Doing Things God’s Way; July 24, 2017

Posted on July 27, 2017 by jgarrott

2 Kings 5:11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.”

This particular story is rightly famous for this particular reason. Naaman had his own preconception of how God was going to bless him, and he almost missed the blessing entirely because it didn’t fit his preconception. I think we do that all the time. We decide on goals and how we are going to get there, and then when God leads us by a different path, we despair or get angry or at least complain. How foolish! Naaman was blessed with servants who were able to persuade him to at least try what Elisha had said, but often enough we don’t have anyone who will be bold enough to speak into our lives, or whom we trust enough to pay attention when they do speak. That has been the downfall of countless church leaders in particular. It is quite common to be too close to a situation to see it objectively, but someone with a bit more emotional distance is able to see what really is going on. In such cases we need to be open to advice! Too often we get fixated on short-term goals without analyzing what our long-term goal is, and how that short-term goal might move us in that direction or not. Frankly, life is too short to be distracted by short-term goals that don’t contribute to God’s purpose for our life. Jesus’ words about seeking God’s kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33) certainly apply here. If our goal is for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done, (Matthew 6:9-10) then goals of personal aggrandizement won’t enter the picture.

This is certainly spot-on for where we are right now. In the called business meeting yesterday we were blessed to have our newest member, actually, call us into focus as to why we would purchase land and build an elder-care facility. As he very rightly said, if our goal is anything other than the salvation of souls and the advancement of God’s kingdom, we have no business doing it. However, if that is our goal, then no expense is too much and no difficulty insurmountable. To be honest, I don’t want to run such a facility; I’m a teacher, not an administrator. However, if it is going to bring people into God’s kingdom, His family, then it is certainly worth doing. Some excellent questions were brought up by various people, and we ended the meeting with the unanimous decision to purchase the land but study and pray more before deciding not just the details of the building, but especially the level of care we will offer and how it will all be organized. I have great peace with that, but I’ve got to be willing to buckle down and do the extensive work that lies ahead of us. I must remember at every turn that God already has the perfect plan, and my job is to identify and follow that plan. He knows whom He has prepared to fill each position, and He knows the timetable. I am to keep my eyes on Him and follow wholeheartedly, never letting personal pride get in the way.

Father, Thank You for Your plans, and for including us in them. Thank You for all You did yesterday. I’m sure I don’t know the half of it, but Your works are good. I ask not only that we follow Your schedule for each step, but also that we not be anxious about it. We are so prone to worry about two steps down the road, when You have only tasked us with the one in front of us. Help us all rest, relax, and rejoice in You, seeking first Your kingdom and Your righteousness, so that You may be unhindered in doing all that You want to do in and through us, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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God’s Instruments; July 23, 2017

Posted on July 26, 2017 by jgarrott

2 Kings 4:30 But the child’s mother said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her.

This story illustrates something that is very common, but which has bothered me somewhat. The woman early on recognized that Elisha was a man of God (verse 9) but over time, as she saw God work through him, she conflated him with God. That is to say, her faith was in Elisha as much as it was in God. That seems to me very risky. Human vessels are imperfect, however much God might use them. Paul put it this way: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7) When you forget that your leader is just a clay pot, you are asking for trouble. What’s even more dangerous is when the leader himself forgets that he’s just a clay pot. When that happens, people are bound to be badly hurt. Examples such as Billy Graham are unfortunately rare. He is one servant of God who has never betrayed his commission. It would be easy to list several others who have not been so faithful. This year marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. One of the central pillars in that was the priesthood of the believer. That is, every believer has direct access to God through Jesus Christ, so we are not dependent on going through any merely human intermediary, for salvation or for anything else. When we fixate on a human vessel we are forgetting that vital principle, and lose a great deal in the process.

This has bothered me especially because of how some people have fixated on me. I don’t think that trumpeting my failures would be helpful, for a variety of reasons, but I must seek to point people to God at all times, assuring them that He loves them as much as He does me. One danger in this is that it feeds the ego. If I start to believe what some people say to/about me, I’m in real trouble! The flip side of that is when people don’t believe I’ve heard from God and close their ears to what He says to them through me. That isn’t as dangerous for me, but it can bring loss in various ways, to the individual and to the church. Today we are having a called business meeting to talk about the purchase of the land next door and building an elder-care facility on it. I obviously haven’t been fully effective in communicating what God has shown us over the years, but today is an opportunity to set some of that straight. This is indeed a vision God has grown over 19 years, but it has seemed like a pipe dream until the past year, and the pace has really picked up over the past few months. That makes it seem very sudden to some people. The biggest shock to most of them is the large sums of money involved. They haven’t lived through previous “impossible” projects the way I have, so I am to be gentle but firm in expressing God’s faithfulness. If they are fixated on me, of course they will run in terror from all the bad possibilities. If they are fixed on God, then they will rejoice that He is choosing to use us for His glory. I am to speak and act in all humility, but also in conviction and assurance of what God has been showing us, so that together we may treat His name as holy and welcome His kingdom as His will is done in and through us for His glory.

Father, thank You for this Word. I do pray for each member of this church, that they will receive faith as a gift from You and rejoice to be part of what You are doing, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Receiving God’s Supply; July 22, 2017

Posted on July 26, 2017 by jgarrott

2 Kings 4:3 Elisha said, “Go round and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few.”

It has always been interesting to me that Elijah is considered the “greater” prophet, but there are far more miracles of various sorts recorded for Elisha. It’s possible that’s because Elijah largely acted alone, so we only know what he told someone else about his activities. Elisha, on the other hand, was associated with a “company of prophets,” so he had a number of people paying close attention to what he did. In any case, this particular incident is well known. In my family we’ve used the expression, “widow’s cruse of [whatever]” when anything was lasting a lot longer than expected. The point is, God’s supply doesn’t run out. However, in this particular instance, the widow and her sons were actively involved in receiving that supply. Not only did the widow have to keep pouring oil, she and her sons had to go around asking for jars into which to pour the oil. God uses various methods of supplying our needs, some of them more seemingly miraculous than others, but it is rare indeed that we are to be passive about it all. At the very least, we are to be active stewards of whatever He provides, so that it will be put to the purposes He intends for it. In this particular instance the widow had to sell the oil she was given, in order to have the funds to pay her debts and then to support her sons. Had she just rejoiced at all the oil in the house and not gone out and sold it, the miracle would have been meaningless.

This is certainly a timely reminder for me! We are facing a project that is huge, considering the size of this church. People have promised finances, but at this point we don’t know how much they will give. We do know that however much it is, it won’t be enough for the total project. I need to be active in asking for contributions, but I need to know whom to ask, and how. It’s not easy to ask for money, particularly when most of the wealthy people I know aren’t Christians. However, as the Lord has pointed out to me recently, He can use this to draw them to Himself, and the eternal life they would receive is worth far more than any financial contribution they might make. I woke very early this morning and my mind kicked into “worry mode,” attacking my faith and my peace. That was just an indication of the spiritual warfare in which we are involved. I am not to be foolish, but I must remember that God is never at a loss for supply, whether it be money, personnel, or anything else. My task is to do whatever He indicates to receive that supply, as well as be faithful as a steward of whatever He does supply, just like the widow in this story.

