Marriage; February 27, 2025

Posted on February 28, 2025 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 7:17 Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.

This is one area in which I feel Paul had a distorted, or at least limited, perspective on things. As a lifelong bachelor, and probably celibate, there were some things that he couldn’t really understand. At times, such as in Ephesians 5, he certainly transmitted the Word of the Lord in relation to marriage, but here I think we have something of a mixed bag. In verse 7 he confesses his bias: “I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.” At least he recognizes that everyone is different. If everyone had the gift of celibacy, the human race would die out in a generation! Later in the chapter he talks about being distracted by your spouse, (verses 32-34) but he never experienced being drawn closer to the Lord by your spouse, or hearing the Lord’s guidance through your spouse. I think Paul was no exception to the rule expressed by C. S. Lewis, that when we get to heaven we will all discover that we were wrong somewhere!

I would say that I am somewhat of a polar opposite to Paul on this issue. I got married at 20, in part because I had seen my parents’ relationship and I had an inkling of how rich marriage could be. It is also true that I had an abundant supply of hormones, and the Lord knew He had better get me married quickly or I’d be in deep trouble! That said, the past 56 years have convinced me that marriage is God’s 2nd greatest blessing to mankind, the first being eternal salvation through Jesus Christ. Today actually marks the 56th anniversary of our engagement, 11 days after our first date. This year, even the days of the week are the same as in 1969! Every time I perform a wedding I tell the people that I delight to do so, because experience has taught me the good of marriage – and Paul never experienced that. Several people have commented that I seem to have a lot in common with Paul, but I’m very thankful that this isn’t one of those things! I am constantly challenged to be more like Christ as I interact with my wife, and she blesses me in more ways than I could enumerate. Our years together have given me a strong foundation for the marriage counseling I do, and I have a very good track record in that as well, with only three couples that I know of having gotten divorced even after having had my counseling. Like Paul, I do recognize that everyone is gifted differently, but I delight to share the grace that God has poured out on me.

Father, thank You indeed for the wife of my youth, and for how You have grown us together. May our relationship continue to be an example and inspiration to many, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

God’s Standards; February 26, 2025

Posted on February 27, 2025 by jgarrott

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Today’s passage, from verse 9 through 20, is about as “politically incorrect” and “countercultural” as you can get these days! I don’t see any “wiggle room” whatsoever. People with homosexual inclinations insist they were “born that way,” and girls who go on Only Fans think it’s simply a legitimate source of income. The whole “transsexual” nonsense is simply an intensification of that, and it is a very clear example of “sinning against your own body,” as it says in verse 18. When we don’t recognize God’s standards we run into countless problems, even tragedies. This is why the devil has worked so hard to attack the idea of absolute truth, spawning the lies of “my truth” and “your truth.” Everyone’s perceptions are different, certainly, but perceptions aren’t the same as truth. That’s what optical illusions are all about. There are weather phenomena that do things like making it seem an island is levitating out of the ocean, for example, but that doesn’t mean it’s really doing that. The simple fact of the matter is that God created us male and female, and He created us for purity and the marital bond. The real battleground isn’t our bodies, it’s our minds. We make countless excuses, but we are arguing the devil’s case for him when we do. The way to genuine, and eternal, joy and peace is repentance and faith. It doesn’t matter how far down we’ve gone, if we turn around in genuine repentance, we discover the incredible reality of God’s amazing grace. It’s no accident that the best-loved hymn, world-wide, is probably Amazing Grace, whose lyrics were written by the former captain of a slave-trading ship. It’s hard to get lower than that! Discovering God’s grace, John Newton eventually became a pastor. That should give hope to everyone who has swallowed the devil’s lies and sinned against their own body, and so against God and mankind.

It would be nice if I could claim unblemished purity, but that’s certainly not the case. I have great difficulty understanding homosexuality, but I have a lot of empathy for those involved in heterosexual sin – and this passage covers all of that. In my youth, “if it feels good, do it” was the mantra, and now we hear “love is love” and the like. I’m not to be taken in by any of that, but I am to have mercy on those who are. That’s not to say that I’m to excuse them, much less participate in or encourage their delusions. Speaking other than the truth is not love! However, I am not to personally condemn them, but rather point them to the God who loved them enough to die an absolutely horrible death in their place. I am to be a proponent and exemplar of God’s truth, including not simply His standards of absolute purity but also complete redemption, so that as many as will may repent and believe, for their salvation and God’s glory.

Father, You know who came to mind as I was writing. My heart breaks for them, but not more than yours does. May I be available at all times and in all ways as a channel of Your grace, love, and truth, for Your glory alone. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Worship; February 25, 2025

Posted on February 26, 2025 by jgarrott

Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

This verse has rightly been quoted by countless preachers down through the centuries, because it encapsulates so much of what we would call a Christian lifestyle. Again, this is something the world does not understand. As happened a few days ago, I again had to use a workaround to get the right character for “present,” when typing this in Japanese, because the Bible translators very rightly used the same character as in giving a monetary offering, and Microsoft doesn’t understand that at all. That’s why people have such trouble with the first amendment to the US Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and religion. They see religion as an external thing, something in which you participate, like a club, when faith in Christ requires total commitment. Worship isn’t simply a service you go to on Sunday mornings, it is a total giving of yourself to God. I could go on for hours about this, because, as Jesus quoted Isaiah 29:13 to say, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (Matthew 15:8) His greatest conflicts were with hypocrites, those without integrity between their words and their actions. Whatever you do in terms of ceremonies and the like, it isn’t true worship if your heart isn’t in it, if you aren’t giving yourself to God in truth. That’s not to say that corporate worship isn’t valuable. On the contrary, there are experiences of God that can be had no other way, I think, and they are very desirable. However, if your life outside of the gathering doesn’t reflect the character of Christ, then your worship is shallow to the point of being meaningless.

This is something I have known on some level all my life, courtesy of my parents’ strong faith, but I have certainly grown in my understanding and practice of it. Having worked with Don and Katie Fortune as their interpreter when they came to Japan, the spiritual gifts listed in verses 6-8 are very big in my awareness, and I know that exercising the gifts God has given me are very much part of giving my body as a living sacrifice. If I decline to serve God through serving others, then my worship is shallow indeed. As it says in verse 3, I’m not to be puffed up about what God has given me but I am to be a faithful steward of it, worshiping God through my obedience. I’m not to deny that God has gifted me, but rather give Him glory in how I use those gifts. Only then can I be said to worship God properly.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me communicate it to the believers, so that they may have the joy of serving You, worshiping You, with all they are by Your grace, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Focus; February 24, 2025

Posted on February 25, 2025 by jgarrott

Romans 8:18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

There is so much really rich stuff in this chapter that I think this verse gets overlooked most of the time. However, this verse too is very valuable for successful Christian living. The world expects us to focus on our difficulties, and is at times surprised if we don’t. The devil does all he can to get us to focus on them, accusing God of being unfair in the process. That in itself should be sufficient reason not to do it! However, that is certainly not the road of gratitude, and gratitude is the key to happiness in this life. As Jesus said very clearly, in this world we will have trouble. (John 16:33) Since it’s part of life, we shouldn’t make a big deal of it, but keep going for what God promises us is ahead. If we’re focused on this life, optimism isn’t always the logical path, but when we have the promise of eternity with our Lord, what Paul says here should go without saying. This isn’t to say we are to ignore difficulties, much less that we aren’t to try to resolve them, but it is to say that difficulties aren’t the final answer for children of God, even if those difficulties result in great suffering and death. Verse 28 of this chapter is quite famous, and it’s part of the same picture. As long as we think we are in control, or that we should be, we will multiply our suffering with our emotional response to it. We aren’t to be passive, but at the same time we are to recognize the sovereignty of God, that He loves us, and that as verse 28 says, He will work everything together for good.

I had an interesting lesson in this just yesterday. At the end of the service I was mentioning prayer points, and someone called out, “How about your own situation?” I hadn’t said anything about my hospitalization because I considered it no big deal! Yes, there were and will be inconveniences, and I’m no fan of pain, in myself or in others, but it still felt, and feels, like no big deal. After all, I’m headed for glory, as this verse says. I still have plenty to do on this earth and I’m not to be lax about it. I know I will have more difficulties before I’m called home, but I’m not anxious about it because I know my Lord will get me through them all, including the last one where getting through means leaving this body behind. There are people all around me who are in difficulties of all kinds, and I must not be callous toward them, treating their difficulties lightly. I am to seek to turn their hearts toward their Creator, even while doing all I can to alleviate their current suffering. That requires more wisdom than I have in myself, but God will provide what I need when I need it. (James 1:5)

Father, thank You for Your incredible grace toward me. There are people around me who have just lost, or are about to lose, life partners. I particularly want to be Your agent of comfort and blessing to them. Thank You for the partner You have given me, and that she was able to get some real sleep last night, despite her pain. Thank You that we seem to be tracking closer to identifying the cause of the pain. I pray for wisdom each step of the way, so that she would have no unnecessary pain, and I pray Your peace and joy for her in the process, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Spirit; February 23. 2025

Posted on February 24, 2025 by jgarrott

Romans 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

This is my wife’s favorite chapter in the whole Bible, and I certainly can’t fault her for that. Every verse is a rich blessing! Just reading it I feel the reality of this verse, and I rejoice. There are those who insist on “objective proof” for everything, but some things are simply not perceptible to the physical senses, or even to the intellect, and so are by definition subjective. That’s what faith is all about. Our spirits cannot be measured or even detected “scientifically,” but that makes them no less real. Jesus a Theography says that we don’t have souls, we are souls, inhabiting bodies, but it really goes a step beyond that. We are souls inhabiting bodies who have spirits, and wholeness involves the integration of the three. It has been pointed out that we mirror the Trinity. Our souls would be analogous to the Father, our bodies to the Son, and our spirits, of course, to the Spirit. God wasn’t kidding when He said that He made mankind in His image! Those who limit their appreciation to the physical world are cutting themselves off from 2/3 of Creation, and that’s sad. At the same time, the Bible is clear that the spirit world isn’t all benign. It speaks of “deceiving spirits,” “evil spirits,” “unclean (defiled and defiling) spirits” and the like. Just because something is “spiritual” doesn’t mean it’s good! That’s why we need to ask God for, and open ourselves to, God’s Holy Spirit. He will never lead us astray, much less defile us, and as this verse says, He gives us the inestimable joy of the assurance that we are God’s children.

Many if not most cultures have at least a history of being aware of the spirit world, but as we get more “scientific” and “sophisticated” we tend to relegate such things to superstition. Japan is no exception to that. Shinto, the traditional religion of Japan, is animistic, which means it imparts “spirits” to all sorts of things, making for a rich tradition of “ghost stories.” A few years ago I was talking with a non-Christian friend and mentioned the Holy Spirit, and she said, “Oh, you believe in that too?” I found out later that there is a category of “familiar spirits” that is pronounced exactly the same as “Holy Spirit!” Ministering here, I have to be very careful in my communication. I am reasonably accused of having “the pun disease,” because I use them a great deal (and Japanese is loaded with them), but I must be careful that people don’t think of the wrong homophone when I say something, as with my friend I mentioned. Beyond that, I want to be filled, guided, and empowered by the Holy Spirit at all times, so that all that God desires of me may be accomplished on His schedule, not to make me feel good but for His glory.

Father, I have no words to thank You enough for Your Spirit, and for Your incredible grace in giving Him to me and to all Your children. May I be fully sensitive and yielded to Him consistently, so that the devil won’t trip me up with his lies, but Your will be manifested through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Forgiveness; February 22, 2025

Posted on February 23, 2025 by jgarrott

Romans 7:18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.

This is a difficult reality, even to talk about. It’s a struggle that every well-intentioned person has, whether or not they will admit it. The hedonist throws it all over and puts the flesh in charge, but the rational person sees the end result of that, and it’s hardly pretty. The thing is, the only real answer is to live in Christ. Paul, who wrote this, also wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) As he wrote to the Philippians, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13) As long as we are depending on ourselves, we are stuck in the trap of Romans 7. However, as the last verse of the chapter and the first of chapter 8 proclaim, we are set free in Christ. It’s all a matter of focus. We won’t achieve sinless perfection in this life, but if we are focused on and committed to Jesus as our Lord, then we are indeed transformed more and more into His likeness. It’s not that we are to excuse or be satisfied with our fleshly weaknesses, but that we are to know that they don’t define us when we have been saved by grace through faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

