Gratitude; May 15, 2023

Posted on May 16, 2023 by jgarrott

Psalm 146:5-6 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea,
and everything in them–
the Lord, who remains faithful forever.

The English and Japanese divide the verses differently here, but the point is clear: God is worthy of our faith, our hope, our trust. When we rely on Him we are blessed indeed. In a sense, you could say that the way to receive blessing is to recognize that you are already blessed. I’m reminded of a scene in The Last Battle, the last book in the Narnia series by C. S. Lewis. A group of dwarves have made it into heaven, but they are sitting around in a circle with their eyes closed, grumbling instead of exploring and rejoicing in their new eternal home. When we recognize and appreciate all that God has already done for us in Christ, the negatives of life recede greatly in importance and we can more easily recognize the blessings He continues to pour out on us each day. This Psalm goes on to chronicle various things God does for people, stressing the point that God is more than worthy of total faith and obedience. We are all too prone to say, even if not out loud, “But what has He done for me lately?” If we didn’t feel so entitled, we’d recognize an abundance of grace and mercy. Many studies have shown that gratitude is the key to happiness. It is when we start trying to dictate how God is to bless us, and get ticked when He doesn’t follow our scenario, that we become miserable in spite of the blessings we have been given. As Paul said, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1 Timothy 6:6) That is part of an extended section on the pitfalls of loving money, which is antithetical to the attitude commended by the Psalmist.

I had an excellent example here, being raised by parents who loved God above all else and rejoiced in the privilege of serving Him. As a missionary family we were certainly never rich, but our needs were met, we were blessed indeed, and we knew it. I could say the same about my own life as an adult. I can testify that recognizing God’s grace is the fastest, surest path to happiness, contentment, and yes, joy. The devil tries to steal any or all of that from me any way he can, so I’m to submit to God and resist the devil. (James 4:7) As my wife and I were talking about just last night, every day brings a new attack of some sort, but God is faithful, just as the Psalmist says here. I am not to allow myself to be tied in knots by computers and computer companies (easier said than done) or anything else, for that matter. Whether our email works doesn’t govern whether God loves and cares for me!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your faithfulness to give me such reminders, because I seem to need them frequently! I do ask for wisdom and peace as I continue to track down the solution to the current email issue, with the awareness that this is totally inconsequential on the eternal scale. May I not be like those dwarves in The Last Battle, but rather rest, relax, and rejoice in You, just as You have told me to. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Practical Trust; May 14, 2023

Posted on May 15, 2023 by jgarrott

Psalm 142:3 When my spirit grows faint within me,
it is you who know my way.

This is a very important element of faith. There are times for all of us when we feel emotionally and spiritually exhausted. David was certainly familiar with those, having been hunted by King Saul. The attribution for this Psalm says, “When he was in the cave.” We might not be in a physical cave, but we might well be in a situation that seems like a dark dead end, much like a cave. Remember, they didn’t have electric lights back then. In a situation like that, it is a huge comfort to know that somebody knows the way out, and that’s exactly the terminology David uses here. We don’t always have to know what that way is ahead of time, but we do need the assurance that God knows, so we don’t need to be anxious. That is often far easier to say than to practice! However, God is as faithful to us as He was to David. As God assured Joshua, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5) When we have that assurance, we can face anything.

On a small scale I have experiences like this fairly often. Yesterday was one of those. I did a wedding in the morning and we went to the wake of a long-time friend in the evening. In the interval, a refurbished laptop I had ordered arrived, with a new, unfamiliar operating system, and then our email went out because of a configuration issue with our Internet hosting provider. On top of that, it rained all day! With all the other stresses, the computer issues really had me strung out, particularly because I’m used to being “the computer guru.” One more necessary blow to my pride! However, I am always to remember that God knows the way I am to go, even if it is totally dark to me. As He has told me, I am to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him, trusting Him and not my own understanding, (Proverbs 3:5-6) for my peace and His glory.

Father, Thank You for causing me to read the wrong Psalm this morning, because it had the message I needed! May I indeed walk in full trust, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Repeated Truth; May 13, 2023

Posted on May 14, 2023 by jgarrott

Psalm 135:18 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.

This is essentially identical to Psalm 115:8, that was part of the reading for May 5, and I mentioned it then. It’s an important truth, and it bears repeating! We sometimes get tied in knots over who first expressed a particular truth, when in the final analysis it doesn’t much matter. I ran into one in a newsletter yesterday, and the author was careful to say not to quote him as the author, because it had been expressed by multiple people before. That particular truth was, “The pain of discipline is far less than the pain of regret.” In other words, it’s far better to learn to resist temptation now than to look back and mourn the wreck you’ve made of things. There are many truths that bear repeating. That’s why we need to read the Bible daily! It is an easily observable fact that hearing or reading something once is very seldom sufficient to make a genuine change in someone. The image isn’t very delicate, but we need to have truth pounded into us! God will often repeat truth to us until we either get it or we completely rebel against Him. I don’t have to say which is the better outcome. Several years ago there was a song that dealt with this issue. I don’t remember the title, tune, or really very much of the song, but one phrase stuck with me: “Take another lap around Mt. Sinai.” It was talking about all the Israelites had to do before they could enter the Promised Land, because they were so slow to learn the things of God. We are certainly no better! When God repeats things to us we need to recognize the repeat and ask ourselves why it happened. Almost invariably it’s because we didn’t apply what He said the first time. We’re back to one of my favorite verses: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22) If we’re tired of hearing something, we need to get with the program!

My wife and I have realized that certain issues have come up repeatedly in our life, particularly in dealing with other people. God is going to keep repeating the lesson until we get a passing score! As a matter of fact, what I’ve been writing about here is precisely one of the truths of which I have to be reminded. As someone with Teacher gifting I have an emotional expectation that simply expressing truth should be sufficient, when it hardly ever is. For the past few years I’ve been studying Coaching, which takes the opposite tack, coming alongside people until they realize things for themselves, rather than having them dictated to them from above, so to speak. I’m very good at dictating from above! God is breaking me of that, but it’s a very persistent habit! However, here too God is incredibly faithful and patient. I would have given up on me a long time ago! As it is, He has told me to rest, relax, and rejoice, because He’s got it all in hand. That’s enough for me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. As with almost everything else, this isn’t the first time You’ve said this to me. Help me indeed assimilate and apply all that You say to me however You say it, so that You won’t have to repeat Yourself so much. Thank You. Praise God!

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Security; May 12, 2023

Posted on May 13, 2023 by jgarrott

Psalm 125:1-2 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people
both now and forevermore.

Security is one of the basic human drives, stronger in some people than in others but present in all of us. It starts in the womb, which is probably the most physically secure time of our lives. (That’s one of many reasons why abortion is so horrific.) That’s why a healthy new­born infant will generally flail around: they are searching for those secure walls that used to enclose them. That’s precisely the image here, with the mountains around Jerusalem. The thing is, infants get born, and no longer have the womb. Providing emotional security, and an appropriate degree of physical security, is a huge part of good parenting. The thing is, the world is a dangerous place. Rather than a guarantee of security, we have rather the opposite. Even so, this passage is true, because of the one phrase, “trust in the Lord.” That’s why, when Jesus was cautioning the disciples just before His crucifixion He said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) When we understand who and what and where we are in Christ, we have the security of an infant in the womb. However rough we might have it here, the time will come when we will be “born” into God’s presence in heaven, and as Paul said, “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17) Disease, deprivation, even martyrdom, will be as nothing when we experience the glory of our Lord. That is security!

This is something I am more and more convinced of, even if I do need occasional reminders. The two New Testament verses I’ve quoted have long been favorites of mine, and I quote them frequently in messages. That awareness certainly makes things much easier to endure! On the physical level I’ve experienced disease and injury, on the emotional level I’ve experienced rejection and betrayal, and on the economic level I’ve been out of work and had a car repossessed, but none of those will have any weight whatsoever when I stand before my Lord. That is security, and I am deeply grateful. God has been incredibly gracious to me, and as He told Paul, His grace is indeed sufficient; I need nothing else. (2 Corinthians 12:9) I can walk through life in complete security, and that is glorious!

Father, thank You for this reminder. This needs to be a message to the congregation, but the one I’ve already prepared is indeed what You want for this coming Sunday. Show me when and how to share this, so that it may reach the heart of each person who needs to receive it, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Power of the Word; May 11, 2023

Posted on May 12, 2023 by jgarrott

Psalm 119:133 Direct my footsteps according to your word;
let no sin rule over me.

When we fail to recognize sin for what it is, it can get its roots into us to the point that we are controlled by it. It doesn’t take much perception to see that many, many people are exactly that way. An expression taken from the King James translation of Hebrews 12:1 is “besetting sin.” That means a sin that we just can’t seem to shake off. That’s exactly what the Psalmist is talking about here. The answer to such issues is always the Word of God, which is why the devil has always done everything he could to discredit the Bible. The devil’s power is lies, and lies can’t stand in the face of God’s truth. That’s why Jesus said, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) However, we have to accept the truth for what it is in order to receive its benefits. That’s why people who are truly ruled by their sins deny the Bible, either that it is valid or that it applies to them. An incident came up just recently where a school faculty member was caught hiding the Bibles that were in the faculty lounge, because she didn’t want the other faculty members to be reading them. That showed that she knew full well she was in violation of the truth contained in the Bible! In Japan there is no such public awareness of the Bible as the Word of God, but that doesn’t change what it is. We need to let the Bible “dwell in us richly” (Colossians 3:16) for it to set us free from all the lies of the enemy.

I’ve been very familiar with the Bible from childhood, but that doesn’t mean I’ve always lived by it. As I preached this past Sunday, I’ve got to apply it, live it out, for it to be effective. However, I have found that God is incredibly faithful. I find I have more and more empathy with whoever wrote Psalm 119, because I have yet to experience anything the Bible didn’t speak to, and I’m sure I never will. I have had my struggles with “besetting sin,” and it was the Bible that set me free. 2 Peter 1:9 broke through and gave me the revelation that God’s forgiveness is absolute: when I am cleansed, I am cleansed. The name, “Satan,” means “the accuser,” and I realized that because of the power of the cross, his accusations about already-con­fessed sins were meaningless. That broke the power of the sin in question, and it could no longer rule over me. I was then free to walk as the Lord directed me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Yesterday I thought I knew what I was speaking on this coming Sunday, but now I think it’s this, since this is a pressing issue for many. Help me be faithful to share Your Word exactly as You intend, under the power of Your Spirit, so that all of Your purposes for it may be fulfilled indeed, (Isaiah 55:10-11) for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Perfection; May 10, 2023

Posted on May 11, 2023 by jgarrott

Psalm 119:96 To all perfection I see a limit;
but your commands are boundless.

Perfection is an interesting thing. On the one hand we find it exquisite, but then it can become boring. Likewise, different people can have completely different concepts of perfection. For some people, mathematics is the highest expression of perfection, but other people want nothing to do with it. Physical beauty, in people or animals, can seem perfect indeed, but experience certainly teaches us that it is fleeting. And again there, the standards by which such perfection is judged vary widely with culture and era. As the Psalmist declares, we have to get into the realm of the divine to really grasp the idea of perfection. The closest physical parallel I can think of is astronomy, where better telescopes keep showing us more and more with incredible beauty, teaching us the concept of infinity. As Isaiah proclaimed and Peter later quoted, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8, 1 Peter 1:24-25) We need the awareness of God’s perfection so that we won’t get lazy and self-satisfied. That’s why Jesus told us, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) The longer we live the better we understand how impossible that is, but that also teaches us the magnificence of the Gospel. It is totally impossible for us, but “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) Walking with God is a continuous acknowledgement of our own imperfection and an acceptance of the perfection that He offers us in His Son. It is totally grace, so there is absolutely no room for pride. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

This is something that on the one hand I have known for as long as I can remember, and on the other hand I am learning day by day. Perfection is always desirable, but on this earth it is at best fleeting. I am reminded of a tribe of Indigenous people in Panama who weave exquisite blankets, but they always include a deliberate imperfection in the design because only God is perfect. I have no need to be deliberate in my imperfections, because I have plenty of them! As the Bible tells us in many places, we become like what we worship, what we fix our attention on. My desire and my goal is to be so focused on my Lord that I increasingly reflect Him, even as Paul said. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Often I’m painfully aware of my imperfections! Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in the assurance that, as impossible as perfection is for me, it is Your natural state of being, and You have made me Yours. Thank You. Praise God!

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Interaction; May 9, 2023

Posted on May 10, 2023 by jgarrott

Psalm 119:74 May those who fear you rejoice when they see me,
for I have put my hope in your word.

Some people are encouraging to be around. Particularly when we encounter people who exemplify traits that we would like to have, we are spurred to demonstrate such traits ourselves. That’s one of many reasons the New Testament says so much about “one another.” The devil doesn’t want us to be encouraged, so he does all he can to keep us apart. The recent pandemic was very much part of his schemes, not just for the actual deaths but particularly as a tool to keep people apart from each other. We need to take this as a lesson not to let fear keep us apart. The elderly were particularly vulnerable, but they have a higher probability of dying in the first place, and the numbers of people who were forced to die alone is tragic indeed. Of course, the devil attacked churches, and some governments forbade churches to meet while they allowed liquor stores, and even big discount stores, to stay open. The biggest shock in that was the number of Christians who went along with it! Paul said, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing,” (1 Thessalonians 5:11) but the best statement on the subject is found in Hebrews: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25) We need to be with people who put their hope in Christ!

We have had visitors from overseas recently, both expected and unexpected, and it has struck me how they have delighted in and been encouraged by getting to know Cathy and me. Seeing God’s grace to us, they have realized that same grace is available to them. When we are this blessed at this age, they realize they can be too! The Japanese for this verse is an expectation: “Those who fear You will rejoice to see me.” The people who have stayed with us recently have reacted like that! This is not to be a point of personal pride for us, but rather an awareness of God’s plan that involves all of us fitting together in various ways, together defeating the enemy in ways we could not do alone.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for our recent interactions. Thank You also for the meeting I could attend yesterday, seeing people I don’t get with very often, including a brother who hasn’t been here in four years because of the pandemic. Left to myself I often prefer to be left to myself. Help me recognize that as weakness, and be the part of the Body of Christ that You want me to be, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Freedom; May 8, 2023

Posted on May 9, 2023 by jgarrott

Psalm 119:45 I will walk about in freedom,
for I have sought out your precepts.

Of all the nations on earth, America is probably the one most founded on, and obsessed with, freedom. However, the devil has been working overtime to pervert that very concept, to the point that many people equate freedom with perversion. The Japanese for this verse doesn’t use the word, freedom, but rather says, “I will walk about broadly,” that is, without restrictions. However you translate the first half of the verse, it is the second half that gives the secret: seeking God’s precepts, His rules for life. The average person equates religion with restrictions, but that’s another of the devil’s lies. In actual fact, God’s rules free us from the chains of sin and death. As Paul said, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17) John pointed out, “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.” (1 John 5:3-4) We want to be overcomers, but we don’t want to follow God’s guidelines. How self-defeating! It is only in Christ that we are truly free from the flesh and the world – which also teaches us that we have trouble abiding in Christ in this life. That’s one of the things that make heaven so inviting! Until that time, we achieve the greatest freedom by focusing on Christ and following Him. “What Would Jesus Do” has had periods of popularity as a slogan, but we need to remember that Jesus was totally obedient to His Father, and the more we emulate that the freer we are to be and do exactly what we were created for, for our greatest blessing and God’s glory.

Of course this applies to me as much as it does to anyone else. I don’t do a lot of things that some people find enjoyable, but I do other things that bring me, I’m convinced, far more real joy that they know nothing about. I have known the Bible from childhood, but that doesn’t mean I’ve always been true to it. The more I walk in step with my Lord, the more freedom I experience. As the Bill Gaither song says, “The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.” Like everyone else, I chafe at restrictions of various sorts, but I have found that obedience to God brings genuine freedom, and I am deeply grateful.

Father, thank You for the freedom that comes from You alone. Thank You for opening the way through your Son to freedom from sin and death. Help me be more effective in letting people know of that freedom and inviting them into it, so that the devil’s works may be destroyed indeed, (1 John 3:8) and multitudes be set free to be Your children, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Salvation; May 7, 2023

Posted on May 8, 2023 by jgarrott

Psalm 118:14 The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.

In a way this Psalm seems almost like a “best hits collection” of lines from other Psalms. That said, it has some pretty good lines in it! In this verse, the Japanese specifies “song of praise,” rather than just “song.” That makes it clear, to me at least, that the focus is truly on the Lord, rather than just singing because you’re happy. The second half of the verse, however, is what holds some deep meaning. God is salvation indeed, as Jesus’ name proclaims. However, He doesn’t become my salvation until I acknowledge Him and commit myself to Him. This is always the issue, particularly in culturally Christian places like the US. That’s why evangelism is so different in different places. The techniques taught in the US rarely work in Japan, for example, because Japanese have no cultural concept of “salvation” apart from the strictly material. For that matter, the whole concept is missing from Buddhism, with the ultimate “good” being Mu, or nothingness. To go back to this verse, it is when we recognize that any strength we might have comes from our Creator and we respond by singing praise to Him, that we enter into the relationship that allows us to receive His full salvation.

As thoroughly rooted in faith and the Bible as I am, I still need to check my focus to be sure I walk in God’s salvation. It is too easy to drift into “business as usual,” presuming rather than pursuing, and that can cut me off from a lot that God intends for me. As I have written before, even as a missionary I had a period, when we had lost our regular prayer support, that what I was doing with the church was more like a hobby than my vocation, my commission from God. That was certainly not good! Just recently I have made the decision to retire from school teaching at the end of the current school year (in March). My “church work” hasn’t been my financial support for the past 42 years, but that decision will also put a point on my use of time. I don’t know what plans the Lord has for me from next April, but I am sure they are good and I want to be faithful in fulfilling my part in them. He is indeed my salvation, and I want Him to be that for as many others as possible.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your plans, and for including me in them. May I not deviate from them, but allow You to manifest Your salvation in, around, and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Witnesses; May 6, 2023

Posted on May 7, 2023 by jgarrott

Psalm 116:1-2 I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.

It is interesting to me that such a beautiful and often-quoted Psalm would be completely anonymous. Verse 10 and verse 15 are quoted in the New Testament and today, but we don’t know who wrote the words. What we do know, however, is that the writer had a personal experience of and relationship with his Creator. That’s what we all need, more than anything else, and that’s what makes this Psalm beautiful and memorable. When we speak of “faith” it often seems theoretical, impractical even, but you can’t say that about being a witness. Courts of law are very strict about the distinction between personal witness and hearsay. Far too many Christians have only a hearsay testimony. That’s why Jesus said that we would be witnesses after the Holy Spirit came on us. (Acts 1:8) It has rightly been said that you can change the mind of a person who has an opinion, but you can’t change the mind of someone who has an experience. That is sadly only partly true, because the devil does all he can to convince us that our experiences of God are only our imagination, that they didn’t really happen. After all, “voices in your head” is practically the definition of insanity! (Actually, demonic voices are a very real and dangerous issue, but that’s another discussion.) Like the writer of this Psalm, we need to recognize how God interacts with us, meeting our needs and expressing His love for us in many different ways, and respond accordingly. If we will do that, we will have many testimonies, and the Bible tells us such testimonies enable us to overcome the devil . (Revelation 12:11)

Just last week Hank Gruver was exhorting us to experience God and talk about it, because our testimony would draw others to desire to know God themselves. He was right! I have experienced God more times and in more ways than I could recount, and I love to talk about it, but Japanese tend to have such strong ethnic identity that they don’t think they can have what I have, simply because we look different. Thankfully that’s neither universal nor absolute, but it is certainly a hindrance to evangelism. That’s why I seek to encourage the Japanese believers to press in for more of God, not just to experience Him more themselves but so that they can share those experiences with those around them. There’s a huge cultural barrier there as well, because Japanese tend to be very private, and religion simply isn’t a topic of conversation, particularly in contrast to some other countries. However, nothing is impossible for God, and I’m to keep witnessing, keep praying, and trust God for the harvest.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the message You’ve given me for tomorrow, reminding people of what they heard last week and encouraging them to put it into practice. May we indeed be people who do Your Word and not just listen to it, so that we may be transformed as You know we need to be, for our blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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