April 30, 2017

Posted on May 2, 2017 by jgarrott

Deuteronomy 11:26-28 See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse— the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.

Moses did all he could to be as clear as possible. The thing is, though, that God’s truth has to be written on our hearts, and then we have to choose to obey it. Transmission of information about God and what He has said to us is vital, but information by itself accomplishes very little. What matters is what we do with the information we have received. I am reminded of how much information the US had about what Japan was doing before the Pearl Harbor attack, and how that information was largely ignored. People in “Christian” nations generally know the outline of the Gospel at least, but far too few of them apply it to themselves in their daily lives. There is a Japanese phrase in this passage which occurs many times throughout the Bible that translates as “hear and obey,” or “obey hearing.” The thing is, we can’t obey until we have heard, but just hearing isn’t the same as obedience. One problem for the Jews was their pride in having the Law of God, without applying that law to their lives and from their hearts. Many Christians are exactly the same way. The Bible is a valued decoration, but little more. Moses here speaks of a curse for disobedience. It’s not that “God will get you for that,” but that failure to follow God has its automatic consequences, and explaining those as a curse is a clear way to help us understand them. It’s precisely because God is love that He wants us to follow the way that will lead to the greatest blessing for us.

As someone who grew up immersed in the Bible, this couldn’t be more applicable. All of my life I’ve struggled with applying consistently the truth I know. As Jesus said, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:17) As a pastor I struggle with training people to apply the truth that I share with them. One pitfall of having Teacher gifting is that I tend to feel subconsciously that all I should have to do is shovel truth on people for them to receive it and be transformed, but that is seldom the case. I should know that from my own experience! I need to grow in walking alongside people to help them apply the truth that will indeed set them free, to the degree they receive it and make it part of themselves. (John 8:32) Just telling them the truth doesn’t make them know it. Intellectual assent isn’t the same thing as obedience.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the video You led me to last night of the young man who spoke so powerfully of his struggles with doubt after having been raised in church. Thank You for the victory You led him to, for your grace toward him and toward me. My path hasn’t been the same as his, but I’ve been in as much, if not more, danger. Help me remember that each person is unique, but Your grace is sufficient for us all. May I never stop speaking Your truth in love, living it out so that others too may do so, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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April 29, 2017

Posted on May 1, 2017 by jgarrott

Deuteronomy 11:2 Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the Lord your God: his majesty, his mighty hand, his outstretched arm.

We tend to forget that other people haven’t experienced God in the same way we have. God loves and deals with each person equally, but that takes a different form with each individual. We tend to gather with those who have had similar experiences of God and then wonder why others don’t join us. The answer is often that they haven’t experienced God the same way we have. That’s the whole point of testifying of our experiences. We have the Biblical record of what God has done with mankind (which Moses was just starting to write) but for the average person it seems distant and unconnected to them. That’s why the most effective evangelism is simply one person sharing with another what they have actually experienced of God. Precisely because it is effective, the devil does all he can to keep it from happening. Making disciples (Matthew 28:18-20) starts with being witnesses (Acts 1:8). Sometimes we think our experience of God is too insignificant to be worth sharing, but that is a deception of the devil. A small percentage of people have dramatic experiences with God that awe everyone that hears about them, but even they often hesitate to share. The vast majority of Christians have only had smaller, less dramatic experiences, but that’s the kind of life most people live, so sharing such experiences is all the more persuasive. If we think, “I could never testify because I’ve never been saved from drug addiction,” or whatever, then we will deprive others of the opportunity to encounter God who loves them regardless of what they have or haven’t done.

My own life experiences have been unusual, from the viewpoint of most of the people around me, precisely because I’ve been steeped in faith from before my birth. That’s pretty hard for a Japanese who has never entered a church building to relate to! That, coupled with my Teacher gifting, has tended to make me focus on sharing Biblical truth exclusively. Biblical truth is great, but if I don’t connect it to where people are in their daily lives, it simply isn’t going to penetrate. I have tried to encourage believers to share more, but they look at me and think they could never do it the way I do, and so they don’t want to try. My point is, my way isn’t the most effective for drawing people into the family of God! An exegesis of Paul’s theology might be appropriate for a believers’ Bible study, but it’s hardly effective evangelism! Tomorrow will be a service of singing and testimonies, with no “sermon” as such. We don’t expect many, if any, non-believers to be present, but I hope to use the CD I will make of the service to share with several people. My prayer is that this will mark a break-through in this church, with the believers realizing that what God has done for and with them is significant, and He wants to use them to draw others to Himself.