Father, thank You for Your perfect timing. You knew what would happen when, at the point You had me select this passage in creating this month’s Scripture List. Help me receive and operate in Your truth, and not just preach it to others. I ask for clear guidance for each moment of today, not just to be fully prepared for tomorrow but so that I won’t miss anything You have for today, for Your will to be done on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Speaking for God; July 21, 2017

Posted on July 23, 2017 by jgarrott

1 Kings 22:14 But Micaiah said, “As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me.”

Micaiah proved he was a true prophet right here. This whole chapter gives very interesting insight into prophets and prophecy. The other 400 or so “prophets” were opportunists, political operatives who used “prophecy” to curry favor with power, and/or for political ends. They remind me a lot of the global warming/climate change alarmists today, who continue to spout their predictions even when proven wrong again and again. In contrast, Micaiah doesn’t claim to be omniscient, but he does profess to listen carefully to God. Every believer should be that way, whether they have a specifically prophetic calling or not. Sadly, too much of what goes on in churches resembles the antics of the 400 “prophets,” rather than humility and obedience toward God. Sermons are crafted with the tools of public speaking to advance human plans, rather than being expressions of what God is saying to His children. We cannot judge such things by human standards, but rather use the Bible as the standard and ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate it, and us, so that we may hear what God is saying.

This is of course extremely applicable to me. I have been used in prophecy many times over the years, but more importantly, each time I stand in a pulpit I seek and desire to transmit faithfully what God is saying, just like Micaiah. I do prepare outlines and I do seek to be an effective speaker, paying attention to Mark Conner’s points on “Preaching to Change Lives,” but if it isn’t God’s message to begin with, all of that is “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” (1 Corinthians 13:1) I start each message confessing that if what I speak is just my own words it will be of no value, and asking God to use me to speak to those listening. I have heard too many sermons that didn’t follow that principle – some from my own mouth! God certainly talks to His people, but if I speak my own thoughts and claim they are God’s, I’m in deep trouble. Sometimes God does speak through me when I haven’t expected it, but feeling self-important or going around saying “Thus sayeth the Lord” is the height of foolishness. I am to expect God to speak through me and be grateful when He does, but never try to leverage that to my own ends. My end stinks!

Father, thank You for a sense of humor. Thank You for Your overflowing grace in so many areas. Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice, just as You have told me, keeping myself available to You at all times and in all ways, so that Your name may be recognized as holy and Your kingdom come as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Our Image of God; July 20, 2017

Posted on July 23, 2017 by jgarrott

1 Kings 20:28 The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord.’ ”

Modern people, and particularly those from traditionally Christian countries, have trouble grasping just what was going on here. Ahab had won the earlier battle through superior tactics, directed by God through a prophet. Whether the Arameans knew about the prophet or not, they attributed their loss to the God of the Israelites, rather than to their poor tactics. They had a theology that seems laughable to us today, of strictly local gods, and God wanted to teach them, and the Israelites, how wrong that was. We may laugh at this today, but often enough our own theology isn’t much better. We mentally put God into various boxes, deciding what He can or can’t do, forgetting that He is GOD, the LORD, Creator of heaven and earth. As He had Gabriel tell Mary, nothing is impossible for Him. (Luke 1:37) He is quite literally infinite. Being finite ourselves, we have enormous difficulty wrapping our minds around that reality. We aren’t so much better than the Arameans who thought He was just God of the hills. We need to let Him reveal Himself to us, not requiring that He do some fresh miracle, but simply grasping how much He has already done. The most miraculous thing isn’t really what He has done so much as that He has done it for us. His love, that caused Him to send His Son as our Savior, is the most miraculous thing of all. That is what we most need to believe and appropriate. With that as a foundation, everything else fades to being merely incidental.

God is in the process of doing something that seems big and miraculous in/for/through this church. I’ve got to remember, and to keep reminding the believers, that this is small change compared to what He has already done for us in Christ. We all need to let Him grow our image of Him, because it will never be as big as He is. I am to teach both how incredibly big and great He is and how intimately, fiercely, He loves us. We are not to presume on Him, but we are not to think for a moment that anything is difficult for Him. Our job is humble, faithful, joyful, obedience. Two Japanese expressions come to mind: waiting in hope, and listening to obey. Both are extremely Biblical concepts, and reassure me that God didn’t leave Japan and the Japanese out of His plan of salvation, whatever their track record has been to this point.

Father, thank You for the marvelous day yesterday. There were so many encouraging things! Thank You for what You told me a few years ago, to rest, relax, and rejoice. I’m still growing in doing that! Help me not just teach others, but allow You to stretch my heart and mind as well, so that I may be an ever more available, responsive channel of Your grace, blessing, and power, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Boasting; July 19, 2017

Posted on July 22, 2017 by jgarrott

1 Kings 20:11 The king of Israel answered, “Tell him: ‘One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off.’ ”

Now that’s a snappy comeback! It was obviously a proverb of the day, but it’s true enough even today. We hear a lot of people boasting about what they are going to do, but that’s nowhere as impressive as someone who calmly recounts what they have done. “Advance boasting” is used as psychological warfare, trying to intimidate opponents. It is often part of what is called “trash talk,” insults and put-downs of opponents. The flip side of that is to bolster the courage of the one speaking. However, talking big often betrays a coward behind the bluff. It is certainly a risky maneuver. For the Christian, we are to hold to what God said. “This is what the Lord says: ‘Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

One time in my life an empty boast stood me in good stead. I was an 11th grader in Tennessee, having spent most of my life in Japan, and I was fresh meat for bullies. One bully in particular really bothered me, so one day I called him over privately and said, “You know I come from Japan. Well, I know karate, and if I happen to kill you it would be bad for both of us.” He never bothered me again! In fact, I had never studied karate and only knew a few kata (moves) from observation, but I think God gave me wisdom for that occasion. That was certainly an exception to the rule we’re talking about! Far more often, I have gotten myself into trouble by boasting about things I hadn’t done yet, or even things I claimed to have done that weren’t true. I am a perverse bundle of pride and insecurity, and I have demonstrated that more times than I like to think about. I would have done far better to obey God’s words to Jeremiah. Right now we are faced with huge challenges. My focus, both in my words and in my inmost thoughts, must be on my Lord who is more than able to deal with those challenges, because the minute I think or say that I can solve them on my own, I’m in deep trouble. The less I think I can do it, the more I can have assurance that He can and will do it through me.

Father, thank You for this reminder and encouragement. Thank You for the various things You’ve brought me through to this point to teach me to trust You. May I not trust in myself, but be active in my obedience to You, so that Your wisdom may be manifested at every turn to accomplish Your will for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Encouragement; July 18, 2017

Posted on July 22, 2017 by jgarrott

1 Kings 19:18 “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”

This is an enormously encouraging passage for many pastors, especially those who are distressed by the general state of society. Elijah had every reason to fear for his life as he ran from Jezebel, so there is a definite irony in his asking to die in verse 4. Jezebel would have been happy to grant that request! However, every Church leader has reason to be depressed at times. God’s answer to Elijah was to give him specific tasks to do and tell him who would be his successor in ministry. Knowing that ministry isn’t going to stop with you can be very comforting! Then he says this, letting Elijah know that not everyone in Israel had abandoned Yahweh. That too is enormously comforting. The people who spit in God’s face are very visible, because many of them try to be, but we must not overlook those who genuinely seek God. There are countless reasons why we might overlook them, but God doesn’t miss even one. The discouraged pastor needs to ask first for ears to hear God and then for eyes to see those whom God has reserved for Himself. God is never defeated, whatever things look like, and neither are those who are in Him. (Romans 8:37)

This is certainly applicable to me, as I’m sure it is to every minister in Japan. The “rate of return” for ministry in Japan is the lowest in the world, from statistics I have seen. I can certainly believe it! However, things aren’t necessarily as they seem to human eyes. Just the other day I was talking with someone who had been attending a good-sized church in the Tokyo area, and they said that they thought the majority of the people in their age group at church had told no one at their job that they were Christians. They feared the social repercussions of being “different” from their peers, forgetting Jesus’ very strong words on the subject: “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26) That’s pretty severe! I perhaps need to contact the pastor of that church (who is a friend) and let him know what I heard. I also need to encourage the believers here to “let their lights shine,” (Matthew 5:15-16) not fearing people’s opinions but taking their personal worth from God, so that they may lead others into the light of life.

