Hope your year is off to a good start. Ours has been busy. It turns out that onboarding a new missionary is a lot of work. It’s a good reminder to me to be grateful for all the people who helped me out when I first came as an English teacher and later as a missionary, and didn’t have a clue what I was doing. The good news is Mickey is in Japan, settling in nicely and already diving into learning Japanese.
In February (starting tomorrow, in fact!) we are hosting a potential missionary couple who are visiting on a vision trip. We’re also planning on doing an English outreach event in Noto, and traveling for some meetings too. Your prayerswould be much appreciated, especially since we’ve been getting lots of winter weather lately (see below).
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27 NLT)
Jesus didn’t promise His followers an easy life, free from pain. He didn’t promises riches or comfort. But He did promise something better, something that this world can’t give: peace of mind and heart.
There are a lot of things I don’t have. But really, I know I don’t need them as long as I have Jesus. To be honest, I don’t always feel that way. But I’m thankful for this reminder, and that it’s true.
Lord, please give me a real sense of Your peace today, and let that determine how I think, how I talk and how I live.
Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” (John 11:40 NLT)
Like Martha, sometimes I doubt. Sometimes Jesus needs to remind me that His grace is enough. That if I believe, trust and obey Him I’ll see prayers answered, lives changed, His Kingdom come. And through it all, He’s my constant companion.
Again the phrase “Then they will know that I am the Lord” is repeated here. Today this reminded me of the New Testament promise that someday everyone will see and acknowledge Jesus; that “every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” I want to be among those who willingly choose to bow. I choose to worship Jesus now.
In this passage God promises judgement for some and blessings for others. These kind of passages can be hard to understand, and even harder to apply to our own lives. But the key message in this chapter is, I think, found in the repeated use of phrases like “Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
God cares about His glory. He wants credit. This would be prideful for one if us, but the difference here is that He’s God and we’re not. He actually does deserve credit, praise, attention, and loyalty. He deserves our worship. He deserves the glory. He wants people to know Him and acknowledge who He is.
In this passage God promises to show His glory through the judgement of some and by blessing others. The question for us today is, how will God reveal His glory in our lives?
We have the choice to follow Him or not. My prayer is that He will be glorified through me in response to my faith and obedience, not in spite of me.
I want His blessing. I want His best. What about you?
