Living as Christians; February 5, 2024

Posted on February 6, 2024 by jgarrott

1 Peter 2:12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.”

How we live makes a difference. In yesterday’s message I talked about how most Christians today live no differently than their unbelieving neighbors, which actually tends to call their faith into doubt. In many places in the world – and now even in parts of America – Christians are accused of all sorts of things. The currently popular accusations in the US are homophobia, transphobia, and racism, with various other pejoratives thrown in for good measure. We should take all that as a badge of honor, actually, because as they say, it shows we are “over the target;” our words and actions are making them uncomfortable. People who are actively rebelling against God have every reason to be uncomfortable! However, we are not to speak and act for the purpose of making them uncomfortable. That would reduce us to their level. We are always to speak the truth in love, whatever the consequences. As this verse says, it is our lifestyle that will validate our words, as they will have to acknowledge when they are confronted by God. (That, incidentally, is what it means by “glorify God on the day He visits us.”) It’s hard to argue with a life well lived!

This is of course the way I need to live. Society in every country puts pressure on us to “go along to get along,” but that is seldom the way of righteousness. I’m not to be different, much less argumentative, just for the sake of being different, but I am to keep Jesus as my standard, and nothing less. I well remember once being in a bar with my employer and being chewed out by another patron because I was drinking a soft drink. He said my not drinking alcohol made him and other drinkers feel bad! I’d say that was his problem. In my over 42 years in this city I’d say I have a pretty solid reputation, and it’s not a bad one, for which I praise God. I have never felt attacked for being a Christian, other than some disapproval for declining to burn incense at Buddhist funerals, so I have had it much easier than many of my brothers and sisters around the world. However, that’s no reason to slough off in my living as a demonstration of the grace and love of God. I am to so live that the people around me will know more of God because of watching me.

Father, it’s an extremely high calling You’ve given us. Help me, help all of the believers here, not back off from that, but live boldly as Your children, demonstrating Your truth for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Holiness; February 4, 2024

Posted on February 5, 2024 by jgarrott

1 Peter 1:14-16 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written, “Be holy, because I am holy”

The devil, and because of him human society, is dead set against holiness, to the point that the desire and effort to be holy is seen as somehow perverted. That is of course the opposite of how God created us, but the Bible also says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” (Isaiah 5:20) This isn’t a new phenomenon! We have been deceived into thinking holiness is out of reach, and so isn’t worth the struggle. Historically, “saint” is a term reserved for only very special people, when the New Testament consistently refers to all believers as saints. We are saints by definition! Of course, in our human weakness we can’t live up to that on our own, but as Paul said, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24) The point is to not be satisfied with anything less, but repent immediately when the Holy Spirit points out our sins to us, so that we may consistently move toward our role model, Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Just yesterday I was seeing articles about the normalization of perversion in society, and it is sickening. We have long had expressions like “goody two-shoes” and others that imply that goodness is unnatural, but that too is a lie of the devil. We are imperfect, but we are created for fellowship with our Creator, which requires that we be holy as He is, just as Peter says here. We need to be grateful that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) If we are cleansed, that means we are holy!

Of course this applies to me, just as it does to everyone. I could not begin to even calculate how many times I have acted in an unholy manner, and I have had to learn that when God says I’m forgiven, I’m really forgiven. At the same time, I’ve also had to learn that everything God created is good, and when used as God intended, is holy and pure. The devil hates the marital relationship because it is a picture of Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:25-28), and so does everything he can to misrepresent and disturb the various facets of that. I’ve had almost 55 years of learning the beauty and purity of it, if it is received as God intended. And it’s fun! Just because something is fun doesn’t mean it’s unholy. That’s another frequent lie of the devil. As a pastor I need to be an example of enjoyable holiness, if you will. I don’t have the wisdom to do it on my own, but God can do it through me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me indeed be holy, but not holier-than-thou, down to earth and yet pure, countering the lies of the devil by living out Your truth, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Joy of Salvation; February 3, 2024

Posted on February 4, 2024 by jgarrott

1 Peter 1:8-9 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

I’ve not studied Greek myself, but since my wife has, I’m well aware that classes in Biblical Greek almost always start with 1 Peter, because of the excellent Greek used by Silus/Silvanus (depending on the translation), who was Peter’s secretary in writing this letter. (1 Peter 5:12) Even though the actual words are his, I don’t think there’s any doubt that the intent, the actual content, is that of Peter. Peter was one of Jesus’ closest disciples, and I get the impression that he was deeply moved by the faith of those who had not had the privilege of walking with Jesus. That said, he knew that God plays no favorites, and His salvation is indeed available to all who will repent and believe. As he spoke this passage he may have been remembering the scene at the house of Cornelius, when he was privileged to be the first to preach the Gospel to Gentiles. (Acts 10) One thing that strikes me in this is that it says “you are receiving the goal of your faith.” (emphasis added) Our salvation isn’t just limited to heaven, it starts the moment we believe and commit ourselves to Jesus as Lord. The fact that there is always more than however much we might experience here on earth is worth remembering, but we don’t have to wait for our salvation. That seems contradictory for those who are suffering for their faith, because we tend to think of salvation in physical terms, however much we might dress it up in “spiritual” language. That’s actually a problem in evangelism, because people often want to be saved out of their immediate circumstances, but once they are clear of the immediate crisis, they aren’t much interested in living in obedience to Jesus as Lord. A major reason God allows crises in our lives is to show us that we need salvation, but we need to recognize that our need goes far beyond, and is far deeper than, whatever crisis we might be in. That’s a point for every believer to remember! That said, the joy of a personal relationship with our unseen Lord is indeed “inexpressible and glorious,” and should motivate us to want to share it with as many people as will accept it.

I have always liked Peter because he was so thoroughly human. If God could use someone like Peter, then He can use even me! I seek to express the joy of the salvation I am receiving, because I know that will draw people to Christ better than anything else. I have had a non-Christian bring his friends to meet me because he wanted them to “meet someone who really enjoys living.” Sadly, in Japan people tend to think I am like I am because I’m an American, and so don’t think they could ever be like me. That has tended to limit the effectiveness of my evangelism, but I’m never to give up. God can use even me, and nothing is impossible for Him. I am to rejoice in God’s salvation and always be ready to share with anyone who asks about it. Given my proclivities, I also need to be careful not to overwhelm them with too much information at once! However, the Holy Spirit will and does guide my words, and I’m to leave things in His hands.

Father, thank You for the joy of Your salvation. It is indeed beyond words! May I share that joy, that salvation, with more and more people, more and more effectively, growing the Body of Christ as You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Being Used by God; February 2, 2024

Posted on February 3, 2024 by jgarrott

James 5:17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.

The remarkable thing about this verse is the reminder that Elijah was “just like us.” Elijah was one of the greatest of the prophets, right up there with Moses, to the point that he was there on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus, (Luke 9:28-36) but at the same time he was just like us. That reality is driven home by the fact that at one point he was suicidally depressed. (1 Kings 19:3-4) We see people in the Bible, in history, even around us today, who seem very great, and we think we could never be like them. When that happens, we are forgetting that their power, their ability, comes from God, and He is just as available to us as to them. The more we focus on ourselves, the less we will accomplish that is of any value. The more we focus on God, the more available we will be for Him to do whatever He likes through us. The danger comes when, after God does do good things through us, we start taking credit for those things ourselves. People will praise us, and we believe them! In a way it is analogous to a musical instrument. By itself, it is silent. If a novice tries it, the result might be no more than noise. If a virtuoso uses it, the results are sublime. The instrument needs to be well made and well tuned, but even a cheap instrument can make beautiful music in the hands of a master. Elijah was mightily used by the Lord, but as James said, he was just as human as we are. The more we focus on our Lord and not ourselves, the more His character will shine through us for His glory.

As I have written many times before, I have struggled with pride all my life. The Lord has been more than gracious toward me, giving me many “natural abilities” and allowing me to exercise them, and I have fallen into the trap of taking credit for them more times than I could count. Jesus’ words are a strong caution to me: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:48) Everything I have, whether it be abilities or insights or material resources, is by the grace of God, and is to be used at His direction and pleasure. I am as human as Elijah, and he was as human as I am. God can use me just as He did Elijah, but that will happen only if my focus is on Him and not on myself.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the many ways You have used me, and for Your plans for my future. Help me not push myself forward, but always be available to You for however You want to use me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Practical Faith; February 1, 2024

Posted on February 2, 2024 by jgarrott

James 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?

It was probably this specific verse that caused Martin Luther to dislike this book so strongly, as I mentioned yesterday. The problem was, he didn’t really read the rest of the chapter. Just reading this verse made his brain shut down! To be fair, in those days the Catholic Church was selling “indulgences” as a way to finance St. Peter’s basilica in Rome, essentially teaching that you could buy your way to heaven. That’s so wrong I would hardly know where to begin, contradicting it. However, the flip side is that there are sadly many people who claim to be Christians but whose lives are completely indistinguishable from the non-Christians around them. That’s what James is teaching against here, and it’s a very necessary teaching for modern “Evangelical” Christianity. There is a distinct tendency to say that if you repeat a formula you’re saved. Words are important, but James’ point is that if our “faith” stops at words, it’s not really faith. My seminary-professor grandfather called that kind of thinking “Into bliss and out of blister.” In other words, “Say the magic words and you won’t go to hell.” It is very true that “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) However, we forget what it meant in those days to confess Jesus, rather than Cae­sar, as Lord: persecution, and even martyrdom. That wasn’t a casual statement! James is addressing somewhat less dire consequences, but they are no less real. Someone has said, “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” That’s another way of expressing exactly what James is saying here.

I have always liked the Book of James, perhaps because it stepped on my toes so hard! (Maybe I’m a masochist.) I have always felt that James 1:22 was written expressly to me: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Growing up in a strongly, and genuinely, Christian household, I’ve always known the right words to say. I’ve carried that on in my own household. When my older daughter was questioned by the pastor after she requested baptism as a 2nd grader, he later commented to me that he had never before encountered a child who had such a clear grasp of the fundamentals of salvation. However, I’ve learned from my own life that I can say the right things and do the wrong things, even simultaneously. I have learned the hard way that there is no room for pride in the kingdom of God. Now as a pastor, I seek to guide people into practical faith, so that they may indeed not deceive themselves but walk in the riches of what God has prepared for them in Christ. I could go on for a long time about all that means! At the same time, I’ve got to me a living demonstration of the truths I speak. If my life is inconsistent with my confession, I do more harm than good. However, if I am filled with and yielded to the Holy Spirit, then the light of Christ will shine from me and draw people to salvation.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all that You have done in me, and continue to do in me, over the years. May my life be a proclamation of saving faith, so that those who see me may know that it is possible and desire it for themselves, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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God’s Grace; January 31, 2024

Posted on February 1, 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.

This is a justly famous verse, actually not quite as famous as it deserves. Even so, I don’t think we notice that the sin in question is favoritism, of all things! The next verse mentions adultery and murder, which we would be quick to recognize as bad, but this is talking about failure to love your neighbor as yourself. There is no one alive who hasn’t failed in this at some point! This points up two very important facts: the law is impotent to save us, and grace is absolutely essential to everyone. It’s not that the law is meaningless. Paul goes on at length in several of his letters about that. However, he also stresses grace, most famously to the Ephesians. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) I find it ironic that Martin Luther called this letter “a book of straw,” because he thought it promoted works over faith, and he had rediscovered the principle of salvation by faith alone (sola fides). It’s almost like Luther wanted to be proud of his faith! James is simply pointing out that we are all desperately in need of God’s grace, so we should rejoice to be instruments of that grace to one another. That’s what verses 12 and 13 are saying here. Amazing Grace is perhaps the most dearly loved hymn in the whole world, and with good cause. However, never having been the captain of a slave ship ourselves, we tend to miss how extremely applicable it is to us personally. That’s what this verse is talking about. We are all equally headed for hell apart from the grace of God, available to us by faith.

This is something I’ve had to have pounded into me by God, because on my own, I’m all too prone to conceit, thinking I’m more deserving of salvation than the next guy. How utterly foolish! I have been relatively “high status” most of my life, for various reasons, and have had to learn how meaningless that all is. In the process of learning that, however, I have been able to relate on equal footing with people of every social stratum, which is a very good thing. I’ve never been particularly intimidated by anyone’s status because I grew up around people who were high status, and I knew they were just as human as I was. That became a problem only when it morphed into conceit, feeling I was higher than they were. I’ve got to remember that I am just as much in need of God’s grace as anyone else, and they are just as much worthy of God’s grace and love as I am.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I’m going from “school teacher” to “conference speaker,” which the world considers an elevation in status, but I’m still your foolish, occasionally disobedient child. Help me rejoice in Your grace and extend it to others, never taking it lightly, so that as many as will may receive it with repentance, gratitude, and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Perseverance; January 30, 2024

Posted on January 31, 2024 by jgarrott

James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

The matter of perseverance, patient endurance, comes up many times in the Bible, notably in Paul’s letter to the Romans: “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (Romans 5:3-5) I have seen countless people stumble over trials, but I have also seen people allow their trials to strengthen their faith, just as James and Paul wrote. As countless people have said, it doesn’t matter so much what happens to us as it does how we respond to what happens. One of my favorite verses in the whole Bible was spoken by Jesus in the Upper Room just before His trial and crucifixion: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) God isn’t being mean to us. Just yesterday I ran across an article on the Internet that talked about how “taking it easy” essentially destroys people; we need challenges and work to give us purpose and drive. That’s one reason why so many men die not long after they retire: they’ve lost their sense of purpose. Being so wrapped up in your job that you feel no sense of purpose without it is hardly wise, but we are so created that we need challenges to keep going. The Japanese call it ikigai, a reason to live. And frankly, that means trials that call for perseverance. Society (with the encouragement of the devil) has taught us to grumble and complain about difficulties, but as James says here, we should rejoice at difficulties because they grow us, and a growing life is a fulfilled life.

This certainly applies to me, as much as it does to everyone else. It is particularly pointed at the moment because I am retiring from 42 years of secular teaching, and I will confess to a bit of anxiety about it. I’m not used to seeing so much blank space in my schedule! At this point, a major task in my life is caring for my wife. She isn’t exactly an invalid, and certainly isn’t bedridden, but she no longer drives, and taking her places uses a lot of time. The Lord is also opening up various avenues of service. Next month I will be on standby as an interpreter for a national leadership conference, and then later I will be the speaker for a smaller, more local conference. And getting even more granular, today I need to pull out all the piles of papers, etc. from my study and sort things, because important things have a way of getting buried. That’s a challenge I genuinely don’t enjoy! However, I need to rejoice that God has given it to me, recognizing how minor it is compared to what so many go through, and allow God to accomplish His purposes through me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. You always know what I need to hear! Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, even as I am applying myself fully to whatever task You have set before me, so that Your purposes may be accomplished on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Examples; January 29, 2024

Posted on January 30, 2024 by jgarrott

Hebrews 13:7-8 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

My impression is that Hebrews was written after at least the majority of Paul’s letters, and it was actually the last of the books in the New Testament to be accepted into the canon, because of uncertainty of authorship, but for that very reason it could be said to be written to a more mature group of believers, rather than to those who were just a few years away from paganism. The implication in this passage, for example, is that the leaders spoken of have already died. That makes it all the more relatable for us today, who are so many years removed from those who saw Jesus physically. Considering the history of the early Church, the leaders spoken of here could have died any number of ways, from disease to active persecution, but the point is that they died in faith, clinging to Christ spiritually and communicating His Word faithfully. That is certainly worth learning from, as the Japanese expresses it. Verse 8 here has been quoted countless times ever since it was written, and for good reason. The reason faith leaders are worth imitating is that the One in whom they believed hasn’t changed. As Paul testified at the point he was facing his own execution, “I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12) That’s the kind of faith we need to imitate!

Of course, my own parents are in that category, but a very recent addition to their number is Leo and Phyllis Kaylor. They made it to 90 on this earth, definitely longer than my parents, and they made full use of the time. Their example shines brightly and will for many years to come, through their physical and spiritual children. When I think of people like them, the statement that Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever takes very concrete form. My prayer is that my own memory will have the same sort of impact. After all, it doesn’t depend on me, but on the One in Whom I believe. Since Jesus is omnipotent, He can use even me to draw people to Himself and manifest His glory. That is my desire.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for the example of so many of Your saints down through the years. I could be here all morning trying to list those who have impacted me personally. May I be an accurate reflection of my unchanging Lord, so that more and more people may realize that salvation is both necessary and available for them, and turn to You in repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Discipline; January 28, 2024

Posted on January 29, 2024 by jgarrott

Hebrews 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

This whole section is very familiar and deeply loved, so I asked the Lord what He wanted to say through it tome today, and this is what He indicated to me. The thing is, discipline is essential for every individual and every society, if anything worthwhile is to be accomplished. We see the results of a failure to discipline all around us. Things have gotten so bad that in Canada, parents were literally jailed for spanking their children! We prize (or say we do) self-discipline, but that doesn’t come automatically. We bemoan addictive behaviors of all sorts, but how do we avoid those? There are indeed genetic predispositions to some kinds of addictions, but as Bill Whittle pointed out, if you ask someone who has never tried drugs why they haven’t, the most likely answer will be, “My mom would have killed me.” The expression, “the soft bigotry of low expectations,” is heard in relation to racial groups, but it applies to parenting as well. Generally speaking, we will get the kind of behavior we allow. That’s the reason for the success of what are called “military academies,” schools where “problem children” are treated as though they were in the military, with strict regulations and discipline. It would be difficult to calculate the number of people who have been rescued by such schools. I know a few personally myself. This is closely related to what is called “broken windows policing,” where aberrant behavior is dealt with at a low level before it escalates into something more serious. The rewards of such discipline are countless. The writer here calls it “a harvest of righteousness and peace.” The Japanese indicates that’s inner peace, not just a lack of external conflict. The numbers of people who lack those today are indeed beyond counting! We need to recognize, allow, and value discipline if individuals and society are to be rescued from the path to destruction.

My parents weren’t excessive, but they did discipline me. They set limits which weren’t constrictive, but they were to be followed. I can’t say I didn’t go over the boundaries at times, but not far, and I wasn’t comfortable with it. I am deeply grateful. I didn’t do a perfect job with my own children, certainly, but they are both productive members of society, and I am grateful for that as well. As a pastor I am a father figure to many, and church discipline has always been an awkward area for me. I have seen churches, and believers, destroyed by excesses in both directions, and I know I don’t have sufficient wisdom in myself to get it right. Paul had to deal with that sort of thing a lot, and much of it had to be done long-distance, by letter. However, that had the advantage of leaving a record that we can read, and I need to be fully familiar with his example. Right now, self-discipline is my biggest issue, particularly with retiring from secular teaching and so having fewer external demands on my time. I am to seek the Lord at every turn, following His schedule and recognizing that my time, my life, belong to Him, for His glory. That is righteousness and peace, as this verse says.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Use of time is very much on my mind these days. Help me indeed use every moment as You desire, knowing that is the path of greatest blessing for me and those around me. Thank You. Praise God!

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Waiting on the Lord; January 27, 2024

Posted on January 28, 2024 by jgarrott

Hebrews 11:39-40 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

I have been aware of these two verses for a long time, but it just now occurred to me to think about the “something better” that God had planned for us. The listing of people and suffering in this chapter is indeed remarkable, but it struck me just now that none of the Old Testament saints knew about Jesus, except perhaps by prophetic revelation. How much easier it is for us, who live in the New Covenant, to endure suffering, because we know our Savior, who suffered and died and rose again, giving us an eternal hope! Yesterday I referenced a very important statement by Paul: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17) I’m reminded of the story, not recorded in the Bible but reasonably authenticated, of when Peter’s wife was being crucified just before he was, and he was forced to watch. He cried out to her, “Remember Jesus!” When we rightly remember Jesus, we can endure anything. Martyrs down through the centuries have indeed endured unspeakable horrors, but their reward is absolutely sure. We tend to get upset about relatively minor suffering, or even inconvenience, when more people were martyred for their faith in the 20th Century than in the previous 19, and the pace has picked up even further in the 21st Century. God indeed has marvelous stuff planned and prepared for us, and we have far more reason to be assured of it than the Old Testament saints did. As Jesus said, we need to take heart, because He has overcome the world! (John 16:33)

Yesterday when I got up a little chorus was running through my head. It is based on Isaiah 40:31, and the final lines are, “Teach me, Lord. Teach me, Lord, to wait.” I have come to the conclusion that patience is an essential part of the makeup of a disciple of Jesus Christ. As far back at the 1st Century they believed Christ would return in glory any day, and that obviously didn’t happen. Today, circumstances certainly seem to indicate that indeed, it could be any day, but if we slough off on the things we have been given to do, thinking it will all be over momentarily, we will miss out on a lot, on various levels. Jesus said, “It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.” (Matthew 24:46) In other words, we are responsible for our assignments, and aren’t to be distracted by “what if” scenarios. I am currently in a transition period, retiring from school teaching and uncertain of what the Lord has planned for the next part of my life here. I am to rest assured that His plans are indeed excellent, and at the same time not be anxious about when they will be revealed. I am to recognize the task at hand and do it with my whole heart as a sacrifice to my Lord, not weighing whether those tasks are “big” or “small.” When things seem slow, I am to “recharge my batteries.” When they seem frantic, I am to allow the Holy Spirit to carry me along. In everything, I am to trust God and His plans, and give Him the praise, glory, and gratitude that only He deserves.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the important things I got done yesterday, even though I felt like I wasted time. Help me indeed recognize Your will each moment and submit myself to do it, for the advancement of Your kingdom and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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