Nonogaki Reports – September 2020

A Daily Devotional Thought to Members and Family – Sept 1, 2020

Some Christians have a great desire to grow spiritually while others have lost theirs. Even non-Christians have such a desire and interest in Christianity. I have been sending a daily devotional thought to those (both members and non-Christian friends) who requested it. They told me that they were encouraged by it daily.

From January to July I use the Gospel of John. From August I just started the Sermon on the Mount. I usually don’t skip any verse unless it is very trivial. It is a very short one, a couple of verses with a short application of the passage.

This daily routine has been good for me too. As I begin my work at the office with a devotional thought, I pray for members and friends.

A Recent Lesson on Juda Iscariot – September 1, 2020

There are two people in the Bible who denied the Lord Jesus Christ publicly. They are Judas and Peter. But the other disciples maybe not much different from two of them in the sight of God. After all “all the disciples left him and fled” anyway (Matt. 26:56).

However, only Judas Iscariot is capitalized as a betrayer. Although Peter’s denial of the Lord is recorded in the Bible, his denial is not as bad as that of Judas. I have met many people who are named after many biblical names such as David, Peter, and Paul. But I have never met a person named Judas. Have you? But there may be one in the world named after Judas Iscariot.

Last week I spoke on the life of Judas. We thought about his motives, his way of repentance, and his free will. Also, we thought about how God judged him.

Next week I will speak about the life of Peter.

Reading a Good Book – September 19, 2020

I have just started reading How to Stop Worrying and Start Living written by Dale Carnegie. This is the second book written by him for me. The first one is How to Win Friends and Influence People. Both of them are classic for self-development. I have learned a lot from the first one. In many parts of these books, Christian principles are applied.

In this age and time, very aggressive and assertive, we Christians need to go back to the golden rule. Many people and even many Christians think it is good to get ahead of others and get your own way. I’m not really sure if God approves of this kind of attitude.

What do you think about my opinion? I would like to hear from you.

Preaching from the Gospel of John – September 19, 2020

I have been preaching from the Gospel of John since May of last year. It has been long, but I will finish it sometime in October.

The words “faith” and “believe” are probably used more than 100 times in this book. Although the word love does not appear as much as these two words, I think most of us feel how much Jesus loves us and cares about us.

Probably most of us do not respond to him and his love in a way we are expected to by God. I humbly bow down before God to pray for his mercy.

The Bible was written thousands of years ago, but we still feel the love of God by reading this ancient book. But sometimes I wonder if we truly understand his love toward us, especially in this age and time, when we live in a chaotic world.

I think Jesus calls us to trust in Him and not to be anxious about anything. It is already September 2020. 2021 will be coming soon before you know it. I wouldn’t be surprised that some crazy things take place next year because the evil power is so active that it permeates in the world. Who knows?

I hope you will have blessed days in the rest of the year. Be safe and healthy.