Sin and Judgment; August 28, 2019

Posted on August 31, 2019 by jgarrott

Psalm 94:8-9 Take heed, you senseless ones among the people;
you fools, when will you become wise?
Does he who implanted the ear not hear?
Does he who formed the eye not see?

There were several verses in this Psalm that spoke to me just now, but I think I’ll focus on these two. We see people all around us who certainly need this said to them! I am constantly amazed at the many reports of crimes, often very horrible ones. Human stupidity and hubris is such that people honestly seem to think they will get away with that stuff! I am reminded of an incident in the American Southwest where a sadistic murderer initially escaped into the desert, but when he was tracked down, he had already died of dehydration and exposure. The sheriff wrote on the report, “Remanded to a higher court.” Like that sheriff, we need to remember that nobody ever “gets away with” anything at all. The thing is, that doesn’t just apply to those we call criminals, it applies to us, too. We are all equally guilty of ignoring God and going our own way. As Isaiah said, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.” (Isaiah 53:6) That’s why the atoning work of Christ on the cross is absolutely essential to every human being. As Paul said, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-24) When we become fools, as this passage is talking about, is when we fail to acknowledge our need for the cross. God hears every hurtful word we speak, He sees every devious or rebellious thing we do, just as the Psalmist says. That’s why every one of us needs to walk in humility, allowing the Holy Spirit to point out each thing of which we need to repent, and when He does so, repenting immediately. Putting it off won’t help anyone or anything, least of all us.

This certainly applies to me as much as it does to anyone else. I have known since childhood that God was omniscient, but that hasn’t kept me from sinning countless times, all too often deliberately. That really qualifies as foolish! I do know that there is a difference between sins and honest mistakes. The devil loves to blur that line, making us feel guilty for mistakes and telling us to take our sins lightly. He also loves to dump blanket condemnation on us, whereas the Holy Spirit is very specific as to how we need to repent. I’ve learned that, from the Bible and from my own experience, but as a pastor I constantly deal with people who haven’t grasped it yet. I know from experience that when the devil can get us to dwell on sins we have already committed, we are far more likely to commit them again. When we confess our sins to God in all honesty, repenting of them, then God indeed wipes them out and we can start afresh. (1 John 1:9) I try to help people grasp this marvelous truth, but the devil tells them it’s too good to be true, and they get mired in his traps. I am to keep speaking the truth in love, never holding back, so that people may gain the fear and love of God that will truly make them wise. (Proverbs 9:19)

Father, help me walk in this fully myself, even as I seek to lead others in it, so that the lies of the devil may be defeated and we all walk in Your light as Your children for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Old Age; August 27, 2019

Posted on August 29, 2019 by jgarrott

Psalm 92:12-15 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
planted in the house of the Lord,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

I must say this is an encouraging Scripture for someone who will be 71 next month! As comes out with Moses, Caleb, and various others throughout the Bible, the issue isn’t age, it’s whether we are walking with the Lord. Billy Graham was certainly a good example of that. To get the right image, we need to realize that when the Bible talks about palm trees, it is talking about date palms, that grow to dizzying heights in some very inhospitable places. In English we most often think of coconut palms, which sometimes grow pretty tall, but are more commonly much shorter. Likewise, we have very little mental framework for a “cedar of Lebanon,” because the great stands of timber that used to cover that part of the world were cut down for lumber, greatly contributing to the desertification of the whole region. There is an island, Yakushima, between the Japanese islands of Kyushu and Okinawa, than has cedars that would be comparable, and they are indeed awesome. (They have been protected by their remote location, and are currently under the protection of strict laws.) Not only are they huge, they are hundreds of years old. The point is, the Psalmist is painting a word picture of stability and fruitfulness that should gladden the heart of anyone past 50! However, we have to pay attention to the category, the righteous, and then the activity, proclaiming the goodness of the Lord. If we want to stay fresh and green and fruitful in old age, we need to operate in the righteousness that God has provided for us in Christ, and give Him all the glory.

As I have already mentioned, I have qualified for a “senior discount” for several years now. Until I came up with the hernia for which I will be checked today, I was absurdly healthy. The problem is, I somewhat took it for granted, which makes my current issue more of a shock. My wife was the one with all the medical issues! I have tried to be a good steward of this body, staying at a reasonable weight and walking 5 km three times a week, but otherwise have simply expected to be healthy. When the bulges appeared, I just thought that was a strange place for fat to collect, and so put off getting checked out for far longer than advisable. It’s still far from a life-threatening issue, but it’s a strong reminder that I’m far from as young as I used to be, and that my body is on loan to me until God decides to reclaim it. My focus needs to be on the two things mentioned here: being right with God and proclaiming Him to all who will listen.

Father, thank You for this reminder. My level of being uptight about today’s hospital visit is an indication that I have no room for pride when it comes to faith, either! On most levels I have great assurance that You have planned and will work out everything for blessing, but I still have a level of anxiety that disturbed my sleep last night. Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, whatever goes on today or hereafter, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Trusting God; August 26, 2019

Posted on August 28, 2019 by jgarrott

Psalm 91:9-10 If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the Lord, who is my refuge—
then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

I have loved a song that is the first three verses of this Psalm set to music for about 40 years now, and I really like the whole Psalm. In a previous Bible I used for devotions I wrote in the margin at this point, “Whatever it looks like, it isn’t disaster.” We experience all sorts of things in this world, just as Jesus said we would, (John 16:33) but when we indeed make the Lord our refuge, relying obediently on Him, nothing can happen that He can’t turn around for our blessing – even martyrdom. (Romans 8:28) It’s interesting that the Japanese connects verse 9 here with what comes before it, starting out with “That’s because” rather than “If,” but the whole Psalm is essentially the same theme, so it doesn’t really change anything. The whole point is that God is totally worthy of our trust, whether we are concerned about human enemies, war, or anything else. Often we suffer more from anxiety over what might happen than we do from whatever does actually happen. Jesus talked at some length about that, (Matthew 6:25-34) and Paul famously said, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7) We need to live boldly, secure in the assurance that there is nothing that God can’t handle, and we belong to Him.

This is a timely Word for Cathy and me right now, with all sorts of things looming on the horizon. It’s hard to avoid the “what ifs”! I am used to dealing with such in relation to my wife, since she has quite a litany of medical issues, but I’m not used to it in relation to my own health. This should give me more genuine empathy with her, and with all around me who are dealing with all sorts of issues. Hernia surgery is rarely life-threatening, but I find my mind won’t let go of the scheduling issue, because the consultation is tomorrow, then two days later I give make-up examinations at Nagasaki Rehabilitation College, and then two days after that I’m scheduled to perform a wedding. And then next week my classes at the nursing school start! I think – actually I’m sure – that the Lord is giving me training in letting go and allowing Him to be God. I do that on the intellectual level, but emotionally it’s not so easy. I say that I’m ready for Him to take me home at any time, but when it comes to scheduling, that’s obviously a different matter! Thinking about it, it’s quite laughable, actually. I must get rid of my inflated view of my own importance, and instead trust God with every detail – including scheduling!

Father, thank You for this Word. Thank You for knowing where and how I need to grow. Help me not complain about it, internally or externally, and just rest, relax, and rejoice in You, just as You have told me to do. Thank You. Praise God!

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Life Expectancy; August 25, 2019

Posted on August 28, 2019 by jgarrott

Psalm 90:12 Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

It is fascinating that this Psalm is said to be “A prayer of Moses, the man of God.” If that is indeed the case, it is downright ironic, because verse 10 famously claims a life expectancy of 70 to 80 years, yet Moses didn’t have his encounter with the burning bush until he was 80, and he lived another 40 years after that! It would all make sense if Moses wrote this before he had the commission from God to deliver the Israelites from Egypt. In any case, this verse is certainly a wise prayer. None of us knows how many days we have, as we are reminded quite frequently, but it is human nature to assume we won’t die soon, at any rate. A genuine “heart of wisdom” knows that our days are in God’s hands and lives each one in obedience to Him, however many of them we have.

Just this past week an acquaintance was leaving his house to go to his store, and said as much, and before he could get through the front door he collapsed with a heart attack and was gone, before reaching 60. I am reminded of a poem I wrote as a very young college student, that was greatly appreciated by my (much older) professor, that I called, Thoughts on a Bridge.

Time cracked his knuckles and waited for me,
Counting on his fingers the days and years I had left before me.
I did not heed him, standing there.
I simply leaned upon the rail,
And watched a lotus blossom, floating on the water.

I was certainly aware of mortality even then, and actually had a suicide attempt that very few people knew about. I didn’t have a heart of wisdom! When my father didn’t wake up after heart surgery at 64, my first thought was, “He won’t have to retire.” I live in Japan, which has one of the highest life expectancies in the world, yet we have people who drop dead early, like the man I mentioned. I am to be a good steward of the body God has given me and I am to use it in obedience to Him, whether He has work for me until 120, like Moses, or whether He wants to take me home today.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me live each day fully, with joyful anticipation of the infinite number of them I have ahead, however many of them are on this earth, so that Your plans for me may be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Cross-Cultural Evangelism; August 24, 2019

Posted on August 26, 2019 by jgarrott

Psalm 89:24 My faithful love will be with him,
and through my name his horn will be exalted.

As we saw yesterday, Ethan the Ezrahite is recounting the things that God had done and said in the past in order to reassure himself and others that the present situation isn’t as bleak as it seems. However, he overlooks the severity of the sins of Israel, even though he mentions in verses 30-32 that God had promised consequences for disobedience. God’s promises are eternal, but we overlook the conditions attached to them to our peril. One point of linguistic and cultural difference in the translation jumps out to me right now. I had noticed that a majority of these readings, which were chosen in English based on the word “love,” don’t use “love” at all in the Japanese, but rather “grace.” The more I read them, the more I realize that from the Japanese perspective, “love” is to an equal or someone above you, which makes John 3:16 somewhat scandalous. (Of course, since the translators of John were working with Greek, they could justify it in their minds by making agape a separate category.) Actually though, Japanese is very inconsistent in this, because a pet is a “love-dog,” and even a well-cared-for car is a “love-car.” I sometimes point out the inconsistencies in the Japanese understanding of love when I’m doing marriage counseling. Actually, it was pointed out to me just this year (after all my years of living in Japan) that from standard Japanese usage, Jesus couldn’t have any real friends, because a friend is a peer, an equal, and Jesus had no equals. John 15:15 (“I have called you friends”) is essentially dismissed as Jesus saying nice words without real meaning. Such extreme awareness of social classification is very alien to Americans in particular, and can be a major barrier to the communication of the Gospel.

Naturally this is of extreme relevance to me, having been born and raised as an American in Japan. It was a real shock to discover the point about “friend” at age 70! I was born in Japan, but I was raised as an American, essentially, and the only Japanese school I attended was kindergarten, where everything is egalitarian anyway. As the child of an extremely high-status person (my father was a university chancellor) I was allowed to get away with almost anything, socially speaking, so these things were never drilled into my head the way they are for most Japanese. Even today I count people of all social strata as my equals, and for that I am grateful. I strive to maintain Christian equality in this church, and I think I’m mostly successful. Everyone has different gifts and therefore different functions, but we are all of equal value. I have long been sharply aware that people considering me as “other” has been a major barrier to their accepting the Gospel I proclaim as applying to them. Whether they see me as above them or below them doesn’t make much difference. That’s why I am convinced that it is Japanese who need to evangelize Japan, but they have to be given the vision that it is even possible, and many of them do not have that. However, nothing is impossible for God, so I must never give up.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It was certainly unexpected, coming from a reading in Psalms! Help me remember that I never have the answers on my own, but that You have all the answers. May I be fully yielded and obedient to You, so that my every interaction may draw people to You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Praising God; August 23, 2019

Posted on August 25, 2019 by jgarrott

Psalm 89:15-16 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.
They rejoice in your name all day long;
they exult in your righteousness.

Some of this Psalm makes it seem like Ethan the Ezrahite was a bit shaky in his monotheism, but that doesn’t make this passage any less true. As is often the case, the Japanese has a different slant from the NIV. Verse 15 says that those who “know the shout of joy” (praising God, obviously) walk in the light of the face of God, rather than saying that walking that way is a source of blessing (though it certainly is). Then in verse 16, instead of “they exult in your righteousness,” the Japanese says, “They are raised high because of Your righteousness.” Those are perhaps minor differences, but they pound home the awareness that anything we read of the Bible in other than the original languages is a translation, and thus is subject to the interpretations and opinions of the translators. That’s why reading the Bible in multiple translations is very enriching to our understanding of what God is actually saying. Of course, we always need the help of the Holy Spirit, because He’s the one who inspired the words in the first place! All of that aside, it is clear that Ethan the Ezrahite had learned the joy and blessing of praising God. Reading to the end of the Psalm (it’s 52 verses long) makes it clear that he was writing at a time when it seemed possible that God’s promises would fail, so he is laying hold of what God has said and done in the past. That’s not a bad plan of action! When things look bleak for us, we do well to remind ourselves of all that God has done in the past, and trust Him to carry His good plans through in the future as well, and praise Him for it even ahead of time.

I’ve had a few moments when the road ahead looked quite dark, but I have certainly experienced the faithfulness of God. I have learned to praise Him, and that is a blessed thing indeed. From my perspective there are many unknowns about my life – indeed, most of it is unknown – but as Paul said, I know whom I have believed. (2 Timothy 1:12) Today we will be going to the brain surgery/neurology department of the national medical center close to here to try to track down the source of the stabbing pain my wife sometimes has in her left eye. Then, on Tuesday I will go to the general surgery department of the same hospital to be tested and discuss schedules for dealing with my bilateral hernia that’s recently been diagnosed. On top of that, my wife has Parkinson’s Disease, which is certainly progressive, and I have already lived seven years longer than my father did. We don’t know the future, but we know our Lord, and that really is enough. We are to walk in peace and praise, whatever is going on, keeping ourselves available to Him for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s not surprising, when our medical situation is so much in our awareness. Help us be more aware of You than we are of anything else, including our own bodies, so that we may defeat every attack of the enemy and walk in all that You have for us, for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Discipleship; August 22, 2019

Posted on August 25, 2019 by jgarrott

Psalm 86:11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.

Reading this Psalm from the start I was blessed by several verses, but when I got to this one I knew it was what the Lord was reaffirming to me right now. This is the fundamental prayer of a true disciple of the Lord. A disciple is called that because they learn from their master, and David here puts a fine point on that: obedience. It does no good to know truth if you don’t walk it out. This is the point of James’ famous admonition: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22) Then there’s the second half of this prayer. I think every culture has an expression to refer to that very common human condition of thinking/feeling two conflicting things. In Japanese, that expression is “having two hearts.” In English we speak of “having two minds,” but it’s exactly the same thing. David is asking to be delivered from that, and it’s important to note why: “That I may fear Your name.” When we’re of two minds about something, it means we’re letting something else have parity with whatever it is God is saying. That can even amount to idolatry, though we seldom think of it that way. David wants an undivided heart that is focused on God alone, and we should too.

As I am reminded often, I am a “poster child” for knowing truth and not walking in it, thus deceiving myself. I’m grateful for God’s grace in pointing that out to me and calling me back to Himself, time and time again. In His place, I would have run out of patience with me a long time ago! Sunday the message was on An Upright Heart, and this is certainly the prayer of such a heart. It was a week ago today that the Lord gave me a dream in which I was prophesying, “The upright will hear my voice.” Everyone in this church wants guidance in one area or another, and the key to getting that guidance is certainly an undivided, upright heart. I cannot create that in others, but I can teach, encourage, and admonish, being careful always to do it in love, and certainly keeping watch over my own heart, to be careful to walk in the truth God has spoken to me.

Father, thank You for all that You are doing, in me and in this church. It’s easy to see how others miss out on Your blessings by failing to listen humbly to You, but I can be blind to my own mistakes in that area. Help us all focus more and more sharply on You, to be Your agents as Your disciples, for Your will to be done for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Revival; August 21, 1019

Posted on August 23, 2019 by jgarrott

Psalm 85:13 Righteousness goes before him
and prepares the way for his steps.

We are saved by grace through faith, and not by works, (Ephesians 2:8-9) but there are certainly things we can and should do to get in line with God and receive all He has for us. As I dreamed last week, and spoke on Sunday, upright people hear God far more often, accurately, and pleasantly than those whose hearts are devious. If we want God to move in our lives, righteousness is certainly the way to prepare for that. The Japanese has a very interesting twist on the second half of this verse. It says, “[Righteousness] uses God’s footprints as a road.” Actually, “following God” is one very good definition of righteousness! As I talked about Sunday, we can never be “good enough” on our own, but God has amazingly made us to be His righteousness in Christ Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:21) However, walking in that requires our conscious choice. Distractions and temptations abound, and as the song, Shepherd of my Soul says, “I have made the choice to listen for Your voice.” That is the way of righteousness, that both follows Him and prepares the way for Him to act.

This is a lesson that has been worked into me over the years. I am all too prone to figure things out in my own head and then go off to do my own thing, rather than seek God in all humility. Like my father before me, I have earnestly prayed for revival in Japan. As verse 6 says, “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” Looking at Japan today, “revival” might not seem to be appropriate for a nation that seems never to have been following God, but 450 years ago there were 80,000 Christians in Omura Fief alone, and Christianity was spreading rapidly until the Edo government stepped in. God has given this church the vision of Omura again being the foremost Christian city in the nation. That would really be revival! For us to receive that, we need to walk in the righteousness that He has prepared for us, even though at this point we don’t know all that means. I need to be sure my heart is upright, just as I preached on Sunday, so that I will be able to hear and follow the Lord’s guidance and so participate in what He is doing, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this clear Word. Thank You also for the recent diagnosis of a bilateral hernia in my lower abdomen. I ask for Your perfect will do be done about the surgery, not only in timing but in all the details. That certainly serves as a reminder of my own frailty, and that I can do nothing on my own. Help me not draw back from anything You want to do through me, so that all of Your plans may be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Zion; August 20, 2019

Posted on August 23, 2019 by jgarrott

Psalm 84:5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

The NIV translators flat chickened out and yielded to political correctness in this verse. The Japanese, in line with the Hebrew I am sure, says, “in whose hearts is the highway to Zion.” You don’t have to be hung up on the specific location in Jerusalem to understand that this isn’t talking in vague terms about “pilgrimage,” it’s talking about drawing near to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, not to mention King David, who established the worship of God in the physical location of Zion. It is no accident that the movement to return the Jews to their ancient homeland was called Zionism as far back as the 19th Century. The Church is indeed the Body of Christ, but “Replacement Theology,” claiming that the Church has knocked Israel completely out of God’s plans, is a total crock. Yes, Jews need to encounter the Messiah for whom they have prayed all these centuries in order to be saved, but Paul is very clear, in Romans 9-11 and elsewhere, that God intends to do exactly that. Having “the highway to Zion” in our hearts means getting everything out of the way that is between us and God. It means taking our place in His plan, that assuredly includes the Jews and the nation of Israel. When our hearts are set in that way, it is a blessed thing indeed!

I remember my shock when Benjamin Berger asked me my position on Replacement Theology before he would let me interpret for him. I had never heard of it, and the very idea that anyone could read the Bible and hold to that position astounded me. I think my reaction greatly reassured him! I have never been to the geographic location of Jerusalem (though I would love to) but I have always, I think, been aware that I was part of spiritual Israel. I am proud that I was born in 1948, the same as the modern nation of Israel, and I have always taken delight in the accomplishments of that nation and of Jews in general. I am convinced that it is no accident that Jews have received an absolutely amazing proportion of the Nobel Prizes, ever since Alfred Nobel established them. At the same time, I am totally convinced that anyone who repents and believes in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died for their sins and rose again is accepted as a spiritual descendant of Abraham. (Romans 4:11-12) My job here in Japan is to grow spiritual Israel, even as I pray for physical Israel. When we stand before the Throne, all divisions will be erased!

Father, thank You for helping me understand this so early on. Thank You for all the things You have done to confirm it in my heart and mind. Help me be Your agent however You want to use me, so that Your name may be acknowledged as holy and Your sovereignty established as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Panic and Depression; August 19, 2019

Posted on August 22, 2019 by jgarrott

Psalm 77:12 I will meditate on all your works
and consider all your mighty deeds.

We don’t know what situation the Psalmist was encountering, but the first nine verses indicate it was severe enough to get him pretty depressed. His turning point comes in verse ten, when he decides to get objective about his situation, and then this verse specifies more detail as to how he will go about it. Both panic and depression come from a failure to look to God. Panic comes when we focus on our external circumstances, and depression comes when we focus on our internal resources. In a lot of situations those are both very logical responses, but neither is very productive. What enables us to make headway out of whatever our situation might be is to focus on the One who is never at a loss for what to do, has the power to do anything at all, and who loves us enough to have sent His Son to die in our place so that we might have eternal life. The Psalmist didn’t know that last part, but he did know all that God had done for the people of Israel, and that was enough. The Japanese translation of this verse includes an interesting detail: “I will think quietly about Your works.” It can be very hard to get our hearts quiet in a crisis! The first nine verses indicate the Psalmist’s heart was far from quiet to this point! However, this comes back to a truth that is found throughout the Bible: life is a matter of choices. Things happen to everyone, as Jesus famously reminded us. (John 16:33) The outcome depends to a great extent on how we respond to those things. The Psalmist made the choice to stop responding based on himself, and start responding based on God. That is the wisest thing anyone can do.

This is a very good reminder to me, because it certainly represents my experience. I have had times of panic and times of depression, and I am still tempted to both of those responses at times. However, I have experienced God’s faithfulness more than I could possibly express, and when I get quiet enough to think about that, gratitude and faith replace the panic and depression. Frankly, there is no end to the stream of “stuff” I’m in the middle of. The more I focus on the “stuff” and my personal ability to deal with it, the more agitated I get. It is when I choose to be objective and focus on God that peace comes, and often the wisdom and/or guidance as to how to deal with the “stuff.” Right now health issues and computer issues and the sudden death of an acquaintance are all at hand. I find that Psalm 73:25-26 comes to mind frequently: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” As long as I have that focus, I can get through anything.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that the photo show ends today, and we can get back to a more normal schedule. Thank You that Cathy and I will each be able to visit our respective doctors after we take down the show. I ask for Your strength, physical and emotional, for all we will be doing today, and I thank You for it in advance. May we indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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