Tag Archives: spiritual growth

Seeking God; December 20, 2024

Posted on December 21, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 27:8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”    Your face, Lord, I will seek. I have long loved this verse, and have written on it countless times. However, it still resonates within me every time I read it. Different translations … Continue reading →

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Learning Obedience; December 17, 2024

Posted on December 18, 2024 by jgarrott

Hebrews 5:8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered. The Japanese connects this with the next two verses as one sentence, but this is certainly worthy of meditation all by itself. The Japanese also plays with the … Continue reading →

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The Shadow of Death; December 7, 2024

Posted on December 8, 2024 by jgarrott

Isaiah 9:2 he people walking in darkness    have seen a great light;on those living in the land of deep darkness    a light has dawned. This passage came up a few weeks ago, because the theme of our readings was Light, but at … Continue reading →

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Nostalgia; December 6, 2024

Posted on December 7, 2024 by jgarrott

Isaiah 43:18 “Forget the former things;    do not dwell on the past.” Recently I have read that nostalgia was long considered a very negative thing, but today we speak of “the good old days.” We have a song about it, Those … Continue reading →

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How We Hear; November 26, 2024

Posted on November 27, 2024 by jgarrott

Luke 8:18 “Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.” This is on the one hand encouraging, and on the other … Continue reading →

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Preparation; November 18, 2024

Posted on November 19, 2024 by jgarrott

Matthew 4:17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Even Jesus had to be prepared for His ministry, and experiencing and resisting major temptation was a major part of that. There are … Continue reading →

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Human Pride; October 31, 2024

Posted on November 1, 2024 by jgarrott

Isaiah 10:12 When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes.” We humans have a bad habit … Continue reading →

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Humility; October 24, 2024

Posted on October 25, 2024 by jgarrott

Ecclesiastes 11:5 As you do not know the path of the wind,    or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,so you cannot understand the work of God,    the Maker of all things. Solomon was noted for his wisdom, but I think … Continue reading →

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Spiritual Growth; October 20, 2024

Posted on October 21, 2024 by jgarrott

Proverbs 4:18 The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,    shining ever brighter till the full light of day. This verse, in a very slightly different translation, is actually a better fit to the music in Japanese than the original … Continue reading →

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Correction; October 11, 2024

Posted on October 12, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 94:12 Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord,    the one you teach from your law. In verse 1, the ESV calls God, “God of vengeance.” That kind of hit me in the face, but it agrees perfectly with the Japanese. We tend … Continue reading →

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