closed doors. I have a tendency to get distracted, failing to follow through with things I know to do, for any of a number of reasons. None of those reasons are valid! Seeking first God’s kingdom applies to every decision of my life, every priority, every time allocation. If I will focus fully on my Lord and His kingdom, I will have no lack of open doors.

Father thank You for this Word. I certainly needed it! I do see lots of potential, but I have no wisdom in how to follow through. I see that You could be opening a door for ministry to children, but I have never felt proficient at such. At the same time, children tend to like me! Show me who is to participate in the ministry with me, what form it is to take, and when we are to start. Likewise, You are directing me to renew prayer walking, as of this morning. Help me be led fully by Your Spirit in that, so that demonic strongholds may be shattered and many set free. May indeed Your name be acknowledged as holy and Your kingdom come as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Tolerance; January 8, 2019

Posted on January 11, 2019 by jgarrott

Revelation 2:20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.

This church sounds a lot like some today! They were doing good things, but they were over tolerant of severe error. Sexual sin is precisely where some churches are failing today, and it’s obvious that’s not a new problem. Jesus makes it clear that such sin brings consequences, but in verse 24 and following He is very reassuring and comforting to those who have avoided such error. It’s no accident that the buzzword of the day is “tolerance.” As has been pointed out, it is sadly ironic that those who use the word most seem to display genuine tolerance the least. In the Church, tolerance is very dangerous, as this verse says. We are to love people as they are but not leave them as they are. Jesus said that He will never drive away anyone who comes to Him, and that’s not conditional on our condition when we come. (John 6:37) However, if we come to Him we must repent of how we have been apart from Him, and allow Him to change us. In this passage, the next verse says that this woman was unwilling to repent, and the consequences were dire for her and those who followed her. Church discipline is a touchy subject, and has even generated law suits in the US. Churches all over the world are being accused of intolerance simply for stating Biblical standards of morality. We must not be afraid of that, but continue to speak the truth in love even when it’s politically incorrect.

In my first pastorate, a previous pastor developed a brain tumor from the stress of trying to deal with an immoral church officer. When I arrived, that church officer was still in the church, though no longer an officer and not actively continuing his adultery. I learned a number of things in that pastorate! I don’t like confrontation at all, but I have learned, the hard way at times, that avoidance never solves problems. Often, “tolerance” can be a euphemism for conflict avoidance. I am not to seek conflict for its own sake, but I am not to allow the fear of conflict to deflect me from the truth. I have people I’m dealing with right now who don’t want to hear what I have to say to them. I am not to seek confrontation, but I also must not draw back from it when it is called for. After all, some of the greatest blessings in my life have come when God has confronted me, either directly or through someone who was listening to Him.

Father, thank You for this Word. You know the situations I’m dealing with right now, and You know what is necessary to bring the resolutions You desire. I pray that I would listen to You accurately and obey you completely, so that I may be Your instrument of grace to each of the people involved, for their ultimate blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Gifts; January 7, 2019

Posted on January 11, 2019 by jgarrott

Revelation 2:17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.

This letter to the church in Pergamum is one of the more obscure passages in the whole Bible. For one thing, no one is sure today just what the Nicolaitans taught. (verse15) Then we have this verse. The instructions to listen to the Holy Spirit are repeated to each church and are certainly valid today, but the business of the hidden manna and the white stone draws a total blank for virtually everyone today. What I got just now in reading it is that sometimes we don’t know at the time why God gives us some things, or what they are for. What we need to remember is that His gifts are always good, (James 1:17) and as the song says, “we will understand it better bye and bye.” In this case, “hidden manna” could well refer to supernatural nourishment, either physical or spiritual, that other people aren’t aware of. We all experience times of running out of steam, so to speak, and this could be the answer to that. Receiving a new name, I feel, indicates a sense of self that cannot be destroyed by others. In both Old and New Testament days, a person’s name was felt to be indicative of their essence, who they really were, and giving and sharing names was not a casual thing. A name given by God that is known only to the recipient would be something no one could ever take from you. Where the white stone comes in might seem to be a total mystery, but accepting mysteries is a major part of trusting God, and that is valuable indeed. Actually though, in those days juries voted for acquittal by casting a white stone in an urn. Being declared “Not Guilty” by the Son of God is marvelous indeed! (I owe that understanding to my wife’s research.)

I, too, encounter things all the time that I don’t really know what they are or what’s going on. Frankly, I’m not naturally comfortable with that. I like to know everything! However, as God finally got through my head and into my heart several years ago, He’s smart and I’m not. Over the years God has given me many things that at the time seemed rather senseless, but that later turned out to be valuable. In college I studied how to write poetry, among other things. Just the tool to help you be the next Bill Gates, right? However, since I’ve been ministering in Omura I have had call to translate a lot of songs, both from English to Japanese and from Japanese to English. The training I received under Dr. Richard C. Pettigrew has been valuable indeed! There are numbers of other examples, enough to keep me from turning my nose up at anything God wants to give me. Often I’m just a transit point, to pass whatever it is to someone else. At the same time, I’ve had to learn discernment, because the devil tries to give me junk that isn’t for my benefit. (Actually, nothing he does is for my benefit.) When I recognize something isn’t from God, I need to be firm and immediate in refusing it. Sometimes the devil is very clever in dressing things up to make them seem attractive. That’s the very definition of temptation. That I am tempted isn’t sin, but yielding to it is sin, as the hymn says. It isn’t email, but God needs to be the only one on my list of Accepted Senders!

Father, thank You for this reminder. It makes me wonder why it came now, but I need to be spiritually sensitive at all times, receiving what You give me and nothing else. May I continue to grow as Your child, being fully responsive and obedient to You alone, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Poverty and Wealth; January 6, 2019

Posted on January 8, 2019 by jgarrott

Revelation 2:9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich!

When reading the 2nd chapter of Revelation we tend to focus on the warning passages, specifically places like the statement that the church in Ephesus had forsaken their first love, in verse 4. However, not everything Jesus says to the churches is severe. We indeed need to be very careful that we don’t get complacent and take God’s grace for granted, but as the Scripture for the Year tells us, we aren’t to be afraid that God won’t give us His kingdom. (Luke 12:32) The world in general tends to pay attention to the big churches, the ones that count the “important people” among their members, but here Jesus is telling us that He is paying attention to the churches that don’t fit that category as well. Actually, the vast majority of churches around the world have less than 200 members, and in some areas such as Japan, that’s less than 100 members. In attendance, in Japan that would be less than 50. Because many churches have less than 10 full-time wage earners, such churches are unable to pay a livable salary to a pastor, so their pastors are forced to be “tent makers,” working a secular job as well as tending the flock. Jesus is here reminding such churches that they are rich, because they have title to God’s kingdom. It’s not that He is promising anyone “easy street,” but He does say, at the end of verse 10, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” That is wealth indeed!

This church certainly fits into the category of “little flock,” yet we have been amazingly blessed. Materially, we own a building and land – a huge expense in Japan – and don’t have a great deal of debt. On the flip side, the church has never been able to pay a full salary to anyone, which makes my search for a successor much more difficult. The position of Church Treasurer has been so stressful that multiple people have quit the church over it! (Right now I’m filling in, which is undesirable from several standpoints, but we certainly can’t afford an outside accountant.) I have certainly had times of considerable discouragement, particularly when receiving pensions from the US and Japan has greatly increased my annual income! It’s all training in fixing my heart on the kingdom of God, rather than on anything material. There is the temptation to look at people as sources of offerings, rather than as souls in need of eternal salvation. Yielding to that would destroy our reason for existence! However, as the saying goes, “Where God guides, He provides.” As this verse reminds us, God’s children are wealthy indeed, and I need to rest, relax, and rejoice in that assurance, even when it isn’t reflected in either the church’s or my personal bank accounts.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for how it fits in with the verse You’ve given us for this year. I’ll be preaching on that verse this morning. I pray that I would say nothing out of my own imagination, but only, and exactly, what You are saying to us Your children. May everyone in the church be encouraged, so that together we may make ourselves available to You for all that You want to do in and through us, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Suffering; January 5, 2019

Posted on January 7, 2019 by jgarrott

Revelation 1:9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

When you think about God’s provision, suffering doesn’t usually come to mind! However here, John is speaking of it in the same breath as the kingdom of God, and throws in patient endurance in the bargain! We have great trouble seeing it that way, but sometimes suffering is indeed a gift from God. John was to the same level of spiritual maturity as Paul, who said that he wanted to “know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” (Philippians 3:10) That wasn’t from some perverted masochism, it was from an awareness that we have things that need to be burned out of us, and sometimes suffering is the best, indeed the only, way to do that. My mother had a phrase she used often in praying for people: “Keep them from unnecessary suffering.” I think she had learned this lesson too. Here, John knew that he was exiled to Patmos because he had been faithful as a witness of Jesus Christ, and he considered it a high honor. Even in the “politically correct” world of today, speaking the Word of God can get you into trouble. The term, “hate speech,” is one of the most Orwellian in the world today. Simply speaking the truth of God, out of an abundance of love and an honest desire for the very best for the hearer, is denounced as “hate speech” if it contradicts the current narrative of total sexual confusion and license. If we suffer for having so spoken, we should take it as an honor! No one likes suffering, and we would be sick if we did, but we can rejoice in it, giving God thanks for it, knowing that God never allows anything that can’t be for our good, (Romans 8:28) and He sees the final outcome of blessing.

