Prayer; April 7, 2025

Posted on April 8, 2025 by jgarrott

John 15:6 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”

Every bit of the Upper Room Discourse is so loaded, it calls for meditation on virtually every word! Recently, in reading The Untold Story of the New Testament Church, by Frank Viola, I gained fresh insight into this verse. I had not known, before reading it, that in that culture students/disciples usually chose what teacher they were going to follow, so when Jesus spent the night in prayer and then chose the 12, He was breaking societal norms. That makes this verse all the more pointed. It really should blow our minds that He has chosen us. That shouldn’t inflate our ego, but rather cause us to seek to know just why He did that. Jesus Himself gives the ultimate goal of it right here in this verse: that we should go and bear lasting fruit. If we aren’t bearing fruit, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to shine His light on us so that we will see where we need to repent and correct. Jesus adds something here that can confuse us, because of our immaturity and greed. The idea of being able to ask the Father for anything at all and receive it triggers all sorts of motives. We need to grasp what it means to ask in Jesus’ name. We tend to tack that on casually to every prayer, without considering whether what we have just prayed is actually in line with Jesus’ character and will. After all, that is exactly what “operating in someone’s name” is supposed to mean. If we are indeed focused on His kingdom and His righteousness, (Matthew 6:33) then we will indeed pray in His name, but if not, then we are just saying empty words.

This is actually something I have spent a lot of time thinking about. As I have commented before, in my family growing up, prayer was as natural as breathing. That was an incredibly blessed experience! At the same time, I have always struggled with just why prayer works. After all, why would the Creator of the universe listen to me? And here, He is saying that He chose me! At times I really wonder about His judgment in that, but He knows and I don’t. At this point in my life, I really tend to focus on the “remain” part of this verse, because I am sharply aware that I won’t remain forever, on this earth at any rate, and the whole concept of legacy looms big. What I need to remember is that Jesus chose me to bear lasting fruit, and though I can’t make that happen in my own strength and wisdom, He can certainly do it through me. As He has told me to do, I am to rest, relax, and rejoice, not getting in His way but allowing Him to do in and through me everything He desires, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the good service yesterday, and particularly for the girl from Trinidad. I pray that she will be able to find a good, simple way to get here every Sunday from now on, because she certainly seemed hungry for Christian fellowship. Thank You for the really good marriage counseling session in the evening. I pray that Your words through me would abide in them and bear abundant fruit. Thank You for all You have planned for today. May I spend each moment in fellowship with You so that I will be acting as Your agent in everything I do, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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God’s Timing; April 6, 2025

Posted on April 7, 2025 by jgarrott

Matthew 17:1-2 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.

We hardly ever know God’s timing. Jesus had said, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” (Matthew 16:28) Then here, just six days later, three of the disciples see Jesus in His glory. They obviously didn’t expect that! God’s promises are sure, whether they are fulfilled six days or 6,000 years later. That’s why Peter, one of the three privileged disciples here, later wrote, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” (2 Peter 3:8) We can say that and think we understand it, but we have a hard time wrapping our minds around it emotionally. Patience is a huge part of faith! That’s why one of the favorite expressions in the whole Bible is “wait in hope,” or “wait expectantly.” Japanese has an expression that says that perfectly, but for some reason, Bible translations in English rarely put it as a compound, saying either “wait” or “hope.” One of the most famous places that appears happens to be our Verse for the Year in this church: “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) That has been set to music as “They that wait upon the Lord,” but  just waiting gets old very quickly! That’s why Peter also famously told us to be prepared to “give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15) When we wait in hope, that is the very definition of faith, and people take notice. More importantly, God takes notice, and He approves.