Father, the feeling that You really are taking us to a new level in Your plan is exciting. Help me not get in the way or try to control what is going on, but keep me also from being passive, failing to apply myself in the ways You indicate. May we change, may I change, in the ways You know are needed, so that we may be the powerful, effective part of the Body of Christ that You intend us to be, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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April 28, 2017

Posted on May 1, 2017 by jgarrott

Deuteronomy 9:6 Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.

God’s blessings are grace, and we had better not forget it. Jesus’ biggest opposition came from hypocritical self-righteous people who thought they had earned right standing with God. We aren’t to wallow in sin, certainly, but we must never think that we have arrived, that God has perfected us. Paul wrote memorably on this subject in Philippians 3:7-14, and followed it up with a note of caution: “Only let us live up to what we have already attained.” (Philippians 4:16) It’s not that God hasn’t done good stuff in us, or that we aren’t in far better shape than we once were. We certainly don’t need to be paralyzed by self doubt. However, to again quote Paul, “Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Corinthians 3:4-6) Our confidence, our assurance, is not to be in ourselves but in the One who created, saved, called, and sends us. We are to rejoice in all that He does for, in, and through us, but we are not for a moment to think that we earned it by being so wonderful. That’s what Moses is saying here.

I have fought with conceit for most of my life. God has been extremely gracious to me, and there have been times when I have forgotten where it all came from. I well remember the liberation that came when I finally got it straight, down to the core of my being, that God’s smart and I’m not. There is a sharp irony in my not being able to figure that out for so long! Realizing that has made me much better able to take advice, which is certainly a valuable trait. I feel like God is about to pour out incredible things on me and on this church. When that happens, I’ve got to keep the reality that it’s all grace in sharp focus. If I take any of the glory for myself, I will lose the benefit of what He is doing, and He will have to use someone else. I don’t want that! I have no room for personal pride in what He has done to this point, and I will have no room for such pride in the future. I am to keep myself open and humble before Him, for Him to do in and through me whatever He desires, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me not hold back from anything You are doing, but grasp Your vision and run with it in Your strength, so that Your name may be acknowledged as holy and Your kingdom come as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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April 27, 2017

Posted on April 29, 2017 by jgarrott

Deuteronomy 8:3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

This verse is most famous for being the one Jesus quoted when tempted by the devil to place His physical needs ahead of obedience to God. (Luke 4:3-4) Even so, we don’t think about it sufficiently to apply it consistently. We have a strong tendency to let our flesh rule the roost in all sorts of ways. Some of those ways are more obvious than others, and often they are more obvious to those close to us than they are to us. That’s always a mistake. We are to take good care of our bodies so that they will serve us, and by extension the Lord, well. However, one of Jesus’ most famous teachings was all about how God is perfectly aware of our physical needs, so rather than our focusing on them, we need to focus on being and doing what He intends for us. (Matthew 6:25-34) God has been trying to teach this lesson to His children ever since the Garden of Eden, but every generation has to learn it for themselves. The Biblical record is a huge help in that, but we can be remarkably obtuse at times. Some years ago a book came out that briefly reached best-seller status, called Looking Out for Number One. I’ve never read it, but from the title I’d say it’s the antithesis of what God said through Moses in this verse. If we focus our hearts on God, He will look out for us. That certainly sounds like a better arrangement to me!

I have experienced God’s protection and provision more times and in more ways than I could count, and in far more ways than I am even aware of. Even so, I still get anxious at times. How foolish! My focus needs to be on obedience, gratitude, and praise. I must not forget the obedience part of that, but with that in place I am to rest, relax, and rejoice, just as He has told me to do. Thinking about it, that is also an area of obedience! Any time I get anxious that shows I have taken my focus off of God. Paul’s words on this subject are justly loved: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7) That in turn brings to mind Isaiah’s words: “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” (Isaiah 26:3) That is what God intends for me, and for all of His children.

Father, thank You for Your perfect provision. Thank You for the things You allow me to go through to teach me to trust You and Your provision. Help me recognize the many, often subtle ways the devil works to take my eyes off of You, so that in obedience to You I may stand against him. (James 4:7) May I walk in all that You have prepared for me so that all of Your purposes for me may be fulfilled, on Your schedule and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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April 26, 2017

Posted on April 29, 2017 by jgarrott

Deuteronomy 7:12-13 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers. He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you.

