Practical Repentance; March 12, 2024

Posted on March 13, 2024 by jgarrott

Isaiah 59:20 “The Redeemer will come to those in Zion,
to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,”
declares the Lord.

The promise of a Redeemer is to those who will turn from their rebellion against God. The Gospel is magnificent and salvation is free, but it is not unconditional. We hear all sorts of distortions of the Gospel, from legalism to licentiousness, but the Bible is actually very clear. If repentance and faith are there, then the details essentially don’t matter. The devil does all he can to keep such a magnificent Gospel from getting out, but he is no match for Holy Spirit. However, we’ve got to be on our watch against the lies of the devil, because he’s smarter than we are. That’s why we’ve got to stay submitted to God and rely on Holy Spirit to guide us. As the saying goes, the devil is in the details. We get caught up in all sorts of little, inconsequential things and so lose sight of the Lord who loved us so much as to die for us, causing us to ignore Him and even directly disobey Him. That’s no way to walk in His redemption! That’s why repentance is an ongoing thing. We repent, believe, and are saved, (Mark 1:15, Ephesians 2:8-9) but we are under constant assault, and trip up all too easily. It’s not that we lose our eternal salvation, but we lose the peace and joy our Lord intends for us. That is handing the devil an unearned victory, and we aren’t to do it.

I’m discovering I am in an unexpected battle with this. Very different demands are coming at me from different directions, disturbing my soul. None of them are major and none of them are bad, but their cumulative effect attacks my peace. I’m still in training for what the Lord told me years ago now: rest, relax, rejoice. Nothing can happen to me that puts God in a bind, and He loves me and wants the very best for me. The devil wants me irritable and anxious, so I know that God wants me gracious and peaceful. Ultimately, it’s my choice. If I choose to focus on the irritations, I am rejecting God’s goodness toward me, and that is certainly not something I want to do. Major sins are easy to spot, but I’ve got to be careful of the little things as well. I never quote Song of Solomon, but I’m reminded of a line from there: “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.” (Song of Solomon 2:15) I am not to “major on minors,” but rejoice that Jesus is Lord of all.

Father, thank You for this reminder. My schedule certainly seems to have gotten complicated since I “retired!” I do ask Your guidance and protection as I drive to Fukuoka today, and I ask Your peace for Cathy as I do so alone. I release the schedule into Your hands, knowing that You always provide the time necessary to do everything You want me to do. May my interaction with everyone today, starting with Cathy, be as You intend, for blessing and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Defining Repentance; March 11, 2024

Posted on March 12, 2024 by jgarrott

Isaiah 55:6-7 Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the evil man his thoughts.

This whole chapter is incredibly rich, to the point that it could be described as a distillation of the essence of the whole Bible. I quote it often! However, the theme of our readings at this point is Repentance, and these two verses define repentance beautifully. It starts with felt need, described here as seeking the Lord. You aren’t going to seek something you don’t need or want. A major problem today is that too many people are satisfied with their lives. They limit their wants and felt needs to material, sensual things, and shut God out of their awareness. How tragic! That is perhaps the biggest reason God allows trials in our lives. He isn’t sadistic, or even mean, but He wants us to recognize that we need more than what we can touch or see or feel. Once the need is recognized, God is always available to answer. Describing Him as “near” is a spiritual thing rather than anything physical, because God is everywhere all the time, but our interaction with Him varies greatly. Then we get down to the brass tacks of repentance: turning from evil to God. I like that this specifies not only actions but thoughts. A mistake made without thinking may be wrong, but it isn’t evil. That’s why there are different legal levels of homicide. The big battleground is in our minds, and that is where the devil is making a full-on assault. The biggest hindrance to repentance is pride, because we don’t like to admit we were wrong. Many of the interchanges playing out on media today would be totally laughable if they weren’t so tragic. The devil is of course a liar, (John 8:44) but all too often we cooperate with him and manage to deceive ourselves! (James 1:22) We need to let the Holy Spirit shine His light not only on our wrong actions but also on our wrong thoughts, so that we may truly repent. If we will do that, God will indeed “abundantly pardon,” as it says here.

I have certainly experienced the battle in my mind! When I look back over the thought patterns I have entertained, I am overwhelmed with God’s grace that He didn’t squash me on the spot! As a pastor, I have the responsibility and privilege of speaking God’s truth to people so that their eyes may be opened to reality and they be set free to walk in all that God has planned for them. (John 8:32) To do that, I’ve got to be careful to walk in the truth myself, avoiding self-deception in all its forms. Frankly, I can’t do that in my own strength, as I have demonstrated countless times. That’s why I’ve got to walk in step with Holy Spirit, (Galatians 5:25) fully submitted to Him so that I can indeed resist the devil to the point that he flees. (James 4:7) I cannot rescue people by lecturing to them, but I can come alongside them, and God can use even my words to give them light.

Father, thank You for Your overwhelming grace. Thank You for what You did in the service yesterday, defining clearly the differences between teaching, counseling, and coaching, and that I had immediate response from someone who wants coaching. I pray that I would be Your instrument to him, and to everyone I encounter, so that the works of the devil may be destroyed and people set free, (1 John 3:8) for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Missions; March 10, 2024

Posted on March 11, 2024 by jgarrott

Isaiah 45:22 “Turn to me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth,
for I am God, and there is no other.”

I have had people put down the whole idea of missions to me, saying, “They have their religions. Why push yours on them?” Such people obviously have no real faith of their own. Isaiah is the most “missionary” of the books of the Old Testament, though there are many references to God’s universal love scattered throughout. However, Isaiah repeatedly points out not only that all other gods besides Yahweh are lies, he extends God’s invitation to salvation to everyone, including those who have been deceived by those lying gods. If we don’t want other people to know the God of the Bible, either we don’t love them, or we don’t really know God ourselves. Both of those factors are sadly evident in the world around us. Far too many people are so self-centered that if they think they and their immediate loves ones are safe, they don’t really care about anyone else. That is sad indeed, but it is all too human. The remedy for that lies in seeing people as God does, but far too many people don’t really know Him, regardless of how much knowledge they might claim about Him. I have known of “theologians” whom I strongly doubt I will see in heaven! The better we know the One who sent His Son to die for all mankind, the more we will desire that the purpose of that sacrifice be fulfilled, and that people from every ethnic, social, and racial group, from every spot on the globe, would know Him too, and commit themselves to Him in repentance and faith.

I doubt I will forget one time I was speaking to a group of native English teachers in Nagasaki City about the Christian history of this prefecture, and afterward one of them came up to me with exactly the objection I have mentioned, saying that Japanese already have Shinto and Buddhism. My reply was very simply, “When I know such a wonderful salvation myself, how can I keep from wanting to share it with others?” It takes courage to tell people they are headed for hell apart from Christ, but if you saw people rushing toward a pit of poisonous snakes, wouldn’t you try to stop them? That is a very close analogy to the whole matter of evangelism and missions. I was raised as the son of missionaries and the grandson of a Missions professor, so the obligation and privilege of sharing Christ cross-culturally has always been strong in my awareness. At the same time, I shared Christ with a total stranger for the first time only when I had been baptized in the Holy Spirit. When I see genuine Christians who are lukewarm toward the idea of evangelism and missions, I pray the fire of the Holy Spirit for them! Not everyone is gifted as an Evangelist – I’m not – but all have the privilege of sharing their own experience of Christ. Not everyone is sent to some far-off location, but everyone encounters people daily who have no knowledge of God.

Well, I’ve just been given the message for a week from today! Thank You, Father. May I be faithful and effective in sharing Christ with all, in word and in action, so that many indeed may repent and believe for their salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Listening to God; March 9, 2024

Posted on March 10, 2024 by jgarrott

Isaiah 30:15 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.”

