Witnesses; December 4, 2025

Posted on December 5, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 43:10 “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord,
    “and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe me
    and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
    nor will there be one after me.”

Some people insist that you show them “proof of God.” I recently saw a video of someone stating two over-arching proofs, one external and the other internal. The external proof is the complexity of the universe. The probability that all of this could have come about by chance is essentially infinitely small. Even Darwin said that if biological cells would be found to be complex, his theory of evolution would fall apart. We now know that cells are incredibly complex, to the point that the study of cellular biology is a major scientific field. The internal proof is the human moral sense, our conscience, if you will. There is no “evolutionary advantage” to kindness, for example. We have an intrinsic awareness of right and wrong, and the only logical explanation for it is that that’s how we were created. If we were created, there must be a Creator. Those who rebel against that idea don’t want to be accountable to anyone or anything, but their own heart tells them that’s wrong. The question then becomes, what kind of Creator is He? That’s where this verse comes in. We know the character of God from various empirical things, but other than direct revelation through fellowship with Him, we know Him by His servants, those who are in relationship with Him. That’s called being witnesses. Jesus famously told us that as His disciples we are His witnesses, (Acts 1:8) but in a sense, He was just restating what is said here. An important question for every Christian is, what kind of God do people postulate from watching you, who claim to know Him? If that doesn’t give you pause, you aren’t being honest with yourself!

This is a question I have been faced with all my life, growing up in a missionary family in Japan, which is certainly not culturally Christian. I’ve come to realize that spiritual growth is a matter of coming to represent Christ more and more accurately. We are His witnesses whether we like it or not, and we certainly don’t want to hear Him say, “Depart from me. I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:23) I have noticed that people seem to enjoy Cathy and me, and that’s a really good sign. Clerks in stores we frequent seem to brighten up when we walk in, and that makes me very happy. My personal struggle is that I don’t want people just to like me, I want them to love my Lord, who is the Source of everything good in me. I’ve got plenty of not-so-good things in me that are my own responsibility, so if they see good stuff, it’s Him. I’m reminded of Francis of Assisi’s famous directive: “Preach constantly. When necessary, use words.” I want my life to be an accurate representation of my Lord, who loved me enough to die for me.

Father, thank You for this powerful Word. Guide me in laying out a logical outline so that I will be able to share it effectively on Sunday, drawing all the believers to be better witnesses for You, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Blindness; December 3, 2025

Posted on December 4, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 42:16 “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
    along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them
    and make the rough places smooth.
These are the things I will do;
    I will not forsake them.”

What a beautiful promise! The thing is, it’s not just talking about the physically blind but about the spiritually blind, and that includes most of mankind. The problem is that the blind in particular like familiar paths, ones they can navigate from muscle memory, and God is talking about unfamiliar paths. He does promise light in the darkness, but that is later on. The first steps in particular call for faith, and that is where too many falter. We have to know we are being led, and trust the One leading us. The thing is, once we start following Him, we start seeing the light, on various levels. That’s when it gets exciting, and our steps become firmer. It is a glorious thing for someone who has been physically blind to have medical treatment that restores their sight, and it is even more glorious for the spiritually blind to be given spiritual sight. This is where the story of Jesus healing the man born blind, in John 9, is so telling. The climax of that comes at the end of the chapter, where the Pharisees confront Jesus about this miracle. “Jesus said, ‘For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.’ Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, ‘What? Are we blind too?’ Jesus said, ‘If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.’” The claim to see when we actually can’t is dangerous indeed! None of us sees perfectly in this world, but the more we look to Jesus, the better we can see everything else.

This hits very close to home, because there was a time in my life when I thought I could see, and everyone else was blind. How incredibly stupid of me! Even now I have to remind myself of that very true statement by C. S. Lewis, that when we get to heaven, everyone will discover they were wrong somewhere. I am to rejoice in the light, the spiritual vision I have been given, but never think I have all the answers. I am to walk in humility and obedience, encouraging others to follow me as I follow Christ, (1 Corinthians 11:1) all the while praying that they will follow Him better than I do. I am to receive light from those who have it, and particularly those portions of the light that I haven’t yet recognized. I’m still partially color blind! However, I’m to take comfort in the fact that “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)

Father, thank You for this Word. Thank You for the conference over the past two days, and for the privilege of interpreting for it. Thank You for Your anointing as I did that. Thank You also for the fresh light You gave me even as I was interpreting it! May I indeed walk in all the light You give me, doing Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Foreknowledge; December 2, 2025

Posted on December 3, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 42:9 “See, the former things have taken place,
    and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
    I announce them to you.”