This certainly applies to me no less than it does to anyone else! We have been in Omura now for 43 years, and though we have seen some fruit, we haven’t seen the fulfillment of the vision God gave us of Omura becoming the foremost Christian city in the nation, as it was 450 years ago. Whether anyone remembers me when that does happen is unimportant. God said it, so that settles it. Recently many people have been feeling that the Lord’s return is imminent. That could well be, but as my wife and I say to each other, anytime someone gives a specific date, we can be sure it won’t happen that day! There are people with whom I’ve shared the Gospel who haven’t seemed to respond, but that doesn’t mean they won’t. I am to operate always in hope, but never try to put God into a box. God’s timing is perfect, and ours hardly ever is! I am to walk in faithful obedience, never letting go of hope, so that His will may be done in and through me for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Next week we’ll be having our annual business meeting, and we need to know what You want us doing this fiscal year. Help us have unity of purpose because we are agreed with You, so that the love we have for each other would proclaim Christ to those around us, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Listening to God; April 5, 2025

Posted on April 6, 2025 by jgarrott

Matthew 16:21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Every verse of today’s passage is very meaningful, but this verse is the one that came to mind when I started working on a Scripture list for the Easter season. The point that caught my attention was that Jesus began to show His disciples what He was going to go through. Even that was enough to gain a very negative response from Peter, who of course was the one disciple who explicitly denied he even knew Jesus, when push came to shove. I am regularly struck by how God loves us even in spite of knowing every detail of our weaknesses! Regardless, Jesus did let His disciples know what was going to happen, but it didn’t really sink in. It was only after He was resurrected that they remembered it all, and then it took angels reminding them! (Luke 24:8) To me this shows how dense we can be, and how we need to ask and allow the Holy Spirit to explain things to us in ways we can really grasp them, both in terms of understanding and in knowing how we are to respond and act. We don’t know how limited our own frame of reference is, and so don’t know what we don’t know. However, God in His grace will help us, if our hearts are open to Him, and as He told Jeremiah, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3) We certainly don’t have the “mental horsepower” to figure things out on our own, but He will indeed show us all we need to know to flow with His Spirit in His plans for His glory.

The issue of a framework to be able to understand what you’re hearing is something I deal with constantly in ministering to Japanese. As I have mentioned before, some of the most basic elements of the Gospel are outside of their culture. It’s not at all that they can’t learn them, but I have to teach them the elements before it can begin to fit together in their hearts and minds. Chief among those are love, sin, and forgiveness. The Japanese “field” needs a lot of cultivation before the seed of the Gospel can bear much fruit! However, nothing is impossible for God, so I’m never to give up, whether my function is plowing, adding fertilizer, or simply removing rocks. That image is very clear to me at the moment, because I’m getting to work on our garden plot. There’s enough work to be done that I know I can’t do it alone, but I had some help yesterday and I should not hesitate to ask for help as things progress. Only then will I get the harvest I desire!

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for the very timely metaphor. Thank You for the “deep cultivation” You enabled me to do with one man yesterday morning, and for the lighter cultivation I could do with the man who helped me in the afternoon. May I not be impatient, but do each thing, both in the garden and in ministry, as You direct on Your schedule, to gain the harvest You desire, in vegetables and in souls, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Mortality; April 4, 2025

Posted on April 5, 2025 by jgarrott

2 Peter 1:13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body.

Since contemporary records tell us that Peter was martyred, this statement by him isn’t quite the same as some greying senior pastor with medical issues. Even so, there is a lot of commonality, since all of us are going to die at some point. The awareness of our mortality should give every one of us a focus on how we’re spending our time here. Young people, not unreasonably, have very little grasp of their own mortality, and so can hardly wait for time to pass. It’s only years later that they look back and realize how foolish they were. Likewise, young parents often fail to savor the time they have with their children, being so busy with what they “have to do” that they miss life itself. We can be so foolish! The fact that we exist on this earth means God has a purpose for us, and that purpose is good, whether we realize it or not. In the case of senior adults, advancing age generally brings diminished physical capabilities, but that in no way negates the reality that God always has productive things for us to do. I well remember one of my aunts, the wife of my mother’s older brother, who was blind and essentially bedridden before she passed in her 90s. When my wife and I visited her in the nursing home where she lived she was complaining to us that God wouldn’t take her home, when she thought she was more than ready. Later in the conversation she told us about one of her grandsons who “almost divorced” but she prayed for him, and the marriage seemed to be healed. I pointed out to her that showed she still had work to do, because being blind and in bed meant she had plenty of time to pray! Everyone has different work to do, but there is always something. Peter here is rightly recognizing that those who had come to Christ through his ministry needed encouragement in their faith, and that was something he could do even at a distance, regardless of his physical situation.

