Obedience to God; February 18, 2021

Posted on February 20, 2021 by jgarrott

Ezekiel 37:3, 7 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
So I prophesied as I was commanded.

This particular scene is one of the most dramatic and one of the most supernatural in the whole Bible. It was a vision and an allegory, but certainly memorable and very instructive. One thing that strikes me right now is that in a sense it hinged on Ezekiel’s obedience. He starts out on the right foot by acknowledging that God alone knows everything. If we’re honest, we realize that very often we tell God how things are and what needs to happen. We aren’t to hesitate to tell Him how we’d like things to be, but we are never to be demanding. The ultimate example of that is of course Jesus in Gethsemane. (Matthew 26:39) Ezekiel shows us that when we are properly submitted to God, even dry bones and the wind will submit to us! It’s all a matter of the flow of authority, as the centurion recognized with Jesus. (Matthew 8:5-13) Jesus does tell us to ask, seek, and knock, (Matthew 7:7-8) but we are to do so with right motives, in humble submission to God. (James 4:2-3) Obedience is key! It is total hubris to think we know better than God, either what we need or what is possible. When we are in right relationship with Him, He will consistently blow our minds! (Ephesians 3:20) The reverse of that, of course, is what happened in the Garden of Eden, when the devil convinced Eve she “knew better” than what God had told her, persuading her to trust her own senses and reasoning.

I’m certainly a descendant of Eve! I have acted as though I were the final arbiter of my fate more times that I could count. That has never worked out well! I need to be active in my pursuit of God’s will, but I am not to try to dictate to Him what that will should be. I am to remember that He alone knows everything, because He sees it all at once. I’ve always enjoyed Science Fiction, with plot twists of time travel and different dimensions and the like, but God is above and beyond all of that. Heaven is going to be the ultimate trip, and that’s just one more reason to look forward to it! I see many things today, in America, Japan, and around the world, that seem impossibly difficult from the human perspective, but God is not limited to or by that perspective. My focus is to be on faithful obedience, letting God show me what I need to know and trusting Him with everything, no matter what it looks like to me. There are times when Japan looks an awful lot like a bunch of dry bones! For that matter, the US government looks a lot like an insane asylum! I am not to let my heart be troubled, just as Jesus told His disciples just before His arrest and crucifixion. (John 14:27) Rather, I am to look forward to the moment when my Lord makes all things new. (Revelation 21:15) Knowing He will do that, I will expect great things of Him along the way.

Father, my faith is certainly unreliable! There are times when I have absolute peace and assurance, and times when I get all anxious and irritated. Thank You for this reminder that even dry bones aren’t a hindrance to You. Thank You that my own weaknesses and limitations are no more of a problem than those dry bones. Help me, like Ezekiel, leave full control in Your hands, not trying to “grab the wheel,” so to speak. I sure can’t control things, and I mess things up when I try. Keep me from being passive, but help me walk in total obedience to You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Blessings; February 17, 2021

Posted on February 19, 2021 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 31:14 “I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my bounty,” declares the Lord.

Jeremiah is known as “the weeping prophet” because of various prophecies of woe as well as the whole book of Lamentations, but he also wrote some of the most gloriously hopeful prophecies in the whole Bible. Jeremiah 29:11 is justly famous, and this chapter is likewise filled with comfort and hope. I can’t read verses 12-14 without singing one or more of the songs that have been made from them. The imagery in these verses is physical, but it certainly has spiritual implications. On one level it is a linguistic coincidence of translation, but the Japanese here says, “My people will be filled with my grace.” It is true that the Japanese word for grace is often used for various blessings, but I still can’t read this without remembering what the Lord told Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) (The same terminology is used in verse 12.) God blesses us in many ways, many of them physical, but we must never forget that it is all grace, unmerited favor. The moment we start demanding stuff, thinking we’re entitled to it, it ceases to be a blessing and becomes chains, binding our hearts and blinding us to God. This verse is also significant in saying the priests get special blessings. The Hebrew says “marrow,” as in bone marrow, which we don’t think of as a particular delicacy today, but it is very rich in nutrients and can be quite tasty. Those who expend themselves as mediators between God and man are fully rewarded! However, if we focus on the physical we miss out on the greater rewards.

This verse is naturally of interest to me since I have been a minister for well over half my life. Like Paul, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11-13) I have never been what the world would call wealthy, but I certainly wouldn’t change places with Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos. Actually I feel sorry for them, because they strike me as spiritually bankrupt. I am to be focused and faithful, knowing that I serve an infinite, and infinitely gracious and loving, God, and my reward is more than secure in Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the past two days of celebrating the 52nd anniversary of Cathy’s and my 1st date. Just as You had me pray Monday morning, a number of things weren’t as I had imagined, but the blessings were real and abundant. Even as You have told me to do, help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You so that I won’t miss any of the blessings You pour out on me, whatever they might look like in the moment. Thank You. Praise God!

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Seeking God; February 16, 2021

Posted on February 19, 2021 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 29:13-14 “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord

Some people seem to seek God halfheartedly, and that really doesn’t cut it. God makes Himself available to us, but He wants to be our first priority. I’m reminded of something a friend pointed out over 40 years ago: we complain about times when “All I had to depend on was God,” when actually those are the most blessed times of all! That is precisely why God allows us to get into tight spots: to teach us to seek Him with our whole heart and depend on Him. Most of the time we have sadly misplaced priorities, desiring all sorts of things connected with this world and thinking we can achieve them on our own. However “blessed” or “gifted” we might be, those blessings and gifts come from God, and we need to seek Him for how to use and express them. God Himself is the greatest treasure, the greatest discovery, the greatest wisdom and knowledge. If we recognize that and dedicate ourselves fully to seeking Him, then He will meet us more than halfway. After all, He gave His Son to open the way for us to be able to come to Him. (John 3:16)

This is something I feel like I should have known automatically, given the home in which I was raised, but God has had to remind me of it time and time again. I get distracted by all sorts of things, much like a dog with a squirrel or a cat with a laser pointer. Whether I “catch” the thing that has distracted me or not is beside the point. I need to seek God, and let Him set my goals and my aspirations. I know without a doubt that intimacy with God is worth more than everything else in the universe combined, but I do get distracted, so I need to be quick to repent.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that needing to be reminded doesn’t completely disqualify me. Help me walk in humble obedience to You at all times, seeking You, Your kingdom and Your righteousness, in everything, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Consequences; February 15, 2021

Posted on February 18, 2021 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 5:24-25 “They do not say to themselves, ‘Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’ Your wrongdoings have kept these away; your sins have deprived you of good.”

We do not like to admit that our actions have consequences. It has been “politically incorrect” for many years to even hint that disaster could in any way result from sin. Any thinking person could list example after example. Instead, we write books like, “Why Bad Things Happen to Good People,” and ignore our Creator and His laws. Even if we admit that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23) We tend to apply that to “the other guy.” Even less do we repent of societal ills. God has allowed the current mess in government because, frankly, we have asked for it. The total illogic, the outright insanity of many of the things that are happening stem from decades of turning a blind eye to immorality, in ourselves and in society around us. We have taken refuge in thinking that we are “better than average,” making people our standard instead of adhering to the Word of God. Legalism isn’t the answer, but humility and repentance are. We bemoan the “entitlement mentality” we see all around us, not realizing how much of it we have ourselves. A major problem with luxury is that we come to expect it, thinking it is “our due,” instead of being duly grateful. Perhaps the best thing about the current situation is that more and more people are waking up, on various levels. If they will understand their own part in bringing this situation on us, then the end result will be very good. If we fail to have a renaissance of personal responsibility, then the future is bleak indeed. Looking to others to bail us out, and specifically to politicians, is foolishness. As was commented at the beginning of the American Experiment, such a system of government works only for a majority-righteous people. Such a majority is achieved one person at a time; we can’t point fingers at others.

I am of course talking to myself here. As a pastor, and a missionary at that, I am in the category that most people would consider “righteous,” but that doesn’t let me off the hook. A prime Biblical example for me would be Daniel, who, though personally righteous, repented for the sins of his people. (Daniel 9) I too am tempted by the flood of filth that is washing over society, and I cannot think that I am naturally immune. The only immunization against this plague is the Word of God (Psalm 119:11) and the Spirit of God, who is, after all, the Holy Spirit. As the Lord spoke through me just a week ago, I can’t divorce those from each other, but must rather make my life a friendly place for the Holy Spirit by letting the Word dwell in me richly. (Colossians 3:16) Like Daniel, I am to pray earnestly for society, but never from an attitude of pride. I too am dependent on the grace of God!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me remember this and live it out consistently. Thank You for Your overwhelming grace and blessings. Thank You that Cathy and I will be able to have an overnight at a romantic hotel in celebration of the 52nd anniversary of our first date. May we not miss any of the blessings You have for us by insisting on how things “should be,” but rather flow with Your Spirit on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Missions; February 14, 2021

Posted on February 18, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 66:19 “I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations–to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations.”

This is about as explicit a prophecy of foreign missionaries as you could ask for! The emphasis is on two factors: distance and the fact that the people reached know nothing of God. The listing of nations seems bizarre to us in the Hebrew, and even in the English equivalents given in the NIV seems rather odd, but the point seems to be that nowhere will be left out. Verse 20 talks about “brothers from all the nations,” and then verse 21 says, rather shockingly, “I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites.” These obviously could not be genetically qualified for those offices, but God says He will select them anyway. This prophecy speaks of the great push to the nations that began with Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:2-3) and continues even today. You can’t claim that it wasn’t God’s idea! It is also important to note that genetic distinctions will disappear, because offices and assignments will come from God. There has been a sadly persistent tendency among missions groups to trust missionaries above local believers, with the missionaries hanging onto the “reins of power.” That is in violation of the heart of God. However, the answer isn’t a reverse racism, as is being actively promoted by some in a political context in the US, but an understanding that external characteristics are quite literally unimportant. God is truly colorblind, because He looks at our hearts. (1 Samuel 16:7)

Naturally, being raised in a missionary family in Japan and serving here myself, the phrase, “distant islands of the sea” jumps out at me. Isaiah also mentions islands in chapters 11, 41 and 42, which is one reason I’ve always like Isaiah! The point, however, is to focus on the target of such activity being those who have never heard. I’d say the majority of the people in Omura are fully aware that Christianity exists, but the vast majority of those have no grasp of the Gospel at all. The general attitude toward religion in Japan is that it’s a matter of family tradition, or even ethnicity. That can make people very closed to the idea of “changing their religion.” Actually, the very idea of faith being at the center of a person’s life seems rather strange to them. My challenge is to be a living demonstration of the reality of God, as well as a mouthpiece to explain to people what they are seeing in me, so that they too may receive salvation by grace through faith.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the message You’ve given me for this morning, specifically on world missions. Thank You for the lady who’s not yet a Christian who’s expected to be here. I pray that all that she sees and hears would touch her heart and open her up to your grace, for her salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Watchmen; February 13, 2021

Posted on February 17, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 62:6-7 “I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the Lord,
give yourselves no rest,
and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem
and makes her the praise of the earth.

Various groups today call themselves “watchmen,” sometimes including “on the walls,” specifically from this passage. There are indeed those who have a calling to continuous prayer, and it is a high calling indeed. The state of America today could be directly connected to the failure of those who were so called to fulfill their commission. Too many Christians have been asleep, and the enemy has infiltrated not only the nation but the Church itself. When even churches won’t stand for Biblical standards of morality, we are in deep trouble. The thing is, there have been people all along who have tried to sound the alarm, but they have been dismissed as “fanatics” or “prudes” and not listened to. The mantra of the enemy has been “tolerance,” and finally, it looks like a sizable number of people aren’t going to tolerate it any more. Of course, those who are waking up are being called all sorts of names, but then, so was Jesus! We need to take seriously God’s call to prayer and His call to action. Truth be told, the enemy is terrified of bold believers, because he knows we have the power of Almighty God on our side. The current situation is a mess indeed, but if sufficient numbers of God’s children wake up and start listening to their Father, this will turn out to have been a very good thing in the long run. We are not to be violent, but we are never to be pushovers, We are indeed not to be silent, but speak the truth in love, even when people label the truth as “hate.”

I find I am very careful with my words, even with relatives. It is deeply saddening to see how people I care about have swallowed the enemy’s lies, hook, line and sinker. I am not to be needlessly confrontational, but I must not run from confrontation either. My major focus is to be in prayer, and my words to others are to be an outgrowth of that. I have people that have followed my blog, that, when I take a look at their pages, seem to be in fairly direct opposition to the Biblical principles I espouse. I have no idea why they followed me, but I can pray that somehow God’s words through me would draw them out of the camp of the enemy, setting them free just as Jesus said. (John 8:32) In the process, I must be careful that I myself am not deceived by the enemy, but walk in the love and holiness of Christ Himself. A watchman should do no less.

Father, thank You for this powerful reminder. Help me be faithful on every level, not in my own strength, because I have none, but in Yours. May I consistently call people to light and life, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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God’s Acceptance; February 12, 2021

Posted on February 15, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 56:8 The Sovereign Lord declares– he who gathers the exiles of Israel: “I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered.”

I have long loved the verses ahead of this, talking about the inclusion of foreigners into the family of God, because of my family’s involvement with missions work and also because, as a Caucasian in Japan, I have always been aware of being a foreigner myself. However, this verse indicates that God isn’t through gathering, and that is wonderful news. We have a strong tendency to place limits on the “in crowd,” but God isn’t like that. The statement just ahead of this verse was famously quoted by Jesus Himself when He drove the merchants out of the Court of the Gentiles in the Jerusalem temple. (Matthew 21:13) Sadly few Christians are aware that was the location of that incident. Merchants wouldn’t have dared set up business in the inner areas of the temple, but they took over the area where anyone who was curious about the God of Israel could come to worship, and Jesus wasn’t having any of it. God is insistent about maintaining an open door for all who will enter. The only requirements are repentance and faith. (Mark 1:15) We tend to set up all sorts of check lists for those we will accept, but God is far more direct and accepting. That’s not to say He excuses sin, but everyone has sinned, so we have no more claim than the next guy. Identity politics has absolutely no place in the kingdom of God. Anyone who turns to God in repentance and faith, acknowledging Jesus as Lord, is saved and received as a child of God, period.

I have been both aware of differences and oblivious to them from childhood. When I was just learning to talk, on at least one occasion I identified my mother with the name we called our Japanese housekeeper. (That was probably very painful for my mother.) The first time I saw a Black person, on my first visit to the US just before I turned four, I insisted on speaking Japanese to them, because in my experience to that point, anyone with skin darker than my immediate family was Japanese. I have been both aware of external characteristics and convinced they didn’t really matter. I rejoice in the assurance that before the throne in heaven there will be “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language.” (Revelation 7:9) While I’m here, I want to keep adding to that number!

Father, thank You for Your open heart, open arms. We are so prone to close ours! Help me be an accurate expression of Your heart, not overlooking the need for repentance but not excluding anyone who is repentant. May Your words, Your love through me draw many more to You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Growth; February 11, 2021

Posted on February 15, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 49:20 “The children born during your bereavement will yet say in your hearing, ‘This place is too small for us; give us more space to live in.'”

For once I prefer the NIV here to the Japanese. The Japanese says, “the children born after your bereavement will again say…” The “again” doesn’t make much sense, and the “after” feels like they’re trying to escape the miraculous nature of this prophecy. The whole point of this is that God isn’t limited by what we think the circumstances are. Right now the world, and particularly the US, looks like a mess, but that doesn’t crimp God’s style. In a number of ways US churches were too comfortable, satisfied with business as usual and just aiming for more comfort. That’s no way to be the Body of Christ! By allowing all this upset, with actively anti-Christian people in power, the genuine believers are being forced to take stock of their own faith, and that’s a very good thing indeed. When individual believers start living in fellowship with the Holy Spirit as representatives of Christ, instead of leaving everything to “the professionals,” then God’s name is recognized as holy and His kingdom comes as His will is done. Many see what is happening as a time of bereavement of sorts, but God is going to use it to advance His kingdom.

On a personal level this speaks to me a different way. We have been in Omura for going on 40 years now, and there have been some times of real bereavement in that interval. The majority of people who have been associated with this church are no longer here for a wide variety of reasons. Cathy has been sorting paperwork from her workroom recently, and some of the records are pretty depressing. However, God is starting to bring in others that we had no direct part in attracting. He is giving us a renewed sense of purpose and hope, showing us that He hasn’t been idle in what has seemed like a relatively desolate time. I often tell others to look beyond themselves and their circumstances, because God’s plans are “good, acceptable and perfect,” (Romans 12:2) and He’s got it all worked out, but I’ve got to keep remembering that for myself as well. It’s a classic example of the reality that preachers need to listen to their own sermons!

Father, thank You for this encouraging Word. Thank You indeed for all that You are doing: the people You are bringing in and the ideas You are giving us as to what we should be doing. Help us be fully sensitive and obedient, so that Your Body may indeed grow as You intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Outcome; February 10, 2021

Posted on February 14, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 49:4 But I said, “I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.”

Various passages in the prophets, and particularly in Isaiah, show a blending of the prophet and the Messiah, and this is one of those. The passage as a whole is clearly Messianic, yet this particular verse would seem to be a very natural statement of Isaiah himself. I think the answer to that is part of the mystery of being in Christ, which is expressed extensively in the New Testament. My father wrote his doctoral dissertation on it, but he told me, of course many years later, that he had no real idea of what it was until he had a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit, after he was already a missionary in Japan. Jesus talked about our being in Him and He in us a lot in the Upper Room Discourse, just before going out to Gethsemane. (John 13-17) Paul, in turn, spoke of our being Christ’s agents, His ambassadors. (2 Corinthians 5:18-29) Isaiah is here expressing what probably every servant of God has felt from time to time. We run out of our resources pretty quickly, and the results are seldom on a schedule we would like. Hebrews 11:39-40 tells us that the results are often after our death! However, every true servant of God needs to be like Isaiah here, yielding themselves to God and trusting Him to reward them appropriately, whatever the time table.

This is something with which I am deeply familiar, on a generational level, even. My father was a missionary from 1934 until He was called Home a few days after his 64th birthday in 1974, but he never saw the massive harvest for which he prayed and labored. He did have fruit from his ministry, certainly, but not at all on the scale that he desired. My mother told me after his death that on at least one occasion he prostrated himself on the floor before the Lord and cried out, “Lord, if I am standing in the way of revival in Japan, then take me out of the way!” I certainly identify with that. We have been ministering in Omura since 1981, and our current church attendance is around a dozen. However, I have baptized over 50 people over the years, both Japanese and non-Japanese, and there are people in active ministry who were raised in this church. I have had my times of feeling exactly as Isaiah states in the first half of this verse, so I need to follow through with the second half, in full faith and trust.

Father, thank You for Your faithfulness, to my parents, to Cathy and me, and to all Your children. Help us all love You and trust You enough to be fully obedient to You, doing Your will on Your schedule to produce Your desired outcome, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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World Missions; February 9, 2021

Posted on February 14, 2021 by jgarrott

Isaiah 45:22-24 “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone are righteousness and strength.'”

This is underlined in my Bible, but I honestly don’t have that clear a recollection of it. It is an absolutely clear, unequivocal statement of God’s love for all mankind, His invitation to salvation to everyone. I would imagine that this sort of prophecy didn’t make Isaiah very popular among the Jews of his day! The tradition is that he was eventually martyred by being sawed into pieces, and his insistence that the physical descendants of Abraham weren’t as exclusive as they thought they were was probably one of the reasons for that. I would think that this passage would be dear to the heart of every cross-cultural missionary, but many, like me, are probably not that aware of it. Too many people, and even whole cultures, are focused on I-my-me-mine, and are irritated at the insistence that God’s heart is bigger than that. If we want to understand the heart of God and please Him we’ve got to lift our eyes off of ourselves and our immediate surroundings. We tend to focus on The Great Commission, spoken by Jesus at the time of His ascension into heaven, (Matthew 28:18-20) but we forget that God has not changed from eternity. He chose Abram, transforming him into Abraham, because He had to start somewhere. That part is already history for us, so we need to be focused on what He says here: “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth.”

To say that this is a family tradition with me would be an understatement. My maternal grandfather, W. O. Carver, founded what is today the oldest Department of Missions in the world, at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. My parents were appointed as single missionaries and married in Japan before WWII, and one of my mother’s brothers was likewise a missionary to China, teaching in a school in Shanghai until the war forced him out. My parents are buried in Japan, and I’ve been here in ministry since 1981. All of that is a point of gratitude and satisfaction for me, but I must not make it a point of pride. It was only by the grace of God that any of that happened. Now, I am challenged to help Japanese believers understand that they too are part of God’s world-wide plan of salvation. The Japanese sense of ethnic identity is perhaps second only to that of the Jews. That makes it difficult for them to accept that a “foreign religion” has anything to do with them, and if they do open their heart and believe in Christ, that they have anything to do with communicating the Gospel to other people-groups. However, there are some Japanese missionaries in other countries, and society in general is becoming much more globalized. My particular calling is to communicate God’s love to the Japanese, and by His grace they will understand that it is to go through them to others as well.

Father, thank You for this reminder. This isn’t something I’ve preached on very much. Help me communicate Your world vision to the people so that they will understand that Your vision for this church and this city isn’t so huge after all, but just a small part of Your Plan of the Ages. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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