Salvation; September 14, 2025

Posted on September 15, 2025 by jgarrott

Luke 1:74-75 “…to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
    and to enable us to serve him without fear
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.”

Throughout history mankind has been a bit confused about salvation. We think about being saved from disaster and from enemies, when the bigger salvation is being saved from our own sins. As Walt Kelly had Pogo say, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” I have long been convinced that the reason God allows difficult circumstances in our lives is to cause us to turn to Him, recognizing that we can’t save ourselves. Temporal salvation is of minor significance, when compared to eternal life! Zechariah here does touch on the purpose of temporal salvation, and that is to enable us to walk with God, serving Him in righteousness and holiness. If God bails us out of a fix, and then we turn around and ignore Him and sin again, what benefit is that? Repentance is indispensable to salvation! It’s like someone being saved from drowning, but then they choose never to learn to swim. God wants growing children! The term is currently terribly politically incorrect, but many, many people are spiritually retarded, way back on the “developmental scale” of where they should be. None of us get there perfectly in this life, as Paul famously noted, (Philippians 3:12-14) but like Paul, we need to be focused on becoming what God created us to be. When that is the case, we will experience His salvation in more ways than we can imagine, culminating in eternal and total salvation before His throne. That is something to look forward to indeed!

Every once in a while we see people who mature spiritually very rapidly, and they are a challenge and an inspiration to us. Charlie Kirk is one such individual. He wasn’t “saved” from the sniper’s bullet, but his life demonstrated that he was saved in innumerable other ways. Yesterday I was moved to watch his wife’s testimony, and she spoke of how he acted as a husband and father, in righteousness and holiness indeed. His public acts were on display, standing for God’s truth on every level, but doing it as Peter instructed, in “gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15) He was less than half my age, actually younger than I was when we arrived in Omura, but he certainly lived a very full life in the eyes of the Lord, going from salvation to salvation. For however long the Lord keeps me here, I could certainly do worse than to follow his example.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me indeed fulfill every purpose for the salvation You have so graciously given me, on every level, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Mary’s Faith; September 13, 2025

Posted on September 14, 2025 by jgarrott

Luke 1:45 “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Protestants tend to react to the Catholic veneration of Mary by ignoring her, for the most part, but that too is a mistake. She is a magnificent example and role model of faith, just as her relative Elizabeth recognizes here. She was an illiterate country girl, the sort of person most “movers and shakers” would totally discount, but she was chosen by God to bear His Son, and there could be no higher honor. Her initial response to Gabriel in itself showed she was special, because angels are fearsome beings. That she would respond as she did to being told she would give birth as a virgin boggles the imagination: “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38) I do think that calling her the Mother of God and the Queen of Heaven, and praying to her, are distinctly out of place, but at the same time, she is an absolutely magnificent role model of obedient faith. Sometimes what God does with us is nearly as mysterious as pregnancy with no sex involved, but we need to respond as Mary did, trusting God to be true to Himself and leaving the details up to Him. Frankly, I am reminded of the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk. It is particularly hard on his wife and children, but for him, it was a graduation to glory that probably involved minimal pain, and the long-term fallout from this will change the world. As several people have said, referencing the name of his organization, this looks to be a turning point in Bible-believing people standing up and saying, “Enough is enough.” He would have volunteered to play that role had he known of it ahead of time, and his only hesitation would have been for his wife and children.

I don’t know what God has yet in store for me, but He has given me a vision of Omura again being the foremost Christian city in Japan, and if that’s His vision, it will happen. Humanly speaking, it’s an obvious impossibility, on the order of virgin birth. However, God isn’t limited by human weakness. Like Mary, I need to believe that what God has said to me will certainly be fulfilled, just like Elizabeth said. After 44 years in Omura, I am absolutely convinced it won’t be by my wisdom and strength! However, my God is omniscient and omnipotent, and absolutely nothing is too difficult for Him. (Jeremiah 32:27)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Charlie Kirk reminds me that flowing with Your plans sometimes involves real sacrifices. Help me not hold back from anything You have planned, but keep myself totally available to You for whatever You want to do, for the sake of Your kingdom and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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John the Baptist; September 12, 2025

Posted on September 13, 2025 by jgarrott

Luke 1:16-17 “He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

The ministry of John the Baptist was doubly prophesied, and then clearly fulfilled. Malachi prophesied it first, in the very last verse of the Old Testament, (Malachi 4:6) and here, Gabriel fleshes out what Malachi said. And then, many of Jesus’ first disciples, and specifically some of the apostles, were first disciples of John, having had their hearts prepared by his ministry. It was certainly a unique ministry, and he was faithful in it to the point of martyrdom. However, even with all of that, John himself had moments when he wondered if he had gotten it right, sending disciples to Jesus to ask if He were indeed the One John had been working to prepare for. (Luke 7:18-20) Even the strongest believers have moments of doubt! However, God’s plans are in His hands, and we can have assurance that He will bring them to pass.

Yesterday I was totally shocked, even in disbelief, to check my email and the top item was President Trump announcing that Charlie Kirk was dead, having been assassinated. For context, how many 31-year-old people have their death announced by the President of the United States? However, Charlie was indeed a unique individual, starting his life work fresh out of high school and quickly developing one of the largest and most important conservative organizations in the country, if not the world. Quite a few people, myself included, felt that he would someday be president, and looked forward to it. The thing is, politics were not what was most important to him, God was. He was a consummate debater, not in the formal pattern of debate contests, but in clear apologetics, and that was what he was doing at the moment he was shot. It seems significant to me that he was shot in the neck. His opponents couldn’t counter the force of his words, so they sought to eliminate his ability to speak them. The thing is, in all the reporting of his activities to this point, one word that stands out is respect. He didn’t put people down for their opinions, even when he was showing forcefully how absurd they were. He was a bit more gentle than John the Baptist! At this point, while I pray for his wife and children, I believe that what the assassin accomplished was to multiply the voices proclaiming the conservative, Biblical principles Charlie Kirk espoused. We are indeed in tumultuous, dangerous times, but God’s plans are certain. Even as we pray for Charlie’s wife and children, we should be assured that he is receiving a very great reward, and we ourselves should be bold in proclaiming the same truths he did.

Father, thank You that I know You, and for the abundant evidence that Charlie Kirk did – does – too. I do pray for his wife and children, and for the thousands of young people who were powerfully impacted by his life and ministry, so that Your rule and reign may be established as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Joy; September 11, 2025

Posted on September 12, 2025 by jgarrott

Matthew 28:8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

The women’s joy here is something Jesus talked about in the Upper Room Discourse. “So with you: now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” (John 16:22) They hadn’t yet seen Jesus, but the angel’s pronouncement was enough to make them believe, and their joy level was incredible. Their fear level is also understandable, because angels are fearsome beings. My wife has seen some, and they are very far from the “cherubs” we see in paintings. We should be glad they are on our side! That said, it’s the joy I want to focus on here. There is a simple (some would say simplistic) song that has meant a great deal to me since childhood. “I serve a risen Savior; He’s in the world today.” When we really get it into our heart and mind that God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us, and that Son didn’t stay dead, but rose again to prove that He had provided eternal life for us, nothing in this world will be able to shake our joy. That’s why the Gospel is Good News. When Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection are no more than a “cultural myth” in our minds, we have little to no protection against the lies of the devil, and no logical foundation for abiding joy. It is when we accept God’s gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) into the core of our being that our joy starts to become what God intends it to be. When we have that faith and joy as a foundation, nothing this world can throw at us can shake us. Jesus warned us that in this world we will have trouble, (John 16:33) but when we are fully grounded in a risen Savior, that’s no big deal.

This is something the Lord has been working into me over the years. I think I was probably in the 6th grade when I asked my mother how I could be sure I was a Christian, and she quoted the chorus of He Lives, the song I mentioned earlier: “You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.” I was completely satisfied with that, and I have been ever since. When I was in college I attempted suicide through autohypnosis, slowing my breathing and my pulse, as I knew I could do from a previous experience. I had lain down on the floor of an empty room in a church and was well into the sequence, when the Lord told me clearly, “Don’t do that,” and I stopped. The amazing thing to me in retrospect is that I didn’t then go back to active, obedient faith. I was still in a very self-centered bubble! However, it wasn’t long after that that the Lord introduced me to Cathy, to whom I have now been married for over 56 years, and my outlook changed enormously! Since living in Omura I have had someone (not a Christian) introduce friends to be because “he wanted them to meet someone who enjoyed living.” Just yesterday I had a 100-year-old friend comment on my happiness, and the day before that I had a Christian friend say he always liked to meet with me because I gave him joy. Joy is a very blessed way to testify to the reality of Christ! I do get irritated, frustrated, and angry at times, but I need to stay anchored in the joy that is indeed mine in Christ Jesus my Lord.

Father, thank You indeed for the joy of having a risen Savior. Help me share that joy with more and more people, so that they too may know the joy of eternal life, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Faithfulness; September 10, 2025

Posted on September 11, 2025 by jgarrott

Matthew 25:21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’”

I have no idea how many times I have quoted this verse, because hearing it said to me by my Lord is my ultimate goal in life. Countless messages have been preached on this parable of Jesus, including by me, but it’s still worth noting the major points. The first is that the Master entrusted things to his servants on equal terms, “to each according to his ability.” God knows what we’re capable of, and He doesn’t give us more than we can handle. It is reported that Mother Theresa said, “I know that God will never give me more than I can handle, but sometimes I wish He didn’t trust me so much.” The second point is that the entrusting was complete; there wasn’t a “big brother” mechanism to breathe down their necks to see if they were behaving themselves. God is aware of everything we do, but He isn’t a task manager, leaving us as robots. Free will is real, whatever it might feel like. The third point is that the reward for faithfulness was equal, regardless of the starting point. The servant who started with two talents got exactly the same commendation as the one who started with five. The point here is not quantity, but the faithfulness itself. And the fourth point is that God rejoices when we are faithful. These men were told to enter into their Master’s joy, not some separate joy. The theme of our readings is The Joy of the Lord. Most of them seem to deal with it as the joy that He gives to us, but here, Jesus is saying that we enter into His joy. We can hardly imagine what that is, because it is qualitatively as well as quantitatively different. After all, our Lord is infinite! All He asks of us is faith and faithfulness, and the faith is a gift from Him. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

I don’t know how long ago it was that I realized that this commendation was my ultimate goal, but it’s been many years. I thankfully have had good examples, starting with my parents, and their parents before them. Those are mighty big shoes to fill, in the faithfulness area! I feel like God over-gifted me in a way, with verbal and mechanical and musical gifting. At least He didn’t add sports on top of that! Looking at all I started with, I sometimes question my level of faithfulness. I have to be satisfied with doing as Paul did: “I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.” (1 Corinthians 4:3-4) That said, I’ve also got to remember what he said immediately before that: “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” (verse 2) All my life, various things have been easy for me that other people couldn’t do, or did only with difficulty. That led to my being lazy, and that’s certainly not a good thing. I have learned the hard way the truth of the adage, “Use it or lose it.” I was once the concert master of the 25th Infantry Division Band, but I haven’t picked up one of my clarinets in years, and I don’t know what it would sound like if I did. I have a large vocabulary, but I just had to look up how to spell “adage!” I have no idea how I will be judged, but I know my gracious, loving Lord, and I entrust myself to Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Faithfulness is really all You ask. May I recognize my own tendency to unfaithfulness and in all humility receive Your grace, that is all I need. I do desire to be faithful to You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Discipleship; September 9, 2025

Posted on September 10, 2025 by jgarrott

Matthew 13:52 He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

I have liked this verse for many years, because my grandfather W. O. Carver’s memoir was published, after his death, under the title, Out of His Treasure, referencing this verse. However, reading it just now in the Japanese, I got a fresh revelation. Imagine my surprise to discover that the latest version of the NIV uses the same terminology: “become a disciple of the Kingdom of Heaven.” Discipleship is far more than scholarship, acquiring information. The kind of person referenced here is rendered in English as “scribe,” or “teacher of the law.” The Japanese simply says, “scholar.” Such people are noted for their head knowledge, but if they don’t put that knowledge into practice, it is essentially meaningless. In a sense, it can be compared to faith, as James describes it: “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2:26) I keep coming back to the fact that in Japanese, the word for “disciple” is the same as that for “apprentice,” one who learns by doing. You can watch a craftsman at work and admire his perception and his skill, but until you put your hand to it and attempt it yourself, you can hardly be called an apprentice. Sometimes we have the blessed privilege of human mentors in the faith, and sometimes we can even be those mentors, just as Paul said, “Therefore I urge you to imitate me,” (1 Corinthians 4:16) and “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1) However, even if we don’t have a human mentor, we can indeed follow the example of Christ, as Paul did. Jesus didn’t hold anything back in His complete obedience to the Father, and neither should we. We are to give our lives totally to Christ, whether it is in a moment, like James the son of Zebedee, or over 90+ years, like his brother John. That is what discipleship is all about. All of that said, what Jesus says in this verse totally settles the question of whether Christian churches should use the Old Testament as well as the New, and the answer is a very emphatic YES. A true disciple/apprentice doesn’t discard the things he learned first, just because he learned more on top of that. If we want to know the Bible, and we certainly should, then we need to read the whole Bible, and not just a few favorite verses.

I had the privilege of being raised in a family of Bible scholars. Not only did my maternal grandfather found the oldest surviving Department of Missions of any Protestant seminary in the world, my father got his Master’s degree in Hebrew and his PhD in Greek, teaching both those languages in a seminary in Japan. I was given a full Bible after my baptism at age 7, and had read it through by the time I was 10. However, I sadly learned that head knowledge doesn’t equal discipleship. The Lord had to deal with my spiritual and intellectual pride when I was 24, showing me how far I was from being a disciple. In the 50+ years since then I have had my ups and downs, but at least I know what my goal is! I do want to know the Bible, inside and out, but I also want to put it into practice fully, not as an academic discipline but as the Word of the Lord. Only then will I be the mentor God wants me to be, able to tell people to imitate me, just as Paul did.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me keep learning from You, never thinking I’ve “arrived,” but pressing in for more of Christ just as Paul did, (Philippians 3:13-14) for the blessing of those around me and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Roots; September 8. 2025

Posted on September 9, 2025 by jgarrott

Matthew 13:20-21 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

Emotions are tricky things. Every evangelist is delighted when someone receives the Gospel with joy, but Jesus here explicitly says that such people may possibly produce no fruit. I find it very interesting that Jesus specifies they lack roots “within themselves.” (as the ESV and the Japanese express it). We may think of roots as external, but if you think about it, they are very internal, hidden and not exposed. We speak of “shallow” people in other contexts as well. Roots are serious business! We’ve all seen pictures after storms of huge trees that have flipped over, and sometimes the root mass is shockingly shallow. There are lots of Christians like that, too. We need to be the kind of person who digs into the things of God, not just delighting in them but sinking roots into them, absorbing the nourishment we can get no other way. When we are that way, no storm of life can uproot us! It’s also important to consider what Jesus says here about “the word.” The things of God in general are very good and beneficial, but there’s no substitute for getting into the Bible and letting the Bible get into us. Spiritual enthusiasm without secure Biblical roots is a recipe for heresy. All of this is not to say that enthusiasm and joy are bad by any means, but it is to say that we must not be satisfied with emotions, because they are passing. Considering some emotions, thank God they are passing! We need to be rooted and grounded in God’s truth, and rejoice in His grace that allows us to be that way.

Just recently I was asked, during telephone counseling, whether a Christian who commits suicide goes to hell. I think the person who asked was considering it, actually. I responded that suicide is the ultimately self-centered act, discounting all impact on other people and not allowing God to provide His answers to whatever situation is being faced. I know, because I attempted suicide once when I was in college. That was only months before I met my wife, and I shudder to think of the loss if I had succeeded. Ministering in Japan, I don’t encounter very many people who “receive the Word with joy,” so when it happens I am delighted. However, I’ve got to be very careful to help such people cultivate the roots they need to stay firm in the storms of life. I have known people whom I thought were completely secure in their faith be pulled aside into heresy because of emotions, choosing “kindness” over the truth of God. That’s tragic! I’m not to be satisfied with my own roots, but seek to nurture all the believers in my care to plant their roots firmly. Those in this flock run quite a gamut! Some, I have absolute confidence in, but others, I feel like I need to keep nudging them. I need to entrust them all to God, and be faithful to interact with them as He directs, not necessarily with blanket policies but with individual discernment and care, so that the Body of Christ may be built up.

Father, thank You for this reminder. You never said that being a pastor would be easy! Thank You for the conversation You directed yesterday with my successor in this congregation, and for her response. Thank You for her deep roots. I do pray that You would give her great assurance and peace as she follows You, knowing that there is indeed no way she can do it on her own, but no way You can fail if she will be submitted to You. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Prophets; September 7, 2025

Posted on September 8, 2025 by jgarrott

Matthew 5:12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

As familiar as this verse is, it just occurred to me that Koine Greek has no punctuation. Accordingly, this verse can be read that Jesus is saying His disciples are prophets, just like the ones recorded in the Old Testament. That position is supported by most of the rest of the New Testament, actually, but the average Christian doesn’t think of themselves as a prophet. Given Paul’s exhortation in 1 Corinthians 14:1 and following, that’s probably a mistake. The devil does all he can to make us be afraid of being prophets, acting as God’s spokespeople. After all, such prophets got persecuted, often killed in various horrible ways. Jesus says here that even if that happens, we are to be glad, because our eventual reward is great. Speaking out what God is saying is a huge privilege, and one to be greatly desired, just as Paul said. However, we must never let it go to our head, because pride will steal our reward from us. The value and the glory are in the words, not in the one speaking them. Again, as Paul said, “We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7) That said, we must not forget that it is a treasure! We are never to take lightly the privilege of speaking for God. However, if we concoct in our own minds what we are going to say, it instantly stops being genuine prophecy. Our own thoughts and ideas are nothing, compared to what God says, even when He speaks through us. However, God’s words are “Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) We generally apply that to the Bible, which isn’t wrong, but God speaks His Word through His children, too.

I have had times when I was speaking what the Lord was saying, but then the Lord stopped talking and I didn’t. That’s an absolutely horrible feeling! In contrast, one time I was in a meeting and speaking out what the Spirit was saying, and when He stopped, I did too, even though it seemed to be in the middle of a sentence. At that moment, someone on the other side of the room picked it up at exactly that point, and the sentence was complete. Any time God speaks through me, my task is to focus on Him, not on myself, and not on the people who are listening to me. If I focus on my listeners, I end up trying to figure out how to correct their situation, whatever that might be, and that can get in the way of my hearing God. I have learned that political correctness has nothing to do with genuine prophecy. That’s one of the things that can trigger persecution! I am not to let my words hurt people needlessly, but sometimes they need a scalpel, or even a sword, to cut off what is binding them. I am never to assume that because I said it, it’s accurate prophecy from God. I’m as fallible as anyone. However, I am never to draw back from speaking or writing as the Lord directs, so that His Word may accomplish everything for which He sends it, (Isaiah 55:11) even when He sends it through me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Being Your agent is incredible, both in privilege and responsibility. May I not focus on this clay jar, but rather let You shine through me, for Your glory alone. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Confirmation Joy; September 6, 2025

Posted on September 7, 2025 by jgarrott

Matthew 2:10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

This passage is so familiar that I could pretty well quote all 12 verses from memory, and I’ve not only written, I’ve preached on this particular verse. However, familiarity indeed breeds contempt, and it is actually very helpful to revisit familiar passages, particularly those that have strong calendar associations, out of sequence, so to speak. I would call this verse an example of confirmation joy. It may not have been as extreme as what the Magi experienced, but we’ve all experienced this to some degree, when something we were looking forward to turned out as expected, or perhaps even better than expected. In the case of the Magi, they had set out in faith that they were understanding what God was showing them, but it was certainly a major undertaking, and I’m sure they at times wondered if they had been mistaken. When the scribes in Jerusalem quickly came up with Bethlehem as the place where the Messiah was to be born, I’m sure their anticipation peaked (or so they thought) and here, the heavens themselves confirmed that they were on track. They probably wondered if they had already died and gone to heaven! In terms of narrative, this is something of the peak of the story, but for the Magi, it was entering the house and encountering the Holy Family, and everything they had been through to get there became insignificant. I’m sure their spiritual sensitivity was at peak level at that point, so it’s hardly surprising that they recognized the Lord’s instructions not to go back to Herod. The thing is, every believer has something like this to look forward to, when we stand before our Lord in heaven. We believe, firmly enough, but the reality will be so much better than we can now imagine. As the song says, “I can only imagine.” As Paul said, “‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’—the things God has prepared for those who love him—these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10) Now that will be confirmation joy!

So many things whet my anticipation of heaven! Unless the Lord returns first, I know that there will be people who will mourn my departure, but that is a transition I personally look forward to immensely. My wife has had a taste of heaven, having had a near-death experience over 50 years ago, and nothing she has told me has blunted my anticipation. For that matter, I had an experience myself over 30 years ago of being in a small prayer meeting, just worshiping in the presence of the Lord, and the joy in my heart became so intense that I literally asked the Lord to back it off a little, if He had anything more for me to do on this earth, because I didn’t think my physical body could take it. That won’t be a limiting factor in heaven! I am feeling great joy at the moment that someone to whom I have been witnessing has promised to come to church tomorrow. I hope I don’t explode when he shows up! God does have good things planned and prepared for us. I am to rest in that assurance, and share the good news with as many people who will receive it as possible, so that God’s plans for us may be fulfilled for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder, from an extremely familiar verse. May I not let familiarity blunt my appreciation of Your Word, but rather let Your Word become more and more part of me, for the blessing of those I encounter and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Making Aliya; September 5, 2025

Posted on September 6, 2025 by jgarrott

Zechariah 10:9 Though I scatter them among the peoples,
    yet in distant lands they will remember me.
They and their children will survive,
    and they will return.

This is what is today called “making aliya,” moving from anywhere in the world to Israel. For many people it involves a huge cultural shift, but it is motivated by what it says in this verse: remembering the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and wanting to be in the Jewish ancestral homeland. This movement has been called Zionism since the late 1800s, and for many today it is a curse word, utterly despicable, because antisemitic feelings run strong. To me, that shows the validity and accuracy of the Old Testament, as well as the reality of the devil, who is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44) If the Old Testament weren’t true, there would be no logical basis for antisemitism whatsoever, other than the general human tendency to separate into groups. As it is, Thomas Lehrer’s classic song, National Brotherhood Week, in discussing various group enmities, pointedly says, “Everybody hates the Jews.” People laugh, because there is illogical truth in that statement. The roots of antisemitism are in jealousy of the people chosen by God, and frankly, hatred of the God who chose them. All of that is ultimately futile, however, because puny man can’t really counter omnipotent God. The rational response to all this is to rejoice that God cared enough about mankind in general to choose Abram, rename him Abraham, and then work through him and his descendants to reveal Himself to the whole world, ultimately sending His Son, a physical descendant of Abraham, to die for our sins and open the way for our salvation. Those who have that mindset are the biggest supporters of the Jews! Of course, we understand, with Paul, that Jews too need to repent of sin and believe the Gospel, but there is a deep sense of humility and gratitude. (Romans 9-11) The New Testament couldn’t exist without the Old Testament. Christian faith has a Jewish foundation!

As I have written before, I have always been proud to have been born in the same year, 1948, as the modern Jewish nation. I’ve never had the privilege of visiting the land in person, but I learned Jewish songs even as a child, and I feel great empathy with those making aliya. Things are happening today that seem to foreshadow events described in Revelation and elsewhere, and I look forward to the day Christ will return and set foot on the Mount of Olives, in a sense making aliya Himself. In that day I will no longer have my current physical limitations, and I’ll be able to visit freely. That’s just one of so many things to look forward to! Meanwhile, I’m to live in faithful obedience, countering the lies of the devil with the truth of God and calling all people, Jews and Gentiles alike, to repentance and faith for their salvation.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the privilege of serving You, as a very small part of Your plan. May every detail of Your plan be fulfilled, on Your schedule and for Your glory alone. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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