At 76, I am well past the life expectancy of the 1st Century, but with modern medicine, and being in generally good health, I could well have another 20 years, if the Lord waits that long. My recent bout with a kidney stone was a good reminder to stay focused! I have many advantages over Peter in terms of getting God’s message out, with YouTube and Facebook Live and such. My blog goes out by email to over a thousand people every day, not to mention those who read it on the church Facebook page. However, all of those are meaningless if I’m not using them in obedience to my Lord. If all I’m doing is spouting off my own ideas, it doesn’t benefit anyone! God does want me to enjoy my time here, but if that is my focus, it will quickly become meaningless. As I tell couples in marriage counseling, being focused on your own happiness is self-defeating, but if you seek God in how to bless your spouse, your own happiness can go through the roof! If I focus on what I get out of life it will all be very shallow, but if I focus on what I put into life, I as well as those around me are blessed.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that Cathy and I were able to visit that lady yesterday. I’m sure we were more blessed than she was, though she seemed very grateful indeed. Thank You for Your plans for today. Help me seek and follow Your schedule every day, so that my time here, however long or short it might be, will be spent as You desire and intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Gifting; April 3, 2025

Posted on April 4, 2025 by jgarrott

1 Peter 4:10-11 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Once again the whole passage is really loaded with important truth, leaving me to pray that each person who uses this Scripture list would read with an open heart, allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to them what they need to hear. I have preached on these two verses several times, I’m sure, but they still speak to me afresh. The thing is, our context is constantly changing as we experience more of life, so in that sense the Bible is always new. Even a verse we have memorized can speak something new to us, as our eyes are opened to see more of the truth that is in it. There are several points in these two verses, the first being that each person is gifted. We speak of a gifted musician, or mathematician, or what have you, often not realizing that we ourselves are also gifted. Perhaps the simplest way to recognize your own gifting is to think about what seems easy or simple to you, but other people struggle with. Any time that is true, it indicates a way in which you are gifted. The problem is, we tend to exercise our gifts to satisfy ourselves, when as Peter says here, they are to be used to serve one another. Selfishness, being self-centered, is never the way to happiness and true satisfaction. It is when we use our gifts to bless others that we are fully blessed. That’s called stewardship, because our gifting is entrusted to us by God, and we are accountable to Him for how we use it. It’s also worth noting here that Peter is pointing out that God’s gifts are incredibly varied, essentially beyond counting, and that they are grace, because we didn’t earn them. The next verse goes on to mention the two main categories of gifting: speaking and acting. We don’t care if a carpenter is an eloquent speaker, so long as he can saw, hammer, etc. correctly. Conversely, we don’t care if a school teacher can hit a nail straight, so long as they can speak truth into our children to prepare them for life. Peter points us to the purpose of all of this: that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. That echoes what Paul said: “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17) With that understanding, we are to use our gifts boldly, speaking God’s truth for what it is, yet with all humility, acting without hesitation, while knowing that it is God who makes it possible. If we will do that, the Body of Christ will be built up and the world will be transformed, as God intends and for His glory.

Just yesterday I was wondering out loud what I was supposed to speak on this Sunday, since the Lord has spoken to me several times over the past three weeks, when I haven’t preached the past two Sundays. I don’t think I have any question now! I have been aware of my own gifting in several areas for most of my life, but I haven’t been very good at encouraging others in their gifting. That’s a real problem for me as a pastor, because Paul says that I am “to equip [God’s] people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” (Ephesians 4:12) I’m not to do it all myself, which has been something of my pattern for most of my life. I’ve allowed others to help me occasionally, but not too often. That has resulted in a very poor level of spiritual growth in this church, and it’s because I haven’t been a good steward of the gifts God has given me. Personal satisfaction isn’t to be my goal! God has had to use advancing age and occasional medical issues to get through to me, and I need to pay attention if I don’t want more medical issues! I have finally allowed a sister in the church to preach, but I need wisdom in what to ask of whom, recognizing their gifts so that they likewise may recognize and grow in them. Above all, I need to remember that I don’t have all the answers, and be humble in asking for advice. God has great plans for us, and I don’t want to be in the way!

