Discipline; September 29, 2018

Posted on October 1, 2018 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 11:31-32 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

Every language has them, but there are certain elements of God’s truth that are hard to express in Japanese, just as there are elements that come across very clearly. This passage has two such problem points. In the first place, Japanese has trouble with the word, “discipline.” Japanese translations of the Bible render it as “training” or as “punishment,” as it is here. That makes for problems when I’m teaching parenting seminars, because I have to use a lot more words to express the concept. Likewise, “condemned” is translated, “convicted (pronounced guilty) of sin.” That’s in the ballpark, but you can’t say, “The health department condemned the building and it was torn down.” The point of this passage by Paul is that if we accept God’s course corrections, we won’t run off a cliff with the rest of the world. The church in Corinth is an excellent case in point. They had numerous problems, obviously, but they were still a vital, growing body, the kind that endured persecution and overcame the Roman Empire. God uses imperfect vessels, thankfully, but He doesn’t leave us as we are; He disciplines us.

This is something I teach on a great deal, in talking both about human parenting and about God’s parenting of us. The Japanese aren’t alone in failing to recognize discipline as love! As I have said, the very idea is hard to express in Japanese. Rather than parental discipline, Japanese tend to go for societal regimentation, expecting schools to do what the Bible says parents should do. (America is certainly moving that direction as well.) I well remember people telling us we were too hard on our girls, and then the next minute praising our girls for being so polite and well-behaved. We occasionally laughed over that! I am faced with that issue constantly as a pastor, and it is far more tricky than in the home, because the relationships aren’t as automatic. People have a hard time receiving correction as love! Spiritual parenting is called for in a biological family as well, but it is the whole deal when it comes to my dealing with the church. Obviously I can’t do it on my own; I’ve got to have the help of the Holy Spirit. My first response to every issue needs to be prayer, even if it’s just a reflexive “Help!” I need to accept God’s discipline myself even as I seek to communicate it to the flock. Awareness of my weaknesses should give me compassion in dealing with those of others, enabling me to speak the truth in love indeed. I don’t want anyone to run off the cliff!

Father, thank You for this reminder. There’s still so much I need to learn, and even more that I need to put into practice, rather than just deceiving myself. (James 1:22) Help me be both the son and the father You want me to be, toward You and toward all my children, both physical and spiritual, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Temptations and Trials; September 28, 2018

Posted on September 30, 2018 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

There is one huge difference between the Japanese and the English here, and that is that where the English says “temptation,” the Japanese says, “trial.” Not being fluent in Greek, I don’t know a reason for that from a strictly linguistic standpoint, but all three of the current Japanese translations render it that way, and English translations are likewise unanimous. It’s not that those two things aren’t related. An old Southern Gospel song starts off, “Tempted and tried, we often may wonder…” However, it seems to me that they aren’t the same thing. God provides a way of escape from temptations, but sometimes we simply have to go through trials. James 1:13 is very clear that God never tempts anyone, but the Bible is full of examples of God allowing trials, and even James, immediately before saying that God never tempts us, says, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12) The problem in the Japanese Bible may be in the emotional baggage attached to the word, tempt, but I can’t be sure. I need to bring this up the next time the local pastors get together! As James points out, temptations are effective because of our fallen nature, which is why running like crazy is sometimes the very best response. That’s what Joseph did in Genesis 39, and he was rewarded for it, but he had to go through a trial in the process. If a particular situation is overly tempting, often we simply need to get out of that situation, even if it means quitting a job or otherwise facing financial loss. We need to be clear that trials are always preferable to irresistible temptation!

I have had temptations, certainly, and I have had trials. My response to each has not always been ideal, but God has always been gracious. As a pastor I need to help people with both trials and temptations, and to know the difference. You aren’t likely to be effective in standing against temptation if you think it’s a trial! Likewise, you aren’t as able to stand up under a trial if you think it’s something from which God is supposed to allow you to escape, as in this verse. I think I need to preach on this in the near future, but the Lord has already made it clear what I’m to speak on this coming Sunday, so I need to listen for His timing. Even this could be called a trial, but not a temptation! I’ve got to remember, and assure others, that God’s grace is always sufficient for us, regardless of the situation. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Father, thank You for this reminder. You show me so many mysteries, even as You have me speaking on this Sunday. May I indeed be a faithful steward of all that You provide, not just physical things but knowledge and wisdom and insight and everything else, so that those around me may be built up and You be glorified. Thank You. Praise God!

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Sex; September 27, 2018

Posted on September 29, 2018 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 7:4 The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife.

This whole passage (1-16) is very real and down-to-earth. Paul isn’t embarrassed to talk about sex, but he doesn’t get too graphic with it. These days, the climate is such that a statement by a public figure that he was a virgin until well after high school was taken as a laugh line on a late-night TV show. One thing that stands out to me about Paul’s comments is the mutuality that is taken for granted. The first half of this verse probably causes a strong adverse reaction in some feminists, but it is followed with the second half, which probably comes as a surprise to many men. The Japanese translates this as the husband and wife each “not having authority over” their own body, because it belongs to the spouse. The implication is that each is expected to desire the other, and each is to be a source of pleasure for the other. When that becomes imbalanced, it is both a symptom and a cause of problems in other areas as well. God designed sex to be pleasurable for both partners on many levels, but when the physical is focused on to the exclusion of the emotional and even spiritual, everything falls apart. I do a lot of marriage counseling, and one thing I tell couples is that a wife who is emotionally fulfilled is going to fulfill her husband physically, and rejoice to do so, without exception. There are occasionally medical issues that interfere, but they are just a factor to be dealt with. Likewise, a husband who is respected and honored by his wife is going to have far less “performance problems” than someone who feels put down. Those factors aren’t at all limited to the bedroom! The thing is, God designed sex as “marital glue,” something to bind the husband and wife together in far more ways than just the physical. When sex is exercised outside of marriage, as it so often is today, that causes far more problems than even those involved realize. It’s not “politically correct” to say so, but studies have shown that the marital relationship is the single biggest factor in perception of happiness, for both men and women. “Sharing your body around” absolutely destroys that.

This is as close to home for me as it is for anyone. God in His grace knew how He had created me, and allowed me to marry at 20, for which I am deeply grateful. Cathy and I each had parents who exemplified both respect and romance, and that made us eager to have the same for ourselves. These days, many of our friends are amazed at the relationship we so obviously have: both respect and romance. In relation to this particular verse, I go by Cathy’s preferences in regard to my facial hair, for example, and I do my best to stay healthy, not for me but for her. She likewise makes it clear that she takes this verse seriously, which makes it all the easier for me to do so. I think all of this is what gives weight to the marriage counseling I do: I know what works, by personal experience. Personally, I am very thankful not to have been given the gift of celibacy that Paul had!

Father, thank You for Your incredibly gracious plan. So often we fail to believe Your plan is good, or that You even have one. I pray that I would be an effective channel of faith to those around me, enabling them to open their hearts to You to receive all that You intend for them, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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God’s answer to Immorality; September 26, 2018

Posted on September 29, 2018 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 6:11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

This is the answer to all the LGBTQ people who are so offended by the Bible’s prohibitions of their activities. Every objective study has shown that immorality in general is detrimental to over-all happiness, and homosexual activity is particularly so. A simple look at suicide and depression rates will tell you that, but current political correctness won’t let even researchers interpret their data objectively. Because the answer to all such immorality is submission to the Lord Jesus Christ, the devil fights tooth and nail to keep people in deception. The whole “born this way” movement is a prime example. Everyone is born with an inclination to sin, but no one is born homosexual, and the whole “transsexual” business is the worst sort of abuse. Those who are promoting it to ever younger children these days certainly deserve the millstone Jesus mentioned. (Matthew 18:6) There are all sorts of psychological tricks and traps the devil uses to snare us, but at best they are tragic deceptions. The good news is exactly what is stated in this verse: God can and does take even the most debased person who repents and clean them up, actually making them holy and righteous as they are reborn as His child by faith. Old habits sometimes die hard, but when we commit to Jesus as Lord, our fundamental nature is remade, and we are set free. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Even if you are convinced you were “born this way,” you can be reborn according to God’s original design, for your eternal blessing and His glory.

This is something I encounter constantly, because immorality is not only rampant, it is even accepted and expected. Weddings where both bride and groom – or even one of them – are virgin are rare indeed. I can’t change societal norms by myself, but I can proclaim the grace of God, and I must do so. I must be uncompromising in stating the truth of this passage as a whole (verses 9-20) but I must do so in love, always including this verse and the grace it represents. I am not immune to temptation myself, and never have been; I have no “high horse” from which to talk down to anyone. I am to be frank, not covering over God’s truth with political correctness, but always leading with God’s love. I am to remember that we live in a fallen world and not be surprised at anything, but at the same time not accepting things as they are as being as they should be. I am to be an open conduit of God’s truth and love, never sacrificing one for the other, so that people may be lifted out of the swamp of immorality to walk on God’s highway, (Isaiah 35:8) for their blessing and His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. This almost seems to be a “lost truth” in the world today. I do pray that Your name may be recognized as holy and Your kingdom come as Your will is done, in individual lives and in society as a whole, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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The Mysteries of God; September 25, 2018

Posted on September 28, 2018 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 4:1-2 So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.

We often see and hear verse two quoted, and I’ve done it myself, but not often in tandem with verse one. We tend to apply this in blanket terms of stewardship, when here Paul is specifically addressing “the secret things of God.” We don’t often think in terms of “secret things” or “mysteries” in terms of God, but the Bible makes such references fairly frequently. So what are the mysteries of God? I would define them quite simply as those things that the human intellect can’t figure out for itself. Frankly, today we don’t like to admit there are things humans can’t figure out. Science has made great strides, especially in the last century or so, and things that were once science fiction are now commonplace – smartphones, for example. However, God is beyond all of that, and the very idea scares us. That’s why God has given us the Bible, as a reliable source of information about Him. Some of the things in the Bible seem only logical, but some are totally mind-blowing, when they are understood with all their implications. John 3:16 is a good example. It is perhaps the most popular verse in the whole Bible, but when you really grasp what it says, it trips all the circuit breakers in your mind. Why would the Creator love His creation so much that He would divide Himself to send His Son to take the penalty for His creatures’ sin and enable them to live eternally with Him? That is a mystery indeed! Actually, the Bible is full of such mysteries, but we often overlook them or else take them for granted. Neither of those responses is being a faithful steward. All Christians have been given some degree of understanding of the mysteries of God, or else they would not have made Jesus their Lord. That calls us all to be faithful with that knowledge, to share it with others so that they too may receive the eternal grace of our Creator. The more spiritual maturity we have, the more accountable we are to God for what we do with what He has poured out on us. The average person we encounter does not know things about God that we do, and we are responsible for sharing those things with them so that they too may repent and believe.

Wow! This just opened up a whole new perspective, not just on evangelism but on how to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ. I was raised in a thoroughly Christian home, steeped in prayer and the Bible from before my birth. I am a prime example of someone who tends to take the mysteries of God for granted. That’s not faithful stewardship! I do minister as a pastor in Japan, but I must keep seeking God for how He wants me to share what He has given me. I am all too guilty of what might be called “drive-by truth dumps.” I tend to state truth and then never follow up with helping people really grasp what I’ve just told them. God will call me to account for that. I’ve got to let Him show me the “teachable moments” He engineers, when people are ready to receive. In the conference that just ended, I was rather surprised to have several opportunities to share a Biblical perspective on marriage. That was entirely unexpected by me, but was planned by God. I need to be increasingly sensitive to such “divine appointments” so that I may be a good steward indeed, to the glory of God.

Father, thank You indeed for the many blessings of the past few days, and for the awareness that they are just part of the flow of what You are doing for and through us. Thank You for everything today will hold. May I be a good steward indeed, so that others too may receive Your mysteries with joy, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Rewards; September 24, 2018

Posted on September 28, 2018 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 3:12-15 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

This is an extremely important passage, because it answers a question many people have, as well as countering a common misconception. Some people are so fixated on the grace of God that they think, and even teach, that it doesn’t matter what you do, everyone gets the same reward. That isn’t Biblical generally, and this passage directly counters that severe error. All it takes for salvation, that is, eternal life, is faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 is still true, and that was written by Paul just as this was. However, Ephesians 2:10 is also true, and that states that we are saved to serve God, not just to wait for heaven. Jesus’ famous parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) does indeed mean that whoever does what God tells them to do is equally rewarded, but the thing is, our obedience varies a great deal. “Deathbed conversions” do get to go to heaven, which is the greatest as well as the most fundamental prize, but once there, they don’t get assigned the same station as those who have sought to serve God for as long as they have known of Him. Length of service isn’t the issue, but rather quality. There were instances in Japan, for example, of people who were martyred as soon as they proclaimed their allegiance to Jesus as Lord. Such a person will receive the same reward, or better, than someone like me who was born into a Christian family. As the Bible states very clearly, we can’t fool God. (Galatians 6:7)

I have operated in conceit and hypocrisy far more than I like to think about. That certainly fits into the “wood, hay, and stubble” category. Other areas of my life fit into the “gold, silver, and precious stones” category, but the valuation is up to God, not me. I am sharply aware that it is only by the grace of God that I am able to do the good things He has planned for me, but in every instance my will is also involved. It is when I will to do His will that the results are of eternal value. Anything else gets burned with the rest of the trash. Growing up in a missionary family in Japan, I saw “real live missionaries” do things that I now recognize as noble, and things that I now recognize as worthless. Job titles aren’t what matter, but rather faithfulness. I am to seek to listen obediently to my Lord at all times, whether He tells me to do something that seems huge to me, or something that seems inconsequential. If He says it, I need to do it. Today I will have the honor of speaking to a group of non-Christians about heaven and eternal rewards. I am not to speak out of my own intellect, and I am certainly not to spout churchly platitudes, but I am to speak God’s truth in love, and allow the Holy Spirit to use His words through me to draw many to repentance and faith, for their salvation and the glory of God.

Father, thank You for the past two days and the various opportunities You’ve given me already to speak as Your representative. I pray that this morning will be a fitting continuation and culmination of that, so that this group may be transformed into a growing fellowship of believers, rather than just a group of people united by a common pain. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Learning from the Spirit; September 23, 2018

Posted on September 27, 2018 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 2:14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

I think the NIV does its readers a disservice by translating this as “the man without the Spirit.” The Japanese sticks with the more literal, “a natural person,” as in, the way we were born. We tend to get all defensive when we’re told we don’t have something, but Paul makes it clear we all start with a level playing field. The whole point of this verse is that it takes the help of God’s Spirit for anyone to grasp things that are of God’s Spirit, so we had better be humble about it. Any time we find we are not understanding what God is saying, we need to ask for the help of the Spirit. Even someone who has been baptized in the Holy Spirit is often tempted by the devil to think of things from a strictly materialistic, humanistic viewpoint. That will always lead to our misunderstanding what’s really going on. We can’t say, “Well, I’ve got the Spirit now, so I can understand everything.” We all need to grow in our sensitivity to the Spirit, learning better and better how to hear Him and allow Him to control us. We shouldn’t be surprised at all when other people don’t have a Biblical world view, but simply pray for the Spirit to help them, all the while being careful that we aren’t deceiving ourselves.

This certainly applies to me! Because I have quite a background in the Bible, I tend to think I always know what’s right. How foolish! I too need to be active in my submission to the Holy Spirit, asking and allowing Him to illuminate my heart and mind. Right now I’m at a gathering where almost everyone else is not yet a Christian, but the Lord has allowed Cathy and me to witness to them over the years. I can’t assume they’ll understand anything I say about God, so I need to ask and allow the Holy Spirit to speak through me to touch their hearts. They do see me as a man of God, which is a big help, but they have no foundation for real understanding, and so need revelation from the Spirit. The couple we talked with after dinner last night believes in spiritual healing, but they don’t know the Healer, and so are still walking in deception. I don’t know what opportunities the Lord will give me today, but tomorrow morning I’ll be leading a memorial service for the children who have already died from the families in this group (The Japan Cockayne Syndrome Network). I do that each year, and several people have really had their hearts prepared, I think. However, I cannot save a hair on my head, much less someone else’s eternal soul, so I’ve got to let the Holy Spirit use me to do His work. If I will do that, there’s nothing He can’t do.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I have such trouble with stupid pride! Help me indeed be fully submitted to You and Your Spirit, so that I may be fully useful to You in accomplishing Your will for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Letting God be In Control; September 22, 2018

Posted on September 27, 2018 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 1:8-9 He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

Verse eight of this is echoed in the last two verses of the letter of Jude, put memorably to music by Don Francisco. “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and for evermore! Amen.” (Jude 1:24-25) Paul himself reiterated this as a prayer for the Thessalonians. “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24) (That passage has been put to music in Japanese, which I have translated, resulting in English that isn’t exactly from the text.) Verse nine, because of different word order, comes across rather differently in Japanese than in English: “God is faithful, and by His calling you have been brought into fellowship with His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.” That seems to put the focus on our fellowship with Christ, whereas the English puts it on the faithfulness of God. It is indeed vitally important that God is faithful, but it is also vitally important that we fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

This passage is a reminder that, whereas we responsible to answer God’s call and submit to Him, the power that makes it all possible is His, not ours. We are not capable, in our own strength, of living blameless lives. However, God is more than able to live blamelessly through us, if we will allow Him to do so. It’s when we insist on control that we get into trouble. Quite a few years ago there was a popular bumper sticker, taken from the title of a book, I believe, that said, “God is my Copilot.” The very appropriate response to that is, “If God is your copilot, swap seats.” In other words, we need to let God be in control, not us. I’ve struggled with this as much as anyone. I am frequently reminded of the pride that has been a snare to me all my life, and the most fundamental expression of that is, “I am in control. I decide what happens.” I do need to decide things very frequently, but those decisions must all be based on a fundamental submission to God and what He desires for and of me. My foundational decision must be to trust and obey. Right now I am being told to trust God with this church. It’s amazing how hard it is to do that, even for a single Sunday! That’s proof that I haven’t let Him be fully in control up until now, and that’s important to realize. I’m not to back away from what He wants me to do, but I must allow others to do what He wants them to do, and not insist on doing those things for them. They are called into fellowship with Christ as much as I am, and He is faithful to bring that to pass.

Father, thank You indeed for what You are doing. Letting go can be painful, but that’s a clear indication of how tightly I’ve been holding on. May we be Your church indeed, and not just in words, so that all of Your plans may be fulfilled for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Trusting the Holy Spirit; September 21, 2018

Posted on September 22, 2018 by jgarrott

Romans 15:14 I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.

This is a very interesting statement on the part of Paul to people whom he had never met. On the one hand it might come across as simple flattery, but there are two other, very important things at work here. The first is that people tend to live up to, or down to, what is expected of them. Our self-image is controlled to a large extent by what others think of us, and that self-image is the template by which we operate. By presenting the Roman believers with this word picture of mature believers who can teach each other, Paul is encouraging them to be exactly that. The other factor at play here was Paul’s faith in the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit. He knew full well that he himself couldn’t transform people, but he had seen time and time again that the Holy Spirit could and would – besides having experienced such transformation himself. When you think about it, Paul had a history of arriving at a place, teaching for a few days or weeks, and then leaving behind a church, complete with elders. On a human scale, that seems entirely foolhardy. However, God had done it through him again and again. It’s interesting that he spent a fairly long time in Ephesus, but in Jesus’ letters to the churches in Revelation, Ephesus is warned that if they don’t return to their first love, they will be removed from the roster of churches. (Revelation 2:4-5) Length of human ministry doesn’t guarantee anything! Paul’s confidence wasn’t in people, much less himself, but in God.

This is extremely timely for me right now, because for the first time in many years I will be leaving this church on a Sunday without anyone specifically trained in charge. Right now attendance is down, and humanly speaking I have a lot of misgivings. However, it has been made very clear to me over the past year that I have allowed this church to be entirely too pastor-dependent, and I believe God has planned this as a very necessary course correction. This will be something of a trial run, because in March I will be gone (to my granddaughter’s wedding in the US) for probably three weeks in a row. I don’t know what workers the Lord might bring our way in that interval, but I do know that He wants to grow the current believers as active disciples, and this is a very good step in that direction. I’ve been given a wide suite of abilities and certainly have a lot of experience, but when I do it all, no one else gets a chance. I need to trust the Holy Spirit to use the believers to teach each other, and especially to feed on the Word for themselves, so that this church may become the healthy part of the Body of Christ God intends it to be.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for this encouragement for me. Thank You for the various things I already see You doing in relation to this. I know that Sunday won’t be anything like “business as usual,” but that’s a very good thing. Help us all be at peace with that, trusting You do do what we need, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Acceptance; September 20, 2018

Posted on September 22, 2018 by jgarrott

Romans 15:7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

This chapter is full of really rich truth that I could easily see as someones “favorite verse.” At the same time, it is stressing the reality that we need a lot of help, because nobody’s perfect. A big part of that is that we tend to want everyone to be like us, subconsciously at least. That’s where xenophobia and racial prejudice come from, but those are just some of the more obvious symptoms of the problem. A majority of marital friction comes from the countless differences between men and women (regardless of what some people are saying these days). However, differences are part of God’s plan. Paul goes to some length in 1 Corinthians 12 to explain the whole matter of unity in diversity, with the almost comical illustration of the whole body being an eye, or an ear. (1 Corinthians 12:17) This is a theme he touches on in many of his letters, and this verse is a vital part of that. One problem in this is that not all differences are equal. Some people are claiming today that pedophilia is “just another sexual orientation,” for example. We need to know the difference between accepting and affirming, between forgiving and condoning. Jesus indeed accepts us as we are, but that doesn’t mean He says everything about us is good. God indeed has standards of right and wrong, good and bad, but the problem is, we tend to ignore those and set up our own standards, and that never ends well. The better we grasp exactly how Christ accepted us, the more accurately and fully we will accept one another. Another facet of this is accepting ourselves. We spend far too much time wishing we were like someone else, or were someone else, when we need to have a clear-eyed view of ourselves and go from there, to grow and improve as God directs.

This is an issue I deal with constantly. As a Caucasian in Japan, I have dealt with acceptance all my life, sometimes more successfully than at other times. That struggle has enabled me to grow, and right now people are sometimes surprised at how I treat and accept people equally. That doesn’t mean I’ve got it nailed down, though! I still get exasperated at people for various reasons, wanting them to be more like me, forgetting how much I’ve messed things up at times! As a pastor I am constantly seeking to help people recognize this truth themselves, but it is generally slow going. That’s why we all need the grace, mercy, and guidance of the Lord.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I indeed run into this issue constantly! Keep me from talking down to people, but rather help me speak the truth in love in ways they can receive it, so that together we will do Your will, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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