I am once again reminded that, compared with so many of my brothers and sisters in Christ, I have experienced very little suffering. I’m not to go looking for suffering, but I am never to draw back from proclaiming the Word of the Lord out of a fear of suffering. I am prone to draw back out of a fear of being disliked, and that is a very low bar indeed! I need to be more like Paul and John, not drawing back from anything the Lord indicates I am to say or do, but choosing faithfulness over convenience, God’s approval over that of the world. A genuine Christian trying to please the world is like Donald Trump trying to please the media; it’s not going to happen. As has been said, in the current environment he could do something absolutely fantastic for the nation and it would either be denounced or totally ignored. I need to take that as an object lesson and fear nothing, focusing on Jesus Christ and what He wants me to do, accepting with joy whatever comes with the package, even if it is suffering.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I was inspired night before last to see and hear my sister in the Lord preach the wake for her own husband, who died so suddenly and unexpectedly. Likewise, I live every day with Cathy, who has physical suffering from her various medical issues. I do pray that You would keep her, and me, from unnecessary suffering, and that You would enable us to be faithfully obedient to everything You say to us, for the sake of Your kingdom and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Personal Responsibility; January 4, 2019

Posted on January 7, 2019 by jgarrott

Jude 1:20-21 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Jude is a very interesting and at the same time somewhat obscure individual. He was one of Jesus’ younger brothers, but not nearly as prominent as James. About all we know of him is his listing among the children of Mary and Joseph, (Mark 6:3) and this letter, in which he claims his kinship with James but calls himself “a servant of Jesus Christ.” (verse 1) The letter closes with a glorious, encouraging doxology that has been delightfully set to music by Don Francisco, (verses 24-25) but the majority of the letter talks about men who were making trouble, false teachers who were leading others astray. He then turns to the intended recipients of the letter, and by extension us, and talks about what we are to do in contrast to the false teachers. These two verses stress personal responsibility more than anything else, with the repeated admonitions to “build yourselves” and “keep yourselves.” In the doxology he does say that God does the heavy lifting, but here he stresses our participation. Far too many Christians seem to expect everything to be handed to them in one way or another. We bemoan the “entitlement mentality” we see in society, not recognizing that we have it ourselves in terms of our faith and salvation. We love to quote Ephesians 2:8-9, which talk about salvation and faith being a gift, but ignore verse 10, which talks about God having prepared stuff for us to do. We ask God for more faith, but fail to exercise the faith we have already been given, when using it is what makes it grow. We want to bathe in God’s love, forgetting that Jesus strongly and clearly connected love with obedience, as he talked with the disciples in the upper room before His crucifixion. (John 14:15-26) God has already provided everything we need, but we are to be intentional in laying hold of it. Verse 20 was often quoted in the early days of the Charismatic Movement in terms of speaking in tongues, to point out that exercising spiritual gifts builds us up. That’s certainly not limited to tongues, but it’s amazing to me how many people I encounter who have had an experience with the Holy Spirit and have spoken in tongues, but who yet fail to use that gift in praising God and praying for others. That’s not being a good steward of God’s provision! We are to desire to grow, and be active participants in that growth, so that God won’t have to keep changing our diaper, as spiritual infants.

This certainly applies to me! I have had periods of growth, but I have also had periods of coasting, or even regression. Loving obedience to Christ can sometimes feel like hard work! As a pastor I naturally desire that each member of the flock be active in pursuing God, in pursuing growth in Christ, but I’ve got to set the example. I get tired of spoon-feeding them at times, but too often I fail to apply the truth I already know. I don’t want them to be so self-centered, but I demonstrate that myself all too often. I too need to build myself up in faith by exercising it and keep myself in God’s love by full and instant obedience.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You also for the rather shocking reminder that none of us is guaranteed tomorrow, when the husband of a neighboring woman pastor went out to walk the dog on New Years Eve and fell over dead with a heart attack. The wake I attended last night was sobering for all the participants. Help me make full use of the time, and everything else, You provide, so that all of Your purposes for me may be fulfilled, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Parents and Children; January 3, 2019

