February 29, 2016


Proverbs 12:23 A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself,
but the heart of fools blurts out folly.

I am reminded of the extra-biblical proverb, “Better to be silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” The modern ease of communication has reinforced the truth of this verse. The thing of it is, once something is on the Internet it is essentially permanent, and collections abound of the absurdly foolish things people proclaim on social media. One of my uncles once told his older daughter, “If you are as smart as they say you are, you won’t let people know you know it.” I think that’s a restatement of this verse to a T. There are times when knowledge is helpful, and not sharing it is less than kind. However, there are also times when it will not be received, and sharing it only creates problems. It takes real wisdom to distinguish the difference! A major factor in this whole issue is motivation, because all too often we are motivated by a desire to be “the one in the know,” to stroke our ego. However, even a genuine desire to be helpful can meet with rebuff and resentment. We need to realize that our own wisdom is not up to the task, and ask and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us and put a check on our mouths.

This is an area that has been a problem for me all my life. I have felt inferior socially and athletically, and I have compensated by displaying my knowledge. That’s hardly wise! I have reacted to my feelings of inferiority by conversely becoming conceited about my intellect, thereby putting myself in the second half of this verse. I couldn’t begin to count the number of times I have confidently stated things that turned out to be untrue, not because I was trying to deceive but because I wanted to be seen as the expert, even when I was ignorant. I still have trouble with that! I am quick to spot that failing in others, precisely because I am so prone to it myself. I’ve got to stay humble before God and before men, letting God assign me whatever place is right for me and not trying to raise myself up in the eyes of men.

Father, this is somewhat painful to consider, because I have failed at it so many times. Thank You for Your grace, and for using me in spite of myself. Help me make the use that You intend of all that You have placed in me, so that I sill accomplish Your will for Your glory, and not fall into the traps of the devil. Thank You. Praise God!

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February 28, 2016


Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

This is a justly famous and dearly loved passage, but it strikes me just now that it is asking God to do what the first part of the Psalm, through verse 16, has already said that God can and does do. In other words, it is giving God full permission. Much of life actually is like that, and particularly much of prayer. I don’t think we can force God to do anything, but we can get in line with the good He already wants to do. I think prayer will be a mystery, though a delightful one, until we are before God’s throne and nothing is between us. Prayer is an incredible privilege, yet it is inherently illogical. After all, why would the omniscient, omnipotent Creator listen to the prayers of His creatures? Nevertheless, we are created with an impulse and a desire to pray. All of us squash that sometimes, and many squash it most of the time, but it’s there nonetheless. That’s why practically everyone prays in times of extreme need, even supposed atheists. From Genesis to Revelation the Bible overflows with examples of prayer. Not all of it is necessarily good examples, but this one is excellent. This illustrates the attitude we all should have, of yielding to God and asking that His will be done. This is a prayer we can be sure God will be delighted to grant!

Growing up in a home that was pervaded by prayer, it seems as natural to me as breathing. However, that doesn’t mean I’ve always made full and proper use of it. I feel my prayers sometimes lack the intensity they perhaps need. I am certainly not a shouter when it comes to prayer. One thing that actually keeps me from praying is the awareness that there is literally no limit to things to pray about. I have been included in a prayer group on social media that is based in India. Just in that subcontinent there is enough to pray about that I could be at it 24/7 and not run out of topics, and that isn’t even where I have been called to minister! Right here where I am, I could pray to exhaustion and not cover everything. That’s why I need to let the Holy Spirit choose my battles, so to speak. We have the great comfort of Paul’s words on the subject: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” (Romans 8:26-27) I am never to stop praying, but neither am I to think I have to do it all, because I am just one part of the Body of Christ. I have been the beneficiary of the prayers of others and I have had the privilege of seeing my prayers for others answered, so I am never to hesitate to pray specifically, but it must all be in the context of how Jesus taught us to pray: that God’s Name would be acknowledged as holy and His kingdom come to this earth as His will is done perfectly, in and through me, for His glory.

Father, thank You for the incredible privilege of prayer. It grieves me, and often amazes me, how even Christians are so often hesitant to pray. I ask for a spirit of prayer on this church, that we would all learn the joy of intimate communication with You, to better be Your children and Your agents, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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February 27, 2016


Psalm 94:17-19 Unless the Lord had given me help,
I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
When I said, “My foot is slipping,”
your love, O Lord, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought joy to my soul.

The NIV expresses this as a declaration of past blessing, while the Japanese expresses it as a prayer that this is how things would be, which makes me wonder about the tenses in the Hebrew. This Psalm is unattributed, so with no idea who wrote it, we have even less idea of the circumstances that prompted it. In a sense that makes it all the more universal, because it could apply to any believer. We all have times when we “come to the end of our rope,” when we realize that we can’t make it on our own. That actually is a huge blessing, because it teaches us to rely on God. As Andrae Crouch sang so memorably, “If I’d never had a problem, I wouldn’t know that He could solve them.” (Through it All) The Psalmist here is honest in saying that sometimes anxiety does grow within us, however much faith we might claim. When in such times we choose to release that anxiety to God as an active choice of our will, He does give us a joy that can be had no other way. It is as Jesus said: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) The more firmly we know that Jesus is our foundation, our Rock, our Savior, the less we are shaken by events and circumstances around us, and that is blessing indeed.

We have certainly been going through a “shake-down cruise” in recent months, and we aren’t through yet. However, the awareness is there that God is going to use everything that has happened, as well as everything that is going to happen, for our blessing and His glory. (Romans 8:28) Even that awareness doesn’t always make things easy, but the harder the trial, the greater the growth that comes from it. We still need to be consistent in choosing to look to Christ, to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him, however violent the immediate storm. I am reminded of how Jesus was sound asleep in the back of the boat on Lake Galilee when the storm was bad enough that His disciples though they would be swamped and sink. (Mark 4:35-41) The better we are grounded in Him, the better we can even sleep through the storm!

Father, thank You for Your grace. Thank You for all You have brought us through, and that You will bring us all the way through to the other side. Help us receive all that You want to pour into us in and through all of this, so that we may then in turn be vessels to let it flow through us to others, (2 Corinthians 1:4) for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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February 26, 2016


Psalm 77:11-12 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will meditate on all your works
and consider all your mighty deeds.

The Psalmist here was doing what Paul recommended many years later: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8) There is nothing that meets Paul’s criteria better than the works of God! This also fits Hebrews 12:2, which speaks of our fixing our eyes on Jesus. Any time we feel overwhelmed by circumstances, there is nothing better than to pull back, calm down, and direct our attention to almighty God, who loves us so much He sent His Son to die for us so that we might live eternally with Him. The Psalmist didn’t have that particular, greatest work of God to look back on, but he still had plenty to think about to remind him that God is bigger than any problem we could have. The Bible is actually filled with this sort of advice, to direct our attention to God rather than to all the things that seem to be in our way. In our weakness, we need every bit of that advice!

As I have written many times, I often get push-back when I try to give people this advice, because they take it as belittling their problems. The thing is, every human problem is little, compared to God! I’ve been having a refresher course in this truth myself recently, with my wife having back surgery in October and November and then brain surgery this month. I’ll confess to having been shaky a few times (so far) in that, but my job has been to come alongside my wife and help her fix her eyes on Jesus. We haven’t come to the place Peter and his wife were, when tradition tells us he cried out to her, “Remember Jesus” as she was being crucified, but that doesn’t mean it’s always been easy for us. I’m not to focus on difficulties of any sort, but stay focused on God and His love for us in Christ. That doesn’t mean I’m to ignore the difficulties or pretend they don’t exist, but it does mean I’m to keep them in perspective, knowing that “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Father, this is something of a repeat of what You said yesterday. Help me receive it fully! Help me communicate this truth effectively to all, both to those who know it but are having trouble walking in it and to those who don’t yet know it. May we defeat the lying, stealing, killing tricks of the devil by our obedience to You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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February 25, 2016


Psalms 38:9 All my longings lie open before you, O Lord:
my sighing is not hidden from you.

This verse brings to mind Jesus’ statement just before He taught His disciples what we call the Lord’s Prayer. “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:8) We should never hesitate to be honest before God, because He knows the truth anyway! The more honest we are with Him and with ourselves, the better we can hear the Holy Spirit sort through our desires and tell us which are of Him and which are not. We tend to think either that God is some sort of Santa, showering gifts on us with no regard to how they will be used, or else that He is some sort of stingy miser, not wanting to risk our getting too happy. Both are gross distortions – and I mean that “gross” in just about every way it is used! Jesus assured us that the Father delights to give us what is best, (Luke 11:13; 12:32) but His gifts are always not just to make us happy, though they will do that, but to bless others through us and give Him glory. It is in that context that we need to be honest with ourselves and with Him about what we want. Sometimes our desire is to be relieved of some suffering, which is the context of David’s prayer in this Psalm. However, sometimes God’s response is what He said to Paul under similar circumstances: “My grace is sufficient for you.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) When that happens, we need to receive God’s higher gift of grace, drawing closer to Him so that we may draw others with us.

I think this Psalm may be pretty close to my wife’s feelings in recent days, with all that she has gone through from her brain surgery. However, I’ve had similar moments. I have learned from experience that trying to hide anything at all from God is never a good idea. I have also learned that it is a very good thing indeed that He knows everything about us, because we don’t know everything about us! I have also learned the glorious truth that Paul expressed in 2 Corinthians 4:17. “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” As a pastor I deal constantly with people who are going through all sorts of stuff. The answer to their problems is always the same: yield it all honestly to God, let Him sort it out, and be faithful to do what He tells you. The problem is, often when I tell people that, encouraging them to take their eyes off of themselves and their problems and fix them on Jesus, (Hebrews 12:2) they think I am making light of them and their difficulties. Nothing could be further from the truth! There is no better or more complete solution to any problem at all than Jesus Christ. When we are fully submitted and secure in Him, nothing can harm us. (Psalm 91) I need to communicate that truth in all humility and assurance, from my own experience, so that others too may experience it and receive all that God has for them.

Father, I don’t have the wisdom to communicate this without coming across as preaching and/or being holier-than-thou. I ask You not only to place Your words in my mouth, but also to keep me from speaking just out of my own mind. May the words I speak consistently accomplish that which You intend, so that the lies of the enemy may be defeated and people set free, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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February 24, 2016


1 Sam 15:22-23 But Samuel replied:
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.”

This is a well-known passage, and justly so, because it is enormously important. It totally destroys the hypocrisy of doing religious things and then living the rest of the time however you like. We tend to do that all the time, looking all pious in church but then being indistinguishable from non-believers the rest of the week. That is no way to enjoy the blessings and receive the promises of God! When we can’t make time to meet with God regularly morning by morning, why do we expect Him to meet us in our moments of panic and need? He is very gracious, and indeed gives us far better than we deserve, but when it comes down to the wire, this passage is operative. To me, it is clear evidence that many Christians in America are running afoul of this passage that so many “evangelical” voters are supporting a presidential candidate who has lived a reprobate lifestyle and openly says he hasn’t repented before God, when there are two other candidates who are clearly trying to live out their faith in Jesus Christ. As this passage says, rejecting the Word of the Lord brings rejection in turn. America as a nation is at a place of extreme danger, and only a genuine return to the Lord, far beyond the political scene, can pull it back from the brink.

I certainly didn’t expect this to turn political when I started! Politics is just a very small fraction of our lives, but God wants all of us. It is telling to me that where the English traditionally says “witchcraft” here, the Japanese says “fortune telling.” How many “Christians” read their horoscope every day? So-called “cultural Christianity” just doesn’t cut it. Since I minister in Japan that isn’t much of an issue here, but I still deal constantly with people who can’t seem to grasp that God wants their whole lives, not just a few hours on Sunday. It bothers me a great deal that people seem to dismiss my lifestyle because I’m a “professional Christian,” as though their lack of an organizational title excuses them from full commitment to Christ. I am not to look down on them, but neither am I to leave them where they are. I’ve got to keep speaking the truth in love, praying that the Holy Spirit would reveal the Word to their hearts so that they may be set free from the traps they have become so comfortable in. A comfortable trap is still a trap! I need to watch my own heart and life and be quick to repent when I slip up, and I need to remember that God is still God, despite all our human failings. I need to both proclaim and live out the kingdom of God, so that the kingdom of darkness may be shaken and the captives set free, for their salvation and God’s glory.

Father, I have written of great things which I obviously can’t do in my own strength. I ask You to work Your perfect will in and through me, so that Your Name may be acknowledged as holy and Your kingdom come indeed, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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February 23, 2016


1 Samuel 1:7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.

One of the distinctive features of the Bible is that it doesn’t cover anything up; people are presented in all their foolishness, weakness and sin. It is in that sense perhaps the most realistic book in existence, despite the accusations of mythology that are leveled against it. One thing that stands out to me in the Old Testament is all the evidence against polygamy. Even ignoring the hundreds of women corralled by kings, the record shows how unhealthy polygamy really is. This little vignette shows that rivalry within a home, a family, is never a good thing, and doubly so when it is spouses. Each individual is worthy of being valued for who they are, and not in comparison to someone else. Jesus’ words in Matthew 19 are a powerful statement for monogamy, and Paul’s remarks in Ephesians 5 reinforce that. The devil hates faithful, monogamous marriage because it is a picture of the relationship between Christ and the Church, as Paul brings out in Ephesians 5, so he does all he can to tear it down. The recent push to get away from even the biological foundation for marriage is just the latest of his schemes. When we read the Bible we need to remember that people aren’t presented necessarily as paragons to be emulated, they are presented as they were, faults and all. One of the most glorious things about the Gospel is that God loves us as we are. We don’t have to clean ourselves up before we come to Him, but we have to be willing for Him to clean us up after we come to Him. That should be a lesson everyone gets from reading the Bible, but most people seem to miss it, probably because they don’t really read the Bible!

I have been intensely aware of God’s love and mercy in spite of our weaknesses, and I am deeply grateful. I haven’t done things that would interest the police, but I have certainly violated God’s laws more times than I even realize. That awareness makes it imperative that I forgive others, because Jesus made it very clear that we must forgive if we want to be forgiven. (Matthew 6:14-15) I am exposed to others’ failings constantly, and unfortunately, they are exposed to mine. I am not to demand perfection, but at the same time I am to strive toward it, just as Paul did, (Philippians 3:13-14) and encourage others to do likewise.

Father, thank You for Your truly amazing grace. Help me be an open conduit of that grace, drawing others to live in You by letting that grace flow through me unhindered. May I never use grace as an excuse for sin, in myself or in others, but may I never forget that Your grace is always greater than all sin, in myself or others. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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February 22, 2016


Deuteronomy 28:15 However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

The list of curses that follows this verse, all the way through to verse 69, is truly horrendous. This is in contrast to the list of the blessings of obedience that we see from verses 1~14. You could say Moses was using the “carrot and stick approach,” but the stick seems much bigger than the carrot! The problem is, we don’t respond to the prospect of future blessings very well. As any psychologist will tell you, “Tolerance for delayed gratification is a prime indicator of maturity.” In other words, we’re generally a bunch of immature brats! Moses was doing his best to instill an understanding, and consequent fear, of the consequences of disobedience toward God, but history tells us it didn’t work very well. Like us today, the children of Israel were all too quickly distracted and tempted by all sorts of things, and they went for the immediate gratification of sin rather than holding out for the blessings God had in store. One thing this list did was provide something Ezra, Nehemiah, and various prophets could point back to and say, “See, God told you so.” Even so, only some people repented, and the same thing is true today. Warning is a major part of presenting the Gospel, because until people realize they are headed for a cliff they aren’t going to turn around. It is of course good to tell people of the incredible, unspeakable blessings God has for all who will repent and believe, but that seems all too abstract, too “pie in the sky by and by” to many. Fear may not be the best motivator, but at times it is an essential one. Society today seems bent on removing all fear of consequences for sin, saying that “protection” makes immorality “risk free,” when even secular statistics say the opposite. They search for medical solutions to diseases that would be stopped dead in their tracks if people would abide by Biblical guidelines. I could go on and on, but the fact remains that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10) Without any fear of God, people are incredibly stupid!

I certainly include myself in “people.” I have demonstrated remarkable stupidity on many, many occasions, so I have no “high horse” from which to look down on anyone. Rather, since I have experienced God’s mercy and grace, I need to extend those to as many as will receive them. The small number of those who do can be heartbreaking! I have no love of “hellfire and brimstone” preaching, but I need to remember that Jesus talked about hell more than He talked about heaven, and His harsh words to the Pharisees in Matthew 23 were motivated by His love for them. I must not hold back from preaching the whole truth out of a fear of rejection, because that would be valuing my emotional comfort over the eternal salvation of others.

Father, I struggle with this. This is far from the first time You have pointed this truth out to me, yet my follow-through is not very good. Keep me from offending needlessly, but certainly keep me from valuing my own feelings over the salvation of others. That is definitely not “loving my neighbor as myself!” May I be Your agent without reservation or hesitation, so that as many as possible may be brought into Your kingdom, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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February 21, 2016


Revelation 2:11 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.”

I quote the first part of this verse as part of my regular faith declarations: “By the grace of God, each day I am more accurately hearing and obeying the Holy Spirit, for it is written, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” (I realize I blend slightly with Matthew 11:15, but this is how I feel the Lord gave it to me.) The point is, the Holy Spirit is talking, and we had better listen! If we look at the whole Biblical record, it is clear the Holy Spirit sometimes says “Go” and sometimes He says “Stay.” We aren’t to be afraid of either, but focus on hearing accurately and with obedience. The world is quite a mine field, and frankly, we don’t read the map very well. The only way we can avoid the devil’s IEDs is to listen to the Holy Spirit, because He can spot every one. We tend to get anxious about temporal consequences: financial loss, physical injury, what have you. This verse reminds us there are far more serious consequences we need to be concerned about, and faithful obedience to the Holy Spirit is the only sure ticket to success.

I say this as a faith declaration, but that doesn’t mean I can follow through in my own strength. I have demonstrated countless times that I am all too adept at deceiving myself, (James 1:22) thinking I’m being obedient to the Word just because I can quote it. My obedience cannot be static; it must be active. I need to keep seeking to hear, not to verify my own agenda but to receive and follow God’s agenda. It is too easy to come up with a desired plan and then ask God to rubber stamp it. As He has made it clear to me, God’s smart and I’m not. Any plan I come up with on my own is doomed to failure at best, but His plans will succeed in the end, whatever the road might look like along the way.

Father, thank You for this Word of comfort and encouragement. You have not taken me on a road of material rewards or of human acclaim, but Your way is good. Help me indeed be faithful, hearing and obeying Your Spirit in every detail, so that all of Your plans for me may be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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February 20, 2016


Revelation 1:17-18 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”

It has always struck me that John, of all people, collapsed from the shock of seeing Christ glorified, when he had been the one who had laid his head on Jesus’ chest (John 21:20) and who had seen Him after the resurrection, too. Our systems really can’t take the full glory of God. That’s one reason we have to be transformed when we go to heaven! The words that Christ spoke to John here are of course enormously important. First of all, it was, “Don’t be afraid.” If John had not been a faithful believer there would have been no reason to say that, because he would have had every reason to be terrified of the judgment that was coming. Next, Christ stressed the fact that He is eternal. As finite beings in mortal bodies ourselves, we have very little grasp of the eternal, and really don’t even have words to talk about it rationally. It is because He is eternal that our spirits are eternal, so it is important to get some sort of a handle on that. Then, He pointed out that He had died but was alive. That is amazing on two fronts. First, it is amazing that eternal God could die, but this is an affirmation that the Incarnation was real; Jesus really was born, lived, and died as a human being, with the same sort of body we have. Second, it is amazing that this One who really died is now alive eternally. That’s why He could say that He has the keys of death and Hades. It’s certainly not Monopoly, but He’s our “Get out of death free card!” When our Lord has the key, death can no longer hold us, even as He said to Martha in Bethany. (John 11:25-26)

I have never seen Christ glorified, but I have been given faith that He is my Lord. I have preached many funerals, and the difference between that of a genuine believer and someone who was not is enormous. The first funeral I ever did was for a man who attended church but to my knowledge had never confessed Jesus as Lord, even though his wife was a pillar of the ladies group. That was a hard one! I cannot say categorically that he wasn’t saved, because it is possible that he had confessed Christ to his wife, or even to an EMT who was caring for him at the last, but I certainly couldn’t say, “He’s in heaven now.” On the other hand, I have done funerals for believers that were true celebrations. Such funerals are powerful evangelism! I have already written something I want read at my funeral, whenever that is, because I want it to be a net to catch a lot more fish! I need to help people understand that Jesus isn’t just the baby in the manger, or the teacher in Galilee, or even the Lamb on the cross; He is our glorious Lord, and those who are in Him have absolutely nothing to be afraid of.

Father, thank You for this Word. A week ago today I thought I might be losing my wife in front of my eyes, and now she’s scheduled to get out of the hospital on Monday. Thank You for the peace I really did have even before that happened, and for the experience of going through it all. Thank You for the healing that she is experiencing. I do pray that all her mental functions would be restored fully, for her to get back to the life of service that she desires. May we rejoice in our Lord right now, whatever we might be walking through at the moment, so that we won’t yield anything at all to the devil, but delight in all that You intend for us, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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