Father, You know what’s going on in and around me better than I do. Thank You for reminding me of that fact just now. Help me rest, relax, and rejoice in You, just as You have told me, so that my light may be bright and draw many to You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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God’s Supply of Strength; July 17, 2017

Posted on July 20, 2017 by jgarrott

1 Kings 18:46 The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

This was another miracle, but not being as dramatic as the immediately previous “power encounter” it doesn’t get as much press (though I have seen a photograph of an oil painting someone did of it). We occasionally get news reports of people doing seemingly impossible things for a brief time, like lifting a car off of someone, but this was a sustained event. I don’t know how far it is from Carmel to Jezreel, but it was surely more than a few hundred yards. Even if Ahab’s chariot was moving slowly, this was a sustained effort at pretty remarkable speed. Frankly, I don’t know why Elijah would have gone to Jezreel at this point, because the following events show that it was dangerous territory for him. The whole point to me is simply that God provides the strength and endurance we need to accomplish whatever He indicates we are to do. Sometimes we really need to be reminded of that! God told Paul that His grace is sufficient for us, (2 Corinthians 12:9) but when difficulties loom over us we can have trouble believing it. Peter points out that faith is worth more than Gold, (1 Peter 1:7) so God allows us to get into situations that stretch our faith and deepen it. As has been said, He is far more interested in our character than our comfort.

I don’t enjoy being forced to grow any more than other people do, but I have seen good results when I have stopped protesting what God intends for my blessing. My immediate situation is hardly one I would have chosen, but it has caused me to pray a good bit more than I had been doing. That’s good! I don’t know what the hours, days, weeks and years ahead hold, but I do know that God loves me and His plans for me are good. (Jeremiah 29:11) I need to keep my eyes, ears, and heart open to Him and do exactly what He says, whether it makes any sense to me at the moment or not. It would be especially shocking if He told me to run the way Elijah did, since I’ve never been a runner, but if He says to do it, I need to be obedient. The tasks that seem to be ahead are much less physical but no less difficult. I am not to draw back at any point, but as Paul said, I am to press on, keeping my eyes on the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14)

Father, thank You for the assurance that You will get me through everything, whether it feels like a kick in the stomach, a slog through mud, or stepping off of a cliff. Thank You that there are no surprises for You, so all I have to do is follow You. Thank You for what You have done in this week in the city gallery. I frankly don’t know what that is, since attendance has been sparse, but You have allowed me to speak Your truth to a few people. I pray that this last day, including taking everything down, would go smoothly and we would be accurate representatives of Christ, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Choosing God; July 16, 2017

Posted on July 20, 2017 by jgarrott

1 Kings 18:21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

This is the story of the most dramatic “power encounter” in the whole Bible, short of Jesus’ cross and resurrection. The events of the exodus were misty folk tales for most of the people. Since this was in the northern kingdom of Israel, they didn’t even have the temple worship to remind them of the true God. Through Elijah, God set up a demonstration of His reality that would echo throughout history. The question Elijah asks here is one that applies to every person in every age. We are free to choose whom we will serve, but we cannot fail to make the choice, because that is choosing to serve the devil by default. That’s something most people don’t realize. Yesterday a man came into the gallery (we are having a show of my photography, Cathy’s papercraft, and the calligraphy of a lady in the church) and told me, “I used to be Methodist, but now I’m Sokagakkai.” (That’s a rather militant Buddhist sect, equivalent to Jehovah’s Witnesses.) I asked him why he had changed, and he said, “Oh, I was in Seicho no Ie (another of the Japanese “new religions”) for a while too, but found that Sokagakkai was most satisfying for me.” He’s made his choice, and unless he repents, he will live with that choice for all eternity. I certainly wouldn’t want to be in his shoes! The problem is, people choose religions because of cultural pressures, convenience, or in his case, what pleased his flesh. I once heard a Sokagakkai person say, “The Bible insists we do impossible things, like love our enemies. Sokagakkai never does that.” We have such trouble believing that God never asks us to do anything He doesn’t enable us to do, if we will yield ourselves to Him in faith. I recently saw a strictly secular comment that “There is no growth without pain.” I presume it was talking about mental/emotional/spiritual growth, because simple physical growth isn’t necessarily painful, but taken that way, it’s quite in line with the Bible. We don’t like to make hard choices, to be obedient to God instead of indulge our flesh, but we bear the consequences of our choices whatever they are. As Elijah said, the question is whether we will choose God.

This is applicable to me every day of my life. I seek to encourage others to choose God, but my own choosing needs to be consistent, and I’m not 100% in that. Right now I feel He is directing us in a project that is quite literally impossible for us. Some in the church are in panic stage, thinking of all the things that could go wrong. It is quite true that those things could go wrong, and the way will not be easy, but if God is directing this, it will succeed. We lost people when we built our current building, and that was painful indeed. We are looking at a far bigger project right now, and we very much run the risk of losing people, when we have very few to lose! I am to trust God and speak and act as He directs, however painful the immediate consequences. If this is His idea, as I believe it is, I am to let go of it and let Him carry it through, because He is more than able.

Father, this is a painful time of growth indeed. Help me not draw back, but let You do in and through me what You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Ministering God’s Truth; July 15, 2017

Posted on July 19, 2017 by jgarrott

1 Kings 17:24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”

What’s really interesting to me about this is that it seems like it took her son being raised from the dead for this woman to recognize that Elijah was a man of God who spoke God’s truth. You would have thought the flour and oil not running out would have been a strong clue! People at times display a remarkable insensitivity to the things of God. Two people can be in the same service and one be touched deeply and experience intimate fellowship with the Holy Spirit and another be bored to tears. That’s certainly not always the case, but it does happen. That makes the job of the worship leader and the speaker all the more challenging! However, if we focus too much on the congregation and how they will perceive things, we can close our own ears and hearts to what God is saying, becoming no better off than the person who is bored to tears. The answer, as it is in every area of life, is to draw closer to God ourselves and allow Him to use us in touching others. It is after all the Holy Spirit who convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment. (John 16:8-11)

Beside me on the wall here I have an outline titled “Preaching to Change Lives.” I got it from a pastors’ session at a conference headlined by Mark Conner of Australia. The subtitle is, “John 12:49 – what to say and how to say it.” I looked that reference up again just now. “For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.” If Jesus Himself made a statement like this, how much more do we need to let the Holy Spirit tell us what to say and how to say it?! I would say that one session with Mark Conner did me more good than the whole semester of Preaching I took in seminary! The first of the five points in the outline is indeed, “Who’s listening? (audience).” However, even there the guidance of the Holy Spirit is essential, because as the Gilbert and Sullivan song says, things are seldom what they seem. I need to ask and allow the Holy Spirit to show me the spiritual condition of my hearers. I personally am prone to talk over the heads of my audience, spiritually speaking. I was baptized over 60 years ago and the Bible is second nature to me, but that’s not the case for those I’m talking to. I need to seek God not only for the food to feed His flock, (John 21:15-17) but also for how to prepare and present it so that it will be taken in and digested. It’s entirely possible for me to speak what is entirely true and yet have it do my hearers no good at all. I am merely a channel for God’s truth, but I color what comes through me. I need to be humble enough that it’s more “Jesus color” than it is “Jack color.” I am not to put people down for spiritual immaturity, but gently and strongly encourage them to grow, so that together we may be the flock that God desires.

Father, once again I’m encountering challenges in this area, but then those are pretty constant! Help me respond to people with Your grace and love, never thinking I’m above them but bringing them along with me as I follow You. May I indeed serve them as You intend, so that I may be useful to You in building up the Church as You intend. Thank You. Praise God!

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