Absolute Honesty; January 17, 2021

Posted on January 19, 2021 by jgarrott

Leviticus 19:11-12 “‘Do not steal.
“‘Do not lie.
“‘Do not deceive one another.
“‘Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.'”

Much of Leviticus is detailed rules of all sorts. For many people it is their least favorite book of the Bible, and I’ll confess that for most of my life I have been one of them. I recently read an article by someone who was saying that he had a real encounter with the Lord through reading Leviticus, and right now I feel I can understand that. There is actually a lot of genuinely inspiring – and of course inspired – material in the book. Verse 18 of this chapter has what Jesus picked out as the 2nd greatest commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:36-40) These verses seem extremely timely and pertinent, considering all that is going on in the political world. They get specific about something that was one of my father’s guiding principles, and that I have tried to make one of my own as well: honesty. As I have told many people in recent weeks, the thing that has me most upset about what went on in the US election and has gone on since is the widespread disregard for truth. Actual vote counts, not to mention voter qualifications, were fabricated out of thin air in shockingly many cases, resulting in an outcome that cannot be seen as legitimate. All of that, and much more, has come about from many individual choices to say and do whatever fit a desired narrative, with honesty being totally beside the point. The Bible is the record of God’s interactions with flawed human beings. In stark contrast to most historical writings of thousands of years ago it doesn’t dress people up to present them in the best light, even when the person in question is greatly revered, such as David, Solomon, or even Abraham. The awareness of man’s predilection to do the wrong thing is why Leviticus can be very helpful. From our current viewpoint in time, many if not most of the commandments might seem to go without saying, but experience tells us that we indeed need to be told, until we have the Holy Spirit living inside us to keep us on the right path. When we do have Him, detailed lists become unnecessary.

I well remember when my father told me about the conference he attended in Yokohama as a single missionary at which he encountered the Holy Spirit in such a way that for the first time he really grasped what it was – and is – to be in Christ, even though the use of the term, and related ones, in the Greek New Testament had been the subject of his doctoral dissertation. The conversation is etched in my memory because it was during the brief period, from the first of March to the middle of May, 1974, that we really related as adult men, brothers in Christ, after I had brought my wife and children to Japan for the first time and before my parents left for the furlough from which my mother would bring back a box of ashes. In that conversation my father told me that the speaker at the conference had stressed “Five Absolutes” that are called for in our walk of faith. He was honest enough to say that he didn’t remember all five, but that one that had remained with him as a foundational principle was absolute honesty. I had certainly seen that in him as I grew up, but having him articulate it to me was very meaningful, and I have sought to maintain that same principle in my life. That’s hardly a popular lifestyle these days! Having that principle myself is what makes it so painful to see all the falsehood around me. However, I’m not to let that pull me down, but rather rest in the One who is Truth itself, and know that in the end, all falsehood will be swept away and only Truth will remain.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I do continue to pray that Your truth would prevail, in government and in every area of life. Thank You for how so many falsehoods are being exposed. May indeed Your name be recognized as holy and Your kingdom come as Your will is done throughout this earth, as perfectly as it is in heaven. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Sabbath; January 16, 2021

Posted on January 19, 2021 by jgarrott

Exodus 34:21 “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.

When you think about it, this was a very shocking command. In an agrarian society, weather and seasons take priority over everything else, because nature doesn’t wait for our convenience. That makes this command very counter-intuitive, but it is simply a clarification of the fourth of the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:8) I see at least three reasons for this commandment. The first is very simply that God knows how He created us, and when subjected to uninterrupted labor we burn out very badly. Numerous studies have shown exactly that, proving that God’s commands are not capricious. The second reason is to remind us that God is our supply, and we are dependent on Him. If we are working constantly, we think the outcome is all the result of our own efforts, and we forget that we actually control only a fraction of our lives. The third reason I see here, and actually the one that jumped out at me as I read this passage just now, is that this is to free us from the tyranny of the urgent. Any farmer will tell you that plowing and harvest don’t wait for your convenience, given weather and the like, but here God is commanding us to make Him our first priority, even over important things that “can’t wait.” This is a vital lesson, even if our daily lives have little to do with weather and seasons. If we insist on doing “what has to be done” at a time when God has said to rest, we are placing ourselves above God and saying that our issues are bigger than He is. There is one note here that even Jesus made, and repeatedly at that: we aren’t to fail to take care of the animals – and by extension people – in our care. (Luke 13:15, 14:5) My wife, who had to milk two cows every morning and afternoon, before and after school, brought up that point. An unmilked cow is not a happy animal! Jesus famously proclaimed that “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27) We aren’t to be slavish about all this, but God’s commands are for our benefit.

In contrast to my wife, I wasn’t raised on a working farm, and as missionaries my parents were regularly very busy on Sundays. Even so, whenever possible they scheduled a nap for Sunday afternoons, Sunday lunch was either at church or a restaurant, and Sunday supper was generally quite simple. As a pastor myself, the same applies. For that reason I try to keep Mondays free, not accepting school classes then, but I have to confess that distinctions blur even for me. I need other ways to maintain the awareness that God is my supply, and to keep Him as my first priority. I too suffer from the tyranny of the urgent! However, most often that urgency comes from procrastination and/or a failure to plan in the first place. If I do things promptly when I have time, it is far easier to obey the Sabbath principle.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I could be called semi-retired at this point, but it still makes a real difference how I organize my life. Help me follow Your schedule for me, not lagging behind and not rushing ahead, so that Your purposes for me may be fulfilled as You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Giving to God; January 15, 2021

Posted on January 18, 2021 by jgarrott

Exodus 23:16 “Celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field. Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.”

I am struck by the distinction between the “Feast of Harvest” and the “Feast of Ingathering.” We are largely separated from an agrarian economy, but in theory at least we base Thanksgiving on the second of those festivals, ignoring the first. I realized just now that celebrating harvest when you’ve only gotten the first sample is a statement of faith that the rest of the crop will come in. Those who live on farms even today know that a lot can happen between the first of the crop and the last, depending on weather, insects, and any of a number of other things. Just because you’ve gotten some doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed the whole crop. That makes it all the more pointed that verse 19 specifies, “Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil into the house of the Lord your God.” We tend to want the best stuff for ourselves! Again, having gotten away from an agrarian economy that distinction has lost its punch, because one dollar is the same as another. The point, however, is a matter of priorities: give to God first, and give Him the best. Sadly, the vast majority of Christians, even, give to God only what is left over after they’ve taken care of everything else. In a financial pinch, the first thing to go is offerings. That frankly is ignoring the reality that God is our source of supply; apart from His grace we can’t gain anything. When we give God the best first, we are declaring our trust that He will supply all that we need, and we are to thank Him again when that happens.

This is something the Lord taught me back in 1973. Cathy and I were both raised in homes that practiced tithing, giving to God a tenth of all income right off the top. However, as a young family with a child, me going from job to job after having gotten out of the Army, we never had a tenth left over at the end of the month. Finally, we decided to step out in faith and write a check as soon as the money came in, before even the rent came out. That was hard, believe me! However, that month we actually had a little left over at the end! In the 48 years since then we have never gone hungry, even in times I was completely out of work. This is a principle I have tried to transmit to those in my care, but the response has been spotty at best. The prevailing attitude seems to be that giving an offering is like an admission fee. People tend to give 1,000 yen a service (about $10) regardless of their income. That misses the whole point! I frankly don’t know how to get this truth across. This distinction between Harvest and Ingathering might just be the key. In any case, it is the Holy Spirit who needs to imprint this on people’s hearts and minds, so much prayer is called for.

Father, thank You for this insight. I do pray for Your anointing so that the believers may be liberated from the lying, poverty mentality the devil wants them to have and step out into the abundance that You intend for them, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Humility and Assurance; January 14, 2021

Posted on January 18, 2021 by jgarrott

Genesis 41:16 “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”

Here we have the key to all of Joseph’s success. His past successes in interpreting dreams could easily have gone to his head, but instead the opposite happened. He has assurance that God can and will do what is called for, and he is also firm in his awareness that he is no more than a tool, a mouthpiece. Had his attitude been any different, the outcome would have been very different. He had gone from being a favorite son to being a slave, and then from being a slave to being a prisoner, and as a result of his humility and faith, at this point he goes from being a prisoner to being Prime Minister. I feel sure it was his humble but confident submission to God that most impressed the Pharaoh. When he suggested a course of action in verses 33-36 I don’t think he was thinking of himself as the one in charge! It was that attitude that probably convinced the Pharaoh to designate Joseph as the man of the hour. These days that attitude seems to be in short supply. It isn’t very popular to give God credit for good things. In contrast, natural disasters are called “acts of God!” There is a sometimes delicate balance among the conflicting factors of assurance, conceit, humility, and self-hatred. The answer to it all is ultimately focusing on God. The more and the better we do that, the more assurance we will have of His love for us, as well as the deeper conviction that every good thing we have is from Him. God had used all that Joseph had gone through to bring him to the place of releasing everything into His hands, without becoming passive. That too can be a delicate balance! We are to be active in our obedience, completing faithfully every task the Lord has for us, (Ephesians 2:10) but releasing the results into His hands, refusing to be anxious about anything.

This is an area in which I have fallen off of the balance beam more times than I could count! God has been incredibly gracious toward me in the area of ability and gifting, but I have let that devolve into conceit, on top of being a poor steward of those gifts and abilities. As an example, when I entered college at 16 I was tied for the highest aptitude test scores in my class, but I failed two classes in my freshman year. I wasn’t good at applying myself, and was lazy in many ways. I never joined the organization (though I qualified for it), but I was a good example of the reality that only a small percentage of the members of MENSA hold jobs that genuinely benefit society. I would not have been a good Joseph! Today, at 72, I have to remind myself that God can still use me, despite my multiple past failures. As Paul said, it isn’t a matter of the vessel, but of the contents. (2 Corinthians 4:7) Japanese society tends to punish the exceptional. There is a well-known proverb that says, “The piling that sticks up gets hammered down.” (A lot of people mistakenly substitute “nail” for “piling.”) As a pastor, I desire to instill faith and expectation in the believers that God can and will use them for His purposes and His glory. We need to trust that He is bigger and stronger than our weaknesses and failures!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for telling me that this year I need to work on being a better planner, even though I don’t know precisely what tomorrow will bring. Help me trust You enough to let You guide both in planning and in following through, so that I may be a faithful steward of all You supply, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Denial of God; January 13, 2020

Posted on January 16, 2021 by jgarrott

Genesis 8:22 “As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.”

Primitive peoples had very little understanding of the physical universe. Their cosmology certainly didn’t have the earth rotating on its axis and revolving around the sun, so they had a fundamental anxiety about everything, really. That’s why there are so many festivals around the winter solstice, for example, when the days stop getting shorter and start getting longer. That makes this a very important proclamation from God to mankind, because it gave them peace of mind. This has been an important thing to remember as climate has changed over the centuries, particularly suddenly with such things as massive volcanic eruptions that blanketed the earth with ash, as recently as Krakatoa in 1883, causing record cold winters and poor harvests. The whole story of Noah is recorded so that we will understand that God is reliable and not capricious, but He is certainly not to be trifled with. Today there are many who ridicule the ignorance of ancient peoples and claim to have “advanced” to the point of “not needing religion.” The problem with that is that without an awareness of our Creator, there is absolutely no rational basis for morality. We see the results of that all the time today, as generations of school children have been taught that they are nothing more than the accidental byproducts of evolution. If that were true, there would be no reason to condemn the acts of such people as Mao, Stalin, and Hitler. Just the other day I watched a video talking about how Nazi medical personnel, and specifically nurses, killed thousands upon thousands of handicapped children, convinced they were doing the right, “scientific” thing, but that pales in comparison to the millions of infants that have been aborted in their mothers’ wombs in recent years. Such things are not possible on such a scale when people remember that they are created beings, and as such are accountable to their Creator. In recent years several scientists have realized the almost impossible odds against life existing on earth as it does, and have come to faith in a Creator as a result. We shouldn’t need a deep understanding of astrophysics to stand up against the denial of God, particularly among those who are actively poisoning our young people against the idea of moral accountability.

I was raised in a home that was both strongly intellectual and deeply spiritual. On top of that, I’m old enough that I missed most of the flood of practical atheism that has swamped our educational institutions over the last half century or more. For that, I am deeply grateful. However, the question remains of what I can do about the current state of things. As an educator myself, teaching Medical English to Japanese medical personnel, I have some real opportunities for influence. However, that doesn’t touch America, where my parents were born and raised and which I care about deeply. I am largely limited to prayer, but I must never take that lightly, either as a responsibility or as an opportunity. After all, I can talk to the Guy who’s in charge of everything! I do believe He’s bringing things to the climax described in the Revelation to John, but I’m not to become passive in response to that belief. I’m not worried about timelines, and I don’t want to waste time and energy plotting where we are in Revelation or Daniel or whatever, but I am to be praying faithfully for God’s will to be done in every situation of which I’m aware, and in this Information Age that’s a lot! God alone is totally faithful and reliable, and I must never forget that.

Father, thank You for this reminder, particularly as so many things are in turmoil. I do pray for every work of the devil to be destroyed, (1 John 3:8) even when I can’t see how that could happen, so that more and more people may be freed from the devil’s lies and brought to salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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The Invitation; January 12, 2021

Posted on January 14, 2021 by jgarrott

Revelation 22:17  The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

I know I’ve written on this before, but it’s just too magnificent to pass up. This is the ultimate invitation. The only things not mentioned in this verse are repentance and faith, but verse 15 covers those who refuse to repent, and by this point in the book, faith is a given. Many have accused Christian faith of being exclusionary, of being elitist or even racist, but nothing could be further from the truth. As this verse says, the invitation to eternal life is to whoever recognizes their need and desires God’s free gift. There is nothing more colorblind than the Gospel. That’s one of many reasons the current push to “identity politics” is actively anti-Christian. There are absolutely no distinctions of race, gender, or anything else in this verse. As it says clearly, God’s Spirit issues the invitation and the true Church, which is the Bride of Christ, issues the same invitation. Any church that fails to extend the invitation to all risks excluding itself from the Bride of Christ. And then there is the statement, “Let him who hears say, ‘come.’” If we have really heard God’s invitation, we are then to relay it to those around us. The percentage of the world’s Christians who have never shared the Gospel with anyone is huge, and tragic. There is a secular proverb that says, “Love isn’t love until you give it away.” The same may be said of the Gospel. If we don’t share it with anyone, do we really understand that it is Good News, in fact the best news in the world? I actually think not. Different personalities will use different methods of evangelism, but anyone who has a living relationship with the Lord of life is going to share Christ with those around them. I have observed that the more a person shares Christ, the more real Christ is to them personally. If you feel like Christ is far from you, try telling someone else about Him!

Given my home environment, I think I believed the Gospel from the time I had distinct beliefs about anything, but it wasn’t until God baptized me with His Spirit in 1974 that I started actively sharing Christ with total strangers. In fact, the sudden realization that I was doing that for the first time in my life gave me the assurance that God had indeed been true to His Word, as He brought Acts 1:8 to my memory. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” With my personality and gifting I have no fear of speaking to people or even large groups, but I am told that it’s not too common for someone with Teacher gifting to become a missionary. That said, I don’t feel I’m very effective as an evangelist in Japan because I tend to dump too much on people who have no foundation to receive it. And of course, there’s the added factor of Japanese being so ethnically aware that they have trouble accepting that what I, as a Caucasian, am telling them applies to them as a Japanese. However, nothing is impossible for God, and I am to keep spreading the Seed, trusting God for the harvest in His time.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the privilege of extending Your invitation to those around me. Help me do so with joy, speaking Your truth in love, so that Your Spirit may be free to work in the hearts and lives of my hearers, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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God’s Agents; January 11, 2021

Posted on January 13, 2021 by jgarrott

Rev 1:4-5 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

The first thing that struck me as I read this just now is that John, though a human being, is in a sense dispensing grace and peace on behalf of the Godhead. We take that responsibility and privilege too lightly! We are in the earth and our physical bodies are strictly temporary, but we can act as agents of the One who created everything and is eternal. That should absolutely blow our minds! Jesus was very specific when He said, “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (John 20:23) There are countless other examples, including various miracles recorded in Acts, yet we forget this incredible reality all too often – or else we lapse into hubris and think whatever we say is the Word of God. We can indeed act as God’s agents in many ways, but we must never think that we can order God around. Where are many things going on in the world that are not as we would like. Actually, God spoke to me once to say that there are many things that are not as HE would like. However, He knows what will happen because He is outside of time and sees it all at once, and He’s got the final outcome totally under control. That He uses human instruments to do His will as His agents is a glorious mystery. (2 Corinthians 5:20) The second thing that struck me is that Jesus is here specified as “the ruler of the kings of the earth.” In other words, no government, in the US, in China, in Nigeria, in Russia, or anywhere else, is above Him. Totalitarian governments can’t stand that fact, which is why they oppress and persecute people of faith. The Chinese Communist Party saw the impact of believers on the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and they are frantic to keep that from happening in China. However, they don’t have the final say! Likewise, Leftists in the US rightly see people with a Biblical world view as standing in their way, and thus try to “cancel” them, but again, they don’t have the last word. Such believers need to hang onto their faith and act in consistent obedience to the Lord, whatever the immediate consequences.

This is certainly talking to me as much as it is to anyone. I have been aware of acting as Christ’s representative at times, at least ever since I memorized 2 Corinthians 5:20 as a Royal Ambassador when I was still in elementary school. I certainly haven’t always acted as an agent of the Lord, but I have at least known it was possible and desirable. It’s been close to 40 years now since I had a clear revelation in the area of speaking blessing on people. These days I exercise that privilege when Facebook notifies me of people’s birthdays, as well as at other times. I want to live my life appropriately as someone who has that privilege, just as Peter said. (1 Peter 4:11) Like John, I can extend the grace and peace of the Creator, and I must never take that lightly.

Father, thank You for this strong reminder. Today I will be saying farewell to some missionaries who are returning to their home country. Help me speak Your words to them, in encouragement and blessing. I can hardly imagine what it would be like for You to tell me to leave Japan, other than to come Home to You. May I be Your agent always, not because I’m qualified on my own but because You have cleansed and qualified me by the blood of Christ. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Humility; January 10, 2021

Posted on January 13, 2021 by jgarrott

Jude 1:1-2 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.

Every time I read this I am struck by the way Jude refers to himself. He grew up in the same household with Jesus that James did, having been born from the same mother, but he didn’t claim his physical kinship with Jesus, but rather called himself Jesus’ servant and acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah of God. Growing up he was probably aware that Jesus was unusually good, but once Jesus started His ministry, John records that “Even his own brothers did not believe in him.” (John 7:5) However, once Jesus was crucified and then rose from the dead, James, Jude, and the others repented of their unbelief, and they were among those in the upper room at Pentecost. (Acts 1:14) Jude was therefore aware of God’s incredible grace toward him, and he was forever humbled by that awareness. It is with that humility that he addresses his readers as called and loved by God. The next phrase is open to various interpretations because of the vagueness of the Greek preposition. The NIV says “kept by Jesus Christ,” but it gives for and in as alternative readings in a footnote. The Japanese goes with for and says, “because of/for the sake of.” The point is that it all centers on Jesus. Jude had come a long way from when he was just Jesus’ kid brother! It is with that understanding that he speaks the blessing of abundant mercy, peace and love, because he had experienced exactly that himself. We need to understand Jude’s attitude as we read his following remarks about false teachers in the Church. It was precisely because he recognized God’s grace toward him that he was able to speak so strongly against those who were distorting the Gospel and twisting grace into a license for immorality. (verse 4) The minute we forget our own dependence on the grace of God we lose our authority to teach and admonish others.

I too grew up in a family that gave many spiritual advantages, though certainly not as Jude did, but my response to that was not as good. I somehow thought that my parents’ clear, close relationship with God meant that my status was automatic, and I fell into severe conceit. God pointing that out to me in November, 1972, was a shock similar in many ways to Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus. (Acts 9:1-19) That has given me the perspective that if God can forgive me, and He has, then He can forgive anyone, if they will repent. My message is one of salvation, but it cannot be divorced from repentance. I am concerned that at times I come across as privileged and entitled, and that is the last thing I want. Like Jude, (and Paul, and all the rest of the New Testament writers) I know that it all depends on the love of the Father and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I have so many blessings from You, and occasionally even now I am tempted to think I deserve them. I pray that I would be an effective tool in Your hands, destroying the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) and setting the captives free, (Luke 4:18-19) for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Rewards; January 9, 2021

Posted on January 11, 2021 by jgarrott

2 John 1:8 Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.

I don’t think this is talking about losing salvation, but it is certainly talking about losing various rewards for faithfulness. Paul also cautioned believers in this area in a bit more detail in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15. The point is not to be uptight about what you’re going to get, but rather not to be stupid, distracted and deceived by the devil’s lies. The Bible talks about rewards in many places, but perhaps the most succinct is found in Hebrews: “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” (Hebrews 10:35-36) That passage talks about perseverance, and that is a trait that seems to be in short supply these days. We want everything NOW, and seem to be averse to the long haul. That is yet another deception of our flesh and the devil. When we get impatient over our computer taking more than 10 seconds to boot, we are spoiled! We also have a poor definition of rewards. We get so used to what past generations would have considered incredible luxury and convenience that we somehow think we are deprived! That’s bad enough on the physical plane, but it’s even worse when it happens spiritually. In America, Bibles are available everywhere for anyone, and there are conferences and “holy convocations” at every turn. Not all are the same quality, but you have plenty to choose from. COVID put brakes on a lot of that, but now the online opportunities for receiving solid teaching are essentially limitless. As good as all that is, it doesn’t hold a candle to walking in daily, intimate fellowship with the Lord, filled and guided by His Spirit, and even that is just a reflection of what we will experience in heaven. In the next verse John talks about “running ahead.” That has obviously been a problem at least from the 1st Century, and it’s certainly a problem today. We have teachers even today who “proof text” teaching that “tickles our ears,” to use Paul’s expression. (2 Timothy 4:3) Following them will certainly lead to the kind of loss John is talking about.

I am grateful to have grown up with magnificent examples of perseverance in my parents. Arriving in Japan as missionaries in 1934 and ’35, respectively, they “hung in there” until God said it was time to come home, never deviating from the path God laid out for them. I can certainly do no better. As Jesus told us, my goals are to be God’s kingdom and His righteousness. (Matthew 6:33) If that is my focus, then the rewards that accrue to that pursuit are limitless. I have been tempted by various temporal rewards but none of them are worth the trouble, and many that the world encourages me to seek are actually negative in the long run, because they are distractions. My focus is to be on listening obediently to my Lord. Nothing else really matters.

Father, thank You for this reminder. The current political upheaval is certainly distracting. Help me truly rest, relax, and rejoice in You, whatever is going on around me, so that I won’t miss anything of what You have planned for me, for Your glory alone. Thank You. Praise God!

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Lawlessness; January 8, 2021

Posted on January 10, 2021 by jgarrott

2 Peter 3:13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

Today’s whole passage, from verse 8 through the end of the letter, seems spot-on to me right now in light of what is going on in America at this point. Yesterday Bill Whittle made the point that conservatives can’t understand Leftists because conservatives believe in laws, and Leftists obey laws at their convenience. It’s something the MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) calls scrupulosity, that is, the tendency to do what is right even when no one is watching. It is no accident that the Bible frequently uses the term “lawless” in talking about those who rebel against God. That’s why this verse hits home so strongly right now: I want to live somewhere that is home to righteousness! The thing is, we all have a tendency to rebel, to want to do something the moment it is forbidden, and we get a thrill out of “crossing the line.” That started in Eden, and is certainly evident today. That means we must not despise those who ignore laws, by stealing elections, looting, or any other way, but rather be vigilant against them, even while praying for them. I would not want to have to answer for them before God’s throne, much less be in their shoes! The temptation to “fight fire with fire” is real, but very dangerous. As James said, we’ve got to be submitted to God before we can hope to have any success at resisting the devil. (James 4:7) As has been said in a secular context, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Peter’s words in this chapter should be a comfort and an encouragement to all who seek to follow God.

As the news came in, from Georgia and Washington D.C., I went into a funk and stopped watching, period. Not knowing how to pray, I prayed in tongues for most of the day, and that’s not a bad thing at all. I mourn for America, but my citizenship is in heaven. (Philippians 3:20) As Peter says here, I have the home of righteousness to look forward to! Meanwhile, I am to be faithful and righteous as I live on this earth, however much or little righteousness I see around me. I am to proclaim the Gospel to all who will receive it, not in a holier-than-thou way but as someone who has received, and is dependent on, grace myself. I am to remember that everything in the physical world is temporary, both objects and systems, and look forward to the perfection that is promised me, just as Peter says.

Father, thank You for this Word, and for its timing. Help me not let events get me down, but rather keep looking to my Lord (Hebrews 12:2) to receive my instructions for each day, each moment, so that Your will may be done in and through me, on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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