Father, thank You for this strong Word. Thank You for the timing, as we prepare for our annual business meeting on the 13th. I pray that each person would hear what You are saying to them and rejoice to be obedient, even if it pulls them out of their comfort zone, so that all of Your plans for us and for this city and nation may be fulfilled, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Sharing; April 2, 2025

Posted on April 3, 2025 by jgarrott

1 Peter 3:15-16 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Verse 15 is the famous one here, but different translations divide the verses differently, and in typing it all out in Japanese, I gained further insight. We need to keep this in context, realizing that Peter is talking about suffering for righteousness, as it says in verse 14. In that situation, remembering that Christ is our holy Lord is important, because He suffered incredibly for us. A Christian’s ability to endure suffering can be very impressive, and that’s what verse 15 is talking about. Nobody notices if you’re just going along like everybody else. However, if you maintain peace and even joy when suffering, or are even under active persecution, then people pay attention. Again, translations differ, but the Japanese makes it clear that we are to be ready to share our hope in Christ “with anyone, at any time.” We probably won’t have a nice little tract with us in that moment, though it’s not bad if we do. What is important is that the message be clear in our heart. We can’t share convincingly something we aren’t fully convinced of ourselves! Our attitude in sharing is important too. Coming across as feeling superior, talking down to people, will never win them to repentance and faith. If you act that way, people will feel fully justified in persecuting you! It comes back to acknowledging Jesus as our holy Lord. If we will do that consistently, then all we do will flow out of His character in us, and that is attractive indeed.

For many years I have bemoaned what I saw as my lack of evangelistic gifting. It’s true that my gifting and calling is as a teacher, but a close friend called me down on that point just yesterday, saying that particularly as a pastor, I need to not focus on negatives, but rather encourage everyone – including myself – to make full use of what they have been given, what they can do. If we will do that, then just as in the parable of the talents that Jesus told, (Matthew 25) what we can do will be multiplied, for God’s glory. I’m sometimes frustrated with that friend because of his strong denominational, organizational mindset, but God can certainly speak through Him as well. I have long desired that every member of this church blossom as a witness for Christ, but I have been blind to the ways in which I myself have hindered that. Now that it’s starting to happen, I need to encourage it and not get in the way!

Father, thank You for this clear Word. Thank You also for the opportunity to share hope with a lady the day before yesterday. May I indeed be Your instrument to do that with anyone, any time You give me the opportunity, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Lifestyle; April 1, 2025

Posted on April 2, 2025 by jgarrott

1 Peter 2:15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.

I’m currently reading The Untold Story of the New Testament Church, by Frank Viola, and it gives some somewhat horrifying context to this passage. Slavery was an unquestioned part of society, and it had essentially no racial component at all. From verse 18 Peter is expressly addressing slaves, which most translations dress up as “servants.” The point of this verse is that regardless of your social standing, your actions should so reflect Christ that your critics end up with nothing to say. Saying that this is the will of God is a very strong statement, immediately bringing to mind Paul’s words to the Thessalonians: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) We may have questions as to what God’s will for us is in specific instances, but we have no reason to be unsure when it comes to our overall lifestyle. Peter and Paul are in total agreement! The devil loves to slander us (after all, his name means “accuser”) but we are to live so that our lifestyles expose the slander for what it is, and we are to be grateful to God in the process. Everyone’s circumstances are different in various ways, but we can have total assurance that God desires these things of us, whatever form they might take in our particular case. Many things in our lives are totally beyond our control, but these are things that are subject to our choice, and God will hold us accountable for them.

I have experienced slander, and by God’s grace the person doing it was eventually ashamed. I have experienced many things for which rejoicing and giving thanks had to be a very conscious choice, and sometimes a completely illogical one, but every time I have made that choice and acted on it, God has blessed remarkably. Right now I am rather naturally rejoicing that ESWL lithotripsy reduced my kidney stone from 6mm to 3mm, so the stent running from my bladder to my kidney could be removed, but the stone is still there, so I am to rejoice and be grateful that it will ultimately be dealt with God’s way in His timing. I certainly rejoice that in my running around to hospitals yesterday I ran into a lady we haven’t been able to connect with for several months, as well as a brother I haven’t seen in a couple of months. I found out the lady has metastatic cancer, and I was able to speak God’s love to her, though she is not yet a believer. I know God wants her to have the opportunity to commit to Jesus as Lord while she is here. The brother has likewise been hospitalized for a while and is glad to be out, and anxious to get back to church. In all my interactions I am to act as Christ’s representative, sharing His love, grace, and truth with all who will receive it, ignoring the negative voices and circumstances and resting, relaxing, and rejoicing in my Lord, just as He told me to do.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You indeed for those two appointments You had for me, as well as my appointment for the doctor to remove the stent. Help me not overdo things, but flow with Your Spirit on Your schedule at all times, as a good steward of the body, abilities, and opportunities You give me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Influence; March 31, 2025

Posted on April 1, 2025 by jgarrott

James 3:2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

This is a sticky verse for me, because I am very much a man of words, and I am very aware that I am not perfect. The verses following talk about how the tongue, that is, speech, seems small but has an outsized influence, and the verse ahead of this warns that teachers will be “judged more severely.” As someone with Teacher gifting who has lived as a teacher most of my life, that seems dangerous indeed! At the same time, we see examples all around us of people who have violated the trust given them as teachers, teaching vile things and doing great damage to individuals and to society as a whole. The majority of teachers are doubtless sincere and conscientious, but the ones who have perverted minds tend to stand out, and they certainly cause a lot of damage. This applies also to people who might not have the title of teacher, but who have influence over others. There is even a fresh category of people, “social media influencers,” and they come under the warnings in this chapter as well. The thing is, we all influence others to at least some degree, and we should seek to influence them toward good and toward God at all times. That focus needs to be both automatic and intentional. We should intend to do it so consistently that it becomes automatic! Sadly, as this verse says, we all stumble in many ways. The only answer is honest humility, asking God for His help and guidance and asking Him, and those we hurt, for forgiveness when it is called for.

As I said at the outset, this applies to me in spades. I have been aware of the influence I exert for most of my life. A major reason I am a tea totaler is that if people see me drinking, much less drunk, they would think it was fine for them as well. That has also extended to my speech patterns, thankfully. I never knowingly lie. For one thing, covering up for past lies is far too much work! A bigger factor is that when Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life,” (John 14:6) I would be unfaithful to Him to speak other than truth. At the same time, I am sharply aware that my words can be very hurtful. Just because something isn’t untrue doesn’t mean it’s right! As Paul said, I need to speak the truth in love, (Ephesians 4:15) so that my words my build people up and not tear them down. That doesn’t mean I’m never to speak strongly or that I’m not to correct people; that would be a violation of my calling as a teacher. However, my words should be gifts, drawing people to God and causing them to love and appreciate Him.

Father, thank You for this clear reminder. Thank You for Your patience with me over the years, with my many stumbles. Help me live out each day as You desire, speaking Your words in Your wisdom and love, so that people may be drawn to repentance and faith for their salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Faith and Works; March 30, 2025

Posted on March 31, 2025 by jgarrott

James 2:26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Martin Luther hated this verse, and indeed, the whole book of James, because he had rediscovered the principle of salvation by grace through faith, (Ephesians 2:8-9) which had effectively been forgotten by the Church, or at least overlooked, for a while at that point. However, that doesn’t change the validity of this principle. There is no way we can purchase our salvation, or even forgiveness for a single sin, but genuine faith is active. It is no theoretical, ivory tower exercise, but is applicable to every moment of our lives. That’s not at all to say we are to be anxiously trying to prove our faith, but rather that genuine faith will inform our every decision and guide our every step. A major part of spiritual growth is in realizing how that is to work out in practical terms. It can require real growth to take the stand that abortion is denying the sovereignty of God and the value of life, for example. It also requires genuine faith to forgive when you are slandered. To repeat a point, faith is not just theoretical! That is the major point of James, I think, and he gives many illustrations of his point. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to see how we might be acting in violation of what we say we believe, and repent to the point of changing how we live.

Of course, this applies to me as much as to anyone. I have made a lot of choices that people have lauded as “showing great faith,” but at the same time I have also ignored the faith I claim, in countless ways. I am never to preach to others and fail to receive the Word myself! If I do that, I am no better than the Pharisees who clashed so strongly with Jesus. I am to lead the way in humility, believing that I can do nothing right on my own, but that God can do anything at all through me. Simply put, I’m to believe enough to act, however things might look on the surface.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s a very simple, almost simplistic, principle, but it’s vital. Help me indeed walk out my relationship with You, and with Christ Jesus my Lord, so that all of Your plans may be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Fear of the Lord; March 29, 2025

Posted on March 31, 2025 by jgarrott

Hebrews 10:31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

This is a famous Scripture, largely because it was the foundation for a famous sermon by Jonathan Edwards which triggered the revival in North America called The Great Awakening. From our perspective we can see that God used it to prepare the people for the Revolutionary War, but at the time it was simply a mass repentance and turning to God. Contemporary records indicate that Edwards read his sermon from the elevated pulpit of his Congregational church very unemotionally, but the Holy Spirit took his words and pierced the hearts of his hearers, generating such fear that some literally clung to the posts that held up the balcony, fearful to fall into hell. That shows a number of things. The first is that God doesn’t need “special effects” to get His message into people’s hearts. All the lights and smoke machines and such that are found in some churches are humanistic manipulation. The second is that the people had no real Scriptural foundation for their faith, whatever that faith might have been. Clinging to something physically won’t keep you from hell! Sadly, a huge percentage of church members today are in the same situation, without a genuinely Biblical world view and therefore with unbiblical beliefs and practices in their lives. Third is that God’s grace and mercy don’t always seem gentle! Failing to speak truth because we don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings is not accurately representing Christ. We are indeed to speak the truth in love, but doing so faithfully will doubtless get us accused of being unloving! For example, “affirming” someone’s gender confusion is horribly unloving, but is called the opposite by people who don’t have a Biblical world view. American society, and modern society in general, has largely lost the fear of God, and that is a dangerous thing indeed. It is clearly the source of the idiocy that is so publicly proclaimed by many. As it says so clearly in Proverbs, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)

For many years I thought I was in some way related to Jonathan Edwards, but My Heritage hasn’t come up with any connection that I’ve seen. I seem to be related to at least one president, not to mention the Plantagenet kings of England, but not Edwards. I would consider that the higher honor! All that aside, my own relationship to the fear of the Lord has certainly had its ups and downs. I was raised to love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, (Mark 12:30) but I didn’t really understand what fear had to do with it. In the years since I have come to know that fear is an essential part of discipline, so if I don’t fear God I won’t respond rightly to the discipline He applies in love. I was too focused on 1 John 4:18, ignoring Hebrews 12:7-11. I’m reminded of something Dennis Prager reports. In his decades of doing talk radio, he asked many people who had never done drugs why they hadn’t, and the reply was always the same: “My mother would have killed me.” If we fail to fear God’s wrath, we will be open to countless deceptions of the devil. I am to proclaim God’s grace and love, certainly, but always in the framework of His holiness and omnipotence. This verse, so effectively used by Jonathan Edwards, should never be forgotten.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me follow through in all my interactions so that people will be given the opportunity to repent and believe for their salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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