Perspective; October 16, 2022

Posted on October 17, 2022 by jgarrott

Ecclesiastes 9:17-18 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner destroys much good.

Solomon was a keen observer, but he was very cynical. He allowed the bad stuff he saw to sour him. When we read what he wrote we need to add, “But God….” As I’ve commented before, he limited his perspective to the temporal, and it was very sad. We would all do well to remember the truth in these two verses, but keep them all in the context of God being ruler over all. These days we hear lots of the “shouts of rulers of fools,” so we need to be purveyors of quiet words of wisdom. At the same time, we aren’t to be so convinced of our own wisdom that we become fools. That happens quite often! We need to remember that God is the source of all true wisdom, and seek Him before and above everything else. His wisdom indeed exceeds anything man can come up with. At the same time, we need to be careful we aren’t one of the “destructive sinners” Solomon mentions. The news is full of those. We aren’t to be blind to the evil that is in the world, but we are always to see God as above all of that. We need to remember that the horrible evil of Jesus’ scourging and crucifixion accomplished the salvation of all who would believe. God is demonstrably capable of such miracles, and we are to trust Him for them even as we offer ourselves as His instruments.

Just yesterday I happened on a news feed I don’t usually pay any attention to, and I was disgusted by how over 90% of the items were of horrible crimes that could easily give you nightmares. In a country the size of the US such things certainly happen, but focusing on them amplifies their destructive impact. I am to keep my eyes on Jesus, just as Hebrews 12:2 tells us to do, and I am to move forward in the peace and joy that come only with a focus on God. I’m quoting 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 in the message this morning, and I need to operate in that truth. I don’t want to be like Solomon!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the shock of clicking on that news feed yesterday. Help me indeed see everything through Your eyes, not ignoring the bad but recognizing Your hand at work in it all, turning even the things that the devil means for evil into good, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Knowledge; October 15, 2022

Posted on October 16, 2022 by jgarrott

Ecclesiastes 8:17 Then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows, he cannot really comprehend it.

One thing that is more clear in the Japanese than the English here is that Solomon seems to be talking about understanding what God does in the earth, not simply natural phenomena. That actually might have been one of the reasons for Solomon’s idolatry late in life: if he couldn’t understand what Yahweh was doing, then why be true to Him? It that was the case, then it was perhaps the ultimate example of Solomon’s hubris. He allowed himself to be snared by the intellect that God had intended for good. Actually, that’s not so unusual. People who insist on understanding everything often have great difficulty with faith, because there are simply many things that we will never have the “mental horsepower” to understand, however much we don’t want to concede that. Coming to that realization and admitting it was a major breakthrough for Bill Whittle, a commentator whom I follow. He certainly isn’t what might be called a “conventional Christian,” but at this point he collaborates beautifully with Alfonzo Rachel, who is as much of a “fire-breathing Christian” as you could hope to find. The desire to know, to investigate, is a marvelous gift to mankind, but even logic should tell us that finite man will never be able to grasp all of infinite God. It is only when we are rid of these “tents of flesh” that we will be able to grasp all that we would like to. As Paul said, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12) As the Southern Gospel song puts it, “We will understand it better by and by.”

This is something I have had to be reminded of. Thankfully I was raised in a household of great intellectual accomplishment and great faith. My father received his PhD degree when he was still shy of his 24th birthday, but not long after that birthday he arrived in Japan as a missionary. When I was in the Army I was stationed on Oahu, and someone in personnel heard about my test scores and investigated, and told me that at that point (1970) I had the highest GT score of anyone in the Army on the whole island, including general staff. That sort of thing inflated my head remarkably, and less than a year after I got out of the Army (1972) the Lord tapped me on the shoulder and when I turned, He had a mirror to show me the blackness of my pride, for just a moment. I have to be at peace with NOT knowing or understanding everything. I have to operate by something my father said frequently: “Give all you know of yourself to all you know of Christ.” That was generally understood as an invitation to become a Christian, but I have come to realize that it needs to be applied to the daily life of every believer. Otherwise we tend to wander off, with whole areas of our lives not submitted to Christ. I don’t want to be that way! I still enjoy learning stuff and knowing stuff, but I have to keep all that stuff in the context of my being a created child of a loving, holy God who always knows better than I do.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me keep everything You have placed in me fully submitted to You so that it may accomplish that which You intend, drawing others to You as well, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Eternal Perspective; October 14, 2022

Posted on October 15, 2022 by jgarrott

Ecclesiastes 5:19 Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work–this is a gift of God.

Solomon had wisdom in a sense, but I think his biggest problem was that he never put it into an eternal context. He looked at everything from the standpoint of physical life, and as Paul said, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” (1 Corinthians 15:19) It is the eternal perspective that can give us peace and joy regardless of our circumstances. That’s why the New Testament talks so much about hope. As again Paul said, “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?” (Romans 8:24) Solomon didn’t have that perspective, and that not only made his writing depressing, it opened him up to being deceived into idolatry. I had long thought it was Nate Saint who said it, but I believe it was his fellow martyr Jim Elliot who said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” We can’t keep anything material, as Solomon laments a few verses before this, but if we develop a vital relationship with our Creator, we have that for eternity. As Solomon says here, it is indeed a gift of God to be able to enjoy what we have here, but we must not let that distract us from the reality that compared with eternity, even a lifespan of 100 years is very brief. We need to organize our priorities accordingly.

This is certainly applicable right now with my wife’s physical situation. Hospitalized over an hour away, she has her good times and she has some times of intense pain, as she did just a few minutes ago. We are physically separated, which neither of us is happy about, but we do have the connection of cell phones. We have her getting out of the hospital to look forward to, but more than that, we have an eternity of fellowship, not only with each other but especially with our Lord, to put everything into perspective. It can certainly be difficult at times, but we need to remember that “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Father, thank You for this extremely timely reminder. Thank You that I can take some things to Cathy after my nursing school class this morning. I do ask that you enable us to see each other today, but even if we can’t, I pray that we would both be able to release everything to You and rest, relax, and rejoice in You, just as You have told me to do, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Parenting; October 13, 2022

Posted on October 14, 2022 by jgarrott

Proverbs 29:15 The rod of correction imparts wisdom,
but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

Proverbs has a lot to say about parenting, and most of it isn’t currently popular or politically correct. This particular verse speaks directly to the practice of parking a child in front of an electronic device rather than taking the time to interact with the child directly. Not so long ago that device was the TV, but currently it’s more likely to be a tablet or game device. Either way, this verse holds. The NIV and the Japanese both provide insight here. The NIV saying “left to himself” brings up the image of electronic baby sitters I’ve just mentioned, and the Japanese says “allowed to do whatever they want,” which has a strong flavor of selfishness. Both are applicable and neither is good! Parents have the responsibility and the privilege of guiding their children, and frankly, it can be hard work. This isn’t an endorsement of “helicopter parents.” Such parents squelch their children’s mental and emotional growth. The line between the two extremes can be hard to follow at times, and no parent does it perfectly. When to allow children to make their own decisions, and which decisions, calls for wisdom that we don’t naturally have, so we are forced to turn to God and ask Him for it. Thankfully, as James assures us, He will indeed give us the wisdom necessary, if we are humble enough to ask. (James 1:5) Many parents wind up owing their children apologies, but don’t feel too bad if that’s the case. Your parents weren’t perfect either!

Several years ago one of our daughters, who had caused us a good bit of trouble in her younger years, called us and said, “I know you did the best you could with me, and I want to thank you. I didn’t make it easy.” There were lots of tears on all sides of that phone call! I have written before that I feel I had really good parents, but they weren’t perfect any more than I am. (I just realized that felt really disrespectful, because I’m very aware of my own imperfections!) My children in turn have done their best in raising their children. None of us have done it perfectly, and none of us have had perfect results, but God is more than gracious. At this point I have the status and position to counsel others in their parenting, and I must always do so with humility and grace. Most people don’t appreciate unsolicited parenting advice! However, I do need to speak the truth in love as the Lord gives opportunity, because the devil loves to attack us in that area. My wisdom is never sufficient, but God’s always is.

Father, thank You for the privilege of counseling couples before their weddings, and for guiding me in doing so. Since weddings have no legal weight in Japan, many of the couples already have one or more children. My remarks on parenting are sometimes welcomed and sometimes resented. Help me always speak Your truth with Your words in Your love, so that the traps of the devil may be avoided and even destroyed. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Tomorrow; October 12, 2022

Posted on October 13, 2022 by jgarrott

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

This immediately brings to mind the extremely similar passage in James 4:13-16. The point is, as this verse says explicitly, that we don’t know the future, and need to acknowledge that. It’s not that we aren’t to plan, but rather that we aren’t to pin our hopes and expectations on temporal events. That seems contrary to the very definition of “expectation,” but the point is that our hope is to be in God, who alone is assured. Events can go any which way, and probably will, but if our focus is on God who never changes, we can have stability and peace. There is a Country Gospel song that, because of the style of music, probably turns some people off, but has a lot of wisdom: One Day at a Time. I can’t even hear it in my mind without a twang in the lyrics, but it speaks great wisdom to this whole issue, advising us to ask God for grace, faith, and patience to take things as they come and not try to live in some idealized future we dream up. The very definition of “frustration” is when things don’t turn out like we expect them to. Releasing everything into God’s hands is certainly the only genuine way to avoid that.

We are certainly in training in this area, but then, everyone has lessons in it rather frequently! False expectations are the enemy of gratitude, and gratitude is the key to happiness. Disappointments are real and are a part of life, but we need to allow them to teach us to trust God and nothing less. I’ve had to learn that I can’t even trust myself to be right consistently! I fail myself physically, mentally, and spiritually all too often. That has taught me just how amazing God’s grace really is. There are many things that I would like to happen. If they do, I rejoice, and if they don’t, I’m disappointed. The point is to peg my emotional state more and more on Christ Himself and not on what is going on around me. As it says so beautifully in Hebrews 12:2, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” When I really remember that my eternity is assured for me in heaven with my Lord, then everything else fades to insignificance.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your plans for today. Help me recognize them and flow with Your Spirit, not setting up demands in my mind but allowing You to bless me, and bless others through me, as You see fit, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Parental Discipline; October 11, 2022

Posted on October 12, 2022 by jgarrott

Proverbs 23:13-14 Do not withhold discipline from a child;
if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.
Punish him with the rod
and save his soul from death.

Talk about politically incorrect Biblical truth! In some places, parents have had their children taken away from them by the government because they spanked them! This is a major technique of the devil in his destruction of society. Lack of respect for parents is horribly corrosive and is a direct violation of the 10 Commandments. The 5th of those, “Honor your father and mother,” (Exodus 20:12) is actually quoted by Paul. (Ephesians 6:2) Dennis Prager, on his long-running radio show, has surveyed people, especially in California, who did NOT do drugs as young people, asking them why not. The almost universal answer was, “My mother would have killed me!” When parents set standards for their children and hold them to those standards, society flourishes. When parental discipline, and even parental presence, fades, society collapses. Of course genuine abuse is to be avoided, but few things are as instructive as physical pain. As this passage says, physical pain can save a person from spiritual destruction. That’s a major reason why God allows it in our lives. Pain is an essential survival mechanism on many levels, and we should be grateful for it.

This is an awkward thing for me to write on at this point, when my wife has had to deal with so much physical pain because of her back. I’m not at all saying that God is punishing her for something! It is true, however, that the pain itself won’t kill her, and like all things temporal, it won’t last. We must have done some things right in raising our daughters, because I am able to use our younger daughter’s interaction with her children as a good example when I am counseling couples about parenting. Her older son was an irrepressibly happy child, and I observed the secret to that about three days after I first got to meet him. Since they live in the US and we live in Japan, he was 14 months old when we were first able to visit, and my strong first impression was that he was always happy and never cried. On the third day of our visit my wife and I were playing with him on the floor of the living room, and he reached under the gas fireplace to play with the controls. His mother noticed and gave him a strong “NO.” At that he jerked back and turned from the fireplace with a very sheepish look on his face. He had been corrected for that before! His mother then asked my wife (her mother) to slap his hand for her. Hearing that, at 14 months, he extended one hand and then slapped it with the other, on his own! It was the cutest thing, but it showed the reason for his sunny disposition: receiving appropriate and consistent discipline, he was totally secure in his parents’ love. He’s a strapping teenager now, but I have few worries for his future. If more parents would take the Bible to heart and apply appropriate discipline to their children, those children would be far happier and the world would be a far better place. I don’t remember very many spankings myself, but I’m sure I got far more than I remember. I’m very grateful for the discipline my parents applied to me.

Father, this is a difficult subject for many, because the devil has confused us with his lies. I pray that Your truth would indeed set people free to live the good lives You have planned for them, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Justice; October 10, 2022

Posted on October 11, 2022 by jgarrott

Proverbs 21:15 When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous
but terror to evildoers.

Justice is an essential part of any society. In fact, it is one of our innate desires, as expressed in the cry of even small children, “That’s not fair!” Children do need to be taught that actions have consequences, so someone who works harder getting more reward is indeed fair, but the whole concept of justice goes far beyond that. These days we deal a lot with “social justice warriors” who try to “right the world” with forced equality of outcome rather than equality of opportunity, but that is a perversion of the very concept of justice. In America we are seeing a “Justice Department” targeting political enemies over actual evildoers, and that is certainly a perversion of justice. We are currently seeing some politicians fighting tooth and nail to make it easier to cheat in elections, and that shows a fundamental disregard for justice. It is instructive to consider the Japanese translation of the second half of this verse. It says, “it is destruction to those who practice lawlessness.” Those who despise the law don’t want justice done because they know they will get the brunt of it! To some, this whole topic might not seem “spiritual,” but the Bible is very clear that God is the God of justice. If He weren’t, grace would have no meaning. Those who genuinely follow Him will be active in pursuing justice in society around them, while remembering that God is the ultimate Judge. God is concerned with our individual lives, He is concerned with our families, He is concerned with our courts and our policing and our politics. Too many Christians stop that list with families, if they even get that far! We do need to remember that we can accomplish nothing by ourselves, but we must not forget that God can accomplish anything at all through us. We are to be His instruments of righteousness and justice, for His glory.

I certainly didn’t expect to be so political this morning! For much of my life I largely ignored the wider society around me, being totally self-centered. The more I have matured, the more I have come to understand how everything affects everything else, and since I am blessed to live in a representative democracy, I had better exercise my rights and privileges for the common good. The past decade or more has really opened my eyes to the level of evil that is possible in society as a whole, and it’s not a happy realization. Living in Japan but being able to vote only in America puts me in an odd place, but I am to use my voice and my vote in obedience to the God of Justice and Love, not being deceived by those who would pervert either justice or love. My wife and I have mailed in our votes for next month’s election, but my biggest responsibility is to keep praying that God’s justice would be done, both in the US and in Japan. And for that matter, throughout the world, even as Jesus taught us to pray.

Father, thank You for this reminder. This isn’t exactly a feel-good Word, but it’s an important one. Help me be faithful and consistent as an instrument of Your justice and Your grace, even as I have been a recipient of both of those, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Health; October 9, 2022

Posted on October 10, 2022 by jgarrott

Proverbs 17:22 A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

This Proverb is well-known precisely because of its demonstrable truth. Many studies have shown the huge influence our hearts (mind, attitude, emotions) have over our bodies. We have documented examples of superhuman strength, for example when a mother single-handedly lifts a car off of her child. Emotions and attitude are huge predictors of medical outcomes with many diseases, from broken bones to cancer. For that matter, unforgiveness has been shown to greatly increase the risk of cancer. Using the Greek terms, the psyche (soul or spirit) has a big impact on the soma (body). That’s where we get the term, psychosomatic, meaning physical problems that originate in the mind. That’s the opposite of what this verse is talking about. We tend to put people down for “psychosomatic” disorders, but we don’t realize how much that’s part of everyone’s daily life. Maybe ours don’t send us to the doctor, but I don’t think anyone’s immune. Ant that brings up the huge impact mood has on the immune system. Quite a few years ago a study was done in Britain of all the traditional ways to catch a cold. A large group of volunteers were subjected to all sorts of indignities, including exposure to people who already had colds. The fascinating result was that none of them became sick! The awareness that they were participating in a study that might help many people buoyed them psychologically to the point that their immune systems went into overdrive. We do well when we acknowledge and act on the wisdom of the Bible!

This is of course very timely, since my wife is still in the hospital after having had major back surgery less than a week ago. Her attitude is certainly key to her recovery. Just now she texted that her blood pressure is high, which is concerning since her blood pressure is usually quite low. Emotional stresses are widely recognized to have a big impact on that! She has recently been reminded of this verse (she read today’s reading yesterday by mistake) and needs grace in applying it. A psychologist friend of mine has repeatedly described me as a happy person, and my health is pretty remarkable for my age. I’m not to take personal pride in that, but focus on gratitude toward my Lord who is so good to me. I am certainly not to put others down for their health problems, but I do deal with some people who seem to be emotionally predisposed to illness. One brother is almost comical in his finding the dark side of anything! I am to speak the truth in love, living as an example of what God does for those who trust Him, so that many may be delivered from the traps of the devil to live in the fullness of all that Christ has for them. (John 10:10)

Father, thank You for this reminder. I do pray that Cathy would be able to rest, relax, and rejoice, just as You told me to do, so that not only her blood pressure but every other part of her body may be infused with the healing and health that You have provided in Christ, (Isaiah 53:5) for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Tests; October 8, 2022

Posted on October 10, 2022 by jgarrott

Proverbs 15:32 He who ignores discipline despises himself.
but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.

As a teacher for over 40 years myself, I was shocked and saddened recently to see a news item of a college professor who was fired because his students complained that “his tests were too hard.” The shocking part is that the school accepted the students’ demands, but the sad part, on top of the blow to the professor, is that these students indeed despise themselves, as the NIV puts it. The Japanese says they “waste their life.” Very few things worth doing are easy, and indeed it is the effort, the struggle, that makes us appreciate their value. Too many people today want something for nothing, not realizing that they are cheapening their own existence in the process. That is the tragedy of both lottery winners and “trust fund kids.” They tend to use the money in destructive, or at least wasteful, ways because they put no effort into acquiring it. We do our children, and indeed society, no favors when we fail to require of them honest effort. That requires telling them clearly when they are wrong or have fallen short. That’s where school tests come in. Some academic tests are indeed superfluous, but you can have no valid self-esteem without earning it. Dennis Prager and others have commented on this issue. Proverbs could in some way be called a compendium of common sense, but common sense is sadly less and less common. We need to raise our children to understand that actions have consequences, and satisfaction in a job well done is far more valuable than candy.

Of course this applies to me. Academics always came easily to me, and it was a necessary rude awakening when I failed two classes my first year in college, even though I had entered under the Honors Program. Thankfully, in a few things I got it right from the start. I knew, almost instinctively it seems, that marriage would be the biggest job of my life, but it would carry the greatest rewards. That has certainly proved to be true over the past 53 years and counting. I consider my marriage one of the crowning achievements of my life, and I couldn’t be more grateful. In various areas of my life I treasure some of the discipline and corrections I have received from various sources. Sometimes the Lord has had to tell me directly, but most often it has been through human agents. As a teacher, my tests are in a sense notorious, because it’s rare indeed not to have some students who fail, but then it’s also not unusual to have students make 100%. I am careful not to test on material I haven’t covered in class, but there’s always plenty of material that has been covered! In the first session with each group I always tell them what it takes to do well on my tests, but it’s sad how few listen! God has told us in the Bible what it takes to succeed by His standards, and going by that, putting in the effort, is always worth the trouble.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the many trials – tests – You allow us to go through, including the one right now with my wife’s nerve pain and back surgery. Thank You that she is essentially pain free right now, and is coming out of the mental fog brought on by the anesthesia and pain killers she has received. Help us continue to learn what You want to teach us through this, to be better disciples of Christ, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Repentance; October 7, 2022

Posted on October 9, 2022 by jgarrott

Proverbs 14:9 Fools mock at making amends for sin,
but goodwill is found among the upright.

The NIV attempted to put this into modern cultural context by saying “making amends,” but the Japanese sticks with the original by saying “making a sacrifice.” That makes it more clear that this is an action toward God, who is the ultimate offended party of any sin. It is interesting to see people ridiculing repentance, and to see who does it. Generally it’s people who have a lot to repent of! This gives the feeling of the Old Testament usage of “fool” as someone who is morally deficient. It’s very interesting that such people often think of themselves as “the smartest person in the room.” The human capacity for self-deception is at times amazing! A person who genuinely repents and acknowledges their sin before God is also going to be quick to apologize to the people around them when called for. We are all foolish and ignorant, and recognizing that is the first step toward wisdom. “They offended me so they’ve got to apologize first” is a sign of genuine foolishness!

Like everyone else, I like to feel that I’m right, and I’m quite the expert at self-justification. That’s the major seed of foolishness, by Biblical standards. If I want to be wise, I’ve got to accept that I’m often wrong. I need to be quick to repent, before God and before people. I’ve learned the hard way that self-righteousness is simply self-deception. As the Bible clearly states in several places, all have sinned. (Romans 3:23) I’m not to keep picking at myself, but the moment the Holy Spirit shows me I’ve sinned, I’ve got to admit it, let go of the sin, and change my ways. That’s repentance, and the foundation of wisdom. I would like to be wise in God’s eyes, and a high IQ simply doesn’t cut it. The moment I drift into pride, I have left the path of genuine wisdom. At the same time, ignorance and casual human foolishness are not sin. A side effect of the anesthesia and the pain killers administered to my wife because of her back surgery has been a noticeable confusion and diminished mental capacity. That isn’t sinful, even if it is hard to watch. That’s not something for which she will need to repent! If I judge her and put her down for something over which she has no control, that would be sin on my part.

Father, thank You for this rather pointed Word to me this morning. Thank You for Your incredible grace and patience toward me over the years. Help me indeed repent when called for, and extend Your grace not only to my wife but to everyone around me, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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