God’s Promises; November 29, 2025

Posted on November 30, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 11:1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
    from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

Few things look as desolate as a stump, so the image here is pretty graphic. By the 1st Century, the general populace wasn’t even sure who was a descendant of King David any more – but God knew. His promises sometimes might look like they have failed, but they never fail! This is why both Matthew and Luke trace Jesus’ genealogy, actually taking somewhat different routes. They both take the legal route through Joseph, even though Jesus wasn’t Joseph’s son. (I have always thought that Mary likewise was a direct descendant of David, but at this point I don’t find direct Biblical proof of that.) David’s line certainly looked like a dead stump by that point! However, God’s promises never fail, and He certainly came through on this one. The thing is, even at the time, it didn’t look like it, because it didn’t happen in the ways people imagined it might. That the royal heir would be born in such humble circumstances didn’t occur to the religious leaders, certainly. We get into a lot of trouble when we try to dictate to God how things “ought to be.” Oral Roberts coined the phrase, “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.” However, that should be, “God said it, that settles it.” It is very informative, even mind-blowing, to go through the Bible matching prophecies with their fulfillment. As just one example, the return of the Israelites to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity was improbable in the extreme, but God brought it about through people who didn’t claim to know Him. On top of that, the return of the Jews to Israel in the 20th Century was even more improbable, but that too was prophesied. That’s why the enmity of the Arab peoples is ultimately so futile. Many of God’s promises are conditional, and we need to be careful of that, but many are not, and we can absolutely bank on them, even though we might have no idea of the timing of their fulfillment.

God has said some things to me that seem improbable to say the least, but I can have absolute assurance that they will come to pass. When I came to Omura 44 years ago I had various ideas of how things might go, and none of them were accurate. However, He has said some things to me over the years that I do see being fulfilled, and I have great anticipation of much more. He is not only omnipotent, He is also totally faithful! I don’t know the details of what He is going to do from here, but I’m to keep myself available for however He wants to use me, because it’s His plans and not mine that matter.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that I’ll be going to Kumamoto tomorrow afternoon to be the interpreter for a conference the following two days. I ask for guidance in getting there safely, and I ask especially for wisdom and anointing to do all that You ask of me, through whomever You ask it, so that Your purposes may be accomplished on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Eschatology; November 28, 2025

Posted on November 29, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 9:7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

This whole passage is gloriously familiar, but it just struck me that this verse seems to be at odds with various popular eschatologies. It seems to agree with postmillennialism, which has been out of favor ever since WWI, and in direct conflict with premillennialism, which is probably the most popular eschatology today, and it doesn’t touch on “the Rapture,” that is so much a topic of anticipation and debate (even though the word never appears in the Bible). What came to me just now was that this verse is true regardless of how things look to us in the moment. Even in the horrors of WWII, which seemed to put a nail in the coffin of postmillennialism, people were turning to Christ and discovering His peace. We are totally short-sighted, unable to perceive the glories that God has ahead of us, and so we try to make all sorts of excuses for Him, to “make the Bible true” even though our experiences seem to contradict it. That’s a very human thing to do, but it is very self-centered, trying to make the world make sense to our brain instead of trusting God. That’s where faith comes in. If everything fit a plan that we could conceive, where would faith be? To me, the answer is pan-millennialism. The term was coined as a joke, but I think it has a lot of truth to it. It just means, “everything will pan out.” I think that is the position of honest humility.

Like many today, I have the gut feeling that Christ’s return isn’t very far off in terms of time, but then, believers in the 1st Century felt that way, too. I know absolutely that I will meet Him in less than 30 years, and I’ve already lived in Omura for 44 years! Jesus told us repeatedly that we are to be ready for His return, and I seek to do that. I don’t think that means stockpiling foodstuffs! I believe it means being active in my obedience, seeking His will for what I am to do each day, striving to communicate the Gospel while I have the opportunity. I fail to listen actively to Him all too often, getting caught up in what feels good to me, and that requires keeping my repentance up to date. I am to remember that my time is limited and seek to be the steward of that time that He wants me to be, so that whether I welcome Him on His return or simply go to Him before that, I will have no reason to be ashamed.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me not let things slide, but rather be active in Your service whatever Your timeline might be, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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David’s Dynasty; November 27, 2025

Posted on November 28, 2025 by jgarrott

Psalm 89:29 I will establish his line forever,
    his throne as long as the heavens endure.

This prophecy is true only if you understand it spiritually. The Davidic dynasty is clearly and thoroughly cut off, genetically and politically, but Jesus, the righteous descendant of David, is alive even today – and for eternity – and His spiritual offspring include every believer even today. We have a problem in that we tend to see everything in temporal terms, that is, this world and the material universe, when God is far greater than that. Perspective is always an issue for us, because our vision and understanding are so limited. For example, we can’t see how martyrdom can be glorious victory. When a believer stands firm in faith and clings to Christ alone, even over their physical life, it is glorious victory, just as I preached this past Sunday. Christ is indeed King, and His throne will last even longer than the physical universe. Abiding in Him is the ultimate definition of security.

This is something I have known as fact for as long as I can remember, but my understanding of it has certainly deepened over the years. I currently care very little for my physical life, other than for the sake of those who depend on me in various ways. I enjoy my life, but my anticipation of what comes next has only grown over the years. The slogans of “Christ is King,” and “Jesus Reigns” are far more than slogans, and my life is to be a demonstration of their reality. That will happen only to the degree that I am submitted and obedient to Him, so that is to be my focus. I am to rejoice in the privilege of being used by Him in whatever ways He chooses, because being His ambassador is a greater honor than serving any earthly king. (2 Corinthians 5:20)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me rejoice consistently in the privilege of being Your agent, so that Your rule and reign may be established as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Listening to God; November 26, 2025

Posted on November 27, 2025 by jgarrott

Deuteronomy 18:15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.

Because of the explicit singular in this verse, many have taken it to be a Messianic prophecy, but the following verses seem to apply to prophets in general. At this point we have the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, so the matter of a specific spokesperson for God is not nearly as urgent. That said, the writer of Hebrews got it right: “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.” (Hebrews 1:1-2) In the case of Jesus, we don’t have to worry about the details given in verses 21-22, about how to respond to false prophecy. Everything Jesus said was and is perfectly true and certain! All of that said, we still have the issue of hearing and understanding accurately. People have misunderstood what God was saying ever since the Garden of Eden! We need to focus on personal humility, not filtering what God is saying through our own personal desires and ambitions. When that is our attitude, we will hear Him with a high degree of consistency.

As a pastor, one of my chief desires is for the believers to learn to listen to God. I frequently tell them that God is speaking to them, if their hearts are open, but modern society has taught them that such things are fantasy, or even hubris, that the Creator would speak to them. We have such trouble grasping that God really is omnipotent and omniscient, and He actually cares about each one of us individually. We aren’t necessarily of such huge importance, but He cares about us as though we were. We think we want to be independent, but our greatest liberty is when we are totally submitted to our Creator! I need to model this attitude for the believers to see, because imitation is much easier than learning in other ways. I don’t – I can’t – get it perfectly right myself, but I am very much in Paul’s territory here, urging others to copy me even as I seek to copy Jesus. (1 Corinthians 11:1) The good news is that it’s the Holy Spirit’s business to make it all possible, so I just have to be filled with and submitted to Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all that You do in and through each of us. May we be a people fully obedient and pleasing to You, doing Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Atonement; November 25, 2025

Posted on November 26, 2025 by jgarrott

Leviticus 16:16 In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the tent of meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness.

I must say that reading Leviticus makes me very grateful I live under the New Covenant! The Letter to the Hebrews makes it clear that Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself fulfilled every righteous commandment of the Law, freeing us from all the rituals prescribed here. The thing is, human sin is a serious issue that must be dealt with, but all the stuff in Leviticus is no more than a stop-gap measure before the ultimate atonement of Jesus’ blood. Everything described here was very solemn and very bloody, and it was prescribed to drive home the seriousness of human sin. Not having the practice of animal sacrifice today, we often tend to take sin lightly, but that’s a terrible mistake. Even in ancient Israel people came to disassociate all the sacrifices from their own sins, which made the sacrifices meaningless, as prophet after prophet warned them. Just as they needed to remember that those animals were being killed because of the people’s sins, we must remember that Jesus died for our sins. Calvary wasn’t just a horrible execution-by-torture in the distant past, it was the direct punishment required by our “uncleanness, rebellion, and sins,” as it says here. We often fail to realize what a wonderful salvation Jesus worked for us on that cross.

Like everyone else, I have tended to overlook and/or excuse my own sins, so it was extremely meaningful when God showed me, just for an instant, the state of my own soul, back in 1972. I realized that, as bad as some of my actions were, the real problem was the attitude that precipitated those actions. I was not holy before my Lord! It was devastating at the time, but I’m still learning to walk in the holiness that God has prepared for me, and for which He is preparing me. All I am that is good is because of the grace of my Lord, and not intrinsic to me. That fact calls out gratitude and the obedience that comes from love, if I will appreciate it fully.

Father, thank You for Your absolutely amazing grace. May it never be a cliché to me, but rather the foundation for every moment of my life, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Names; November 24, 2025

Posted on November 25, 2025 by jgarrott

Exodus 34:5 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord.

We sometimes forget what names meant in ancient cultures. Names were considered to express at least something of the essence of the one named, sometimes not being given immediately at birth, and sometimes being changed after a significant event in a person’s life. The indigenous tribes of North America likewise placed a lot of weight on names, but today, naming seems to be somewhat hit-or-miss, with novel names being created by parents just for the sound of them. In the case of the Creator of the universe, His name is a big deal, and very difficult to express in merely human language. The first time Moses encountered Him, at the burning bush, He gave His name in rather cryptic terms, grammatically, even, saying, “I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14) Here, He fleshes that out a good bit, to the point that Bible translations divide it into two verses, verses 6 and 7. We have trouble understanding that all of that together is the Name of the Lord! However, we need to try to understand it, because it expresses God’s character. He is both mercifully gracious and perfectly holy, forgiving but punishing the guilty. The problem for us is that we’re all guilty! (Romans 3:23) That’s why the Creator sent His Son to be our Savior, taking the penalty for our many sins. Jesus, incidentally but importantly, means, “God is Salvation.” (Matthew 1:21) Our names may or may not have meaning as to who we really are (other than as a legal designation), but we need to remember the Name of the Lord, both in the expanded form given here and in the condensed form of Jesus. He is indeed salvation, and we absolutely need that salvation.

My full name has deep family connections for which I’m grateful, but how well I merit my name is not for me to decide. What is far more important is that I also bear the name of my Lord, as a Christian. I cannot live in a manner fully worthy of that name on my own, so I’ve got to depend on the One from whom I received that name. As Paul said, I can do it only through the One who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13) Paul expounds in several places on how we represent Christ as we serve Him and allow Him to work through us, and I need to keep that in focus. My personal name is totally insignificant, but the Name of the Lord is everything, and I’m to bear it with joy and honor.

Father, thank You for the incredible privilege of bearing the name of Christian. Help me fulfill that indeed as You intend, destroying the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) and drawing many to repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Obedience; November 23, 2025

Posted on November 24, 2025 by jgarrott

Genesis 22:18 “…and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

The Bible records many dramatic scenes, but none are more dramatic than this one. It is absolutely pivotal to the whole story of salvation, because God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, just as God gave His Son as the atoning sacrifice for us. That Abraham was obedient has indeed swayed the destiny of all humanity. We never know what the ultimate outcome of our obedience will be, so we, like Abraham, must walk in faith, trusting that God will work it all out for good. (Romans 8:28) I’ve written and spoken recently on stewardship of all that God provides for us, but obedience is even more important and foundational than that. After all, being a good steward is being obedient to what God has told us to do. The whole matter of obedience has been in the news recently, as a group of Democrats made a video in which they exhorted US military and other personnel not to obey “unlawful orders.” That was totally ignoring the reality that there are already rules in place for such an extreme contingency, and it came across very clearly as sedition, particularly when they gave no specific examples of such “unlawful orders.” One of the good things about military service is that it indeed teaches you to obey orders, without eliminating personal responsibility. Abraham was put into an extreme situation, but he had total trust in the One who gave the order, he was obedient, and all mankind has benefited. Our obedience isn’t likely to have such ramifications, but we never know, so we are to listen and obey.

I don’t have a spotless record of obedience, but I think my rate has improved over the years. There have been a few dramatic moments, such as when the Lord told Cathy and me to sell our mobile home and move to Japan, and when He told me to leave Japan and go to seminary in the US, and some others along the way. I hesitate to think about how things might have turned out had I not been obedient! All that drives home the reality that we don’t see the future, so we have to operate in faith. There are lots of minor things along the way, and there too I am called to listen carefully and be obedient. I have been known to miss-hear at times, but God can use even my mistakes for good, if I yield them to Him. The important thing is to maintain a submitted, obedient heart that rejoices to serve my Lord.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Today is a major event in this church’s calendar, with the Thanksgiving dinner tonight. I’m not big on social occasions, but I know from experience that these dinners are a powerful witness to non-believers who attend, and build the faith and participation of the church members as well. I ask Your strength and wisdom for Cathy in particular, since she is the focus of the food element of it all. I ask Your wisdom and anointing for me as I guide the testimony session after the meal. May all the believers rejoice to give You thanks for all You have done in their lives this past year, drawing the unbelievers to open their hearts to receive Jesus as Lord as well, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Intelligence; November 22, 2025

Posted on November 23, 2025 by jgarrott

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

Everything evil starts with deceit. It is no accident that Jesus proclaimed Himself to be the truth. (John 14:6) Questioning is indeed an excellent technique for getting started, when you want to change someone’s opinion. The serpent was certainly smart, but that’s not the same thing as wise. As Proverbs very wisely proclaims, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10) The serpent had intellect, but he didn’t respect God, and he worked to defile what God had created. That can be seen all around us. Just because a person has a high IQ doesn’t mean they are good, or to be trusted. Intelligence is a gift from God, but to have its right use it must be submitted to Him. The biggest problem with intelligence is that it can generate pride, and that is the ultimate snare. As has been said many times, just because you can do something doesn’t necessarily mean you should do it. The devil is much more intelligent than any mere human being, so relying on our intellect to resist him is foolish in the extreme. We need to recognize our own limitations and rely on the only One who has no limitations, our Creator God. That’s not at all to say we aren’t to use what God has given us, certainly including intelligence. There are some people who seem to ignore the intelligence they have been given. I had a cousin who had a PhD in biology, and he died from eating raw oysters in August! (I happen to love raw oysters, but I know better than to eat them during their breeding season.) When a person relies on their own intellect, they tend to look down on those with a lesser IQ, and that is ugly indeed. It is only when we recognize and respect the difference between us and God that we understand that focusing on differences in IQ is like acorns comparing height (to quote a Japanese proverb). We need to listen to God and obey Him in everything, including the stewardship of the minds He has given us.

I happen to have been born with a high IQ, and pride has been a snare to me all my life. The irony is extreme, because I didn’t ask to be born this way, much less earn it by my own efforts. The question is one of what I have done with it. Some of it has been good, for which I am grateful, but some of it has certainly not been. Making myself the arbiter of right and wrong, good and bad, is placing myself in the place of God, and that is the ultimate sin. I have got to choose to be humble, because it doesn’t come naturally! That said, I have certainly found that making that choice is the path to satisfaction and fulfillment. I don’t have all the answers, but God does! I am to recognize that God can and does speak to me through people with lower IQ than I have, and respect them fully. If I fail to do that, I am demonstrating the stupidity of intellect!

Father, thank You for this reminder. You remind me of this fairly often! Help me truly walk in all that You have planned for me, in humble gratitude, so that Your plans may be accomplished on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Marriage; November 21, 2025

Posted on November 22, 2025 by jgarrott

Revelation 19:7 Let us rejoice and be glad
    and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
    and his bride has made herself ready.

