The Cross; August 5, 2018

Posted on August 8, 2018 by jgarrott

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

The different Gospel writers each brought out different details of Jesus’ crucifixion, thus reinforcing the authenticity of the total narrative. John was the only one to record Jesus entrusting His mother Mary to him, just before the end, and here he records a theologically vital detail. In English we use “finished” in various ways, but the Japanese is very specific here, rendering it as, “It is completed.” Jesus had indeed completed the work for which His Father had sent Him. Another reason that statement is important is that we can neither add to nor subtract from what Jesus did on the cross. We love to take credit for things, but there is no opportunity for that here. Paul spoke of “fill[ing] up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church,” (Colossians 1:24) but that isn’t a matter of adding to salvation, rather it is of being willing to take up his own cross, just as Jesus had spoken of. (Luke 9:23) Various religions promote abusing the flesh for “spiritual gain,” but neither Jesus nor Paul did that. We will all have our own encounter with death, but that is in God’s hands and we are not to try to take it into our own to any degree. The final detail in John’s record here is how he saw what was going on. Jesus here fulfilled exactly what He had said: “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.” (John 10:17-18) That’s why John chose to express Jesus’ physical death as, “He gave up His spirit.” That was the ultimate provision for our salvation.

I have known the facts of Jesus’ crucifixion since I was a young child, but my awareness of it keeps getting deeper and deeper. I am very aware that no suffering I might be called on to endure could compare with what Jesus went through for me. As several of the New Testament writers expressed in various ways, the magnificence of what happened for our salvation is beyond human words to express fully. It follows then that the only appropriate response is total love and obedience. I strive for that, but I constantly come up against my own humanity. I could never earn what God has provided in Christ; every bit of it is grace. And as the Lord told Paul, that grace is all I need. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Father, thank You indeed for the cross, for all You did for me in Christ. Thank You for revealing more and more of that to me as I walk with You. Help me share the reality of Your grace more and more effectively with more and more people, so that they too may fall totally in love with You in response to Your love for them, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Accountability; August 4, 2018

Posted on August 7, 2018 by jgarrott

John 19:11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

God’s provision sometimes involves some strange things. He gave Pilate authority to crucify Jesus! Just because something has been given doesn’t necessarily mean it should be used, and in any case, how it is used is certainly our responsibility. This calls for humility and obedience at all times. Parents have authority over their children. If they use that authority to train them up in the way appropriate for them, (Proverbs 22:6) the child will feel loved and affirmed and God will be pleased. However, if they insist the child be a surrogate for their own dreams and ambitions, or worse yet, an outlet for their anger or even perversions, then they will certainly have to face the consequences when they stand before God in the Judgment. Some people today insist that parents have no such authority. The current absurdity is that they are not even to insist on the child’s biological gender. Again, all such things must be answered to before God, just as Pilate faced. Apart from authority, God gives abilities of all sorts. Again, we are responsible for how we use them. The vast majority of evil in the world comes from people misusing the abilities God has given them. It all comes down to accountability. Whenever God gives us something, we are accountable to Him for what we do with it. The famous parable of the talents comes to mind. (Matthew 25:14-30) As that parable points out, not using what God has given is not a good option! If we ask, He will give us the wisdom and guidance we need to make the use He intends of whatever it is, (James 1:5) but we need to tune our hearts to inquire and obey.

This is an issue that has loomed large in my awareness because I feel God has given me so much. I have a wide variety of abilities, and only a fraction of those have been developed. I am currently preparing for a photo show in just over a week, and I find that to be something of an analogy for my life. Each year I limit my exhibit to pictures taken within the previous 12 months, but I still have extreme difficulty narrowing the selection down to a manageable number. Even now, we have more pictures in frames, even, than we have wall space, and yet we have more pictures than we have frames! In response I have tended to draw back, effectively saying “I took and printed the pictures, and that’s that.” That is enormously unfair to my wife, without whom I could never mount these exhibits. I am accountable to her and I am accountable to God, not just for taking and printing the pictures but for what happens now. The same thing may be said about my musical ability, my literary ability, my linguistic ability, and on and on. As comes out in the parable of the talents, God is after faithfulness, and that is how I will be judged. I am very aware of my need for the grace and mercy of God!

Father, I do thank You for Your provision of everything, and for Your grace and mercy most of all. Help me never take any of Your provision lightly, but make the use of it that You intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Prayer; August 3, 2018

Posted on August 7, 2018 by jgarrott

John 17:13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.”

Prayer is very interesting. Jesus was very clear that we are not to pray in public for the sake of being seen and heard by people, (Matthew 6:5-6) but at the same time He showed us by example, here and at the resurrection of Lazarus, (John 11) that sometimes we are to pray to be seen and heard by people. The difference is why we want to be seen and heard. In Matthew Jesus is addressing people who want to flaunt their piety. Some people simply want it to be seen that they are praying, so that they will be admired. I’d say their prayers have about as much effect as flicking a teaspoon of water at a forest fire. Here, and elsewhere, Jesus prayed out loud so that those around Him could be blessed by His words. It is a powerful encouragement to know that someone is praying for you, and the easiest way for that to happen is for them to do so in your presence. Jesus had perfect communication with His Father, but He sometimes conducted that communication in public so that those around Him could know the content and be blessed in that way. I was very blessed to know Dr. Cal Guy while I was a student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. One of his trademarks was that whenever someone asked him for prayer, he would stop whatever he was doing and pray, whether it was in the middle of class or walking on the campus or in a grocery store or wherever. Many people were greatly blessed by that, and I’m sure it was life-changing for quite a few. We aren’t to flaunt prayer, but neither are we to hide it. Often enough, Spirit-guided prayer (Romans 8:26) is prophetic, speaking the very words of God into situations. We should not draw back from that!

Because of the home in which I was raised, prayer has always been as natural to me as breathing, so I found Dr. Guy to be a kindred spirit indeed. I try to follow his example, but sometimes people find it intimidating! That is never my intention. As a pastor one of my highest priorities is for each believer to have an intimate relationship with the Trinity, certainly including prayer, so I need to teach by example, allowing them to hear how I pray. However, if they are not used to the idea of personal prayer, hearing me pray so freely has been known to make people feel they could never pray like that, so they don’t try. That’s a tragic trick of the devil! Even Jesus said, “I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father Himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.” (John 16:26-27) Faith gives each individual a personal ticket into the throne room of God. I need to help people understand that I can pray as I do – not because I’m a pastor, but because God loves me and I love Him, just as He loves them and they can love Him. I need to communicate God’s love to them so that they will delight to talk with their Daddy, in private and in public and all the time, just as I do.

Father, thank You for this Word, and for making it clear I’m to share it Sunday. Thank You for the brother who has decided to commit himself to You, and for the time we could have together yesterday, but he’s not the only one who needs to know more about prayer. Help me share Your heart with Your words so that Your will may be done in the hearts and lives of all my hearers, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Glory; August 2, 2018

Posted on August 3, 2018 by jgarrott

John 17:4 “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.”

Even Jesus was concerned with giving the Father glory. Just before this, in 15:8, He said that our bearing much fruit as His disciples gives the Father glory. Far too often we are concerned with our own glory. Most of us hardly ever think of whether we are giving glory to God. I think we really don’t have a very good grasp of just what glory is. The characters used to write it in Japanese indicate something along the lines of “successful light,” whatever that might mean, and I don’t think we’re much clearer in English. At the same time, I think we all have something of an innate awareness of glory, which would not be surprising since we were created for the Father’s glory. Looking at this verse and 15:8, I think at least one factor in glory is something or someone doing what was intended for it. It’s like a machine that works well gives glory to its designer/maker. We are far more than machines, but I think the idea comes across. When children do well, becoming good people and expressing their gifting, that gives glory to their parents. The converse of that is when children go off the rails and bring shame to themselves and their parents. We are all agreed that is tragic indeed. The problem with putting that in a strictly human framework is that parents often don’t know what is best for their children, and try to set out “rails” that aren’t appropriate for them. In such cases, the children have to “go off the rails” in order to fulfill their true purpose. With the understanding that our parents were fallible, and we are certainly fallible, the smartest thing is obviously to seek God for what purpose He has for us. The Bible is very clear that He indeed has a purpose for each individual. Passages from Jeremiah 29:11 to Ephesians 2:10 leave no doubt on that score. We don’t have to be anxious about whether God’s plan for us is good, so we just need to draw close to Him to be able to listen accurately and obey fully. When we do that, we indeed give Him glory and find our own greatest fulfillment.

