Anointing; June 14, 2017

Posted on June 15, 2017 by jgarrott

1 Samuel 26:9 But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless?”

David was in a very interesting situation. Saul was king, but David too had been anointed by Samuel. David’s respect for the anointing as it applied to Saul translated into respect as it applied to him as well. David continued to be aware that it was God who had taken him from herding sheep and led him into all he was experiencing, and that awareness and gratitude were of great value to him. It was only when he got too comfortable in the blessings that had been heaped on him that he committed the drastic sins that echoed through the rest of his life. Here, though, he was sharply aware of his personal dependence on God, and he acted accordingly.

Once again David is an excellent example for me. God has anointed me for His service (though not with a literal flask of oil) and I must not take that lightly. At the same time I must respect the anointing I recognize on others. I’ve got to remember that anointing doesn’t equal perfection, as David himself showed years after this incident. I am to walk in personal humility, while at the same time realizing that God can do anything at all through me, if He so chooses. I am to pray for those around me that they may “live [lives] worthy of the calling [they] have received.” (Ephesians 4:1) They need as much help and support as I do! I am to recognize that we are all dependent on God’s grace and mercy and live accordingly, seeking His will in every situation and delighting to be used by Him for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I ask for wisdom and guidance not only as a steward of the anointing You have poured out on me, but also in relating to those around me who are likewise anointed. Anointing doesn’t automatically equal wisdom! Help me be an open channel of Your grace at all times, so that the devil’s schemes may be defeated and Your will alone be done, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Revenge vs. Forgiveness; June 13, 2017

Posted on June 14, 2017 by jgarrott

1 Samuel 24:12 “May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you.”

David’s dependence on God was complete. He not only trusted Him to provide victory over enemies in battle, as He had done with Goliath, he also trusted Him for moral victories, providing justice when he had been wronged. That can be more difficult than open conflict! Many people are familiar with what God said through Moses in Deuteronomy 32:35 and 41, quoted by Paul in Romans 12:19 and by the writer to the Hebrews in Hebrews 10:30: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” However, we still have an emotional desire to pay people back for the wrongs they do us. The problem is, that is the very definition of unforgiveness, and it damages the one nursing the grudge far more than it does the one who wronged them. When we nurse a grudge we hold it to our breast, just as the words themselves mean, and it eats away at us. In the premarital counseling I do (not to mention marital conflict counseling) I stress this point, because nursed grudges will poison any relationship. Jesus said they will even poison our relationship with our Heavenly Father. (Matthew 6:14-15) For our own emotional health, and really for our own salvation, we need to make the choice David did, and let God take care of justice issues in the short and long term.

I honestly don’t know what it was about my upbringing that made it easier for me to forgive than it seems to be for many people. Perhaps it was the example my parents set, but then I seem to find it easier than some of my siblings. However it happened, I’m grateful. That said, I deal with other people’s forgiveness issues all the time. I have seen many people absolutely poisoned by unforgiveness, and it is sad indeed. Living in Nagasaki Prefecture, every summer we get bombarded by people who can’t forgive America for dropping the atomic bomb here, never mind that it was instrumental in ending a war that Japan started. (I have long maintained that the Hiroshima bomb was sufficient to do that and the Nagasaki bomb was completely unnecessary, but that’s a different matter.) All issues of justice aside, such an attitude benefits no one. However, holding an American passport, I also have to hold my tongue, because arguing only inflames things. Wars in general are very sad chapters in human history, but Jesus said we aren’t to get stirred up over them. (Matthew 24:6) I’ve written before about the Japanese linguistic difficulty in dealing with the very word, forgiveness, but this is an issue for all mankind. I am both to proclaim and demonstrate forgiveness, letting people know that God’s forgiveness is available by forgiving them myself. (John 20:23) That will give them the best chance of repenting and believing for their own salvation. (Mark 1:15)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for David’s example. Thank You for what we have seen just recently of You dealing with the heart of someone who was not fair to us. I continue to pray for his full repentance and salvation. I cannot save him, or anyone else, myself, but I can speak the truth of salvation in Christ in Your love. May many indeed receive it, repent, and believe, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Inquiring of God; June 12, 2017

Posted on June 14, 2017 by jgarrott

1 Samuel 23:4 Once again David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered him.

This particular story is an excellent illustration of the reason for David’s successes. Simply put, He asked God. Today we would tend to think that his method of doing so was very superstitious, but it was one that was prescribed by God to Moses. Verse 6 gives us the parenthetical information that “Now Abiathar son of Ahimelech had brought the ephod down with him when he fled to David at Keilah.” The ephod in question was a priestly garment that had a pocket containing two stones that could not be distinguished by feel. One of them indicated a positive answer and the other a negative. The priest would express a yes/no question to God, put his hand in the pocket, and pull out one of the stones. Whichever stone came out was taken as God’s answer to the question. Our “modern” minds would treat that as pure chance, but that ignores the reality that God created the universe, and “chance” is an illusion. However, the method of inquiring of God is merely coincidental. What is important is the choice to ask and the commitment to obey. This verse is the second time this particular question was asked of the Lord, because the answer the first time seemed too risky. God was faithful to give the same answer, and David acted accordingly. God hasn’t given us quite as simplistic a method of inquiring of Him, but the principle is still valid. Too often we want to know God’s will for us but we fail to come right out and ask. What is actually worse, we often fail to have a solid commitment to do whatever He indicates. If our hearts are committed to obedience, He will guide us, by one means or another.

This is certainly valid for me, and indeed quite timely. We have been in turmoil over the land next door to the church, wanting to have it to build an elder-care facility, but all sorts of things getting in the way. A particular solution seems to be opening up at this point, but it is not one we would have chosen at the outset. I am not to “settle” for something, but trust that God is in control and seek to be obedient to Him. There are many important issues ahead, and today could well be pivotal. I am to seek God, rather than any particular outcome dictated by my mind. That can be difficult! Joy Dawson expressed it as “dying” to the issue at hand. If I am dead, I don’t care how things turn out! My focus is to be on God, His kingdom and His righteousness, rather than on any desired outcome.

Father thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the emphasis in the message yesterday on dying to sin. Self-centered willfulness is certainly sin! Help me be quiet enough before You to hear what You are saying, and active enough to be fully obedient to what You tell me, so that Your will may be done on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Legalism vs. Grace; June 11, 2017

Posted on June 13, 2017 by jgarrott

1 Samuel 21:6 So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from before the Lord and replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away.

This particular incident is most famous because Jesus quoted it when He was questioned about his disciples picking and eating grain on the Sabbath. (Matthew 12:1-4) The point Jesus was making is that God supplies needs in all sorts of ways, and even in ways that might not seem “legitimate” to us from our perspective. We certainly aren’t to go around ignoring rules, but we need to remember that for the most part rules are man-made, or at best human interpretations of what God has said. The bread in this particular instance was holy because it had been given to God, and as such was to be eaten only by those who were likewise holy. David and his men were chosen by God and thus were holy, whatever religious bureaucracy might have said about them. Jesus’ point in referring to this incident is that legalism doesn’t get us to God.

I have always been leery of legalism, but that has at times caused me to take grace for granted, and that is certainly dangerous. I am to rejoice in God’s grace but never forget God’s holiness. After all, His grace means very little if there is no absolute standard to which we fail to measure up. The devil does all he can to promote relativism, situational ethics, and a general feeling of no absolutes. Sadly, such thinking is very widespread today. Abortion is a good case in point. Thankfully, more and more people are realizing that murder is bad, period. Much is made of “exceptions,” such as rape, incest, or “for the life of the mother.” Rape and incest are certainly horrible, but there is no fault or responsibility in the child, and with modern medicine, honest physicians have trouble even imagining a situation where killing the child would save the life of the mother. I am to express God’s grace and mercy to those who have gotten into trouble by ignoring God’s rules, not just this way but in any way, but I am not to pretend that the rules don’t exist. Miracles are instances in which God bypasses the physical rules of the universe that He Himself created, but they don’t mean those rules aren’t valid. I am to proclaim God’s holiness, but with that, as the hymn says, “Grace that is Greater than All our Sin.”

Father, I am constantly presented with the tension between holiness and grace. I can’t keep it straight on my own. Help me hear You accurately (grace again) so that I may be an accurate channel of Your grace and holiness and love, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Jealousy vs. Gratitude; June 10, 2017

Posted on June 13, 2017 by jgarrott

1 Samuel 18:28-29 When Saul realised that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy for the rest of his days.

Jealousy is such a sad thing. We see it all the time, with people being unable to rejoice in others’ blessings. We tend to look at life as a zero-sum game, forgetting that God is infinite. One person being more blessed doesn’t mean that another person is less blessed. We have such trouble grasping that. Some areas of life are indeed competitive, and that’s not bad. Not everyone comes in first in a race, regardless of schools that give out participation trophies. That said, one person can be blessed in one area and another in a different area. We fail to see that, and particularly fail to recognize the areas in which we ourselves are blessed. A major difference between Saul and David was the matter of gratitude. Saul was greatly blessed, but he somehow felt entitled to what he had. David was greatly blessed, and he never could get over the magnitude of God’s grace toward him. The outcomes of their lives could not have been more different. In the physical universe, entropy is seen as a given. That is, everything runs down eventually, ending in chaos. However, that ignores the Creator, who can and does speak things into existence. In our personal lives, entropy does seem to apply to our physical bodies, so if we are focused on the physical we will be jealous and fatalistic. However, when our focus is on the spiritual, we realize that entropy simply doesn’t apply. The more we are aware of our infinite Father God, the less room we will have for jealousy and the more we will be able to receive and enjoy His grace toward us.

I was surprised the other day when I was at the hospital talking with a dermatologist about scheduling surgery on a minor spot on my leg. When I wouldn’t schedule it for my wedding anniversary, and then mentioned that doing it a week later meant that I would be having ice cream with my wife that day because it was the 31st (and Baskin Robbins has a 31% discount every 31st) she said, “You really enjoy life, don’t you.” I’ve had other people comment the same sort of thing, and I feel it comes from recognizing grace and blessings. I can’t say that I’m never envious of others, but I’m grateful that I don’t want others to do badly so that I’ll look good by comparison. God is more than big enough to bless us all! Spiritually speaking, God operates on negative entropy! In His kingdom it’s never a zero-sum game, but rather ever-increasing glory. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Father, I am saddened to see so many people operating in jealousy, not understanding Your love for them or recognizing how You express it. Help me be increasingly effective in speaking Your truth to them in love so that the destructive lies of the devil may be defeated in their hearts and lives. I pray that more and more people would be liberated from bondage to the physical to rejoice in Your infinite blessings, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Pride; June 9, 2017

Posted on June 12, 2017 by jgarrott

1 Samuel 18:9-10 And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.
The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully upon Saul.

Saul had already laid the groundwork for demonic possession by his disobedience, as recorded in chapters 13 and 15, but here we have the decisive moment, and the thing that threw open the door was jealousy. Saul had demonstrated his pride multiple times previously, and jealousy is a negative reaction from pride. It is very clear that his son Jonathan was not a prideful person, because he rejoiced in David’s successes rather than resenting them the way Saul did. Demonic possession doesn’t happen without access having been granted, and Saul certainly took the steps for that even though he wasn’t doing so consciously. That’s why genuine deliverance almost always involves repentance. If we won’t repent of how we opened the door to the demons and receive the Holy Spirit in their place, we won’t stay free for long, if at all. (Luke 11:24-26) Satan’s fundamental power is deceit; every other power he has is yielded to him by the people to whom God has given it. That’s why when we are genuinely submitted to God, standing in His truth, we can resist the devil and he will turn tail and run. (James 4:7) The devil told Saul that he was worthy in himself of being anointed as king, Saul believed it, and thus opened the door for his own downfall. Jesus wasn’t speaking casually when He said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32) Holding to His teaching includes repenting of not having been obedient previously. Our spiritual armor is based on the humble assurance that we can’t do it ourselves, and so have to appropriate what God has done for us. (Ephesians 6:10-18)

I have swallowed the devil’s lies more times than I like to think about, and really more times than I am aware. Any time I allow myself to descend into personal pride, I send out an invitation for further deception. It is when I know full well that I am nothing in myself but Christ is everything in me that I walk in the victory God intends for me. My times of flirting with the devil have all been rooted in pride. There is a fine line between self confidence and assurance, and I don’t always stay on the right side of that. I tell my students that I don’t like the Japanese word for confidence, because it means literally, believing or trusting in yourself. I tell them that when I believe in myself I betray myself every time, but when I believe in God, He never betrays me. I say that from experience! I have demonstrated without question that I can’t communicate the Good News of God’s Kingdom in my own wisdom and strength, but God can and does allow me to do so when I am yielded to Him. His wisdom and strength are more than up to the task! Only in humility will I avoid the traps the devil lays for me, and walk in all that my loving Heavenly Father intends for me.

Father, thank You for enabling me to express this so clearly this morning. Help me walk in this truth all the time, and not just occasionally, so that all that You desire may be accomplished in and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Trusting God; June 8, 2017

Posted on June 12, 2017 by jgarrott

1 Samuel 17:47 “All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

Here we have even more explicit confirmation of what came out in yesterday’s reading: David’s confidence was based not on his own ability but on the Lord who gave him that ability. It can seem like a minor point to some people, but it makes a huge difference. This declaration, from verse 45 to here, is very explicit, and it gives all the glory to God. Our problems would look much smaller if we would only compare them to our infinite, omnipotent God! We panic only because we fail to look to God and believe that He loves us. Even when we believe that He loves us, we fail to understand love, and so get confused when our way is less than easy. We are like little children who get upset because daddy won’t let them play with his loaded gun. We confuse love with indulgence, when God is far too good a Father to do that. David was like a child unafraid to face down a bully because his father is standing right behind him, and he knows his father can beat the bully and beat the bully’s father, too! We need a better, clearer image of God. Image is an inadequate word, because this isn’t a picture or a statue, but how we really see him in our heart. We need to trust that He has a plan for us, it is a wonderful, excellent plan, and He is more than able to carry it out. If we really trust Him, that will carry us through all the rough places that He knows are necessary to grow us and shape us into who He created us to be.

I’m preaching to myself here. I know all this, and yet I still need to be reminded from time to time. The difficulty I’ve had with my ears / hearing for the past few days had me pretty upset, but medication I got yesterday seems to be very helpful. I have known intellectually for a long time that whereas it’s important to hear what people are saying, it’s far more important to hear what God is saying to me, and I don’t need physical ears for that. This experience has been a confirmation of that truth, though not an entirely pleasant one. I need to remember that good doesn’t always equal pleasant! I need to rest, relax, and rejoice in the assurance that, as the song says, “My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do.” How He does it, and when, are up to Him, and I need to be at peace with that.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You also for the extremely productive day yesterday. Thank You for Your plans for today. Help me recognize them and flow with them, so that I may be fully useful to You in doing Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Confidence vs. Conceit; June 7, 2017

Posted on June 9, 2017 by jgarrott

1 Samuel 17:37 “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”

The more we experience success, the more confidence we have. However, when that is based on our own performance, it becomes conceit. David’s brothers interpreted his confidence as conceit, (verse 28) but as comes out clearly here, his confidence was based not on what he could do, but on what God could do for and through him. That’s what makes this whole story of David and Goliath so worth telling, and not just to children in Sunday School. When God has taken you through difficult times it’s easier to trust Him with whatever lies ahead, regardless of how difficult it seems. There can be a fine line between assurance and presumption. The best protection against getting on the wrong side of that is a focus on God that recognizes I am nothing but God is everything.

This has been an issue for me most of my life. I have strayed onto the side of conceit more times that I like to think about! I have been gifted over a wide spectrum, to the point that focus has also been a major issue. I’m not very good at really working on a specific thing to bring it to perfection. My parents encouraged me in all my gifts, never telling me anything was beyond my ability but rather telling me to do my best and be careful. (They did forbid some things as either too dangerous or illegal!) All of that became a problem only when I became presumptive, failing to put in the effort, or when I focused on the ability itself and forgot the One who had given it to me. One of the scariest verses in the whole Bible to me is one that Jesus said: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:48) I feel I have been given a great deal, and am concerned that my stewardship has been much less than it might have been. This is actually a generational issue in my family. One time my parents were with my Grandmother Garrott and my father was talking about his struggles with conceit. His mother’s response was, “Well Max, there’s a difference between conceit and recognizing the truth.” My mother found that enormously amusing! The thing is, there’s truth in what my grandmother said. We fail to honor God when we don’t recognize the gifts and abilities He has given us. However, I must keep my focus on Him, or those gifts will ultimately be of no benefit to me.

Father, thank You for Your faithfulness. Every time I think about this subject I am more aware of the depth of Your grace. Help me have full assurance of You and what You can do, even through me, without descending into the stupidity of conceit. Help me remember that even David fell badly when he did that. May I be and do what You desire so that Your will may be done, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Externals; June 6, 2017

Posted on June 8, 2017 by jgarrott

1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

This is a justly famous verse, but we tend to not take it seriously. The world is all about appearances, often to a disturbing degree. I don’t know if it’s still on, but at one point there was a US TV show called Hot or Not, that was entirely about whether people looked physically desirable. Even without that extreme, physical and especially visual evaluation is constantly with us. Such diseases as anorexia are one of the results. The whole point of what God is saying here is that physical things aren’t bad, but they are often a distraction. Every once in a while this reality gets through to people, but all too seldom. I’m doing a wedding later this month. When the couple came for counseling I had an opportunity to talk with the groom alone, and I asked him what attracted him to his bride. He said it was the way she seemed to care about him and his needs, really listening to him, rather than physical beauty. (Incidentally, she’s not ugly, but she’s not what the world would call beautiful.) I think that’s a very hopeful sign for a good marriage! Physically beautiful people can have beautiful souls, but sometimes there’s almost a negative correlation. If we are obsessed with how we look, the less likely we will be focused on the things that really matter. This whole issue is part of our fixation on the physical world. Jesus stated clearly that we are in the world but not of it. (John 17:14-15) Paul pointed out that “What is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal,” (2 Corinthians 4:18) and went on to say that “We live by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7) That fits perfectly with what God told Samuel.

I am certainly not immune to judging by outward appearance, and I do like to look nice to others, but the older I get the easier it is to pay more attention to what is inside of people. At the same time, I am aware of the truth of what Abraham Lincoln is reported to have said, that after age 40 a person’s face is a reflection of what is on the inside. Our life experiences, and more importantly, our reactions to them, tend to get written on our faces. Even so, I am to seek to let God show me how He sees people. I have seen transformations in people’s appearance, even, as they have come to know and trust God’s love for them. The thing is, God loved them just as much before they opened up to Him as He did after. I need to see each individual as exactly that: an individual God created and loved and wants to be in right relationship with Him. Different people are gifted differently, and evaluating that accurately is an important part of leadership, but different gifts don’t mean different value as human beings. James’ remarks about favoritism (James 2:1-13) apply as much to gifting as they do to finances. If I will see people as God does, then He will be able to use me to grow them into what He intends them to be.

Father, thank You for Your grace to me. Help me indeed extend that grace to all those around me, not based on externals but on Your love, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Obedience to God; June 5, 2017

Posted on June 8, 2017 by jgarrott

1 Samuel 15:22-23 (But Samuel replied:
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.”

This is arguably one of the greatest truths in the Old Testament. It is perfectly in line with Jesus’ statement that “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.” (John 14:23) Saul had already made it clear he loved himself more than he loved God. Verse 12 of this chapter tells us that Saul had set up a monument in his own honor. He had no grasp of the reality that he could do nothing without God. We are a lot like him! Rather than being grateful for what God enables us to do, we take personal pride in our accomplishments and get puffed up, trusting ourselves and the gifts God has given us more than we trust God Himself. I think God allowed Saul to be king precisely because he was so typical of human attitudes, and so became an object lesson for us all. God can and does use people who are not really submitted to Him, but they don’t personally benefit from it without that submission. I am reminded of some people in the US government right now. They are accomplishing some good things, but humility seems to be in short supply. Assurance of what God can do through them is a good thing, and sometimes that can look like conceit, so being judgmental at this point is risky. However, the degree to which God is given the glory will be a major factor in the long-term benefits of any action.

This, of course, applies to me as much as it does to anyone. I am reminded of a line from Don Francisco’s song about Balaam: “So if the Lord starts using you, don’t you pay it any mind. He could have used the dog next door, if He’d been so inclined.” I am never to think that I can do anything without God, but I am also never to think that God can’t use me to do whatever He likes. I am to keep myself available to Him at all times in all ways, to speak or act, or to be silent or refrain from acting. My wisdom is as nothing compared to His, so the wisest thing I can do is listen and obey. Japan is a good place for a Christian worker to learn humility! The “return on investment” is uniquely low here, but this is where I have been planted. At this point my major task is to believe that God is indeed going to fulfill the vision He has given us. It’s very clear that can’t be done by human strength, and at this point it is even difficult to believe that it could happen, but God does give faith. I am not to rely on human strength or wisdom, either my own or that of anyone else, but I am to trust that God’s strength and wisdom are more than up to the task.

Father, I know full well that burnout is a symptom of looking to myself and to people rather than to You. It is clear that I can’t even rest, relax, and rejoice, as You have told me to do, without Your strong help. Show me how to trust You without being passive, to believe without feeling entitled. Help me operate fully in Your strength rather than my own, because my own is really just weakness. Thank You. Praise God!

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