This story has been repeated countless times throughout history, both on the national level and on the personal level. Taking our eyes off of God, we feel compelled to DO something, when God is telling us to be quiet and trust Him. It’s not at all that we are to be passive, but rather that we are to be active in our obedience. If God says act, then act. If God says wait, then wait. I think it comes down to our desire to be in control. In extreme forms that’s called megalomania, and produces despots of all sorts, but we are all tempted in that direction at times. The thing is, that is relying on human strength, when compared to the Creator of the universe, that is by definition insignificant. Many believers down through the ages have realized this, and that’s where the expression, “Let go and let God,” comes from. Again, this is not saying that we are to be passive. God in His grace and wisdom has included us in His plans, (Ephesians 2:10) but our job is to seek Him and recognize His plans and actively participate, not to cook up our own plans and ignore Him.

I remember once delivering exactly this verse to a missionary prophetically. I was hesitant to do so, because I didn’t feel the last line applied to him, but I did feel strongly the Lord was saying the part in quotes directly to him. I had no idea of the issue he was facing, but I knew that God wanted him to know that He had it under control, and all the missionary needed to do was trust God. I have experienced the same sort of thing many times myself. I too tend to look at situations and think I personally have to come up with the solution to them. Often the Lord has already provided the solution, and I just have to recognize it, but sometimes the solution hasn’t yet appeared, and I have to wait for it. That can get hard! I speak frequently of how God is outside of time, so everything is now to Him, but not being that way myself, my emotions often don’t line up. It has been commented by some that I have a gift of faith, for which I’m grateful, but I’ve still got plenty of room to grow! My focus has got to be on listening obediently to my Lord, doing what He says and only what He says, so that His plans may be realized on His schedule for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the gift of the tiller that I received yesterday. I’ve borrowed it several times and have offered to buy it, but it was an outright gift, and I’m grateful. The timing was perfect! Help me use it when and as You intend, to bring the harvest that You desire. That garden tiller is certainly an analogy for all that You provide! Help me use it all in full obedience to You, so that Your name may be acknowledged as holy and Your rule and reign be established as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Fruit of Repentance; March 8, 2024

Posted on March 9, 2024 by jgarrott

Isaiah 19:24-25 In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.”

Looking at the current state of international politics, this prophecy seems like a total fantasy. However, nothing is impossible for God! Reading the whole chapter, it becomes clear that this is the result of repentance. People and nations tend to shy away from repentance for a number of reasons, but the results of repentance are always good. Repentance requires three things: knowing that you have been wrong, knowing that God is right, and being genuinely sorry. That is an incredibly blessed state of affairs! The Bible, and indeed, the world around us, is full of people who rejoice to be dedicated to the Lord because they were so against Him before, and they are overwhelmed by His grace toward them. That is the fruit of repentance! In the New Testament, Paul is probably exhibit one, going from being a violent persecutor of the Church to being its foremost evangelist. A major problem today is that too many “Christians” have never really fulfilled the three parts of repentance, and so are strictly nominal. They claim to be Christian and even attend church from time to time, but never having confronted their own need for salvation, they have no personal relationship with Jesus as Lord. We need to remember that Jesus said, “Repent and believe the good news,” (Mark 1:15) not, “Come and join the church.” We can’t expect God’s miraculous grace if we refuse to repent.

This applies to me in two directions. As I have been writing, I must keep my own repentance up-to-date, and as a pastor, I’ve also got to make the necessity of repentance clear to those to whom I minister. Sadly, in the past I have baptized some people without confirming their repentance, and they quickly faded away. I personally find it strange that people can say all the right things without really having a change of heart. Many people not unreasonably make a big deal of baptism, but repentance is clearly primary, as the story of the thief on the cross beside Jesus illustrates. (Luke 23:39-43) I am not to seek numbers ahead of repentance. I am in no way to be ashamed of the call to repentance, since it is the way to salvation and the fruit is so incredibly rich.

Father, thank You for this reminder. With my changing schedule, I have more time for in-depth personal conversations with people. I ask for wisdom and anointing as I get out of my comfort zone and present the Gospel personally, so that more and more people may indeed repent and believe, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Change; March 7, 2024

Posted on March 8, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 126:5-6 Those who sow in tears
will reap with songs of joy.
He who goes out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with him.

This is a justly famous passage, beautifully set to music, and it has meaning on a number of different levels. It got into this list of Scriptures on repentance because genuine repentance often involves tears. However, the fruit of repentance is peace and joy. There are many things we approach with dread, but there are blessings on the other side which we don’t yet see. The ultimate example of that is death. For the person apart from God, there is every reason to be terrified of it, but for the person who has committed themselves to Jesus Christ as Lord by faith, there really should be joyful anticipation. And of course, there are many things shy of death that produce much the same reaction. We tend to fear change, all the more so as we age. Habits become comfortable, and we desire for things to remain as they are, regardless of whether they are actually optimal. The thing is, nothing living is genuinely static. Jesus used the picture of a seed “dying,” being “buried” in the ground, before it could fulfill its true purpose, referring actually to Himself. (John 12:24) We are never meant to be unchanging; only God is unchanging. (Malachi 3:6) It is important to remember that God accepts us as we are, but He never leaves us as we are. He is constantly drawing us “onward and upward,” to use C. S. Lewis’ phrase in The Last Battle. That often involves repentance, as we recognize things in us that need to change, and it always involves growth, spiritually and emotionally. Those who refuse to grow are pathetic indeed.

This is very much in focus for me, because yesterday I fulfilled my last responsibility to The Koyo Schools and am officially retired from school teaching. To say that it’s easy would be an outright lie, but it is certainly an opportunity for growth. I am definitely understanding what a blessing it was for my father never to have to retire, going directly from anesthesia to heaven at 64. At the same time, I can see many possibilities for what God might have for me in the time from now to my own graduation, however long that might be. In past years this time of year has always been a more relaxed schedule, since the Japanese school year ends in March and starts up again in April, but it certainly feels different! I have never been one to set up a schedule apart from outside calls on my time, but that is precisely what I need to start doing now. I am all too familiar with the frustration that builds up when I’m wasting time, and I don’t want to fall into that trap. At the same time, I’m not to reject relaxation and rest the Lord wants to give me. There are plenty of things I could do that would be beneficial, and I need to let the Lord guide me in prioritizing and scheduling them, particularly if they are things I don’t particularly want to do! And He just reminded me that He got me started on my autobiography. Getting that completed will certainly require scheduling! I need to have joyful anticipation of all the Lord has for me to do in the days and years ahead, whatever that is.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for reminding me on Monday that Your power is far greater than my weaknesses. Help me walk in joyful anticipation of and participation in what You want to do through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Genuine Repentance; March 6, 2024

Posted on March 7, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God,
you will not despise.

Along with Peter weeping bitterly after having denied that he knew Jesus, this is perhaps the most famous record of repentance in the whole Bible. As the introduction to the Psalm specifies, David had plenty to repent of, having stolen another man’s wife and then arranging for that man to be killed in battle. That said, as James pointed out, “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:10) David was neither alone nor unique in his need for repentance! That’s why he is an excellent example for us to study, both as a model of good things and as a cautionary tale against bad things. Probably the most important thing to remember about him is that he was fully committed to God, in all his human weakness. It’s no accident that Jesus was frequently referred to as “Son of David.” Back in the 1st Century that specifically referred to His royal lineage, but it carries other meanings as well. Jesus never sinned, and so never had a need to repent, but He carried our human weakness, and so I think sin was possible for Him. Otherwise, temptation would not have been real, and the Bible is very clear that His temptations were real indeed. (Hebrews 4:15) David, on the other hand, blew it, but in the process God used him as a model for repentance, and that factor has blessed mankind ever since.

I am quite aware of my own weaknesses and failures, and of my need to keep my repentance up to date. My electronic equipment is forever updating, but that’s not nearly as important as my repentance! The important thing for me to remember is that genuine repentance always involves a change in behavior. When I repeat a sin, I know that my repentance hasn’t been sufficient. At the same time, I know that in my human weakness I am not capable of getting it right, so I am completely dependent on the grace and mercy of God. That said, that’s not a bad place to be, because God is totally faithful and merciful toward all who will come to him in humble faith. When my repentance isn’t sufficient, it’s because I either don’t really believe God can and will cleanse and forgive me, (1 John 1:9) or, more likely, because in my pride I want to reserve the right to sin again. Either is totally foolish. As a pastor I am to encourage repentance in others, but that doesn’t mean I’m to be accusatory. After all, the name, Satan, means “the accuser.” The Holy Spirit is more than able to show each of us what we need to repent of, so I’m to strive to be sensitive and available to Him, both in my own life and as I deal with others. He not only shines a light on our sins, He enables us to repent!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for carrying me along, despite my many weaknesses. Help me walk in right relationship with You at all times, to be and do exactly what You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Trusting God; March 5, 2024

Posted on March 6, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 37:5-6 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

When verse four is so totally famous and loved, I felt I was to write on something else! Actually, the thought is continuous from verse three on through verse seven at least, and it’s a very good one indeed. The theme is heart attitude, and the benefits when that is right. So much depends on how well we trust God! Where the English says, “Commit your way to the Lord,” the Japanese uses a word that means “yield,” or “surrender.” I’ve had Japanese ask me how to do that! I think that’s a very honest question. We like to be “the captain of our fate,” as a poem by an otherwise obscure poet puts it. We want to feel like we are in control, when in actual fact we seldom if ever are. Our choices indeed matter a great deal, but for the most part we have no control over what happens to us. We are accountable for what we do with the opportunities and resources we are given, but the list of things over which we have no say, starting with our genetics, is limitless. Jesus told the very famous parable of the talents, (Matthew 25) as well as saying, “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) “Yielding things to God” is no excuse for being irresponsible. However, failing to recognize that God is ultimately in control is a recipe for burnout at least, and utter disaster at worst. In the Japanese, the last half of verse five says, “and He will get it done.” We are to recognize what God has given us and make full use of it, but we’ve got to remember that in the final analysis, everything good is done by Him; we are merely participants.

Once again the Lord has been very timely in these Scripture readings. That’s all the more amazing when I’m the one who draws up the list! This is just further evidence that He knows what will happen before the fact, because He sees all of time at a glance, and He knows what we need and when we need it. As I have written for the past couple of days, I am very tied up in my last official acts as I am retiring from 42 years of school teaching. This is yet another Word to encourage me to release everything to God, trusting that everything He has done through me will bear the fruit He intends at the proper time. I cannot say precisely what impact I have had on my thousands of students over these years, but God knows, and He has used and will use it to draw them toward Him. I am to delight myself in Him, as verse four so famously says, and express my love by full obedience, (John 14:15) leaving the results in His hands.

Father, thank You for this encouraging reminder. Thank You that things went smoothly through the day yesterday, even though I almost messed things up at one point and was needlessly irritable at another. Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You each moment of today, so that You may be fully glorified. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Honest to God; March 4, 2024

Posted on March 5, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalms 34:4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.

Perhaps David’s most shining attribute was that he was honest to God. He was capable of deception – even this Psalm was written after he successfully deceived an enemy to secure his own freedom – and certainly deceived himself when it came to Bathsheba, but he never tried to hide from God. He didn’t try to “put on a brave face” when it came to God, but rather sought Him in honesty. I think many of us fall short in that area, trying to pretend even to God that we are something we aren’t. God liked that in him, and He likes that in us when we are that way. The irony is that we can’t hide anything from God anyway, so we might as well be honest! This is closely tied to our image of God, which is closely tied to our parents and the way we were raised. The reason the devil attacks the whole idea of fatherhood so viciously is that our image of God is strongly colored by our experience of and relationship with our human fathers, and the last thing the devil wants is for us to understand that God is always there, always strong, always just, always pure. Of course, none of our physical fathers were perfectly that way, but the more they strove toward that ideal, the more likely we are to grasp that God is that way. Jesse must have been a pretty good father! By God’s grace we can overcome the lack of a good father-model in our lives, but it can be a pretty steep climb at times. Regardless, whether we were raised by a near-perfect father or were abandoned by our parents, we still need to be honest with God. After all, honesty is a fundamental requirement for genuine repentance, and that is essential for salvation.

I was enormously blessed to be raised by a father who loved and served God, and who held Absolute Honesty as one of his fundamental principles. That has helped me strive not to dishonor his name or his memory. I’m thankful that the idea of God’s omniscience was planted in my heart very early. It probably helped that my father knew so much! In any case, I realized even as a child that it was silly, even stupid, to try to hide anything from God. This is all very timely, particularly in reference to this verse, because I am faced with a real fear that some people might find strange. This week marks the termination of my duties to The Koyo Schools, where I have taught for the past 42 years. I have various unrelated things on my schedule for next week, but after that my datebook looks remarkably empty. I am used to being needed, to being on call, and I know from experience that I am very adept at wasting time. I think I am afraid of my own weaknesses. Having written that, I am reminded of something I have told many people over the years: God is much stronger than our weaknesses! Knowing that, I have nothing to fear! I don’t know what God has planned for this next stage of my life, but I can trust Him with it in every detail, knowing that His plans are good. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Father, thank You for this perfect reminder. I feel so much better! I pray that my presence at the nursing school graduation today and the rehabilitation school graduation tomorrow would be what You desire, cementing the image of Christ You have transmitted through me over the years, drawing those people to you, and then through them, drawing many others to you, for the salvation of multitudes, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Already/Not Yet; March 3, 2024

Posted on March 4, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 22:27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him.

I chose this verse from the English, thinking it was a prophecy of the evangelization of the world, and then I find that the Japanese is more a prayer, an expression of desire that these things happen. Not knowing the Hebrew, I don’t know which is more accurate. This Psalm is of great importance, since it is the one Jesus started quoting from the cross. (Matthew 27:46) It actually describes many of the details of the crucifixion, so what follows that is of great interest. I wonder if the Japanese translators lacked faith at this point? The thing is, many other places in the Bible speak of the Gospel going out to all mankind. We are to desire for that to happen, as in the Japanese, and we are to believe that it positively will happen, as in the English. Many places in the Bible bring up the already/not yet tension, because God is outside of time, and so all things are now to Him. Jesus taught us to pray that God’s plans be fulfilled “on earth as it is in heaven,” (Matthew 6:10) because, as fully human, Jesus experienced the flow of time as we do, but He was also part of the Godhead, existing before Creation. That must have been quite an experience for Him! As we pray for God’s will to be done, we need to do so with the understanding that from God’s perspective it already has been done. For us, the eternal perspective is entirely a matter of faith, but we wait for the moment when “faith becomes sight,” as the well-loved hymn, It Is Well With My Soul puts it. We have been justified by the blood of Christ, but at the same time we are not yet made perfect, and the more we understand that tension, the more we long for the completion that will only come before the Throne. God’s thoughts and plans are indeed far higher than ours! (Isaiah 55:9)

I experience this tension constantly. The more I know of God, the more I am aware that I’m not there yet, but the more I know Him personally, the more I know that from His standpoint, it’s already done. I need to rest, relax, and rejoice even in that tension, just as He has told me to do. I know I belong to Him, and that is enough, because He is totally faithful. As He told Paul, His grace is sufficient for me, regardless of the circumstances. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Father, thank You for this reminder. This week marks my last as an employee of The Koyo Schools, which I have been for the past 42 years, and that frankly is a scary thought. Help me be active in my anticipation of what You have for me in this next stage of my life on earth, as I look forward to eternity with You. May I not draw back from anything You direct, but know that Your plans for me are perfect. (Jeremiah 29:11) Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment