Resurrection; August 5, 2025

Posted on August 6, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 26:19 But your dead will live, Lord;
    their bodies will rise—
let those who dwell in the dust
    wake up and shout for joy—
your dew is like the dew of the morning;
    the earth will give birth to her dead.

We aren’t used to explicit statements of resurrection in the Old Testament! Isaiah says so many things that relate directly to the Messiah and His kingdom that the book by his name is not unreasonably called, “The Gospel According to Isaiah.” You basically have to go to Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4 to find anything quite this explicit about resurrection. The subject of resurrection has been a sticking point for many. Somehow the idea of Christ’s atoning death is easier to accept than the idea that after that He rose, having conquered death. Just recently, further analysis of the Shroud of Turin has come out, claiming that the Carbon 14 analysis that was done a few years ago was on fibers from an area where it was repaired after it was damaged in a fire. That analysis said it was from no earlier than the 12th Century, which would eliminate any possibility of it being from Jesus. However, the more recent analysis (though not using carbon 14) says that everything about it is congruent with it being genuine, and not a forgery. Everything considered, it would be almost impossible to forge, since the image on it is not from pigment of any sort, and the pollen traces that have been found are specific to the area around Jerusalem. Everything about it agrees with what is known of Roman crucifixion, including the wounds being in the wrists, rather than the palms, as most artists have portrayed Jesus on the cross. Whether the Shroud of Turin is actually the one that covered Jesus’ body or not, it all comes back to whether we believe God is powerful enough to raise people from the dead, not as “zombies,” but as people who are more alive than they ever were before. The Bible says He is, and such faith is energizing to say the least!

I was raised in a household of faith, and I have never hesitated to believe that the God who spoke the universe into being could “reconstitute” people from whatever state they might be in. After all, people have been martyred for their faith in countless ways, and some of those ways don’t leave much behind. For that matter, the hypocenter of the Nagasaki atomic bomb was very close to Junshin Catholic Girls School, and some of those girls were literally vaporized. That’s why cremation has never bothered me. Resurrection is not a problem for God! To be quite honest, my biggest question about resurrection is simply, why? I look forward to eternity with my Lord, but why do I need a body for that? However, I don’t object to the idea, so I leave it in His hands. After all, He’s infinitely smarter and stronger than I am, and I want Him to do what He knows is best.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the conversation I had on Sunday about death. When I think about resurrection and Your grace and power, it’s a pretty minor issue! Help me live all the time as someone who is going to live eternally, both before and after resurrection, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Death; August 4, 2025

Posted on August 5, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 25:8 He will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
    from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
    from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.

Both the English and the Japanese say “swallowed up,” but the Japanese at least uses a different character from the one you would use for taking a drink. This is like in an earthquake, when a fissure opens and things disappear into it. This theme is taken up by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15, and by John in Revelation 21. Of course, the proof of this is the resurrection of Jesus, but it is very impressive to me that God spoke it to Isaiah hundreds of years before the manger in Bethlehem. At this point, death is the universal enemy, feared by all. I spoke yesterday on Eternal Life, and how for Christian believers, physical death is no big deal (as Jake Hess memorably sang). In our present context that requires a lot of faith, but that faith is available to all who are open to receive it. Isaiah had absolutely nothing to go on other than hearing God speak it into his heart, but we have the record of Jesus, as well as the triumphant deaths of countless saints. The advice is certainly valid: “When a baby is born, they are crying and everyone around them is smiling. Live so that when you die, you are smiling and everyone around you is crying.” We do shed tears when a loved one dies, but as God promised to Isaiah, to Paul, and to John, He will wipe away every tear. That is a wonderful prospect indeed!

After yesterday’s service I was talking with someone who was visiting from America, and he said his mother had died just a week and a half ago. I think he was one of the reasons God had me speak on Eternal Life yesterday! As I told him, I think my attitude toward death is pretty unusual in the world today. I have seen a lot of people off, and the difference between a believer and a non-believer is striking. I have no fear of death whatsoever for myself, but the idea of my wife going ahead of me isn’t something I look forward to! At the same time, even then I know that the separation will be strictly temporary, so I know it’s not something to be anxious about. When I talk about such things my hearers are generally incredulous, but I think I’m being completely honest. Faith is a wonderful gift! Having tasted it myself, I want to share it with as many people as possible. That’s the marvelous thing about God’s gifts: sharing them means they are increased for us, and not diminished in any way. The more I impart faith to someone else, the more faith I have!

Father, thank You for all of this. Thank You for the marvelous “economics” of Your Kingdom, where giving away means you have more. Help me be the steward You want me to be of Your Gospel, of saving faith, so that as many as possible may be brought from death to life, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Trusting God; August 3, 2025

Posted on August 4, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 24:14-16a They raise their voices, they shout for joy;
    from the west they acclaim the Lord’s majesty.
Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord;
    exalt the name of the Lord, the God of Israel,
    in the islands of the sea.
From the ends of the earth we hear singing:
    “Glory to the Righteous One.”

Read in context, this is a rather jarring juxtaposition. Isaiah was devastated at the destruction he was seeing around him, and then we have this passage of praise to God. It would seem that the conquering army was acting as God’s agents! We actually are in this sort of situation not infrequently. We might be personally righteous, but society around us is in need of a drastic course correction. We might feel as much distress as Isaiah did! However, what we need is perspective. God knows who is right and who is wrong, and we need to trust Him with that. We are to stand up for what He shows us is right, but at the same time allow Him to bring that to pass in His way on His schedule. The scene in this short section is actually quite glorious, with praise rising to God from the ends of the earth. We need to desire that enough, and trust God enough, that we ourselves praise Him even when things are totally falling apart around us.

This is something I have known as objective fact for a long time, but walking it out isn’t always easy! I can talk a good talk, but living it out is always the challenge. As James emphasizes throughout his letter, words without actions can be empty indeed. As Paul said, I need to “Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:20) Anything less than that means I’m not believing and trusting Him fully.

Father, thank You for this reminder. You are always more than gracious to me, yet I complain about the silliest things, like the lady on the motorbike just a few minutes ago who failed to use her turn signal. You told me personally years ago that You aren’t happy with everything that goes on, leaving me with the strong impression that I’m to trust Your “endgame” for it all. Many are speaking these days about Christ’s imminent return. Help me leave it all in Your hands and be faithful to fulfill each task You have for me, giving You praise and thanks in the process. Thank You. Praise God!

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Salvation; August 2, 2025

Posted on August 3, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 12:3 With joy you will draw water
    from the wells of salvation.

This very brief chapter has had multiple songs made from it, and they are all fighting for a place in my active memory even as I write! I don’t recall this verse being set to music, but I first became actively aware of it when Andrae Crouch quoted it in passing, during a concert that was recorded for an album. I had of course read it before that, since I read through the Bible for the first time by the time I was 10. However, when Andrae mentioned it in the flow of worship, not giving any reference for it, I immediately recognized that it had to be Biblical, but I had no idea what book of the Bible, even. That was before personal computers, so I located a printed concordance and tracked it down. The image is very telling. Salvation is available, but we are actively involved in receiving it. You can’t get water from a well without action on your part. (They certainly didn’t have pressure-controlled pumps back then.) Connecting water with salvation is a very apt metaphor in an arid land, because you can certainly die of dehydration. And when we discover and receive God’s salvation, it is joyous indeed!

We used well water in the house where I grew up, but even then the technology was such that I never thought about where the water came from when I turned the handle on the tap. It wasn’t a very deep well, and my father took a sample once a year to the city health office to be tested. As more and more houses were built around us, one year the health office told my father we would have to start putting chemicals in the well, or we would risk serious disease. Fortunately it wasn’t many years after that that the city water and sewer system made it out to where we lived, but during that interval the water certainly didn’t taste very wonderful! On the point of salvation, my family was committed to telling people about it and persuading them to let down their buckets and drink, but success in that mission was never guaranteed, nor is it today. I’ve lost count of how many people I’ve told about God’s salvation, only to have them turn away, not recognizing that it was essential to them personally. Some people seem to have hydrophobia until they die of dehydration! That is heartbreaking indeed, but I have learned the hard way that I can’t save anyone in my own strength, I can only tell them about what is available. They have to make the choice, the commitment, themselves. Repentance is a hard sticking point for many, because it means change; we have to admit we were wrong. Hell is full of people who were too proud to do that. I’ve got to keep speaking the truth in love, and ask the Holy Spirit to use my words to open people’s eyes to see both their own need and God’s supply, so that they too may receive His salvation.

Father, You know how close this is to my heart, and who I am working with particularly right now. I ask You to send Your Spirit indeed, so that they may see and believe that You love them enough to send Your Son to die for them, and so respond to that love in repentance and faith. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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The Light of Hope; August 1, 2025

Posted on August 2, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 9:2 The people walking in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
    a light has dawned.

