The Sovereignty of God; May 2, 2022

Posted on May 6, 2022 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 14:22 Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is you, O Lord our God. Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this.

Many people today would dismiss this as a primitive lack of understanding of science, and specifically meteorology. In a sense that is true, but such an attitude discounts the One who set it all up in the first place. Scientists today can describe weather patterns accurately enough, but try as they will they can’t really control them. In Jeremiah’s day the Baals were seen as “storm gods,” and rain is of course vital to any society, and particularly an agrarian one. Jeremiah is here acknowledging that only Yahweh can actually control the weather, and we would be wise to do the same. America has done cloud seeding, and militantly atheistic Communist China has put great effort into trying to control the weather, but whatever successes anyone might claim, only God is really in control. In the Bible record the most dramatic example is that of Elijah, who prayed and there was a 3½ year drought, and when he prayed again, it rained. (1 Kings 17:1, 18:36-46) Urban people today are largely cut off from nature and consider rain a nuisance, but even Las Vegas and Southern California have to get water from somewhere! People use science and technology as excuses to forget God, but the end result of that is always tragedy. Science and technology are gifts from God, but they are no substitute for Him.

I have always been something of a tech nerd, delighting both in current technology and in science fiction, but I am grateful beyond words to know the One who enables it all. I have prayed many times over the computers in this building! I recognize scientific principles and am grateful for them, but I also know that the Creator isn’t bound by them. I myself have prayed and a typhoon deviated from the forecast path. I don’t control God by any means, but He controls everything. I am to seek God’s will in everything, striving to be fully obedient to Him. I am to apply the laws of physics and the other sciences as appropriate, but know that God isn’t bound even by them.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all You are doing in the world. Help me never despair over anything, but always remember that You are God and You are good, and that’s enough. Thank You. Praise God!

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Truth and Lies; May 1, 2022

Posted on May 6, 2022 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 14:14 Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.

Reading Jeremiah can be a real downer sometimes! He’s known as “the crying prophet” because of all the negative stuff he was given to communicate, but he also was given some marvelously encourag­ing Words. Here, God is using him to tell us that not everyone who uses God’s name, or that of His Son, is actually speaking from Him. Some people are very adept at using religious vocabulary to work all sorts of evil. My wife likes to listen to Don Moen’s Internet postings, but when she comments on them, she often gets smooth-talking responses from various characters that she immediately recognizes as scams, even though they are claiming to be “touched by her faith.” That just means they think she’ll believe their lies! The world is full of deceptions of many sorts, and we need the discernment the Holy Spirit gives us to see through them. One very hopeful thing about the current situation in the US is how many deceptions are being un­covered and exposed. There are so many it can be depressing, but the fact that the truth is coming out is very good. Honest people can sometimes be very gullible because they can’t imagine that someone would be out to deceive them, but sadly there are many who follow the father of lies. (John 8:44) When something sound too good to be true, often it isn’t true. The exception is indeed the Gospel, because in spite of ourselves God loved us enough to send His Son to take the penalty for our sins on Himself, to give us eternal life instead of the death we deserved. (John 3:16-17) When we are grounded in that eternal truth it becomes much easier to see through and stand against the lies of the devil.

Naturally, I need to be as careful as anyone. I was raised on a standard of absolute honesty, but I recognize my own ability to lie and that gives me an awareness of the lies of others. I am not to be mistrusting of everyone and everything. Not only does that greatly impede relationships, it’s a pretty miserable way to live! However, I am to ask the Holy Spirit to be the filter on my ears and heart, as well as my eyes. As the Spirit of God, who is Truth, He can sort it all out. Likewise, I am to submit everything I say to Him, so that I won’t be speaking falsehood in any way. When I don’t know something, I am to be up front about that and not make stuff up. After all, I’ll have to answer for every careless word I say. (Matthew 12:36) I must be careful not to put myself into the category of the false prophets in this verse.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You indeed for how so many lies are being uncovered. I ask Your mercy on those who perpetrated them. We need a spirit of repentance! May I be a consistent agent of Your truth, so that people may be set free to repent and believe, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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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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