God’s Care for His Children; August 25, 2025

Posted on August 26, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 66:5 Hear the word of the Lord,
    you who tremble at his word:
“Your own people who hate you,
    and exclude you because of my name, have said,
‘Let the Lord be glorified,
    that we may see your joy!’
    Yet they will be put to shame.”

God never forgets those who genuinely honor Him, those who “tremble at His word,” as it says here. The image presented in this verse is all too familiar, with people who don’t honor God ridiculing those who do. God is reassuring His people that it is those who oppose them who will ultimately be ashamed. Immediately after this verse, through verse 9, we have the specific prophecy that was fulfilled in 1948 when Israel very abruptly was reborn as a nation, after almost 1900 years without that status. And that took place immediately after the holocaust, when Hitler explicitly sought to exterminate the Jewish race! Those who don’t love God, and sadly, even many who do, have no grasp, no expectation, of all He can and will do for His people. Because His actions often don’t fit our expectations, we may not recognize them. Particularly in the case of martyrdom, we see it as unmitigated tragedy, but for the faithful martyr, it is glory beyond our words to express it! Going back to this verse, probably everyone who is devoted to the Lord has experienced ridicule, at least, from those around them. Frankly, our righteousness makes them uncomfortable, so they cover it over with attacks on us. Like the early Church, we should rejoice at the honor of being treated that way! (Acts 5:41)

My experience of this hasn’t been severe, and sometimes I wonder at my own level of commitment, that it hasn’t provoked more opposition. However, God is my judge, and I leave it in His hands. I did have a cousin attack me verbally for putting my entire inheritance into building this church building, but he shut up after I said that I could think of no better investment than the Kingdom of God. He was raised by devoted parents and was at least a nominal Christian, but the idea that someone would let their faith govern their “real world” actions like that threw him for a loop. At this point I don’t think I care what anybody thinks, so long as my Lord is pleased with me. I certainly don’t follow Him perfectly, but that is at least my desire, and He is continuing to grow me as His child.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and this encouragement. Thank You for the good service yesterday, and for the evidence of the health of this church. Thank You for the Word you gave through the sister who spoke. I had never thought of David’s response to Absalom as being analogous to Your response to us. It was beautiful, and touched many. May we continue to grow in every way that You desire and intend, so that all of Your purposes for us may be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

End Times; August 24, 2025

Posted on August 25, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 65:24 “Before they call I will answer;
    while they are still speaking I will hear.”

There are various, seemingly conflicting, narratives of the “end times” in the Bible. Some focus on the destruction coming upon those who are in rebellion against God, some, like this, focus on the “millennial kingdom” of perfection on this earth, some focus on believers being “snatched away” from all the destruction, and some focus on eternity with God. I think the confusion comes from our perspective. All of these things will happen, but God sees them all at once, whereas we see them sequentially – or would like to, to keep it all straight. I believe we need to recognize that we don’t have the mental “horsepower” to grasp it all, and so rest in the assurance that God’s got it all sorted out, trusting Him to bring it to pass in the right way at the right time. Charisma Magazine just had an article on the difference between the “Rapture” and the “2nd Coming.” To be honest, I didn’t bother to read it, though I’m sure it will be helpful to many. I’ve seen too many people who were so obsessed with this sort of thing that they could hardly be bothered with what God wanted them to do for and with their neighbors right now. Verses like this one, speaking of a level of intimacy with our Creator that few have yet tasted, strike me as far more “practical,” if that’s the right word. Jesus said repeatedly that we are to be ready for the end when it comes, but for the vast majority of people throughout history, that will be at the end of their physical life on this earth. None of us knows when that will come, but it is certainly a more immediate time frame than “someday.” We are to be focused on “What does God want me doing now.” If we will do that, then we will receive the ultimate accolade when the time comes: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21)

This is a position I have come into more and more strongly over the years. Right now many are feeling that the world is indeed in “end times.” They are probably right, but the question for me is, what am I to do about it? I think I’ve already answered that. Sharing the Gospel with as many as possible seems to be the only thing that might affect the timing, (Matthew 24:14) but that’s something I want to do anyway. As far as my own “appointment with destiny” goes, I’ve already outlived my father by 13 years. My health is good, and I enjoy life, but I would be delighted to be fully with my Lord. I am fully in agreement with Paul. (Philippians 1:21-25) I would be absolutely thrilled for the Lord to do something that would bring Cathy and me simultaneously before Him, but I can’t dictate that and I’m not about to try. In the meantime, I’m to be about the business He sets before me and rest, relax, and rejoice in His all-sufficient grace, just as He has told me to do, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this strong reminder. Thank You for the service we’ll be having this morning, and that I’m just interpreting, not being the speaker. May my joy in You draw others likewise into Your presence, so that together we may worship You in spirit and in truth, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Consequences; August 23, 2025

Posted on August 24, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 65:11 “But as for you who forsake the Lord
    and forget my holy mountain,
who spread a table for Fortune
    and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny…”

This is a hard section to write on, because from here on God is contrasting the fate of those who forsake Him to that of those who are faithful to Him, in verse after verse. The contrast is pretty stark, and He doesn’t even get into the eternal consequences! The problem is, so many people are blinded, or are willfully blind, to consequences of all sorts. Otherwise, why would anyone ever take the first hit of cocaine, or of any other narcotic? The devil does blind us, as Paul said, (2 Corinthians 4:4) but I think willful blindness is the bigger issue. We tend to downgrade the reality of free will, blaming our many faults on anyone but ourselves. The devil does all he can to foster a victim mentality, because once he has that, he gets full control of a person. The problem is, we can’t control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond to it, and that’s where accountability comes in. God does all sorts of things to warn us of the consequences of sin, but too often we choose to sin anyway. In this passage He spoke through Isaiah, He lays it out very clearly, and it’s clearly not pretty. We need to understand that, whereas we can’t earn our way into heaven, there are consequences to sin and rewards for obedience. None of us could ever get it perfectly, so He provided a way through His Son for us to be saved by grace through faith, but there is a lot more to the Christian life than just a “ticket to heaven!” We need to understand the consequences of sin, and of obedience, and choose obedience.

As a part of my duties as a pastor, I am to warn people of the consequences of sin. However, I’ve seen very few good results to “hellfire and brimstone” preaching. I am to speak the truth in love, unequivocally and unapologetically, but I’m not to do it in a condemnatory manner. That’s not “in love!” I have a friend who just recently entered into a same-sex marriage. My heart is broken, but I don’t know anything to do but pray. Both people have been “active Christians” for a long time, and all I can do is surrender them to God, for Him to be as merciful as possible. There have been many places in my own life that I could easily have taken the wrong fork in the road, but God has been more than gracious. I can’t save anyone, but I need to keep myself available to God for however He might want to use me to draw others to Himself, away from the pit.

Father, as much as my own heart breaks for some people, I know that Your heart breaks more. You told me Yourself that there is much that is not as You would like it to be. Help me stay yielded to You, so that I may be as useful as possible to You in making things right, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Choice to Rejoice; August 22, 2025

Posted on August 23, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 61:10 I delight greatly in the Lord;
    my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Verse 3 has been memorably arranged to music, and that arrangement agrees perfectly with this verse. The thrust of that is that God has done all these things for us, but it is our choice to accept and apply them. There are few things the devil rejoices in more than when we indulge in pity parties. When we allow ourselves to be distracted by temporal things from the eternal glories God has prepared for us, no one benefits. Even if your life is a bed of roses, roses have thorns! Jesus said it very clearly: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) It is frankly difficult to rejoice under a whole host of circumstances we are likely to experience in this world, but we can still make the choice to rejoice. This statement by Isaiah should be ours, because the Lord has indeed clothed us with salvation and righteousness. Those aren’t our own, but are those of the Son of God, who loved us so much as to die for us. (1 Corinthians 1:30, 2 Corinthians 5:21) When we have our focus on that, everything in this life fades into insignificance.

This is a lesson I’m still learning! Just as I was typing this, the computer suddenly decided not to hyphenate anything in the first paragraph, when it had been beautifully hyphenated up to that point. That greatly grates on my personality, but even I can see that it has no real ultimate significance. It didn’t change the words, just how they appeared on the page. It’s things like that that I allow to steal my joy, and it’s stupid! As a pastor, I seek to lead the flock in keeping their focus on Christ, (Hebrews 12:2) but I’ve got to lead the way by doing so myself. I do look forward to heaven, where all the junk will be behind us, but I’m not to be “so heavenly minded as to be no earthly good.” Life happens, as Jesus said it would, but I can and should choose to rejoice in my Lord and Savior whatever is going on.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all You enabled me to get done yesterday. Today’s tasks are different, but no less important. Help me do each thing in turn, resting, relaxing, and rejoicing in You, just as You have told me to do, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

God’s Timing; August 21, 2025

Posted on August 22, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 60:22 “The least of you will become a thousand,
    the smallest a mighty nation.
I am the Lord;
    in its time I will do this swiftly.”

One of the biggest problems we have in relating to God is timing. That’s no surprise, because we are in the flow of time and He is outside of it. There have been many occasions throughout history when it seemed like nothing was happening, and then suddenly, everything happened at once. That’s true even on the geologic scale. Scientists speak of things like “the Cambrian explosion,” when the fossil record shows that the number of species on earth suddenly multiplied, in violation of every tenet of “evolution.” God isn’t limited to our human intellect or understanding! That’s certainly true in relation to Israel, which was indeed “created in a day” in 1948. (Isaiah 66:8) It likewise seems to be true in relation to the Trump administration, where things are happening at a pace that the news, not to mention his opposition, has trouble keeping up. And of course, we need to remember that the greatest coming event, Christ’s return, will happen when most of the world will be totally unsuspecting. We are to be aware of things spiritually, staying in touch with the Lord through regular devotions and listening to Him throughout each day, but not be anxious about times or schedules. His plans are eternal, and we can certainly trust Him with them.

I have had all sorts of “sudden” events in my life, the most dramatic and consequential of which being meeting Cathy in November of 1968, having our first date in February of 1969, and getting married in May of 1969. Simple math says that was over 56 years ago! In 1981, when we saw no way we could return to Japan, after I surrendered it all to God, the seminary in Fukuoka asked my mother to do something about the things she had stored for us there, and I was sent to do the job. A missionary in Nagasaki City arranged a meeting for me with the Chairman of the Board of the Koyo Schools here in Omura, and after a 20 minute conversation, he said he would hire me. I called Cathy, and we’ve been here ever since. My decision to retire from the Koyo Schools last year was likewise sudden, from my standpoint, but I can see that it was God’s timing. By now, I should certainly have learned not to be anxious about God’s timing! I am to seek Him for His schedule each day, each minute, actually, and be faithful to do as He directs, whether it feels like I’m just spinning my wheels, or charging off into the unknown.

Father, thank You for the incredible privilege of knowing You, of having Your Spirit. I’ve still got plenty of room to grow in terms of being fully controlled by Your Spirit, but that’s my heart’s desire. May I spend each day as You desire, following Your plans on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Spiritual Alertness; August 20, 2025

Posted on August 21, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 60:1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.”

It strikes me that everything in this well-loved and glorious chapter is about things God does for His people, not things we have to do. The one thing it tells us to do is right here: wake up and shine! To be quite honest, that’s appropriate at this moment, because I still feel half asleep! However, the things God wants to do for us are so wonderful as to make us think we’re dreaming! That said, spiritual alertness is important. Jesus tells us to be awake and alert for His return. That said, much of the Church could be said to be spiritually asleep, paying attention only to the material world around them. The thing is, we aren’t material beings who happen to have spirits, we are spiritual beings who inhabit, for a time, material bodies. We forget that most of the time, if we have ever realized it in the first place. It’s not that the material is unimportant, but that it is secondary to the spiritual. We can have perfect health and financial abundance, but if we are spiritually dead, it ultimately does us no good. Spiritual alertness is vital for our protection, because our enemy the devil is always out to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10) We aren’t to be in terror of him, but rather confirm that we are submitted to God, so that we can indeed resist the devil to the point that he flees from us. (James 4:7) Those who have been to war know the importance of situational awareness. That is what this is about. Whether we realize it or not, we are constantly in spiritual warfare. However, if we are indeed alert, we have nothing to be afraid of, because the One who is in us is far greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

There are times when I am spiritually sleepy, just as I am physically sleepy now. I need to be aware of that, and let the Holy Spirit perk me up! This morning we have an interdenominational prayer meeting here from 7, which is why I’m up earlier than usual – even though my normal hours are shockingly early to some of my friends. I need to ask and allow the Holy Spirit to keep me fully alert to all He wants to do here, whether or not it directly involves me. I am the host, in more ways than one, and we need to have a welcoming environment for children of God, and particularly for the Spirit of God. However, the Bible and past experience tell me that He will enable it, if that is my heart, and I believe it is. God has plans for today, and I need to participate in them joyfully!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the privilege of hosting this prayer meeting once a month. May today’s session indeed accomplish everything You intend for it, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Human Interactions; August 19, 2025

Posted on August 20, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 58:6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke?”

God is very clear: if we want a right relationship with Him, we’ve got to treat the people around us right. Jesus very famously paired our relationship with God to our relationship with people, when He was asked about “the greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:36-39) There are sadly many people who won’t go to church because they have been treated so shabbily when they have gone. We tend to focus on externals, ignoring the inner wounds that make people look and act as they do. This chapter has some glorious promises toward the end of it, but the first part talks about people who are caught up in religious rituals and traditions, ignoring the hurting people around them. We can’t expect God to look favorably on us if we refuse to see the genuine needs of the people around us. Some churches have misinterpreted this, going into social programs and forgetting the Gospel, the call to repent and believe. They are the ones that have been drawn into all sorts of anti-Biblical causes, and it’s tragic. And then there are the churches that are far better known for what they are against than what they are for, raising doctrinal fortresses and defending them at all cost, failing to see the people that they insist are so “wrong.” It is no accident that the cross has a vertical component and a horizontal component. To be right with God, the vertical, we also need to be right with our fellow human beings, the horizontal. As John said very bluntly, “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” (1 John 4:20)

People who know me now might find this hard to believe, but I am by nature an introvert, which makes me tend to focus on my own relationship with God, rather than on the people around me. I have had to learn, over the years, that God loves everybody else as much as He loves me, and He’s no happier when they are suffering than when I am. With my human limitations, there is no way that I can love everyone equally, much less every human being the way God does, but there is nothing to keep me from being a channel of God’s love to the people with whom I interact – other than my own self-centeredness and selfishness. I desire to be God’s agent in everything, and that means genuinely seeing the people around me and responding to them in obedience to Him. I’m still learning to do that! I’m very grateful that this church is a loving, welcoming family, and many have been touched by God’s love through us. Everyone has wounds, and we are to be God’s hospital, binding and treating those wounds for God to heal them. That is what God is saying through Isaiah here.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the opportunities You gave Cathy and me over this past week at the gallery to be Your agents of love and healing to people who came in. May they be drawn to You, and not just to us. Thank You that the week is over. Help us recover strength, physically and emotionally. May we flow with Your Spirit in all our interactions, for Your will to be done in and through us, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

DEI; August 18, 2025

Posted on August 19, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 56:8 The Sovereign Lord declares—
    he who gathers the exiles of Israel:
“I will gather still others to them
    besides those already gathered.”

As a Gentile myself, I was tempted to write on verses 6-7, but the point is that God is interested in people from all excluded categories. What we need to remember, however, is that for each of these categories, God is specifying repentance. (Back in those days eunuchs didn’t choose that status for themselves, but that category could be spread to various forms of sexual deviancy, and those certainly call for repentance.) You could say that this is the ultimate DEI, but it’s not what we’ve seen in recent years. In terms of diversity, God loves every human being who has ever walked the face of this earth. In terms of equity, repentance and faith bring eternal life to all; we can’t earn our way into heaven. In terms of inclusion, we have this passage that explicitly includes previously excluded categories of people. When we try to bring this about by our own efforts, all sorts of aberrations occur. I am not in the least in favor of DEI as it has been foisted on society in recent years. However, I am deeply grateful that God opens the door for all who will repent and believe, whatever their previous status or characteristics might have been. I am not to set up barriers that God doesn’t, but at the same time I am not to overlook the requirements that God has established. Repentance is indeed key! It’s not an “into bliss and out of blister” situation, as my grandfather used to say of “easy believism.” There are those who profess to be Christian, yet have never repented of things that God clearly says are forbidden. I’m not to run around condemning, by any means, but I am to be clear as to what God has said and is saying.

This whole business of being included or excluded is very close to my heart, for many reasons. I grew up, and still live, as a Caucasian in Japan, which has led to countless experiences of exclusion. Conversely, I was a Missionary Kid attending a US military dependents school, which also led to exclusion. As an adult, I’ve not been a drinker, which again has cut me out of some circles. I’m glad that God accepts me as I am, though He doesn’t leave me that way. That’s a message I tell people constantly. There is no situation in which God can’t reach us, but if we refuse to move from that situation, to change, then we cut ourselves off from Him. Repentance always involves change, and sometimes people are unwilling, regardless of how destructive their current situation is. I am to speak the truth in love always, extending God’s invitation but making the conditions clear, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit people may be born again indeed.