As I have commented before, I was liberated from a habitual sin by something Peter wrote. I was really caught in the cycle Paul describes here, but then this really struck home: “But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.” (2 Peter 1:9) In other words, if you believe in Jesus but lack the characteristics of a disciple, then you haven’t really grasped the reality of forgiveness. I deal with forgiveness a lot because the Japanese language has a real problem with the term, creating misunderstanding in people. Genuine forgiveness isn’t at all permissive, but rather acknowledges the wrong and cancels it. That’s why the secular proverb says, “To err is human, to forgive is divine.” If we don’t really accept God’s forgiveness in Christ, then we aren’t really acknowledging Him as God. That’s a message I am called to communicate, and it can be difficult! However, God will enable me to do it if I will be submitted and available to Him, so that is my prayer.

Father, I do pray that You would enable me to be more and more effective in communicating Your Gospel to those I encounter. Thank You for the good conversation I had with the doctor yesterday, and for my interactions with various other hospital staff. Thank You that I’m out now! I pray that every part of my life would advance Your kingdom as I do Your will, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rules; February 21, 2025

Posted on February 22, 2025 by jgarrott

Romans 7:5 For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death.

One of the strange things about human beings is that the minute we are told not to do something, we feel an urge to do it. That’s not the fault of the rules, it’s our own fault. That’s what this verse is talking about. That’s why the moral education of children is at the same time important and dangerous. We need to give our children guidelines, but as any parent can tell you, the minute those guidelines are expressed, the children want to depart from them. Logic doesn’t work with a 2-year-old, so physical punishment is a necessity. That physical punishment is so conflated with abuse is one of the devil’s more effective lies. Even a small child understands “If I do that, it will hurt!” That’s also why fair, effective law enforcement is vital for society. The recent spate of people not being prosecuted for crimes has produced great evil. The thing is, maturity requires recognizing and acknowledging this impulse in ourselves, and standing against it. Everyone knows “the deliciousness of the forbidden,” but as this verse says, the fruit that produces is death. Rather than seeking our own pleasure and “fun,” we need to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. If we will do that, God will add to that joy and fun the world knows nothing about!

My parents must have done fairly well by me, because I never had a very strong desire to run with the “bad boys.” To this day I don’t like the taste of beer, and that’s a liking I don’t intend to acquire! That said, I have certainly experienced the lure of the forbidden, but haven’t indulged nearly as much as I might have. For that I am deeply grateful, because it is certainly God’s grace and not my own righteousness. That said, I must not let that devolve into pride, or I will be no better than a Pharisee. The time of my life in which I was most walking in spiritual pride I was also most actively flouting God’s rules! I need to remember that in dealing with others, particularly as a pastor, and be forgiving but not excusing, always speaking the truth in love.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for this time in the hospital, and that I get out this morning. I do pray that my healing would be completed on Your schedule for Your glory, and that I would be able to do all the things You have laid out for me in the coming days. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Christian Living; February 20, 2025

Posted on February 21, 2025 by jgarrott

Romans 6:13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.

I had a real problem typing this verse out in Japanese, because Microsoft never would give me the right character for “offer,” and I had to enter a different reading for the character I needed (the one used for putting money in the plate). The world does not understand offering our bodies to God! Actually, there’s a great deal the world doesn’t understand about the life of faith, of walking in fellowship with our Creator. This 6th chapter of Romans is an important one for new Christians particularly, but also for every Christian to really work into their understanding. Jesus wasn’t kidding when He said we are “in the world but not of it.” (John 17:11, 14) That’s why Paul had to famously say, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” (Romans 12:2) The world can have a very strong “gravitational pull,” and we need to be aware of it so that we can stand against it. The world thinks that Christianity is restrictive, that it “won’t let us do what we want,” when in fact, Christ frees us so that we don’t have to sin any more. Thinking we’ve “arrived” in that area is very dangerous, as John wrote extensively in his first letter. Paul himself testified that he wasn’t there yet, when he wrote to the Philippians. (Philippians 3:12) We need to have the consistent awareness that we are no longer slaves to sin, but are rather resurrected free people, as Paul says here.

I’ve had my own struggles with this, swallowing the devil’s line that “everybody’s doing it.” I don’t have to be everybody, because I’m a redeemed child of God! This is something we all need to remember more consistently. As a pastor, I don’t have to remind people that I’m a sinner too, but I must not come across as “holier than thou.” Rather, I am to come alongside them and encourage them that they too can walk as resurrected children of God. That’s something really worth applying myself to!

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for all You brought me through yesterday. It was my first experience of spinal anesthesia, and I was interested to discover it didn’t work perfectly. At the same time, it wasn’t unbearable, and at this point my right kidney is much happier than it has been for the past several days. Thank You for this hospital, and the friendly, helpful staff. Thank You for the opportunity to minister to some of them. I pray particularly for that one OR nurse, who was on duty for my hernia surgery and remembered me. I pray that my every interaction would indeed draw people to You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Faith; February 19, 2025

Posted on February 20, 2025 by jgarrott

Romans 4:19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.

It should go without saying, but we are very involved with our bodies. We have many challenges to our faith, but I don’t think any top our interaction with our bodies. God’s promise to Abraham seemed to be directly contradicted by Abraham’s own body, as well as that of his wife. Abraham, however, chose to believe God, even though he did try to figure out his own solution to the problem – which has generated untold problems for his descendants ever since. We indeed need to learn from him, both what to do and what not to do. We are to rest secure in what He has told us through His Word, and not to try to figure out any shortcuts. He is far greater than anything else, including our own bodies!

This is extremely timely for me, since I am currently dealing with a swollen, inflamed kidney and a stone, currently on its way to my bladder. If I weren’t speaking at the prayer meeting this morning, I would have been hospitalized yesterday. However, God is faithful, and He will get me through this morning and the next few days. I do have something of a deadline, since I have two weddings to perform on Saturday! With my body yelling at me like this, it’s hard to focus on anything else. However, God has demonstrated His faithfulness to me countless times before, so I just need to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him, just as He told me to do years ago.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for this further training in faith. I pray that I would indeed learn all that You want to teach me, to become more and more of a useful vessel in Your hands, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Miracles; February 18, 2025

Posted on February 19, 2025 by jgarrott

Acts 9:35 All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

There’s something pretty persuasive about healing miracles! This one, and certainly the raising of Dorcas that followed, brought many into the kingdom of God. Of course, healing was a big motivation for the crowds that followed Jesus, and that exploded when He fed large groups, essentially from nothing. However, Jesus Himself fled from those crowds, knowing that they were after a free meal ticket. As we touched on recently, Jesus knew human hearts, and shallow motivation was obvious to Him. It is very good to recognize God’s grace toward us and respond in gratitude, but we need to be committed to Him regardless of the “perks” we get or don’t get from that relationship. There have been people with a massive healing ministry in recent memory – Reinhard Bonnke comes to mind – but they are few and far between. As with any group evangelism, follow-up and mentoring are vital. We might think we would like to do that kind of evangelism, but the demands and stresses are huge. That doesn’t mean we aren’t to pray for healing, and to believe for results, but it does mean that we are to remember that the healing comes always and only from God, and avoid the temptation to take credit.

I’ll confess to having desired “signs following” (Mark 16:20) in my own ministry, but my major gifting is Teacher, and I’m rather an introvert. If people had been raised from the dead through my ministry, I would probably have been destroyed by what would have followed. As it is, my wife has a laundry list of physical issues, and I spent over 5 hours last night in the ER with a kidney stone. That doesn’t mean that I don’t believe God heals today, nor that I am ungrateful for the abundant blessings God has poured out on us. It does mean that my faith is to be based on Who and what God is, and not just on what He does for me. I do not want the believers in this church to turn away when things don’t go as they would like, and I must certainly not do so myself. As Job said, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.” (Job 13:15)

Father, thank You for all You are doing, in, around, and through me. Thank You for getting me through yesterday, and that You will get me through today. I do pray that I would be in condition to deliver the message at tomorrow morning’s prayer meeting, but that is in Your hands. Help me not take Cathy’s leg pain lightly, because of my own pain. May we grow as Your children, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian, encouragement, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment