Love; July 1, 2018

Posted on July 4, 2018 by jgarrott

John 1:16-17 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Talk about God’s provision! This is right in there with John 1:12 and 3:16. It’s no accident that all of these verses were penned by John, because his self-descriptive term was, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” (John 21:20) There are those today who say there was a sexual relationship there, but such an opinion comes from a complete misunderstanding of love, and is strongly influenced by the father of lies. (John 8:44) John wrote about love more than any other New Testament writer, and he is sometimes referred to as The Apostle of Love. It is said that in his old age he would seem to be asleep, but then would stir to say, “Children, love one another.” Given the content of his letters, that seems to be a very likely tradition. John had witnessed God’s love made visible first hand, and it shaped him forever. English translations generally say, “Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ,” but the Japanese says, “were manifested.” In literal translation, that would come out as “actually appeared.” That is to say, those things might have been theoretical before, but now they really exist. This is why Jesus could say, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) John had heard Jesus say that, and I’m sure it was on his mind as he wrote this first chapter of his Gospel.

John is the New Testament character, other than Jesus Himself, that I most admire and would like to emulate. (There are some who say I have more in common with Paul, but that’s just a matter of opinion.) I was raised in a home that manifested genuine love more and better than many, and I realized early on that love is a decision at least as much as it is an emotion. I saw that my parents loved each other, and us children, even when their emotions were in turmoil. I entered marriage at 20 with the understanding that marriage was going to be the biggest job of my life, but it would carry the greatest rewards. In a very real sense I decided to love my wife, meeting her (as I remember, at any rate) in November, having our first date in February, getting engaged 11 days later, and getting married in May. That was 49 years ago! As romantic as that might sound, it doesn’t hold a candle to what John is talking about here. God’s love is so overwhelming, absolutely everything else pales in comparison. My task, and the task of every believer, is to welcome that love so as to be a conduit of it to those around me, so that they too may “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8)

Father, words fail me to express my gratitude for Your love. Help me live it out, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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God’s Grace and Mercy; June 30, 2018

Posted on July 1, 2018 by jgarrott

John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

This verse, along with John 3:16, describes God’s greatest provision, His greatest gift. With such an important truth, the language used to express it is very significant. In English it says, “the right to become children of God.” Rights are dormant until exercised. God doesn’t force anyone into His family, but He makes membership available to anyone who will choose to repent and believe. In Japanese there’s a slightly different slant: “the privilege to become children of God.” We have to believe in order to enter God’s family, but it isn’t something we earn. Paul was very clear on this point. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Even the faith for salvation is a gift! That said, the faith likewise must be received in humility and gratitude, and there are many who reject it. That is the great tragedy of the universe. When God did so much to make salvation available to mankind, it is incredible but heartbreakingly true that so many people reject it. I think that human free will must be one of the most valuable things in the universe, because if we didn’t have free will we wouldn’t bear responsibility for our sins, and Jesus wouldn’t have had to die to take the penalty for them. However, God wanted children, not robots, and so He gave us free will, knowing even as He did it that so many would misuse it. God’s thoughts are indeed higher than ours, and His ways than our ways! (Isaiah 55:8-9)

This is just as true for me as it is for anyone else. Raised in a home that was steeped in faith, prayer, and the Bible, I learned to love Jesus at a very young age, but that didn’t keep me from veering off into extreme, egotistical pride. You could say I didn’t understand that being a child of God is a privilege; I thought I had it in my pocket. God in His mercy and grace brought me to my senses when I was already the married father of one, at the ripe old age of 24. Every aspect of my life, before and after, has been a demonstration of God’s grace and mercy. I feel incredibly blessed in more ways that I could count, but at the same time I still grumble at various things that don’t fit what I would like. I demonstrate my foolishness all the time! I have the privilege of sharing the good news of God’s family, His kingdom, with others, and I’ve got to keep that in focus as my first priority. I am to enjoy His many blessings with gratitude, but not allow those blessings to distract me from the work He has for me to do.