My parents’ gravestone has a line from John 4:34: “… to do the will of Him who sent me.” When my father died at 64 several things he was involved in were terminated, most notably a fresh translation of the New Testament into Japanese. Even so, I think he indeed gave the Father glory by doing to his fullest each task that was set before him, right up to the point that the Father said, “That’s enough.” That’s a magnificent and high example for me to aspire to. I’ve already outlived him by over 5 years, but I don’t know how much in my own life has really given God glory. He’s the judge of that! The point for me is to “keep on keeping on,” seeking God’s plan for right now and doing it with the strength He gives me. I’ve certainly proven that I can’t do it in my own strength and ability! Faithful obedience is the key, and is my prayer.

Father, I do ask that You enable me to do that for which You created me. Right now my schedule seems complicated and packed, to the point that I have something of an avoidance response. Forgive me, and help me fulfill each task at hand, not being anxious about what’s down the line. Today has things of considerable importance, as does tomorrow. Help me rest, relax, and rejoice in You, allowing You to work through me in every detail so that You may indeed receive the glory only You deserve. Thank You. Praise God!

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Troubles; August 1, 2018

Posted on August 3, 2018 by jgarrott

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

I probably quote this verse more than any other, particularly in messages. Once again, the Japanese amplifies my understanding of what is said. As has come out recently, Japanese differentiates between inner, emotional peace and the absence of external conflict. It is entirely possible, even common, for someone to be in inner turmoil even though their external circumstances are quite peaceful. It is also possible, though less common, for someone to have inner peace even though their circumstances are chaotic, even violent. That’s what Jesus is talking about here. External peace is welcome, but Jesus knew it would be in short supply for His disciples for the rest of their time on earth. Another way the Japanese translation I use helps me understand what Jesus said here is the specific combination of characters used to express “trouble.” It’s unusual enough that Microsoft IME doesn’t want to give it to me when I type this verse in phonetically. The second character used is relatively expected, but the first is “patient,” as in someone in a hospital. The character itself isn’t unusual, but the combination is. I don’t know the Greek there, but the Japanese certainly agrees with experience. We know from Acts, as well as Paul’s letters, that early believers had health issues just as we do. God is indeed our Healer, (Exodus 15:26) and miracles of healing are to be expected even today, just as they were in Jesus’ ministry. (John 14:12) However, that doesn’t mean we can be careless with our health, doing unhealthy things (like smoking or overeating) or failing to do healthy things (like appropriate nutrition, exercise, and rest). What Jesus is saying here is that because we live in a fallen world, all sorts of problems, including health issues, are part of the package. He then says why we can have inner peace regardless of our circumstances: He has overcome the world. When we abide in Him, as He talked about repeatedly throughout the Upper Room Discourse, we share in His victory, whatever it might look like at the moment. It blows my mind, actually, that He put “overcome” in the past tense when in the flow of time He had not yet gone through His crucifixion and resurrection. God is outside of time, so to Him, everything is already a done deal, and Christ and those in Him are on top. When we get that through our hearts and minds we can indeed have peace and even joy even when everything is falling apart.

