Growth; November 22, 2021

Posted on November 26, 2021 by jgarrott

2 Chronicles 7:3 When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying,
“He is good; his love endures forever.”

It is hardly surprising that the people would respond this way, when they had just seen the Lord manifest a tiny portion of His power by consuming the offerings with fire from heaven. That said, what hit me just now in reading this was that the people didn’t stay in that position. You can’t live your life with your face pressed to the flagstone pavement! All sorts of things happen to us in life, but the major issue is not only how we respond in the moment, but how we go on from there. The people in this story doubtless remembered this experience for the rest of their lives, but how did it affect their daily living? Was their devotion to God ongoing? We have the expression, “frozen in time,” but the only way for that to happen is for the thing involved to die, because life involves change by its very definition. We all have memories that are snapshots of various experiences, and it isn’t unusual for people to sit around sharing their memories of some major event. However, some of our “memory snapshots” are of things that don’t seem particularly momentous, even to us. Only God knows the meaning and purpose of those events in our lives. We’re back to the question of how we respond to our life events, because everything has a purpose in God’s plan. We waste valuable time and energy if we fail to respond to things as God desires and intends.

I think this hit me particularly because we just had a major event in our annual church calendar, decorating the church for Christmas in the afternoon and having a Thanksgiving celebration last night. It was a grand success, with a good crowd and good participation. However, it won’t be very meaningful if the impressions received don’t last any longer than it takes to digest all the food we ate! We had people here who haven’t been in a long time because of moving, and we had people here who have only visited before, and aren’t yet believers. I think the various testimonies showed numbers of people changes they need to make in their lives, and in the talking afterward I shared with a small group how I feel the Lord is about to make changes in my life. Yesterday was excellent in many ways, but we all need to be willing to grow as the Lord directs. Life is never static, and I need to lead the way in welcoming the growth that God has planned for us.

Father, thank You indeed for yesterday and all it held, and for getting us through it all. Thank You that I could sleep in this morning! I do pray that I would recognize Your schedule for each day and follow it with joy, as a sacrifice of praise to You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Spiritual Warfare; November 21, 2021

Posted on November 26, 2021 by jgarrott

1 Chronicles 25:1 David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals.

One thing jumped out at me as I read just now, and that is that the commanders of the army were involved in choosing prophets and musicians. That shows entirely different priorities from what we find in society today! David and those who worked closely with him were fully aware that they were essentially powerless without God; all their strength and victories came from Him. They knew that praising God and listening to Him were of the greatest importance. The contrast to the US military today could hardly be more stark! We have people in the upper echelons actively suppressing people of faith, even to a point that could be called persecution. The contrast between that and the situation in the Revolutionary War is graphic. Then, ministers were described as “the black-robed regiment,” and were considered essential. From that history, there is a group today, based in Virginia, that uses that name to try to encourage ministers to get involved in the cultural and spiritual warfare that is so intense right now. We have seen a few victories recently, and I personally believe the eventual victory is assured, but the battle is raging and people of faith certainly need to stand up and be counted. We need to have the attitude of David and his generals, that without God our cause is hopeless, but with Him, victory is assured.

I was never political as a young person, but as I have gotten older I have seen the huge impact leadership has on a country and on society. This world is temporal and temporary, but a lot of eternal souls are impacted by it, and I’m not to be passive. That’s not at all to say that I should have a “messiah complex,” thinking that I have to “save the world,” but it is to say that I am to be faithful in prayer, and however else the Lord chooses to use me. I am saddened to find that people who have been fairly close to me, some relatives even, are on the other side of the fence on numbers of issues, and I wonder how they could be so deceived. I am to walk in humility and faithfulness, never attacking people as people, but never deviating from God’s truth, His standards. I am to remember that “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12) I need to be sure I’m on the side of the forces of heaven!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me remember that what we do in the service today is indeed spiritual warfare, and that the forces of evil tremble when we praise and worship You. Today is a packed schedule, with the morning service, then decorating the building, and then the Thanksgiving dinner and service. I pray that everything we do today would be exactly what You desire and intend, accomplishing both in hearts and lives and in the unseen realms exactly what You intend, for the sake of Your kingdom and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Changing Jobs; November 20, 2021

Posted on November 24, 2021 by jgarrott

1 Chronicles 23:25-26 For David had said, “Since the Lord, the God of Israel, has granted rest to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever, the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service.”

I don’t think I’ve ever paid particular attention to this passage before. I certainly hadn’t underlined it! However, it reflects an important part of life that impacts every human being, and that is that jobs change as circumstances change. At the time of the exodus from Egypt, the Levites were the “engineering battalion” of Israel, dealing with all the physical objects involved in the tabernacle. At this point the temple hadn’t yet been built, but the tent David put up for the ark wasn’t going anywhere, and the nation was established with Jerusalem as the capital. That called for a fresh job description, and David set it up, doubtless with consultation with the leaders of the priests and Levites. The point is, they weren’t sloughed off and disbanded, but rather reassigned, and their new work was as important as the old. We don’t always handle such transitions well. We get set in our ways, and old habits die hard. The thing to remember is that our ultimate purpose, our overriding job, is to listen to God and serve Him, whatever that entails. When we value our job itself or the status it confers more than the One whom we serve, we open ourselves up to all sorts of problems. All sorts of things can cause changes, either gradual or sudden. Health issues come to mind. You aren’t going to be doing the same job after a stroke as before, so if your sense of self is tied to your job, you’re in deep trouble. We need to remember that both our value and our job are assigned by our Creator, and when He changes our job, that doesn’t change our value in His eyes.

Since last year I’ve been asked to use a particular textbook in teaching 1st year Occupational Therapy students English. The content is excellent in terms of what they need to know as far as being therapists, but I’m asked to teach it in English, which is far beyond their current linguistic ability. That said, one example in the book is of a man who has had a stroke, and the only goal the therapist can get him to express is “to restore function so I can return to my job.” Such attitudes will be constant issues for my students in the near future, but I find myself reflecting on it in terms of myself. I am 73, and my wife just had her 74th birthday. People have been asking us about retirement for several years now, but the schools where I teach go into a virtual panic when I bring the subject up, and I don’t have a clear successor in this church, either. For a few months now my wife has been having a growing feeling that God was going to be moving me into a different phase of ministry, specifically ministering in many different locations. Next month I’ll be speaking at the Christmas service for the school where my mother taught as a single missionary, where my parents got married and are buried, and where my father was chancellor for a period of 10 years at one point. The thought came to me that if God moves remarkably during that service, I am going to instantly be in high demand all over the country. I have no idea what God has planned, but I am to hold myself in readiness, focusing on Him rather than on anything else, so that I may fulfill His purposes on His schedule for His glory.

Father, thank You for the many different ways You guide us. Help me recognize and follow Your guidance accurately, neither running ahead nor lagging behind, so that I may be useful to You whatever You want to do with me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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World Missions; November 19, 2021

Posted on November 24, 2021 by jgarrott

1 Chronicles 16:23-24 Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

We often overlook, or even forget, how remarkably unified the Bible is. God never changes, even though His interactions with mankind take different forms at different times. It stands to reason, then, that the major themes of the Bible would be found throughout. Sometimes that is in outright repetition. Verse 34 of this chapter is identical to Psalm 118:1, which is this church’s verse for the year. Much more common is repeatedly touching on important themes. This is a repeat of the general thought of yesterday’s passage from earlier in the chapter, but that just shows that this was a major theme for David. Any writer will come back again and again to themes that are important to them, and David was no exception. The thing that hits me the hardest about this iteration is clear in the Japanese but is left out of the NIV, which I think is very unfortunate. Where the NIV says, “proclaim His salvation,” the Japanese says, “proclaim the good news of His salvation. (emphasis added) In other words, “Proclaim the Gospel of His salvation!” Jesus expressly said that the fulfillment of this declaration of David would be a sign of His imminent return. (Matthew 14:14) Just before His ascension He famously commissioned believers in this very task. (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8) We need to realize that this has been God’s purpose all along, and rejoice to participate.

Since I’m a missionary in Japan, I obviously have taken this to heart. It’s very much a family thing with me, since not only were my parents missionaries, one of my grandfathers founded what is currently the oldest continuing Department of Missions in the world, in Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. That said, it wasn’t inescapable for me; I’m the only one of my siblings “in the field,” as they say. However, this isn’t something to be taken on casually in any case. I think everyone should keep themselves available as a witness to Christ in their every personal encounter, but that doesn’t mean everyone is supposed to go to some far-off place to do it. I strongly desire that Japanese believers recognize their own opportunity and responsibility to share the Gospel with their own family and associates. My own efficiency in evangelism is low, because people tend so strongly to see me as “other,” since I am a Caucasian. The most effective evangelism is when the one hearing the message feels, “They are just like me, and they have something I need.” By God’s grace He has used me to communicate the “good news of His salvation,” as this passage says, with various Japanese, but revival won’t break out until the Japanese themselves catch fire and burn with the Holy Spirit to communicate the Gospel.

Father, thank You for this reminder. You know the vision, the dream You have planted in my heart, and You know even better than I do that I can’t make it happen on my own. I pray that I would be totally available to You in every way, so that the Good News of Your salvation may penetrate to every corner of this nation, and indeed of the world, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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God’s Sufficient Grace; November 18, 2021

Posted on November 23, 2021 by jgarrott

1 Chronicles 16:8-10 Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

One distinctive of David was that he wanted others to know of what God had done for him and for the nation. This wasn’t limited to his immediate circle, but to all the nations. Those who think “world missions” is limited to the New Testament are sadly mistaken! David’s desire was that the whole world, everyone, know how wonderful God was and rejoice to be obedient to Him. David’s particular tool for doing that was the Psalms he wrote, and they have indeed been used mightily to that end. Each of us is given different tools. Even if they are perhaps similar, such as musical gifts, there will always be differences in particular style and expression. The point is, the goal is always the same, of people knowing God and rejoicing in Him. When we ourselves are rejoicing it feels easy to do that, but when we aren’t, it can seem much more difficult. The things is, God doesn’t change. It is only by shifting our focus off of ourselves and onto Him in all His goodness and holiness that we can rejoice even in the middle of circumstances that seem much less than desirable to us. When Paul ran into such a situation, God’s answer was fairly blunt: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) When we have tasted that grace fully, we will indeed want to share it with the whole world.

I am in the middle of training in this area. Emotions, and temporal things in general, are very unreliable, but as well as I know that, I still tend to rely on them. God is eternal, and He has eternity prepared for me. I need to seek His face always, and allow Him to pour His grace through me, and specifically through my weaknesses. I’ve got plenty of those! I tend to be proud of hearing from God so freely, and this morning was a strong reminder that it’s all grace, and not something I’m “due,” or have earned in any way. Feeling like I had run into a “dead zone,” with “no bars on my spiritual phone,” was downright frightening. I indeed need to rest, relax, and rejoice in my Lord, with no trace of pride or entitlement, so that He will be free to use me however He likes, on His schedule for His glory.

Father, thank You for this experience. It’s one of the most unpleasant things I’ve encountered in a long time! I pray that I would learn from it what You are trying to teach me. Even as You showed Jeremiah in the middle of horrible circumstances, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23) Thank You. Praise God!

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Shared Experiences; November 17, 2021

Posted on November 23, 2021 by jgarrott

Deuteronomy 24:18 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.

Human beings are strange. The minute we get to what we consider a better status or situation, we tend to forget, or even actively try to forget, how things once were, and when we do, we tend to treat badly those who are as we once were. Moses is saying very clearly not to do that. A prime example of how we should be is Paul, who, though being the great apostle who wrote half the New Testament, still referred to himself as “the worst of sinners.” (1 Timothy 1:15) He didn’t dwell on how bad he was, but he never forgot that he had actively persecuted the Church and approved of the killing of Steven. That gave him compassion for others, and the perspective that God could save and use anyone. Instructions to “remember that you were slaves in Egypt” appear many times in the Old Testament, especially in this book of Deuteronomy, where Moses is trying to cement God’s truths into the hearts, minds, and culture of Israel. When we remember how gracious God has been to us, we are both grateful to Him and able to be gracious to others, and that is the road not only to personal happiness but also to a peaceful, generous society.

I’ve never been a slave, but I’ve certainly been a “Stranger in a Strange Land” (to quote the title of a Robert Heinlein book). It is both encouraging and informative to be part of a large Missionary Kids group on Facebook, where people who were children of missionaries from a wide variety of countries to a wide variety of other countries share their memories and current experiences. I’m also part of another group connected to the US Air Force dependents school I attended in Fukuoka. Those people are not missions-related but are still multi-cultural, often with other countries besides Japan included in the mix. There is an interesting level of connection among such people, in many ways like that among war veterans, because of the background of similar experiences. All of that gives me an empathy today with people from other countries who are living in Japan, because I know what it is to deal with culture clash. I am to make full use of all the Lord has allowed me to experience, so that, as Paul said, I may “comfort those in any trouble with the comfort [I myself] have received from God.” (2 Corinthians 1:4)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the many connections You’ve given us recently with various Chinese people. Help me minister effectively to them, as well as to the Japanese, so that in all things people may be drawn to You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Name of the Lord; November 16, 2021

Posted on November 18, 2021 by jgarrott

Leviticus 22:32-33 “Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the Lord, who makes you holy and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.”

One thing we need to realize in reading this is that every time the English (or the Japanese) says “Lord,” it is actually the covenant name of our Creator, Yahweh. He is pounding it home to the Israelites, because they were used to all the gods of Egypt and were entering into the land of the Baals and Ashtoreth, the gods of Canaan. This is the “holy name” He is talking about. We have trouble relating to that because we are in a supposedly monotheistic society, and our idols don’t go by special names. In English, using “God” or “Christ” or “Jesus” as an expletive became so common that it lost its sting, and now people feel they have to use “the f-word” to actually be heard. It’s very pathetic, really. To use Paul’s expression, people’s consciences have been seared, and they are desensitized to what they are saying and doing. (1 Timothy 4:2) The devil does all he can to make us as unholy as possible, and too often we cooperate. We can’t make ourselves holy, but it is the height of foolishness to rebel against the God who makes us holy. Jesus even started the prayer He taught us with, “May Your name be acknowledged as holy.”

I don’t think I would go to the place taken by some in reaction to all this of typing “G_d,” rather than writing that out. Obviously, I even write out the covenant name when called for. However, I must not put the lie to what I proclaim every time I pray the Lord’s Prayer. I am not particularly familiar with the names of all the various “incarnations of the Buddha” in Japanese Buddhism, much less all the names of the “8 million gods” of Shinto, but that’s not an issue. The name I am to proclaim, and acknowledge as holy by my words and deeds, is that of Jesus Christ my Lord. As Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)

Father, I don’t often think about this issue. Help me operate in the holiness You have provided for me in Christ, particularly since for many people in this city I am something of His “public face.” May my life cause people to acknowledge You as holy and repent of their rebellion against You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Regulations; November 15, 2021

Posted on November 18, 2021 by jgarrott

Leviticus 7:17 Any meat of the sacrifice left over till the third day must be burned up.

To be honest, Leviticus is probably my least favorite book of the Bible, and I happen to know it was for my mother as well. The endless lists of regulations quickly become mind-numbing, and even soul-numbing. However, each of the regulations had multiple purposes that we may or may not perceive. This one, for example, had the very practical purpose of avoiding foot poisoning, since they had no refrigeration in those days. However, the regulations regarding offerings as a whole had the overall purpose of teaching the people not to take the things of God lightly. Today in the US, things have gotten so casual that some pastors preach in jeans. It is not at all that our clothing can sanctify us, but all sorts of things can reflect our attitude toward the One we say we serve. Legalism for the sake of control is certainly destructive, but anti-legalism for the sake of license is at least as destructive. When King Hezekiah invited people from the Northern tribes to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem, most of them had not been following the customs in order to be ritually clean. Hezekiah prayed for them and they were acceptable. (2 Chronicles 30:18-20) The point was that Hezekiah didn’t say it didn’t matter, he took it to the Lord and asked for His grace and mercy, and it was granted. We are indeed freed from the myriad of regulations laid down in Leviticus, but if that causes us to take God lightly, we are in trouble. The early Church dealt with this issue a lot, and it nearly derailed things a couple of times. The essential point is that God wants our hearts in unreserved commitment. Physical things can sometimes contribute to that, but they are never to be a substitute for it.

I have had a distaste for legalism for as long as I can remember, but I have also tripped up at times over the very real issue of familiarity breeding contempt. I too need to remember that it is the Creator of the Universe I worship! In His incredible grace and mercy He has called me as His child, so I call Him Father, even Daddy, but I must not let that degrade into flippancy. I had the huge advantage of a physical father who was both loving and worthy of great respect, so my starting point for relating to God was miles ahead of what some people experience. As a pastor in Japan, I have the heavy responsibility of leading and teaching people who for the most part have no Christian tradition in their background. I need God’s wisdom to lead them into reverence but not legalism, intimacy but not flippancy, so that their faith may grow strong on the foundation of a genuine relationship with their Savior, and not be an empty shell of traditions and regulations.

Father, this is a big issue. Thank You for my bi-cultural perspective, making it easier to see what is human tradition and what is of You. Help me indeed not lean on my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6) but rather seek You out on every issue, so that Your will may be done in and through me. That is especially acute as we enter the Christmas season, which is so tradition-encrusted as to be idolatrous at times. Help us celebrate the miracle of You sending Your Son in ways that will open people’s hearts and draw them to You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Depression; November 14, 2021

Posted on November 16, 2021 by jgarrott

Revelation 8:3-4 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand.

