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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Healing; December 29, 2024

Posted on December 31, 2024 by jgarrott

Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.

I think this chapter is one of the most important in the whole Bible, right up there with Genesis 1 and John 3. This particular verse is quoted by Peter in 1 Peter 2:24, and is greatly used by those with a specifically healing ministry. The thing is, healing isn’t limited to the physical. Jesus’ suffering on our behalf wasn’t limited to the physical, though that is most famous. As John said, “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” (John 1:11) If we feel we have been rejected, Jesus had it worse! He had a relative about whom He cared deeply, John the Baptist, be arrested and then murdered by the authorities. He had one of His closest companions, whom He Himself had chosen, literally sell Him out for some silver coins. Any time we are tempted to have a pity party, we need to meditate on what Jesus did for us! The thing is, He went through all of that so that we could be healed, not just for us to admire His fortitude and endurance. The mechanisms by which that healing takes place are often in the realm of mystery, and it is also a mystery why some healings take place and others don’t seem to. Joni Tada is an excellent example here, because she certainly believes in divine healing, yet she has been wheelchair-bound since she was 16. However, in that long period God has shown Himself to be very real to her, and her faith has been a magnificent example to many. The thing is, Jesus took everything bad about us on Himself and turned it around for good. We don’t necessarily get to specify how He’s going to turn it around, but we can have assurance that He will do it. (Romans 8:28)

I quote this verse as part of my faith declarations, which I’ve been using for well over 40 years now. I start each one with, “By the grace of God,” since I know I can’t “pull myself up by my own bootstraps,” as the saying goes. This particular one says, “By the grace of God, each day I and those under me are walking more fully in the health of Jesus Christ, for it is written, ‘By His stripes we are healed.’” I added “and those under me” over 30 years ago because we had a young man in our church who required dialysis three times a week. He’s no longer here, but since then my wife’s medical issues have come to the forefront, and I’m certainly not going to drop the phrase now! In general, I am amazingly healthy for my age, but as I have been writing, I just had a goodly bout of influenza. That doesn’t negate this statement by Isaiah by any means. Disease is endemic to this planet, and is part of the “troubles” Jesus mentioned in John 16:33. However, as He said there, we aren’t to get down about anything, but remember that He has already overcome it all, and we just have to wait for the manifestation of that victory.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for my recent experience of needing Your healing. Thank You for providing it! I pray that as people gather this morning for the last service of the year that joy and gratitude would be the main themes, with rich testimonies of Your grace, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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The Purpose of the Incarnation; December 28, 2024

Posted on December 29, 2024 by jgarrott

Colossians 1:19-20 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

When you think about it, it’s rather incredible that Paul would write something so poetic, and at the same time so theologically deep, in a letter to a group he didn’t know personally. He obviously had a high level of trust in the Holy Spirit, that He was working in the hearts and lives of this group of believers. That said, Paul wanted to be sure that the Colossian believers understood the purpose and efficacy of the ministry of Jesus. This is an important thing for us too to remember, right after we’ve been singing and thinking about Jesus as a little baby in a manger. Too many people would like to leave Him there! However, that little baby grew up, confounding the teachers in the temple at His bar mitzva, calling apostles to abandon their previous lifestyles and follow Him, healing the sick and raising the dead, calming a storm with a verbal command, going toe-to-toe with the Pharisees on what the Law of Moses actually means, and then willingly taking on the penalty for our sins in horrible suffering, and proving it was real by rising from the dead. We must not leave Him in the manger! We need to meditate on what Paul wrote here to the Colossians and let it work into us, correcting our traditions and our misconceptions and setting us free to enjoy the fulness of Christ’s work for us. Since Japanese does very little with pronouns, the translation I use repeatedly says “the Son,” which helps us remember that this isn’t just some random guy off the street. God’s plan of salvation was set from Creation, and we continually learn more of its magnificence.

I’ve long had a warm spot in my heart for this passage, since the Lord gave me a calypso-feel musical setting for verses 15-20 (skipping a few things along the way) in 1978. However, knowing the words and even singing them isn’t necessarily the same as letting them sink in to control our thoughts and actions. This doesn’t seem like a very “directive” passage, but the more I make it part of me, the less I will be shaken by all the little things that happen in life. Physically, I’m very grateful to say that I seem to clearly be “over the hump” of the influenza I’m had the past several days. That has been a reminder that I can’t do anything on my own, but am totally dependent on my Creator and Lord. I’m not quite 100% yet, but the difference is enough to make me very happy. I told my wife this morning that her dishwasher was back in working order! There are various things to be done today in preparation for the service tomorrow, and it’s very nice not to dread them from a physical standpoint. I have long loved John 16:33, and I am indeed learning to take heart in the middle of this world’s troubles, because Jesus is Lord!

Father, thank You for Your overflowing grace to me. Help me not draw back from anything, but know that in Christ You will take me through, until I stand before You in glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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