Fear; May 27, 2023

Posted on May 28, 2023 by jgarrott

Isaiah 8:12 “Do not call conspiracy
everything that these people call conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,
and do not dread it.

This verse really jumped out as I was reading just now. The world seems so governed by fear, and it’s certainly not the fear of the Lord. The most glaring recent example is all that was done in relation to the pandemic, but there are virtually countless other “fear triggers” that are in play. The next verse here says clearly that we are to fear God, but all other controlling fears are demonic, and not appropriate for the believer at all. Fear itself isn’t bad. Various fears give us discretion in our daily living and protect us from all sorts of real dangers. If we were totally fearless, we indeed wouldn’t fear the wrath of our Creator, and that’s the most dangerous attitude of all. Sadly, many people seem to lack that fear, even while they fear various other things. It is only when we recognize God for Who He is, that is, our almighty Creator, without whose grace we would dissolve into atoms, that we can likewise recognize His love for us, and love Him in return. As John wrote, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18) Proverbs 29:25 came up in our readings just a few days ago: “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” However, we fear all sorts of other things as well, and unscrupulous men manipulate those fears to control us, because control is what they lust after. We need to be secure in the love of God and stand firmly against all the fear that is thrown our way. For the believer, death is graduation, birth into eternity, and something to be anticipated rather than feared. When that is ingrained in our spirit, all other fears fade into insignificance.

This is something that I have felt more and more strongly over the years. I have no love of pain and disease, but I don’t particularly fear them because I know they are entirely temporary. At the moment my left side is sore because of having tripped and fallen a few days ago, but that doesn’t make me fear walking. I caught COVID back in March and the high fever wasn’t enjoyable, but I knew it was temporary, just as my current soreness is. For that matter, living in this world has all sorts of unpleasant details, just as Jesus said, (John 16:33) but none of them are forever. Why should I fear? My current biggest fear is of losing my wife to one of her assorted diseases, but I have great assurance that even then, God’s grace will be sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12:9) The blessings, the glory, that are in Christ are more than enough to counter any fear I might dream up. That is a blessed situation indeed, and I want to share it with as many as possible.

Father, thank You indeed for Your love that casts out all fear. Help me share that love with everyone I encounter, making full use of every opportunity, so that as many as will may repent and believe for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Trials of Faith; May 26, 2023

Posted on May 27, 2023 by jgarrott

Isaiah 7:9 “If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you will not stand at all.'”

For once I prefer the NIV to the Japanese! The Japanese simply says, “If you do not believe, you will not stand for long.” The NIV manages to catch a rather deep truth. We are used to verses 8-14 being used at Christmas, because even Matthew quoted verse 14 to talk about Immanuel, but the whole section is about faith and our exercise of it. The section just ahead of this, talking about the leaders who were conspiring against Judah, would seem like today’s news if you replaced those names with Xi and Putin. Threats aren’t to be ignored, but the bigger issue is faith. We are all too prone to ignore God except in times of crisis. Guess what? That just guarantees more crises! America is indeed at a dangerous place, not so much because of external enemies but because of internal rot, to the point that it seems like there’s a crisis everywhere you turn. Those who know God have got to stand in faith, just as this verse says. There are plenty of horrible manifestations of evil all around us, and one of those is that the media seems to have forgotten the very word, evil. More than one place in the Bible talks about the horrible sin of calling good evil and evil good. These days, parents standing up for their children is being denounced as bad! And then we have the external threats of Xi and Putin. Close examination shows that both the Russian government and the CCP are houses of cards, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of real destruction, before or even as they collapse. We’re back to this verse. Trials of faith come so that we may examine our faith, both who and what we believe and how we believe, and come out with our faith purified and strengthened. That is certainly desirable, so we should fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and thank Him for this abundance of trials!

It’s been quite a few years since I started saying that if I didn’t have faith I would already have given up. That certainly hasn’t changed, but my faith has grown! I have always liked Andrae Crouch’s song, Through It All. As that song says, “If I’d never had a problem I wouldn’t know that He could solve them; I wouldn’t know what faith in God can do.” Having read Revelation, I have no expectation that “everything is going to be sweetness and light,” but I also have no fear, because I am totally convinced that God is the Creator, and not just some figment of our imagination. I know that He loved the world so much as to send His Son to die for us, and I know from experience that He loves me individually, as improbable and illogical as that might sound. I know that I am accountable to Him, above and before anything or anyone else, and my goal is to hear Him say to me, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21, 23) As long as I stand in that faith He has given me, what do I have to worry about?

Father, thank You indeed for the faith You have given me, and for the various ways You have tested it and caused me to exercise it. I can take no credit for it myself, (Ephesians 2:8-9) but I am deeply grateful. Help me share that faith by the power of Your Spirit with others, starting with the people in this church and extending to many more, so that we may rise up as Your disciples indeed, for Your glory Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Prophets; May 25, 2023

Posted on May 26, 2023 by jgarrott

Isaiah 2:22 Stop trusting in man,
who has but a breath in his nostrils.
Of what account is he?

The life of a prophet can be really rough. The contrast between the different things they perceive would tend to make them bipolar at least! This chapter is a good example. Verses 2-5 are dearly loved for being so comforting and encouraging, and have been set to music numerous times. However, from verse 6 on is a condemnation of the idolatry of Israel and a frightening warning of how it will be in the Day of the Lord. Today, Isaiah would be considered mentally imbalanced at best, and probably institutionalized. God, which is to say reality itself, is far bigger and more complex than we can grasp. As Bill Whittle likes to say, we don’t have the “mental horsepower” for the task. The only logical course is to walk in humility and obedience, trusting that God’s plans are indeed good, whatever our immediate circumstances might look like. (Jeremiah 29:11) The Bible doesn’t give us much detail of the life of Isaiah, but we have considerably more about Jeremiah, and Hosea’s personal life is laid out in painful detail. From what I’ve heard, modern prophets don’t have it much better! Speaking God’s words is a very high honor, but it can come at a huge cost. Reliable tradition tells us that Jeremiah was stoned to death in Egypt and Isaiah was sawed in two. Elijah famously suffered from suicidal depression. However, as I am fond of quoting, Paul has the last answer on that: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17) When God shows us things we are to be faithful to share His truth as He directs, and we are indeed to be grateful for the privilege, but we are never to let such experiences puff us up. He is so much greater and higher than we are that any thought of personal pride is absurd. When we receive seemingly conflicting impressions, as even this chapter illustrates, we are to submit it to God and allow Him to show us how it all fits together. Prophets are a valuable and important gift to the Body of Christ, but they are not greater or higher than the other gifts listed in Ephesians 3:11, and all are given to serve, and not lord it over anyone or anything.

For many years I have said that Isaiah was the Old Testament character I would most like to emulate, because of his many visions of the coming Messiah. However, that’s a pretty risky goal! I have been used in prophecy, and I certainly desire and seek that all of my messages would be what the Lord is saying, but my major gifting is Teacher, and not Prophet. In a way that’s a relief! At the same time, my life is to be prophetic, in the sense that it should illustrate the character and faithfulness of God. My wife receives dreams from God and a friend has had waking visions, but I’m OK with having neither. My task is simply to be faithfully obedient, just as it is for every believer, whatever course God has mapped out for us.

Father, thank You for this reminder. As I continue to do various things for the last time, since I am retiring from secular teaching at the end of this school year, I am increasingly aware that You aren’t through with me, though I don’t know what the road will look like from next April. Help me not draw back from anything, or in any way be controlled by anxiety or fear, but rest, relax, and rejoice in You, just as You have told me to do, so that all of Your purposes for me may be fulfilled, on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Faith; May 24, 2023

Posted on May 25, 2023 by jgarrott

Proverbs 29:25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare,
but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.

There are several verses in this chapter that seem very applicable to the world as we see it today, showing once again that though technology certainly changes, human nature doesn’t. That’s why the Bible, though thousands of years old, is still fully applicable today. And of course, as the Lord Himself says, “I the Lord do not change.” (Malachi 3:6)That’s why this verse is as true today as it was the day it was written. We see people all around us who are snared because they fail to stand on their convictions – or maybe they don’t have any real convictions! It is when we are fully committed to our Creator, knowing that He loved us so much as to send His Son to die in our place, enabling us to live eternally with Him, that we are indeed kept safe. The theme for the readings at this point is Faith, which of course manifests as trust, as this verse says. The writer of Hebrews rightly commented that “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) If we don’t believe God exists and is knowable, then we will indeed fear man because that will be our only frame of reference. The thing is, fear makes logic go out the window. In the recent pandemic, governments and media deliberately stoked fear as a way to control people, ignoring scientific facts all the while trumpeting, “Follow the science!” The facts are now coming out, too late for the tens of thousands of people with “vaccine” injuries, not to mention those who went to an early death. Just yesterday I read a study that showed that COVID deaths could have been cut in half by something as simple as aspirin, but that wouldn’t have fit the desired narrative. Sadly, the stock of “experts” has been greatly diminished, and that applies to those who are honestly saying what they really do know, as well as those who are actively deceiving. The benefit of all that is that those who think are now more likely to seek and trust God, because He alone is fully reliable. As an old hymn puts it, “My faith, it is an oaken staff that leads me on my way.”

I have as much natural desire to be liked and accepted by the people around me as anyone, but I had a major obstacle or two. In the first place, I was a Caucasian in Japan, which instantly put up various barriers. In the second place, I was a missionary kid in a school for military dependents, which made me a different kind of outsider. For a child and teenager, that was at times traumatic. God in His incredible grace gave me a woman who accepted and loved me as I was, and 54 years ago today we were married. That helped immensely, because as long as she loved me I didn’t particularly fear the opinions of other people. That is a huge strength even now. Likewise, over the years I have proved again and again that the Lord is perfectly trustworthy. I still get into trouble because of my own foolishness (as I did again yesterday by failing to notice an obstacle, tripping on it, and falling rather painfully) but that’s on me, not Him. I am to trust Him enough to let Him show me the obstacles in my way and avoid them, or else get over or through them, so that all of His purposes in allowing those obstacles to exist may be fulfilled, for my blessing and His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for protecting me yesterday, that my glasses didn’t break and my injuries weren’t severe. Thank You particularly that I didn’t land on my left hand that I broke in January! Help me not yield to “short cuts” to fit my plans, the way I did yesterday, but rather follow You faithfully, on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Trust; May 23, 2023

Posted on May 24, 2023 by jgarrott

Proverbs 28:25-26 A greedy man stirs up dissension,
but he who trusts in the Lord will prosper.
He who trusts in himself is a fool,
but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

These two verses contrast two kinds of trust. The first is of course trust in the Lord, the only entity in the universe that is totally trustworthy, and the stated result is abundance. The NIV expresses the second as “trusts in himself,” but the Japanese says, “trusts his own heart.” That agrees perfectly with something Dennis Prager has expressed at length, which is the unreliability of conscience. The follow-up to that is “walking in wisdom,” which in context is trusting the Lord rather than anything else, even yourself. There are of course varying degrees of trust. We trust that the light will come on when we hit the switch, for example, though it might not for a number of reasons. We trust that the car will stop when we step on the brake, but there are plenty of horror stories of when that didn’t happen. We cannot live life being distrustful of everything, but we’ve got to remember that the Lord is the only thing totally worthy of trust. The beginning of verse 25 is worth noting as well. In contrast to trusting the Lord, it mentions “a greedy man.” The Japanese expresses that as, “a man of deep appetites/lusts.” Failure to trust the Lord results in our prioritizing our flesh, our “animal instincts,” as it were. At the very least that will not make for smooth relationships with those around us, and that is certainly foolish. It is trusting the Lord that results in all our genuine needs being met, as Jesus famously taught us in Matthew 6:25-34. In other words, trusting the Lord is wise!

I have an ample supply of “the lusts of the flesh,” (1 John 2:16) so trusting the Lord is a choice. Thankfully it is one I have had plenty of training in making, and I had the excellent example of my parents before me. I can say without hesitation that the Lord is absolutely trustworthy, and He has met and continues to meet all my needs. There have been times when I wanted something material so badly that I did foolish things, but God very gently turned that around into firm, and sometimes painful, training. People comment on my faith at this point, but it hasn’t come that simply! I am very grateful to say that I have no anxiety about the rest of my life on this earth, though I know it will include unpleasant things. Advancing age isn’t for wimps! However, as the hymn says, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” I trust the Creator of the universe, who loved me enough to send His Son to be my Savior, and that covers absolutely everything.

Father, thank You for this reminder. As retirement from school teaching looms, I find I am indeed uptight about it. Thank You that all such anxiety is totally unnecessary. Help me rest, relax, and rejoice in You, just as You have told me to do, so that I will yield none of my peace and joy to the enemy but rather be an encouragement to those around me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Tomorrow; May 22, 2023

Posted on May 23, 2023 by jgarrott

Proverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

On one level this goes without saying, but much of the time we act like it’s not true. Making plans isn’t bad, but the more we are invested in those plans, the more likely we are to be disappointed. Several places throughout the Bible touch on this, because it’s such a universal human trait. The wisest attitude is to always be looking forward to whatever God has in store. That might be easily recognizable blessings or it might be a hard lesson that will bear fruit further down the line, but when we are committed to Jesus as Lord, the end result will always be good. As Paul famously said, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) Our focus isn’t to be on what tomorrow might hold, but on our Lord who loved us so much that He gave Himself for us. When Jesus went through Gethsemane, arrest, trial, scourging, and crucifixion for us, we have absolutely no reason to be worried that His plans for us aren’t good. As I quoted in yesterday’s message, “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) Just because we live in a fallen world doesn’t mean that God doesn’t have good plans for us that He will bring to fruition. We aren’t to boast about tomorrow because our plans are never as good as God’s, whatever things might look like to us in the moment. We may well run into rough situations, and probably will, but the end result will be glorious. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Yesterday’s message was on Security, and that is closely related to this verse from Proverbs. I am as prone as anyone to want to know what is going to happen, but God has told me to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him. When I am upset about how things haven’t turned out as I planned or expected, I’m not going to see the blessings God has prepared for me in the middle of whatever is going on. I have never been much of a planner, and that’s made for some real problems at times, but it does put me on the correct side of this verse, at least. I am often distressed to hear people I care about verbally being anxious about things that might happen. Jesus and Paul both said explicitly not to do that! (Luke 12:22-31, Philippians 4:6-7) Bad things do happen, as Jesus said and as I have experienced, but anticipating bad things just multiplies my suffering! As the Southern Gospel song puts it, even “death ain’t no big deal!” What God said to Jeremiah is just as true today as it was 2500 years ago: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) Now that is security!

Father, thank You for what You spoke through me yesterday, and for this strong confirmation today. Help me indeed refuse all anxiety, but rather rejoice in anticipation of whatever You have planned, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Reliance; May 21, 2023

Posted on May 22, 2023 by jgarrott

Proverbs 22:19 So that your trust may be in the Lord,
I teach you today, even you.

We seem to have gotten past the part of Proverbs that was written specifically by Solomon, but that can be hard to determine definitively. Regardless, this verse gives the reason for assembling any collection of “wise sayings,” and that is to teach people to rely on God. The Japanese here makes it clear that is the meaning of “trust.” We may say we trust God, but at the same time look for a “plan B” in case He doesn’t come through. How foolish! It’s not bad to lay out possible courses of action for various contingencies, but we’ve got to remember that God has the final say, and His plans are good and right and just. God will always enable us to do anything He has told us to do. As I quote frequently, Paul stressed this in his letters. “It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13) “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13) In the Old Testament, Asaph very rightly noted, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26) The whole Bible talks about how transitory the physical things of this world are, and we need to remember that. Nothing but God is worthy of our total reliance and trust.

This is something I’ve always got to remember. My father’s physical heart failed him, but God never did. I’ve failed myself and others more times than I can remember, but God has never failed me. When things look black, in almost every case the problem lies in me. I am a Teacher by gifting, and teach both in secular schools and in the Church. I need to be careful that my teaching always points people to God, to rely on Him. I am to teach people to be good stewards of all they have been given, but always to remember where those abilities and resources came from. Many people and even whole ministries have failed because they forgot that everything came from God in the first place. I must never let that happen to me, and I am to seek to keep others from that pitfall as well.

Father, thank You for the privilege of teaching. It is a joy to exercise the gifts You have given me. May I do so always in obedience to You and not for my own gratification, pointing and drawing people to You for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Instruction; May 20, 2023

Posted on May 21, 2023 by jgarrott

Proverbs 16:20 Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers,
and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.

What jumped out at me from this, comparing the English and the Japanese, is that where the NIV says “instruction,” the Japanese says, “the Word.” We need and receive instruction of many sorts in many ways, but God is the only absolutely true source. Just a cursory look at the US educational system today will show you that not all instruction is good and valid. In too many cases the line between instruction and indoctrination is being crossed, often deliberately. Those who are under that regime end up sometimes in horrible shape, scarred for life in more ways than one. At one point the Bible was the foundation of the US educational system, but some people have been systematically working to root that out over the past 100 years or so, and we are seeing the consequences all around us. To go back to this verse, where the NIV says “prospers,” the Japanese says “discovers blessings.” There are all kinds of prosperity! As is mentioned frequently throughout Proverbs, there are things far more valuable than material wealth. When we fill our hearts with the Word of God (which is the sense of the Japanese expression) we discover blessings that can be had no other way. That was the state of the writer of Psalm 119, and it is blessed indeed. However, we’ve got to trust God, and not just give Him lip service. As the expression goes, it’s “when push comes to shove” that we discover how much we are really trusting God, and not just relying on ourselves, or anything else less than God.

I’m in a situation of urgently needing instruction in a computer matter, and I don’t know how to get it. However, letting it slide has produced multiplied issues of other sorts, and I really feel boxed in. This isn’t something I can find out directly from reading the Bible! Once the issue is solved, it will quickly fade into nothing, but in the meantime it is eating into our life and our relationship. Ultimately, all problems are human! I’ve got to be quiet enough before the Lord to hear His instructions as to how to get the information I need, because it is that lack of information that has me stymied. Part of me is caught up in this issue and part of me recognizes that it makes no difference on the eternal scale, but I’m still faced with the interpersonal factors that do make a real difference, so there you have it. I am totally dependent on God, but that’s an absolute truth anyway, so I need to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him.

Father, this is a hard thing to thank You for, but I choose to do so. Thank You for showing me yet again my own insufficiency so that I may open myself up to Your all-sufficiency, for the blessing of those around me and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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World View; May 19, 2023

Posted on May 20, 2023 by jgarrott

Proverbs 14:27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
turning a man from the snares of death.

This verse is a very close parallel to 13:14, which I wrote on just yesterday, in that they both speak of a “fountain of life” enabling avoidance of “the snares of death.” In simply logical terms, that means that the subject of each verse is equivalent. (If A=B and C=B, then A=C.) Accordingly, “the teaching of the wise” is at the very least closely related to “the fear of the Lord.” That again came up yesterday. I’m tempted to just say, ditto to yesterday, and be done with it. However, repetition also means emphasis, so this deserves more thought. The devil does all he can to deceive people into not fearing God, from simple atheism to believing there is no hell, even if people believe in heaven. After all, why fear God if there are no eternal consequences to sin? The devil knows better than anyone that hell is real, because it was created as a punishment and prison for him. The popular concept of the devil ruling over hell is a totally unbiblical misconception, fostered by the devil himself. He himself fears hell! Revelation 12:12 says the devil is currently on earth, not in hell! That’s why a Biblical world view is so important, and why it’s tragic that so few people have a genuinely Biblical world view. Any world view that isn’t founded on the existence of a Creator and our consequent accountability to Him is a fantasy, and certainly not Biblical. If we are to have the wisdom to avoid the traps of the devil we’ve got to fear God! Loving God is indeed the “first and greatest commandment,” (Matthew 22:37-38) but that love must be founded on the deep respect and honor that the Old Testament calls fear. Only then can we have a world view that makes sense of everything.

As I comment fairly frequently, I had the immense privilege of being raised by parents with a Biblical world view, who based everything on the conviction that the Creator loved us enough to send His Son to die for us and then be raised again as proof of the eternal salvation that He offers to us. That conviction also caused them to set guidelines and exercise discipline for their children. A child who has no respect/fear toward their physical father is going to have a hard time relating properly toward their Heavenly Father. I don’t remember being whipped by my father, but I always knew it was a possibility! (That’s why the devil does all he can to degrade the whole concept of fatherhood, and he’s been sadly successful.) I am the physical father to two, but I am a spiritual father to many. I am to live, act, and speak so as to give them all a respect for and fear of God that will enable them to love Him accurately, for their blessing and His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me indeed foster a Biblical world view in all who know me, so that they may in turn know You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Intelligence vs. Wisdom; May 18, 2023

Posted on May 19, 2023 by jgarrott

Proverbs 13:14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
turning a man from the snares of death.

This actually is a good guideline for judging wisdom: does it bring life? It also points up the distinction between wisdom and intelligence: there have been and are plenty of intelligent evil people. Of course the ultimate example of wisdom is Jesus. As He Himself said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) The devil is more intelligent than any merely human being, but as Jesus said in that same verse, “The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.” That’s the scary thing about Artificial Intelligence. There’s a lot of debate right now over whether it is, or ever could be, sentient, but in a sense that is beside the point. The thing is, it can never be wise in the sense of reflecting the heart of the Creator. The best it can do is reflect the hearts of the human programmers who develop it. AI has the potential to transform society in a number of ways, both good and bad, but we must never forget that distinction between wisdom and the merely intelligent. For true wisdom we must always seek the Creator of life. The Bible says repeatedly, with minor variations, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10) That is the path to life, just as it says here.

I’ve always been a techie, into science fiction and all that, so the idea of machine intelligence isn’t at all new to me, but now that it is upon us I realize that this distinction between intelligence and wisdom is of the utmost importance. As I have seen quoted recently, a line from Jurassic Park is very pertinent: “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.” On a very personal scale, I was blessed with a high IQ, but that doesn’t mean all of my pronouncements or actions have been wise. I desire that my teaching would be a fountain of life, but that will happen only to the degree that I am submitted and obedient to the One who is the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6) I have learned the hard way that I have no wisdom inherent in myself, but I have also learned that the Holy Spirit will guide me into all truth. (John 16:13) I desire that my words be useful to the Holy Spirit in turning people from death, just as this verse says.

Father, thank You for the intelligence You have given me, and for enabling me to realize that intelligence by itself is never enough. Help me always seek, fear, and love You, so that Your wisdom may be reflected through me for the salvation of many, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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