Wants vs. Needs; October 29, 2025

Posted on October 30, 2025 by jgarrott

Philippians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

This verse gets quoted a great deal, both appropriately and inappropriately. The big sticking point is the simple word, need. We have a lot of trouble distinguishing between our needs and our wants. However, God has no such difficulty! That can apply to minor things as well as major. We may want a snack, but God knows we need nutrition. We have a responsibility to recognize His provision in that area, and not let our wants ultimately do us harm. Likewise, we may want the “latest and greatest” in cars, but God knows we need reliable transportation. Sometimes our wants and needs coincide perfectly, and God delights us with blessing, and sometimes He pours far more out on us than we had even dreamed of. The problem comes when we demand, even emotionally, that last scenario, instead of trusting our heavenly Father to know what we actually need. God has different paths for each of His children, and some of those require more material resources than others. The thing is, everything we have is ultimately from Him, and we are accountable as stewards for the use we make of it, from the small to the great. The minute our focus goes to the resource itself, rather than to the One who provides it, we lay ourselves open for all sorts of deception, error, and heartache. God is indeed Yahweh Yireh (Jehovah Jireh), the Lord our Provider, and we need to trust and obey Him.

As I was writing the above, a particular memory kept coming to mind. Back in 1969 I wanted a girlfriend, but God knew I needed a life partner, and He provided magnificently. That was certainly a case of His doing “more than I could ask or imagine!” (Ephesians 3:20) In the years since then we have had financially tight times, and financially abundant times. Both have been blessings. God has known, and continues to know, what we need, and we have learned to submit our wants to Him. We don’t know what our remaining earthly years will hold, but we can have complete peace and assurance that our needs will be met, and we need to be good stewards of all of His blessings, both tangible and intangible.

Father, thank You for Your incredible grace. I was talking to a friend last night who said that the abundance of Your grace scares him, because he knows he doesn’t deserve it. I reminded him that’s the definition of grace! May I be a good steward of Your grace on all levels, for Your will to be done for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Being an Example; October 28, 2025

Posted on October 29, 2025 by jgarrott

Philippians 4:9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

This is certainly a statement of a man with a clear conscience. Many would hesitate to say such a thing, being aware of their own weaknesses. However, this wasn’t conceit on Paul’s part. He wasn’t perfect, as he so strongly stated in the previous chapter, (Philippians 3:12-14) but he was totally committed and submitted to God. He said something similar to this to other groups of believers as well, saying to the Corinthians, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1) We are blessed to have the Bible readily available to most people, but many things are best learned through following someone’s example, and we are called on to be that example to others. Of course, when Paul was writing his letters, not only did the New Testament not exist, books in general were rare and valuable, since hand copying was their only means of reproduction. That’s the basis for everything in this verse, since Paul was essentially their only source of information about Jesus and life in Him, apart from direct revelation by the Holy Spirit. Today, we can easily have the full Bible on our cell phones, but that doesn’t eliminate the need for practical examples. I’m reminded of the hymn. Let Others See Jesus in You. I find that an extremely practical, valuable song, right in line with this verse.

I have been blessed to have numerous excellent examples/role models in my life, starting with my parents. Whether I have been the same for others is for them, and God, to decide. As Paul said, God is my judge! (1 Corinthians 2:3-4) However, I am to live boldly as Christ’s witness by the power of His Spirit, just as He said, (Acts 1:8) and so draw people to Him. In Japan, a major issue is that people tend to admire me, but since I am Caucasian, they consider me to be other, and so don’t think they can, or even should, imitate me. I frankly don’t know what to do about that. All I can do is speak the truth in love, asking God to take that truth past the barriers the devil has set up and impart it into people’s hearts. When that happens, and sometimes it really does, they are set free indeed, (John 8:32) and that is absolutely glorious!

Father, thank You for the privilege of being a witness for Christ and an example for believers. May I continue to grow as Your child so that Your Word through me will be more and more clear and effective, for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Worldview; October 27, 2025

Posted on October 28, 2025 by jgarrott

Philippians 3:8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.