Father, thank You for Your open heart. Help me be an accurate expression of that, drawing people into Your family in repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

God’s Words; August 17, 2025

Posted on August 18, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 55:11 “So is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

This whole chapter is so magnificent! I was singing it as I read, and I love it all. I was really torn as to what to write on, but this verse is what I quote or refer to most often. We glibly say “God spoke the universe into being,” but do we really grasp the impact of that? If God says it, that settles it, period. We need to realize that many of the things recorded in the Bible are conditional; we can’t just “name it and claim it.” Even with that caveat, the Bible is still filled with incredible promises and statements that should give us peace, assurance, and joy, regardless of our circumstances. It also has lots of places that tell us to “Straighten up and fly right!” We need to take in the Bible as God’s recorded Word, as well as be open to what He speaks to us in other ways. This verse applies in both instances. We need to be familiar enough with the Bible that we recognize His voice when He speaks to us in other ways as well. After all, the devil talks to us too! Many people have been led astray by things the devil has told them that agreed with what their flesh was saying. That’s one reason fasting is helpful: it teaches us to say no to our flesh, so when the devil uses our flesh to tempt us, we are much better able to resist. Given current US obesity levels, American believers could use a lot more of that! We need to remember that everything God says to us is for our good. The devil and our flesh insist that’s not the case, but it’s very true. Only when we receive the things we don’t necessarily want to hear can we receive the fulness of all that God has planned for us, and that is magnificent indeed. (Jeremiah 29:11)

I am a man of words, and this hits me very hard. I have seen my own words accomplish good, and accomplish hurt. I want to be done with hurting people with my words! However, I’m not to draw back from letting God use my mouth – or my fingers – to speak to people what He is saying. Sometimes they will rejoice in it, but sometimes not so much. If I am communicating what God is saying, then the results are entirely up to Him. His words will indeed accomplish that for which He sends them! As James cautions us, I need to keep a close watch on my words, because if they are just mine, they can be destructive in many ways. I want to speak only what God is saying, as a result of hearing and applying what He has said to me, so that His will may indeed be accomplished, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the Bible, and for the privilege of familiarity with it. Thank You for the Frank Viola book I’m reading that is giving me even more understanding of it. May I be a faithful channel of what You are saying in every part of my life, drawing people to You and defeating the works of the devil, (1 John 3:8) for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Being Attacked; August 16, 2025

Posted on August 17, 2025 by jgarrott

Isiah 54:17 “No weapon forged against you will prevail,
    and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
    and this is their vindication from me,”
declares the Lord.

On the one hand, we see massacres of Christians in places like the Congo, South Sudan, and elsewhere, and wonder about the fulfillment of this promise. On the other hand, we see things like the humiliation of Iran in their opposition to Israel, and it seems to come directly from this prophecy. There are many things we don’t understand! Rather than getting tied in knots over it all, the path of wisdom is choosing to trust God. On a personal level, we are most likely to relate to this verse in terms of verbal attacks. Most of us experience such from time to time, and the more active we are in obedience to God, the more likely they are to come. They certainly aren’t fun, and they sometimes even have legal ramifications. People standing on Christian principles have been taken to court in the US and the UK, at the very least. We aren’t to let such things shake us, whatever the situation looks like in the short term, but simply confirm, in all humility, that we are on God’s side of the issue, and leave the outcome up to Him. That, frankly, is easier said than done. However, going through such an experience can actually give us an unshakable faith. It is when we realize that we can do absolutely nothing that God is free to act. I have recently read a rather persuasive argument that Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was a person who actively opposed him and his message. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) Of course, God’s response to Paul was that His grace was sufficient for him, regardless of the situation. That’s not the kind of answer we want to hear, but it is the one that leads to the most growth and ultimate blessing.

I don’t feel like I’ve had many active enemies, and at times I’ve been a bit concerned that indicated I wasn’t being sufficiently active in my obedience to God. I’ve probably been my own worst enemy! That’s for God to decide, however, and I’m not to be anxious about it. The point for me now is to be faithful in my obedience. I am tempted to draw back because of age, but Moses didn’t enter into his full ministry until he was older than I am now. I can be assured that whatever path the Lord leads me on, He will be my defender and my shield. If I’m listening to Him, I don’t need to worry about what anyone else says!

Father, thank You for this encouragement. Thank You for the things You have done in the gallery show to this point. Thank You for what You will do today, tomorrow, and Monday. Thank You for each person who has come. There are several we were expecting, or whom we earnestly desired to come, who haven’t showed up yet. I pray that Your will would be done in each case, so that not our plans but Yours would be fulfilled, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment