Appetites; September 19, 2018

Posted on September 21, 2018 by jgarrott

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

This whole chapter is remarkably down to earth, and easily translates from the 1st Century to the 21st. Back then it was the matter of meat from animals that had been sacrificed to idols, whereas today it is all sorts of eating fads. People avoid gluten without really knowing what it is, much less having celiac disease! Dietary issues have loomed large for much of history in one way or another, but for the vast majority of that time it has simply been a matter of getting enough to eat. That Americans obsess over so many things about food – along with the very high rate of obesity – is an indication of the incredible abundance that is available. As has come out recently, overindulgence in anything isn’t good stewardship, but what Paul is stressing here is the whole matter of priorities. It’s not that dietary issues are completely unimportant, but rather that they are way down the line in terms of the kingdom of God. Distraction is one of the devil’s favorite tools. That’s why Jesus told us to “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” (Matthew 6:33) The problem comes when people define righteousness in terms of such externals as what we eat.

For me, the reference to drinking wine in verse 21 clicks home, because I grew up in a tea-totaling family but have known many people with alcohol abuse problems. One time in college, out of curiosity as much as anything, I tried to get drunk on bourbon coke, but never even felt a buzz. Whether that means I have an abundant supply of liver enzymes or that God put a supernatural block on it I don’t know, but that was my experience. I have felt very little temptation in that direction in the many years since (plus I don’t like the taste of beer at all) but that doesn’t make me any better than someone who has a daily drink. I think it all comes down to what we seek, and the test Jesus gave us applies in every area of our lives.

Father, help me indeed seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness, because peace and joy in the Holy Spirit are what truly satisfy my soul. Help me submit all my appetites to You so that they will serve me well rather than the other way around, and I will be fully available and useful to You. Thank You. Praise God!

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Motives; September 18, 2018

Posted on September 21, 2018 by jgarrott

Romans 14:7-8 For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

It’s interesting to read the Bible and think about how different political positions would claim different sections as their justification. The first several verses of this chapter would be very dear to a Libertarian, for example. However, these two verses bring all such “cherry picking” down to earth. Human imagination and human judgment aren’t the last word, because we belong to God. I think perhaps Americans in particular might rebel against this passage, because we have always glorified the “rugged individualist.” However, no amount of posturing can negate the fact that we are created beings who exist at the pleasure of our Creator; we cannot sustain ourselves. It’s sad that most people don’t come to this awareness until they are very old and/or very ill. In a sense, suicide is a last-gasp attempt to deny this reality. The devil can persuade someone to commit suicide only if he succeeds in blinding them to the truth in this passage. This is the ultimate call to accountability, because if we belong to the Lord, then we are to live and die as He desires and intends.

Recently I have joined a Missionary Kids (MK) group on Facebook, and it has been interesting indeed to see the opinions and attitudes expressed. MKs are a specific subset of Third Culture Kids, people who are raised in a culture different from that of their parents, so they synthesize a “third culture” of their own from what they experience. As both an MK and a missionary, I understand both generations involved in creating MKs. It has been a blessing to see how many enjoy a rich faith and fellowship with the Lord, but sad to see how many are embittered by their experiences, some discarding faith entirely. There are perhaps multiple motives for becoming a missionary, but this passage needs to be at the root of any such commitment. In other words, it is irrelevant whether our assignment is right where we were born or somewhere on the other side of the world; we belong to God, and should seek and do His will. To whatever degree personal ambition enters in, that will distort and go so far as to poison even the most noble-sounding occupation, and that will be expressed in the next generation. Jesus was the only human being with absolutely pure motives, but then, He was also God. The rest of us need to keep watch over our motives and allow the Holy Spirit to purify them. As it says in Proverbs, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)

Father, I feel like I could write on this all day! Thank You for all that You have brought me through for the past 70 years, and for all that You have ahead of me. I do ask You to purify my thoughts and my motives so that I may be more and more pleasing to You, delighting in You as I do Your will for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Thought Life; September 17, 2018

Posted on September 18, 2018 by jgarrott

Romans 13:14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

I don’t know the turn of phrase in the Greek, but the Japanese says, “Don’t use your heart for the sake of the appetites of the flesh.” Thinking about it, that’s exactly what the devil tries to get us to do. That’s what pornography is all about, and actually a majority of advertising of all sorts. The devil wants us to concentrate on our physical appetites, when Jesus told us to “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” (Matthew 6:33) If we “put on Christ,” as Paul says here, that is what we will do. In Philippians Paul gives us some specific advice on how to do this: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8) In other words, that’s what we’re to “use our heart (mind) for.” The particular context in Philippians is in avoiding things like depression, but it applies to avoiding a wide variety of the devil’s traps. Modern translations put it completely differently, but there is real truth in the KJV of Proverbs 23:7. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.” Jesus pointed out that sin starts in our thoughts. (Matthew 5:28) Putting on Christ is putting on the whole armor of God, that Paul talks about so memorably in Ephesians 6. If we are going to resist the devil effectively, the first step in submitting to God is in our thought life. (James 4:7)

I’ve certainly experienced this, as we all have. I’ve discovered that continuing to think about a sin I’ve already repented of makes me far more likely to commit that same sin again. I’ve also found that “putting on” Christ, focusing on Him, is far and away the best cure for anxiety and emotional distress of all sorts. Going at it from a negative angle is futile. (The classic example is that if you tell people not to think about zebras, they can’t think of anything else.) We need to replace negative, sinful thoughts with thoughts that build us up and draw us closer to God. That brings us back to Philippians 4:8. That one verse, if followed, could virtually empty the psychiatric hospitals of the world. I know it’s not easy; we can’t do it consistently in our own strength. However, if the choice is there, I’ve found the Holy Spirit will help us, (Romans 8:26) and victory is sweet indeed.

Father thank You for this reminder. I deal with people all the time who are tormented by their distorted thinking. Help me be more effective in pointing them to Christ, to help them realize the richness of Your grace toward them, so that they too may rest, relax, and rejoice in You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Overcoming Evil; September 16, 2018

Posted on September 18, 2018 by jgarrott

Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

After having told his readers to present their bodies as living sacrifices to God in verse 1, Paul discussed the gifts we’ve been given to do that in verses 6-8, and then from verse 9 he tells us what that looks like in terms of daily living, and this verse is a summation of all of that. There is a lot of evil of many kinds in the world. We aren’t to be intimidated by that, but rather win out over the evil. Overcome is a good word here, but the Japanese has slightly more flavor: “Hit and win.” (Or, “Win by hitting.) This isn’t passive. If we just “go with the flow,” we will soon be swept away by all the evil. For many years, generations even, Christians were taught that the thing to do was to separate from the world, to withdraw. Some of that came from a sincere misinterpretation of Jesus talking about our being “in the world but not of it.” (John 15:19, 17:14-16) However, if we withdraw, how can we be salt and light? (Matthew 5:13-16) We are to be active representatives of good, to our neighbors, on school boards, in our work, in local and even national government. Withdrawing, doing nothing, is “putting your light under a basket,” which Jesus expressly said not to do. (Matthew 5:15-16) We aren’t to go “looking for fights,” because as soon as we do that, we will start operating in our own strength, which is really weakness, and will be defeated. If we are actively living for Christ, He will direct us to the issues He wants us to tackle, and how. Our own wisdom is flat out insufficient for the task, but God is never deceived, nor is He ever at a loss for what to do. Our place is full submission and obedience, no matter how public or how private. If we aren’t Christlike in private, our public facade will quickly be destroyed. It is God’s plan to cause His name to be acknowledged as holy and bring His kingdom to earth through His children’s obedience to Him in every area of their lives and every part of society, for His glory.

This naturally applies to me as much as it does to anyone. Because I am an American citizen but a permanent resident of Japan, my options in the political field are quite limited, but that’s only part of society. There’s plenty of evil to go around! Right now we are working on a CD album to combat the evil of suicide. That’s something that most people recognize as evil, but tools to fight it seem hard to come by. The Lord gave my wife a list of songs that at first she had no idea what they were for, but He has led inescapably to the awareness that they are a weapon against suicide. The album will be titled, Living Hope, and will be bilingual Japanese/English. She had thought at first it was just to be Japanese, but friends in many different countries heard about the project and asked that it be bilingual. The work on it has gone more slowly that we desired, but we are not to give up. Interestingly, as we have worked on it, the devil has tried to hit us with depression as well! As Paul said, we aren’t to be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Father, thank You for the privilege of being Your agent in overcoming evil. (1 John 3:8) May we recognize our own weakness and so allow Your strength to operate through us, (2 Corinthians 12:9) working Your will for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Our Bodies; September 15, 2018

Posted on September 17, 2018 by jgarrott

Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

Modern society has certainly spotlighted the importance of this verse. Far too many people today are focused on their bodies almost to the exclusion of everything else, and it’s certainly not holy or as a sacrifice to God. The abortion movement uses the slogan, “My Body, My Choice,” completely ignoring the fact that the baby has a body distinct from the mother, even still in the womb, and they offer the baby’s body, and life, not to God but to their own convenience. Of course, they are faced with that choice because they offered their body to pleasure rather than to God in holiness, and that sin knows no boundaries of gender. The Bible has a lot to say about sexual sin of all sorts, and about alcohol abuse. At that point alcohol was the only significantly available drug, but today drugs of all sorts, prescription and otherwise, would come under the same category. And of course, gluttony comes in here too, though very few people want to admit it. There are churches in America today where lack of obesity is rare! That said, obsession with the body in any form, including anorexia and being a “health freak,” is a symptom of failing to offer our bodies to God. We all have room to grow here, but that fact doesn’t excuse any individual from accountability to God for their body. For genuine Christians, it all comes back to James’ remarks about deceiving ourselves. (James 1:22) We see someone else’ misuse of their body and it makes us feel comfortable with our own. I think this verse puts a point on what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman: “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24) Some think that means the body is irrelevant to worship, but Paul says explicitly that offering our bodies is spiritual/reasonable worship. As came out a couple of days ago, we are trinitarian in our makeup just as God is, and at this point in our existence we can’t divorce the spiritual from the physical, and think the physical makes no difference.

This is something I have to keep in focus. I’ve never been particularly obese, nor have I been ensnared by ethanol or other drugs. My fling with nicotine was thankfully brief, and I don’t like the taste of beer at all. However, there’s more to offering my body to God than that. God has been incredibly gracious in the area of sexual sins, guarding me in ways that, looking back on them, were at times miraculous. Also, there’s the matter of my father dying of heart disease at 64 because of failure to understand what he needed to be doing physically as a steward of his body. I’ve outlived him by six years, but there are times when choosing to go walking is a genuine expression of offering my body to God. I actively look forward to heaven, but right now I inhabit this body, and I am responsible to worship God through my use of it.

Father, thank You for this reminder on my 70th birthday. That feels like a considerable milestone! Help me indeed offer my body, and everything else, to You consistently for as long as You keep me here, so that Your purposes may be accomplished in and through me for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Magnificence of God’s Plan; September 14, 2018

Posted on September 16, 2018 by jgarrott

Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!

We don’t usually think of Paul as a poet, but he certainly waxed poetic in this doxology. Some things just seem to demand a poetic response, and the omniscience and omnipotence of God certainly fit in that category. We get hung up on trying to deal with just a few things at once, and yet God deals with the entire universe simultaneously. We really can’t wrap our minds around that reality, when it is at the same time inescapable and undeniable. It’s no wonder many people retreat to a mechanistic view of things. Irreducible complexity requires a Creator, so He is pictured as a “divine watchmaker,” creating everything and then throwing it out into space and leaving it alone to run on its own. Frankly, that’s just another attempt to avoid moral responsibility, because the Biblical picture of a Father who is concerned and involved with His children involves too much accountability. It is only when we accept that He is love and He genuinely desires the very best for us that we can let down our guard and know that His will is indeed good, acceptable, and perfect. (Romans 12:2) It is significant that Paul’s description of God’s will that way comes immediately after this doxology!

I have certainly grown over the years in my grasp of this truth, but I know I won’t know it completely until I stand before God’s throne. I got in a discussion of this just a day or so ago on Facebook over the hurricane that is hitting the US right now. Someone was offended that I would even imply that God had sent the hurricane, and I countered with the statement that nothing can happen without God allowing it, but He certainly doesn’t desire everything that happens. We are so fixated on the material world that we can’t see subtraction as a blessing, which it sometimes is. I enjoy the material world right now, and delight to point out its wonders through photography, but I know I won’t miss it in the least when I am liberated from this body. As has been said, God is far more interested in our character than our comfort. That’s why Paul could say so famously, “We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3-4) My character isn’t perfect even now, but I would much rather be the way I am now than the way I was 50 years ago.

Father, thank You for Your patience with me, and for Your absolutely perfect plan. Help me trust You fully, knowing that no amount of human intelligence could grasp the totality of what You are doing. Help me be faithful in fulfilling the part that You have for me to play in Your plan, rejoicing to participate in Your name being acknowledged as holy and Your kingdom coming as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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The Jews and Israel; September 13, 2018

Posted on September 16, 2018 by jgarrott

Romans 11:20-21 Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

In light of this chapter, I don’t see how anyone can defend either antisemitism or replacement theology. Replacement theology is the idea that the Church has replaced Israel in God’s plans, so the Jews and their nation are no longer relevant. That is precisely the arrogance Paul is warning against here. Using Paul’s word picture, every Christian should be deeply grateful for the Jewish nation, for they are the root stock onto which we have been grafted. Too many churches use the New Testament exclusively, when the New Testament would not exist without the Old. We are prone to forget that the early Church didn’t have the New Testament; they were in the middle of writing it! Even in this chapter Paul quotes the Old Testament several times. It is certainly true that there is no salvation apart from faith in Jesus Christ. Some Israel-backers act as though physical descent from Abraham is enough, but the Bible is clear that everyone needs a personal commitment to Jesus as Lord. However, everyone with a real grasp of the Bible will have a deep respect and gratitude for the Jews, and for the nation of Israel even today.

Thinking about it, my father’s academic credentials are an illustration of this. His PhD was in Biblical Greek, but his master’s degree was in Hebrew, and that preceded and underlaid his PhD. It is telling that I hadn’t even heard of replacement theology until several years ago when I first had the privilege of interpreting for Benjamin Berger, who was one of the pastors, with his brother, of the only Messianic congregation in the Old City part of Jerusalem. He wanted to make sure I didn’t hold to replacement theology before he’d let me interpret for him! Actually, I grew up taking pride in the fact that I was born the same year as the modern state of Israel, 1948, and even learned some Hebrew folk songs as a child. In seminary, by God’s amazing plan we were adopted into the Messianic fellowship and met with them every month for a pot luck dinner. They were amazed that I knew Hava Nagila better than they did! I am delighted to have brothers and sisters in Christ who are also physical descendants of Abraham. Ministering to the Japanese, I find many parallels between them and the Jews, particularly their extreme sense of racial identity. However, the Japanese and I are on the same footing as Gentiles, and we all need to be firmly grafted into Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah who died and rose again for all mankind.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and thank You for the rich heritage of faith we have through the Jews. I pray that all of Your children would recognize that heritage and rejoice in it with deep gratitude, so that nothing will stand in the way of the rest of the Jews being gathered into the Body of Christ, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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God is For Us; September 12, 2018

Posted on September 14, 2018 by jgarrott

Romans 8:31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Actually, the first part of this verse seems like an appropriate response to the whole chapter. There is so much marvelous truth contained here that it can rob us of words. Most things that seem “too good to be true” really are; there is a lie or deception or at least misunderstanding in there somewhere. However, God’s love and grace are infinite. It is very true that in our humanity there is plenty of room for misunderstanding God’s love and grace, but to the degree that we turn to Him in humility and gratitude, He will open our hearts to understand Him more and more. When we consider this verse we need to understand that the devil really is against us, and he will do all he can to steal, kill, and destroy what God has for us. However, he has nowhere near the power that God does, by very definition. God’s infinite and he’s not! At the same time, God doesn’t “spoil us rotten,” but as the perfect Parent guides us to grow in every area so that we will be more and more like His Son, our Savior. We do need to realize that “on our side” doesn’t mean He agrees with us in every argument we might have with someone. As any parent of multiple children knows well, we can know that one child is correct and another out of place while still loving and desiring the best for both children equally. The expression in this verse could be rephrased as, “God desires the best for me.” When we really get that through our heads and hearts, anxiety is a thing of the past.

I think I’m further along the road to grasping this than many I deal with, but that doesn’t mean I’m there yet. I get anxious too! As I write this, a very major hurricane is approaching the US East Coast, not only with high winds but also with anticipated flooding considerably inland. I’m grateful not to be there myself, but many people I care about deeply are right in the bull’s eye, so to speak. I am to pray that God’s purposes in allowing this will be fulfilled for each individual, both those I know and those I don’t, drawing each of them to repentance as they need it and full commitment to Jesus as Lord. We live in an extremely materialistic age, and events like this are reminders that things are just things, and we can’t take them with us anyway. I am to remember that God’s perfect will for each individual fits in perfectly with His will for each other individual. The biggest supercomputer in the world couldn’t keep track of all that, but God can and does. I am to pray that His kingdom come and His will be done in every detail, for His glory. That will certainly be the best thing for everyone involved!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all that You are doing in and around us right here. Help me indeed not be anxious about anything, but release it all to You with praise and gratitude whether it feels good at the moment or not, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Spirit of God; September 11, 2018

Posted on September 14, 2018 by jgarrott

Romans 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

There seems to be no limit to the things the Holy Spirit is involved in, but that should come as no surprise. After all, the Spirit is the invisible, active agent of the Trinity. Human language has a lot of trouble expressing the Trinity. We ourselves have physical bodies but are likewise mental/emotional beings, and we too have spirits. Those who insist on a strictly material view of the universe deny that we are spiritual beings, but that is their problem! The thing is, all of those different layers interact, even in us. Our emotions and thoughts are influenced by our bodies, with hormone production and the like, and the influence our minds and emotions have over our bodies is well known, with psychosomatic illness and sometimes incredible feats in times of emergency. Underlying all of that is our spirits, but that is much harder to prove by repeatable experiments. The body of evidence from those who have had near-death experiences has grown and is mounting. Many who have been through such experiences have observed things that can be confirmed as true, but which they could have had no knowledge of physically speaking. Children who have “been to heaven” and come back have known the number and gender of their mother’s miscarriages, for example, when they had never been told anything of the sort. Others have seen physical details that would have been entirely invisible to them had they not left their bodies. As I said, these aren’t repeatable experiments, but the evidence is pretty remarkable. When that is how we are, it should come as no surprise that God is the same way. Jesus was the physical manifestation of God, His Body, which makes it all the more important that the Church is spoken of as the Body of Christ, His current physical manifestation. Father God would be analogous to the mind, because that is the seat of the will, and God willed the universe into existence. (Thankfully, God doesn’t have to worry about hormones!) However, God too is Spirit, as Jesus said very clearly. (John 4:24) That’s why everything He does involves His Spirit. The marvelous thing about this verse is that it assures us that God’s Spirit helps us in our weakness. People, especially men, don’t like to admit they are weak, but facts are facts. Compared to God, any strength we might have isn’t worth mentioning! God has already provided for every one of our needs, and our time on earth is an adventure in discovering that provision.

My own knowledge and awareness of God’s Spirit has certainly grown over the years, and as a pastor I earnestly desire such knowledge and awareness for each of the people under my care. The Lord has made it clear I’m to speak on the Spirit Sunday, and this verse certainly needs to be included in that. I have neither the wisdom nor the strength to impart that knowledge and awareness on my own, so I too am dependent on the Spirit to help me in my weakness. The glorious thing is, I’ve experience that time and time again, so I can expect Him to do so this time as well. My responsibility is to be humble, submitted, and obedient, offering all of me for His use to impart to others what they need, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this clear reminder. Thank You for all that You are doing, and for including me in the process. Help me indeed be fully responsive to You, so that Your purposes may be fulfilled in and through me on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Holy Spirit; September 10, 2018

Posted on September 13, 2018 by jgarrott

Romans 8:15-16 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

This passage makes me wonder if there aren’t a lot of church members who have never received the Holy Spirit. Many indeed seem to be slaves to one sort of fear or another, and it’s very sad. In particular, they often seem to lack an awareness that they are children of God, and as this declares, that awareness is a major function of the Holy Spirit. They question then becomes, why haven’t they received the Spirit? Many “mainline” churches have so de-emphasized the Holy Spirit that there is deep-seated ignorance on the subject, but the Pentecostal churches that arose in reaction to that often seem to emphasize spiritual gifts to the exclusion of the Holy Spirit Himself. Both the assurance of salvation and the desire to evangelize become non-issues when the Holy Spirit is in control, and yet both of those are real problems for most churches. I think what is happening is that we address the symptoms rather than the cause. Practically every problem in Christian living is dealt with if we are filled and flowing with the Holy Spirit. Again, this isn’t the same as spiritual gifts. There are plenty of tongues-speakers who are caught in besetting sins! We need to be careful neither to grieve (Ephesians 4:30) nor quench (1 Thessalonians 5:19) the Holy Spirit. Rather, we need to be in step with Him (Galatians 5:25) in every area of our lives. If we will do that, the tricks of the devil will become ineffective and we will enjoy the abundant blessings God has prepared for us in Christ.

This is a major issue for me as a pastor. I have no question of my own position as a child of God, but I desire that in fullness for each of the members. As I’ve just written, I am so distracted by symptoms that I fail to address the root issue of being filled with and walking in step with the Holy Spirit. This makes it clear how I need to change my focus! The problem is, how indeed? I cannot force anyone to open their heart to the fullness of the Holy Spirit, but the Spirit Himself can be very persuasive. I need to pray first, then teach, then give opportunity for response, so that everyone in this church may rise above the mess and soar on wings as eagles indeed, (Isaiah 40:31) to be and do all that God intends, for His kingdom and His glory.

Father, thank You for this call to attention. Thank You that we’re expecting good attendance this next Sunday. Keep me from trying to make things happen in my own strength, but still be fully available and responsive to You, for You to do through me what You desire for this church, this city, and this nation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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