I am fascinated, even amused, that this is the reading for today, when this echoes the main Scripture in yesterday’s message, Psalm 119:14, and in that message I also quoted verses 12-14, which are at the end of today’s passage! The Lord gave me yesterday’s message when I was having a time of Bible study online with a pastor friend in northern Japan, and we are working through Psalms. God knows everything, and His Word is remarkably unified. Knowing such a God, who is not only omniscient and omnipotent, but also loves us enough to die for us, is indeed worth more than everything else put together! That awareness is a major part of the Biblical worldview that is so sadly lacking, even among Christians. When we fail to see the universe as God’s creation, and us as accountable to Him, then all sorts of things get out of balance. That’s why the willfully disobedient will cry out in sheer terror for the mountains to fall on them when Christ returns in glory. (Revelation 6:16) There is no avoiding our accountability to our Creator! When we have a genuinely Biblical world-view, we can have peace no matter what is going on around us. That doesn’t mean at all that we are to be passive, not participating in society, but it does mean that we have the assurance that regardless of our observed circumstances, that isn’t the final answer. When we really know Christ and are planted in Him, then everything else fades into insignificance.

I was very encouraged the other day when my own daughter quoted the little song, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, not to sing it but to stress that everything temporal fades in comparison to Him. Paul only had spiritual children, but I certainly understand his words in various of his letters expressing his joy when his children were walking with God. I only have two genetic daughters, but I do have quite a few spiritual children – my daughters included – and nothing gives me more joy and satisfaction than when they live out a Biblical worldview. Yesterday’s message was about the value of God’s Word in everything. We can’t have a Biblical worldview if we don’t know the Bible! I was very pleased when several people after the service looked for, and took home, the little explanations of the SOAP devotional system that I had mentioned were in the foyer. I want all of my spiritual children to have an intimate, active relationship with Father God, hearing and listening to Him daily, so that together we may be and do all that He desires, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your presence in the service, and in the fellowship afterward. I do pray that we may be fully responsive and obedient to You, so that Your rule and reign may be established in this place as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Prayer; October 26, 2025

Posted on October 27, 2025 by jgarrott

Philippians 2:27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.

This one verse completely refutes all the “name it and claim it” people. God does heal people, but He doesn’t do it every time. Paul was certainly not deficient in faith! In fact, it’s recorded that “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul,” (Acts 19:11) healing people when they were touched by things that had touched him. However, here he says that he feared he would have the sorrow of losing a fellow-worker to disease. It’s not all cut and dried, and we can’t dictate to God. Joni Tada is an excellent example here, having a magnificent ministry even while being a paraplegic from having broken her neck as a teenager. Could God have healed her, completely and instantly? Of course, but He had a greater and higher plan. The same might be said of Charlie Kirk. God could easily have prevented the gunman from killing him, but God has done and is continuing to do absolutely magnificent things through his death. Just yesterday I saw a video from New England that showed an absolute traffic jam of people going to church, and as the person taking the video stressed, that is NOT an area of the country known for faith! We aren’t to hesitate to ask God for anything, but our prayers should never be demands. God’s plans are always best, whatever it might look like to us in the moment. Paul here was rightly grateful that God had mercy on Epaphroditis, and on him, and we should likewise be grateful for all the miracles, large and small, that God pours out on us.

This is an issue that is very close to home. My wife, Cathy, has quite a list of medical issues, having had three back surgeries and living daily with Parkinson’s Disease. She has had people refuse to pray for her because “She doesn’t have faith for healing.” Joni Tada has prayed for people and they have been healed! We don’t know all the ins and outs of God’s plan for Cathy, but we know that it is and will be glorious. Since she has already had a near-death experience and seen heaven, I know that when the time comes, I’m not to pray to try to bring her back. That would be totally unfair to her! At the same time, I remember what Yongi Cho said one time, about how only about a third of the people his church prayed for were healed. He said that he had no idea why the proportion was so low, but he did know that if they hadn’t prayed, no one would have been healed. I’m not to hesitate to pray, for healing or anything else, but I am to remember that, as God told Paul, His grace is all I really need. (2 Corinthians 12:9) I cannot know the details of God’s plan, but I do know His character, and that knowledge should make me free and bold to pray.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for raising me in a family where prayer was as natural as breathing. Thank You for the countless times You have answered my prayers, as I requested or even better, and thank You for all the times when You knew better than to give me whatever it was I was asking for. May I indeed pray, and teach others to pray, on the basis of who You are, and not as if You were some indulgent Santa. May indeed Your rule and reign be established as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Christian Living; October 25, 2025

Posted on October 26, 2025 by jgarrott

Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Once again I’m back to the truths being so densely packed that I could unpack each verse at length! On top of that, it’s hard to decide where to draw lines, because the English and Japanese divide sen­tences differently. Since the original Greek had no punctuation at all, that’s hardly surprising, and it points up the importance of reading everything in context. In English sermons I have generally heard these two verses treated individually, which is ironic, since in print they only separate with a comma, not a period. I’ve heard many heated opinions on “work out your salvation,” from both sides of the Calvinist/Arminian divide. However, that’s resolved when we add in God working in us both to will and to do His good pleasure. We are individually responsible to respond to God and apply the things He says to us, but we are never on our own in that, since He is working in us. That is one of the major tensions of the life of faith. We can’t be passive, just drifting along, but at the same time we can do nothing right on our own. (John 15:5) That pretty well eliminates pride, but that should be a foregone conclusion, since faith itself is a gift from God. (Ephesians 2:9) The whole point is that we aren’t to be spiritually lazy, but keep pressing in for more of Christ, allowing Him to be formed in us more and more. That won’t be completed until we are before the Throne, but that is to be our goal, and we are to keep at it.

This has been a growing conviction in me for a long time. I have had the facts in my head for as long as I can remember, but working it out in practice, just as Paul said, is a continuing effort. Yesterday was a day of a lot of physical effort, but in the middle of it I had the opportunity to express God’s love clearly to someone, and that made all the physical effort worthwhile. Today I have a lot of things I need to do indoors, and God will carry me through all of that as well. I am not to be anxious about scheduling, but allow each thing to happen as God directs it, not being passive but applying the resources God has given me, for His glory. Every day is different, and I couldn’t do any of it strictly on my own. As Jesus said, apart from Him I can do nothing! (John 15:5) However, in Him I can do everything He asks of me, (Philippians 4:13) so I am to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him, just as He has told me to do, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I needed it, with all there is to be done today! Help me do it all without complaining or arguing, just as Paul said in verse 14, so that I will receive all the blessings You intend, again, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Mind of Christ; October 24, 2025

Posted on October 25, 2025 by jgarrott

Philippians 2:5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.

The Bible tells us of many people who are examples to us, some to be emulated and some to be avoided, but the ultimate example to be emulated is that of Jesus Christ. Because of a book that promoted the idea as a major plot feature, we sometimes go through fads of What Would Jesus Do, WWJD, on bracelets and coffee mugs and t-shirts and the like, but this verse brings it down to the bare bones of thinking, of attitude. Jesus was obedient to His Father all the way to His thought patterns! None of us can claim to have never had sinful thoughts, but we aren’t to dump on ourselves because of them – and we certainly aren’t to dwell on them, either. As D. L. Moody once said to a seminary student who complained of the impossibility of purity of thought, “You can’t keep birds from flying over your head, but you can certainly keep them from building a nest in your hair.” What we dwell on influences our future thoughts, and eventually our actions. That’s a major factor in pornography being so destructive. We tend to excuse it, thinking it’s strictly personal, but it quickly poisons not only our thoughts but also our attitudes and actions toward others. It certainly isn’t compatible with the mind of Christ, as Paul talks about here! Jesus was definitely a realist, because He knew how weak and depraved we are, but He was also an optimist, because He knew the power of His Spirit to inhabit and transform even such as we are. Part of having the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) is seeing people with His eyes, not overlooking their faults and weaknesses but also seeing their potential in Christ. By ourselves we can indeed do nothing, (John 15:5) but in Him we can do anything He calls on us to do. (Philippians 4:13)

This is something I am reminded of frequently, and which I reference frequently to others. Jesus is my example, but I have no hope of being like Him except for His grace, and His Spirit within me. By that grace and Spirit, I have every hope in the world! Many who look at me now think of me as a “holy man,” but they don’t know all that Christ has redeemed me from. I need to be conscious and intentional in embracing, as the Japanese puts it, the mind of Christ. I don’t need a WWJD bracelet to do that, but rather, a consistent awareness of my weakness and His strength. If I will do that, He will accomplish His will in and through me, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I need never to forget it! Thank You for all You enabled me to do yesterday, and for Cathy’s help in remembering some of it. I ask for Your guidance and anointing today in my every action and interaction, that I may be Your agent in all that You desire of me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Purpose; October 23, 2025

Posted on October 24, 2025 by jgarrott

Philippians 1:24-25 But it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith.

This is an attitude that unbelievers flat do not understand. They live for themselves, their own enjoyment and advancement and whatever, but a Christian believer knows that what is ahead is far better than anything they could have or experience here, so their time on earth isn’t for themselves, but for the benefit of those around them. That’s not at all to say that life here doesn’t have it’s good moments, because it certainly does. However, even at its best it is no more than a prelude for what is to come. Actually, that applies to unbelievers as well, even though they don’t know it. For them, even at its worst it is just a prelude to what is to come. If they really grasped that, it would certainly scare them into repentance! Not wanting to go to hell is a very low-level motivation, but if it gets the job done, it certainly isn’t to be sneered at. All that said, it comes back to the question of why are we here? The first purpose is to find and get to know our Creator, so that we will indeed be able to spend eternity with Him, but the second is to do the good works that He has prepared for us to do, (Ephesians 2:10) specifically so that the people around us will be blessed and drawn to God themselves, hopefully to repent and believe for their salvation. Victor Frankl wrote that mankind’s greatest need is for purpose, and there you have it. Our purpose is to know and love God and serve as His agents in blessing the people around us. Various studies have been done as to what produces the greatest happiness, and the very highest correlation was with being kind to those around us. The attitude most related is gratitude. If you are grateful for the opportunity to be kind to others, then you are blessed indeed!

All of this is being taught to me more and more as the days and years go by. As I have commented recently, my anticipation of heaven is growing all the time, but like Paul, I am convinced that I have more work to do here, so I don’t expect to go momentarily, or anything like that. I work to stay healthy, not so much for my own sake as to stay fully available for my wife, because she would be most inconvenienced if I were to be incapacitated or depart ahead of schedule. I do enjoy life, and particularly moments like on Monday, when I was able to explain God’s salvation to two ladies who likely had never heard it before. However, I do get tired and have various aches, pains, and frustrations. I need to keep remembering what is laid up for me in heaven, and treat all that stuff as the very small potatoes it really is. Here or in heaven, my purpose is in Christ Jesus my Lord, and I must never forget it!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me keep this in focus, so that I will indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You just as You have told me to do, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Proclaiming Christ; October 22, 2015

Posted on October 23, 2025 by jgarrott

Philippians 1:18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Philippians is so rich! Verse 21, the last in today’s reading, is one that I have loved for a long time and preached on more times than I can remember, but this one speaks to me right now. I haven’t been very active in personal evangelism for most of my life, despite being a missionary for well over half of it, but God has really been waking that in me of late, and I’m grateful. The thing is, Jesus directly connected the operation of the Holy Spirit in our lives to being His witnesses, as Acts 1:8 so famously proclaims. The question becomes, how open are we to the work of the Holy Spirit? Acts 4:31 says, “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” We depend on the Holy Spirit for many things, but we tend to focus on the ones that make us feel good, or important, or whatever, like the gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12. However, what Jesus focused on was our being His witnesses. We do witness of Him in many ways, only some of them using words. As Francis of Assisi said, “Preach constantly. When necessary, use words.” However, some of us are scared witless of using words, and sometimes they are indeed necessary. We fear how our words will be received, and we are more concerned with what people think of us than what God thinks of us. That’s sad! There is a grave in northern Japan that is said to be that of Jesus. Of course, that’s not who’s buried there, but it seems very likely that it was a Nestorian missionary from China, who talked about Jesus so much that they associated the name with him. After all, that’s how the early believers started being called Christians, in Antioch of Syria, where the culture as a whole had no expectation of a Savior from God. (Acts 11:26) Would we be open to such a thing? As I heard said many years ago, “If you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

As I said, God’s been working on me about this recently. Just two days ago I took my wife to the doctor for a problem with her foot, and got into a conversation with two older ladies in the waiting room. In that I expressed the problem, for missionaries, that Japanese don’t have a clear understanding of sin, conflating it with crime, and so have no awareness of a personal need for salvation. I then went on to explain what the Bible calls sin, that is, anything that disagrees with God, starting with lying and giving a few more examples we can all relate to. The ladies seemed very struck by that, and I went on to tell them that God, though perfectly holy and unable to abide sin, loved us so much that He “divided His heart” and sent His Son to die to take the penalty for our sin, so that by faith we could become His children. I didn’t start our conversation with all of that, but it all flowed very naturally, and I’m very grateful. I’m not to make excuses about not being “gifted as an evangelist,” but rather seek to make full use of all the opportunities God provides to be Christ’s witness, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for how You are indeed working in me, continuing to grow and shape me. May I be more and more effective as Your witness, making full use of every opportunity You give me, so that many will repent and believe, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Relationships; October 21, 2025

Posted on October 22, 2025 by jgarrott

Philippians 1:3-5 I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,

With the theme of The Joy of the Lord, we will be reading just about every verse of Philippians. Thinking about it, Paul’s ministry in Philippi got off to a pretty rough start, what with being beaten and imprisoned, as is recorded in Acts 16. However, that very suffering seems to have forged a bond between Paul and the believers in Philippi that was perhaps stronger than his bond with any other group. For one thing, they never doubted his commitment, to the Gospel and to them! It was that relationship that gave Paul joy in praying for the believers. God gives us all sorts of relationships, and we never know when we meet someone how that relationship will develop or continue, or perhaps be strictly passing. The thing is, we were created for relationship, most importantly to God but also to the people around us. It is well known that Jesus said that the most important commandment was to love God, and the second, of similar importance, was to love our neighbor. (Matthew 22:37-40) You can’t have love without a relationship! That’s why people who think they love entertainers, or even AI chatbots, are severely deceived.  There is no genuine reciprocity there, and thus no relationship. Men and women, in all their multitude of differences, tend to approach relationships differently, with men likely to have fewer close relationships than women, but even men were created for relationship. If we will get our relationship with our Creator right, (the vertical part of the cross) then He will guide us into the right horizontal relationships we need with those around us. If He commands it, and Jesus said He does, then He makes it possible, and the blessings are boundless.

I have always thought of myself as something of a loner, and I have had to learn the importance of relationships. God blessed me incredibly in that area when He matched me up with my wife, when I was just 20, and our relationship has just grown since then. He has blessed me with a few very close friends, and many more less intimate relationships. Above all, over the years I have learned to draw closer to Him, to deepen my surrender and obedience to Him. At just five years old I protested my love for Jesus, but that was naturally a very childish love. 72 years later, my love for Him continues to grow, to the point that I now have an almost intense anticipation of being with Him, with no earthly things in the way. However, I can’t love Him accurately here and now if I fail to relate rightly with the people around me. Relationships are complex! I need to walk in humility, always remembering that I have room to grow, and seeking His assistance in doing so.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the past several days of being with my daughters. One leaves today to return to the US, and the other tomorrow. Thank You for the substantive interactions I have had with them. Help me make the use that You intend of these last hours, so that they, and we, will be built up and grown as You intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Walking in the Spirit; October 20, 2025

Posted on October 21, 2025 by jgarrott

Galatians 5:16, 25 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

There are various songs that I like very much that deal with this matter of walking in the Spirit. For once, I like modern English translations better than I like the Japanese here, at least for verse 25. The Japanese just says, “move forward/make progress” by the Spirit. That is also an important point, that we aren’t just wandering aimlessly, but I still like the English, “keep in step with the Spirit.” That implies a level of discipline that is often lacking in our personal lives. Again, our lives aren’t to be wandering, lackadaisical, but purposeful, obedient to our Commander in Chief. Legalism isn’t good, but neither is being unfocused. Ephesians 2:8-9 is justly famous, expressing the basis of our salvation, but verse 10 is also important: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Doing the works that God prepared for us is keeping in step with the Spirit, advancing as He intends.

Having been in various marching bands from the time I was in 4th grade through getting out of the army, I know about keeping in step! My band experience made me proficient enough in marching that I was quickly tabbed as a “cadence counter” when I was in Basic Training in the Army. In my personal life, sometimes I have been more in step with the Spirit than at other times. As a pastor, I have found that getting a church body to walk in the same cadence can be a monumental task! This church is making progress in that area, and yesterday was a good step in that direction. My younger daughter, who is a church minister of music in her own right, noticed that in the service and fellowship yesterday, commenting on the family atmosphere and unity she felt in being here. That she responded that way really blessed and encouraged me! That said, we still have plenty of room for growth, not just in numbers but in hearing and obeying the Lord. In my absence last week the Assistant Pastor preached on listening obediently to the Lord, and it was very good. I want to be a good example to the flock, but at the same time, I don’t want them to be dependent on me for their spirituality. I want each of them to be in step with the Spirit, moving forward as God intends, so that as His agents we may bring His rule and reign to this city where He has planted us, for His glory.

Father, thank You that You don’t just make us march for the sake of marching, which sometimes happened in the Army. Help us indeed hear the rhythm of Your Spirit and get in step, to move forward as You intend indeed, fulfilling Your plans for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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