Stewardship; April 23, 2024

Posted on April 24, 2024 by jgarrott

Matthew 13:12 “Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”

This seems manifestly unfair to many people, but we’re talking about spiritual realities here. As Paul observed, “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14) It’s not that God is mean (as I say repeatedly), it’s that our heart attitude is just about everything. Also, much truth and knowledge depends on a solid foundation. You can’t grasp trigonometry if you don’t have basic arithmetic mastered. Spiritually speaking, if we don’t accept that we have a Creator who loves us and has a good plan for our lives, the Gospel will seem like a total fantasy. This is a major issue in Japan, that doesn’t even have a firm foundation of monotheism. This is one reason why 1st generation Christians might be effective evangelists, but deep theologians are likely to have been raised in Christian homes, at least. That’s one of many reasons why it’s important for Christian parents to actively, intentionally, lay a foundation of faith in their children. It is the single most important, most valuable, thing they can do for them. Everything else is temporal, but that is for eternity.

This certainly applies to me. My parents were missionaries, one grandfather was a pastor and the other a seminary professor, and one of my great-grandfathers was a pastor. Many spiritual concepts have seemed simple to me, when they seemed dense to people around me. When I was first exposed to the Charismatic Movement in 1973 I immediately recognized it as Biblical, though I had heard nothing of the sort previously, at least to remember it. That doesn’t make me “better” than others, it just gives me a different toolkit. And certainly, it’s not something I chose, much less earned. The thing is, as Jesus said clearly, “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) It would be easier if I hadn’t been given so much! Just yesterday I was going through things in a drawer of a desk I inherited from my father, much of which I had put in there and some of which had been there when I received the desk over 40 years ago. The emotional strain just about broke me down, because I am currently more than 11 years older than my father was when the Lord took him home. The question is always, what have I done with what I have been given? I am not a good judge of that, but I know and depend on the reality that God is a righteous and gracious Judge, and I am covered with the blood of Jesus. My rewards are up to Him, but my salvation is sure, and I am to rest, relax, and rejoice in that assurance.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for yesterday, and for Cathy’s presence and love that helped sustain me. I ask for wisdom in dealing with all the stuff that was in that drawer, and for skill in repairing the bottom of it that is tearing up. May I be a good steward of all You have given me, on every level, so that Your purposes may be fulfilled in and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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

Proof; April 22, 2024

Posted on April 23, 2024 by jgarrott

Matthew 12:38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.”

There are all kinds of proof, and all sorts of reasons for asking for proof. Jesus had been giving many demonstrations of divine power, so it was obvious from the outset that these people were less than sincere. Anything Jesus could have done would have been discounted. On the other end of the scale we have Gideon, who asked two times for signs that he was hearing God accurately, and God gave them to him. (Judges 6) Receiving those proofs, Gideon acted decisively, and God’s will was done. I have heard countless testimonies of people who really wanted to find God and asked Him to do something, and He answered marvelously, just as He did for Gideon. I have also known people who probably won’t submit willingly to Christ when He returns in triumph from the skies! These men who questioned Jesus were in that last group, so Jesus told them the only proof they would get would be His own burial and resurrection. I wonder if any actually did repent and believe at that point? The whole issue is heart attitude. If we honestly want to know God’s will and obey Him, then He will give us all the proofs we need. If our demand for proof is just an excuse for not obeying Him, then we are in deep trouble.

I don’t know that I have ever demanded proof from God, but I have asked for clear guidance many times. Sometimes His guidance has seemed clear, and sometimes not! Looking back, I can see that the times when it was less than clear have been training in faith. I have done far too many things without ever asking what God wanted! At this point I feel like I have a lifetime of evidence that God is righteous, faithful, and loving, and that is proof enough for me. I think I honestly desire to live each day according to His plans for me, and that is a source of deep peace. I still slip up, certainly, but He has “worked in me to will and to do His good pleasure,” (Philippians 2:13) and I am to rest, relax, and rejoice in that assurance, just as He has told me to do.

Father, thank You for this encouraging Word. Thank You for yesterday and all it held. Thank You for speaking through me clearly, and for the response. Thank You for the wonderful time of fellowship we had in the afternoon. Thank You for Your plans for today, and that You will enable me to fulfill my part in them, for Your glory. Praise God!

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

Divine Revelation; April 21, 2024

Posted on April 22, 2024 by jgarrott

Matthew 11:25-26 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.

It struck me just now from verse 26 that Jesus might not have thought about this until He said it. God reveals His truth to us in various ways. As Jesus says here, it isn’t on the basis of our “mental horsepower,” but by His sovereign, gracious, choice. I have personally experienced God speaking to me by what He was saying through me. In other words, I didn’t know it until I said it, or wrote it. That isn’t at all a case of, “If I said it, it’s true.” Rather, it’s an example of the reality that we often can’t grasp things until we articulate them. The “wise and understanding” generally don’t like to say things they don’t already know, so their minds and hearts can be closed to fresh revelation. Adults can be convinced of things that aren’t true, or at the least aren’t complete. That’s why Jesus said repeatedly that we have to be like little children to enter His kingdom. (Matthew 18:3, Luke 18:7) Just yesterday I heard a talk by a man who has been very instrumental in Japan’s rocket industry, and he talked about how he likes to hire people straight out of high school who maybe didn’t even do well in school, but they have curiosity and drive, a dream that pulls them on. He said that if something’s never been done before, nobody can teach you how to do it! It was a very challenging, inspiring talk, particularly since the majority of the audience was students. We do need to be careful that we don’t abandon Biblical teaching in our search for the “new.” Those who do that quickly get mired in the lies the devil has been telling since the Garden of Eden. However, we aren’t to be limited by the theological boxes that various people and groups have built. God is by definition bigger than any box ever could be!

I long ago lost count of how many times God has shown me things by having me say them or write them. It happens with some regularity with my morning devotions! That’s why writing things out – journaling, as some people call it – is very helpful indeed. I’ve been called a geek for doing my devotions with a computer, but my handwriting is slow and sometimes illegible! I have indeed had times when God showed His love to me in ways that are beyond words, but those have been the exception. God gave me a gift for words, and His gifts are always to be used as He intends. I am to speak and write as He directs, both for the sake of my listeners and readers and for my own sake, and always for His glory. Again, I’m never to think or feel that because I said it, that makes it true. I am to be humbly submitted to my Lord and allow Him to correct my misunderstandings, however He might choose to do it. There is so much more of Him than I can grasp, so I am to rejoice in whatever He chooses to reveal to me.

Father, thank You for this clear Word this morning. The devil doesn’t want me writing, and he distracts me in countless ways. Help me focus on what You have for me so that I won’t miss anything You want to say to me or through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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

God’s Plans; April 20, 2024

Posted on April 21, 2024 by jgarrott

Matthew 4:17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

It is significant that Jesus began His public ministry after John was arrested (verse 12). John’s ministry was to prepare the way for Jesus, as had been prophesied (Luke 1:17) and as he himself had proclaimed. (Matthew 3:11) John’s ministry was all about repent­ance, so the people knew what Jesus was talking about when He started saying the same thing. That is still largely true in culturally Christian countries like America, but it sounds quite foreign in Japan, even though the Japanese term for repentance is if anything easier to understand than the English. (It means, regret and start over.) Because of that, evangelism in Japan requires a lot of “soil preparation” for the “seed” to be received and take root. Jesus’ parable of the sower is certainly applicable here! (Matthew 13) It is also striking to me that the Japanese translation I’m using, in this verse, where most English translations say “preach,” uses the term that is applied to missionaries. Analyzed, it means, “proclaim knowledge.” By extension, that means, “proclaim religion.” There are church groups in Japan that use that term for Sunday preaching, though I didn’t grow up doing so. The term I grew up with is still often used in a religious context, but it is also used for a parent “dressing down” their child for an infraction, which is a nuance “preach” can carry in English as well. The thing that comes through to me from this whole story is that God had prepared Jesus, as is demonstrated by His response to the devil’s temptations, He had prepared His audience, and, as comes up immediately after this, He had prepared His disciples as well. God has His plans, since He knows the end from the beginning and so knows what is going to work. We don’t know what the next minute will bring, so we need to be sensitive and obedient to whatever God is saying, because the probability of our getting things right otherwise is totally negligible.

This is certainly applicable to me! I’m not very adept at planning, so the secular proverb of, “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail,” is all too appropriate. However, my first priority is to seek God for what He is planning and get with His program. That said, I’m not to use that as an excuse for my own failures in planning! God’s plans for me have not included massive harvests, such as Billy Graham and Reinhard Bonnke experienced, but I’m not to be resentful or jealous. I may not see the outcome of what He tells me to do today, but that doesn’t mean I should fail to do it. I may recognize His appointments for me and rejoice in them, or I may overlook them entirely, not recognizing that He has used me. That’s my problem, not His! I am to be active in seeking His direction and following it, doing His will on His schedule, so that His purposes may be fulfilled for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Today I’ll be attending a ceremony marking 100 years of the school where I taught for 42 years. It feels like a big deal, even though I will be an insignificant attendee. May my attitude, actions, and words be exactly what You desire of me, so that I may be Your agent for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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

The Results of Repentance; April 19, 2024

Posted on April 20, 2024 by jgarrott

Matt 3:8 “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”

Throughout the Bible, repentance is defined by changed actions. We may even think we have repented, but if our actions don’t change, then we are only fooling ourselves. The same thing applies to reading the Bible and listening to sermons. As James said, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22) We are not saved by our actions, (Ephesians 2:8-9) but our actions are a demonstration of the attitude of our heart. It’s kind of like the old secular proverb, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” We might be able to keep up appearances, but God knows what is in our heart. Words are important, as Paul said in his salvation formula, (Romans 10:9-10) but it is possible to say words with nothing behind them. This is a difficult point that everyone deals with. Believers struggle with it, but nonbelievers just pass it off as daily living! If your conscience no longer bothers you about anything, you are in deep trouble. The flip side of that is that the devil tells us that when we repeat sins of which we have repented, then we are hopeless and should just give up. That too is a lie, as is everything he says to us, even if it might have true elements in it. God allows us to sin again so that we will recognize our complete powerlessness without Him, and so depend on Him fully. It is when we do that, that our actions indeed change, and we manifest His righteousness and holiness. That is what repentance is all about.

This is something I have struggled with essentially all my life. I will never forget the time when, as a young adult, God tapped me on the shoulder and, when I turned, had a mirror for me to briefly see the blackness of the pride in my soul. That was over 50 years ago now, and I still struggle with pride! However, I know without question that the blood of Christ is sufficient to cleanse me from it all, so I am to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him, as He has told me personally. The difficulty is in my tendency to take it for granted and to get careless. That can do a lot of damage! However, God’s grace is sufficient, and He can use even such a one as I am for His purposes.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I don’t want to be hypocritical, but at the same time I am deeply aware that, like Paul, I am far from having reached sinless perfection. (Philippians 3:12-14) Help me keep growing, repenting in truth when I stumble, so that Christ may be formed more and more fully in me, (Galatians 4:19) drawing others to repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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

The Results of Serving God; April 18, 2024

Posted on April 19, 2024 by jgarrott

Malachi 3:18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.

This is a justly famous chapter, but I think we need to look at it more deeply than just verse 10, as pointed as that is. It is actually God responding very helpfully to the question of the people in verse seven: “How shall we return?” God was calling them to repentance through Malachi, and the people wanted to know how to do that. It bears saying again and again, but genuine repentance always involves changed behavior. In this particular instance, the people had been placing finances ahead of obedience to God, and God was reminding them where their finances came from in the first place. That is common enough today, as well! As was the case everywhere before the Industrial Age, it was a largely agricultural economy, and there seems to have been a crop failure, either from drought or locusts or a combination thereof. We deal with such things as market downturns, corrupt government, and inflation, but the principles are the same. In this verse, God was reminding them that there really are benefits to following His rules. It’s not at all that good people won’t have problems – Jesus was very explicit about that (John 16:33) – but that the blows to society are often softened for the individual who places God first. That said, the person who has it worst-off in countries like Japan or America today lives in more luxury than kings did in Malachi’s day! We need to recognize the blessing we have, and give God the credit, gratitude, and obedience He deserves!

This feels very close to home for me. I feel incredibly blessed, with a wife who really loves me, children doing well, and all my needs met. However, I can’t take credit for it all, and I still find things to get upset about. I do seek to serve God, but my wife serves Him no less than I do, and her health is orders of magnitude worse than mine. I seek to stay healthy so I can take care of her! That said, people do notice my blessings, and they comment on them. I need to be consistent in pointing people to God, for indeed, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17) I am not to preach a “prosperity gospel,” but I am to let people know that serving God is not in vain, either for this world or the next.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Sometimes I feel conflicted over the abundance of Your provision, even though we would not be considered wealthy by the world’s standards. Help me be a faithful steward not only of the material things You provide but also of the abilities and opportunities You give me, so that every one of Your gifts to me may accomplish through me exactly what You intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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

Speaking for God; April 17, 2024

Posted on April 18, 2024 by jgarrott

Zechariah 1:3 Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.

It strikes me that at this point Zechariah was not at all used to being the Lord’s spokesperson. It’s like he is reminding himself that it is God saying these things, and he is insisting the same thing to those who hear him. When we think about it, it is remarkable that the Creator of the universe would choose to speak to, much less through, His creatures! However, virtually every culture down through history has had the tradition that this happens. Part of that comes from the spiritual reality that the devil and his demons, who imitate God in just about everything, do the same sort of thing. Demonic possession is also a tradition with long standing! That’s why John admonishes us to “test the spirits.” (1 John 4:1) That said, it is a glorious thing to allow God to speak through you. We can understand why Zechariah was a bit awed by it all! That’s why it’s all the more remarkable that under the New Covenant, all believers are to seek to be used in this way. (1 Corinthians 14:1) Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that we ourselves need to listen obediently to whatever God says through us. It is sadly common that those used in prophecy feel they are above their hearers, and that they don’t need to pay attention themselves to what God is saying. That is certainly a trick of the devil! It is far more appropriate and beneficial to be like Daniel, who was personally righteous, but repented on behalf of all the Jews. (Daniel 9) We tend to react to people who “speak God’s words” as though they were “super Christians,” but even Jesus cautioned us to look at the fruit of their lives before we swallow what they are saying. (Matthew 7:20) All of those cautionary notes aside, it is still wonderfully true that God does speak to and through His children, and we should expect to Hear from Him through others and keep ourselves available for Him to speak through us as well.


I don’t remember the first time God spoke directly through me, per­haps because I wasn’t even aware of it at the time. I have had quite a few times that I have spoken with a clear awareness that was happening, and I have had a few times when God has stopped speaking and I haven’t. Those feel horrible! Not long after one such time I was in a service and felt a strong urge to speak, so I did, but then it stopped in the middle of a sentence, so I stopped. At that moment, someone on the other side of the room picked it up without a break, and I knew without question that it had indeed been the Holy Spirit speaking through me, and through the other brother as well. In recent years, and particularly in this church, I have had very few times of using the words, “The Lord says,” but I strive always to say only what He is saying regardless. My calling is as Pastor/Teacher, and not as Pro­phet, but I am in trouble if I am only teaching “the traditions of men.” (Mark 7:8) As Jesus said, I am accountable for “every careless word [I] have spoken.” (Matthew 12:36) I am to rejoice in the incredibly gracious privilege of speaking out what God is saying, but I am never to take it lightly, or think I have earned it. I am also to encourage every believer to allow God to speak through them, because there can be no such thing as too much of the Word of the Lord!

Father, thank You for this beautiful reminder and encouragement. Thank You also for the Word You are growing in me for Sunday. It’s coming to me in a somewhat different way than I am used to, but I have full assurance that it is from You. May I deliver it clearly without distortion, so that it may indeed accomplish everything for which You send it, (Isaiah 55:10-11) for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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

God’s Omniscience and Control; April 16, 2024

Posted on April 17, 2024 by jgarrott

Jonah 3:10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.

When you think about it, the response of the people of Nineveh, from the common people up through the king, was nothing short of miraculous. In my book, it seems more miraculous than Jonah being preserved for three days inside the fish/whale! There was no logical reason why this heavily populated city would respond as they did to a singular, foreign, prophet. However, nothing is impossible for God! (Luke 1:37) The point is, God did all of this for multiple reasons. First, He wanted to correct the behavior of the people of Nineveh. They weren’t “His” people the way the Jews were, but He does not rejoice in evil whoever is doing it, and He doesn’t rejoice in anyone’s death, as we read just a few days ago. Second, He wanted to give a powerful foreshadowing of Jesus’ burial and resurrection. (Matthew 12:40) And third, He wanted to teach Jonah, and by extension, all who would learn about him, some powerful lessons, both about the importance of obeying God and about God’s character. God hardly ever does anything for just one purpose. There are no “unintended consequences” with Him! We know only the past and present, and our perception of those is fuzzy at best. However, God knows every detail from the moment of creation to the end of the universe, and His actions operate on everything at once. We often don’t know why thing happen, either good things or bad things, but we need to trust God for being in control, whatever it looks like to us in the moment.

This is something I have had to learn, and I need to keep remembering it. Things are happening on the world stage that grab my attention, yet I see no direct connection to me. Things happen to and around me, and I don’t see how they affect anyone else. I need to remember that a fly landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier actually affects it, though to a degree too small for us to measure. I need to trust God enough to allow Him to use me to affect things I know nothing about, and at the same time receive the blessings He intends for me through things that might seem to be unconnected to me. That is frankly a tall order! I am still growing, and I need to be at peace with that. Knowing God’s character, I need to trust and thank Him for everything going on in the world, knowing that the ultimate outcome will be glorious indeed. I can’t see around the next corner, but He sees everything, and He is love itself. (1 John 4:8)

Father, thank You for this reminder. There are various things that have us stirred up at the moment, from the political situation in the Middle East through the upcoming election in the US to my brother-in-law’s medical situation to the medical tests I’ll be having this morning. Help me trust You with every detail, listening to You for how I am to respond to each thing, whether it be prayer, proclamation, or direct action. May indeed Your name 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

Priorities; April 15, 2024

Posted on April 16, 2024 by jgarrott

Amos 5:4 This is what the Lord says to the house of Israel:
“Seek me and live.”

The Old Testament prophets spent a lot of their time calling people to repentance. Amos operated in the Northern Kingdom, that was eventually conquered by Assyria. They had already lost their ties to Jerusalem and the temple Solomon built, so those who remembered their history, at least, tended to associate God with other places where He had interacted with their ancestors. That’s why, in the next verse, God tells them not to seek out those locations, in contrast to what He says here: to seek Him. God used Amos and other prophets to tell the people that He Himself was the way to life, but they didn’t listen very well. The same thing may be said today. Those who know God through the Gospel are calling people to life, to joy and peace, but the devil has so blinded nonbelievers that they prefer their physical pleasures to their Creator. Circumstances change, but human nature remains the same! The world we live in today would be totally unrecognizable to Amos and those he spoke to, but the spiritual realities are remarkably consistent. We have so many physical luxuries that we forget we need God, and that puts us in the same place as the people to whom Amos was speaking. God is the only source of life, and without repentance, that becomes an inescapable discovery. Those who do know Him need to keep watch over their own priorities, because it is all too easy to slip into the world’s thought patterns. If our priorities are right, we will also be active in seeking God, so that we and they too may live.

I have spent the majority of my life as a pastor, but that doesn’t mean my priorities have always been right. The pressures of the world and the devil are unrelenting, so I’ve got to be intentional and consistent in seeking God, His kingdom and His righteousness. (Matthew 6:33) Everything else is momentary at best, and actively destructive at worst. That doesn’t mean that I’m to ignore the world around me, but I am to be salt and light, changing the world rather than being shaped by it. (Romans 12:2) I am to be a consistent demonstration of the love and grace of God, so that people may know that He exists, and that He is as available to them as He is to me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the message through my sister in faith in the service yesterday, and for the business meeting and all that went on in it. Thank You that some people are waking up to the reality that You have plans to use them, for Your kingdom and Your glory. I pray that everyone in the church would wake up to that degree, at least, so that we may be an effective squad in Your army, causing Your name to 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

Heart Attitude; April 14, 2024

Posted on April 15, 2024 by jgarrott

Hosea 14:9 Who is wise? He will realize these things.
Who is discerning? He will understand them.
The ways of the Lord are right;
the righteous walk in them,
but the rebellious stumble in them.

The first half of this verse brings to mind several other verses, the most famous of which being, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Pro­verbs 9:10) The Japanese uses the term loved in Buddhism, “satori” (noun) or “satoru,” (verb) saying, “Whoever has wisdom, let him discern (satoru) these things; whoever has discernment (satori), let him know them well.” The second half of the verse is even more interesting in the Japanese: “The Lord’s road is smooth. Righteous people walk on it, but rebellious people stumble on it.” In other words, if your heart is turned toward God, His way is the easiest of all. However, if your heart is turned against Him, His way seems impossible. Everything depends on our heart attitude. If our attitude is right, then we will gain more and more knowledge and understanding of the Lord and His ways, and it will seem easy and delightful. If our attitude is not right, then God will seem mysterious and unknowable, and His demands impossible to satisfy. God doesn’t change, but our attitude makes all the difference. That’s why Jesus repeatedly told us to be like little children. Children can be rebellious too, but properly raised, their big distinctive is trust. They are dependent on their parents and know it instinctively, expecting their needs to be met. If we are to walk properly in all that God has prepared for us, then we will be the same. There are countless videos circulating on the Internet of little children delighting in their parents, and we need to be the same way. That’s the heart attitude that will bring us the peace, joy, and satisfaction that we desire.

I had the enormous blessing of being raised by wise parents who loved and followed God. That’s why, at age five, I said to my moth­er, “Mommy, I really, really love you, but I don’t love you nearly as much as I love Jesus.” (They reported that in their Christmas newsletter that year.) I wish I could say that I have always maintained that attitude, but it has been a foundation to which I have returned time and time again. When I encounter things that aren’t pleasing to me in the moment, I need to remember that everything God allows in my life is for my ultimate benefit, if I will respond in trust and obedience. If that is my attitude, then it will be easy to do as Paul advised: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Father, thank You for this reminder. All sorts of things are changing around me, and I need to stay grounded in You. May my attitude always be right, not just for my blessing but so that others may also be drawn to You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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