I don’t know Hebrew grammar, but in Japanese you don’t hit a period from the beginning of verse 12 all the way to the end of verse 13. The impression is of an unstoppable torrent of blessing for God’s people who follow His laws. It’s interesting that where the NIV calls this a “covenant of love,” the Japanese calls it a “covenant of grace.” Those really are inseparable, because as Moses points out in verse 7, God does all these things not because of who we are but because of who He is. Some people try to follow God because of what they think they will get for it. This list is pretty impressive! However, that motive is ultimately insufficient. The real reason to love and obey God is that He is worthy, not only of our obedience but of all our love and devotion. We need to get to the place of Job, who would not reject God even though everything had been taken away from him. (Job 1:21; 13:15) God provides abundantly, but if we love Him only for what He gives us we haven’t really tasted His love.

This is an issue I have dealt with off and on over the years, both in myself and in others. I am as prone as anyone to fall into conditional, rather than unconditional, love. (In this case it really is a descent, rather than the usual “falling in love.”) However, if I love others just for what they do for me, I can’t begin to open up to the magnificence of God’s love for me. The whole Bible is a story of God’s unequal love. We can’t begin to love Him, much less other people, as He loves us unless we open our hearts to receive His love. I put it that way in my standard “wedding sermon,” because even a husband and wife can’t love each other fully apart from the love of God. God gives us rules because actions do have consequences, but even if we violate those rules He still loves us, because He has given us the rules to protect us from the consequences of our foolishness. As a pastor I try to help people understand that, but we can be remarkably stubborn! I have been amazingly blessed, but if I love God only for what He has done for me, I have missed the greatest blessing of all.

Father, this is really deep and really important. I have had times of real discouragement because of the low rate of return on my labors. Help me grasp, at the deepest level, that such things in no way diminish Your love for me. Help me receive Your love fully so that I may give it back to You fully, and to those around me as well, so that all of Your purposes for me may be fulfilled, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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April 25, 2017

Posted on April 26, 2017 by jgarrott

Deuteronomy 6:24 The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today.

Once again we are back to God’s gracious, benevolent motives in giving His Law to the Israelites. Here it is in the context of people explaining it all to their children. It is important that we communicate not only what God has said, but why He has said it. In the time of Moses, few people were literate, so direct oral transmission of knowledge was essential. We have very little grasp of what that was like. Even the oldest people alive today are the product of hundreds of years of printed information, and young people today have always had instant communication via the Internet. Many people are thinking, or at least feeling, that there’s not much point in traditional education when all the information in the world is literally in the palm of your hand through an electronic device. The problem with that is, there is a world of difference between having information available and having it be part of who you are, ingrained into your thoughts, emotions, and decision-making. With something as important as who God is and what He has said to us, direct transmission from parents to children is the best scenario. God wants us to be prosperous (the Japanese translates that as “happy”) and successful, so He has given us His rules to that end. If parents want that for their children, and they should, then teaching them about God is of the utmost importance.

I had the huge blessing of being raised by parents who were fully committed to God, but even they fell into the trap of presuming on current traditions in education. They did present an excellent example of personal devotions and moral uprightness, but there wasn’t much talk that I can remember of why they did these things. We had group worship, including a Japanese family that was very close to us, and that was excellent, but for the most part I think they assumed that if the information was presented to me, I would absorb it. I read the Bible through at an early age, but it would have been even better had my parents discussed with me what I had read and how to apply it in all the situations of my life. Frankly, rather than learning from my parents’ mistakes I copied them, doing no better with my children than was done with me. That is actually the most common situation in every family, and entropy tends to degrade quality over time. As a pastor, I need to help parents understand that they need to be active and intentional in teaching their children about God, not just Bible stories but really who God is. None of us is really up to the task, but God will strengthen and enable us if our hearts are right before Him.

Father, my children are long grown and, because of distance, I have very little input into my grandchildren. Help me be faithful in transmitting knowledge of You to my spiritual children, particularly those who are right here. May I not only speak and write but model what You have shown me, putting Your truth into practice not only for my own benefit but for the sake of all those I influence, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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April 24, 2017

