Dealing with Sin; August 27, 2022

Posted on August 31, 2022 by jgarrott

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

This Psalm is certainly one of the most famous, and for excellent reason. As the response to Nathan having confronted David over his taking Bathsheba and having Uriah killed, the background could hardly be more dramatic. This particular verse brings out a vital point: David realizes that he cannot clean his own heart, so he asks God to create one in him. “Spirit” here refers to his attitude, his psychological makeup, so he has some influence there, but he recognized that it is very shaky, so he asks for help in straightening up. That God answered this part of his prayer is evident from his response when the infant born of his adultery dies. (2 Samuel 12) Recognizing his own responsibility, he throws himself on the mercy of God. (2 Samuel 12:13-22) We need both of those things in our lives. We need God to do what we cannot do, and we need to take responsibility and do what only we can do. We are prone to be all over the place when it comes to this sort of thing. Self-help books abound, making us think that we can clean up our own act, and indeed Buddhism is based on that very idea. At the same time, modern psychology is very prone to encourage blaming everyone else for our issues, promoting toxic narcissism. I watched a video yesterday that said that 70% of counselors and psychiatrists fall into that camp. We need to ask God to give us the tools, but then accept responsibility and accountability for what we do with those tools. That is an essential element of genuine repentance, which is essential to a right relationship with our Creator.

Over the years I have had to come to terms with my being a deeply flawed individual. I have battled both careless sins and besetting sins, and God is the judge of the severity of any sin. That said, even the smallest sin is at its root rebellion against God, and is totally disqualifying until it is put under the blood of the Lamb. (1 John 1:7) I am in the position of guiding others, but I must seek and accept the Holy Spirit’s guidance in my own life. I am not to be neurotically picking at myself, but I must be totally open and responsive when the Holy Spirit points out something of which I need to repent. As one who has received mercy, I must be a channel of mercy and grace to others, allowing God to use me to counter the lies of the devil, not only to myself but to all with whom I interact, so that as many as possible may repent and believe for their salvation.

Father, thank You indeed for Your truly amazing grace. Help me never take it lightly or for granted, but walk in humble obedience before You, for Your pleasure and glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Jerusalem; August 26, 2022

Posted on August 30, 2022 by jgarrott

Psalm 48:14 For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide even to the end.

Any time we read the Bible we need to remember that polytheism was the norm when it was written. Particularly in America that can be easy to forget, but that is dangerous, because Allah is not the same as Yahweh. In English terms, “God” was not a capitalized word, and was often plural. This Psalm is a pean to Jerusalem, but it is in terms of her being the city of Yahweh, who sets her apart from every other city. That is precisely why, when it began to look like the Jews might get their own nation again, back at the beginning of the 20th Century, Islamists took notice and started claiming Jerusalem as their own “holy city,” which they had never done previously. These days, the statement that Jerusalem is “holy to the world’s three great religions” is undisputed, when 150 years ago hardly anyone would have said it. During the Crusades, the Moslems tried to hang onto Jerusalem just to keep it from the Jews and the Christians. The irony in all of that is that Jesus Himself said, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem,” (John 4:21) going on to explain that “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24) It’s not that Jerusalem isn’t special, but our worship of Yahweh is not at all limited geographically. The same could be said of veneration of the Vatican, or for that matter, any limitation to a specific church building. A place of worship is special not because of the place, but because of Whom we worship.

My desire to see the Museum of Egyptology in Cairo was the deciding factor in my family going by way of Egypt rather than Israel when we were on our way back to Japan in 1959, but I’m sure I would choose differently today, given the option. Even so, I am well aware that God is just as real in Omura, Japan, as He is in Jerusalem. My relationship with Him is spiritual rather than temporal. That said, I do pray for the peace of Jerusalem, (Psalm 122:6) and I remain convinced that the Jews are a vital part of what God is doing in these End Times. I remember that Pyongyang, the current capital of North Korea, was at one time called “the Jerusalem of the East,” because of the revival that was going on there. God is not limited geographically, but He does use specific locations for specific purposes at times. It is the vision of this church that Omura would again be the foremost Christian city in Japan, as it was 450 years ago, but that is an empty goal if it doesn’t include the Gospel going out to the rest of the nation and the world. I am to pray as Jesus taught us, that the Father’s rule and reign would be established throughout the world, and His will be done as perfectly everywhere as it is before His throne in heaven.

Father, thank You for this reminder. There are so many important truths that we are so prone to forget. Help me recognize Your thoughts and think them after You, not leaning on my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6) but following You in everything, for Your pleasure and glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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People of God; August 25, 2022

Posted on August 30, 2022 by jgarrott

Psalm 47:9 The nobles of the nations assemble
as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the kings of the earth belong to God;
he is greatly exalted.

Passages like this are scattered throughout the Old Testament, but are largely ignored, particularly by Jews. Gentiles might not be physical descendants of Abraham, but they belong to the God of Abraham none the less. This particular passage might seem elitest, implying that it is only Gentile nobles who belong to God, but that’s not the case at all. We all belong to Him by right of creation. That is not only a matter of responsibility and accountability, it is also an incredible privilege. Paul explained this in terms of faith, expounding on it at length throughout Romans and also in other letters. “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26) A hymn from 150 years ago beautifully expresses it as, I’m a Child of the King. We lose out on so much when we fail to grasp that! That’s precisely why the devil does all he can to hide this truth from us, because he’s always out to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10) God doesn’t spoil His children; being a child of God doesn’t mean easy street. However, at the very least it guarantees us “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade–kept in heaven for you.” (1 Peter 1:4) Peter, who wrote that, went through some horrible times and was martyred by being crucified upside down, after being forced to watch his wife being crucified. Such things cannot touch the reality of our position in Christ, as Paul wrote so memorably in Romans 8:37-39. However, that position is received by faith, so we not only need to keep believing ourselves, we need to give those around us every opportunity to repent and believe as well, for their salvation and God’s glory.

This is a reality that has been ingrained in me since childhood. My biggest problem has been in taking it for granted, failing to give God the gratitude and obedience He deserves. I also get distracted by all sorts of things, forgetting my place in Christ in moments of pain, frustration, or disappointment. How foolish of me! Like Peter told his wife to do when she was being crucified, I need to remember Jesus. I certainly have no room to complain! For over 20 years I have been saying that when Japanese Christians wake up to who they are in Christ they will not only transform the nation, they will transform the world. The same could be said of the believers of any nation! I am to keep proclaiming God’s truth in God’s love, so that by the power of God’s Spirit more and more people may have their eyes opened, to walk in all that He intends for them.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your overflowing grace toward me. Help me walk in that fully today as Your child, speaking Your words and doing Your will in every interaction, for Your pleasure and glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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God’s Truth; August 24, 2022

Posted on August 27, 2022 by jgarrott

Psalm 43:3 Send forth your light and your truth,
let them guide me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.

I have written on this Psalm numbers of times, and it is justly famous. 42:1 is widely popular as set to music, and the repeated refrain (42:5, 11, 43:5) has helped countless people overcome depression. However, there is more to this than those most famous bits. I like this verse because of the reference to light, truth, and guidance. David put it like this: “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” (Psalm 36:9) God’s light is qualitatively different from physical illumination. It is inseparable from who He is, and it enables us to perceive things as they really are. No deception can stand before God’s light! That makes it again inseparable from God’s truth. Recently expressions like “my truth” and “your truth” have become popular, as though truth were subjective. However, that’s a logical absurdity, and it is promoted by the ultimate liar. (John 8:44) Sometimes two things can be true that seem to contradict each other, such as free will and predestination, but that conflict comes from our limited intellect, rather than being intrinsic. In any case, God’s light and truth will always lead us to Him, and that should be our goal. Anything that doesn’t lead us to God is ultimately worthless.

This has been a growing awareness in me for essentially my whole life. I have been distracted by various things at various times, and even now many things vie for my attention, but God’s light and truth are ultimate. The thing is, it remains my choice as to where I will invest my attention. I’m not to ignore the things of my daily life, much less the people around me, but my ultimate focus needs to be on God, on His light and truth. I need to be careful always to speak the truth in love, and not wield it as a cudgel, but I’m not to deny the truth in order to “be kind.” Lies are never kind, whatever “social norms” might say. That’s not to say that I’m always to blab things out, particularly when they would be wounding; I need to know when to be quiet. That’s been a problem for me! I need to speak God’s truth in God’s love so that it may be God’s light to lead people to Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. You have me preaching on testifying of You again this Sunday, when the message was similar just a couple of weeks ago. Your truth bears repeating! May I yield total Lordship to You, so that Your words through me may accomplish Your will for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Giving a Testimony; August 23, 2022

Posted on August 27, 2022 by jgarrott

Psalm 40:10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal your love and your truth
from the great assembly.

Several of David’s Psalms seem almost bipolar, going from joyful praise to self-centered depression and back again. This is one of those, yet it is undeniably inspired. Verses six and seven are recognized in the New Testament as being prophetic of Jesus, and several parts of this Psalm have been set to music and dearly loved in that form. We tend to want to be “up” all the time, but life, and human nature, aren’t like that. I personally think that a number of things that are diagnosed as psychiatric disorders these days are really just people being human. The more we focus on the negatives the more narcissistic we become, and that is never healthy. In this verse David is recognizing a major antidote to all of that, and that is testifying about the good things God has done for us. In telling others, we are reminded of God’s grace and faithfulness, and that shifts our focus away from ourselves and onto the only One who deserves all praise, thanks, and glory. One of my wife’s favorite hymns, even from her childhood, is Count Your Blessings. Doing that, not just to yourself but to others, can be powerful spiritual warfare. In this verse David speaks of God’s righteousness, faithfulness, salvation, love, and truth. When we’re busy telling others of these things, we too will be lifted up and the devil’s lies will be defeated.

“Giving a testimony” was something I knew of but was never stressed in my childhood. Every religious tradition has its weak points and its strong points! We have had “testimony time” in our services here, but I didn’t teach on the benefits very much and it kind of faded away. One issue is that in Japanese culture bragging is seen as very impolite, to put it mildly, and giving testimonies can feel like bragging. I need to lay the foundation for people to understand the difference between bragging and giving God praise and glory. To be honest, that line can blur at times for all of us, but we must not let that keep us from testifying of God’s goodness. I myself have held back from testifying out of a fear of being seen as bragging. I need to let God’s perfect love cast out all fear, (1 John 4:18) and lead all the believers here to testify of what God has done for them, so that many more may be drawn to repentance and faith.

Father, thank You for pointing this out to me. I ask for clear guidance and anointing as I not only preach, but teach and coach all the believers to be the witnesses You have called us to be, (Acts 1:8) for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Hard Times; August 22, 2022

Posted on August 26, 2022 by jgarrott

Psalm 35:9 Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord
and delight in his salvation.

Unusually, today’s reading has very little that I had previously underlined. The Psalm as a whole is a prayer that God would not only rescue David, He would bring the traps of David’s enemies back on their own heads. We sometimes forget that none of the characters in the Bible, or for that matter, all the believers since, had it very easy. Not all of them had people literally trying to kill them the way David did, but there are plenty of Christians even today who do. We get so soft, wanting everything to be easy! On the political/social scale, it has been said that “Hard times make strong men. Strong men make good times. Good times make weak men. Weak men make hard times.” That cycle has been carried out countless times throughout human history, on every scale from the micro to the macro. We have two bad tendencies: to want everything to be easy, and when things are easy, to stop working at making/keeping things easy. We tend to create scenarios in our minds – if this person were elected, if this condition were fulfilled – and pin our hopes on that, rather than living in faithful stewardship of all our opportunities and responsibilities. There’s no question that some things are more desirable than others, but if those things are received/achieved, that doesn’t mean we aren’t to keep pressing in for more of what God wants for us. However, we aren’t to be paranoid about it all. That’s why Jesus told His disciples, mere hours before He was arrested, “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) We are to expect challenges to keep us growing, but we aren’t to be anxious about any of it.

I have long loved that quote from John 16, but that doesn’t mean I’ve always been obedient to something the Lord has told me personally: “Rest. Relax. Rejoice.” Just yesterday I had an experience that is thankfully very rare for me: I became emotionally unglued. All I wanted to do was to literally run away and hide, which was pretty awkward when this was just before the start of the church service! Five or six minor things had stacked up, and I don’t know that any was more important than the others, but the result was that I was an emotional wreck. No fun! God was faithful and I got through it without leaving the building, but my human frailty was certainly on display. I’m sure that God will use it to help the believers understand that I can’t carry this church alone, nor should I try. Participation is an issue in many if not most churches, and I think God is working on that with this church. There were no non-believers here yesterday, so I don’t think anyone was negatively influenced. I certainly don’t enjoy times like that, but I’m not to complain about them. Rather, I am to thank God that He’s still working on me, and that He will use even my weaknesses and failures to bless others.

Father, help me keep my hopes in Christ alone, even as numerous songs proclaim. Help me not trust myself, nor be cast down when my weakness is evident. May I indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in Christ, knowing that in Him I am completely accepted by You. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Evangelism; August 21, 2022

Posted on August 26, 2022 by jgarrott

Psalm 34:11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

This Psalm as a whole is a treasure, rightly loved by many with various parts of it set to music. It was written by David after a particularly dramatic incident in his life, recorded in 1 Samuel 21, and he wanted to give God the glory. It is a formulaic poem, with each verse starting with the successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, but that doesn’t reduce its sincerity or impact. To me, this verse contains the key to the whole Psalm, the motive for David writing it: he wanted other people to know and rightly relate to the Lord who had saved him. This should be the motivation behind all Christian writing, certainly. Each believer has a salvation story, some more dramatic than others but all meaningful. We aren’t likely to convince someone to commit themselves to Christ without sharing what He’s done for us. Most “personal evangelism” systems are largely academic and theoretical, expressing truth without humanizing it. Any time we share Christ we need to make it personal, sharing who He is to us, and not like an image in a stained glass window. That’s what David was doing here, even if he was using a poetic formula. The first six verses are quite specific that David is speaking from experience, and the whole Psalm has been a blessing to countless people ever since.

I have been a man of words most if not all of my life, and my words have had various effects, some intentional and some not. In recent years I have finally understood that this verse should express the motive behind every one of my words. Sadly, various other motivations still express themselves, but this should be supreme. My words to God are to be praise and gratitude, but my words to people should all be to draw them closer to God. Yesterday I had the privilege of doing premarital counseling with a dedicated Christian couple, and I think we all enjoyed it a great deal. Many words were said – it ran much longer than expected – but I think we were all in closer harmony with the Lord at the end than when we started. They requested another session! Whether I am talking with dedicated believers like them, with total unbelievers, or anything in between, my motive should be to show them God and teach them to draw closer to Him, however close or far they might be at the moment. That is both a high privilege and something that is impossible if I rely on myself. I can talk on and on, but unless the Lord guides and inhabits my words, the results won’t be anything good. However, He has demonstrated countless times that He delights to speak through me, so I am to make myself fully available to Him.

Father, thank You for the incredible privilege of teaching people to be rightly related to You. May I do it more and more consistently, more and more effectively, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Singing Praise; August 20, 2022

Posted on August 24, 2022 by jgarrott

Psalm 33:1 Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

This Psalm as a whole is very joyful, with the only negative reference I can see being the mention of death and famine in verse 19. We have no idea who wrote it, but it is certainly an expression of faith. These first few verses expressly mention the appropriateness of music in responding to God. When our hearts are right before God, it is entirely reasonable that we would respond to Him with music. Actually, a resistance to praising God in music is an indication that something isn’t right with us. The Japanese expression for “upright” literally means “straight.” When we don’t want to praise God, we’ve gotten bent somehow! All sorts of things can do that, particularly our circumstances, but as has been said, we can’t control our circumstances but we can control how we respond to them. Even in times of great sorrow and pain we can choose to fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and rejoice that He loves us so much. I am well aware that is much more easily said than done sometimes, but if that is our desire, God will enable us to do it. And, there’s no reason not to! There is no benefit to wallowing in misery, particularly when a clear, simple alternative is available.

I feel like putting a big “ditto” on all I wrote yesterday about songs of deliverance. I was greatly blessed to be raised in a household that was not only musical, it was a household of faith, and singing to God and of God was the most natural thing ever. There are many who consider me righteous and upright, but I am so only by the grace of God. I do, however, choose to sing to and of the Lord with considerable frequency, in my heart even when not out loud. It is a great joy and privilege. I’d say that a song rises in my heart and mind most mornings when I open the Bible, and particularly now while we’re in Psalms. Sometimes I can hardly read for singing the songs that have been made from the passage! Believe me, I’m not complaining! My wife, and others who have been to heaven and come back, say that heaven is filled with music, and even the grass and trees sing praise to God. That’s certainly something to look forward to! Until I get there, however, I can taste that joy by choosing to sing praise to God in every circumstance.

Father, thank You for the incredible gift of music, of singing praise to You. May my music draw others to know and praise You as well, to swell the ranks of Your choir, (Revelation 7:9) for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Songs of Deliverance; August 19, 2022

Posted on August 24, 2022 by jgarrott

Psalm 32:7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.

I know that “shouts of deliverance,” as the Japanese has it here, is probably the more accurate translation, but I still like “songs,” because of how much music is part of me. Considering David, “songs” might really have been what he was thinking, because of his poetic gift. He had been writing songs ever since he was a young shepherd boy, watching over his flock by himself out in the wilderness. (I would be fascinated to know what tunes he used, but those are lost to us.) That experience also gave him an awareness of hiding places, because there were many dangers of various sorts, from scorpions to snakes to bigger animals that could do him harm. Growing maturity had taught him that such physical dangers were relatively minor compared to the spiritual dangers of sin. He had encountered men who were worse snakes than any pit viper! At the same time, he had recognized his own tendency to sin, as he mentions in this Psalm. His own lyrics probably helped him recognize and resist temptations and sin, since his anointing caused those lyrics to be included in the Bible. Setting Scripture to music is an excellent way to remember it, and it is never a bad idea to store up Scripture in your mind and heart. (Psalm 119:11) These days it’s easy to hear physical recordings of such songs, but it’s even better to let them “play” in our memory, because that encourages us to think about what they say. Doing that really can keep us out of a lot of trouble!

As I said, music is very much part of me, and I am grateful. I can’t really imagine what it’s like for those who don’t have a musical background, but I must not let that puff me up. Rather, I am to meet people where they are, teaching them simple songs that will act as “ear worms,” repeating God’s truth to them. I have always said that you can tell a church’s theology by what they sing, and teaching songs is far more effective than lecturing. I want people to know, and sing, songs that will draw them into right relationship with their Creator, comforting and building them up, but also admonishing them and encouraging them in active discipleship. That’s a tall order, and obviously one or two songs aren’t going to do the trick. In this church we generally sing six or seven songs per service, some of them multi-verse traditional hymns, some very simple choruses, and most somewhere in between. We’ve got a lot to choose from! The Lord has blessed me with translating quite a few songs in all of those categories, both from English to Japanese and from Japanese to English. Sometimes that gets convoluted, as in the Indonesian song that I know only in Japanese, that I translated into English. Sometimes translating allows me to “clean up” the theology of the original! It’s interesting to see songs that are better in translation than they are in the original language, and I’m not at all just talking about my work. That’s an indication that the Holy Spirit is at work in it all, and He is the one we need to teach us God’s truth. (John 14:26) I am to seek to be His agent, and allow Him to sing His songs into my mind and heart.

Father, thank You indeed for songs of deliverance. May I be the singer You want me to be, drawing others to sing Your songs, so that we may resist the devil and walk in all that You have for us, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Redemption; August 18, 2022

Posted on August 21, 2022 by jgarrott

Psalm 31:5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth.

The first half of this is famous as one of the last things Jesus spoke from the cross, (Luke 23:46) but where the NIV renders the last half as a request, the Japanese gives it as a statement of past fact: “I yield my spirit into Your hands; You have redeemed me.” I kind of like that. It is when we have assurance of Jesus’ redemption that we are able to yield ourselves to Him. I think a lot of people have trouble trusting God for the future because they don’t grasp how much He has already done for them. It’s like Paul said: “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) Until we realize how utterly without hope we were without Christ, and then realize that God has given His Son to rescue us from that situation, we will have trouble trusting Him with all the difficulties we encounter in this life. God is incredibly patient with us, so we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves. After all, Jesus chided even His 12 apostles for their lack of faith! (Matthew 8:26 and several more) One of our most important tasks on this earth is learning how much God loves us and how much He has done for us, because when we grasp that, we will be totally fearless.

I have had a fairly high level of assurance of God’s love from my childhood, but I have had some trouble with grasping just how essential that was for me. I am all too prone to take God’s love for granted, not understanding on the deepest level that it is grace indeed, and not anything I deserve. That said, I have very little fear of the future. The devil goes overtime trying to make us afraid, and it doesn’t matter much of what. In the recent pandemic, the fear of it has been much worse than the virus itself. Young people who had virtually zero risk of death from the virus committed suicide because of the social isolation and the pervasive fear-mongering. I am to be strong and at peace in my knowledge of God and seek to share that knowledge with as many as will receive it. My knowledge and my faith certainly aren’t perfect, but they’re growing, and God is faithful. I am to share what I have been given, for the blessing of others and for God’s glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the treasure trove of letters Cathy found yesterday that remind us of how Your plans for us were set long before we were born, and they are good. Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in that assurance, sharing it with all who will receive it, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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