The is a much more ritualistic picture of prayer than we usually think of today. That said, virtually all of the images in Revelation are symbolic in various ways, so we need to be careful about patterning our lives around them. I think the point here is that our prayers are pleasing to God, a fitting sacrifice, much as incense, with which they are associated here. With a small child, the parent is happy that they talk to them, almost regardless of what the child is saying. God likes to hear us pray! In prayer we focus on Him, recognizing that we are inadequate in ourselves, and that is an important foundation to life as it should be. When we fail to pray, that means on at least some level that we think we can go it alone, or at least that we have to go it alone. Neither of those things is true! As Jesus said explicitly, apart from Him we can do nothing, (John 15:5) but the good news is, we don’t have to try to do it on our own, but rather live in concert with our Creator, who is omnipotent. Most depression comes from an inward focus that springs from missing those two great truths. If we feel we have to do it all ourselves, depression is the logical response! It is when we lift our eyes to Jesus and recognize His great love for us that we are liberated in many ways, from depression and many other traps of the devil. Prayer is a vital part of that. It’s no wonder that our Father is pleased when we do what we need to for walking in fellowship with Him!

I have experienced this from just about every human angle. In a self-centered funk, back in my college days, I genuinely wanted to die and was in the process of something that might well have succeeded in accomplishing that when the Lord spoke to me very simply: “Don’t do that.” I stopped, but my focus didn’t change very much very quickly. I didn’t have the sense to realize that God Himself had spoken to me because He cared, and He had plans for me! Talk about self-centered blindness! It took time, but thankfully God was more than patient with me, and my focus shifted. I will confess that even today, when I look at the state of the world around me and my own perceived inability to make a real impact on it all, I am tempted to depression, and I see that happening with many other like-minded people. The answer for us all is to pray, to recognize that yes, we are impotent against all the rot, but we know someone who is omnipotent in every sense, and that’s enough. We need to let go of the pride that says, “I’ve got to fix it.” God may or may not use us in the process, but fixing it is His ball game, and He can be trusted to get it done.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for telling me clearly, over 20 years ago now, that You aren’t happy with all the rot, and You’re not just letting it slide. Help me trust You enough to wait in patience for Your timing, rejoicing in You so as to be available for whatever part You have for me in Your plan, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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The Limits of Intellect; November 13, 2021

Posted on November 16, 2021 by jgarrott

Revelation 5:12 In a loud voice they sang:
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”

I think the NIV is entirely justified in using “sang,” rather than “said,” here, because this verse, and really much of the whole book of Revelation, reminds me of a quote from Mozart. When asked to explain one of his compositions he said, “If I could put it into words, I wouldn’t need music.” With the Bible, it’s certainly not that the words themselves don’t have meaning, it’s that the meaning is often deeper and higher and greater than human vocabulary can express. People get particularly tied in knots over books like Revelation and Daniel and Ezekiel. Just from this chapter we have a lamb with seven eyes and seven horns that had been slain, yet is able to take a scroll and open its seals? And this same Being is described as the Lion of the tribe of Judah! If we pursue the things of God, we quickly run into the limits of human intellect and expression. Thankfully, God is able to reveal things to our spirit so that we know that we know that we know, even when we can’t put it into words. Human intellect and language are marvelous gifts from God and are to be used for His glory, but they are sadly not up to the task of expressing and explaining an infinite, omnipotent God. That isn’t to say that they are to be ignored, much less thrown out. It is, however, to say that humility is essential in approaching the things of God, just as the Bible itself says many times. God delights to reveal Himself to His children, but when we think we can “figure Him out” on our own, we get into serious trouble very quickly. Human religion is virtually without exception polluted by human attempts to figure out God, which immediately makes our image of Him be like us, instead of our becoming more like Him. We need to receive what He says about Himself, in words and directly to our spirits, and not try to create categories and boxes to put Him into.

This has been an issue for me. I was first identified as having an IQ of 150+ when I was in the 5th grade, and in the 7th grade my English teacher was honest enough to tell me that I had tested to a higher level of vocabulary than she had. I have intellect, and I have words. That said, I cannot fully comprehend God, much less describe Him. As I am frequently reminded, pride has always been a snare to me. I am to use the gifts my Creator has given me to do His will, even when I can’t grasp what He is doing through me. Eleven years ago He told me to rest, relax, and rejoice. That’s a good thing, because the more I try to figure it all out, the more I descend into paralyzing mental traps. When I trust Him, and not myself or my abilities, then I have the peace I need and I am available and useful to Him.

Father, thank You for this strong, timely reminder. I have recently been given deadlines for a magazine article and for my notes for a major speech. Help me not try to “cook up” either of those, but rather be quiet enough before You to hear what You want to say through me, for the blessing of my readers and hearers and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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