Working; January 2, 2024

Posted on January 3, 2024 by jgarrott

2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”

I think it was the state of Maine that discovered that when they instituted a work requirement for Welfare payments, their Welfare rolls dropped by 75%. This wasn’t some cruel, draconian rule, but simply a requirement that to receive welfare, an able-bodied man of working age had to be at least looking for work. The Japanese for this verse puts it even more casually: “who doesn’t want to work.” I think the English is a little better here, because plenty of us do things we don’t necessarily want to do. Everyone needs a vacation from time to time. That’s actually a major reason for God’s institution of the Sabbath. However, everyone also needs a sense of accomplishment, that they are making a difference in the world. “Guaranteed income” destroys that, and is a major reason why the children of the wealthy so often turn out so badly. The son of the current president is certainly a case in point. Some people are internally motivated and will always be productive, regardless of their income status, but I’m afraid they are in the minority. Paul isn’t being mean here, he’s just recognizing the human tendency toward indolence, and what a destructive thing it can be. We need to encourage each other, not being critical or demanding but laying down logical ground rules of behavior, so that people will recognize and resist the lies of the devil.

This seems very pointed to me at the moment, because I have just retired from school teaching and my schedule looks remarkably empty. Of course, at 75 manual labor isn’t the logical answer, but YouTube certainly isn’t either. The devil is very skilled at stealing my attention and my time, and I need to be purposeful in submitting it all to the Lord. Yesterday I did waste some time, but finally got around to my autobiography, and I ended the day on a much better note than might have been. Today I have message preparation for Sunday as well as a ministry appointment this afternoon, but tomorrow is clear all the way to prayer meeting in the evening. I need to approach each day as an opportunity to serve my Lord through serving the people around me, so that I will not let the devil trick me into losing the peace and satisfaction the Lord intends for me.

Father, thank You for this reminder, right at the beginning of my first year of “retirement.” Help me never “retire” emotionally from my service to You, but always seek to be Your agent of blessing, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The New Covenant; January 1, 2024

Posted on January 2, 2024 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 31:33 “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.

I think we lose sight of what it means that God is a Covenant God. He doesn’t do things on a whim, but rather lays things out clearly. Man, on the other hand, is about as reliable as a weed in the breeze, which is an image that is used repeatedly in the Bible. God laid things out clearly through Moses, expressing in very concrete terms what was good and what was not, the benefits of being in right relationship with Him and the consequences of rebelling against Him, and we took it all lightly, desiring the blessings but feeling entitled to them, minimizing or ignoring in our minds the consequences of rebellion. That’s why God chose a different tactic, no longer depending on an external set of rules, but instead writing His rules in our heart. In our perverseness we again tried to flip that, saying, “Whatever is in my heart is right and true,” forgetting that “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) That’s why the current fad of “my truth” and “your truth” is such a total crock of baloney. God writes His law in our heart if we will receive it, not if we deny it and pretend to be the ultimate authority in all things. The situation is so dire that God had to send His Son to take the penalty for our rebellion, but again, we have to accept His sacrifice as taking the penalty we deserved, and not as something to which we were entitled regardless. In English we lose an opportunity to understand this situation by calling the parts of the Bible “Old Testament” and “New Testament,” because modern English has forgotten the meaning of “covenant” that “testament” originally had. In Japanese, the word for “covenant” is the same as “contract,” and the characters used to write it include the one used for “testament” in speaking of the Bible. The fact that the New Covenant frees us from legalism has made some people run off into libertinism, “if it feels good, do it,” but even Paul had to deal with that. He wrote extensively about it, including the famous statement, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1-2) However, he also wrote a whole letter, Galatians, to counter the evils of legalism, of thinking we can be saved by our own efforts. As he wrote 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) Last year our verse for the year was the one after that, speaking of all the things God has planned for us to do, but it all starts from accepting the contract God has laid out for us, signing it with the blood of His Son, just as Jesus said when He instituted Communion just before His crucifixion.

Wow! This is deep indeed. I need to understand that I am under contract, and I need to communicate that understanding to the believers. Thankfully, it is God who writes it on our hearts, just as He says here, by His Spirit. I need to be transparent so that people will be able to read what is written on my heart, and I need to encourage the believers to be likewise. If we will do that, then the people around us will become hungry and thirsty for what they see we have, and many will be brought out of darkness into light.

Father, thank You for the privilege of baptizing someone yesterday into whom I planted the seed of the Gospel over 10 years ago. He hasn’t even been in contact for most of that interval, so I had nothing to do with the watering, but You brought the increase and the harvest. I do pray that he would grasp indeed what You have done for him, to walk in the fullness of the New Covenant as a shining witness, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Weakness; December 31, 2023

Posted on January 1, 2024 by jgarrott

Hebrews 5:2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness.

It is an interesting thought exercise to think about what it was like for Jesus to taste weakness for the first time. He was born into the same physical weakness that we are, when He had been absolutely omnipotent. That degree of shock boggles the imagination. However, that was His choice: complete identification with humanity. As it says in the chapter just before this, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15) That last qualifier is important, because it is perhaps the most important difference between Jesus and us. He experienced all our weaknesses and triumphed over them for our sake. He triumphed, but we have no record of how much He had to struggle in the process. When we experience temptation we need to remember what Paul said about it: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13) That’s what the writer of Hebrews is saying: Jesus can help us because He’s been through it too. Weakness is a touchy subject for a lot of people. We don’t like it! Paul had to go through a rough time to come to terms with it, but after God reminded him of His grace, he was able to say, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10) Weakness is part of the human condition, but Jesus experienced it for us so that in turn, His power may rest on us.

This is something I need to remember constantly, but then, I get reminded of it pretty regularly! Physical weakness is something I have to deal with more and more as I get older, but at this point I think I am stronger than the average for 75. However, I’m not to presume on that, but exercise wisdom. (There’s an interesting play on words for you!) All I have been through to this point has made me stronger emotionally, but I still have to remember consciously that God is my refuge and strength. (Psalm 46:1) I can easily become unglued on my own! Spiritual strength is the big issue, and the big danger here is conceit. Countless spiritual leaders have gone down in disgrace because they thought they were somehow above all that, and that laid them wide open to attack. I’ve got to remember that my strength and wisdom are no match for the devil, and so rely totally on God, who is omnipotent.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for this past year, and that I have indeed grown some, as my younger daughter, at least, has recognized. Help me keep growing, depending not on me but on You, so that Your power may truly be manifested through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Deception; December 30, 2023

Posted on December 31, 2023 by jgarrott

2 Thessalonians 2:15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

This chapter is, frankly, not one of my favorites. I don’t like to read about the deceptions the devil vomits out. However, it’s no worse than any accurate news feed today! The absurdities that are proclaimed would be totally laughable if so many people weren’t led astray by them. We now have a pope speaking of “blessing” homosexual “unions!” We have “institutions of higher learning” churning out students and graduates who hate God and anything that represents Him. That has been behind antisemitism from the beginning, because the Jews were chosen by God for Him to work with and through, so those who hate God hate Jews automatically. (That’s not to say that Israel’s political decisions are always correct, but that’s a different discussion.) God created the union of a husband and wife to represent His relationship with His people, so the devil has gone all out to distort and pollute everything involved in that. Churches as human institutions are certainly flawed, but the devil has seized on that to make people throw the baby out with the bath water, as the saying goes. And the list goes on and on. Believers are called to stand firm on the words of Scripture, just as Paul says here. We aren’t to hate those who are deceived, but we are to hate the one behind the deception. We are to speak the truth in love always, because human logic is no match for the truth of God or the love of God. Lines are being drawn ever more clearly, and we need to be alert and careful. We don’t want to be among those deceived! In all of the confusion, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and let His Word and His Spirit guide us, knowing that in Him we have the victory.

This has recently come close to home with a sweet girl coming to this church who has been deceived by teaching that because some of the things about our celebration of the birth of Jesus coincide with various pagan festivals, Christmas is an abomination. I too am saddened by some of the things that are done in the name of Christmas, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Creator sent His Son to be born as a human baby, to share our circumstances and then to die in our place so that we might have life. That is certainly worth celebrating! My ministry is going to be pivoting to more outside events, starting with a small conference in February, and I need to be careful that everything I say and do isn’t useful to the enemy in creating division, but rather draws the Body of Christ together to the unity in Him that He prayed for just before His crucifixion. (John 17) I need to help people be so aware of the truth that lies and deceptions are instantly exposed for what they are, and the Body of Christ built up.

Father, thank You for this reminder and clarification. I pray that I would be an accurate, effective representative for You, speaking Your words in Your love and living those words out, destroying the lies of the devil and bringing people into Your kingdom, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Prayer; December 29, 2023

Posted on December 30, 2023 by jgarrott

2 Thessalonians 1:11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.

I don’t know the Greek here, but where the NIV says, “count you worthy,” the Japanese says “make you worthy.” The difference may be subtle, but it seems real to me. However, in either case the focus is on God doing it, rather than our having to work it up, so to speak. The focus is kept on God in the second half as well, with the idea of God’s power fulfilling the good desires that we have. I like the way the Japanese puts it: “every desire that seeks good.” That can cover a lot of territory! We have a lot of desires, but many of them, though not necessarily bad, are essentially self-centered. This, however, is seeking objective good, as in justice, peace, love, harmony, and the like. Sometimes our desire for those things can be pretty intense, but we can’t accomplish them on our own. That doesn’t mean we are to be passive, though; the last part deals with that. As James emphasizes and the whole rest of the Bible makes clear, faith acts. If we say we believe something but it makes no difference in our lives, that isn’t faith. In writing to the Romans, Paul made a rather extreme statement: “Everything that does not come from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23) When we believe God and what He has said about us, we will live and act according to that faith. It is sad to see how many people proclaim their lack of faith by how they live! We need to pray like Paul in this area, for ourselves and for others.

I am repeatedly challenged by the prayers Paul records for those to whom he ministered. As a pastor myself, how well do I follow his example in my prayers? I tend to pray for people and situation when I think of them, but that is seldom very methodical. That said, I don’t think Paul was very different, because he prayed for so many people that if he tried to do so on a schedule, he could hardly have done anything else! However, I do need to be faithful to lift each person I think of up to God, letting Him show me their specific needs and being His instrument for their blessing. I do spend much of my time with an awareness of God, but it’s not yet 100%. When I am aware of Him, my thoughts themselves become prayers, since I know He’s listening, and that’s a very good thing. To this day I don’t really know why prayer works, because why would the Creator of the universe listen to me? However, I have experienced countless times of knowing I have made a difference, and I am never to discount that privilege.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I pray that my whole life would be a prayer, useful to You in accomplishing Your perfect will on earth, even though I can’t understand how that could be, for Your pleasure and glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Sanctification; December 28, 2023

Posted on December 29, 2023 by jgarrott

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 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.

This chapter is loaded with short, pithy statements and admonitions that are often quoted but seldom fulfilled. That pattern comes to a climax in verses 16-22, and then we have verse 23, which essentially speaks of sinless perfection. It’s enough to make a thoughtful person throw up their hands in despair and just give up. But then we come to verse 24, and the focus is firmly placed on Christ, and everything is resolved. One of the great truths of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is that we are unable to fulfill God’s righteous laws in our own strength and wisdom, but He is more than able to do it, even in and through us. These verses have been set to music verbatim in Japanese, very enjoyably, but in translating the song into English I had to expand the lyrics to fit the music, so it isn’t immediately obvious that it is this passage. However, it’s a song I want to use in the first service of the new year, because we need to remember this principle all the time, asking, desiring, and expecting Jesus to work in us by His Spirit to perfect us and make us holy. We throw “sanctification” around as an item of “churchese,” but I don’t think many people really have much of a grasp of it. Literally, it means “being made holy,” but we don’t even have much of a handle on that. To me, the most helpful definition is, “being made like Jesus.” That both fleshes it out and shows us we can’t do it on our own! However, everyone from Jesus on tells us that is God’s goal for us, so we are to trust Him with it, and as He told me personally, rest, relax, and rejoice in the process.

I am certainly preaching to myself here, because the more I progress in this, the further I realize I need to go. In my youth I operated in a remarkable level of pride, thinking I was the finest of Christians, all the while totally ignoring God most of the time. In contrast, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19) In a sense, becoming like Jesus means learning that I can’t do squat on my own; He’s got to do it in and through me. However, the joyous truth is that the better I learn that, the more He actually does in and through me! I am not to trust myself, much less depend on myself, but Jesus is totally trustworthy and dependable.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for how You have been arranging the schedule the past few days. Thank You for the things You have planned for today. Help us flow with Your Spirit, today and every day, being transformed and used according to Your plans, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Death; December 27, 2023

Posted on December 28, 2023 by jgarrott

1 Thessalonians 4:13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.

The longer I live the more I am amazed at some professing Christians who grieve extravagantly, seeming to never progress beyond the death of a loved one. Grief is real and is not to be ignored, but for those who are in Christ, death is no more than a bump in the road. At times, those who believe that death is simply the end seem to deal with it better, and that is an insane tragedy. Thinking about it, it seems to me that the issue is more about the person grieving being deprived of the person who has died than it is about the deceased. It is no shame to grieve, but refusing to let go of grief and move on is a form of narcissism. We are all on this earth by the plan of our Creator, and His plan for this earth has a beginning and an end. It is no surprise when people who deny the Creator strive to live absolutely as long as possible, but it is a tragic waste when people who know the Gospel act no differently. We have friends, dedicated Christians who have been greatly used by the Lord, who are in their 80s. The wife was diagnosed with lung cancer a year ago and has endured surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, from which she had severe side effects. A couple of months ago she said “Enough!” and declined to have any more such treatments. They have told her she has only a couple more months, but we saw her just a week ago, and she was much happier and, yes, healthier, than she has been for the past year. I have the most concern for her husband, but he too has come to peace with the awareness that God’s grace is all that either of them needs, and they are a marvelous example of how believers should handle the whole subject of physical death.

I have lost count of how many people I have “seen off,” several at the point of clinical death, and I have a deep awareness that it is part of our natural lives. When my father didn’t wake up after heart surgery at 64 it was a shock, because I had no awareness of how serious his situation was, but I recognized that my grief was for me, that I wouldn’t be able to have conversations with him again, and for my mother, and not for him personally. I knew then and know now that he is in glorious fellowship with our Lord, far better and greater than anything we can experience on this earth. When my mother died of cancer at 72, with multiple tumors to the point that her body looked lumpy, I am told, I prayed that the Lord would take her to Himself rather than leaving her here, and when He did, I didn’t cry any more at all. At this point, with my wife and me in our mid-70s and her having quite a list of physical issues, this whole thing is intensely personal and pressing. My wife has daily issues with pain, and I know that those will all disappear when she leaves her body, but I very selfishly want to keep her around for as long as possible, for my sake rather than hers. Conversely, I seek to maintain my health, not so that I will live a long time but so that she will not have to endure what she would experience should I go first. I know that we are both “on assignment” from the Lord, and we will be here as long as we are fulfilling that assignment. I don’t want to stay longer than that!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the beautiful example of our friends that I mentioned. Help us, help all of Your children, to live out Your plans for us in daily faithfulness, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Standing Firm; December 26, 2023

Posted on December 27, 2023 by jgarrott

1 Thessalonians 3:8 For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord.

In Japanese this verse uses a phrase that I have seen exclaimed over in various English publications, and that is ikigai, “a reason to live.” I have seen it explained as “a reason to get up in the morning,” which is pretty close too. Sadly, many people simply go through the motions, afraid to die but with no real reason to live. God had a reason for creating each one of us, and the sooner and better we grasp that, the better off we are, gaining joy and satisfaction in our very existence. That’s precisely what Paul is talking about here, though the “really live” in the NIV doesn’t convey it very well, in my opinion. Every parent gets real satisfaction when their children do well, and that applies to spiritual children as well. Paul’s statement could be echoed by countless ministers of the Gospel, ordained and otherwise, because it indicates an assurance that we are “laying up treasure in heaven,” as Jesus told us to do. (Matthew 6:20) After all, the only things we can take with us to heaven are the souls of people we have introduced to the Savior! Like Paul, our peace and joy should come from knowing those people are secure and growing in their faith.

I don’t know how long I’ve known this, but it’s been quite a while. My own ministry hasn’t been so much in getting people birthed into God’s family as it has been in training them once they’re born, but the principle still holds. I’ve got spiritual children literally around the world! The challenges are ongoing. One of my “newly adopted” children has just sent me a letter about how she doesn’t approve of the celebration of Christmas because it isn’t found in the Bible. I should have expected something of the sort, because when she first came she said she had been a Christian for four years, but it was her first time to attend church. That indicated that she was led to the Lord by someone who was burned out by the institutional Church, which can be understandable, but it has opened her up to all sorts of fringe teaching, including her position on Christmas. (Incidentally, I am well aware that Jesus was in all probability not born on December 25th, and I too am disgusted by all the commercialization of it, but I believe firmly that the fact that He was born is certainly worth celebrating, and such celebrations are an excellent opportunity to share the Gospel with those who haven’t yet received it.) I want her, and every person in my care, to stand firmly on the truth of the Word and keep growing, to become and be all that God desires and intends for them, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the opportunity to share Your truth with others, not from a high horse but in all humility, so that we may grow together in Christ, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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God’s Universal Love; December 25, 2023

Posted on December 26, 2023 by jgarrott

Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Courtesy of Handel, there are few verses in the whole Bible more familiar than this. However, it still bears meditation. The first thing that hit me this morning is that it repeats the plural pronoun, us. The Messiah is not exclusive! There have been countless groups down through the centuries who have tried to claim that Jesus was their Messiah, to the exclusion of other groups, but God dealt with that issue quite clearly in the early Church, first through Peter (Acts 10) and then through Paul, who repeatedly used the phrase, “first to the Jew, and also to the Greek,” to get his point across. Christ was given to all mankind, but the necessity remains of individual repentance and faith. (Mark 1:15) Jesus focused His earthly ministry on Jews, sometimes to the point of seeming harsh to Gentiles, (Matthew 15:21-28) but what let Him know that the time had come for His ultimate act of redemption was when some Greeks came looking for Him. (John 12:20-28) I think everyone has at least some tendency to parochialism and xenophobia, but “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.” Everyone who has ever lived on this planet was created by God in love, and we need to look at them that way. We cannot experience the love of God fully until we allow it to flow through us to others, whether they seem to be like us or not.
On a completely different note, the use of “government” in English translations confuses a lot of people, I think, but the Japanese clears that up by saying “ruling authority.” When we hear “government” we tend to think of politics, but this has nothing to do with that. The kingdom of God is not a democracy or even a republic, but rather the absolute rule and reign of King Jesus. That’s what we pray for in the Lord’s Prayer, and we forget it to our own detriment.

Of course this applies to me. I have a truly blessed heritage in this area. One of my grandfathers, W. O. Carver, founded what is currently the oldest continuing Department of Missions in any Protestant seminary in the world, and my parents became missionaries while still single, and married in Japan. My father even did a stint while in seminary of preaching at an English language church in Havana. (Maybe that cemented his conviction that he was called to Japan!) Even so, the Lord has dealt with some negative feelings in me about some people groups, and I have repented of such prejudice. I even resigned my first pastorate over the race issue. At the time, one of the church officers said, “As my father used to say, they (Blacks) may go to heaven, but they won’t do it through my living room.” Thankfully, my departure triggered some very needed changes in that church! Today I pastor a church that is genuinely international. In our candlelight service last night we had people from Japan, America, Taiwan, China, and Honduras. I have no trouble imagining the scene described in Revelation: “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.” (Revelation 7:9)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that Your love truly encompasses all of mankind. May I be a useful instrument in Your hands to impart that understanding to more and more of Your children, so that indeed Your kingdom may come as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Joy; December 24, 2023

Posted on December 25, 2023 by jgarrott

Luke 2:20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

I have no idea how many times I’ve written on this verse, because it’s so important, in my view, to the Christmas narrative. To analyze it, we start with the fact that the angel had told the shepherds what was going on. That is significant, because we tend to forget that God sees all of eternity at a glance, from the moment He said, “Let there be light,” to the end of the universe. Nothing surprises Him, and He sometimes clues us in on what is happening or is going to happen. That should give us peace, at least! As part of that, we have the word, “everything.” God doesn’t miss anything, and He doesn’t make mistakes. (So much for “being born in the wrong body.”) Our response to Him and our perception of things, however, can be, and generally is, all over the place. Often enough it isn’t until after the fact, and sometimes years later, that we realize things indeed transpired just as God had indicated they would. That is certainly true with the life and ministry of Jesus, which is laid out in amazing detail in the Old Testament, but wasn’t recognized as having been so until after His resurrection, and then by only a limited number of people. All that said, we need to pay attention to the response of the shepherds here. They “glorified and praised God.” What is it to glorify God? I would say that it is recognizing Him for who and what He is, because we cannot add anything to Him. This is closely connected to worship, because who can fail to worship when they recognize God for who He is? The Japanese term in this passage for “praise” is the one used for singing to God, and the mental image I get is of the shepherds walking along, singing scraps of hymns or just exclaiming things like “Hallelujah!” or “Praise God!” Very few people are granted something as dramatic as what the shepherds experienced, and I’m sure they were overwhelmed. However, even without the drama of the angelic appearance, we should have the same or an even deeper level of joy and worship, because we have the rest of the Bible to explain to us all that God has done and is doing. That’s why the dominant word for Christmas should be joy. Like the shepherds, and later the magi, (Matthew 2:10) we should let the reality of God’s love, grace, mercy, and power lift us out of all the mess we are living in, to worship Him with a joy that has no equal on human terms.

This is an important reminder to me, because in most years the very busyness of Christmas drags me down, and I can’t wait until it’s over. This year my heart is in a somewhat better place, and I’m grateful. Our church Christmas caroling last night went well, and that is done and out of the way. We have the service this morning and the candlelight service tonight, and God’s got that taken care of as well. I am not to shirk my responsibilities, but at the same time I am to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him, just as He has told me to do. I need to be praying for all who will attend, particularly tonight’s service, so that nothing will stand in the way of their responding to God’s presence here.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for the fact that I am growing spiritually, however slowly or late. May I indeed rejoice in You throughout today, whatever my body is doing, so that the results may be Yours, blessing many, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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