Perfection; January 8, 2025

Posted on January 9, 2025 by jgarrott

John 12:43 For they loved human praise more than praise from God.

What a sad but common commentary! So much of the time we live our lives for our human audience, performing in ways that we think will get us applause, when we should be living our lives for our Creator, the One who loved us so much as to send His Son to die for us. The ultimate reward for any true child of God is to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21, 23) Working for anything less is ultimately empty. From the human perspective, you could say that the ultimate reward is knowing that you have exercised your gifts and abilities well, for the benefit of all involved. That might bring earthly recognition, or it might not. We aren’t even the best judge of whether we have done that, because we don’t see the ripple effects that go out from our impact. Paul got it right when he said, “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.” (2 Corinthians 4:2-4) If our focus is on the Lord, rather than on the opinions of those around us or even our own emotions, then we will have far more peace, and ultimately, far more success. Social media today has brought an epidemic of people completely caught up in the opinions of others. A sad number of people will do anything to get likes or even clicks, and they destroy themselves in the process. Psychologists are agreed that is a major factor in the steep rise in youth suicides. Such people are an extreme, pathetic example of what John says here.

I am certainly not immune to the opinions of others, but I have experienced such a gamut of them that I think I realize they don’t mean much. It’s been many years since I consciously shifted toward the goal of hearing the commendation Jesus mentioned in His parable in Matthew 25. Just recently I’ve interacted with a young woman who is very sincere, but she is something of an absolutist, holding to an ideal that she doesn’t realize even she doesn’t meet. I’m back to remembering, and agreeing with, something C. S. Lewis said, that when we get to heaven we will all discover we were wrong somewhere. God indeed tells us to be perfect, as He is perfect, (Matthew 5:48) but we don’t arrive at that until we are before His throne. I am to strive for perfection, and at the same time both receive God’s grace for my imperfection and extend that grace to those around me for their imperfection. That doesn’t mean excusing sin, but it does completely eliminate pride. I find myself praying with the hymnist, “God of grace and God of glory, on Thy people pour Thy power.” God’s glory is perfect, but we are absolutely in need of His grace.

Father, thank You for this clear Word. Thank You for that young woman, and for the book she brought me yesterday. Thank You for the truth she does know, and for Your Spirit in her. I pray that she would allow Your Spirit to open her heart more to Your grace, for her own sake and for the sake of those around her, so that Your will may be done in and through her for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Gospel; January 7, 2025

Posted on January 8, 2025 by jgarrott

John 12:31-32 “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

There are two very amazing things here. The first is that the devil thought he was triumphing over the Son of God, but Jesus said it was the exact reverse: His crucifixion was judgment on the world, because it wasn’t penalty for His sin, but for ours. The devil thought it was his moment of triumph, but Jesus said it was the moment of the devil being cast out. Time being what it is, we don’t yet see the full results of that, but the victory was finally and decisively won at that point. Bill Whittle has wisely noted that wars are generally won and lost long before they end. The battle of Midway effectively decided the outcome of WWII in the Pacific, but the majority of the casualties happened after that. Likewise, D-day cemented the fall of the Third Reich, but the Battle of the Bulge and other bloody conflicts happened after that. The battle for the world, and for the souls of men, is already decided, but the fighting is still intense. We can, however, rest assured in the final outcome! The other thing that is remarkable here is that Jesus said that He would draw all people to Himself when He was lifted up. The very next verse explicitly says that referred to His being on the cross. Nicky Gumbel, the British pastor who created the Alpha Course for evangelism and believer training, rightly points out that wearing crosses for decoration, a common thing today even for people with no faith at all, is equivalent to wearing nooses, or even a gallows. The cross was in no way seen as something attractive. The majority of people in the Roman empire had seen people executed that way, and it was in no way a pretty sight. However, for everyone who has the revelation, “He died for me,” the cross is a thing of incredible beauty. We must never play down the cross, in all its ugliness and cruelty, because the cross is what our sins deserve, and Jesus took it for us. That is attractive indeed!

This is something I’ve known as abstract truth most of my life, but my appreciation of it has only grown. When there is no awareness of sin, there is no appreciation for redemption. The second verse of Amazing Grace rightly says, “T’was grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.” Until I knew, by God’s grace, that I really deserved hell, I had a very shallow understanding of salvation. Now, I share the Gospel as one who has earned hell but has been given eternal life by faith instead. I must never forget that reality, because only then will people really cross over from death to life.