God does let us know some things ahead of time, and the fact that He can do that is one of the many proofs that He is indeed God. However, there are many risks to that. One is that some of the things He tells us are conditional, such as what He told Jonah about Ninevah. They repented, so He didn’t do what He had said. In that way, some of the things He tells us are warnings: if you don’t straighten up, this will happen. And of course, the devil is always a liar, and he talks to us too. “Fortune tellers” exist in almost every culture, because we have quite a thirst to know the future, but seeking such always opens us up to deception and worse. This isn’t the same as seeing trends and making forecasts; that is applicable for a wide variety of things, from the weather to the stock market, but there is a high variability in accuracy there. God alone absolutely knows the future, and we need to be comfortable with that. We are to pay attention when He shows us things, either through the Bible or otherwise, but we aren’t to be demanding advance knowledge of things, but rather trust Him to have good plans and bring them about.

This is an area where I don’t think I’ve been terribly tempted, and I’m grateful. I find Revelation to be more reassuring than scary, in contrast to a number of people I’ve run into. I know I’m on the winning side, whatever happens in the meantime! There are a number of things in my life I might have done differently had I known more, or paid attention more, in advance, but God has used even my mistakes to grow me and bless me in various ways. Right now, I’m inconvenienced by the fact that I left my Bible at the church yesterday, so I had to get my wife to tell me what today’s reading was, but this is a strong reminder that I need to install the cloud service I use on this computer, since I have the relevant file there. It is also a reminder that in this day and age I don’t necessarily need to carry my printed Bible around. If I’m preaching, it is a major convenience, since it is bilingual, but otherwise, electronic forms are convenient. At the same time, I don’t want to be totally dependent on technology. The point, always, is to be humbly submitted to my Lord, listen carefully to what He tells me, and act in full gratitude and obedience.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for what You’re teaching me day by day. Thank You for my misstep in driving yesterday, that led me to an inexpensive place to buy gasoline before the trip home today. Thank You for Your beautiful anointing in the interpreting yesterday, just as we had prayed. I ask for your anointing again today. May I not be presumptive or puffed up, but humbly allow You to use me to build up the Body of Christ, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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God’s Plans; December 1, 2025

Posted on December 2, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 40:5 “And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
    and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

There are many passages in the Bible that preclude the idea of a “secret rapture.” You can’t get any more definite than “all flesh!” (all people) There are many things about God’s plans that we cannot see, or even imagine, at this point, but people have been trying to imagine them throughout history, and they’ve come up with some pretty wild ideas! The point for a believer is to trust that God’s plans are good, and that He will let us know what we need to know when we need to know it. It doesn’t get any more simple than that. We get ourselves all worked up because we want to be in control somehow, forgetting just how small we are in the overall scheme of things. It is actually a very big miracle that God cares about us, even as a group, much less individually, but He does. That assurance should “guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus,” as Paul wrote to the Philippians. (Philippians 4:7)

It’s been well over 10 years since the Lord told me explicitly to “Rest. Relax. Rejoice.” That was a wonderful thing to hear from Him, but I’m still learning how to do it. Right now, I’m in a hotel in a city I haven’t visited for over 60 years. Getting here yesterday I encountered the heaviest traffic I’ve ever experienced on a Japanese expressway, and almost got sideswiped by a car that was trying to merge by brute force. Then, once in the city, I didn’t have a good handle on the scale of the map I was using, got some scrambled directions from a person who didn’t know how to give them, and took a wrong turn. However, the Lord straightened me out, and I arrived safely. I just found out that the person I expected to meet up with here is staying at a different hotel, so he won’t be able to guide me to the church where the conference will be held. However, there are in all probability other people going to that conference who are staying here, and I hope to meet up with them at breakfast. The point is to trust God! I don’t know what all He has planned for this conference, but I can rest assured that it is good. That I have a small part in it, as the interpreter, is a great honor, and I rejoice!

Father, thank You for all of Your overwhelming grace. Thank You for the various ways You guided me last night, for Your provision of a place to grab some supper, and for the good night’s sleep. I do pray that these two days may flow exactly as You intend, accomplishing in Your kingdom everything that You intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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God’s Faithfulness; November 30, 2025

Posted on December 1, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 7:13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also?

This whole passage, rightly famous at Christmas time as it is, is a testimony to the faithfulness of God in the face of human foolishness and weakness. God is incredibly patient, and those who serve Him need to learn from that fact. When we are tempted to lose our temper at people, we need to think of how many times we have tempted God to lose His temper! King Ahaz is a good example of those who seek to seem pious but don’t have a living relationship with God. Isaiah, on the other hand, is an example of those who place God first in every aspect of their lives, seeking to walk with Him in ever-increasing intimacy. Guess which attitude pleases God? That said, God used Ahaz’s foolishness to explicitly point to the advent of His Son, as Matthew quotes verse 14 to speak of Jesus, in Matthew 1:23. We are to seek ever-more accurate obedience to our Lord, and at the same time remember that He can use even our mistakes for good, as Paul so famously pointed out in Romans 8:28. As long as our focus is on ourselves, we will have neither wisdom nor assurance. It is when we genuinely serve Christ as Lord that we walk in His power. I have long liked the end of verse 9 here: “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” Sadly, the Japanese translation I use leaves out “stand” in reference to faith, just saying “If you do not believe.” To me, that leaves out an important factor in faith, which is our emotional/spiritual posture. Genuine faith doesn’t cower, it stands! I’m reminded of Martin Luther’s famous declaration when he was on religious trial: “Here I stand. I can do no other.” We too need to be so focused on Christ that we stand firm and tall, whatever is going on around us.

I wish I could say I’ve always lived this way! However, glimpses of this right attitude have come through from time to time. Over 40 years ago, when I was teaching on the high school level, a Social Studies teacher came into the faculty room one day and said, “I used you as an illustration in class today.” “Oh? How was that?” “I was telling the students about different attitudes toward religion in different countries. I said that if you point a gun at a Japanese and say ‘Change your religion,’ they’ll say, ‘To what?’ But if you do that to Garrott, he’ll spread out his hands and say, ‘Shoot.’” I was moved almost to tears of gratitude at that, because that’s precisely the attitude I want to have. I don’t want to vex my Lord, but rather delight to do His will, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the Bible, that illustrates Your faithfulness so beautifully. Help me be faithful to You in turn, that I may fulfill all of Your purposes for me, for Your pleasure and glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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God’s Promises; November 29, 2025

Posted on November 30, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 11:1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
    from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

Few things look as desolate as a stump, so the image here is pretty graphic. By the 1st Century, the general populace wasn’t even sure who was a descendant of King David any more – but God knew. His promises sometimes might look like they have failed, but they never fail! This is why both Matthew and Luke trace Jesus’ genealogy, actually taking somewhat different routes. They both take the legal route through Joseph, even though Jesus wasn’t Joseph’s son. (I have always thought that Mary likewise was a direct descendant of David, but at this point I don’t find direct Biblical proof of that.) David’s line certainly looked like a dead stump by that point! However, God’s promises never fail, and He certainly came through on this one. The thing is, even at the time, it didn’t look like it, because it didn’t happen in the ways people imagined it might. That the royal heir would be born in such humble circumstances didn’t occur to the religious leaders, certainly. We get into a lot of trouble when we try to dictate to God how things “ought to be.” Oral Roberts coined the phrase, “God said it, I believe it, that settles it.” However, that should be, “God said it, that settles it.” It is very informative, even mind-blowing, to go through the Bible matching prophecies with their fulfillment. As just one example, the return of the Israelites to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity was improbable in the extreme, but God brought it about through people who didn’t claim to know Him. On top of that, the return of the Jews to Israel in the 20th Century was even more improbable, but that too was prophesied. That’s why the enmity of the Arab peoples is ultimately so futile. Many of God’s promises are conditional, and we need to be careful of that, but many are not, and we can absolutely bank on them, even though we might have no idea of the timing of their fulfillment.

God has said some things to me that seem improbable to say the least, but I can have absolute assurance that they will come to pass. When I came to Omura 44 years ago I had various ideas of how things might go, and none of them were accurate. However, He has said some things to me over the years that I do see being fulfilled, and I have great anticipation of much more. He is not only omnipotent, He is also totally faithful! I don’t know the details of what He is going to do from here, but I’m to keep myself available for however He wants to use me, because it’s His plans and not mine that matter.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that I’ll be going to Kumamoto tomorrow afternoon to be the interpreter for a conference the following two days. I ask for guidance in getting there safely, and I ask especially for wisdom and anointing to do all that You ask of me, through whomever You ask it, so that Your purposes may be accomplished on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Eschatology; November 28, 2025

Posted on November 29, 2025 by jgarrott

Isaiah 9:7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
    with justice and righteousness
    from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
    will accomplish this.

This whole passage is gloriously familiar, but it just struck me that this verse seems to be at odds with various popular eschatologies. It seems to agree with postmillennialism, which has been out of favor ever since WWI, and in direct conflict with premillennialism, which is probably the most popular eschatology today, and it doesn’t touch on “the Rapture,” that is so much a topic of anticipation and debate (even though the word never appears in the Bible). What came to me just now was that this verse is true regardless of how things look to us in the moment. Even in the horrors of WWII, which seemed to put a nail in the coffin of postmillennialism, people were turning to Christ and discovering His peace. We are totally short-sighted, unable to perceive the glories that God has ahead of us, and so we try to make all sorts of excuses for Him, to “make the Bible true” even though our experiences seem to contradict it. That’s a very human thing to do, but it is very self-centered, trying to make the world make sense to our brain instead of trusting God. That’s where faith comes in. If everything fit a plan that we could conceive, where would faith be? To me, the answer is pan-millennialism. The term was coined as a joke, but I think it has a lot of truth to it. It just means, “everything will pan out.” I think that is the position of honest humility.

Like many today, I have the gut feeling that Christ’s return isn’t very far off in terms of time, but then, believers in the 1st Century felt that way, too. I know absolutely that I will meet Him in less than 30 years, and I’ve already lived in Omura for 44 years! Jesus told us repeatedly that we are to be ready for His return, and I seek to do that. I don’t think that means stockpiling foodstuffs! I believe it means being active in my obedience, seeking His will for what I am to do each day, striving to communicate the Gospel while I have the opportunity. I fail to listen actively to Him all too often, getting caught up in what feels good to me, and that requires keeping my repentance up to date. I am to remember that my time is limited and seek to be the steward of that time that He wants me to be, so that whether I welcome Him on His return or simply go to Him before that, I will have no reason to be ashamed.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me not let things slide, but rather be active in Your service whatever Your timeline might be, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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David’s Dynasty; November 27, 2025

Posted on November 28, 2025 by jgarrott

Psalm 89:29 I will establish his line forever,
    his throne as long as the heavens endure.

This prophecy is true only if you understand it spiritually. The Davidic dynasty is clearly and thoroughly cut off, genetically and politically, but Jesus, the righteous descendant of David, is alive even today – and for eternity – and His spiritual offspring include every believer even today. We have a problem in that we tend to see everything in temporal terms, that is, this world and the material universe, when God is far greater than that. Perspective is always an issue for us, because our vision and understanding are so limited. For example, we can’t see how martyrdom can be glorious victory. When a believer stands firm in faith and clings to Christ alone, even over their physical life, it is glorious victory, just as I preached this past Sunday. Christ is indeed King, and His throne will last even longer than the physical universe. Abiding in Him is the ultimate definition of security.

This is something I have known as fact for as long as I can remember, but my understanding of it has certainly deepened over the years. I currently care very little for my physical life, other than for the sake of those who depend on me in various ways. I enjoy my life, but my anticipation of what comes next has only grown over the years. The slogans of “Christ is King,” and “Jesus Reigns” are far more than slogans, and my life is to be a demonstration of their reality. That will happen only to the degree that I am submitted and obedient to Him, so that is to be my focus. I am to rejoice in the privilege of being used by Him in whatever ways He chooses, because being His ambassador is a greater honor than serving any earthly king. (2 Corinthians 5:20)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me rejoice consistently in the privilege of being Your agent, so that Your rule and reign may be established as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Listening to God; November 26, 2025

Posted on November 27, 2025 by jgarrott

Deuteronomy 18:15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.

Because of the explicit singular in this verse, many have taken it to be a Messianic prophecy, but the following verses seem to apply to prophets in general. At this point we have the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, so the matter of a specific spokesperson for God is not nearly as urgent. That said, the writer of Hebrews got it right: “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.” (Hebrews 1:1-2) In the case of Jesus, we don’t have to worry about the details given in verses 21-22, about how to respond to false prophecy. Everything Jesus said was and is perfectly true and certain! All of that said, we still have the issue of hearing and understanding accurately. People have misunderstood what God was saying ever since the Garden of Eden! We need to focus on personal humility, not filtering what God is saying through our own personal desires and ambitions. When that is our attitude, we will hear Him with a high degree of consistency.

As a pastor, one of my chief desires is for the believers to learn to listen to God. I frequently tell them that God is speaking to them, if their hearts are open, but modern society has taught them that such things are fantasy, or even hubris, that the Creator would speak to them. We have such trouble grasping that God really is omnipotent and omniscient, and He actually cares about each one of us individually. We aren’t necessarily of such huge importance, but He cares about us as though we were. We think we want to be independent, but our greatest liberty is when we are totally submitted to our Creator! I need to model this attitude for the believers to see, because imitation is much easier than learning in other ways. I don’t – I can’t – get it perfectly right myself, but I am very much in Paul’s territory here, urging others to copy me even as I seek to copy Jesus. (1 Corinthians 11:1) The good news is that it’s the Holy Spirit’s business to make it all possible, so I just have to be filled with and submitted to Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all that You do in and through each of us. May we be a people fully obedient and pleasing to You, doing Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Atonement; November 25, 2025

Posted on November 26, 2025 by jgarrott

Leviticus 16:16 In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the tent of meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness.

I must say that reading Leviticus makes me very grateful I live under the New Covenant! The Letter to the Hebrews makes it clear that Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself fulfilled every righteous commandment of the Law, freeing us from all the rituals prescribed here. The thing is, human sin is a serious issue that must be dealt with, but all the stuff in Leviticus is no more than a stop-gap measure before the ultimate atonement of Jesus’ blood. Everything described here was very solemn and very bloody, and it was prescribed to drive home the seriousness of human sin. Not having the practice of animal sacrifice today, we often tend to take sin lightly, but that’s a terrible mistake. Even in ancient Israel people came to disassociate all the sacrifices from their own sins, which made the sacrifices meaningless, as prophet after prophet warned them. Just as they needed to remember that those animals were being killed because of the people’s sins, we must remember that Jesus died for our sins. Calvary wasn’t just a horrible execution-by-torture in the distant past, it was the direct punishment required by our “uncleanness, rebellion, and sins,” as it says here. We often fail to realize what a wonderful salvation Jesus worked for us on that cross.

Like everyone else, I have tended to overlook and/or excuse my own sins, so it was extremely meaningful when God showed me, just for an instant, the state of my own soul, back in 1972. I realized that, as bad as some of my actions were, the real problem was the attitude that precipitated those actions. I was not holy before my Lord! It was devastating at the time, but I’m still learning to walk in the holiness that God has prepared for me, and for which He is preparing me. All I am that is good is because of the grace of my Lord, and not intrinsic to me. That fact calls out gratitude and the obedience that comes from love, if I will appreciate it fully.

Father, thank You for Your absolutely amazing grace. May it never be a cliché to me, but rather the foundation for every moment of my life, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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