Letting God be God; June 24, 2017

Posted on June 29, 2017 by jgarrott

2 Samuel 22:31 As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord is flawless.
He is a shield
for all who take refuge in him.

It would seem that it would go without saying that God’s way is perfect, but we need reminders precisely because our way is not perfect. We look at God through human eyes and think about Him with human thoughts, and all too often that leads to distortions. Any time things don’t line up with how we think they should be we start rationalizing them in our minds, either accusing God of being unfair or making excuses for Him, as if He needed our permission to be as He is. How foolish! As Paul pointed out, right now we see God like a dim reflection in an imperfect mirror (mirrors were polished metal at the time). (1 Corinthians 13:12) An important element of faith is accepting that we can’t understand God on our own, but have to receive what He reveals to us of Himself. We would like a magical sugar-daddy who grants our every whim, and we pull verses from the Bible to bolster that image of God, ignoring all the verses that talk about His holiness and His loving discipline of His children. One thing He said through Isaiah is very important. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) We quote that, but then act like we don’t believe it! If something doesn’t fit our preconceptions we dismiss it, thinking it can’t be God. Some would take this line of thinking to the point of saying that we can know nothing, but God has indeed revealed Himself through His Word (which this verse proclaims as pure), and He does reveal Himself to individual hearts. The important thing to remember is that we are never better than little children, and we need to trust Daddy.

I will probably always remember the point at which it finally got through to me, deep down, that God’s smart and I’m not. That wasn’t so many years ago! I’d always conceded that God was smarter than I was, but emotionally I put myself on some sort of finite scale with Him. How foolish! We have the word, omniscient, but we don’t grasp what it really means because we are so far from omniscient. Our verse for the year last year was Proverbs 3:5-6. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” I still have a tendency to lean on my own understanding! I am to seek to know Him, but not insist on knowing everything else. We don’t like to not know. Certainly I don’t. That kind of pride just gets in the way of knowing what we really need to know, which is that God made us and loves us as we are and He is growing and shaping us into what we need to be, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I need it! You are obviously doing a great deal in and around us right now. I get tied in knots wanting it all to go the way I’ve figured out in my mind, and it’s exhausting. Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, just as You told me to, so that I won’t let the devil steal any of my peace, joy, and fruitfulness but will flow with Your Spirit on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Seeking God; June 23, 2017

Posted on June 25, 2017 by jgarrott

2 Samuel 22:7 In my distress I called to the Lord;
I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears.

Probably the biggest reason God allows difficult situations in our lives is to get us to cry out to Him. When life seems to be easy street, we don’t recognize that we need Him. He’s kind of like air: we aren’t conscious of it until it is in short supply. Scuba divers are extremely aware of air because they have to carry their own supply with them. We can’t “bottle” God, but He’s even more essential to our existence than air is. The better we grasp that, the more peace, joy, and success we will have in life. One of the many wonderful things about God is that He isn’t stingy with Himself; He listens to His children and makes Himself available to them. The devil does all he can to spread lies about God, because the better we know Him, the closer we will walk with Him and the more obedient to Him we will be. Quite a few years ago there was a romantic pop song that went, “To know, know, know him is to love, love, love him, and I do.” That certainly applies to God! More recently, the Gaithers put out a song about God that proclaims, “The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.” That’s true too! The whole thing is, when we don’t know we need Him, we don’t seek Him, and so aren’t likely to discover how wonderful He is. It’s not that He hasn’t given us plenty of evidence about Himself, (Romans 1:20) it’s just that we get so self-centered that we can’t see it, or even think that He exists because of us. Those who accuse others of creating God in their image actually have a point, but then they turn around and claim that He doesn’t exist at all, and so declare their own bias. God is there, and He loves us, but we have to choose to turn to Him and seek him, in humble obedience.

This is the underlying reality of my life, but then it is for every person alive, whether or not they realize it. I have dedicated my life to helping people recognize this reality. My greatest joy is when people do turn to God and open their hearts to Him, and my greatest sorrow is when they steadfastly refuse to do so. In my experience the latter has been more common than the former, but I must never give up. I have had people ask me, sometimes even with anger, why I insist on “pushing my religion on Japanese who already have their religions.” I always answer that I would be the stingiest of misers if I had such a great treasure and failed to share it with others, especially when doing so in no way diminishes my share. When I am convinced, both from Scripture and from experience, that God is real and that He loves us, and that Jesus Christ is the only way to a right relationship with Him, then how can I not tell others about Him?

Father, thank You for this reminder. Sometimes I need it! Thank You for all You are doing in and around us in these days. Keep me from trying to make things happen on my own, but help me hear You accurately and obey You immediately in all that You have for me to do, so that all of Your plans may be fulfilled and many brought from death to life, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Moving On; June 22, 2017

Posted on June 24, 2017 by jgarrott

2 Samuel 12:20 Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.

One thing David learned through all of this was acceptance. As he himself explained in verses 22-23, he knew that he couldn’t change the past, but he was in God’s hands. That is part of genuine humility before God. He had begged God for this child’s life, going to extremes in what was considered acts of humility, but when God’s answer was a firm, “No,” he accepted that and went on with his life. (I think it’s worth considering the child here. We think it’s tragic when someone dies young, but compared to eternity, none of us are alive very long. I don’t think the child himself was punished for the sinful circumstances under which he was conceived. Indications are that he didn’t survive to circumcision/naming, which would leave him without personal sin.) I have known quite a few people who were so devastated by a particular event that they were unable to move on. That is never God’s intent for us. We have to deal with the consequences of our actions, and often with the consequences of the actions of others, but God doesn’t intend that any of those become dead ends for us. Like David, we need to trust Him enough to get up, do what we can to clean up, and worship God, knowing that He still has a plan for us that is good. Last Sunday in the message God had me compare the Holy Spirit to a GPS system, that even when we get off course it will recalculate and tell us the best way to go from wherever we have gotten ourselves. Man-made GPS systems are fallible, but God isn’t, and He always has the best plan for us to proceed from wherever we find ourselves, even if we have gotten way off of what His plan had been for us previously. We aren’t to mourn the previous plan, put trust Him with His modified plan.

I really don’t know how my life might have gone had I not made some of the various mistakes I have made, but getting depressed about lost opportunities is certainly not productive. Just recently, had I been more active in believing God wanted us to use the land next to the church, it might all be in the church’s name right now. However, I was passive, and it is now legally in the hands of a real estate dealer. That said, the Lord has shown us that we can still get almost half of the land (though for more money than we would have paid for the whole piece) and it will be enough to build the facility we have been thinking about. That’s exciting! I’ve already started approaching potential lenders/donors, and though I haven’t gotten a positive answer yet, I’m to keep going. I’m to remember that, as I often tell others, God isn’t limited by our weaknesses and failures, and nothing is impossible for Him. The road ahead may be long and steep, or it may not. The point is that God is going to get us through it, and I need to trust Him.

Father, thank You for this encouraging reminder. Thank You for the things that You have been doing the past few days that have seemed both very good and very fast. Help me not try to rush You, but keep me from lagging behind, no matter what speed You take us. May Your will be done on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Consequences of Sin; June 21, 2017

Posted on June 23, 2017 by jgarrott

2 Samuel 12:14 “But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt, the son born to you will die.”

Repentance brings personal forgiveness, but it doesn’t necessarily remove the consequences of our sin, in this life at least. Some people seem to think of repentance as a “get out of jail free card,” but that is simplistic at the very least. What God said through Isaiah is very true: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18) However, various sins have lingering consequences, particularly as they affect other people. David fell in the area of human/fa­mily/interpersonal relationships, and those can be very difficult to repair. That’s one of a number of reasons that God hates divorce. (Malachi 2:16) When other people suffer because of our sin, God isn’t the only one from whom we need to seek forgiveness. That can be very difficult indeed. In David’s case, he had arranged for his prime victim to be killed, so he couldn’t receive forgiveness from Uriah. We probably won’t go that far, but God’s rules for human interaction are as certain as His physical rules, such as gravity. David’s sons doubtless knew of their father’s actions, or at least heard of them later, and it predisposed Amnon and Absalom to do things that brought tragedy to the family and to the kingdom. Even when our sins are personally forgiven, their influence can continue to spread. That is all the more reason to obey God actively, and to seek His help in doing so.

This again applies to me as much as it does to anyone else. Some of the sins I have committed have indeed impacted others a great deal, and I can’t change that. I can only pray that my repentance would likewise impact many. The past cannot be undone, but it can be covered over with the love of God. (1 Peter 4:8) I am to speak the truth in love at all times, warning people of the consequences of ignoring, or even actively rebelling against, God’s laws, even as I proclaim His grace. His grace would be meaningless if we didn’t need it! I am to help people deal with the consequences of sins of which they have repented, and in particular seek to help them not become bitter against God or people because of what they themselves have brought about. That can be difficult, but it can also be beautiful when it happens. God does amazing things, and He indeed turns even our sins around and uses them for good when we genuinely yield them to Him. (Romans 8:28) I’ve tasted that myself, and I need to be God’s agent in opening other people’s eyes as well.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I can think of several people who are suffering the consequences of their actions right now. I ask You to use me to speak Your truth to them so that they may receive it and be set free from their self-made prisons. I pray that we would all grasp both Your holiness and Your grace, so that we may follow You in obedience and gratitude and joy, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Dependence on God; June 20, 2017

Posted on June 23, 2017 by jgarrott

2 Samuel 8:14 The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.

I have a feeling David may have insisted that events be recorded this way in the official record. That is, it wasn’t that David achieved all these victories, it was that the Lord gave them to him. However, that didn’t insulate him from the temptation of feeling like he deserved it all. It wasn’t long after all this that he totally violated the Lord’s instructions with Bathsheba and her husband, and he suffered the consequences the rest of his life. What was best about David was that he knew how dependent he was on God, but the moment he let that slip from his awareness, he fell badly. Paul’s words are very germane here: “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:12) David wrote numerous Psalms that proclaimed God’s goodness to him. Psalm 18 seems particularly applicable to this passage, even though it says it was written while he was still running from Saul. Some of the ways in which he established his victories seem particularly heartless to us today, as in verse 2, but that was the culture of the day. I personally come away with the image of a man who was deeply flawed in a number of ways, but as he recognized his dependence on God, God used and blessed him. That should be a comfort to us all!

This is of course extremely applicable to me. From childhood I have recognized tendencies in myself that, if indulged, could have turned me into a number of horrible things, up to and including a serial killer. God is gracious! I think every human being is capable of worse than they can imagine, but they are also capable of reflecting the character of God. What makes the difference is our choices. If we focus on what feels good to us we are in deep trouble. After all, things like revenge can feel very good at the moment. Every life has good things and bad; the choice is in how we respond to those things. I couldn’t begin to say how many times I’ve quoted John 16:33, but it’s certainly a lot. If we rejoice in Christ’s victory over the world, then we experience it too, even – or especially – when circumstances seem very bleak. I need to recognize my dependence on God and rejoice in it, rather than bemoaning my inability to make things turn out the way I want them to be. God’s plan is always better!

Father, thank You for this reminder. There’s a lot going on, but then there always is. There’s very little I can control, but then there never is. Help me rest, relax, and rejoice in You, being faithful to do as You direct on Your schedule, but not carrying anything as my personal burden except what You assign to me, so that Your will may be done for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Focus on God; June 19, 2017

Posted on June 22, 2017 by jgarrott

2 Samuel 7:18-19 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:
“Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, O Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant. Is this your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign Lord?”

I really like the turn of phrase in this passage in the NIV. It makes it clear how thoroughly David was blown out of the water by the prophecy Nathan had spoken to him. It shows two things in particular: David was fully convinced of God’s reality, as Someone who would speak individually to him, and he was genuinely humble before God, understanding that he could not have done all he had accomplished in life without Divine intervention. We know all about David’s descendants, but at this point he was the very first king of his dynasty, and he was nothing more than the youngest son of an unexceptional farmer/herdsman/landowner. In other words, he wasn’t overly impressed with himself, but he knew that God was God. That’s an excellent way to be! If we are focused on ourselves, we will have a badly distorted view of reality, regardless of whether it leads to conceit or to self-loathing or an inferiority complex. Even if we aren’t completely self-centered, if we fail to focus on God we won’t understand that He is more than capable of using us, regardless of what we are like at any given moment. Since He created the universe, He can re-create us into servants, children who will do His will for His glory. That’s what Paul was talking about when he said, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18) The less there is between us and God, (a veil, in Paul’s expression) the more we are transformed to be like Him. That’s certainly something to aim for!

I am very much aware that life on this earth is a process, a journey rather than a destination. I find myself singing the old Spiritual, “This world is not my home; I’m just a-passing through.” The joy is, I do know that because of what Christ did for me, heaven is indeed mine, and that puts everything on earth into perspective. Like David, I am sometimes blindsided by God’s grace toward me. It’s not like I deserve it! I can honestly sing Chris Christopherson’s song, Why Me, Lord? As that song says, “What have I ever done to deserve even one of the blessings you gave?” I am quite susceptible to distractions, to taking my eyes off of my Lord, and when I do that I can really go off on a tangent. I don’t want to do that! I want to maintain my sense of wonder at the goodness of my Lord, however hard my immediate path. I want to remember that every good and perfect gift comes from Him, (James 1:17) and apart from Him I can do nothing. (John 15:5) If I will do that, I will have peace and joy as I walk with Him, both now and throughout eternity.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me indeed be like David in this attitude, but keep me from the mistakes he made as well, so that I may not bring shame to the Name of Christ, but rather bring You glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The House of David; June 18, 2017

Posted on June 20, 2017 by jgarrott

2 Sam 7:16 “‘Your house and your kingdom shall endure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.'”

This was a blow-you-out-of-the-water prophecy if ever there was one, and the following verses indicate that David was suitably blown. This prophecy sounds like the lying prophecies mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament that were given to curry favor with the recipient, but the difference is that it has come true through Jesus of Naza­reth, the physical descendant of David who is the eternal King of kings. As such it was totally unique, and could never have been given to anyone else. The thing is, in the hundreds of years between David and Jesus, it looked for quite a while like this prophecy had failed completely. David had numerous descendants who were unworthy of the throne they occupied, and as a result the nation went into exile in Babylon, and for many years there was no one with the title of King at all. Jesus Himself did not claim the title of King, even when the crowd was ready to make Him king by force. (John 6:15) Jesus’ kingship will not be fully revealed until He returns, but in the mean time, those who believe in Him are called to make Him King in their own hearts and lives. We are called to be part of the fulfillment of this prophecy! It’s no wonder that David’s Psalms are so dearly loved by so many, because all who bear the name of Christian are subjects of the House of David, whether they realize it and act like it or not.

I am very grateful for my spiritual heritage, including that which I have received through David. I am never to take it lightly, but rather recognize that I am a very small cog in God’s eternal plan. I am to do all I can to pass that heritage along, raising up many spiritual children who will be worthy of the House of David. I am to seek to help believers who are Gentiles like me understand their spiritual roots, so that together we may support and pray for the physical descendants of Israel. Not many of them at this point acknowledge King Jesus, but that number is growing, and will continue to grow. I am to be consistent in prayer for their physical protection and their spiritual enlightenment, so that God’s plans may be revealed and fulfilled, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for my more immediate heritage as well, and for how You had us adopted into the Messianic group in seminary. Thank You for allowing me to interpret for Benjamin Berger, and for the various other ways You have blessed me in relation to physical Israel. After all, I was born the same year as the current State of Israel! May I be faithful as an agent of King Jesus in every way and at all times, so that I may be useful to You in bringing Your kingdom to this earth, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Worship; June 17, 2017

Posted on June 20, 2017 by jgarrott

2 Samuel 6:14 David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might.

There is a lot to learn from the story of David bringing the Ark of God into Jerusalem, but the particular thing that speaks to me right now is that David, though king, was totally uninhibited in the worship he offered to God. That this was not “politically correct” is evident from verses 20-23, when he is put down for his behavior by one of his wives. What this shows is that David was not overly impressed with himself, but rather knew that God was everything. Sadly, that attitude can be in short supply, even in churches. The pastor is to be the Chief Worshiper, even before being teacher or anything else. Too often I have seen conferences or even local church services where the speaker/pastor doesn’t even come into the room until the “song service” is over. With Americans speaking at conferences in Japan, the excuse is that they don’t speak Japanese and so they can’t participate, but generally at least half of the songs are translated from English to begin with, so that doesn’t hold water. Lee Grady has written about times of deep worship when he was in Africa and spoke none of the local language at all. Worship isn’t a matter of following a script, it is a heart attitude. If a person isn’t a worshiper, they have no business being anything else in church leadership. Among other good things worship does for us, it helps us remember who God is, and who and what we are as a result.

Since I am a pastor, this is of great importance for me. Any time I feel seduced by the attention and respect I get from my position, I need to worship! Likewise, any time I feel weak and helpless, unable to do what is asked of me, I need to worship. This morning I am much more toward the latter end of that scale than the first, for reasons that are frankly unknown to me. I feel really drained, and at the same time put-upon. I need to worship! I am not to be stinting of anything that I have, just as David was unstinting in dancing before the Lord with all his strength, but at the same time remember that everything I have is from God in the first place, and He will supply everything I need for whatever He asks of me – and He will give me wisdom to discern when people demand things of me that are not from Him. If I will worship, His Spirit will carry me along until I am worshiping before Him face to face, for all eternity.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for the physical/emotional situation that prompted it. Help me indeed worship You in spirit and in truth, not just tomorrow in the church service but right now, throughout today and each day, so that every trick of the enemy may be defeated and all of Your plans fulfilled, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Being God-centered; June 16, 2017

Posted on June 18, 2017 by jgarrott

2 Samuel 5:12 And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

Time and again throughout the Bible we see that God doesn’t do things just for some limited purpose, but as part of His overall plan that touches all humanity. We talk about “unintended consequences,” because they happen with us all the time, but such are impossible with God. David realized that God had exalted him to the kingship and given him victory after victory not just for his sake, but for the sake of the nation. We almost certainly aren’t as central to God’s plan as David was, but we too would do well to realize that what God plans for us isn’t just about us. Each one of us interacts with multiple people every day, and God loves them just as much as He does us – and that’s certainly a lot! We need to realize that what happens to us may be even more about other people than it is about us. That in no way diminishes our value before God. He, and He alone, is big enough to love each one of us as much as if we were the only person alive, while at the same time loving each other person with the same intensity. We can’t wrap our minds around that very well! We need to delight in God’s amazing grace and all-encompassing love for us individually, but at the same time realize that we are no more important than the next person. That is the perfect antidote for being self-centered, but we have a lot of time swallowing it. We tend to see God as though He were as we are, with all our limitations. The thing is, He’s not. He’s infinite, not to mention omnipotent and omniscient. The better we can grasp that, the more peace and joy we have in our own personal sphere of existence, because we know we are part of His perfect plan.

This of course applies to me as much as it does to anyone else. I had the advantage of growing up in a home where people who are literally in the history books would come and spend the night, and I learned at a young age that such people are just as human as I was. That should have made me totally egalitarian, but sad to say, it had more the effect of convincing me I was special. The irony is, I was and am special, but everyone is special in God’s eyes. I am to rejoice that God chooses to use me at times, and rest in the magnificence of His love for me, but realize that His love and grace for me aren’t just for me, but for those I touch as well. As a pastor I am constantly confronted with the problems people generate by being self-centered. I cannot look down on them, because I have the same tendency myself. I am to seek always to be Christ-centered, because only then will I see myself and others the way God does, and receive and rejoice in all that He wants to pour out through me for the blessing of many – not just me – and for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s interesting how often I am frustrated at how self-centered other people are, without realizing how much I operate that way myself. Help me rest, relax, and rejoice in You, just as You have told me, so that I may escape all the traps of the enemy and allow You to draw many into Your family through me, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Consistently Seeking God; June 15, 2017

Posted on June 18, 2017 by jgarrott

1 Samuel 30:8 And David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?”
“Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”

Once again we have an example of David inquiring of the Lord before he took action. The total shock of finding the town where they had been living totally destroyed and everything and everyone gone had some of his men to the point of irrationality, but David clung to the Lord even now. That this wasn’t necessarily an easy decision is evidenced by the fact that a fourth of his men were too exhausted from what they had been doing up to this point to continue the pursuit of the raiders, (verse 10) and the numerical odds weren’t in David’s favor to begin with (verse 17). He really needed the strong encouragement the Lord gave him, as recorded in this verse. It seems probable that had David not sought the Lord at this juncture and been obedient to what He told him, he would never have become king of all Israel, but would have ended as a minor chieftain, if that. We never know ahead of time what crises we will encounter, so our heart attitudes need to be set ahead of time. David already had a firm pattern of seeking God before acting, and it served him very well indeed. This should be a lesson to us to do the same, establishing firm patterns of devotion to God, both in corporate worship, being planted in a body of believers, and in daily, consistent private time with God. Society today, with the strong encouragement of the devil, works against such a lifestyle, so it generally takes a conscious decision to keep God as the first priority in our life. However, once that decision is firmly ingrained over time, we discover peace and stability that can be had no other way, enabling us to get through any crisis.

I am deeply grateful to have been able to establish a pattern of daily morning devotions many years ago now. I doubt that I’ve missed even 10 times over the past 40 years. (It does get a little awkward when I’m going back and forth across the International Date Line, but I manage.) Some people might accuse me of being legalistic about it, but it has become the bedrock of my lifestyle, and I couldn’t be more grateful. One result is that I have trouble understanding people who insist they are Christians, but yet won’t make the effort to have daily devotions. To a degree I can understand, because I remember trying to establish such a pattern when I was in college but giving up after a few days. However, the benefits are so great that now I have trouble imagining anything else. As a pastor I can see that the majority of the issues I deal with in the congregation simply wouldn’t exist if everyone had such a lifestyle. That’s another reason for me to encourage it! However, I can’t make such decisions for others, but only for myself. I am to speak the truth in love and encourage them any way I can, asking the Holy Spirit to counter the lies of the devil and lead them to single-minded devotion to Christ, for their great blessing and His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for how it fits in perfectly with what You had already been indicating I am to speak on this Sunday. I pray that Sunday’s service would indeed enable those who don’t yet have a consistent, regular time with You to get going and establish one, so that we may “get out of the weeds” as a church and move into all that You intend for us, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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