A Good Prayer; November 13, 2017

Posted on November 15, 2017 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.

One of David’s good points was that he knew what to ask for. His requests here doubtless pleased God a great deal. The first request comes with a promise. It does no good to know God’s way if you aren’t going to walk in it. That’s a real issue in “Christian” countries. It is a good thing when the Bible’s teachings permeate a society, but often when that happens, people just give those teachings lip service and don’t really walk them out. Sometimes they actively deny them! David had his famous huge deviation from God’s path with Bathsheba and Uriah, but he repented genuinely, and the over-all course of his life was indeed a fulfillment of his promise here. The second half of the verse deals with a common human problem we have all experienced at times: being double-minded. Cartoons depict the situation as a little angel on one shoulder and a little devil on the other, each trying to convince you to do things their way. We may honestly want to walk in God’s truth, but at the same time we want to go the way of the flesh. Paul famously bemoaned that situation in Romans 7. It is helpful that David puts it in the context of fear. Love is the highest motivator, but sometimes we need a healthy dose of fear! That’s why physical punishment is almost always necessary in raising children. Frankly, logic doesn’t get through, but if they learn that disobeying their parents brings painful consequences, they learn obedience. God doesn’t pick on us, any more than any good parent picks on their children, but He does bring discipline into our lives to teach us right from wrong. Sometimes fear is very helpful in getting us to listen to the “angel” instead of the “devil!”

I’ve certainly had my times of conflicting “pulls” in my heart! It would be wonderful if I could say I’d always chosen right, but that would be dishonest to say the least. This verse foreshadows two statements by James, both in the first chapter of his letter. The first part calls to mind James 1:22. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” The second half calls to mind James 1:5-8. “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” I have prided myself on my intellect since childhood, but intellect isn’t the same thing as wisdom. Just yesterday I read an article that said that more intelligent people are more likely to believe some absurd things, because their pride keeps them from checking things out properly. I’ve done that! I have known God’s way and yet failed to walk in His truth, and I have failed to fear Him enough to give Him my undivided devotion. I’ve got to remember that I am certainly no better than David, and he fell drastically. I’ve got to walk in humble, grateful obedience.

Father, thank You for this reminder. The devil certainly never lets up, so I must never let down my guard. Help me indeed walk in the truth You have planted in me, with an undivided heart, so that I may bring only honor to the name of Christ that I bear. Thank You. Praise God!

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Righteousness; November 12, 2017

Posted on November 15, 2017 by jgarrott

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

There’s an interesting difference in tenses between the NIV and the Japanese here. The first half of the verse is in complete agreement, but in the second half the Japanese says, “[righteousness] makes His footprints a road.” In other words, righteousness follows God as well as goes before Him. The point, I think, is that righteousness is intimately involved with God. Righteousness invites (goes before) His presence, and where God has been, righteousness follows. There are people today who so emphasize grace as to say our behavior makes no difference at all, but that flies in the face of the whole Bible. However, that’s hardly a new heresy; Paul had to deal with it as well. “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning, so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1-2) God has provided His righteousness for us in Christ, (2 Corinthians 5:21) but we are to accept, receive, and walk in that righteousness, or we are essentially spitting in Jesus’ face. We were created for fellowship with God, but since He is perfectly righteous, we need to walk in righteousness in order to maintain that fellowship. It only takes a moment of confession and repentance to become righteous, but we then need to walk that out to maintain fellowship. Otherwise, we grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) and His presence lifts from us.

I have to be as careful as anyone else about this. If anything, I am more in danger of fooling myself into thinking that because I know the truth I’m walking in it. By God’s grace I can walk in righteousness, but only by His grace can I do so. I am called to lead others into fellowship with God, but that will happen only as I am walking in that fellowship myself. The benefits are incalculable, but the distractions and obstacles can be intense. I’ve got to be alert at all times, choosing God over all the other options presented by the world, my flesh, and the devil. However, I can do that by faith, (1 John 5:4) because the Holy Spirit in me is far greater than the devil. (1 John 4:4)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the awareness that my own righteousness is no more than filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6) Help me abide in Christ indeed, so that I may walk in Your righteousness rather than any other. May nothing interfere with my fellowship with You, so that I may be fully available and useful to You for the sake of the Body of Christ, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Depending on God; November 11, 2017

Posted on November 14, 2017 by jgarrott

Psalm 81:10 I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

This is the simplest of interactions, bringing to mind baby birds in a nest, opening their mouths when a parent shows up. God is here reminding the children of Abraham just who He is, and telling them to act accordingly. Since we are children of Abraham by faith, (Romans 4:16) it applies to us as well. Talking about leading them out of Egypt is shorthand for all the demonstrations of power that happened, from the point Moses showed up in Pharaoh’s court until Joshua led them across the Jordan. Taken together, all of that should be enough to convince anyone that God is both holy and loving, and absolutely powerful. The contrast with us is even greater than the contrast between a fledgling and an adult bird. The events of the Exodus should make it clear that we are responsible to follow God’s rules, but they should also be a clear illustration that God can and will provide for us when we cannot. That’s where the image of the little birds with moths agape comes in. I just noticed that word is spelled the same as the Greek word for God’s unconditional love. We can’t generate that love on our own, any more than newly hatched birds can find their own food, but we can receive it from Father God and let it operate in and through us. That too is something we can’t take pride it but should be extremely grateful for.

Like most of us, and particularly like most men, I like to be able to take pride in something I’ve accomplished. I’ve had to learn over the years the futility, even danger, of that attitude. Any time I think I can do something on my own, I make a mess of it. As Jesus said flat out, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) I am certainly no more capable of independent living that a newly hatched bird. However, I have also learned that God is big enough and powerful and loving enough to use even such a weak and helpless one as I am to do His work. That’s certainly miraculous, and it’s also incredibly good news. For my part, I need to stay aware of God at all times and seek to stay open – mouth, arms, everything – to Him. He has both filled me with His provision and placed His words in my mouth for me to speak. I am no more worthy of that than a beggar is worthy to be a king, so my response must be grateful obedience. When I manage to live like that, everyone benefits and God is glorified.

Father, thank You for the many word pictures in the Bible to help us grasp more of Your truth. Help me indeed express Your truth in Your words, so that Your Word through me may accomplish everything for which You send it, (Isaiah 55:10-11) for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Honesty; November 10, 2017

Posted on November 13, 2017 by jgarrott

Psalm 78:36-37 But then they would flatter him with their mouths,
lying to him with their tongues;
their hearts were not loyal to him,
they were not faithful to his covenant.

Human beings have a remarkable capacity for putting on fronts. The Japanese even have standard terminology for it. Tatemae is your “public face,” with the characters indicating “something built in front,” while honne is your “true sound,” what you really mean. With it institutionalized like that, interactions can be very frustrating at times, particularly for Americans who have a cultural tradition of frankness. Even Japanese Christians sometimes struggle with being open about themselves and their feelings, and the “white lie” is expected, or even socially required. From a Biblical standpoint, that’s a problem! That’s not to say that Japanese can’t be open and honest, but it is to say that it is often a real struggle for them, because they have been taught that frankness is rude. The thing is, they aren’t alone in that struggle. American churches, too, have been called “hypocrite clubs,” and not without reason. It is common to all cultures to want to do what is socially expected, whether it’s sincere or not. There are two things we must remember in relation to this. The first is that God sees our hearts and knows our honne, whatever front we happen to put on. The other is that thanks, praise, and worship are choices, and are not to be reserved for “when we feel like it.” That can indeed feel like hypocrisy at times, but if it is the choice of our will, our emotions will eventually “come along for the ride.” When we place emotions first, whether we “feel like it,” we will get further and further away from worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24) Sadly, some churches today use the “special effects” of the world to try to whip up emotion, rather than calling people to choose to worship. The result of that is precisely what the Psalmist is talking about here.

As a pastor ministering in Japan, this is a virtually constant issue. On a personal level, I need to maintain absolute honesty while not being unnecessarily rude. That can be difficult! However, I am called to be an example to the flock, and that’s the other side of it. This issue is not just personal for me, because I am charged with feeding the flock what Christ has for them, (John 21:15-17) and not just what sounds nice to them. (2 Timothy 4:3) That has driven some people away from this church. I am always to speak the truth in love, (Ephesians 4:15) but speaking a lie is never love. I am to be gentle, remembering that I am as much in need of God’s grace as anyone, but always urge them on to grow into the likeness of Christ Jesus our Lord.

Father, You know better than I do that I don’t have the wisdom to do this right on my own. I ask You to keep my heart true to Yourself so that I may accurately draw others to You as well, for their eternal blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Trusting God; November 9, 2017

Posted on November 13, 2017 by jgarrott

Psalm 78:21-22 When the Lord heard them, he was very angry;
his fire broke out against Jacob,
and his wrath rose against Israel,
for they did not believe in God
or trust in his deliverance.

When you think about it, this is a pretty accurate description of what went on in the Exodus from Egypt, and it should be a powerful object lesson for us today. What incited God’s wrath was the stubborn refusal to believe, and that’s certainly a problem for us today as well. If we fail to believe and trust God, we turn to all sorts of other things instead. The vast majority of Americans are at least “paper Christians,” claiming Christianity if asked, but whether they are living in relationship with Jesus Christ is an entirely different question. Recently the President made a statement that would be wonderful if true: “We don’t worship government, we worship God.” However, in actual fact, many people do indeed rely on the government rather than on God. That’s one of the most prevalent idolatries around. At least an equal number rely on money, and the same may be said for science, as an extension of human intellect. The tricky thing is that all of those things have their place and can be genuinely helpful if used rightly, but if we turn to them instead of God, we are in deep trouble, and that’s where a lot of people are today. We think of the Exodus as ancient history, or even mythology, when the Bible itself says that those past events were “written down as warnings for us.” (1 Corinthians 10:11) The Psalmist is here doing that consciously, and we would do well to pay attention.

I have long realized that human nature hasn’t changed since the Garden of Eden. We still tend to be headstrong and seek our own way instead of following and trusting God. I have brought plenty of unnecessary suffering on myself by failing to trust and obey. As a pastor I see that pattern all around me, but I can’t force anyone to trust God enough to obey Him. All I can do is speak the truth in love and model, by the grace of God, what it is to live in fellowship with Him. It breaks my heart at times to see how stubbornly people refuse to trust God. Sometimes they will actually say, “I know (God’s truth) but…” That but indicates they don’t really know what it is they are parroting. That’s just a form of the self-deception James talked about. (James 1:22) I know. I’ve been there! I am to challenge people to trust God fully, but at the same time realize that we are all in the place of the father of the epileptic boy who was healed by Jesus: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the awareness that my own trust and obedience have plenty of room to grow. Help me be increasingly submitted and faithful to You, useful to You in drawing others to Yourself as well, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Transmitting Faith; November 8, 2017

Posted on November 12, 2017 by jgarrott

Psalm 78:7 Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.

This Psalm says it’s “a maskil of Asaph,” and nobody is positive what that means, but my impression is that a maskil could be a teaching poem, perhaps part of a catechism to be taught to children. Whether that’s the meaning of the term or not, this verse expresses the purpose of this particular Psalm. Transmission of information about God for purposes of faith is an issue for every generation. Back then, long before the printing press, oral transmission was the primary method, and that required skills of memorization that seem awesome to us today. When skills aren’t so needed, they are lost. After all, how many people today can start a fire with just a couple of sticks? When things are supplanted by better technology that’s not a problem, but there is no substitute for a personal knowledge of and relationship with God. Knowledge by itself isn’t enough, but you aren’t likely to have the relationship without knowledge. I’ve known parents who didn’t want to teach their children about Jesus because they wanted them to “make an independent decision” about faith and religion. However, as Paul pointed out, how can anyone have faith without knowledge? (Romans 10:14) From Moses on, the Bible tells us again and again to transmit the knowledge of God to the next generation. What they do with that knowledge is their responsibility, but giving them the knowledge is ours.

My life is dedicated to transmitting knowledge of God to others, and I consider that a high privilege. At this point everyone in this church, besides Cathy and me, is a first generation Christian, so they were never taught about Christ by their parents. I need to help them experience the joy of birthing spiritual children, transmitting knowledge of God by word and by example, so that we may have many spiritual generations in this church. I read that it’s true in America too, but the average Japanese Christian has never led anyone else to Christ. Japanese society is very professionally oriented, and people hesitate to attempt things for which they do not feel qualified. In contrast, I don’t think my parents ever told me something was too difficult to attempt. I’m grateful for that, but I am faced with a flock that was raised to leave things to the professionals. Recently we have been waking up more to the reality of the priesthood of the believer and the dangers of dependence on the pastor, and that’s a good thing. I need not only to transmit my knowledge of God to them, but help them understand they can and should transmit their knowledge of God to others.

Father, thank You for how You are growing this church spiritually. Thank You for the recent assurance that You’re going to grow us numerically as well. Help us all take our eyes off of ourselves, so that we will stop feeling the task is too big, and fix them on You, so that we will know, to the depths of our being, that no task is too big for You. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Trusting God’s Control; November 7, 2017

Posted on November 12, 2017 by jgarrott

Psalms 75:2-3 You say, “I choose the appointed time;
it is I who judge uprightly.
When the earth and all its people quake,
it is I who hold its pillars firm.

It’s interesting to have another reference to earthquakes. There are perhaps few things that are more terrifying to the average person, because they are essentially unpredictable even today (at least in exact timing and magnitude) and they are so totally unstoppable. That makes them good reminders of God’s omnipotence and our frailty. That makes the reference to people quaking very apt. In Japan, which has recorded earthquakes scientifically longer than any other country, it is a known phenomenon for some of the deaths from an earthquake to be either from heart attacks triggered by fear, or simply from sheer terror. Here God is reminding us that when the earth quakes not everything is going to fall apart, because He won’t let it. An actually more important part of this passage is the statement that God chooses when things happen, and He does it justly. We tend to get tied in knots over when things happen or don’t happen, but God sees the end from the beginning and He does it right. So the answer to anxiety and frustration is faith and trust, whether the issue is a natural disaster or anything else. In verses 6-7 the Psalmist points out that God is in control of human ranking as well, so there too we need to trust Him.

I’ve experienced a few earthquakes, though not with major damage in my immediate vicinity, and I’ve never been too uptight about rank, either mine or anyone else’s. However, the whole matter of timing has tied me in knots more times than I could count. By personality and gifting I hate to be late for anything, so it irritates me when others are late. God has been working on me about that, and I think I did pretty well about it yesterday, with various delays during the day. However, that was yesterday. It is entirely probable that I will get upset about the timing of something again today! That’s proof that I too am a work in progress, and I won’t be finished until I’m before God’s throne. I need to accept the lessons God provides and grow as He intends, to manifest the fruit of the Spirit more and more consistently, not just for my blessing and the blessing of the people around me, but for His glory.

Father, thank You indeed for Your patience with me. I would have given up on me a long time ago! Help me trust You enough to be fully available for whatever You want to do through me whenever You want to do it, not pushing my agenda or my schedule but yielding fully to Yours, because Yours is infinitely better than mine, whatever it might feel like to me at the moment. Thank You. Praise God!

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Resentment; November 6, 2017

Posted on November 10, 2017 by jgarrott

Psalm 73:21-22 When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.

This Psalm is a very interesting exposition of the dangers of resentment. Verses 25 and 26 have been nicely set to music, but these two verses are what grab me this morning. Whether this Psalm was written by Asaph himself or by one of his descendants, it expresses a level of understanding that can only come from God. Verses two and three point out how dangerous envy and resentment are, and here we have the express statement that such emotions make us less than human. A lot of evil in the world can be traced directly to envy and resentment. Even when resentment doesn’t lead to rioting and looting, as it has done in very recent memory, it poisons our relationships and rots our spirits. Looking at someone else and striving to achieve what they have achieved can be a good thing, but striving to take what they have achieved away from them is directly from the devil. That’s exactly what he wants to do. He can’t have the peace and joy that come from a right relationship with God, so he tries to take our peace and joy away from us, interfering as much as he can with our fellowship with God. That’s what Jesus was talking about when He said the devil comes only to “steal, kill, and destroy.” (John 10:10) When we yield to resentment we yield to the devil, and as the Psalmist says, we become animals. As James said clearly, we are to submit to God and resist the devil. (James 4:7)

I don’t think I’ve ever let resentment consume me the way I see happen with some people, but I’ve certainly had my moments of loss because of it. From my experience it can be very subtle and insidious, and I’ve got to be on my guard. The antidote is recognizing God’s grace to me and being grateful. Gratitude is the opposite of resentment. Giving God thanks and praise is the very best antidote to the poison of resentment. If I yield to resentment I destroy my ability to lead others to Christ, because I’m facing away from Him myself. As the Psalmist realized, I’ve got to yield everything and everyone to God, trusting Him to sort it all out correctly in the end. I need to realize and remember that He already gives me better than I deserve, and give Him the sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15) even when my circumstances seem less than ideal to me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for reminding me just now of the friend whose mouth was filled with ulcers while they were on chemotherapy, to help me endure the three or four I have at the moment. Thank You for getting us through the past few days of exhausting activity, and that You will get us through today’s full schedule as well. Help us indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, giving You the thanks and praise You deserve, so that we may walk in all that You intend for us, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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God’s Omniscience; November 5, 2017

Posted on November 8, 2017 by jgarrott

Psalm 71:15-16 My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
of your salvation all day long,
though I know not its measure.
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord;
I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.

It is fascinating to run into a passage that encapsulates much of this morning’s message, right now before I’ve even stood in the pulpit, but very like my God to show it to me in this way. He knew what was going to happen when, back when He was guiding me in creating the list of Scripture readings, and even when He showed me what topic to use for the Scripture lists, moths ago. Actually, the Bible makes it clear that He knew this at the point He created the universe, and that is beyond incredible to the human mind. We have such a small conception of God! He arranged that the replacement part for the attic stairs arrived the day after the old part completely failed, on a day that I had enough time to install it, when I didn’t have that time the day of the failure. I am reminded of Nathanael, who was convinced Jesus was the Messiah because He told him He had seen him under the fig tree before Philip called him. (John 1:43-51) We don’t trust God because we don’t believe either that He really knows our circumstances or that He really cares and wants the best for us. If we are fully assured of those two things, then anxiety would be an impossibility, replaced by an anticipation of what God is going to do next.

I’m coming through some pretty intense training in this very issue. The past three days have required doing a great deal of work in limited time with limited help, but we have gotten through and are getting through it all. The rushed schedule will continue for about 48 more hours, but God is assuring me that He knows every detail, and He’s got it all in control. Actually, this cycle of training started just about a year ago. At times I have indeed been the “faith engine” for the church that God told me to be, but at times I have fallen well short of that mark. Yesterday morning God blew me out of the water through a dear sister who came to our early morning prayer meeting (and who has also be invaluable and untiring in helping out over the past 48 hours). She said that God had given her the assurance that, quite apart from the elder-care facility we are planning to build, God was going to grow this church greatly in numbers. Considering that our attendance has been under 10 for the past several months, that made me break down in tears. God is showing us things to do, and we need people to do them. Right now He’s assuring me that He knows that far better than I do, and He’s got it all in control. We have lots of challenges ahead of us, but His knowledge, His love, and His control are and will be operative through all of it, so as He told me years ago now, I am to rest, relax, and rejoice, however busy my body might be.

Father, thank You for this very needed Word! Thank You that You will enable us to be ready for the service by the time it starts, and that the rest of the day will also be a blessing. Help me trust You enough to enjoy the process and give You the praise and glory You deserve. Thank You. Praise God!

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Salvation; November 4, 2017

Posted on November 7, 2017 by jgarrott

Psalm 68:20 Our God is a God who saves;
from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.

There is a very small difference in nuance in the Japanese translation of this verse: “God is to us the God of salvation.” To me, that says that God is God whether we acknowledge Him or not, while the English is being possessive of Him. In any case, David is stating the truth that is proclaimed by the great multitude in heaven: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:10) Peter expressed it slightly differently before the Sanhedrin: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) David didn’t know about the promise of eternal life in Christ Jesus, but God had revealed it to his heart in some way, as Psalm 23 and many other of his Psalms indicate. The particular “escape from death” in this verse was likely just referring to physical death at the time, but God intended it for the eternal perspective. People seek salvation in various ways, but it stands to reason that only our Creator can actually provide it. Buddhism, being atheistic at its foundation, avoids the subject entirely, and speaks of “nothingness” as the ultimate good. I’ve talked to three different Buddhist priests of different denominations at different times in different places, and all three acknowledged without hesitation that there is no salvation in Buddhism. My question then is, “Then why are you a Buddhist priest?” None of them answered. Peter’s declaration is true, from now through eternity, which is why there is such antipathy to the name of Jesus among those who are yielded to the devil. I just read of an American TV program that is now censoring all references to Jesus. How pathetic! Hatred of Jesus is essentially self-hatred, because it is an utter rejection of salvation.

My life is dedicated to sharing the good news of salvation with others, which is quite challenging in a country that is so infused with the lies of Buddhism and Shinto. I am never to give up, but keep speaking the truth in love. There is great fear of, even obsession with, death in Japan. That’s hardly surprising, when 99% of the population has no hope of eternal life. I am to speak to that fear, using the hope that I have to draw them to repentance and faith. John 3:16 is true in every culture and in every age. I am to let the Holy Spirit use my words and life to get that truth across to as many people as will receive it, for their salvation and the glory of God.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all the many ways You save us, and not just from eternal death. Thank You for enabling us to be ready for the bazaar yesterday, and for each person who came. Thank You especially that one of my nursing school students came and brought her sister. I pray that many more would come today and discover that this church isn’t such a scary place, to have courage to come again for other events that are more actively evangelistic. Thank You for all the church members who are participating. May all that we do bring Your kingdom into the hearts and lives of those around us, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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