I think I quote this so much because I need so much to remember it myself! Various things trigger anxiety and/or anger in me, so I have to choose to abide in Christ and receive His peace, just as He says here. It is a great comfort to be confident that there is no bureaucracy in heaven! (Tangling with such on earth can really trigger me!) I face many circumstances that I would like to be different, but one time when I was thinking about that the Lord said very clearly to me, “How do you think I feel?” He’s not happy about them either, and He’s not going to leave them that way. It will get very messy before He’s done, but the end result will be glorious. I am not to allow the devil to steal my peace or my joy, but submit every part of my being to God and receive all that He has for me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me be increasingly effective in sharing this glorious truth with others, so that together we may be Christ’s disciples indeed, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Asking and Receiving; July 31, 2018

Posted on August 2, 2018 by jgarrott

John 16:23-24 “In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”

Here Jesus is really doubling down on what he said earlier in 15:7. If it seemed extreme then, it’s much more extreme now! (In a side note, the Japanese clarifies something that is confusing in English. The first “ask” is actually “inquire,” as in “ask a question.” After that, “ask” goes to “make a request.”) The problem is, our experience doesn’t seem to match the promise. James had an answer for that. “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:3) Asking in Jesus’ name is far more than tacking “In Jesus’ name, Amen” on the end of your wish list. That said, in a way this is just a reiteration of what Jesus said way back in the Sermon on the mount: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8) Jesus pointed out the element of faith in all this when the disciples were so shocked at the incident of the withering fig tree. “Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig-tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 21:21-22) When He taught about the imperative to forgive, the apostles recognized their inability in that area too, and we have another powerful exchange. “The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” (Luke 17:5-6) Jesus doesn’t accept excuses! However, He does accept humility and repentance, and His mercy and grace are sufficient. Paul famously went back and forth with the Lord on this over a physical problem he had. “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:8-9) Sometimes God’s answer to a request is that He has something better for us, even though it might not look that way at the time. So we are left with the necessity to trust and obey, just as the hymn says, knowing that God’s plan is best whatever it feels like to our flesh.

This is very personal to me in a number of ways. In the first place, I have prayed for the salvation of the Japanese for a long time, but have seen very little fruit. In the second place, my wife has a list of physical problems that sometimes cause even doctors to just shake their heads. I have certainly prayed for her healing, and those prayers have not gone unheard. One time she was instantaneously healed of pneumonia, and another time she died, went to heaven, and came back. We are left with Paul’s question about her Parkinson’s Disease and other problems, and I think we get much the same response. We have seen God move miraculously many times, and at the same time we have had times of laboring in prayer and seeing nothing. We have to choose to be at peace with not knowing, trusting Daddy to do what is right. As the old Southern Gospel song says, “We will understand it better bye and bye.”

Father, thank You for this reminder. I would rather be the one in pain than Cathy, but that’s not how it is right now. Help us not stop asking, but at the same time never stop trusting Your love and grace, which are indeed sufficient for us. Thank You. Praise God!

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Truth; July 30, 2018

Posted on August 1, 2018 by jgarrott

John 16:12-13 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

God knows our capacity. It probably took the disciples quite a while to absorb and process what Jesus did tell them in the hours before He was arrested, and the events from the point He was arrested until He was resurrected doubtless added to their confusion. That’s a major function of the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus says here. Even the Holy Spirit doesn’t reveal everything to us at once, but as Jesus said, He guides us into all truth. Truth is something like a magnificent palace. When we first see it we may be impressed with how beautiful it is, but that’s without even getting in the door. The Holy Spirit is our guide, first through the door, but then into room after room. The thing is, this palace is huge, and not everyone gets the same tour. In fact, on this earth we don’t have time, even, to get to all the rooms. I don’t think it’s stretching the analogy to say that if we tried charging in on our own we would quickly get lost, even if we made it into the front door. God doesn’t try to keep His truth secret from us, far from it. However, without the Holy Spirit’s guidance we are entirely capable of overlooking major things and of misinterpreting even what we do see. There is an old hymn that I first learned and loved in Japanese before discovering the English original. (I actually think the Japanese version is better.) The title is Dear Spirit, Lead Thou Me. The Pentecostal/Charismatic Movement tends to focus on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but I personally think this function of leading us into all truth is even more important.

I know that my response to this whole issue is colored by my motivational gifting, as Paul expressed it in Romans 12:6-8. I have very strong Teacher gifting, to the point that, after they got to know me through my interpreting for them, Don and Katie Fortune started using me as an illustration of that gift when they taught on the Motivational Gifts. With that gifting, I love to learn and absorb truth, but I have the tendency to expect others to do the same, dumping truth on them rather than walking them through it and showing them how to apply it. Even in my own life I have to remind myself that there can be a huge difference between head knowledge and heart application. It’s the application that counts! (Luke 6:46) I am eagerly to follow the Holy Spirit as He leads me into God’s truth, but I must always remember that truth is to be lived out, as well as stored up in my heart. (Psalm 119:11)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for yesterday and all it held. Thank You for the response from the brother who is to be baptized next month, and the assurance that his commitment is real. Guide as I talk with him and guide him into life habits that will protect and sustain him as he draws closer and closer to You. Give him wisdom and boldness as he seeks to draw his younger brother into commitment to You as well. May that whole family rejoice to be Your children, with all that means, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Discipleship; July 29, 2018

Posted on August 1, 2018 by jgarrott

John 15:20 “Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.”

Jesus said this sort of thing more than once, even as He indicates here. When we think back over Jesus’ ministry, these words might not be very comforting! Recognizing that you are a representative of Jesus Christ isn’t hubris, it’s scary. It’s also enormously challenging and satisfying. However, it is certainly not easy, when viewed from the human perspective. The early disciples experienced this certainly, performing miracles but also being persecuted and eventually martyred. Being killed because you followed Christ was so common that they referred to it as “being a witness” – and that’s where we get our word, martyr; all it is is Greek for witness. One of the men we refer to as the Early Church Fathers was called Justin Martyr. All that meant was “Justin the Witness,” though he eventually was killed for his faith. We get scared of witnessing simply from the standpoint of public speaking, but in the 1st Century – and in many parts of the world even today – it meant risking your life. The point is, our commitment to Jesus as Lord needs to be that strong. The early believers experienced such victories because the were willing to give their lives for the sake of the eternal life they had received in Christ. Persecution really sharpens our faith, forcing us to decide what is real and what is an illusion. The devil is a master of illusions and lies, so we need to lay firm hold on what is real and true, that is, Jesus Christ Himself.

I preach this to others, but I’ve got plenty of room to grow in it myself. I have experienced very little actual persecution, which makes me wonder how true I am being to my Lord. I have not been as bold a witness verbally as I might have been, largely from a fear of rejection. How foolish! I want the victories, but I’ll never get them by being politically correct. I do not enjoy confrontation, but there is no conquest without conflict, so I need to get over it. I am not to offend needlessly, but I must not let a fear of rejection keep me from proclaiming the truth of salvation in Christ alone.

Father, I’m not sure what You’re saying to me by reminding me of this at this point. The Japanese so fear exclusion from the group, and that is a major inhibitor to their witnessing. I guess I’m pretty Japanese! I pray that I would not fear people’s reactions, but would have Your wisdom and anointing to draw the believers into active discipleship, with all that means, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Joy; July 28, 2018

Posted on July 30, 2018 by jgarrott

John 15:11 “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

The devil does his best to convince us that God is a meanie, but true to form, that’s a total lie. God wants us to have His joy! In the famous parable of the talents, (Matthew 25:14 ff) the reward for the faithful servants was to “enter into the joy of your Lord.” (The NIV renders that as “share your master’s happiness,” but I think that weakens the impact.) Joy is God’s idea. C. S. Lewis titled his autobiography, Surprised by Joy. That was a pun, actually, because his wife’s name was Joy, but it was very appropriate, because he was both a confirmed atheist and a confirmed bachelor, and God corrected both of those conditions. His time on this earth with his wife was limited, because she died of a disease (prompting another of his insightful books), but he said he could come up with no better word than joy to describe the realization that he had a Creator who loved him. The famous Christmas song, Joy to the World, is entirely appropriate, because Jesus is the ultimate proof of God’s love for us, and appropriating that love is joy indeed. If we lack joy, that shows that we lack the trusting obedience that draws us into intimacy with our Lord.

I have had a few unforgettable experiences in my journey with my Lord, and one of them was on precisely this point. I was in a small prayer meeting with three good friends – an Irish-American priest, a German priest, and a Japanese Pentecostal pastor – that regularly included singing praise songs as well as prayer. That particular time, I was so aware of the Lord’s presence, with such intensity, that I literally told the Lord He would have to back off if He intended me to keep working here on earth, because my physical body couldn’t take another drop. Like C. S. Lewis, I have no better word for what I experienced than joy. That experience has given me an intense anticipation of heaven, because there I won’t have a physical body to inhibit my experience and appreciation of the joy the Lord has for me. That’s why I can’t see the death of believers as tragedies. Such deaths are rough on those left behind, but they are absolutely glorious for those who go through them! I mourned when my parents died, because I deeply enjoyed fellowship with them on this earth, but I have absolute confidence that they are experiencing inexpressible joy in the presence of our Lord, and one day I will join them. Like Peter (1 Peter 1:8) I can testify that we can taste that joy even here on earth, and Jesus says He wants us to have it.

Father, thank You for Your joy indeed. Help me be a carrier of that joy to many, so that they may repent of refusing it in the past and believe You for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Bearing Fruit; July 27, 2018

Posted on July 29, 2018 by jgarrott

John 15:7-8 “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

This passage is in the list of readings because the overall theme is God’s Provision, and this is one of the most blanket promises in the whole Bible. At the same time, it is quite problematical, because our experience doesn’t seem to line up with it. I think the problem comes in our grasp of what it means to be in Christ and His words to be in us. My father wrote his doctoral dissertation on the use of in Christ in the New Testament, but he told me that he didn’t understand it at all until after he had a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit after he was already a missionary in Japan, PhD in hand. There is a world of difference between theory and experience in a lot of things, and in nothing more than in this. We tend to focus on “ask whatever you wish,” instead of “remaining,” and that drops us out of the spiritual into the material, with all our fleshly desires. The chapter as a whole seems to me to focus on obedience and bearing fruit. It is only logical that we will bear fruit – produce the desired outcome – if we follow directions. We are like a total novice in the cockpit of an airplane when the pilot has suddenly been incapacitated. We are only going to have the desired outcome – getting the plane safely landed – if we listen very carefully and obediently to the person on the radio who gives us instructions. That’s what “letting Jesus’ words remain in us” is all about. Obedience is what makes us disciples.

These words are as strict to me as they are to anyone else. I grew up in a home that was steeped in the Bible and I have a lot of it in my heart and mind, but the question remains of how much I am being obedient to what I know. James 1:22 has long been key in my personal walk of faith, because I have discovered how adept I am at deceiving myself. Like my father, I have discovered that the only way to remain in Christ is to allow His Spirit to fill and remain in me. In my experience (and I think that of every other believer) I leak, so I’m not to be satisfied with an episode of being filled. Grammatically speaking, Ephesians 5:18 might be better rendered as, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be continuously filled with the Spirit.” When I am in full intimacy with my Lord, I can indeed ask anything. I remember an incident several years ago when I was having a rather intense prayer time and I felt the Lord ask me, “What would you like?” I asked for the salvation of a particular person, and within a couple of weeks that person had indeed committed themselves to Jesus and asked for baptism. That’s the kind of fruit the Father is seeking for His glory. The question for me then becomes, why have I not born more? Rather than seeking the fruit as such, I need to seek obedience, remaining in my Lord so that His words and His Spirit may remain in me. If I will do that, the fruit will come.

Father, thank You for this Word of correction and encouragement. May I be fully obedient to it, abiding fully and consistently in Christ, so that all of Your plans for me may be fulfilled, for Your glory alone. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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