The Bible can be described many ways, but one of those is that it is a book of hope. Many people have caught onto that, and there are lots of churches and other ministries with “hope” in their names. This passage is of course familiar from Christmas, since it is one of the most famous prophecies of the Messiah. The later verses are most famous, but this one hit me just now. The image of people walking in darkness seeing a great light really hit me. Today we are so used to all sorts of artificial light that we forget what it’s like to walk in darkness. One time in my childhood my parents had gone to a meeting at a location about a 15 minute walk away, leaving us children at home. (Today they might be accused of “child endangerment,” but it was no issue back then.) We had recently adopted a sickly puppy, and while our parents were gone, we discovered that it had died. Not really knowing what to do, my brother carried the puppy and we traipsed off to where our parents had gone. This was out in the countryside, and there were no streetlights, not to mention that the route was a path, not a street. We got to the meeting place only to discover that the meeting was over and our parents had headed home, on the same route we had taken. We had passed each other in the dark, not recognizing each other! That’s what it’s like to walk in the dark. We were focused on our footing, and didn’t pay attention to anything else. The second half of the verse says “deep darkness” in modern English translations, but the Japanese sticks with “the shadow of death,” as in the very famous 23rd Psalm. Families who have experienced a member being in an active war front can understand this, perhaps, but back when Isaiah wrote this, life expectancy was much shorter than it is today, and there were countless ways people could die. Practically everyone lived in “the shadow of death.” The point is, God has a plan, and in the Messiah there is hope. Hope is a fundamental human need, and when hope is evident, people want to know about it. As Peter said, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1Peter 5:15) Those who know Christ have hope, and we can share it!

As a missionary, my life is dedicated to sharing the hope we have in Christ. I was born and raised in Japan, but after I had brought my wife and children here for the first time I remember a moment during the Festival of the Dead, held in the middle of August every year, when I was hearing people carrying the “spirit boats” they had made for family members who had died in the previous year, banging gongs, chanting, and setting off firecrackers, to send their loved ones off to the “spirit world,” and I was overwhelmed with how hopeless it was. We’re approaching the same festival this year, and nothing has changed. The difference for those who know Christ is so striking that funerals are actually a very effective tool of evangelism, because they express hope. I am surrounded by people who are walking in darkness, and my prayer is that I would be a carrier of light to them indeed, for their salvation and God’s glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I hadn’t thought of that time as a child of not even recognizing my parents in quite a few years. Thank You for sometimes using me to help people recognize their heavenly Father, so that they may repent and believe for their salvation. May it happen more and more. Praise God!

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The Hope of Eternal Life; July 31, 2025

Posted on August 1, 2025 by jgarrott

Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

Solomon is one of the most pathetic figures in the whole Bible. He was given great intelligence, but he used it on a strictly human, material plane. With no proof of life after death, he discarded the possibility, and so had no defense when the devil’s twisted logic told him to commit idolatry to placate his foreign wives. I am reminded of Shusaku Endo, the Japanese Christian author who believed in Jesus but couldn’t bring himself to believe in resurrection, of Jesus or anyone else. As a result, life on this earth became the highest good to him. He wrote of Japanese martyrs, but the “heros” of his books were those who denied Christ in order to spare other people suffering. There is no hope, no true joy, in that! Those who are truly blessed are they who fix the eyes of their hearts on eternity, on the God who loved them before creation, brought them into being, and will continue to love them after everything material is gone. Yesterday I listened to the testimony of a Canadian man who had been very successful, both in business and in the LGBTQ community. He thought he had it all together, until he had a near-death experience. (NDE) In it, he encountered Jesus, who didn’t accuse him, but just showed him the truth of the life he had been living, and he also was aware of people he had known and admired in the LGBTQ community who had already died. It wasn’t a vision of flames and such, but of the utter devastation of eternal separation from God. He was also aware of the inexpressible sorrow of Jesus, that these people would have made the choices they did. After seven and a half minutes of clinical death, he revived, and began the at times very painful process of renouncing the LGBTQ lifestyle, including his “spouse.” He lost a great deal, both in finances (since he quit his company) and in friends, but he gained genuine friends, as well as peace and joy that he hadn’t imagined before. If only Solomon had experienced such a transformation! When we let the things of this world blind us to the reality that this world is strictly temporary, we lose the infinitely greater riches and blessings God has prepared for us in eternity.

I have long been aware that the LGBTQ lie is just one of many the devil uses to snare people. We have a family friend I care about a great deal who has recently lost his “husband.” He believes in Jesus and is active in church, but I pray God’s mercy on him. In contrast, I have other friends, that the wife is dying of lung cancer, but they have peace and anticipation of the future God has prepared for them. For myself, I enjoy life and rejoice in many aspects of it, but I have no fear of the transition to the next life, because I know that it is infinitely better! There are many, many people I want to take with me into that life, when the time comes, so I seek to express God’s truth to them, for them to repent and believe for their salvation. I can’t force anyone to do that, but I can make the truth available to them, and that is a joy and satisfaction I could have no other way.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for bringing that testimony up on my computer yesterday. I’ve heard many NDE testimonies, including that of my own wife, but not many that resulted in such a dramatic lifestyle change. Thank You for Your mercy on us all. May I fulfill all of Your purposes for me, for as long as You keep me here, for the blessing and salvation of many, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Consequences of Evil; July 30, 2025

Posted on July 31, 2025 by jgarrott

Ecclesiastes 8:11 When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong.

This is one of the mysteries or ironies of life. However, considered a little more deeply, it is God’s plan for spiritual and emotional growth. I am reminded again and again that God doesn’t want robots, He wants mature sons and daughters who choose to love and obey Him. The issue of delayed consequences is very real in civil society. When enforcement of laws is lax, as it has certainly been in some places, the level of offenses rises sharply. I have seen videos of people who were genuinely shocked that they were being stopped and arrested for shoplifting, for example. The devil hates mankind, so he does all he can to encourage evil. There are lots of people in the world today who seem like caricatures, they are so sold out to the devil and his plans for evil. The blindness of such people would be tragic even if it only affected them, but sadly, it affects those around them as well. The point, for those who know and seek God, is not to hate such people as individuals, but rather to hate the things they do, and work diligently to counter them. The world needs more and more honest police, prosecutors, judges, and politicians. As a British statesman said many years ago, the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. Just recently an incident happened where a man flipped out and started stabbing people. He injured 11 before righteous bystanders, one of them with a gun, were able to stop and hold him until police arrived. We need to be emotionally prepared to be such bystanders for all sorts of evil, so that evil may be defeated.

I’ve never been on location for a scene like I just described, but I have been present for all sorts of evil – and sometimes I was the perpetrator! As a parent, I had to learn that immediate consequences were far more effective discipline than anything delayed. At the same time, I have suffered for my own sins, sometimes immediately but more often some time later. This isn’t “someone else’s issue.” I need to remember that we never “get away with” anything, and so walk in consistent humility and obedience toward God. Sunday I spoke on how we are deceived into thinking evil is fun. I need to keep watch over my own soul, fully enjoying all the good things God has provided without veering off into the evil that surrounds me.

Father, life on this earth can be difficult, just as Jesus said. (John 16:33) Help me indeed fix my heart on Him and His example, so that I may live as Your agent at all times, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Work; July 29, 2025

Posted on July 30, 2025 by jgarrott

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.

Solomon got some things right. He watched his nobles and he watched the common people, and realized that the common people didn’t really have it worse than the nobles. This is one place where I like the NIV and ESV better than the Japanese, because the English translations say, “do good,” but the Japanese says, “have a good time.” If we are rightly related to God we will have a good time doing good, but the priority needs to be on the doing good! The big point to me in this is in verse 13, that taking pleasure in the work we have to do is a gift from God. Human beings aren’t created to be aimless, just existing. One of our fundamental needs is to feel that we are accomplishing things, that we are being beneficial. When that need is met, even toil is satisfying, even pleasurable. That’s one of the problems of modern society. It can be more difficult to get that sort of satisfaction when you are a “paper pusher,” not necessarily seeing the results of what you do all day. Some people look down on what are called “manual trades,” but when a plumber finishes his job, the water works! That’s not to say that strictly mental labor can’t be satisfying, but here the Japanese expression is helpful: we need to “discover” happiness in our work. It’s largely a matter of attitude. If we focus on the negatives – and every job has them – then we will be miserable. If we focus on the good things, which every job also has, we will discover that the job itself is a gift from God.

Most of my adult life has been spent in “non-manual” labor, and I have found that things like carpentry and electrical work have been very welcome breaks in my usual activities. I have held all sorts of jobs, prior to coming to Omura, from being a night janitor cleaning office buildings to being a truck driver, and each one had its points. As a teacher, the satisfaction came in the students that caught on and really received the material I was presenting, and the same could be said for being a pastor. I can say, with gratitude, that the Lord has enabled me to see the good in each job I have held. He doesn’t want us to be aimless, but to accomplish things for our own benefit and the benefit of those around us. That gives Him satisfaction and glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for Your grace toward me over the years. At 76, manual labor isn’t as attractive – or as possible – as it once was, but You do give me a sense of accomplishment in various things. Thank You that the pictures are printed and titled for my photo show next month. Thank You for the preparation I’ve been able to make for the Motivational Gifts teaching I’ll be doing on Thursday. Guide me in completing that fully, so that I’ll be properly prepared, and not just in the hand-out materials. May I indeed accomplish what You desire of me, on Your schedule, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Government; July 28, 2025

Posted on July 29, 2025 by jgarrott

Proverbs 29:2 When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice;
    when the wicked rule, the people groan.

Probably citizens of every country can identify with this verse! The problem comes in defining “righteous” and “wicked.” Lots of names are being thrown around in the US these days, painting rivals, and rival groups, with a broad brush, but God knows the heart of each individual. Yesterday I was talking with people from Hong Kong, and believe me, Americans have it easy! One person works for a government-owned company, and his employment contract stipulates that he must never criticize the government, or he will be fired – or worse. Another person expressed hope that the current head of the CCP will be deposed at the Party Congress next month, but that still won’t change the system. Americans have little to no idea how good they have it, but there are still those who agitate to copy China! As Psalm 146:3 says, “Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.” Psalm 118:9 stipulates that the alternative is to take refuge in the Lord. That certainly sounds like good advice to me! Even in modern democracies we have little say over how our leaders act, even if we have a say in their being chosen. We need to fix our hearts on God and His kingdom, even as we pray for those in leadership. (1 Timothy 2:1-2) At the same time, we need to encourage those around us who are groaning, as this verse says, that God always has the last word. This world is temporary and fleeting. We are accountable for how we behave in it, but our hearts are to be in eternity, along with our citizenship. (Philippians 3:20)

Living in Japan, the situation here is definitely on the better end of the scale, but there was a shakeup in the recent election, so prayer is certainly called for. The devil doesn’t like having a Christian as Prime Minister! I can’t vote here, naturally enough, but I can certainly pray. I do keep track of things in the US, but also in various other countries, and particularly in China. I pray the first half of the Lord’s Prayer a lot! There are many reasons to look forward to the Lord’s return, but I’m looking for the great harvest of souls before then. Meanwhile, I’m to “comfort the groaners” and proclaim the Gospel, trusting God to be God and work everything out.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I do get caught up in the news at times, and I am heartbroken at some of the deluded posts I read on Facebook, particularly from people I know. Help me stay grounded in You, led by Your Spirit, so that Your will may be done in and through me for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Prayer; July 27, 2025

Posted on July 28, 2025 by jgarrott

Proverbs 28:9 If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction,
    even their prayers are detestable.

This is a little detail that a lot of people overlook. We can go through all the right motions, but if our hearts aren’t turned toward God, it doesn’t mean anything. This is one of the dangers of formal prayers. Even the Lord’s Prayer doesn’t mean anything if our heart isn’t in it. If we aren’t willing to hear what God says to us, how can we expect Him to listen to us? God speaks to us constantly, in one way and another, but if we aren’t listening we lose out, in every way imaginable. I’m reminded of the sadly many stories of religious professionals who “performed the duties of their ministry,” all the while abusing people who were supposedly under their care. Genuine prayer is humble, listening more than demanding.

I’ve mentioned it many times, but the first time I heard God speak to me in what seemed like an audible voice, He told me to shut up! I was so busy expressing what I wanted Him to do that I wasn’t listening for what He wanted me to do. I don’t want to be that way! He is faithful to speak to me, and I need to be faithful to listen and obey. I grew up in a home where prayer was as natural as breathing, which is in pretty sharp contrast to the way most people are raised. I’m not to be presumptuous, much less take pride in prayer, but keep watch over my own heart, whether I am really listening obediently to what God has said and is saying. I get distracted all too easily, so I need to seek to maintain my focus on my Lord. Only then will I walk in the intimacy that He desires with me, as His child and His servant.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all the things You did yesterday, and for the privilege of being a channel of blessing to the people we were with. Thank You for all the many short-term teams that are coming to Japan this summer. Thank You for the team that will be here from Hong Kong this morning. These people are in and out, but You bring them here to work in them as well as through them. May all of Your purposes be fulfilled, so that the Body of Christ may be built up and many drawn into Your kingdom, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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