This is a fitting climax to the theme of The Joy of the Lord that we’ve been pursuing for the past few months. There are so many levels to the joy that is mentioned here. It is the joy of fulfillment of the purpose of the universe! Anthropomorphizing God certainly has its dangers, but what is described here is the Son of God getting a wife. Weddings are joyful occasions in every culture, and this is the ultimate wedding! There are several passages throughout the Bible that speak of the Church, the assembly of God’s people, as the Bride of Christ, and this is describing the fulfillment of that. There are many, many ways we can’t wrap our minds around this, because it transcends our experience on almost every level. In the first place, Jesus is one, unitary, but the Church is made up of countless millions of believers. In the second place, this can’t be sexual, in a biological sense, but at the same time, the marriage bed is a foreshadowing of the intimacy that is involved here. That’s precisely why the devil attacks sex so intensely, seeking to defile it in any way he can, with a sadly shocking degree of success. That’s why genuinely Christian marriages are a powerful witness to the plans of God for mankind. We will have to experience it to understand it, but we have every reason to anticipate it intensely, knowing that the plans of God are good beyond the capacity of our intellect to grasp them.

This is a matter of great interest to me, because I have tasted the joys of marriage to a very high degree. It’s now been 57 years since I started getting to know my wife, and this coming May will mark the 57th anniversary of our wedding. We have letters that my parents wrote to me, and then to us, during that period, and they are a blessing. Responding to what I had written them (we don’t have those letters) they remark on how totally taken I was with Cathy, and I’d say their impression was pretty accurate! Now, I regularly perform weddings, and I require a session of counseling beforehand. In that, I tell them that my wife and I are still in love with each other, lovers, which is a novel idea to the couples, since my wife and I are past 75, but I assure them it wouldn’t be the case if we hadn’t worked at it all these years. In reference to our verse here, there is certainly effort implied on the part of the Bride, “making herself ready.” As a pastor, I want this part of the Church to indeed be ready, doing the righteous deeds that are mentioned in the next verse, which God has prepared for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10) I am grateful that my relationship with my wife is a testimony and example to those who know us, and I want this church to be the same for all who see it, for God’s glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your overwhelming grace toward us, that is available to all who will commit to You in faith. May we be ever more effective in sharing that grace with others, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Victory; November 20, 2025

Posted on November 21, 2025 by jgarrott

Revelation 12:11 They triumphed over him
    by the blood of the Lamb
    and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
    as to shrink from death.

This is absolutely glorious, but at the same time it’s very scary for anyone whose framework is totally in this world. After all, this is speaking of the victory that is martyrdom! Japan has a glorious history of martyrs, but today, too many people give in to such simple things as social pressures, and they miss out on the glorious overcoming it speaks of here. The devil really is furious, as it says in the very next verse, and he doesn’t let up in his attacks on believers. Any relief is essentially just a lull in the fighting! However, we have nothing to be afraid of, because as John said clearly, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) When our perspective is on eternity, our life in this world is a minor item, not to be over-valued. When we are desperate to live longer physically, as so many are, we miss out on the infinitely greater blessings of eternity with the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth. It’s not that our lives here are completely unimportant, because it is here we serve our Lord and introduce others to Him, but it frees us from being anxious about anything, since we know we are already on the winning side. When we really understand that our bodies are mortal but we, as children of God, are immortal, we can continue the fight with assurance and even joy, knowing the final outcome will be very good indeed, whatever it looks like physically.

We have a friend who received her “death sentence” quite some time back, as she battles lung cancer. Her body is indeed wasting away, but her husband said yesterday that at this point she is emotionally and spiritually stronger that he is! Her daughter, who chats with her daily online, posted a picture yesterday of her lying in bed, lifting her hand in the sign language gesture combining I, L, and Y, meaning, “I love you.” She looks to be very close to her “graduation,” and she is more than ready. I find her very inspiring! I’m already several years older than either of my parents were at the time of their graduation, but as long as the Lord keeps me here, I’m to be active at the various tasks He has for me to do. I’m to remember that “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10) I am to rejoice in God’s salvation, but remember that it has a purpose, both for now and for eternity, and commit myself fully to fulfilling that purpose, for the pleasure and glory of my Lord.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all You enabled me to do yesterday, and for the things You have planned for me today. Help me recognize and follow Your leading each moment, so that my time, my life, may be spent exactly as You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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