Fame; August 2, 2023

Posted on August 3, 2023 by jgarrott

Luke 24:13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.

It struck me just now, reading this very familiar story once again, that we have the image of Jesus always being with the 12 apostles, when the reality is that it was a much more fluid group. Thomas was famously not present when Jesus showed up the first time after His resurrection but these two men were, as we’ll be reading tomorrow, and the Japanese explicitly calls them disciples. The vast majority of the saints, the believers down through the centuries, are completely anonymous to us. Even with these two men we only know the name of one of them. We like to be famous, to “make a name for ourselves,” and indeed, there are people today who are famous for being famous, and for basically no other reason. We forget that was part of the motive for building the Tower of Babel. (Genesis 11:4) It’s nice to be known and remembered, but on the human scale that is fleeting at best. We are much better off being like the little girl who, learning the Lord’s Prayer, misunderstood the words and said it as, “Our Father who art in heaven, how do You know my name?” We should be amazed and humbled at the reality that God indeed knows and cares about each of us, before we were even in the womb, (Jeremiah 1:5) and that should be enough for us.

This is very personal for me, since my immediate ancestors are included in some history books, and as a child I enjoyed being a son of a “big cheese.” However, some Southern Baptists are trying to erase the name of my maternal grandfather from denominational history because he supported women in ministry, and fewer and fewer people remember the name of my father, though he was awarded a high honor from the emperor at the time of his death. I need to be totally fine with that. I doubt I’ll forget the time I was introduced to someone by the president of Nagasaki Rehabilitation College where I was teaching as, “This is Mr. Garrott. He’s no big deal, but his father was really something.” I still laugh at that! As I write fairly often, my ultimate goal in life is to hear my Lord say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21) Fame among men is meaningless, apart from however it might point people to Christ, as did Billy Graham.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s very timely as I’m approaching retirement. Help me indeed live for Your accolades alone, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Applying Faith; August 1, 2023

Posted on August 2, 2023 by jgarrott

Luke 24:11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.

I just had a revelation about the Japanese language. The term used where the NIV says “believe” is usually translated into English as “trust,” but I just realized the characters used mean, “believe and make use of.” It’s the term used for “bank and trust company.” The thing that hit me is that we can think we believe something, but if we don’t act on it, can we really say we believe it? Far too much of our theology is theoretical; we don’t put it into practice. We say we believe various things, but until push comes to shove, those things don’t become real to us. The apostles considered what the women told them to be nonsense, so they weren’t about to act on it. The closest exception mentioned here was Peter, though we know from John’s account that he went to the tomb also. I feel that Peter actually going to the tomb prepared him for the personal visit he had from Jesus, (1 Corinthians 15:5) because it was applying the hope – not yet faith – that Jesus might be other than the abused corpse Peter had last seen. We need to examine what we believe and strive to put that faith into action in our daily lives. If we don’t trust God’s Word enough to live it out, can we really say we believe it?

This is certainly a question for me as well. I am considered a theologian by many, an “expert” on the Bible and the things of God, but if I’m not applying the truth that is in my head, I can’t say it’s really the faith that sustains me. That’s why I’m very grateful for the SOAP system of devotions that I’ve been following ever since I heard Wayne Cordeiro explain it. Scripture is obvious enough, since devotions include reading the Bible. Observation is logical, but can be very subjective without the guidance of Holy Spirit. However, it’s Application where the rubber hits the road: what am I going to do about what I think God is saying through the passage? (Interestingly, that’s exactly the section I’m in at this very moment! The final step is Prayer.) If I don’t apply what God says to me, then I’m like the son who told his father, “Yes, I’ll do what you ask,” and then didn’t do it. (Matthew 21:28-31) To be honest, just writing that makes me examine myself carefully. As I have written before, I am certainly a man of words, but if I don’t apply those words in love, for God and for my neighbor, then I am “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” (1 Corinthians 13:1)

Father, thank You for this clear call to commitment. You are changing various things about my life at this point, but You and Your words do not change. Help me trust everything You say to me enough to act on it fully, doing Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Truth; July 31, 2023

Posted on August 1, 2023 by jgarrott

Luke 22:67-68 “If you are the Christ, ” they said, “tell us.” Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer.”

Human beings have an amazing ability to make up their minds and then close them firmly, accepting no further input. It’s quite remarkable that Jesus could be so calm under the circumstances, and that’s one of the many things that got under the skin of His enemies. They wanted Him to fear them, and He refused to do it. We see that sort of thing around us all the time. Those who lust for control often seek to gain it by generating fear in those they want to control, and it drives them bonkers when people refuse to be afraid. That’s one of the things generating the fierce opposition to Donald Trump: he isn’t afraid, period. The “deep state” has operated so long by secrecy and fear that they are driven into panic by the idea they might be exposed by those who aren’t afraid of them. Reading this story of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion should teach us that the only things new today are items of technology; the hearts of men haven’t changed. The answer is obviously to trust and obey the unchanging Creator of the universe, who loves us so much that He sent His Son to save us. Also, we need to learn from these men’s bad example and not close our minds and hearts to what God is saying to us. God reveals Himself to those with tender hearts, but when we get set in our ways He may say exactly what Jesus did here, and that would be tragic.

I have had my moments of being stubbornly convinced of things that weren’t true, and the result has never been good. I need to keep my heart in submission to the Lord in all respects, because only then will I be able to discern accurately His truth from all the lies the devil keeps throwing at me. I aspire to absolute honesty, following my father, but I’ve got to remember that was God’s policy long before my father was ever created. God is the definition of truth, just as Jesus said, (John 14:6) but those who seek to replace Him make that claim for themselves. It was a shocking eye-opener when the Prime Minister of New Zealand said, several months ago, “It’s not true unless the government tells it to you.” She’s out of office now, but she’s been given teaching offers at American institutions of “higher education.” I am to speak the truth in love, and never back down when I am accused of “hate speech” simply because what I say doesn’t agree with demonic fantasies.

Father, thank You for Jesus’ example in all things. Thank You also that You don’t have me in the US, particularly in academia, where I would probably be in constant conflict. Keep me from seeking out conflict. Rather, enable me to speak Your truth effectively so as to open people’s eyes, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Change; July 30, 2023

Posted on July 31, 2023 by jgarrott

Luke 22:36 He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.”

I’m pretty confident I’ve never written on this verse before! What strikes me is that different circumstances call for different activities and even attitudes. That’s one of the big dangers in legalism. There are of course absolute truths, unchanging principles that we must never take lightly, but rigidity in lesser things benefits no one. We are to trust God in all things, but that doesn’t mean we are to go off half-cocked, ignoring the things God has already provided. “Seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33) doesn’t mean running around with our eyes shut to the world around us. Much has been made in some quarters about what Jesus said here about swords. At the very least, it knocks a hole in some of the arguments of gun control advocates. However, that’s just one factor here. “A purse” certainly indicates finances, and “a bag” indicates other material supplies. Paul rightly spoke against loving money, (1 Timothy 6:10) as did Jesus, (Luke 16:13) but we aren’t to despise it, either. Like everything else, it is to be used appropriately. The famous passage from Ecclesiastes comes to mind, with its declaration that there is a time for everything. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) The risk here is in using this to excuse behavior that is not pleasing or honoring to God. We are to listen to God faithfully, and as accurately as He enables us to do so. Every other voice, and particularly our own habits and predilections, is to be muted and subservient to Him.

This is very timely for me, with the various changes involved in my retiring from school teaching. I’m not retiring from the pastorate yet, though that will come eventually. What I will never retire from is serving God. The form, the schedule that will take is not yet clear, but I am to stay open to whatever the Lord brings my way. I’ve got to remember that only God is unchanging, and that’s good. Some changes I dread, some I look forward to, and some are totally unexpected, but if my heart is fixed on my Lord, none of that will shake me.

Father, thank You for this timely Word. Thank You for the Hong Kong team that will be here today, and for the event in Takeo this afternoon. Help me not be uptight about any of it, but rather flow with Your Spirit on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Consequences of Sin; July 29, 2923

Posted on July 30, 2023 by jgarrott

Luke 19:27 “‘But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them–bring them here and kill them in front of me.'”

For the modern reader this is a very jarring statement, particularly since Jesus said it in a parable that explicitly points to Him. We’re back to John 3:18-21. In a sense we have been pampered by democracy, just as we have forgotten that slavery originally had nothing to do with race, but has been endemic since the dawn of history. It took many centuries after the birth of the Church for Biblical ideas of morality and human worth to take root. We don’t realize how revolutionary and counter-cultural the Bible really is! Jesus’ hearers at the time He said this probably took it as a matter of course, since that’s the way most rulers acted in those days. This all feeds into our idea of hell. Today many people say, “God would never do that to us,” but when Jesus was actually teaching on it, people said, “Of course He would.” The Biblical picture of God reluctantly letting people choose their fate was actually revolutionary at the time. Even there, those who would not choose Jesus as Lord were promised nothing good, just as in this parable. We have far too soft a concept of sin, of rebellion against God, and that leaves us with a very distorted picture of God’s grace. We shouldn’t need to have the experience of being the captain of a slaving ship to realize how amazing God’s grace really is.

I have certainly been in the place of taking my sins lightly, excusing them with all sorts of mental gymnastics. That’s dangerous indeed! I must never forget the time God showed me my heart, just for a moment, and I realized just how filthy it was, how utterly unfit for His presence. The crazy thing is, the devil has indeed managed to block it from my memory, if only briefly, as he has tempted me with various things. I can say, with deep gratitude, that I honestly and earnestly desire the Lordship of Jesus Christ in every area of my life. It’s just that it hasn’t been manifested completely yet. I am very aware that God uses flawed vessels. If that weren’t the case, everyone would be disqualified! However, I must strive to maintain the humble gratitude that will keep me available to Him. I am at another pivotal point in my life, with retirement coming upon me. I am to keep myself available before my Lord for whatever He wants to do – or not do – with me, for His glory alone.

Father, thank You for this reminder. May my every day in this body be spent doing Your will, on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank you. Hallelujah!

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Knowing the Future; July 28, 2023

Posted on July 29, 2023 by jgarrott

Luke 18:34 The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.

Sometimes it’s better that we don’t know what’s going on. Jesus needed to tell His disciples about the immediate future so that after it happened they could remember what he had said and be better able to understand events, and I think He also needed to be able to vent it for His own sake, because having that sort of thing looming would be enormously high stress. However, had the disciples grasped what He was saying, they would quickly have hatched all sorts of plans to prevent it, and that would have been disastrous. There’s a reason the Bible talks so much about faith! We need to trust that A, God is real, B, He has a plan for everything, C, that plan is good, (Jeremiah 29:11) and D, He isn’t going to drop us in the middle of it all. Often He says things to us that don’t really register until later, just as happened with the disciples here. That doesn’t mean we’re deficient, it just means we don’t need to understand those things yet. That in itself is a blow to our pride, but such pride just gets in the way anyway, so blows to it are to be welcomed! Many, many people have wanted to know when the Lord is going to return, starting with the first disciples. (Acts 1:6-7) As Jesus said then, that’s not for us to know ahead of time. We just need to be spiritually prepared so that when it does happen, it will be wonderful and not disaster for us. That’s actually how we need to be about everything, up to and including our own death. It’s as we grow spiritually that we are able to release everything to God and serve Him unhindered and with joy.

This is extremely timely for me. Yesterday was my last day of teaching in the Speech Therapy Department of Nagasaki Rehabilitation College, and as I left the building the staff and 2nd year students lined the hall and presented me with a huge bouquet of flowers. I was certainly touched, but it’s going to be a bit weird going back next week to give exams! I’ve ended jobs before but never retired, and the feelings are complex. It’s all the more complicated because I’ll be teaching in the nursing school from September and teaching the 1st year Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy students from October, but all of those will wind up within the calendar year. It’s not fun feeling old! I’m realizing what a blessing it was to my father that the Lord took him home at 64, and he never had to retire. I’m also realizing that it can be a curse to have no responsibility, but at the same time I know that I always have the responsibility to listen obediently to my Lord, whatever He is telling me to do. It’s been several years now since He told me to rest, relax, and rejoice. I need to remember and apply that now, and delight in His grace and love.

Father, thank You for this clear Word. I don’t like feeling unimportant, but my importance to You hasn’t changed in the least. Help me recognize each task You have for me at the appropriate time, not being anxious about it ahead of time, and do it with my whole heart for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Persistence; July 27, 2023

Posted on July 28, 2023 by jgarrott

Luke 18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

This is an extremely important counterpoint to Jesus’ repeated teaching on faith. His various remarks about “faith as small as a mustard seed” (Matthew 17:20. Luke 17:6) and the like can easily give us complexes about the worthlessness of our own faith. The parable that follows this verse is more explicit than most, because Jesus explains it immediately, without having to be asked to do so. In recent years Americans have become more familiar with “unjust judges” than we would like to be, but in some countries that’s par for the course. Regardless, Jesus’ point is persistence. We need to keep trusting God regardless of what our senses and intellect are telling us. We tend to “figure things out” and predict in our mind how things are going to be, and Jesus is saying not to do that. Rather, we are to keep trusting God, letting go of our scheduling demands. The better we know God and His character, the less anxious we will be.  After all, as Paul said, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) We are back to Jesus’ famous words about priorities: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) We won’t see the fulfillment of God’s kingdom on this earth while we are in this life, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be manifested at all, and it certainly doesn’t mean we aren’t to keep praying for it.

As I have written before, my parents went to their reward without seeing the massive revival in Japan for which they prayed and labored, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t coming, or that their prayers and labors had no effect. I am in that same specific struggle, and I too am not to give up. Sometimes I wish I knew God’s timetable, but at other times I realize it’s good that I don’t. I’m to keep ministering as though the next person I talk to were going to be the trigger that brings revival, because they might be. I am to recognize without shame that I cannot bring it about in my own strength and wisdom, but at the same time remember that absolutely nothing is impossible for God. His strength and wisdom are literally in a much higher dimension than mine! I am to focus on daily faithfulness, trusting God to do what is best on His schedule, not trying to dictate to Him but asking, seeking, and knocking without giving up, so that I may somehow be useful to Him in accomplishing His will for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I’m very aware of schedules at the moment, since today I have my last Speech Therapy classes before my retirement at the end of this school year. You know my emotional involvement with that, and You also know what impact I have had on my students over the years, far better than I do. I pray that their memories of me would draw them to You, causing them to become Your disciples indeed, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Duty; July 26, 2023

Posted on July 27, 2023 by jgarrott

Luke 17:10 “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'”

This section, from verse seven, runs directly counter to current American culture. Americans are all about entitlement! That someone would come in from a long day of outside work and then be expected to wait on their employer before they got any refreshment themselves would be seen as cruel and unusual, but it was the order of the day back then. Everyone today wants to be patted on the head and told what a good job they’ve done, and then get at least a participation trophy. Jesus was having none of that. This verse is a stern re­minder to every believer, since we are all supposed to be serving God. We don’t like the idea of “duty,” the idea of something that it is our place to do whether we like it or not. That was big in Victorian England, and Gilbert and Sullivan made fun of it in several of their comedy operettas. However, it’s actually no laughing matter. How many people can actually say they’ve done everything God told them to do, much less gone above and beyond? God is incredibly gracious, and will indeed reward everything we do for Him, (Ephesians 6:8) but if our focus is on the reward rather than obedience, we have misplaced priorities. We need to serve God because He is more than worthy of everything we could do for or give to Him, since He is the One who enables it all in the first place. It is only when we grasp that that we can understand His grace, which is poured out so freely.

I have meditated on this verse multiple times in the past, and I always come to the conclusion that I have absolutely no room to complain about anything. I certainly can’t claim to have done everything God has told me to do! I’ve had people seem very impressed with me because I’m a “real live missionary,” but what’s unusual about living and serving in the land where I was born? I have sought to be obedient, but I know I’ve missed various cues along the way, not to mention getting lazy and/or giving up multiple times. My highest goal is to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” (Matthew 25:21) but I hardly think I’ve earned it, since I haven’t even done everything I was told. I am sharply aware of my own inadequacies, but I am even more aware of God’s grace and love. He has told me to rest, relax, and rejoice, and failing to do so would be disobedience!

Father, thank You for all You’ve enabled me to do in recent days, and that today’s schedule is open. Help me not waste this day but spend it as You desire of me, whether that be in activity or rest, so that Your purposes may be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Wealth; July 25, 2023

Posted on July 26, 2023 by jgarrott

Luke 16:13 “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

This is a justly famous verse, but it is actively ignored by far too many people, for the same reason given for the Pharisees disliking it: people love money! The irony is that even secular psychologists say that after a certain level wealth has no positive effect on happiness, and often has a negative effect. Happy wealthy people are all focused on things other than their wealth, as witness Elon Musk. Wealth, however it’s counted, is one of the oldest idols. From the dawn of history there have been countless people who have sacrificed everything else to gain it, but as Jesus said elsewhere, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” (Luke 9:25) It is in serving God that we discover the reason for our existence, and only then do we gain true peace, satisfaction, and joy. Playing with rivals to God, like wealth, never benefits us.

I’m thankful that wealth has never loomed very big in my awareness. It’s not just that I’ve never been wealthy, money has just never been that big an issue with me. I’ve certainly had times when I wanted more, but from the point when Cathy and I made the firm decision to tithe first, before any other expenses, at a time when we really didn’t have money, God has supplied every one of our needs, often in surprising and sometimes in miraculous ways. Neither Cathy nor I grew up in what would be called affluent circumstances, but neither of us grew up feeling poor. I certainly credit our parents in that. Cathy’s parents in particular had some really hard times financially, but they didn’t telegraph that to their children, and all four went to college, when that was far from universal where they lived. In my case, in post-war Japanese society you could have said we lived an affluent lifestyle, driving an American car and living in a large house with a large yard (that didn’t belong to us but to the mission board), but on missionary salaries my parents had to be very careful with expenditures, and we were taught frugality by example. All of that is not to say that I’ve never let anything get ahead of God in my priorities. I have, however, learned that serving Him meets every one of my genuine needs, because He is a loving, generous Master.

Father, thank You for the privilege of serving You, and for the true wealth that You pour out on me. I do pay attention to my bank account here, but I know on the deepest level that my account with You is far more important and valuable. May that account draw the interest that You intend, so that Your purposes may be accomplished in and through me for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Treasure; July 24, 2023

Posted on July 25, 2023 by jgarrott

Luke 12:34 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Every one of us has things we consider treasure, whether we think in those terms or not. Finances are of course common, as are houses and stocks and cars and assorted expensive things. Objectively, it’s easy to see that fixating on those things makes us emotionally and spiritually poorer. Then there are the less financially-connected things, like mementos and photographs and the like. Some of those might rise to the category of heirlooms, but we still cling even to those that don’t. Moving even further from finances, there are people, and even pets. We have great difficulty accepting emotionally that all these things are given to us for a time, but aren’t permanent. That doesn’t mean they aren’t valuable and aren’t to be treated as such, but it does mean that we are to hold all things loosely. It is only when our ultimate value, our greatest treasure, is God and His kingdom that we have lasting security, because they will never end. It is when we treasure our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ above and beyond anything and everything else that we have real stability. There are extreme examples of this in the world even today. Within the past couple of days video was released of an incident that happened a little earlier this year in India, where men of a Hindu tribal group stripped three women of a Christian tribal group naked, paraded them down the street, and then at least the youngest was led into a field and gang raped. That 20-year-old woman could be essentially destroyed, but if her heart is indeed fixed on Christ and His kingdom, she will be healed. When times are easy we don’t think about where our treasure is, and it’s very easy to let all sorts of things take the place in our heart that belongs only to God. That’s why hard times can actually be the best times, because they force us to look at what is really valuable, and reorient our priorities.

I’ve had assorted things that I’ve valued over the years, but I’m thankful that my parents weren’t materialistic and so I didn’t have a bad example here. I would say that my wife is my greatest visible treasure, but I’m very aware that physically speaking we are both quite temporary. After all, she’s already died and been sent back once! I desire that God be my highest and first priority, and indeed my morning devotion times are extremely important to me, but I still have to admit that other things impinge on that at times. I want to do God’s will, but sometimes I wish He’d lay out an easier course for me! Yesterday I got tied in knots over things I considered criticisms or even attacks, and as a result made mistakes that further inconvenienced me. That shows that I still treasure my pride, and that’s something I thought was dealt with years ago! I still have plenty of room to let go of everything and cling only to my Lord, knowing that He has firm hold of me, (Philippians 3:12) letting Him be my true treasure.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that You keep teaching me and growing me in various ways. Thank You that I’ll be guiding an American short-term missions team around Nagasaki City today. I ask for physical and emotional endurance, that I would be a blessing to them and help them focus on why they are here, so that as they go on to another area tomorrow they may be in step with what You have for them, for the sake of the Body of Christ and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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