Father, the more I think about Your grace and mercy the more overwhelming it is. Help me respond in gratitude and obedience at all times, not taking any of it lightly, much less for granted. May I be more and more effective in sharing Your Gospel with others, so that Your house may be full as You desire, (Luke 14:23) for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Rules of the Kingdom; June 29, 2018

Posted on June 30, 2018 by jgarrott

Luke 19:26 “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.”

This parable has the same point as the much more famous one of the talents. (Matthew 25:14-30) However, the content of this verse is repeated even more than that, along with “The first shall be last, and the last first.” (Matthew 19:30, 20:16, etc.) The whole point is that God’s kingdom doesn’t run the way human organizations do. We have greatly clouded that fact by making churches and denominations on human lines, instead of really seeking God and listening to Him. We tend to think, “What do we have and what can we do with it,” when God says, “What is the need and how shall I meet it.” Those philosophies are as different as first and last. We forget that God is never at a loss for supplies. After all, He created the universe just by speaking it into being! He is Spirit, and we are spirits inhabiting very material bodies. How we relate to the material is very important, because it demonstrates and influences our spiritual attitudes, but the material is temporal and thus temporary, whereas we were created to be eternal. When we really get it through our heads that eternal life in Christ is exactly that, eternal, it changes our attitude and response toward everything else. Irritations become no big deal, but fellowship with our Lord and leading others to Him become everything. We are imperfect, and won’t experience perfection until we are before God’s throne, but our time in these bodies we inhabit should draw us in that direction. That’s why Jesus told us so clearly to seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and all our physical needs would be met. (Matthew 6:33)

I’m as much a physical human being as anyone else, but by God’s grace I am aware of His kingdom. However, I must not deceive myself into thinking that awareness equals arrival! I think that’s why Jesus said to “seek first.” I’m not to lose hope when I or anyone else stumbles, but rather keep pressing in for more of Jesus. I’ve been in this body almost 70 years, but that’s hardly a flash in the pan on the scale of eternity. I am to rejoice in what God has done and is doing in and through me, knowing that He will keep it up until He brings me before His throne. (Colossians 1:28, Philippians 1:6) He has told me to rest, relax, and rejoice. I’m still learning to do that! Anxiety comes all too naturally, when I see the attacks of the devil and the weakness in myself and others. I’ve got to remember that God knows it all ahead of time, and He is both totally powerful and totally good. That is what faith is all about and He makes that faith available to all who will receive it in humility. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s very timely, when Cathy is experiencing attacks to her health when she is scheduled for cataract surgery in just a few days, and any infection would delay that. I do ask for freedom from infection for her, and peace for her in the process. May we walk in full submission to You, firmly resisting the devil, so that he may flee and Your purposes be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. (James 4:7) Thank You. Hallelujah!

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The Word of Knowledge; June 28, 2018

Posted on June 30, 2018 by jgarrott

Luke 19:5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”

We have no record whatsoever of any previous interaction between Jesus and Zacchaeus, but Luke records that He called him by name on sight. This brings to mind Jesus calling Nathanael as His disciple. (John 1:44-51) I don’t think Jesus operated in omniscience, knowing absolutely everything. I think that would have totally overloaded His genuinely human brain. However, He operated freely in what Paul called the Word of Knowledge, as a gift of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:8) I’ve experienced that occasionally, and my wife rather more often, to the great consternation of people to whom we have ministered! To use a modern analogy, it was like the Holy Spirit acted as Google Glasses for Jesus, filling Him in on whatever He needed to know. In any case, Jesus always used the information He was given for good. The NIV says He told Zacchaeus, “I must stay at your house today.” The Japanese doesn’t have quite that emphasis, but renders it as, “It is settled that I will stay at your house today.” In either case, Jesus wasn’t giving Zacchaeus any options! In hospitals today, patients are involved in the decision process as to their treatment, for a number of reasons. However, the Great Physician doesn’t always operate that way! He knew it would take shock treatment to break through the shell Zacchaeus had built up so he could continue his lifestyle of becoming rich by selling out his countrymen to the Romans. I think that once the shock wore off, Zacchaeus’ major emotion was relief. What happened after this is a familiar story, and a powerful example of redemption. Much has been made about Jesus’ statement that “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:25) However, Zacchaeus is proof that, as Jesus said right after that, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27) Zacchaeus is a demonstration that repentance and faith for salvation are possible for anyone, if they will accept it as a gift from God.