Posted on April 26, 2017 by jgarrott

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

This is the Shemah, the foundational statement of Jewish faith, that Jesus said was the greatest commandment. (Matthew 22:38) As such, it cannot be overemphasized. It starts with the command to hear, to pay attention. (That’s what shemah means in Hebrew.) We are all too capable of hearing things and, for one reason or another, ignoring them. We must not do that here. The Israelites had come out of Egypt, which was thoroughly polytheistic, and were having to learn that their Creator, who had chosen them as His special people, was absolutely unique and singular. Thousands of years later Mohamed plagiarized this statement, and now Islamists use a raised index finger to signify that theirs is the only true god. It also occurs to me that humanistic “futurists” today use the term “singularity” to talk about the point at which machines will surpass humans, and/or merge with humans. That too is a denial of the Creator. Moses here goes on to specify how we are to respond to our singular Lord, and that is in love. This isn’t a nebulous, peaches-and-cream sort of love, it is a down-to-earth love that requires all that we have and are. Rather than an emotion, it is a decision, an act of the will: we are to choose to love God. The more we know and understand His love for us, the easier that decision becomes. However, at times difficult circumstances can make it hard to recognize His love. That’s where faith comes in. If we make “easy street” a condition for loving God, we really have no part in Him. Our perspective is temporal, and we are called on to trust that He sees and knows better than we do, and His ways are best. As Hebrews 11:39-40 points out, sometimes our reward for loving faithfulness isn’t in this world at all, but that doesn’t make it any less sure. God is absolutely and uniquely worthy of our loving obedience.

This is of course the foundation of the Gospel as well. Jesus certainly wasn’t wrong in calling it the greatest commandment! As a minister of the Gospel I am called to communicate this truth to as many as will receive it. I am forever asking people to hear, just as Moses does here. I know from experience that only the Holy Spirit can give people hearing ears, but they must make the choice to utilize them. I am to pray for people before and after I speak to them, but I must not forget to speak. As Paul said, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:14) We sometimes give a negative connotation to “preaching,” but what it means is “proclaiming the Gospel.” I am not to preach at people, but I am to share the Gospel with them as one who has received and delighted in it. The challenges to doing that are limitless, but God is powerful enough to use even me to get the job done, and I am to rest, relax, and rejoice in that reality.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the incredible privilege of addressing You, my Creator, as Father. Help me live as Your child indeed, loving You and delighting in Your love, sharing that love with those around me so that they too may repent and believe, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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April 23, 2017

Posted on April 25, 2017 by jgarrott

Deuteronomy 5:29 “Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children for ever!”

Here we have God’s motive for His commandments to us. It is odd that we have such trouble believing this is His motive, but then the devil has been lying to us about God’s motives ever since the Garden of Eden. Like irrational children, our favorite word is “NO.” The very fact that something is forbidden makes it attractive to us, and we get into incredible messes as a result. This is why it is the height of cruelty to fail to teach your children to be obedient. It is politically incorrect, but Proverbs hits the nail on the head: “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.” (Proverbs 13:24) This theme is picked up in Hebrews 12:1-11, which quotes Proverbs 3:11-12. God is the perfect Father, but we have forgotten what a father is supposed to be like. John hits on the same issue from a slightly different angle. “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.” (1 John 5:3-4) God wants us to have victory in our daily lives, so He gives us instructions to enable that. We forget, or fail to trust, that God really is love, (1 John 4:8) and everything He does is a reflection of that. What we see as His wrath is the natural and logical consequence of our ignoring and rejecting His love.

I had the huge advantage of parents who loved God and loved me enough to discipline me. They erred more on the side of laxness than in the other direction, but at least they didn’t train me to break rules, which is what can happen when parents are arbitrary in their discipline. (I have always felt that unnecessary school rules, particularly, are training in ignoring rules.) I think I’ve understood most of my life that God’s rules are for my good, but that doesn’t mean I’ve always abided by them. I’ve hurt myself and others quite unnecessarily more times than I could count. As a pastor I am in the position of expressing God’s rules to others, and that’s often not easy. I am to speak the truth in love, and remember that failing to speak the truth is not love. I need to love people enough to risk their not liking me. That can be a hard one, but it shows I’m more concerned about me than I am about them. God loved me enough to send His Son for me, and Jesus loved me enough to suffer unspeakably for me. I need to obey Jesus’ command to love those around me as He loves me, (John 13:34-35) because that is the way of greatest blessing for us all.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me indeed be obedient to all You tell me, knowing without question that Your way is the very best possible for me, whatever it might look like in the short run to my natural eyes. Thank You. Praise God!

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April 22, 2017

Posted on April 25, 2017 by jgarrott

Deuteronomy 5:6-7 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.”

This year I have been particularly struck by how God had to deal with the prevailing polytheism of human culture, even among the descendants of Abraham. Here He specifies the name He had communicated at the burning bush, which the NIV renders as LORD. That was to distinguish Himself from all the gods of Egypt with which the Israelites were familiar, not to mention the various gods of the lands they were passing through. Then He specifies that they aren’t to follow any of those other gods. He had made it very clear that He was the only Creator and all the other gods were lies, (Deuteronomy 4:39) but the people weren’t really there yet in their understanding, so He specified absolute monotheism as the first of His commandments to them. The average American doesn’t really understand this is an issue, but it is a major consideration in Japan, India, and various other countries. This whole issue is closely tied to the idea of absolute truth. Americans might not think specifically of a multiplicity of gods, but a shockingly large percentage deny the existence of absolute truth. Actually, that is polytheism by another name. Mankind is given to rebellion, and the devil doesn’t much care what form it takes. When we say that all religions are equally valid we are saying that none is real, including whichever one we claim. Not long ago even a prominent atheist came out with a public statement that though he didn’t subscribe to any religion, Christianity was preferable to all the rest because of the behavior it encouraged, in sharp contrast to other religions, particularly Islam. Even an atheist can understand that it makes a huge difference what God you serve.

This is a huge issue here in Japan. I have had numbers of people who liked what they heard about Jesus, but they just wanted to add Him to their god shelf, and when I made it clear, through John 14:6 and otherwise, that they couldn’t do that, they left. That’s heartbreaking. Realizing the persistent polytheism of the Israelites, I am really seeking God as to when and how to insist on the exclusivity of Christ. A man whom I met in the mental hospital (who is now in a group home) is still shaky on this point, but he keeps coming back to “just Jesus,” and I believe he is saved. I need to remember that God meets each of us where we are, because we couldn’t get to Him on our own in any case. I am not to set barriers in people’s way, but trust the Holy Spirit to convict them and lead them out of the lying traps of the devil.

Father, I’ll be seeing someone today whom You have indicated is ripe fruit. Keep me from saying anything to him that is not of You. Help me rather speak Your gracious truth to him in love, so that he may pass from death to life while he still has opportunity, not only for his sake but for his family as well, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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April 21, 2017

Posted on April 24, 2017 by jgarrott

Acts 2:38-39 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

This is the climax of a justly famous sermon that produced 3000 converts. I have heard it held up as an exemplar of evangelistic preaching, but we need to understand several things about the context. In the first place, he was talking to people who had gathered in Jerusalem specifically to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In other words, they already had both a rock-solid monotheism and a desire to serve their Creator. On top of that, they had a clear understanding of what it is to sin against God. The events of Jesus’ crucifixion were recent enough that everyone was aware of them. What Peter’s sermon did was point out to them that they were complicit in that crucifixion, and they were sharply aware of their guilt and asking for a solution. (verse 37) The only thing surprising about Peter’s response is his including “all who are far off.” He said that under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, because he certainly wasn’t open personally at that point to Gentiles being welcomed into the family of God. It took the dramatic events of Acts 10, quite some time later, for that to break through to him. The point is, this is an example of a human instrument speaking God’s words under circumstances that God orchestrated, producing God’s results. There are certainly times when it is appropriate to quote these words in inviting people into salvation, but doing it on our own without the guidance and anointing of the Spirit certainly isn’t going to produce the results Peter had.

I couldn’t count the number of times I’ve heard people refer to “the 3000 at Pentecost” as an encouragement that revival is going to happen in Japan. The thing is, none of the underlying conditions are met in Japan. I would be as thrilled as anyone at a massive influx of people into the Body of Christ, but the situation here is different from that at Pentecost on almost every point. In the first place, the average Japanese concept of God, even, is dodgy at best. Rather than active faith in anything at all, they have a collection of superstitions. (Sadly, that might be said of many people in supposedly “Christian” nations.) In Japanese, the word for “sin” essentially means “crime,” so most people have no concept of sin against God that would be of no interest to the police. That makes it very difficult to get across the reality that we are individually responsible for Jesus having been nailed to the cross. Japanese have an excellent term for repentance, but no grasp of the reality that they need to repent. This is the reality that I and my parents before me have dealt with. I have to keep reminding myself that “Nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37) Every spiritual rebirth is a miracle; the circumstances in Japan just make that very clear.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all of Your miracles, and especially the lives that are transformed. Thank You for the sense of anticipation You have given us that You are going to do great things in and through this church in this fiscal year. May each one of us make full use of the opportunities You provide to draw people into Your family so that the harvest may be brought in, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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