Foundation; January 18, 2025

Posted on January 19, 2025 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 3:11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

This passage by Paul immediately brings to mind Jesus’ famous parable of whose who build on rock and those who build on sand. (Matthew 7:24-27) Foundations are important! That’s why early childhood education, particularly by the parents, is so important. If a child is not given a firm foundation of faith and morality, the rest of their life is likely to be shaky at best. God does work miracles, and there are exceptions, people who somehow absorb God’s principles later in life, but repairing foundations is far harder than laying them right in the first place! When the current Nagasaki Medical Center building was being built, it seemed like they never would stop digging, working on the foundation. It took months! However, the finished product has been standing firm for many years now, looking like a beautiful hotel up on the hill. God sometimes has to do that sort of work in us, because we likely have some pretty swampy and/or sandy areas in our heart. No parent is perfect, and there is always personal responsibility. Sadly, some churches put out teaching that is analogous to Styrofoam, or even jelly. Such a “foundation” will never stand up, however good it might look for a moment or two. We need to be careful that we are firmly grounded on Christ Jesus our Lord, and then, as Paul says, be careful how we build our lives on that foundation.

I had the huge blessing of being raised by parents who did all they could to lay a solid foundation in my life. Not all that I have built on that has been good, but God has been faithful to tear out sloppy workmanship as called for. At this point in my life I feel like I could handle a tsunami, if necessary – not that I want to, you understand! That is all well and good as far as I am concerned, but I am called to minister to others, to help them get their foundation firmly in Christ. That is a joy, but at the same time it is sometimes a major headache! I need to remember that, as I have said, there is always personal responsibility. I am to be faithful to say and do what the Lord directs; what people do with that is between them and God. I have not been a perfect model, but I think I can say with Paul, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1) My task, as Paul wrote Timothy, is to “entrust [God’s truth] to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” (2 Timothy 2:2) I am blessed that several ministers have already gone out from this church, and we are raising up more. God is faithful, and He will build His Church. (Matthew 16:18)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the foundation You have laid in me, first by my parents and then in various other ways as well. May I lay only Your foundation in those under my ministry, so that they may stand firm against everything the devil and this world throw at them, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Putting On Christ; January 17, 2025

Posted on January 18, 2025 by jgarrott

Romans 13:14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

This is the exact opposite of what the world tells us. In my youth, the motto was, “If it feels good, do it.” I knew a lot of people who had personal tragedy because of that attitude. The Japanese turn of phrase here is interesting: “Don’t use your soul to satisfy your flesh.” That said, there are other religions, notably Buddhism, that teach this sort of thing. What is unique in Christianity is the alternative Paul gives us here: putting on the Lord Jesus Christ. That sounds awkward at best, if not downright impossible, not to mention weird, to our human intellect, but it is glorious reality in God’s economy. It takes us back to the Upper Room Discourse in John 13-17 (including Jesus’ Pastoral Prayer). Paul was not present, and indeed was far from faith, at that time, but he had experienced the reality of it by this point. Jesus repeatedly used words like “in,” and “remain” in what He said. Paul’s metaphor is a bit different, but the result is the same. The point is that our identity as children of God by faith (John 1:12) is more important than anything physical. This is not to say that we are to ignore our bodies, much less mistreat them. We are stewards, and accountable to our Creator for how we use what He has given us. However, at this point over half the people in the US have done harm to their bodies by over-indulging them. In the recent pandemic, the most common, and most dangerous, “existing condition contributing to a poor outcome,” was obesity. Like good mechanics, we are to be careful of fuel and maintenance, but we aren’t to be obsessed with our bodies in any way. Rather, we are to be focused on our Lord Jesus Christ, and what He wants us to do with these bodies He’s given us.

I have perhaps been more aware of this issue than most people, because my father’s doctoral dissertation was on the use of In Christ, and congruent Greek phrases, in the New Testament. However, he told me that, even having written that dissertation, he had no idea what it meant until he had a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit as a new, single missionary in Japan. I had his example growing up, though it wasn’t the subject of conversation, so when I encountered the Charismatic Movement in 1973, it seemed very familiar and desirable. I can’t say that I have operated perfectly in this by any means, but I do know what it is, and I hope by God’s grace to live it out more and more fully for as long as He keeps me here.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for making it possible to “put on Christ,” to abide in Him and have You and Him in me by Your Spirit. May I walk in that glorious reality more and more each day, so that all of Your purposes for me may be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Hypocrisy; January 16, 2025

Posted on January 17, 2025 by jgarrott

Romans 2:19-21 If you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth—you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself?

This is a perennial problem, probably from the dawn of history. The self-righteous rarely if ever live up to what they proclaim. Jesus dealt with it with the Pharisees, and told His disciples, “Do as they say, not as they do.” (Matthew 23:3) Very recently, in the Senate confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, some senators were accusing him of being drunk on the job in previous work. Not only are such accusations from anonymous sources, they have been vigorously denied by people who actually have worked with him. That said, the perfect rebuttal was given by another senator who said to the accusers, “How many times have you seen fellow senators come in to vote in the evening after having been drinking? I know it’s been many times, but you never accuse them.” This is sadly human nature. Politicians may be in a special category, but this problem certainly infects the Church as well. None of us live up totally to the standards we hold. The only person to ever do that was Jesus of Nazareth. That’s why we are all so urgently in need of the grace of God. Spiritual conceit is the most dangerous kind! We all need to seek to be honest with ourselves and with God, because if we are that, we will certainly be humble! The flip side of that is parents who fail to discipline their children because they remember that they themselves did the same or worse. That too is a big mistake. We are to be honest about our imperfections, but still not deny the perfection that God calls us to. (Matthew 5:48)

This is something I have tangled with thoroughly. Being familiar with the Bible from my childhood, I thought that familiarity was all I needed, making me better than those around me. God finally dealt with me strongly on that issue when I was 24, and I have been painfully aware of it ever since. From that point, I have felt that James 1:22 was written expressly for me: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” The people Paul was writing to here deceived themselves into thinking that their head knowledge was equal to obedience, but that is a trap of the devil. I have been a pastor for many years now, but I am always aware that I am preaching first to myself, and that I can’t expect others to do better than I do. The good news is that God’s grace is sufficient for us all, so we can encourage and support one another, even in our weaknesses.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me never forget it! May I indeed proclaim Your righteousness, holiness, and truth, but do it in the awareness of Your grace and mercy, and that I am as in need of that grace and mercy as those to whom I minister, for Your glory alone. Thank You. Praise God!

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Motivation; January 15, 2025

Posted on January 16, 2025 by jgarrott

Acts 26:28-29 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”
Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”

This is the third time the story of Paul’s encounter with Jesus is recorded, and each has its differences. The interaction in these two verses is a magnificent declaration of why we should all be bold in proclaiming our own relationship with the Savior. It should never be to inflate us, but rather to persuade our hearers to open their own hearts to receive the grace and love of God. We don’t want people to have our various limitations and problems, indicated here by the chains with which Paul was bound, but we should certainly want everyone to repent and believe for their salvation. We are frankly limited in our capacity to care, at least on a personal level. And we aren’t to accuse ourselves about that. However, in each specific instance, we should desire God’s grace and mercy for the person in front of us. And that includes people we don’t like, and people who are active enemies, just as Paul was experiencing here. We shouldn’t be intimidated by anyone’s social status. Paul was here interacting with King Agrippa! I have thought many times about how different things might have turned out if a genuine Christian had been so bold as to share Christ effectively with the Beatles, for example. They were hungry for spiritual reality, but only found a counterfeit in Hindu mysticism. It would have been so powerful if their musical gifts had been dedicated to the Kingdom of God! Most of us never encounter kings or world-famous performers and the like, but such people are just as in need of salvation as anyone else, and if we know the way, we should share it!

I have never been terribly effective as an evangelist, being gifted instead as a teacher, but I have thankfully never been intimidated by anyone’s status. In my case, it made a difference that my parents were considered “high status,” and we had people coming through our home, and even staying the night, who are currently in the history books. I knew they were as human as I was! At the same time, I had my father’s example of never considering anyone to be beneath him, and that was equally valuable. I want my attitude to be the same as what Paul expresses here, and I honestly think it is. Not everyone should have my various quirks, but I want everyone to know that their Creator loves them enough to send His Son to die for them, so that they may open their heart in repentance and faith for their salvation.

Father, thank You for this reminder. May I be increasingly effective in sharing the grace and truth You have poured out on me, so that others may likewise rejoice in Your goodness, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Hearing God; January 14, 2025

Posted on January 15, 2025 by jgarrott

Acts 22:9 “My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.”

In Acts 9 we have the record of Saul’s conversion from a third person perspective, but here we have it as spoken by Paul himself. Since they’re both in this book written by Luke, it’s hardly surprising that they agree! That said, this one little detail is worth noting. Here Paul says that those with him both saw the light and heard a voice, but they couldn’t understand what the voice was saying. Something very similar happened at Jesus’ baptism, (Luke 3:22) and again just after some Greeks came looking for Jesus, (John 12:28-29) with the John passage specifying that some people just thought it thundered. The thing is, God speaks to us all the time, but we often fail to hear Him correctly. That’s why Jesus repeatedly said things like, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” (Luke 8:8, etc.) Even the risen and glorified Christ said, “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 2:7, etc.) The Greek in the Revelation passage puts it in the singular form, which is to say, “If you have even one ear, listen up!” We need to listen carefully to God however He speaks to us, because we are all too prone to mis-hear Him. That’s why we need as deep and broad a foundation in the Bible as we can manage, because He is never going to contradict Himself. The more familiar we are with the Bible, the more easily we will recognize what He is saying to us through other means as well. Sadly, many Christians don’t really expect to hear God even when they read the Bible! The world is full of voices of all sorts speaking to us, so we need a conscious commitment to listen to God.

I have been aware of God speaking to me many times in my life, but I am particularly grateful for this SOAP system to reading the Bible, which I learned from Wayne Cordeiro. Every morning I read the Bible and then write (type) out the part of the passage that particularly resonates with me. (S, Scripture) I then write what I feel God is saying through that part of the passage. (O, Observation) I then seek to apply that specifically to my own life. (A, Application) Finally, I write out a Prayer, P, in response to what the Lord has just shown me. It isn’t unusual for me to receive fresh revelation this way, being surprised by what I have just written! That is my regular, daily habit, but the Lord has also spoken to me unexpectedly more than once, and that always blows me out of the water. I have absolutely no doubt that God is real and alive, because He has spoken to me! That isn’t from any special holiness of mine, but because by His grace He has given me ears to hear, and I have chosen to use them. I must never take any of that for granted, but allow God’s words to work in and through me, for His glory.

Father, thank You for Your incredible grace toward me. Thank You for Wayne Cordeiro, and for his faithfulness to share what You have shown him. May I likewise be faithful, so that more and more of Your children may grow ears to hear You accurately so as to be fully obedient to You, for Your kingdom to come as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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God’s Use of Circumstances; January 13, 2025

Posted on January 14, 2025 by jgarrott

Acts 16:17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.”

Everything about this story is interesting, and worthy of meditation! I have always found it very interesting that this woman was giving Paul and crew free, accurate publicity, but the way she was doing it was so irritating that Paul finally couldn’t take it anymore. I really wonder what other symptoms of demonic possession she displayed, that her owners immediately recognized that she had been delivered. We don’t have any record of what happened to her after this, but I would imagine she became a firm believer! Her shouting under the influence of the demon was probably widely reported, influencing the words of the jailer, reported in verse 30. I have a feeling that the earthquake, on top of what she had been shouting, scared the behoozis out of the magistrates who had ordered Paul and Silas to be beaten and jailed, so Paul requiring them to come and apologize personally was icing on the cake. The total events certainly proved that Paul and Silas were definitely “servants of the Most High God!” I’m sure Paul and Silas would not have chosen for things to go as they did, but I’m equally sure that they rejoiced at the final outcome, and were at peace with their part in it, as physically painful as it was. We don’t know how God is going to use what He allows us to experience. I don’t think God wanted Paul and Silas to be beaten and jailed, but He certainly used it for good. We need to trust God to “work everything together for good” (Romans 8:28) in our lives, to the point that we indeed thank Him for everything, (Ephesians 5:29) so that He will be free to use us for His kingdom and His glory.

This is something the Lord has been teaching me over the years, but I still need refreshers on it. Yesterday was a very good day in several respects, but for reasons I don’t understand, I was depressed by bedtime. I have essentially no idea why. It may have been to keep me from getting high over all the good things that had happened! I need to stay grounded in Him, resting, relaxing, and rejoicing in Him just as He has told me to do, and not be swayed by circumstances. He has made it clear that He is in control and that His plans are good, and I need to trust Him totally in that, not trying to dictate the form that things are going to take along the way. I’ve known that in theory for a long time, but I obviously need further training in living it out! However, God is graciously patient with me, so I need to be patient with myself, because He is indeed “able to keep me from stumbling and present me blameless before His presence with great joy.” (Jude 1:24)

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for all that You are doing. Thank You for Your plans for today. Help me flow with Your Spirit on Your schedule throughout today, being neither hesitant nor impatient, so that Your will may be done for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Persecution; January 12, 2025

Posted on January 13, 2025 by jgarrott

Acts 13:52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Luke rather wisely did not try to record every sermon preached on this missionary journey, but as a representative sample, he recorded what was said in Antioch of Pisidia. He records the enthusiastic response they got at first, and then the jealous reaction of the Jewish leaders in the town. Those people couldn’t stand the fact that these itinerant preachers were getting a much better response than they ever had, and their jealousy drove them to persecution. People are funny that way! They managed to drive Paul and Barnabas out of the district, but the end result was hardly what they intended, and it is recorded here. I think the use of “disciples” in this verse is deliberate, because it includes both Paul and Barnabas as well as those in Antioch who had committed themselves to Jesus as Lord. Throughout the history of the Church, persecution has almost always had this result. Persecution sharpens our awareness of what is really important, and as a result, we turn our hearts more fully to the Lord. The natural result of that is what it says here: being filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. It has long been said that “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” Areas of the world where persecution is active today have a very low percentage of lukewarm Christians! Just a few years ago an American was delivering relief supplies to persecuted people in South Sudan, and he told a pastor there that believers in America were praying for them. The pastor responded that his flock prayed for the believers in America, because they had no persecution to keep their faith sharp! I think that pastor had real insight from the Holy Spirit. As Jesus famously spoke to the believers in Laodicea, their physical comfort made their faith lukewarm, to the point that they made Jesus nauseous. (Revelation 3:15-17) That is a major danger in countries like the US and Japan, where “creature comforts” abound. Untested faith is generally weak, and that is dangerous. The thing is, even in the “lap of luxury” in physical terms, we are still totally dependent on God. Failure to recognize that can be deadly. God allows persecution, and trials of various sorts, to help us focus on Him and our dependence on Him. The better we recognize that, the more we too will be filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

I am constantly reminded of my past stupidity and pride, which sadly doesn’t make me immune to it again! I have had trials of various sorts, but I don’t think any of them would qualify as persecution for my faith. That occasionally bothers me! However, I take it as a blessing and seek to move forward in faithfulness. I am definitely not a “type A personality,” driven to “succeed” in all I do, but at the same time, ministry in Omura has not exactly been overflowing in accolades and “successes.” My “trial” has been to keep doing what the Lord has shown me to do, until He shows me to do something different. So far, He’s kept me here for 43 years! Omura was at one time a spiritual hotspot, with Lord Sumitada Omura being the first Christian feudal lord in the country, and the Lord has given me the vision of Omura again being the foremost Christian city in the country. That is obviously humanly impossible, but nothing is impossible for God. When that will happen is the Lord’s business, but meanwhile, I’m to be faithfully obedient, praising the Lord for His plans, whether they line up with my wish list or not!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all that You are doing. Physical activity is supposed to be picking up, with scaffolding going up this week, but spiritual activity is more important. Help me be sensitive and obedient at all times, so that Your will may be done on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Political Correctness; January 11, 2025

Posted on January 12, 2025 by jgarrott

Acts 13:19 “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?”

Wow! This is a pretty thorough verbal take-down, but it’s quite reminiscent of some things John and Baptist, and even Jesus, said. This sort of thing could get you charged for slander today! The thing is, truth is truth, and failing to speak truth is not loving. In this case, if Paul had failed to call the man down, the proconsul would probably not have committed himself to Christ, and Elymas himself would not have been confronted with the need and opportunity to repent. “Political correctness” is a plague from the father of lies! We are not to hurt needlessly, with words or actions, but masking the truth in euphemisms helps no one. People get upset when we call abortion murder, but that’s exactly what it is. They also get upset when we call gender dysphoria mental illness, but again, that’s what it is. Papering it all over with lies is an abomination in the sight of God. In the Church we focus on speaking the truth in love, but political correctness is not speaking the truth. Political correctness is part of the devil’s plan that includes the nonsense of “my truth” and “your truth.” The devil hates truth, and so distorts it every way he can. As Paul says here, he “makes crooked the straight paths of the Lord.” (ESV) We are not to fall for his deceptions but stand firm in Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. (John 14:6)

Having been raised by a father who held absolute honesty as one of his foundational principles, I have always tended to be on the blunt side. Actually, I have hurt people needlessly by failing to be gentle with my words when there was no evil intent on their part. A couple such incidents still haunt me. I am not to let my distaste for political correctness cause me to squash people, but neither am I to fall into the trap of the “white lie.” Lies aren’t white! I am to speak God’s truth as Jesus did, with sacrificial love, regardless of the consequences. I am thankfully not in a situation where that will get me into legal trouble, as happens all too often in various places around the world, so I am to pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ who are in such situations. James was very clear on the importance of my words, and many other Biblical writers touched on it as well. I am indeed to speak the truth in love, even when the truth is painful to my hearers, so that they may be set free. (John 8:32)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the gift for words You have given me. May it always be used as You intend, and in no other way, so that Your Word through me may accomplish everything for which You send it, (Isaiah 55:11) for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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God’s Plans; January 10, 2025

Posted on January 11, 2025 by jgarrott

Acts 12:2-3 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.

Even dictators are swayed by the opinions of the populace. I’ve written before about how James gave his life for Christ all at once, as it says here, but John gave his life one day at a time, well into his 90s. Both brothers were 100% in their commitment, but they didn’t get to choose how it would be expressed. I’ve always maintained that James had the easier course! The point at the moment, however, is closely related to what came up two days ago about the Pharisees loving the praise of men more than the praise of God. When our primary focus is on the people around us rather than on God, all sorts of bad things happen, and King Herod was no exception. However, God had other ideas. He allowed Herod to send James home, but when he arrested Peter, God used it in a very dramatic way to demonstrate His power. We speak of things like earthquakes and lightning as “acts of God,” but God is certainly capable of much more subtle, but just as powerful, actions as well. This particular story sounds like something out of Science Fiction! I feel a little sorry for Rhoda, the servant girl named in verse 13, being the object of laughter today, but when you think about it, not that many people are actually named in the New Testament narrative, so it was really a high honor. To me the whole point of the story is that we can seldom predict the results of our prayers, except that the result will be good. Luke reports in verse five that the church was praying for Peter, and this story was the result. This tidbit is further confirmation that churches are not buildings, but rather people. That came up with yesterday’s reading! We need to remember that the eternal things we encounter most regularly are the souls of people. Material things are not unimportant, and we are accountable as stewards of what we have been given, but the material is all temporal, and will not last for eternity the way we will as children of God. What happens in this story is dramatic, and was a huge blessing to Peter and the Church as a whole, but it would have been easier on Peter if he had simply followed James to heaven. God had a lot more work for him to do, so this story happened, but we need to remember that God’s plans are always greater, and better, than ours whatever we might feel like in the moment.

I have certainly experienced this in my own life. I have had various plans and expectations over the years, and not very many of them have turned out as I expected! That has led to a tendency not to plan, which hasn’t been good. As the secular proverb says, those who fail to plan, plan to fail. That said, God’s plans have been good, and I continue to look forward to whatever He has next on the agenda. I am at the point of planning for my successor in this congregation, and that is a major point of accountability. I am not to be anxious about it, but I am to be earnest and active in seeking and following God’s plans. I am indeed to “prepare God’s people for the work of ministry,” (Ephesians 4:12) knowing that God’s plans will continue long after I am out of the picture, and trust Him to bring it about on His schedule for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all I see You doing around me, and for all the things I’m not aware of, as well! May I be fully yielded and available to You on every level, so that I may be useful to You in Your plans and not a hindrance, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Body of Christ; January 9, 2025

Posted on January 10, 2025 by jgarrott

Acts 9:4-5 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.

This is one of the most dramatic, and rightly famous, stories in the whole Bible (though there are a lot of them). The expression, “scales from the eyes” (verse 18) is even used by Japanese, though most of them don’t know where it comes from. In Western countries, at least, the transformation of Saul from a persecutor to an evangelist is widely known, and “Damascus Road experience” is part of the vernacular. All of that said, this little exchange is one of the most meaningful in the whole story. Saul has been actively persecuting the Church, that is, the body of believers, and here Jesus informs him that he had been persecuting Christ Himself. When Saul, renamed Paul, later wrote repeatedly about the Church being the Body of Christ, he was doing so on perfect authority! We really don’t have a very good grasp of that, even though we use the expression freely enough. Part of that comes from our conflating “church” with “building,” and Christ is certainly not a physical structure. Doing maintenance on a church building is not necessarily building up the Body of Christ! Some preachers are careful to use the Greek ecclesia, to make it clear that the Biblical Church is the people, the gathering. That’s why we speak, rightly enough, of “the church gathered,” and “the church scattered.” This is something that calls for a great deal of thought and meditation, because it deals with dimensions that are outside our normal experience. It’s very related to what Jesus said repeatedly in the Upper Room Discourse about being in us and us being in Him and the Father being in us and all that. In physical terms it is an impossibility, but spiritually it is glorious reality! Because of our very limited understanding, we need to let the Holy Spirit work it into our hearts and minds so that we will indeed operate as the Body of Christ, doing His will in His strength for His glory.

This is something the Lord has been working in me for many years, but I won’t grasp it in totality until I stand before His throne. It is a very timely consideration, because this church is entering into a fairly major building maintenance project. The very first step of that happened yesterday, with a pomegranate tree that was up against the building being transplanted to a corner of the parking lot. Scaffolding is supposed to go up next week, and then the whole building will be power-washed and painted. Either right after that or concurrently, we will be replacing the flooring in the sanctuary, since the 26-year-old cushion flooring is getting pretty torn up. That will focus a lot of attention on the physical building, and I need to use the occasion to help the believers understand that they are the church, so that they will act like it. Like the majority of churches, people tend to think that ministry is something the “professionals” do, when Paul expressed clearly that God’s plan is for the “professionals” to “equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the Body of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:12) I haven’t been as effective as I should have been to this point, so I need to do better from now. The fact that I’m 76 makes it a bit easier! I need to seek God for His wisdom, His plan for each detail, so that we will grow as He desires, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s really exciting to see the tree beautifully pruned and transplanted. I pray that it, and we, would be fruitful as You desire and intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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