I learned this story, and the song that goes with it, as a young child. I think the reason it’s taught to little children is the fact that Zacchaeus was short, too short to see over the crowd. Children can certainly identify with that! However, children haven’t had time to build up the sort of shell that Zacchaeus doubtless had. This really is a story of the fact that no one is beyond redemption, and that is an adult truth indeed. I recall one time when I was given a word of knowledge as I was counseling someone over the telephone. I didn’t state it directly, but what I said made it clear I knew what the person had been up to, and it was sufficient to shock them to repentance. Conversely, there have been people who have been so afraid of what God would tell Cathy about them that they have completely distanced themselves from us. It all comes down to a willingness to repent. I can’t generate that in anyone, but I can pray for it, and continue to speak the truth in love, whether it is a Biblical truth or something God reveals to me about that person. We are all dependent on the grace and mercy of God.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It brought back a lot of memories, as well as bringing to mind current situations. I ask for Your wisdom and guidance as to what to say to whom, when, so that Your Word to them may have the result for which You send it, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Prayer, Pride, and Humility; June 27, 2018

Posted on June 29, 2018 by jgarrott

Luke 18:1, 14 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

These are two very famous teachings of Jesus, but I don’t think we connect them very often, even though they come together in Luke’s account. However, just now the Lord showed me they are completely interconnected. When we read about the persistent widow, there is the danger of thinking we are supposed to demand things of God, so the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector is a direct counter to that. We aren’t to pray with boldness and persistence because we are so wonderful, or even that our cause is so exceptional, but rather out of a humble awareness of the character of God. He answers prayer because that’s who He is, not because we deserve it. Some people fail to pray because they think God would never listen to them. Whereas it’s true they don’t deserve to be listened to, God loves them in spite of that, and desires the very best for them. Conversely, some people go through all sorts of religious motions, including prayer, making no real connection to God at all, because they do all of that in pride. God wants an intimate relationship with each of us, but we will be able to enter into that only in humility and gratitude for His grace.

In the past I have certainly fit into the second of the two categories I’ve just mentioned. I was ignoring God in my daily life, yet I thought I was the finest Christian ever to walk into a church. My conceit was so complete that it was absolutely devastating when God tapped me on the shoulder and, when I turned, showed me a mirror to see the state of my own soul. Humility came much easier after that! As a pastor, I desire that every believer in this church have an intimate relationship with their Savior, and indeed, I’m going to be preaching on Relationships this coming Sunday. I need to help them distinguish between pride and assurance, between self-hatred and humility. Japanese society tends to slap down pride to the point of fostering self-hatred, which is one reason for the high suicide rate. I need to help them understand they are indeed “precious and honored,” (Isaiah 43:5) but that is because of God’s creation and His grace, and not because they have earned it.

Father, thank You for this confirmation of Sunday’s message! There are so many Scriptures that speak to this theme. Show me which to use and give me peace about which not to use, so that people won’t be overwhelmed. I pray that Your Word would flow through me clearly and unhindered, so that each hearer may be delivered from the lying traps of the enemy to walk in all that You intend for them, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Stewardship; June 26, 2018

Posted on June 28, 2018 by jgarrott

Luke 12:48 “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

Ambition is a dangerous thing. This teaching, along with the famous parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) stresses that the important issue isn’t how much you’ve been given, it’s what you do with what you have. If we genuinely desire to see God’s kingdom come and grow, that’s one thing, but far too many people in ministry get seduced by the idea of “their” ministry growing. We tend to forget that everything belongs to God, and we are no more than stewards. That’s not to say that it’s wrong to set goals, personally or as a church or ministry, but it is to say that we need to keep close watch on our motives for doing so. If we are genuinely concerned to get the Gospel out as far as possible, to make as many disciples for Jesus Christ as we can, that’s good and commendable. However, if we are after bragging rights, or after a large congregation that can pay us a large salary, we are in real trouble. God gives each of us abilities and resources, but they aren’t to inflate us, they are to advance His kingdom. What Jesus is saying here is so pointed that Peter specifically asked who it applied to, in verse 41. Jesus didn’t reply directly, but the overall emphasis is on those who are in leadership, which often goes hand in hand with ambition. Every believer, but especially those in leadership, needs to examine themselves for faithfulness in their stewardship. (1 Corinthians 4:2)

I am always troubled when I read passages like this, because I feel I have been given a great deal and have done little with it. Other than sports, there has hardly been an area where I have not shown potential. When I was tested in Basic Training in the Army I qualified to specialize in every category, across the board, which is virtually unheard of. (They assigned me to infantry, because “We need well-rounded people in infantry.”) Even in infantry I qualified at the highest level the very first time I picked up an M14 rifle, which meant I had potential as a sniper. (I qualified, but not nearly as highly, with the M16, which was the major small arm in 1970.) When I entered college a year early, skipping the 12th grade, I tied for the highest SAT score in the Freshman Class, but then I failed two classes in that first year. That was because I was used to things coming easily to me, but didn’t know how to apply myself and make the best use of my abilities. In other words, I was a perfect target for what Jesus says here. I haven’t had what most people would call a very “successful” career since then, but ever since God called me to repent and return to Him back in 1972, my goal has been faithfulness. Even there, I have certainly had my ups and downs. I seek to listen to the Holy Spirit for what I am to do, both short and long-term, but God alone is the judge of how well I have done that. I honestly desire to be a doer of the Word, (James 1:22) but I feel God has opened up so much of His Word to me, and I follow through fully with just a fraction of it. I am totally dependent on the grace of God, and I pray for His mercy.

Father, help me indeed lift my focus off of myself and fix it on the Lord Jesus Christ, so that I may indeed be the faithful steward You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Church Survival; June 25, 2018

Posted on June 28, 2018 by jgarrott

Luke 12:32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”

This verse is not in the largely parallel passage in Matthew 6 that we had on May 3. Jesus indeed repeated some of His content at times, probably depending on who happened to be gathered, since they didn’t have social media to tweet every word He said. However, this little gem is here alone. This verse has been a comfort to small churches down through the centuries. I don’t think it says that small churches are better than large churches. After all, even the largest “mega-churches” pale in comparison to “a great multitude that no one could count.” (Revelation 7:9) However, it is saying that small churches have nothing to be afraid of, because they are in God’s hands. Individual congregations do disappear, for various reasons. The saddest of those is simple lack of vision. We are all too prone to focus on ourselves and our own little circle, when God calls us to reach out to the whole world. (Matthew 28:18-20) It is ironically true that the more we worry about immediate problems and focus on them, the more danger we are in for our long-term survival. If we fail to make disciples, any church can die in one generation. The focus of any church should be on loving God enough to be obedient to Him, and He says to love our neighbors and make them His disciples. And it is demonstrably true that the broader a church defines “neighbors,” the more vitality they have. We are to think not in terms of our own survival, but in terms of God’s kingdom.

This is certainly applicable to this church at this time. Our current Sunday morning attendance is less than 10, and a major reason for the departure of various people has been their failure to catch the vision God has for us. Every Sunday we declare that our vision is “To know Christ and make Him known, changing Japan one person at a time, that the City of Omura would again be the foremost Christian city in Japan, actively advancing the kingdom of God to the ends of the earth.” However, people have focused on bean counting and the like, failing to recognize that they are Christ’s representatives to extend His kingdom in their family and neighborhood. That has been tragic, but God’s not through with us yet. There are problems with each individual, certainly including the pastor, but God is far bigger than all those problems put together. Luke quotes Jesus as saying this verse right after He tells us to seek God’s kingdom. Just because God delights to give it to us doesn’t mean we aren’t to seek it! I am to seek the anointing of the Holy Spirit to get this across to each believer so that they will believe God can use even them to bring others into His kingdom, His family. We have perhaps focused on family to the exclusion of kingdom, when our image of family is far more limited than God’s kingdom. It is true, certainly, that we are God’s children, but we are also His ambassadors, (2 Corinthians 5:20) and we need to act like it.

Father, thank You for this reminder. At the welcoming dinner last night for a new pastor in town we were all talking about obstacles to evangelism in Japanese society. Help us all, pastors on down, believe that You are indeed greater than all those obstacles, so that we may be available to You for the mighty harvest that You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Greed; June 24, 2018

Posted on June 26, 2018 by jgarrott

Luke 12:15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Jesus’ instructions to “be on your guard” here are something we overlook, I think. It is accepted that “greed is bad,” but that’s on the surface. Some consultants actually teach that greed is good, because it can be a powerful motivator for performance. On top of that, Jesus here specifies, “all kinds of greed.” There are many kinds, and none of them lead to a good end. The parable that follows seems particularly fitting for the present day. We would tend to think that the man who had a bumper crop was to be congratulated, and his desire to store his wealth only reasonable. We wouldn’t even call him greedy! We, like the man in the parable, forget that nothing God provides is for us alone. Rather, God’s provision is to be used as God intends, advancing His kingdom and blessing others. We are indeed blessed in the process, but that’s not to be our focus. Greed is never fully satisfied. About a hundred years ago, one of the richest men in America, or the world, for that matter, was asked, “How much is enough.” His response spoke volumes: “A little more.” Recently we have seen that in numbers of politicians, who are already wealthy beyond their ability to spend it and yet are reaching out for more, often in underhanded or even illegal ways. Such people have a poverty of soul that is pathetic. To go back to Jesus’ mention of “all kinds” of greed, some people are hungry for power, others for physical pleasure, others for fame and adulation. None of them end well, and generally cause a lot of destruction to many in the process. Paul was talking about money, but his words to Timothy apply to every kind of greed: “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1 Timothy 6:6) The whole section before and after that verse fits perfectly with what Jesus said. Real wealth cannot be measured in this world’s terms.

This seems particularly timely to me because we have been dealing with inheritance issues recently, both with ourselves and with another family, and it was a question of inheritance that prompted Jesus to say this. Inheritance is by definition not earned, but at the same time we tend to feel entitled to it, so it can be quite a trap. I’ve encountered people who insisted they neither needed nor wanted any inheritance, saying very pious things about seeking first the kingdom and the like, but when push came to shove, they were very grasping. That is sad indeed. However, I can’t look down on them, because I have benefited from inheritance myself. Material things, including money, aren’t bad in themselves, but they can be very distracting. I need to apply Jesus’ standards, from Matthew 6:33 and elsewhere, and recognize that I already have immense treasure in heaven, and not be grasping of anything here on earth.

Father, You have been and continue to be more than gracious toward us. Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, allowing You to pour Your resources of all sorts through me to others, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Mary; June 23, 2018

Posted on June 26, 2018 by jgarrott

Luke 11:27-28 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”
He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

In reading this, Catholic liturgy immediately comes to mind. Several times a year I attend early mass at a church where a friend of mine is the priest, and the focus on Mary is always disturbing, or at least saddening. Quoting Luke 1:28 seems foundational to everything else, but here Jesus is directly countering that focus. Mary was indeed a magnificent example of faith for us all, but that was because of her choices, her obedience. Jesus is saying that we can receive equal blessings with her through making those same choices to trust and obey. Two titles given to Mary are especially disturbing to me: “Mother of God,” and “Queen of Heaven.” This passage directly touches on the “Mother of God” title. Mary was indeed the mother of Jesus’ physical, human body. However, He was pre-existent as God before Creation, so she could not be the mother of His divinity. The title, “Queen of Heaven,” is almost more disturbing, because its roots are in the worship of Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians (1 Kings 11:5 and more) who was called by that title. Jeremiah used that title in condemning the idolatry of his day. There was a long period when Catholic believers were actively discouraged from reading the Bible for themselves, and this sort of thing is the result. Thankfully that has changed, and there are many Catholics with an active, personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord, but the liturgy is unfortunate to say the least. We need to seek the blessing of hearing the Word of God and obeying it.

Growing up in a thoroughly Baptist household, I had very little awareness of Catholic theology. Since coming to Omura I have had a number of Catholic friends, some of them very close. One Augustinian friar (who refers to Martin Luther as “Great Senior,” since Luther was of that order) was and is a particularly close friend. He told me that official Catholic dogma is that Mary is never to be worshiped, but only greatly respected. However, he conceded that there is a lot of that going on in practical terms. I have had to realize that Jesus is the issue, not Mary, and accept as brothers and sisters those who cling to Jesus as the only Savior and Lord, regardless of how much junk there might be in their traditions. It makes me think about how much junk there might be in the Baptist tradition! I need to focus on the Word of God and not the traditions of men. (Mark 7:8)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You also for my Catholic brothers and sisters. I pray that Your truth would indeed set us all free from the deceptions of the enemy, so that we may be fully obedient and pleasing to You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Asking and Receiving; June 22, 2018

Posted on June 25, 2018 by jgarrott

Luke 11:13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

This is a dearly loved Scripture, especially by Charismatics and Pentecostals. Along with the rest of the teaching on prayer that precedes this, along with the parallel passages in Matthew, the problem seems to be in how we ask and how we receive. By definition it’s not in God’s supply, because He is the omnipotent Creator who spoke the universe into being, and He is love itself. James deals with this issue. “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) Jesus said very clearly that we are to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) When our focus is on the immediate thing desired, we often lose sight of God’s kingdom and His righteousness. That all deals with how we ask, but there is also the issue of how we receive. The verse from Mark leaves no doubt: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24) Much of the time we lack faith: faith that God is able or that He’s willing to give us what we ask. Jesus is touching on that factor in this verse. Sometimes we think, “But I’m not worthy to receive.” Right here Jesus says we are evil! Now, we aren’t worthy, but God loves us anyway. This isn’t an excuse to go on being evil, but it is a reminder that it doesn’t depend on us, it depends on God.

In relation to this specific verse, I didn’t receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit until I stopped putting conditions on how it was going to happen, but simply thanked God for being true to His Word. I felt nothing at the moment, but later got confirmation of His faithfulness through a fulfillment of Acts 1:8, rather than Acts 2:2-4. God has poured more blessings out on me than I could possibly count, yet I still have trouble at times being quiet enough before Him to receive His supply. Right now I feel assorted pressures, and I mostly feel tired. God has told me to rest, relax, and rejoice, but I am reminded that I don’t know well how to do that. I know that it isn’t a matter of passive inactivity, but rather a matter of yielded obedience coupled with expectation, which is a manifestation of faith. I need to trust and expect that God is going to give me the energy, the wisdom, and the time necessary to do everything He has placed on my schedule, and that includes the wisdom to discern what He has placed there and what others are demanding of me. I do need to know how to say no, and have peace about it.

Father, You know my situation better than I do. Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in that assurance. Thank You for all You enabled me to do yesterday. Thank You that You are going to enable me to do everything on my slate today. Help me neither be anxious about any of it or resent any of it, but allow You to carry me along to Your conclusion to the day, accomplishing Your purposes on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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