Posted on January 5, 2019 by jgarrott

3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

This seems like a direct echo of verse 4 of 2nd John, which came up yesterday. However, there he is speaking of children of “the chosen lady,” whereas here he is speaking of his own spiritual children. There he says “great joy,” but here he says, “no greater joy.” There is indeed great joy for parents, both physical and spiritual, when their children, again both biological/adopted and spiritual, do well. The world being under the control (to a point) of the liar, (1 John 5:19, John 8:44) there are many temptations to deviate from the truth. That’s where spiritual growth and maturity come in. If we weren’t tested/tempted, we wouldn’t grow, so that’s why God allows the current state of affairs. The absence of such temptation is certainly something to look forward to in heaven! Children misbehaving don’t cease to be children, but they certainly try the patience of their parents. In extreme situations, some parents go so far as to legally disown their physical children, which is tragic when it happens. With spiritual children there is no legal framework, but removal from church rolls is sometimes practiced. (In ecclesiastical settings, that is called excommunication.) However, even such steps don’t break the original parent/child bond, however distorted it might become. God is the ultimate Father, and whereas there isn’t direct insemination involved, He does create our physical bodies. More importantly, He has provided a way for us to become His children indeed by faith, as John talks about in John 1:12-13 and Paul talks about in Romans 8:15 and 23 and elsewhere. Paul uses the Roman legal term of “adoption.” Those involved with that legal process with physical children can understand that very well. In any case, God’s relationship with us His children is echoed in the interaction between parents and children on earth, both physical and spiritual. If we examine the joy we have when our children do well, we can understand, at least somewhat, God’s desire for us to do well, and indeed, how we can give Him joy. He’s certainly worthy of all the joy we can give him!

I have certainly experienced this myself, both with my physical children and my spiritual children. I have also experienced the heartache of my children wandering from the truth. That makes me not want to give my heavenly Father such pain. I have also learned that whatever the level of my authority over them, their decisions are ultimately their own. I was talking with one of my spiritual children yesterday, and he was mentioning how his recent studies in psychology had helped him understand that the domestic violence and divorce between his parents when he was a child had greatly impacted him in various ways. I acknowledged that, but stressed that even so, as an adult he bears responsibility for his actions right now. Society loves to give us excuses to blame others for our sins, which is proof of the devil’s influence. Part of submitting to God and resisting the devil (James 4:7) is refusing those excuses and repenting in truth. God can and will heal those wounds, whatever their source, but we have to own them and submit them to Him honestly. That’s a big step toward “walking in the truth,” as John talks about here. I desire that all of my children, of any description, walk in the truth, so I’ve got to set the example for them, refusing all the lies of the devil even when he twists facts to suit his purposes.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for all that You are doing here. Help me not get in Your way, but cooperate fully with You in word and deed, both in prayer and in my interactions with people, so that Your will may be done in everything, on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Imperfection; January 2, 2019

Posted on January 5, 2019 by jgarrott

2 John 1:4 It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us.

When you think about it, this is a pretty remarkable statement. John has great joy that some people are walking in the truth. We would understand this better if he had said all, but he didn’t do that. What I get from this is that for all the people who burned with faith and went joyfully to martyrdom, there were a lot of people who weren’t that way. We tend to idealize the Early Church, but reading through the various letters in the New Testament, including the letters from Christ to the churches in the first part of Revelation, we find that there was no congregation without problems, and many were more noticeable for their problems than their successes. The point is that God used them anyway, and the true Church, the assembly of disciples of Jesus Christ, grew to the point that it took down the Roman Empire. We have many problems today. Some “mega-churches” seem to be humanistic, materialistic shells, and some “spiritual giants” turn out to be complete charlatans. I could go on and on about the problems, but none of those are greater or more powerful than the Lord we serve. We aren’t to ignore issues, but neither are we to allow those issues to convince us it’s all a lie, as some people have done to their great loss. We need to be like John, rejoicing that even some of the people in the churches are walking in the truth. If we are honest, we will realize that our own lives haven’t been completely pure and faithful. Some of the things we do are truly pleasing to God, but certainly not all. If we focus on our failures, we’ll give up on ourselves! This isn’t at all some sort of “I’m OK you’re OK” sort of thing, but rather, “I’m imperfect and you’re imperfect and we’re all dependent on the grace of God.” We aren’t to excuse failure, either in ourselves or in others, but we are to rejoice in successes, even small ones, and realize that God can even turn major failures around for blessing. (Romans 8:28)

This is an important Word for me to receive at this point. I am very aware of imperfections, and they sometimes grate on me badly – especially my own! I must not focus on those, but rather on my perfect Lord, who allows us occasionally to reflect His goodness even in the middle of our own brokenness. I am not to lose sight of the some that John mentions out of my desire for perfection, for all to be right, both within me and around me. God is perfect but nothing else is, and I need to be at peace with that. I am never to stop striving for perfection, but that striving needs to be with God’s energy and not my own. There’s no way I could even make reasonable progress in my own strength and wisdom! I am not to excuse my failures, but rather repent of them immediately, confessing them to God, and then – and this is vital – receive His forgiveness. He gives it, but I’ve got to receive it. (1 John 1:9)

Father, thank You for this reminder. I am so prone to forget the truth I think I know! Thank You for the communicating Cathy and I could do this morning, when communication has been distorted all too often. Thank You for who is coming to help me today, when I have been frustrated with what he has not done recently. Help me rejoice in what he is doing today, rather than focusing on negatives. I tell people all the time to lift their eyes off of themselves and fix them on Jesus. (Hebrews 12:2) Help me indeed do that myself, so that I won’t be deceiving myself. (James 1:22) Thank You. Praise God!

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