3:18 (2 Peter) “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬ 

Lord God, we come and give praise to You for all your patience and better promises. We want to grow in the grace and knowledge of Your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus. Forgive us for being often distracted and immature, we turn back to You. We want to be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit of the Son in us. How grateful we are of experiencing the Spirit’s leading and empowering in our interactions with friends and family, especially ones who are yet to return to You. Cause us to grow in His grace which is also Your grace so as to express Your grace to a world desperately needing to know Christ as grace. We pray for ourselves and our Japanese brothers and sisters who are the first member of their families to live out Christ’s life. We ask to know Christ more and more so that all the yet-to-be-saved family members can witness the transformation. Christ alone is grace personified. And we desire whole households to believe just as You have promised, you and your household. So Lord God, we present ourselves to You as a living sacrifice. We choose Christ to live for us and to be expressed in us. Bring our yet-to-be-saved family and friends to repentance as well to live Christ and give You the glory today and all our days through to eternity.

In Jesus’ most gracious name. 

3:17 (Ecclesiastes) “I said to myself, “God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man,” for a time for every matter and for every deed is there.”

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭

Lord God, no matter how we see ourselves or how others see us, whether we appear to be righteous or wicked, only Your judgement stands. And even what is hidden to others, you see every matter, every deed, and even every thought. Under Your standard for righteousness, no one can stand, for the only way to meet Your standard is to be sinless. And there is no one under the sun that qualifies, except Your Son, Jesus Christ, the only Man who ever lived a sinless life. And for the sake of reconciling all humanity to Yourself, You sent Jesus to live out His sinless life and then die substitutionally for fallen mankind, and then conquer death in resurrection because death had nothing on Jesus to hold Him. Today, we are amazed that we who believe in Jesus, could have His resurrection life as our own life. And when it is time for judgement, we stand in the life of Jesus who meets all God’s righteous demands. What we do with Jesus’ life, though, we will need to give an answer to Jesus Himself. So give Your people grace to speak as He speaks through us and walk as He walks in us, and share His life freely as You’ve shared His life with us. And give us Your heart of compassion for those who have been hindered from coming to the realization of Your great love for them. May You removed every hindrance. Breakthrough in us all. In Jesus’ mighty name. 

3:16 (John) “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ 

Lord God, we give ourselves to you. When we consider how much You love us and how impartial and generous You are with humanity, we respond to Your love and say, we love You, too. 

The people of Japan are included here. So are all the people who have heard the good news, even the sharing of this verse, and have thus far rejected Your gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus, they are included, too. We pray for grace to not harden the hearts and simply respond with “I receive” and “I believe.”

In Jesus’ saving name. 

We didn’t earn this, it wasn’t because we have done anything to merit this incredible gift, but it is the Gift that fulfills mankind’s purpose for existing. We were created to have the eternal life of Jesus, not just in that day in heaven, but all our days, in our minutiae and significant moments, and God has made us one with the others who have His life to be a united expression here on earth. Is there a more reasonable response than to receive this gracious Gift of God with thankful and open hearts?

3:15 (Colossians)

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Dear Lord God, we want to especially lift up the people of the Hawaiian Islands. Whenever we see the rains come down without letting up, we are reminded that You told us the end days are like the days of Noah. And we know how full of mercy You are that You create circumstances to remind us that when this life will come to an end, and then judgment.  We must all give an account for how we lived this life we’re been given. 

And faced with destruction and turmoil, we confess how worry and fear fill our hearts. So Lord God, we want to get right with You today. We accept Jesus’ substitutionary sacrifice for our sins and His life as a promise for all who believe and put our trust in Him. I am so thankful that You have called me in this one body. We love our brothers and sisters in Hawaii. You know them all and You care for them as many are suffering without power. Grant them all the promised peace that passes understanding. And restore what needs restoring and encourage their hearts in You. Send relief. And in the midst of the chaos, save some eternally. In Jesus’ saving name.

3:14 (2 Peter) “And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,”. ‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Amen, Lord. You are so patient with us and this is indeed our salvation. Lord God, You desire none to perish but for all to come to repentance. You have made provisions for the Japanese people because You care for them as you care for all the people of the world. You have placed a restless caring in those You have sent to this land. And Your Spirit of boldness and of a sound mind You have placed in all Your children. Give the Church in Japan to testify of Your life and power. It’s not just a matter of religion, or belief system, it’s a matter of life. We have found in You our reason for being. So, help us to obey Your commands in reaching the Japanese. Teach us to come come alongside just as You came alongside the people as you dwelt in Galilee and in Samaria and Judea. Thank You for Paul and thank You for Peter. They testify of the same faith as ours and the same provisions for life and godliness as ours and the same precious and very great promises as ours. You have giving the people of the world the opportunity to hear the gospel. Be in the proclaiming, be in the expressing, be in the hearing and the receiving. Today, if we hear Your voice, be grace to us not to harden our hearts but rather allow Your Word to effect the transformation in us all. Thank You for Your mercy upon humanity.

In Jesus’ victorious name.

3:13 (Colossians)

“bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”  Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Lord God, we confess how we struggle with forgiveness. But it is a most evident expression of Jesus’ uncreated divine life. When Jesus, as an innocent man, cried out on the cross, for God the Father to forgive the mob that demanded his crucifixion, and the Roman soldiers who scourged Him and nailed Him to the cross for being the true King of Kings of humanity, He displayed what is not possible with man. Lord God, You know all our struggles, we lift up in prayer especially Your Children in Japan who are married to unbelieving spouses and or are sons and daughters of unbelieving parents. We pray for the living out daily of Your forgiveness even as they endure hardship, rejection, and ridicule. I pray for tender mercies that Your life lived out may touch the hearts of their families. It is not just a matter of heaven or hell, it is truly a matter of the limitations of man or the boundless life of Christ. And though persecution is promised for true followers of Christ, our Lord Jesus promised hundred-fold return for losses and in the age to come, eternal life.* Lord God, You also told us to forgive those who sin against us as You have forgiven us of all our sins against You. You command us to forgive as You Life in us has given us grace and empowered us to do so. So, Lord God, grant us all the grace to lay hold of your forgiving ways and enable us all, including our dear brothers and sisters in Japan to live out forgiveness in our lives today. So Jesus’ life in righteousness can be seen in us all.

In Jesus’ wondrous name. 

*Mark 10:29-30

3:12 (Philippians)

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I get the impression that the gospel is sometimes conveyed or perceived with a hint of superiority from all parties. And that helps no one. From insightful discussions with One close to the Lord and to the Japanese, there is a perception of introducing “a Western god” to a more civilized East. 

With the misbehaving western tourists in mind, could there be the thought in the receiver that the “West” has nothing good to offer the Japanese, with their thousands of years of rich heritage. What could these Westerners possibly have to offer better than what we have already? Does the West think themselves superior to come to “rescue” us?

That is a hard to overcome hurdle. 

But Jesus is better than any so called god or set of ethics from the east or the west, the north or the south. One problem is with us, His people, who are still in the process of yielding to the Spirit’s transformation.  While God has lay hold of us and we have the Son’s life within, we are still in the process of making His life our own. We are so far from being perfect, if anyone is close to perfect, that would be Paul who wrote this letter. So, there has to be a desire within us to press on and not be complacent in our walk with the Lord if Paul wasn’t complacent.

So Lord God, forgive us for being immature still and so lacking in knowing You. We want to know You desperately and we want to make the Son’s life practically our own. Forbid it that we hinder the testimony of the Son’s life in us. Where we have lacked humility, be our graciousness and help us to display Your greatness and humble nature. We have nothing to boast except that You showed us mercy. And give grace to the Japanese people that their success in discipline and morals doesn’t prevent them from seeing You alive in us and touching resurrection Life in us. You alone possess Living Water and Living Bread because that’s who You are. There is nothing living even in the best things the world can offer. But You are Life and that cannot be denied. So, cause us to express Your resurrection Life in our 24-7. Be all in all in us. For Your sake and for the sake of the yet-to-be saved on this earth. We love You, Lord. 

In Jesus’ transforming name. 

It’s been full days of late. Long days of putting out fires and feeling the weariness. I cannot imagine a life when I would have to tackle my days without the Lord. I need Him every minute. A few weeks earlier, a dear young person asked me how I deal with stress. I was heading home with people waiting for me and not expecting to have a meaningful conversation at that moment. I stopped. He restated his question with a preface, you probably have to deal with stress all the time, how do you handle it? My first response was “poorly.” And I rambled on about things I should be doing. I’m often a wreck and full of regrets. I could have done this or said that or not did that nor said that! Hindsight always appears 20/20. 

And yes, I am facing stress all day long. When you have to follow a schedule for appointments, it’s like meeting a deadline every 40 minutes. And there are often situations where I don’t know how to solve a problem I am expected to solve. I don’t know why you are having trouble seeing through your perfectly made glasses? Or the weight on my heart of dear ones going through tough situations with no apparent solutions. So much going on. 

So my stress-solver? 

My response to his question was, “O Lord Jesus, I need You.” I call on the name of the Lord in loud cries and hushed whispers, “Lord Jesus, I need You,” not q.i.d. (four times a day) but more like q.o.m. (every other minute)! How is calling on the name of the Lord is so powerful? The Bible tells us that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!* Not just our initial coming to believe that Jesus died for me and lives to give me Life eternal, Life in resurrection, but every day He is still saving me by His Life! He is saving us every day, moment by moment. 

When I call on the name of the Lord, I am discovering that He has been calling out to me. “Come to Me.” While I sincerely have a present need, when I call His name, I find He has never left, I just haven’t given Him any thought or consideration. And calling on His name turns my heart to Him. He wants engage me but I am so distracted. And when I realize that He is here with me, in my experience, a few things happen. 

*Romans 10:13. 

3:11 (1 John) “For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬ 

Lord God, Your heart’s desire is that we love one another even as You have loved us. You are desiring not just a relationship with each of us, You are desiring a relationship through You and in You with one another. You have made us One. Your love of humanity is without prejudice. You want us to love the Japanese brothers and sisters because we are one with them, in You. And we need one another because every member has a different function just like a human body. So, You don’t want to be missing the Japanese believers and we don’t want to miss their portion. So strengthen the Church that is in Japan. May love overflow to one another as a testimony of Your life in us all. You alone can make us love simply and purely. May Your love for the Japanese people be tangible and may Your desire to draw people to Yourself give the Japanese people true love for You never leave us nor forsake us when You save us. 

We pray that this day of remembrance turn out to be a day of salvation in receiving the unconditional love of God in the person of Jesus Christ. May we all respond to Your call to come to You. We put our trust in Jesus Christ. Jesus we come, just as we are, to You. Thank You for loving us, just as we are, for You are our loving Savior!

3:10 (Romans) “as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one;”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬ 

We might be tempted to think that if there were a righteous person here on earth, that person would probably be Japanese. But the Bible tells us clearly that there is none righteous, not even one. No matter how exceptional our outward conduct is, our true selves are revealed in unguarded moments or in our thought life. And the Bible tells us that even if a person looks with lust upon another, adultery has been committed. Under this criteria, truly, no one is found righteous. It is not a sliding scale or a grading on a curve. 

But just as we are under the same conviction, we are also all given the same access to the remedy. Our Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus was walking on the earth 2000 years ago, the ones who resisted Him the most were the most outwardly righteous ones. But God looks at the heart and their hearts did not pass inspection. 

So, it is so reasonable that the most outwardly upright population has been the least accepting of the remedy since no one takes medicine when they don’t feel sick. 

So, on the eve of the anniversary of 3-11, I pray the Lord God shine light on every heart, every heart, so in the Light, we can see that we cannot measure up and we need the Remedy. Jesus alone can give us a new heart. 

Lord God, have mercy on us all. We are deceived so easily to think we can measure up to Your standards of righteousness. We confess we cannot, and we accept the measuring up of Jesus in our place. He is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, including all our Japanese neighbors in this world. Jesus is the Light of the World, shining in the darkness, the darkness cannot overcome it. Give us also humility to receive this grace. Jesus alone can be my righteousness. Have mercy on the people. Cause this remembrance to bring the Japanese to salvation. Work in the hearts where the seeds have already been sown, where the gospel has been spoken and Christian testimonies have been witnessed. Bring them through to faith, and may Christ Jesus living out of them capture the hearts of their families, their coworkers, and their communities. In Jesus’ overcoming name.