Father, thank You for this powerful reminder. Help me share it effectively, both with those who are already believers and those who will become believers because of this message, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Eternal Life; January 6, 2025

Posted on January 7, 2025 by jgarrott

John 11:25-27 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”  “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

I don’t think I could count how many times I’ve preached on, or at least quoted, these verses, generally in relation to someone’s physical death. It is significant that this confession of Jesus as the Christ, right up there with Peter’s in Matthew 16:16, was uttered by a woman, when in that society a woman’s testimony was counted as only half as valuable as that of a man. Claiming the New Testament is misogynistic is way off the mark! The rest of the content is so monumental that who said it is practically irrelevant. You could not ask for a clearer promise of eternal life than what Jesus says here. This should make everyone in the world want to be a Christian! On the strictly material level, Jesus’ statement is absurd, but at this point there have been thousands of Near Death Experiences recorded that show that it is literally true. Whatever your opinion of NDEs might be, you can’t shake the conviction of someone who has had one! We spend the vast majority of our lives fixated on the here-and-now, not thinking about eternity. That can easily lead to hopelessness and even suicide, seeking to escape the here-and-now. That is the sad case of many with PTSD, including the recent case in the news of the man who shot himself as he was blowing up the truck he was in. When we have a correct grasp of who Jesus is and what He has done for us, then such actions become out of the question. It’s no longer about us, it’s about Him, and that is ultimately glorious, regardless of what we go through in the here-and-now. It is very significant that when Jesus said this about eternal life, Martha responded with her magnificent confession of faith that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. She knew it wasn’t about her or her brother who had died, but all about Him. When we too come to that conviction, then nothing can shake us.

Thankfully, I have had this assurance since before my parents died, which made mourning their passing so much easier. I was indeed regretting that I would have no more conversations with them in this life, but I had, and have, total assurance that I will one day join them before the throne of our Lord. My father died at 64, and my honest, first reaction was that he wouldn’t have to retire. When my mother died at 72 with metastatic cancer, I rejoiced that she was set free from that disease. I have conducted a lot of funerals, and some of them have been joyous occasions indeed. That very idea is totally shocking to people who don’t know Jesus as Lord, so I do all I can to introduce them to Him. After all, as Jake Hess sang, for someone who knows Jesus as Lord, “Death ain’t no big deal.”

Father, thank You for the assurance I have in Christ. Help me be more and more effective in sharing that assurance with others, so that they too may let go of themselves and cling to Jesus, who in turn will hold onto them for eternity (Philippians 3:12), for their salvation and His glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Procrastination; January 5, 2025

Posted on January 6, 2025 by jgarrott

John 9:4 “As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.”

This story of Jesus healing the man born blind is one of my favorites in the whole Bible. I particularly love how the completely uneducated man demolished the arguments of the Pharisees against Jesus, using impeccable logic to do so. My love for that narrative has been such that I don’t think I’ve ever written or preached on this verse, even though Jesus is saying something very important here. The point is that there is a time for everything, as Solomon said so famously in Ecclesiastes 3. This is a powerful statement against procrastination! Sometimes God tells us to do something, but by the time we finally get around to doing it, the time as past, and nothing comes of it. What a waste! I think the vast majority of people struggle with procrastination to some degree, because there are so many distractions. The devil doesn’t have to make us do something bad, if he can only keep us from doing the good that God intends. This isn’t to say that we are to be in a constant frenzy of “working for God.” That sort of attitude puts the focus on us instead of on Him, and it too is not pleasing to Him. Rather, we are to be actively seeking His appointments, sensitive and obedient to His Spirit at all times. Philip comes to mind, who left an active scene of ministry to go to a desert road, simply because God said to do so. As a result, the Church in Ethiopia was born, and continues to this day! (Acts 8) We aren’t to try to define what our work is supposed to be, but rather be fully committed and obedient whenever and however our Lord speaks to us.

I have certainly had my struggles with procrastination, but I was actually surprised when I learned that my father likewise struggled with it. It was surprising, because I always saw him as very accomplishful, which I thought of as the opposite of procrastination. I think it comes down to obedient listening to God. Schedules can be very useful, keeping us from letting things slide, but now I’m retired from school teaching, and my schedule is largely of my own making! Thankfully, I do get nudges from the Holy Spirit about this that and the other, but some things just seem to slide, and I accuse myself about that. I have tasted the joy of meeting God’s appointments enough times that I always want to be sensitive to meet them when He sets them up, but trying to set them up myself never works out very well! I could easily have as much as 20 more years on this planet, so I’m not to be anxious about any of it, but listen and obey faithfully, as He directs, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. May I be active in my obedience to you, today and every day, so that Your purposes for me may be accomplished on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Focus; January 4, 2025

Posted on January 5, 2025 by jgarrott

John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Everyone goes through times of darkness. However, Jesus is here letting us in on a little secret: the light didn’t go away from us, we turned our back on the light. We may not think we have done that, but as the saying goes, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. We do well to examine our lives and see how much light we have. If things are looking dark, then our first thought should be to seek the light, that is, Jesus. There are countless things that distract us from Him. Many of them are not bad in themselves. Indeed, the only bad thing about them might be that we let them come between us and the light, that is, Jesus. Family and country and education and many other things are wonderful and even highly desirable, but if we let them come ahead of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are headed into darkness. Someone who is following Christ is going to be a good father or mother, for example, but even there, children can become idols to us, and everything falls apart when that happens. There is no end to the tragic stories of poor parenting, and some even come from parents who think they are following Christ, such as missionaries. There are Missionary Kids with deep wounds because their parents took what seemed to be “the only way” of sending them off to boarding school far too young, instead of perhaps making a way to teach them at home, for example. God knows our weaknesses, and repentance is always available. No one does everything perfectly, so we need to keep watch over our “light level” to see how we are doing. That’s not to be neurotic about it, however; God does enable us to create good habits so that we don’t have to stay on edge. That said, any time we find ourselves in the dark, we need to first ask God why He allowed it to happen. The answer will always be, “For your good.” The second thing we need to ask God is what He wants to teach us from the experience, and there are as many answers to that as there are experiences. We all have blind spots, and sometimes God allows us to walk squarely into them so that we will recognize they exist. That can be painful, and often is, but it is extremely helpful in the long run. We all need to keep growing, and to do that we need to recognize the dark spots we’ve been hiding, sometimes even from ourselves. Jesus’ statement here is very broad, but it’s true. If things look dark, seek Him!

This is something I’ve experienced time and time again. My biggest problem has been pride, thinking “Surely I don’t have that problem,” when to an outside observer it was obvious. My wife has been extremely helpful in this area! Even this morning I was having trouble getting going with my devotions, because so many other things were crowding into my mind. They weren’t bad things, and actually are things I need to deal with today, but when I let them get ahead of listening to God, I’ve got some repenting to do. My problem is in feeling I’ve got to figure everything out on my own, and for that matter, thinking I can! I’m not to abandon the mind God has given me, but I’ve always got to remember that it’s totally insignificant compared to God, and so rest, relax, and rejoice in Him, whatever is going on around me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s one I need quite frequently! Help me keep my focus on Jesus so that I will walk in the light consistently, instead of just occasionally. I do desire that all of Your purposes for me may be fulfilled as You intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Believing Moses; January 3, 2025

Posted on January 4, 2025 by jgarrott

John 5:46-47 “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

This hit me like a load of bricks, because of one individual in particular. Dennis Prager is a devout Jew whom I respect very highly. He has done a great deal of good with his emphasis on a rational approach to the world and to God, basically espousing common sense. He has written a 5-volume commentary on the Pentateuch, the five books of Moses at the beginning of the Bible, which he titled, The Rational Bible. He has a very good relationship with Christians, but has not been able to come to the point of acknowledging that Jesus is the One of whom all the Old Testament writers wrote, from Moses to Malachi. He has said that he has trouble with the idea of loving God, but says that obedience to Him is the only logical course. At this moment he is in the hospital, having been badly injured in an accident of which I know no details. His mind is clear, but he is able to do very little. His organization, Prager U, is still functioning at a very high level, but his personal involvement seems to be minimal at this point because of his injury. I have been praying for him from the point I first learned what sort of a person he is, that he would have a revelation of God’s love for him, that is so great that Jesus would have died even if he were the only person who needed it, and so open his heart in repentance and faith. He is an expert on the Law of Moses, yet Jesus says here that he doesn’t really believe it, because he doesn’t believe Jesus. He has read the New Testament, and quotes it fairly frequently, but obviously not from the standpoint of it being the Word of God to him. My urgent, earnest prayer for him is that this injury and hospitalization would be the shock that he has needed to understand his personal need for a Savior, that he cannot be good enough on his own to rate eternity with his Creator, but that God indeed loves him enough to make salvation available to him.

I think one reason I care so deeply about Dennis Prager is that I can identify very easily with him. He was raised in a religious home, as I was. He was raised with great familiarity with Scripture, as I was. He was given intellectual gifts, as I was, but to this point seems to have made better use of them than I have! His opinions have been valued and trusted, with his being an active public speaker since he was in his 20s, and I think that generated a level of intellectual pride that is very familiar to me indeed. He is a genuinely good person, which makes it all the harder for him to realize the huge danger of his pride. I pray for him the sort of experience I had, of God showing me, just for an instant, the state of my own soul. It would be totally devastating for him, probably even more so than it was for me, because it will be much later in his life than mine was, but if he has such an experience it would bring multitudes into the Kingdom, because his influence is very great. He doesn’t know me personally at all, but I pray for him like he was a close relative, because that is how the Lord has placed him in my heart.

Father, this was completely unexpected. Thank You for showing me what the numbers were supposed to be for today’s reading. I pray that everyone using this Scripture list would be guided by Your Spirit to know what the reading was actually supposed to be! I pray that we would all be humble before You to hear what You are saying to us, to respond as You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Salvation; January 2, 2025

Posted on January 3, 2025 by jgarrott

John 3:14-15 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

The very next verse is the most famous in the whole Bible, which causes a lot of people, I think, to overlook these two, I’ve heard them referenced a number of times in messages over the years, but I’m not sure I’ve preached on them myself. It struck me just now that this is an extremely simple description of eternal salvation. We tend to put all sorts of conditions on it, and I’m concerned that we exclude people from the Kingdom, in our minds at least, in ways that our Lord might not do so. The thing about the bronze snake that Moses lifted up on a pole was that the only requirement was that people look at it in faith. We aren’t to make light of repentance and commitment by any means, but the key to me seems to be directed faith. I have read reports of Near Death Experiences in which the person found themselves in hell, but cried out, “Jesus!” and were indeed given another chance. The problem is the many who don’t know to make that cry, and worse, the many who know but still won’t cry out to Him. That’s not to say that people shouldn’t commit to Jesus as Lord as early as they possibly can. Life with the assurance of salvation and life without it are entirely different propositions. As others have commented, I’m sure that when we get to heaven we will be shocked, both at who is there and who isn’t. Going through the motions and saying platitudes aren’t the same thing as saving faith, but saving faith can be as simple as looking the right direction at the right time. We aren’t to go around designating who is saved and who isn’t. Rather, we are to make the Gospel as clear as possible to as many as possible, so that they may make the choice to believe.

This is very close to home for me. I can think of several people who left this life without a formal profession of faith, yet I have hope that in that moment of passing they cried out to the Jesus they had heard about from me. I can’t say that I will see them in heaven, but I likewise can’t be sure I won’t. When we shared our highlights of the past year at the watchnight service on the 31st, I had to say that mine was seeing and hearing the response of a 99-year-old lady shortly before Christmas when I prayed that Christ would be born in her heart. We’ve seen her once since, and the joy and peace are still there. I have assurance that she will indeed be one of those around the Throne! There are so many to whom we have ministered over the years, some of them still here and some not. I will not know until I get there myself how many will join me, but I feel sure the number will be far greater than what the devil has been telling me over the years.

Father, thank You for this encouraging Word. Help me never take salvation lightly, either for myself or for anyone else, but rather remember that Christ alone is the Savior, and share the knowledge of Him with as many as possible, for You to save them by the work of Your Spirit, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Waiting Expectantly; January 1, 2025

Posted on January 2, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 40:30-31 Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

As familiar as this passage is, and despite having had it as the reading just two days ago, there is still much to meditate on. Isaiah has just been reminding us of the omnipotent sovereignty of God. In verse 28 he points out that God never gets tired, and goes on in verse 29 to say that He gives power to the faint, to those who are exhausted. Here, Isaiah mentions young men, those we think of as examples of strength and energy, and reminds us that there are limits to their strength as well. Then he says, but. When we use, but, we are likely to be making excuses, but the word itself simply indicates an exception – and I had to use it to describe it! I have the feeling Isaiah had experienced the truth of this verse more than once. Every servant of God experiences times when they completely run out of strength, but then God pours His strength into and through them. Paul famously experienced that in relation to a physical ailment, and God’s response to him was epic: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) Paul’s response to that should be an example to us all: “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10) God’s power flows through us only to the degree we recognize that it isn’t our own power, and open ourselves up to allow Him to flow through us. When that happens, we indeed walk, run, and even fly in His strength, doing His will for His glory.

I had a practicum in this just yesterday. On the 30th, we had been up late because of picking people up at the airport, but Cathy had a rough night in terms of pain, so we didn’t sleep in yesterday morning. I knew we would be up past midnight because of our Watchnight service, but I only managed to grab a 45-minute nap in the afternoon. As I commented to Cathy, “I don’t know how God is going to get me through this, but I know He will.” At 76, I can hardly lay claim to being a youth, and as Isaiah points out, even they get tired! However, God came through beautifully, and once people arrived, I was carried along by the Holy Spirit and felt neither tired nor sleepy until we were getting ready for bed around 1. We essentially slept through until 7, much later than we usually get up, and I currently feel great! I am to be a good steward of this body God has given me and I’m not to be presumptuous, but my hope is to be in my God, and not in myself or any human agency. Often that involves waiting, as this passage is often translated, but I’m getting better at that, and I know that God’s solutions are always the best.

Father, thank You for this reminder on the first day of the year. May I not forget it any day of the year, but rather wait expectantly but not impatiently for You to work Your perfect will, even in and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Being a Light; December 31, 2024

Posted on January 1, 2025 by jgarrott

Daniel 12:3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

The Book of Daniel can get pretty cryptic, and in this chapter Daniel himself says that he doesn’t understand all that he is being shown and told. (verse 8) However, the point is that things aren’t going to go on like they are forever; God has specific plans for their resolution. The point for us is to seek to be among those who lead many to righteousness. I keep saying it, when it really goes without saying, but we can’t save anyone in our own wisdom and strength. However, we can speak the truth in love and we can set an example, so that people will know that righteousness is actually possible. Some people don’t believe that last part, and we need to show them it’s true. This verse actually ties in with something Jesus famously said: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) We are to be lights illuminating the way for others to follow in seeking God. Of course, Jesus is the ultimate Light, but when we are abiding in Him, we too shine with His light, and that is what He was talking about. Without that light, the world is a very dark place, and people have no real idea where or how to walk. This is in no way conceit. If we fail to show others the way, who will?

Of course this applies to me. My light hasn’t always been the brightest by any means, but I have managed to be a guide to some. In my 2024 photo show I included a picture of this church building at dusk, with the stained glass and cross illuminated, and titled it, “The Town Lighthouse.” Several people expressed appreciation and/or agreement with that sentiment. We are about to start a new calendar year. In 2025 I need to shine, not with my own light but with that of Christ, so that many may see and be drawn to the life of righteousness by faith, for their salvation and God’s glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I need all sorts of reminders! It was a shock to realize that I never got back to this computer to post blog yesterday. Thank You that I could post just now, and that I can now post what I wrote yesterday. I pray that my words would indeed be light to those who read them, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Creator; December 30, 2024

Posted on December 31, 2024 by jgarrott

Isaiah 40:21 Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
    Have you not understood since the earth was founded?

This is a rhetorical question, but a very important one that needs to keep being asked every generation. It’s kind of like God is saying, “Hey, you dimwits, haven’t you learned anything?” It’s like Paul wrote to the Romans: “What may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19-20) As more and more scientists have shown, it is a mathematical impossibility that the universe exists as it does by chance, and if it’s not by chance, that requires a Creator. That’s essentially the argument Isaiah is making here, but he’s making it without all the scientific window dressing. There are only two real reasons to deny a Creator, and only one of those is honest. That honest reason is that we can’t understand Him. To which I say, “Well, duh! Could an ant understand you?” The comparison is actually even more drastic than that, which is why God so graciously reaches down to interact with us, speaking directly through prophets at times and causing the Bible to be written. The other reason to deny the Creator is far more common, and it is totally dishonest: the simple desire to avoid accountability. As SpaceX has been demonstrating, when engineers create something they have every reason to expect it to perform as designed, and when it doesn’t, they have every reason to tear it apart (physically or metaphorically) and redo it. We don’t like that God has every right to do that with us! Just as engineers set performance parameters for their creations, so God sets such parameters for us, and performing within them is what produces longevity on several levels. God’s rules for mankind, starting with the 10 Commandments, are the performance parameters that produce the greatest good. Failing to understand those parameters, or trying to deny that they exist, only produces heartache and destruction.

I didn’t set out to write “An Engineering Proof of God” there! I was thankfully raised with the awareness of our Creator, but I certainly can’t claim to have always stayed within my “design parameters!” The longer I live, the more amazing it is to me that God actually cares so much about us. That level of caring is certainly beyond human ability, by definition supernatural. That He wouldn’t just swat us down is proof that “The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion.” (Numbers 14:18) I am very much the beneficiary of His mercy, but I don’t want to keep testing it! Of course, I have the assurance of John 3:16 and a whole host of New Testament statements of what God has done for me in Christ, so I need to operate in grateful obedience as a result. After all, He has gone so far as to give me an intimate, personal relationship with Him by His Spirit, and I must never take that for granted.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for this year You’ve brought us through. Calendars are human constructs, but they can be useful. In the coming year may I indeed “see You more clearly, love You more dearly, follow You more nearly, day by day,” as the song says, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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