Blessings in Trials; February 4, 2023

Posted on February 5, 2023 by jgarrott

Philippians 1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you.

It is hardly surprising that essentially the entire book of Philippians came up when I was researching Scriptures on The Joy of the Lord. For the next few days we’ll essentially be reading through this letter of Paul to a congregation with which he obviously had a very special relationship. It is worth noting how this congregation started, as recorded in Acts 16. I feel sure Paul felt it was more than worth it to suffer the beating and imprisonment he had there in order to gain such a group of spiritual children. Often our times of greatest trial bring us the greatest blessings. After all, Jesus’ scourging, crucifixion, and death brought about salvation that is available to all mankind! Recently I was talking with a vibrant Christian who was sharing how they had gone through a period of extreme trial, including homelessness, and then said, “That was an amazing year. It wasn’t much fun at the time, but it was amazing.” We are touched and blessed to hear the stories of all sorts of saints, but we don’t necessarily think about how it was for them to live through all of that.

God doesn’t pick on us. I have no idea how many times I’ve said that to others, but it’s something I need to remember consistently myself. Right now I’m going through a “painful trial” myself, but I am already recognizing some of the blessings God has planned for me in it. Yesterday I got the stitches out from the surgery on my arm to repair the break in my wrist. The x-rays show that things are going well as far as the break itself goes, but the tissues all around it, going all the way to above my elbow, are still very tender and painful. I have no way of knowing how much of that is from the original fall and injury and how much is from the manipulation involved in the surgery, but that makes no difference in the level of pain. The thing is, it doesn’t matter. This is a situation God has allowed in His gracious plan for me, and I am to be grateful. I am learning how to let others do things for me, as well as how to work through pain to accomplish what needs to be done. My focus on Christ and His kingdom has been sharpened, just as Peter noted. (1 Peter 4:1) My pride has been taken down another notch, and that’s always a good thing. I know that this is yet another thing for which I will be praising God in heaven, and I am blessed if I start now!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You indeed for Your overflowing, unending grace toward us, even when the circumstances of the moment aren’t pleasant. May my response to everything You allow in my life point people to You, so that they too may experience Your eternal salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

In Step with the Spirit; February 3, 2023

Posted on February 4, 2023 by jgarrott

Galatians 5:25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

When everything but the list of the sins of the flesh is underlined in my Bible in both languages, from verse 13 through the end of the chapter, it’s not easy to settle on just one verse! The list of the fruit of the Spirit in verses 22-23 is something I memorized in both languages as a child. However, I think this verse resonates with me most strongly at the moment. For once I really like the turn of phrase in the NIV. The Japanese says, “led by the Spirit,” but “keep in step” is something I can really identify with. Our lives generally have a rhythm to them, patterns we settle into without thinking much about them. To me this verse says to let the Holy Spirit set the rhythm, and then follow it. Making conscious decisions about everything quickly becomes exhausting. I think this verse is telling us to let the Spirit be our “autopilot,” our “self-driving mode,” and to get our flesh out of the driver’s seat.

I identify so strongly with “keeping in step” because I was first in a marching band in the 4th grade, and was in various bands on through college. By the time I got into the Army, marching was so natural to me that I was quickly chosen to call cadence for the other recruits in basic training. However, I have also learned that keeping in step with the people around you isn’t nearly as beneficial or important as keeping in step with the Spirit. Around the time I was in college the idea of “marching to the beat of a different drummer” was seen as something of a romantic ideal, and was claimed by many of the hippies of the day. Sadly, I could see that their “drummer” was just the devil in a different outfit. Right now, dealing with physical injury, I am very aware of how demanding  of attention the flesh can be. Pain can make me self-centered and short with those around me. That doesn’t feel good! I certainly don’t want to add emotional or even spiritual pain to my physical pain. My current circumstances are further training in ignoring the other “beats” around me in order to keep in step with the Spirit.

Father, thank you for this time of training. I pray that I would not rebel against it, but rather learn all that You are wanting to teach me, to make me a more obedient son and better servant, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Speaking Truth; February 2, 2023

Posted on February 3, 2023 by jgarrott

Gal 4:16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?

This jumped out at me because it is such a common problem these days. People lose their jobs from stating simple truths of biology! Jesus said of the devil that “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!” (John 8:44-45) It might be some comfort to realize that Jesus too had the problem of not being believed because He was telling the truth! However, that’s no reason to bow to the lies. We are always to speak in love, (Ephesians 4:15) but that doesn’t mean we are to speak the devil’s lies after him the way some are demanding we do these days. For example, it is not love to tell an addict they don’t have a problem, or that their problem is the fault of someone else. Some branches of Psychology seem to have turned into full-time lie-generating machines! The answers to problems are never found in lies. Thankfully there seems to be a groundswell of reaction against all the lies, particularly as more and more lies are being exposed, but we must be careful to always speak the truth in love, and not vindictively. That said, we must also remember another thing Jesus said: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” (John 3:19-21) “Light” here is synonymous with truth, and some people are never going to like it. Regardless, “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light [truth]; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5-7) Truth is not an option for Christians.

This naturally applies as much to me as it does to anyone else. I was thankfully raised by a father who held Absolute Honesty as one of his guiding principles, and I think it stuck. That’s certainly not to say that I’ve never lied, not to mention all the times I’ve been mistaken, but it does mean that I’ve never been comfortable with less than the truth. That raises the danger of spiritual pride, and that’s a tool of the devil too! I’ve got to remember that I don’t have a monopoly on the truth, and also that something doesn’t become true just because I say it. I’ve got to keep seeking more of God, which means seeking more truth, but I have the comfort of His promise: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)

Father, thank You for this reminder and encouragement. Help me indeed walk in Your truth all the time in every way, expressing it in Your love for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Generosity; February 1, 2023

Posted on February 2, 2023 by jgarrott

2 Corinthians 8:2 Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.

I have heard reports of this sort of thing countless times. Even my own daughters experienced it on short-term mission trips to Southeast Asia in high school, when the people to whom they were ministering were shockingly generous in their hospitality. The thing is, generosity is a matter of the heart, not the resources. Paul makes that clear in verse 12: “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.” One of the many ironies of politics is that the people who are most in favor of the government taxing “the rich” in order to “take care of the poor” are least generous with their personal resources. Study after statistical study has shown that conservatives are the most generous personally, in direct contrast to what they are accused of by the Left. Even within churches, sometimes the “great benefactors” give less proportionately than some who are barely getting by, as Jesus pointed out to His disciples while watching people at the temple offering box. (Luke 21:1-4) God is never in trouble for resources, financial or otherwise. His children sometimes are, so He delights to pour blessings through one to another, and everyone in the process is blessed.

We have been on the receiving end of this recently. Since Sunday, each day people have showed up at our door with food, in one form or another. Today we are being taken out to lunch, and who knows what will happen in the days to come? It almost feels like they want us to get fat! However, seeing the joy on their faces is a real blessing to us, and we don’t want to squelch that joy. God is indeed our Provider and participating in His provision is a blessing, whatever our specific role might be.

Father, thank You for Your overwhelming generosity that Paul referred to in verse nine. Thank You for indeed meeting all our needs as we seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness. (Matthew 6:33) Help us all delight to be part of the flow of Your provision, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Christian Living; January 31, 2023

Posted on February 2, 2023 by jgarrott

2 Corinthians 7:1 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

This isn’t a condemnation, but rather a strong encouragement. At the same time, it should bring conviction to a lot of Christians today, because there is so much in current society to contaminate our body and spirit. We aren’t to be legalistic, but we are to be careful. In a sense, this is another way of saying what James said so famously: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) Right after that James went on to say, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:10) Pride is always a major snare for us. When we think we can live holy lives on our own, we quickly lose sight of what holiness is. It is only in Christ that we are truly holy, but thankfully, He wants us to abide in Him even more than we want to do so. If people in the world see no difference in our lives and theirs, they will have no impetus to change. And frankly, various studies have shown that there really is very little difference in the lifestyles of professed Christians in the US and professed non-Christians. That’s tragic. We need to take this admonition of Paul to heart, and indeed live as children of God.

I am preaching to myself here. People think I live this perfectly holy lifestyle, but I had a bit of a check on that recently. While I was in the hospital I was using my wife’s tablet computer, and I noticed that YouTube was giving me different suggestions than I was used to. Then it dawned on me that the algorithm weights to what you click on, and I realized “that looks interesting” isn’t sufficient justification by itself to click on something. That’s why it’s called “click bait!” The devil is the expert at bait, and I need to be both alert and submitted to the Holy Spirit, or I’m all too likely to take the bait.

Father, thank You for this important reminder. Help me live fully in all that You have provided for me, holiness and everything else, so that I may be pleasing to You and attractive to those who need to draw close to You. Thank You. Praise God! Thank You also that I was able to get out of the hospital yesterday, earlier than expected. May I not need such drastic “interventions” in the future!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Living Testimony; January 30, 2023

Posted on February 1, 2023 by jgarrott

2 Corinthians 6:3 We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.

In one sense Christians are not to care what people think of them, because we live for the approval of God, not of man. However, we are to be careful to live so as not to discredit the message we proclaim. Paul touches on this in several of his letters, dealing particularly with eating meat that might have been bought at a market outside a pagan temple. In this chapter he gets into things that are much closer to home for most people today. Are we willing to endure beatings and the like for the sake of the Gospel? Such are common in places like India and Nigeria, progressing all the way to martyrdom. The thing is, we need to be demonstrating the truth of what we say, that Jesus is supreme and His love is better than life itself. (Psalm 63:3) When our heads are on straight – when our faith is on straight – then our lives will shine brightly (Matthew 5:16) and people will want to know why. (1 Peter 3:15) Failure to do so will make people think that all religions are equally meaningless.

My wife and I haven’t encountered persecution exactly, but we have had our share of difficulties of one sort and another. How we respond to those is being watched carefully. Cathy has been an inspiration to many because of her response to back surgeries and Parkinson’s Disease, and several people have commented on how I have been a support to her. Right now, I’m in the hospital with a fractured wrist, and she doesn’t have that level of support. This is very much a time for us both to recognize that God’s grace is all we really need, and allow Him to guide us in appropriating that grace. Yesterday I watched a video of Mark Lowry, and was really blessed. He quoted Gloria Gaither, who once said, “God shows up in the interruptions of life, and not so often in our plans.” That is true indeed! My current hospitalization was certainly unexpected, but it came at a point when my schedule is unusually open, demonstrating God’s grace. We’ve got to open our hearts to receive all that God wants to teach us, to give us in this time, not just for ourselves but also for all the people who are watching us.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s something I’ve known in theory for a long time, but I keep needing help in practical application. I ask You to enable both Cathy and me to keep our eyes on Jesus, and rest, relax, and rejoice in You, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Forgiveness; January 29, 2023

Posted on February 1, 2023 by jgarrott

2 Corinthians 2:10-11 If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven–if there was anything to forgive–I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

We tend to take the whole matter of forgiveness far too lightly. Jesus said that if we fail to forgive others, we won’t be forgiven by God, (Matthew 6:14-15) and after His resurrection He gave us authority to forgive on a heavenly scale. (John 20:21) That deserves a lot more thought than we give it! As Paul recognized, the devil knows all about that, and he works overtime to trip us up, to get us to nurse unforgiveness or to overlook things that need to be corrected. We need to be alert as Paul was. I couldn’t begin to count up all the train wrecks I’ve seen in this area. As I’ve written before, Japanese have a linguistic problem in this, because they have two characters that are read the same way, but the one that is used commonly actually means permission. The average person on the street doesn’t even know the character that means Biblical forgiveness. I find that very significant, because the two halves of that character indicate “blood document.” You can’t get more Biblical than that! And that is compounded by the word/character for sin being most commonly used for crime, so people who haven’t broken human laws don’t understand how they have broken God’s laws.

And that is the culture in which I live and minister. My own spiritual warfare is very involved with forgiveness! One incident a couple of years ago caused a Japanese pastor to say that I had more faith than he did, because of a situation in which I forgave. However, I’m never to take my ability to forgive as a done deal. I am to seek the Spirit’s guidance in every situation, not permitting evil but not failing to forgive. I don’t want to be deceived by the devil, and I don’t want those to whom I minister to be deceived either.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You also for enabling me to type it one-handed! Help me release everything into Your more than capable hands, particularly while one of mine isn’t really available. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Equality in Christ; January 28, 2023

Posted on January 31, 2023 by jgarrott

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

The thing that strikes me most about this is how Paul is placing himself in exactly the same place as those to whom he is writing. Actually, he does that in several of his letters. He was aware that he was an apostle sent by God, but that was just a job description. The thing is, we often evaluate people on the basis of their jobs, or even of their job titles. That’s why some people put Bishop or Prophet or Apostle on their business cards, without any part of the Body of Christ having recognized them as operating in those ministries. It is generally wise to steer clear of such people. Jesus said clearly that we will recognize people by the fruit they bear. The second thing that stands out to me in this passage is that it is the Holy Spirit who marks us as God’s property, a foretaste of all the glory that awaits us in heaven. In some denominations the Holy Spirit is presented almost as an option, whereas in others, spiritual gifts are seen as merit badges. Both are sadly mistaken, and they have fostered some bitter disputes between brothers and sisters in Christ. The Holy Spirit is an essential part of salvation, but His fruit (Galatians 5:22-23) is a far better indicator of His presence than any “spiritual gift.” Those two things together form a clear guide as to how we should live as believers.

Naturally this applies as much to me as it does to anyone else. People consider me a missionary, and I do call myself one at times, but missionaries today generally have a sending body: a denomination, a para-church organization, or even a local congregation. We don’t have any of those things, so I often say I’m just a Caucasian pastor in Japan. I am aware that God has given me responsibility and spiritual authority in various areas, but those aren’t things to trumpet, but rather to discharge with the faithfulness that can only come from Him. I am just as much in need of the grace and mercy of God as anyone else, if not more so. (James 3:1) My current hospital stay is one more reminder of that.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for enabling me to type despite the condition of my left hand. Thank you for the care I have received and that the pain is gradually diminishing. I pray that Your healing would proceed on Your schedule and that everyone affected by my injury would learn and gain from it exactly what You intend, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Parts of the Body; January 26, 2023

Posted on January 31, 2023 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 12:26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

I think the biggest issue for most American Christians, at any rate, is recognizing that they are part of other believers, and vice versa. Some other cultures are far more group oriented, so this chapter seems to almost go without saying, but America has always been very individualistic. That’s good for liberty, which is one of the bedrocks of the nation, and indeed, we are individually accountable to God, but it’s not without its risks. Far too many sincere believers are focused on I-my-me-mine, and can hardly see anyone or anything outside of their immediate circle. Paul is trying to combat that sort of myopia, using graphic, personal language. If we will lift our eyes off of ourselves to fix them on Christ, we will discover that we can see the people around us as well, perhaps better than we ever have before, because we will start to see them with the eyes of Christ.

I laughed when I saw today’s reading, because I’m in the middle of rather intense training in this area. Yesterday on my way home from taking pictures in the snow I slipped as I was crossing the icy street not 50 meters from our front door, reached back to catch myself, and snapped my left wrist. Since my wife cannot currently drive, I drove myself to the doctor and back, to their amazement, and now have an appointment in a couple of hours at the National Medical Center close to here to be evaluated for probable surgery. My wrist is a small part of my body, and it’s not on my dominant hand, but it’s certainly demanding my full attention! I need to receive this as a lesson in how important all parts of the Body of Christ are, and treat them accordingly. In all of this I am thankful that the first words out of my mouth after I fell were “Thank You, Lord.” I’m a little surprised I’m that spiritually healthy!

Father, I do thank You for this experience, painful though it is. It gives me more empathy with Cathy’s pains! I do pray that the right decisions will be made this morning, and that there will be full cooperation with Your healing for me. I pray also that this will strengthen this church, as others will have to step in to do various things I am currently unable to do. I’ve not been very good at releasing things to others, and now You’re forcing me to. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Time; January 25, 2023

Posted on January 26, 2023 by jgarrott

Romans 16:20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

As even physicists are starting to realize, time is relative, even subjective. The word “soon” here perhaps seemed like a joke or even a lie even to the people who read this letter first, and it certainly has to many people in the centuries since then. However, two things counter that response. The first is of course the fact that Peter famously pointed out about God’s perception of time: “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:8-9) Because God is outside of time, everything is NOW to Him. The second thing that strikes me here is that God will use our feet to crush Satan (as the Japanese makes clear). That doesn’t necessarily mean his ultimate defeat, as expressed in Revelation, but it does mean victory over him on a personal level. James famously expressed it as, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) It’s no use trying to resist the devil if we aren’t submitted to God, but it’s also foolish to expect victory if we aren’t willing to apply ourselves to resist him. Of course we can’t do that in our own strength, but as God later told Paul, His grace is sufficient for us. (2 Corinthians 12:9) That’s why the blessing of grace in the 2nd half of this verse is very appropriate in this context. We don’t know the form our victory will take, whether in this life or the next, but our victory is nonetheless sure.

Of course this applies as much to me as it does to anyone else. At 74, I have experienced things that seemed to happen almost instantly and things that seemed to take forever. I’ve had to learn that it’s all the same to God! Submitting my perception of time to God has been a difficult lesson, frankly, and the lessons continue. Right now my wife is recovering from major back surgery in October, complicated by Parkinson’s Disease. She herself can’t remember how very bad off she was before the surgery, so patience with her recovery is difficult for her. Likewise, I would like freedom of movement and freedom from pain for her, but at least I can see how much better off she is now than she was four months ago. The flip side of that is that she is the one experiencing the pain! On a broader scale, we have now been in Omura over 41 years, and we haven’t seen the major harvest we have desired. However, we have seen individual lives transformed, and we have sent disciples of Christ across the world. We don’t see the whole picture! We need to keep our eyes on Jesus and keep stepping on the devil, so that those oppressed by him may be set free, for their salvation and God’s glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I shouldn’t need it quite so often! Help me indeed trust You fully and obey You faithfully, so that Your will may be done in and through me on Your schedule, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment