Changing; April 30, 2022

Posted on May 2, 2022 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin
or the leopard its spots?
Neither can you do good
who are accustomed to doing evil.

This is a truly famous verse, and it speaks of the dangers of habit. The first half of the verse is the same in English and Japanese, and is the most famous part, but in the second half the Japanese says, “If they could change, then you who are accustomed to evil could do good.” To me, thinking of our omnipotent God who can do anything, that leaves open a door of hope. However, the probability is indeed vanishingly small. He might not be a good example in other ways, but Michael Jackson’s skin certainly became lighter as the years went by. We have the proverb, “Old habits die hard,” which is a lighter version of this same thought. However, God always leaves open the door of repentance, if we will take it. At the same time, this points out the folly of marrying someone because you think you can change them. As Jesus said about rich people getting saved, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27) We are not to give up on anyone, even ourselves, but we are never to think we can change them on our own. However, nothing should stop you from praying. For example, it is certainly appropriate to pray for Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, and various other evil people closer to home, but we aren’t to think we ourselves can change them.

This is something I occasionally need to be reminded of – even about myself. I have responsibility there, and my will is certainly involved, but I don’t have the power genuinely to change myself apart from God. That said, choosing to repent releases His power in my life, and I have experienced that multiple times. I’m never to excuse myself, thinking that’s just the way I am, but I am to submit every part of my life, the desirable as well as the undesirable, to God for Him to do with them as He sees fit. I am not immutable! When I run into former students they often exclaim, “You’re just the same!” Actually, I hope not! My exterior ages more slowly than some, but I pray that my interior would keep growing in my Lord. When people talk about my comparative youthfulness I say, “That’s because I never mature.” I certainly hope that’s no more than a joke! I want to keep changing, however my Lord knows I need to, for the blessing of those around me and for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me indeed keep praying for “unchangeable” situations, knowing that nothing is impossible for You, and at the same time leave everything in Your hands, trusting You completely. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Bible; April 29, 2022

Posted on May 2, 2022 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 8:8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise, for we have the law of the Lord,” when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?'”

Here we have a statement in the Bible that some of the Bible is not accurate! This is actually rather earth-shaking for those who venerate Scripture. It actually lends credence to Barth’s position that the Bible isn’t the Word of God, but it contains the Word of God. However, that is a slippery slope if ever there was one. When we start picking and choosing what we like from the Bible we lose much of the foundation for our faith. When everything is subjective, the devil has free rein with his lies. As it says in the very next verse, “Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have?” (Jeremiah 8:9) There are many, perhaps even most, Christians who ignore chunks of the Bible, but not with any consistent principles about it. Paul is pretty clear about the issue of dietary restrictions, but he is equally clear that sexual immorality and perversion are not acceptable, and those are the areas most under attack. We need always to ask the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit when we read the Bible, since He is the Author. He won’t lead us astray, whatever “scribes” might have done to some of the text down through the centuries. Translation is a major issue, particularly in light of this verse. I have it on excellent authority that pre-existing doctrinal positions definitely color Bible translations. That should be sufficient reason right there to use multiple translations! I think it all comes down to the reality that we are to worship God, and nothing else – even the Bible.

This is very personal for me, since I come from a line of Bible scholars. My maternal grandfather’s translation of Ephesians has influenced every English translation for the past 100 years. My father got his Master’s degree in Hebrew and his Doctorate in Greek, teaching both languages in Japanese, so it’s very safe to say that there was a very high awareness of the difficulties of translation in my family. There are, frankly, some parts of Leviticus that I ignore, and I consider myself to be pretty hooked on the Bible. A member of our church, a recovering alcoholic, once declared that I was addicted to the Bible, because, he said, “I know addiction.” I cried tears of joy at that, because that’s how I want to be. However, my loyalty must not be to the printed words, but to the Lord who speaks them to me. I am deeply grateful that He does speak to me, often and consistently as I meet with Him each morning, but that is effective only to the degree that I am obedient to what He says. I am constantly reminded of the truth of James 1:22: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” I am not to be a legalist, but I am certainly to allow the Lord to write His law on my heart (Jeremiah 31:33, quoted in Hebrews 8:10 and 10:16) so that I may do it, for His glory.

Father, Thank You for this Word. Help me indeed handle the Bible correctly, (2 Timothy 2:15) falling for none of the lies of the devil but wielding the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17) effectively to set people free, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Death; April 28, 2022

Posted on April 30, 2022 by jgarrott

Isaiah 57:1-2 The righteous perish,
and no one ponders it in his heart;
devout men are taken away,
and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away
to be spared from evil.
Those who walk uprightly
enter into peace; they
find rest as they lie in death.

Death isn’t always a tragedy. Sometimes it’s a reward! This passage brings to mind the story in 1 Kings 14, where King Jeroboam’s son died young, precisely “because he is the only one in the house of Jeroboam in whom the Lord, the God of Israel, has found anything good.” (1 Kings 14:13) We have a lot of trouble with that idea, because we are so fixated on this life. I think the NIV got it right here, even though the Japanese tries to avoid the idea of death and says, “They are able to rest on their own beds.” This may not be a full-blown concept of heaven, but it certainly says that there can be things better than continuing to live on this earth. Tradition tells us that Isaiah himself was killed by being sawed into pieces, which is certainly a rough way to go, but it probably wasn’t long before he lost consciousness, and the rest of it didn’t matter to him. I think of this often as I hear of people being martyred today in many parts of the world. Those left behind have it worse! We are to be good stewards of however much time the Lord gives us on this earth, but for those who are in Christ, the next step is far better. The verses following this talk about a sexualized idolatry that sacrifices children. That could certainly be a description of modern society! The absolute panic of so many people that abortion might be restricted is tragic to the point of absurdity. America currently has a former porn actress who celebrates having had an abortion, running for congress! The lines are being drawn ever more clearly, and those who know God cannot stand on the sidelines and pretend it doesn’t matter. Our reward for standing for truth might even be death in the short term, but those who are in Christ know that’s no big deal!

I have always felt that my father’s death at 64 was a reward to him for his faithfulness. He was facing retirement at 65 and being forced by the mission board to leave Japan, and he dreaded that. The surgery from which he woke up in heaven was actually in the US, but his grave is here, in the land to which he was committed. My mother also graduated at 72, in the US but buried here. I am honored to be their son, and am now 73 myself. Death has no fears for me! I am aware that, with high probability, either my wife or I will go first, rather than its being simultaneous, and that idea bothers me a bit, but even there I know that our Lord’s grace is sufficient for us, and I have peace. The physical deterioration of age can be bothersome, but that too is ultimately no big deal. We’ve got resurrection bodies in store! As long as we are here, we are to keep speaking the truth in love, serving our Lord through serving those around us, so that as many as will may encounter Him and repent and believe, for their own eternal salvation.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me live today and every day in Christ, resting in Him and actively obeying the Holy Spirit, so that all of Your purposes for me may be accomplished on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Seeking God; April 27, 2022

Posted on April 29, 2022 by jgarrott

Isaiah 51:1, 7 “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord:
Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have my law in your hearts:”

This chapter is addressed to God’s faithful people, and it’s interesting to see how they are described. The issue is not perfection, but direction. Verse one speaks of pursuing righteousness. Quite frankly, we are surrounded by unrighteousness, and we ourselves are certainly tainted by it. That isn’t good, but it becomes a far bigger issue if we become satisfied with, or even resigned to, that situation. We need to be active in our pursuit of God and His righteousness. That is exactly the terminology Jesus used in His famous statement about God’s provision: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) Then we have what it says in verse seven, of having God’s law (the Japanese says teaching) in our hearts. Many times the Bible speaks of the danger of having God’s Word in your head but not your heart. The Pharisees who opposed Jesus were a prime example of that. They doubtless could quote huge chunks of the Bible from memory, ignoring the fact that what they had memorized spoke of the very One they were opposing! It is only when we let God’s Word penetrate our hearts that we are protected against sin and unrighteousness. (Psalm 119:11) God has many wonderful promises for those who fit this description, but we need to be seeking God and His righteousness, rather than pursuing the promises.

I am frequently reminded that this applies to me. As I have written many times, I feel like James 1:22 was written expressly for me, though certainly not just for me. Growing up in the home I did, being blessed as abundantly as I have been, there has always been the temptation to be satisfied, to plateau and not press in further. That is very risky! I won’t lose my salvation, but I would hardly be eligible for the “Well done, good and faithful servant” that I so deeply desire. I’ve got to remember that, like Paul, I can never say I have “arrived” while I am on this earth. (Philippians 3:12-14) As a pastor, I desire that attitude for those in my care. I seek to encourage daily devotions, because hearing truth directly from the Lord through His Word is far better than hearing it from my mouth. I want us to be a people who individually and collectively match the description here, so that we will be fully useful to the Lord for whatever He wants to do through us, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me indeed seek You and Your righteousness consistently, on every level, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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God’s Timing; April 26, 2022

Posted on April 29, 2022 by jgarrott

Isaiah 49:20 “The children born during your bereavement will yet say in your hearing, ‘This place is too small for us; give us more space to live in.'”

We only see the surface of what’s going on. During the centuries when there was no Jewish state, God was still dealing with His people, and when the nation was reborn in 1948 the response was downright overwhelming. Even today Jews from all over the world continue to move to Israel, most recently from Ukraine. If God hadn’t intervened, they certainly wouldn’t have their current prosperity. I saw an article just yesterday about how Israel actually has a water surplus at this point, which is astounding considering the climate. God gave them wisdom, and Israeli techniques of agriculture and irrigation are having a good impact in other arid countries as well – including Arab nations that have been their sworn enemies! In 35:6 and 43:9 God spoke to Isaiah about “streams in the desert,” and that is being fulfilled. At the time it seemed like simply a metaphor for opposites, but nothing is impossible for God. We need to remember that God sees the end from the beginning, and His thoughts and plans are indeed far higher than ours. (Isaiah 55:9)

I feel like this verse applies to us. In less than a year we have added strong, active believers, and it looks like we could easily experience explosive growth. I can imagine soon having to go to multiple services, and even needing to seek out a larger venue for Sunday mornings, reserving this building for prayer, just as I have been saying from the time we built it. However, even today that would require an act of God, because it’s clear I can’t make it happen. I am actively involved, but in a sense I am just along for the ride. God knows whom He has chosen to be joined to the Body of Christ here, and how they are going to be joined, and I don’t. I am to focus on daily faithfulness, always speaking the truth in love so that God’s truth may indeed set people free, for their salvation and God’s glory.

Father, thank You for all that You are doing, and particularly for all that I’m not aware of until after the fact. Help me never be anxious, but flow with Your Spirit on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Japan; April 25, 2022

Posted on April 27, 2022 by jgarrott

Isaiah 42:4 “In his law the islands will put their hope.”

One of the many reasons Isaiah is my favorite book of the Old Testament is its many references to islands. Being born, raised, and called to minister in Japan, that appeals to me! No other book of the Bible pays that much attention to islands, with Acts being the closest competitor, because of Paul’s journeys. It is a genuine mystery why Isaiah would have written like this, except for the fact that he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to do so. In any case, I like it! Japan’s history is inseparable from its geography. Its location off the coast of a continent is in many ways similar to Britain, but it doesn’t have the history of repeated invasions that Britain does. 1945 was the first time in its history that a foreign military force occupied it. It is also unique in having a period of over 200 years of deliberate isolation, internally chosen and not externally imposed. Those things combine with a number of other factors to make Japan what it is today. From a religious standpoint, indigenous animism, called Shinto, was unquestioned until Buddhism came in from China and Korea, but rather than being supplanted, it persisted and is still widespread. We don’t think of Confucianism as a religion very much, since it is more of a philosophy than a religion, but that influence also came over from China and is still very strong. In fact, in a number of ways Japanese Buddhism is really Confucianism with a Buddhist face, emphasizing ancestor worship and a strict social code. With that background, Christian missionaries have had a tough time here. In fact, Japan has often been referred to as “the graveyard of missionaries,” because of the very low rate of return for time and effort invested. In that situation, is it any wonder I’m excited by Isaiah’s statement that “In His law/teaching the islands will put their hope?”

The question then becomes, what do I do about it? Like my parents before me, I have invested my life in this island nation. My father once prostrated himself on the floor and cried out, “God, if I am standing in the way of revival in Japan, then take me out of the way!” I identify completely with that sentiment, as I was sharing with two of the men in this church just yesterday. It is abundantly clear that I can’t force Japanese, or anyone else, for that matter, to open their hearts to repent and believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. However, my love for this nation and its people compels me to keep sharing Christ with them. After 40 years in Omura I have very little that I can point to in terms of achievement, but I can keep speaking the truth in love, sowing the seed and trusting God to bring the harvest in His time. If I focus entirely on the harvest, frankly, I will lose hope. I need to focus on my Lord, and entrust everything to Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the time talking with the two men yesterday. I do pray that everyone in this church would catch the vision of being Your agents to communicate the Gospel to this nation. May we be united in our obedience and dedication to You, so that You may do whatever You desire through us, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Knowing God; April 24, 2022

Posted on April 26, 2022 by jgarrott

Isaiah 40:28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

The verses following this, particularly 30 and 31, are dearly loved and often quoted and set to music, but all that depends on this. Many people do act like they don’t know there’s an omnipotent Creator, and particularly one who knows and cares about them and what they do. They claim to be wise and yet flaunt their foolishness and willful ignorance. As David said, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” (Psalm 14:1) The NIV includes a note that says, “The Hebrew words rendered fool in Psalms denote one who is morally deficient.” Recently there has been a lot of uproar about a Twitter account called The Libs of Tiktok, that simply reposts things that others have put on the Internet proclaiming their position on various issues, particularly sexual/moral/political ones. Those so quoted certainly fit that definition in the Psalms! If there was any awareness of this verse, those people would at the very least not be proclaiming their foolishness! People don’t want to acknowledge an omnipotent God because they don’t want to go by His rules, not realizing that every one of His rules is for our good. It’s like Jesus said to Saul in his vision on the road to Damascus, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” (Acts 26:14) Rebelling against God doesn’t hurt Him, though it saddens Him, but it certainly hurts us! Because the devil wants to steal, kill, and destroy us, (John 10:10) he does his best to hide the truth of this verse from us. Once we really grasp this verse, along with John 3:16, we have entered a fortress the devil can’t penetrate. The problems come when we know this on one level but then act like we don’t on other levels. What we need is integrity, living out the truth we know and believe. The more we do that, the more we walk in the incalculable blessings God has prepared for us.

This of course applies to me. I was taught the reality of this verse from infancy, really, but I certainly can’t say I have walked in it 100%. I understand the mind games of those who deny God because I’ve played too many mind games of that sort myself. That sort of pride is always destructive! It is sad to see people destroying themselves, but it is angering to see them trying to take others with them. I am to speak the truth in love, understanding that sometimes love requires me to be very strong and forceful, even. That doesn’t fit the image most people have of Jesus, but at one point He made a whip of cords to drive the merchants out of the temple. (John 2:15) I’m not to look for such occasions, but I’m not to draw back from them either. I am never to think I am to oppose evil in my own strength, but totally depend on my omnipotent Creator. As James said, I am to submit to God and resist the devil, so that he will flee. (James 4:7)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that the tide of willful ignorance seems to be turning, in the US at least. I do pray for all who are choosing to submit to You and resist the devil, not just that they would be bold and strong but that they would discover You more and more in the process, coming to a clear, pure faith for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Suffering; April 23, 2022

Posted on April 26, 2022 by jgarrott

Isaiah 38:16-17 Lord, by such things men live;
and my spirit finds life in them too.
You restored me to health and let me live.
Surely it was for my benefit
that I suffered such anguish.

Once again differences in translation between the English and the Japanese impart a different feel to the passage. Where the NIV says, “You restored me to health and let me live,” the Japanese expresses it as a request that the Lord would do that. Where the NIV says, “it was for my benefit,” the Japanese says, “it was for the sake of inner peace.” The last is easily understood because of the famous Hebrew word, shalom, which can mean a wide variety of things but is most often translated as peace. All of that aside, the fundamental point remains, that suffering can actually do us good. We tend to set a goal of zero suffering, but in this world that can create more problems than it solves. Right now we see a whole generation of young people who have been raised with that attitude, and they are total wimps! The idea that someone could have a strongly-held opinion that differs from theirs, even, sends them into melt-down. Pampering feels good in the short term, but it is disastrous in the long term. Hezekiah was a king, and he was certainly used to getting his way in everything. The Lord very graciously dealt with that. The last two verses of this chapter give real insight into the advance of medicine over the centuries, because they tell us that Hezekiah’s potentially fatal ailment involved a boil. We don’t think of boils as that serious, but this was long before any sort of antibiotics, and boils can lead to sepsis, which can certainly be fatal. We have many reasons to be grateful!

I am grateful that my parents weren’t over-protective, and I experienced various hard knocks that were for my benefit. At this point I tend to take illness and injury very much in stride – which isn’t at all to say that I enjoy them! A risk for me is seeming to be callous toward the suffering of others, and that is certainly not desirable. My wife has a list of health issues, and the latest is a rotator cuff injury which, though not potentially fatal, is certainly painful. We don’t know why God allowed this, or what benefit He is going to bring about because of it, but we do have the assurance that He never allows anything to happen to us that He can’t use for good. (Romans 8:28) In the meantime, I need to be the support and comfort Cathy needs, recognizing that in the unity of marriage, anything that happens to her happens to me. She is not very adept at slowing down, and I need to have God’s wisdom and guidance in helping her do that as He intends.

Father, thank You for this timely reminder. As my mother used to pray, I ask that you keep Cathy from any unnecessary pain and give her the wisdom she needs to flow with Your Spirit on Your schedule, receiving Your healing for her blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Life; April 22, 2022

Posted on April 24, 2022 by jgarrott

Ecclesiastes 9:4 Anyone who is among the living has hope –even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!

Solomon’s cynicism really bothers me at times. He is to me one of the most tragic figures in the whole Bible, because he was given so much and threw it all away because of humanistic intellectual pride. He certainly had a powerful intellect and his writings do contain a lot of truth, but he benefitted essentially not at all from it. He had as much “creature comfort” as was possible in those days, with absolutely nothing being denied him. His mind enabled him to see the futility in all of that, but he failed to develop the personal relationship with his Creator that would have given meaning to it all. As a point of reference, the average American today has far more physical comfort than Solomon did, and the amount of knowledge that is instantly available to us on our cell phones totally dwarfs the entire volume of knowledge that was available in his day, not to mention what he knew personally. He indeed had more gold, jewels, and the like than we could imagine, but all of that together couldn’t have purchased what we take for granted. This particular verse of his is well known, and has been used by some as an excuse to run away from battle or other danger. The problem with it is that Solomon’s concept of “life” was limited to the physical, as is clear throughout this chapter and indeed, throughout all of Solomon’s writings. Someone who dies physically in a right relationship with his Creator, at whatever age, is far better off, and has far more hope, than someone who lives past 100 who doesn’t have such a relationship.

Naturally this applies to me. I’ve already outlived my father by over nine years, but “length of days” seems increasingly less important to me. I am “among the living” not because my heart is beating, but because I know and trust in my living Lord. When this physical life is over that will be a minor bump in my existence, because I already have eternal life. My intellect has presented me with some of the same temptations to which Solomon succumbed, and I am deeply grateful that the Lord has enabled me to avoid some and get over others. I do desire that others join me in the hope that I have, but I can’t force them to believe and accept it. However, I can speak the truth in love, and that is what I want to do consistently, for as long as the Lord leaves me here.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I still get tied up in temporal things all too often. Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in the hope that I have in Christ, so that others may see that hope and desire and receive it for themselves, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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The Fear of Man; April 21, 2022

Posted on April 23, 2022 by jgarrott

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

This is a timeless truth indeed. Verses 10 and 27 in this chapter mention how people who aren’t submitted to God are “out to get” those who are, but that’s still not reason to fear them. The past two years have been quite an example of this. The spread of COVID was used as an excuse by some to control others, cutting them off from one another in various ways, because isolation brings weakness. Recovery from that has been uneven across the world, but as I write, the mask mandate for public transportation in the US has just been struck down by a judge with common sense, and the videos that popped up of the reaction of crews and passengers on planes in flight when it was announced speak volumes. Meanwhile, the situation in Shanghai is tragic almost beyond description. Mankind is capable of incredible stupidity and cruelty, often at the same time. It is when those who are submitted first to God refuse to submit to tyranny, whatever label it bears, that things change. It has been astounding to see America, “the land of the free and the home of the brave,” submit so quickly and easily, but thankfully America seems to be waking up. Other countries don’t have the same traditions and framework, but there is hope there as well. The big issue hasn’t been the virus itself so much as the opinions of others if you don’t “toe the line.” All the protestations of “follow the science” were used as excuses to ignore the genuine science, actively suppressing various therapeutics that could probably have saved many, many lives, all for the sake of political control. As this verse says, the fear of man is a snare! Those who know God need to be active in trusting and obeying Him above all else.

Naturally this applies to me. Japan hasn’t had as many legal (or illegal) mandates as America, but social pressure is extremely strong in this society. Conformity is seen as a very high value. I have run into some strong reactions because of declining to get the mRNA shots, but that’s not something people can tell just by looking at me. I carry a mask and use it in stores, simply to avoid offending needlessly, but I don’t wear one outdoors, though many do. There are other issues that are actually more serious. I have failed to share the Gospel at times because of fearing an adverse reaction. That’s certainly listening to the devil! I am to decline the fear of man in all its various forms and indeed trust God fully, being obedient to Him for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. The fear of man indeed takes many different forms. Help me recognize them all and submit only to You, so that Your purposes many be accomplished in and through me for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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