Guidance; September 12, 2024

Posted on September 13, 2024 by jgarrott

Exodus 13:22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

God gave the Israelites the guidance they needed, when and how they needed it. He had decided their route with an understanding of their weakness, that they might well run from battle, (verse 17) and He knew they weren’t spiritually sensitive either, so He gave them something obvious that everyone could see. If only Moses had seen the guidance, the people might well have not followed him. God doesn’t always do it this way, but it’s certainly easier on the human leader when He does! At this point the people needed something constant, or they might well have given up in the times the guidance wasn’t obvious. Again, God doesn’t always do it this way. He was doing it like this because of their extreme immaturity. They needed to get used to the idea that God really knew about and cared about them, so that their faith and obedience would be built up to the point that they would follow even when they couldn’t see the path at that moment. That certainly applies to us. As has been said, God is more interested in our character than our comfort. Sometimes He trains us to trust Him by not giving us fresh guidance until we’ve followed the previous guidance! On the physical plane, many people today have lost the ability to give and follow directions because they are too used to GPS systems. There have been cases of people doing totally stupid things like driving off of a washed-out bridge because their GPS indicated that was the route! We need to change “Global Positioning System” to “God Positioning System,” learning to listen to the Holy Spirit and so going forward with assurance, in obedience to Him.

I need this as much as anyone! At my age, some people might think it doesn’t much matter where I go, but I’m not at the end of the road yet – and I don’t want to run off of any washed-out bridges! I am grateful for my firm habit of morning devotions, because I often get clarification of what my activities of the day should be. Having retired from secular work, my schedule is far less fixed by external sources, but demands on my time come in from various directions, and I need to know what God’s schedule for me is. My calendar is completely blank for today, but there are a number of things that I have been needing to get done, so I’ve got to be sensitive and responsive. Sometimes a lack of pressure isn’t the best thing! I could well have another 20 years ahead of me, and I don’t want to waste a day of it.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Procrastination has always been an issue for me, as it was for my father. However, he had an enormously accomplishful life, so I’m not to use such weaknesses as excuses. Help me listen accurately to what You want me to do, and follow through in punctual obedience, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Light vs. Darkness; September 11, 2024

Posted on September 12, 2024 by jgarrott

Exodus 10:21-23 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.

Each of the plagues that God brought upon Egypt through Moses had spiritual meaning as well as physical. This one had to be terrifying for the Egyptians, but it was simply a physical manifestation of their spiritual reality. Since “light” is the theme of our readings for the next several weeks, at least, we will be running into many passages that talk about spiritual illumination, “enlightenment.” We use that terminology fairly freely to describe flashes of understanding, but here God used the reverse to make His point. People who close the eyes of their hearts to God are very much in the dark, but for the most part they don’t realize it. In the world today it seems like the divide between light and darkness is getting sharper and more obvious. Sometimes we want to cry out, “How can they not see?” They are in darkness as real as what the Egyptians experienced here. It’s fascinating that it specifies, “darkness that can be felt.” Now, that’s dark! We don’t know how the Israelites had light, nor what form that took, but the contrast was certainly stark. The thing is, those who have light are not to lord it over those who don’t. We are to pray God’s grace and mercy for them, because as the story of Saul/Paul illustrates, sometimes those most in the dark are transformed into carriers of light! If you don’t recognize the darkness, you don’t know how wonderful the light is, and conversely, if you take the light for granted, you don’t know how terrible the dark can be. Several of the passages we’ll be reading as we progress through this theme come to mind, but I’ll just take each one as it comes.

I was raised in a home that had a great deal of light, I’m grateful to say. My parents were totally committed disciples of Jesus Christ, and they were also intellectually open and curious. As I grew up, I saw how different most people were from my family, and sadly, that helped trap me in pride – which is in the territory of darkness! God was more than gracious to me, showing me my spiritual and intellectual stupidity, and I came to a deep appreciation for C. S. Lewis’ observation that when we get to heaven, we will all discover that we were wrong somewhere. At this point, my task is in bringing light to all who will receive it, but I must never seek to do it from an attitude of pride, but always in gratitude for God’s grace.

Father, thank You indeed for Your light. Thank You for the many, many Scriptures that have come to mind as I have been writing this morning. I look forward to writing on each one when we get to it! May I indeed be a carrier of Your light to all I encounter, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Our Creator; September 10, 2024

Posted on September 11, 2024 by jgarrott

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

This is one of the most important verses in the whole Bible, but it’s been a long time since I’ve read Genesis 1. It wasn’t until the 19th Century that there was any concerted attempt at intellectual atheism. People saw the physical universe and knew that it had to come from somewhere, and a Creator was certainly the simplest answer. Then came the scientific discoveries of the Enlightenment Period, and though he wasn’t the first, Charles Darwin is held up as a god-like figure by current atheists, saying that “natural processes” could account for everything, and the Theory of Evolution was born. This actually was an illustration of the axiom, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” Darwin himself said that if biological cells turned out to be complex, his whole theory fell apart. Well, current tools show us that cells are amazingly complex! Even if you allow for the purported trillions of years since the “Big Bang,” mathematical probability cannot account for the universe as we see it today. “Intelligent Design” becomes the only logical solution, even without subscribing to any specific religious tradition. The big problem with this, from the human standpoint, is that positing a Creator automatically leads to the question of accountability. If God created us, aren’t we accountable to Him to fulfill whatever purpose He had in doing so? But we hate accountability! And that’s behind the whole story of the Bible. God chose to give us free will, and we chose to use that to defy Him! The absurdity of that defiance is beyond words to express, but it is what we call “original sin.” God gave clear, simple instructions to Adam and Eve, with only one proscription, and they chose to violate that. We’ve been bearing the consequences ever since, but it’s no use blaming them, because we would do no better in their place. The great mercy is that, as God told Jeremiah, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) He is physically invisible to us, but He allows us to find Him when our hearts are turned to Him in humility. And that’s the issue: letting go of pride. It was pride that drove the early atheists to seek an explanation for the universe that didn’t require a Creator, and it is pride that draws us to try to rule our own lives today. We do in a sense rule our lives, but only in how we apply and make use of what God provides to us. The only route to genuine happiness and satisfaction is knowing we are created beings, and seeking to know and follow our Creator.

Of course, this applies to me as much as it does to anyone. I’ve certainly had my struggles with pride, to the point that God had to show me my own soul, just for a moment, to knock me off my high horse. God has had to teach me again and again that He’s smart and I’m not, that His plans, and His plans alone, are perfect. Just yesterday He brought about a resolution to a situation that distressed me but I couldn’t touch. Such things happen all the time, and I need to recognize them and be grateful. My task and commission in life is to help others recognize and know their Creator, believing that He knows and loves them as His children, to the point that He gave His Son to take the penalty for their rebellion against Him. That’s not something I can do in my own strength, because it seems impossibly good, so people don’t believe it. However, God’s Spirit indwells me, and nothing is impossible for Him. My focus is to be on humility and obedience, because that will clear the way for Him to do all that He wants to do in and through me, and that is very good indeed.

Father, thank You for this powerful reminder. May I indeed walk in the obedience of love, pleasing You and drawing many more to You by my words and my example, for Your glory alone. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Active Faith; September 9, 2024

Posted on September 10, 2024 by jgarrott

Jude 1:20-21 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

This little letter gets overlooked by perhaps the majority of Christians, yet it has a number of very interesting, and helpful, things about it. For one thing, the last two verses are an absolutely glorious doxology, memorably set to music by Don Francisco. It is also significant that though Jude was a half-brother of Jesus, he refers to Him only in the most respectful, worshipful terms, (as in that doxology) claiming kinship only with James in verse 1 to identify himself. The motivation for the letter was false teachers who were threatening the Church from the inside. That has been an issue throughout the history of the Church. And then we have this passage. In the early days of the Charismatic Movement it was often quoted to teach people that praying in tongues would build them up in faith. (The ESV translation seems to try to avoid that interpretation.) In my experience, praying in tongues does build you up, but “praying in the Holy Spirit” isn’t limited to praying in tongues. He can inspire and guide us in any language! The thing that strikes me, though, is that we can have an active part in our spiritual condition. We aren’t to be passive, but rather active in building ourselves up and keeping ourselves in the love of God. That’s not at all to say that we can save ourselves, because we certainly can’t, but we are to be active participants in all that God has provided for us in Christ. As Jesus Himself said, we are to abide in Him, by our own choice and will. (John 15:4) The tension between God’s sovereignty and human free will is actually beyond the capacity of human intellect to resolve, but properly applied, it can really build our faith, because there are so many things we can’t understand, humanly speaking.

This of course applies to me, as an individual believer and as a pastor. There is indeed much I can’t understand, much less explain! However, I know from Scripture and from experience that if I will press into God for more of Him, giving Him ever more of myself, He will respond gloriously. I seek to help everyone grasp this principle, but the responses are all over the place. Some dive in wholeheartedly, and some seem to want everything handed to them on a platter. I’m not to put anyone down, but I am to speak the truth in love at all times, so that the lies of the enemy may be exposed and people set free. And I must never forget to keep pressing in myself!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your anointing and guidance in the message yesterday. Several people seemed to receive fresh revelation from it. I pray that my life, in every facet, would draw people into Your life, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Love; September 8, 2024

Posted on September 9, 2024 by jgarrott

2 John 1:6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

John is sometimes called “The Apostle of Love,” because he talks about it so much. In his first letter he famously said, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:10) Here he flips it around, in a sense, and says that our walking in obedience to God is love. It’s hardly surprising that he would say this, because he was the one who recorded Jesus as saying, “If you love me, keep my commands.” (John 14:15) Love is indeed closely tied to emotion, but if we let the emotion take precedence, the love itself quickly becomes a cheap counterfeit. Don Francisco wrote a song with the powerful line, “Love is not a feeling, it’s an act of your will.” I think that puts it very well. Feelings invariably follow, but decision is at the root. Jesus didn’t “feel like” going to the cross, as His prayers in Gethsemane make very clear. Parents will tell you, if they’re honest, that there are moments when they feel like knocking their kids across the room, and it’s not that they don’t love them. Good parents don’t follow through with that, but you get the idea. If we obey God only when we feel like it, then we don’t really love Him. That would be narcissism, and narcissism never results in genuine happiness. That’s why the devil promotes narcissism in every way he can, because he doesn’t want us to be happy! He wants us to “have a good time” while we’re disobeying God! God always wants the best for us, and every one of His commands is to that end. Loving Him by walking in obedience to Him is the only truly logical course!

I seem to have had something of an instinctual understanding of this. I make that claim because I clearly decided to love my wife, and that has held up for over 55 years. I had already been attracted to her, but 11 days after our first date we were engaged, and just over three months later we were married. God’s amazing grace was certainly involved in that, because I had no idea of the many, many ways we fit together emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually, but it has definitely worked out. And that’s not to say that we always “obey” each other! We were at a similar place spiritually at that point, which is to say, not very mature, and we haven’t always grown at the same speed, but we have supported, encouraged, and admonished each other along the way. I don’t hesitate to point to our relationship as an example for others to follow. That said, my obedience to God hasn’t been perfect by any means, and I’m still learning there. I do love Him, more than I love anything else, even including my wife, but that love won’t be perfected until I stand before Him in heaven. I look forward to that day!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your love, and for growing my ability to receive and grasp it. May I respond to Your love more and more fully, more and more accurately, so that it may flow unhindered through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Spiritual Nourishment; September 7, 2024

Posted on September 8, 2024 by jgarrott

1 Peter 2:2-3 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

This chapter is so rich, I was once again at a loss as to what part to write on. However, appreciation of all the other good stuff of life in Christ starts right here, with receiving the Word of God as our spiritual nourishment. The first thing a newborn infant needs to learn is how to latch onto a nipple, how to drink so as to receive the nourishment they need. It seems odd, but some infants really do have trouble learning this, and it’s a major issue. Also, the mother’s breast doesn’t produce milk at first, but a liquid called colostrum, which is even easier for the infant to absorb. However, that very quickly changes to the milk that we usually think of. Of course, Peter isn’t writing a treatise on breastfeeding, but rather on spiritual growth. This is actually a very good figure of speech for him to use, because new believers are very much on the level of infants, at first only able to absorb “colostrum” levels of truth. Likewise, some believers don’t seem to know how to “latch,” to focus on what God is saying to them so as to take it in and apply it. That causes as much trouble spiritually as the physical issue does for an infant, which is to say, leading even to death. Of course, we aren’t to be satisfied indefinitely with spiritual milk. Hebrews 5:12-14 deals with that issue. However, we’ve got to start somewhere! An infant will choke on solid food, so they’ve got to get plenty of milk to grow to the level of being able to handle more and more solid food. This calls for discernment in those who are in leadership, to know what to feed to whom, when. The Holy Spirit is the only reliable guide, but fortunately, He’s very dependable! He can and does illuminate the messages He inspires, enabling one hearer to get one thing out of it and another, something quite different. That said, those delivering the messages need to be humbly open to being used, because human motivation and intellect aren’t going to produce God’s results.

This couldn’t be any more applicable to me than it is! I have spent many years in the ministry of the Word, and God has delivered everything from colostrum to steak through me. At the same time, I’ve got to be taking all of that in and applying it myself, or I become a completely empty windbag. I haven’t always been wise in what I’ve fed to whom. The tenderest wagyu isn’t appropriate for someone who has no teeth! I continue to hang up on that from time to time, and it keeps me from being a very effective evangelist. Fried chicken isn’t appropriate for someone who can only absorb colostrum! I need to recognize and encourage those who are gifted at giving “spiritual colostrum,” so that everyone may have the opportunity to grow into the child of God that He designed them to be.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for how You’re continuing to grow me in feeding Your children. May I be the “chef” You want me to be, so that the Body of Christ may grow as You intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Mental Preparation; September 6, 2024

Posted on September 7, 2024 by jgarrott

1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.

This chapter has various dearly-loved passages, but this one speaks to me at the moment. What is it to prepare our mind/heart for action? I think it is to know that anything could happen, and quite possibly will, but Jesus is still Lord, and in Him we have nothing to worry about. In this same letter Peter writes, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”(1 Peter 4:12) John likewise writes, “Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.” (1 John 3:13) This doesn’t mean we are to be dreading what might be around the corner; that is not faith! It does mean that when we round the corner and run into an emissary of the devil, we aren’t shaken but resist him fully, in full submission to God. (James 4:7) Also, “being sober-minded” doesn’t mean always having a long face, much less not having a sense of humor. Rather, it is not expecting “easy street,” insisting on being pampered. Just yesterday the passage was about patient endurance! The stronger our faith, the better we will be able to crack a joke in the middle of a trial. I remember two from Ronald Reagan after he was shot: “Honey, I forgot to duck,” and “Take me to Los Angeles, where I can see what I’m breathing.” It goes back to what Jesus so famously said in John 16:33. We will have troubles, so we aren’t to be surprised at them, but even in the middle of them we are to be strong, because we are in the One who has already conquered everything, including death itself.

I think I’m making progress in this direction, though blows are still painful. Around 30 years ago the Lord told me not to be surprised at what surprised others. At the time, I thought it was about the miracles and blessings He would pour out, but I realize that it applies equally to trials. That doesn’t mean that I’m to be devoid of emotion in relation to events. Some medication for bipolar disorder wipes out both highs and lows. I feel really sorry for people who are on it, because they seem to be hardly human. I am to participate fully in life, but at the same time view it all in the perspective of eternity, knowing that what comes after will reduce everything to insignificance. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Father, thank You for all You are doing in and around me. Thank you for the electrical work I could get done yesterday. I didn’t feel like I accomplished very much, but the fellowship was very good. Thank You for Your plans for today. May I receive everything from Your hand with praise and gratitude, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Patient Endurance; September 5, 2024

Posted on September 6, 2024 by jgarrott

James 5:7-8 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.

It’s interesting that English translations pretty unanimously use “patient” and “patience” in this passage, but the Japanese uses a term that is closer to “endure” and “endurance.” There is a definite tinge of suffering to it. We should be able to understand that, because we don’t like to wait, and being forced to wait can certainly feel like suffering. I’m reminded of the two astronauts who are being forced to wait on the International Space Station because Boeing’s engineering and quality control didn’t give them a capsule that could be trusted to get them back to earth safely. They were expecting an 8-day stay, and it will be more like 8 months! That example is literally worlds away from the one James uses, of farmers waiting for the harvest, but the fact remains that real-world events often fail to line up with our desired schedules, and that requires patient endurance. Impatience just makes the waiting harder on us! One thing in this passage is often picked on by those who want to deny the validity of the Bible, and that’s the matter of Christ’s return. It’s true that the early believers thought that Christ would return within their natural lifetime, and it’s been 2000 years. However, what James is saying here is that return is nearer than it was. For no one reading this passage is that return further than 100 years off! A beloved hymn says, “I know not when my Lord may come, at night or noonday fair, or if I’ll walk the vale with Him or meet Him in the air.” The thing is, the time will come for each person to meet Jesus face-to-face, either as beloved Lord and Savior or as stern Judge. We don’t know how much work He has left for us to do, but we’ve got to wait for His “end of shift” signal. Until that time, we are to be active in the task at hand, leaving harvest schedules up to the Lord and enduring whatever is called for.

This certainly applies to me, as I have written before. My father arrived as a missionary in Japan 90 years ago this month, and I’ve been in Omura for 43 years this month. Many things have happened, in his ministry and mine, and some of them have been gloriously fruitful. At the same time, there has been much to endure, and sometimes those have been simultaneous! I’ve already been left on the earth almost 12 years longer than my father was, so I have no idea how much longer I have, but I am to focus on faithfulness and anticipate the Lord’s harvest on the Lord’s schedule. In the past few days there have been several very encouraging, blessed interactions, and I am to expect more. That said, there will doubtless be more things that I will need to endure. I’m not to be “looking at my watch,” so to speak, but rather rest, relax, and rejoice in serving my Lord, just as He has told me to do.

Father, thank You for this encouraging reminder. I do pray that all of Your plans may be fulfilled, not just in my life but around the world, on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Wisdom; September 4, 2024

Posted on September 5, 2024 by jgarrott

James 3:17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

It strikes me that this description of wisdom could do well to be inscribed on all institutions of “higher learning,” not to mention the halls of Congress! The contrast between this and merely intellectual “wisdom” is extreme! This is the sort of wisdom that we need to be praying for our leaders in every field, from national leaders all the way down to heads of households. The devil fights against this kind of wisdom, because it directly counters all his schemes. This kind of wisdom will lead us to God and His plans for us every time. The problem is, this sort of wisdom doesn’t come naturally to us, as is obvious from even a cursory look at society. The good news is, if we humbly seek God for this sort of wisdom, He will give it to us. James pointed that out at the beginning of this letter. “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”(James 1:5) This description of God’s kind of wisdom is something of a check list to see if we are walking in that wisdom. However, it requires real humility to apply such a check list accurately. We tend to rank our wisdom much higher than it deserves! That said, the better we walk in God’s wisdom, the better the results will be for us in every area of our lives.

As I recall writing before, for much of my life I thought that God was much smarter than I was. It was a breakthrough for me when I realized, on a foundational level, that God’s smart and I’m not. My intellectual pride had extended that far, and that’s the height of stupidity! There is also the huge difference between intellect and wisdom. Genuine wisdom, as James describes it here, has very little if anything to do with intelligence. Facts alone do not impart wisdom. Part of God’s omniscience is that He not only has all the facts, He knows what they mean and what to do with them. We don’t have that kind of overview on our own, so we are dependent on Him to guide us. I have always loved acquiring facts, even reading the Encyclopedia Britannica for fun as a 4th grader, and learning that facts alone are not sufficient hasn’t been the easiest of lessons for me. I need to walk in humility and love, not only understanding how much God loves me, but allowing that love to flow through me to all those around me, even those who set themselves up as my enemies. If I will do that, then His wisdom will operate in and through me, for the blessing of all and for His glory.

Father, thank You for this strong, clear reminder. Thank You for guiding each of Your appointments for me yesterday. I pray that the man who came in the morning would indeed follow through and attend our worship services, and that he would be blown away by Your presence among us. I thank You for how You encouraged and affirmed me in the other two appointments. I receive as well as give in all such encounters. May all of Your purposes for me be fulfilled, today and every day, on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Sin and Repentance; September 3, 2024

Posted on September 4, 2024 by jgarrott

James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

It strikes me that the specific sin given as an example here is partiality. Most people don’t even think of that as a sin at all! We have trouble grasping just how holy, pure, and righteous God is, and so take our own sins far too lightly. In further explanation James uses the recognizably major sins of adultery and murder as examples, but he starts with simply treating people differently on the basis of external characteristics. There are people in America today who are mandating that we do exactly that! This is why Paul could assert so clearly, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) This is why repentance is an ongoing activity for anyone who is drawing closer to God. We aren’t to keep picking at ourselves neurotically, but we need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit any time He shows us anything in our life that isn’t pleasing to the Father. As Paul wrote, “My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.” (1 Corinthians 4:4) The Lord had me define sin recently as being anything that is out of character for God. That means that the more we learn of Him, and the more we learn of ourselves, the more accurate our repentance will become. My father’s expression, used widely in evangelism, is quite applicable here as well: “Give all you know of yourself to all you know of Christ.” We should be growing in both those areas all our life, so repentance for each discrepancy should be automatic.

Of course, I’m preaching to myself here. I have recently had to repent of being overly open about my own weaknesses to someone who didn’t have the maturity to handle the information. I realize now that in a sense I was bragging about my sin, and that’s certainly wrong. All my life I have tended to think that my high IQ made me more “right” than others, but in thinking about it, we all like to justify ourselves. If anything, my high IQ gives me less excuse for my mistakes! Only God is always right, and only God is perfectly righteous. This morning I will be with a man who has asked for “a class in Christianity.” He’s an older gentleman who has received a cancer diagnosis, and he’s getting serious about end-of-life issues. I am to relate to him on equal terms, despite the fact that I’ve been steeped in Christianity since birth and he’s been playing around the edges. I will be using a pamphlet I wrote a few years ago, “The Foundation of Faith in Christ,” getting him to read it to me, asking questions any time he encounters something he doesn’t understand. I’ve got to remember that he is as valuable to God as I am, despite the many differences between us, and so accurately present God’s love and grace to him. Anything less would be sin on my part.

Father, I ask for the clear presence of Your Spirit as I meet with that man this morning, and also as I meet with a close friend this afternoon, and then have an online session with another friend this evening. May I be Your agent to each one, allowing You to bless them through me and at the same time receiving Your blessing through them, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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