January 6, 2017

Posted on January 9, 2017 by jgarrott

Phil 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

For quite a few years now the attitude of so many Christians toward death has been a mystery to me, because it is so different from the one expressed here. Humanly, physically, it is natural to fear death, but for someone who has encountered the risen, living Savior, Paul’s attitude seems far more logical. This is not at all to say we are to seek physical death in any way; suicide is a horrible defeat before the deceptions of the devil. However, for anyone who is in Christ, physical death is a liberation, a graduation from all the struggles of this life into the incredible presence of our Lord in heaven. That is gain indeed, just as Paul says. Our problem is that we are so fixated on the material and the temporal that we can’t shift gears into the eternal. We are on this earth simply to get to know our Creator and learn to serve Him in love and fellowship. We will lose sight of that, or fail to see it in the first place, if we are fixated on earthly pleasures and things. For someone who is in Christ, death is a tragedy for those they leave behind, not for them personally. Funerals are for those left behind in any case, but for Christians they should be celebrations. I was once in charge of the music for the funeral of a lady over 100. She was technically a member of the church I pastored in Virginia, but she had lived with a daughter for many years and so had been associated with two other churches, and all three pastors took part in the service. I chose the liveliest, most joyful hymns I could find that she would have been familiar with, and afterward was thanked by many family members for such an enjoyable funeral that they were sure had delighted her. At that age that doesn’t seem so strange, but it should be the same even for a young person who is in Christ. We look at “lost potential,” but God is the judge of that, and we should trust Him.

When I got the news that my father had died at 64, my first, honest reaction was, “He won’t have to retire.” I knew he was very much NOT looking forward to that, since he would have had to leave Japan. That said, I grieved my own loss. At this point, I realize the impact my own departure would make on those around me, especially my wife, and I do my best to stay healthy, knowing that I have the same genetic makeup as my father and grandfather before me, who both died of heart problems. Like Paul, I need to focus on the “fruitful labor” the Lord has for me, spending each day in obedience to Him. Frankly, I am FAR more concerned about my wife’s passing than my own, but I am fully aware that is entirely selfish, particularly given her long list of physical problems. Also, she’s already been to heaven once and come back, so I know from her own report that insisting on her resurrection would be downright cruel! As long as I am on this earth, I am to seek to bring as many people as possible to the same assurance I have, so that death may indeed have no more dominion, for the glory of God. (Romans 6:9, 1 Corinthians 15:55-56)

Father, thank You for this reminder. These days I’m spending a lot of time with a very frail 79-year-old, and we are moving toward building an assisted living facility, so this sort of thing is very much in my awareness. Help me indeed get as many as possible into right relationship with You, so that they too may look forward to standing in Your presence, for Your glory now and throughout eternity. Thank You Hallelujah!

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January 5, 2017

Posted on January 9, 2017 by jgarrott

Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

This is a marvelous promise that we often forget, in relation to ourselves and in relation to others. We may have trouble finishing what we start, but God has no such difficulty. This isn’t to say that no one ever gets off track and suffers for it, but it is to say that the final outcome is always in God’s hands. We sometimes despair over our own lack of progress, as we see it, but the very fact that we’re upset about it is clear proof that God is still working in us. We also get upset about those we care about failing to walk in fellowship with the Lord they profess. We can’t change them directly, but by praying for them and speaking the truth in love, we can be God’s instruments for the work that He is doing in them, as this verse talks about. The Bible leaves no room for complacency, for taking things for granted, but it also makes it very clear that God is God, and totally to be trusted. What He asks of us is our will, the choice to turn to Him in love and obedience. The stronger that choice, the more we are aware of the many ways in which we fall short of perfection. This verse should comfort everyone who finds himself in that situation.

As a pastor, I need to remind myself of this truth in relation to those under my care. I’ve got to remember that I can’t carry them in my own strength, and I’m not supposed to. God is able to bring to completion what He has begun in them. If it’s something I’ve done, then it’s meaningless in the first place. Part of my problem in ministry is plotting in my own mind what the best course for a particular person would be, and then trying to make that happen. That’s doomed to failure, for them and for me! I’ve got to be active in placing everyone and everything in God’s hands, while keeping myself available for however God wants to use me in what He is doing. I am never to excuse sin, in myself or in others, but I am to forgive. I am not to ignore others, but neither am I to allow people to monopolize me and keep me from tasks the Lord has for me. Recently a great deal of my time has been taken up with helping a particular person. That isn’t bad, but the Lord reminded me this morning of some other things that have to be taken care of that I’ve been letting slide. What God is doing in me includes accurate time allocation and faithfulness in follow-through. I’m not to be anxious about any of it, but remember that God is indeed faithful to complete what He has begun.

Father, thank You for all You enabled us to get done yesterday. There’s a lot on the schedule for today as well. Help me not panic about any of it, but do each step in turn, not relying on my own understanding but listening obediently to You every moment. May I be a pure, open channel of Your grace and love in all that You allow me to do, so that Your work may be advanced not only in me but in everyone around me as well, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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January 4, 2017

Posted on January 8, 2017 by jgarrott

Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

We are so quick to forget that our struggle isn’t against human beings. Sadly, human beings are often used by the powers of evil, but they are not our actual enemies. Keeping that in focus is actually very powerful spiritual warfare, because people don’t know what to make of those who won’t hate them when they’ve been given every reason to do so. We don’t act that way naturally. Jesus’ words about loving your enemies and praying for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44) have been dismissed as impractical idealism by many over the years, but if it is our choice to do as Jesus said, God will enable us to follow through and do it. We need to be aware that the same forces that make bad use of the people around us also war directly against our own souls, and we are as capable of hurting others as they are of hurting us. Yielding to such forces never benefits anyone. Even those in law enforcement or the military who are called on directly to take the lives of others should be praying for those they have to kill, without being paralyzed by doubt when the moment comes. The whole matter of self defense comes in here too. In addition to the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus also said that if his disciples didn’t have a sword, to sell their cloak and get one. (Luke 22:36) Physical response to physical attack is not wrong, but the spiritual battle is at the root of it all, and we must not forget that.

This again is close to home. I have been strongly tempted to despise the owner of the land next door because of how he has acted, really throughout the time we have known him. However, he has been shaped – deformed – by the one who comes only to steal, kill, and destroy, (John 10:10) and the landowner is not my enemy. I am to pray, as I have been doing, that his interaction with us would open his eyes to the reality of a God who loves us all, so that he too would open his heart to receive that love. I realized quite a few years ago that he was a wounded and scarred individual, though I have no idea what events contributed to that. I am to pray for him not only to do what God desires – which will benefit me – but to repent and believe for his salvation, which will benefit him and cause rejoicing in heaven. (Luke 15:7)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all that You have on our slate for today. May I go through today seeing each individual as someone Jesus died for, allowing Your love to flow through me to them, so that all the forces of evil may be defeated indeed and many brought to light and life in Your kingdom, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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January 3, 2017

Posted on January 8, 2017 by jgarrott

Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

It is entirely appropriate that Paul would pray this after what he has just prayed for his readers, because what he has just prayed is impossible from a strictly human standpoint. However, it is to God’s glory that His Spirit, love and power indwell those who are His children by faith. It is passages like this that make Ephesians my favorite book in the whole Bible (though that’s a pretty fierce competition). I think the same could have been said of my maternal grandfather, W. O. Carver, who wrote what many feel was his best book, The Glory of God and the Christian Calling, on this letter of Paul. Ephesians was written late in Paul’s life, but not at a point when he was sharply aware of his imminent martyrdom. It distills much of what he had heard and learned of/from the Lord throughout his life, without being too tied to local conditions and events of those to whom it was written. (There is valid discussion as to whether it was originally written just to Ephesus, or whether it was written to a number of churches and the one to Ephesus just happens to be the one that was best preserved.) It focuses in on our relationship to God: what He has done for us in Christ and how we should be living that out in our daily lives. As such it is an excellent tool in accomplishing exactly what Paul prays for here, because the more we internalize the truths it holds, the more we will grasp the magnificence of what God has done for us and the more we will walk that out daily, for His glory.

As familiar as this book is to me, I still can’t say I live it out 100% in every situation. I would do well to meditate on it more, perhaps even memorizing it in both of the languages I use on a daily basis. However, even memorization doesn’t necessarily mean application. I must not deceive myself by loving the words without living them out. (James 1:22) This particular snippet is very important to remember: God is able to do more than I can ask or imagine. Recently He has been doing some fairly remarkable things that we really didn’t know to ask for, and He is going to do far more. I am never to underestimate God! I have been overwhelmed at times by the volume and variety of what felt like demands on me, but however impossible it might be for me to answer all of those on my own, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13) I am too prone to limit God by looking at people and circumstances strictly through the filter of my own abilities. That’s downright laughable! I must remember that God is GOD, for crying out loud! As the Bible says repeatedly, “impossible” simply doesn’t apply to Him. For example, I was telling some people just the other day how He got Cathy and me together, and I had to say that the story would be ridiculed as the plot of a movie as simply too improbable. I need to remember such things in my own life, even, and expect Him to continue to do more than I could ever ask or imagine.

Father, thank You for this encouraging reminder. I’ve got quite an imagination, but it doesn’t begin to approach Your plans for me and for this church. May I be yielded to You joyfully at all times, to be completely available for You to do in and through me all that You plan and desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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January 2, 2017

Posted on January 6, 2017 by jgarrott

Ephesians 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

Paul’s various prayers recorded in his letters are excellent examples for us to follow in how to pray for each other. It is when our prayers are in line with God’s will that we can have full assurance that they will be granted, and nothing could be more in line with God’s will than what is expressed here. God wants us to know Him, or He would never have sent His Son to let us know what He is like. However, God is so far beyond us that it takes the help of the Holy Spirit to be able to get a handle on Him at all, and that’s what this is talking about. Everything else flows from knowing God, so that’s where we need to start. The rest of this prayer could be said to be an amplification of what is actually included in this one verse. We come to know God through His Word, through our experiences, and through the testimony of others, but in all of that we need the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit or we are entirely likely to misinterpret things. We need to ask, for ourselves and for others, that God would pour out His Holy Spirit, who provides the wisdom and revelation we need to grasp who God is, what He has done for us, and who we are in Him.

As a pastor I am constantly praying some variation of this prayer for the people in my care, but it would probably be helpful for me to come back to this specific passage and appropriate these words as my own prayer. It breaks my heart to see people decline the riches God has provided for them, stumbling along in poverty of spirit, seeking to fill the void in their life with things and feelings rather than with God Himself. I need to pray this prayer for them, because it’s for sure I can’t give them wisdom and revelation on my own! I delight to share the Word with people, but I desire even more that they learn to take it in for themselves, and choose to do so regularly. However, I have tried until I was blue in the face to get people to develop a regular habit of personal devotions, and have simply proved that I can’t force anyone to do anything. However, I can pray for them, and I must do so faithfully. God has proved time and time again that nothing is impossible for Him, so I need to pray with assurance and joy for His will to be done.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the good service yesterday and for the Word You spoke through me. I pray that we would all rejoice to be chosen by You and respond with both gratitude and obedience, so that we may welcome Your Spirit and allow You to transform us into the children and servants You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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January 1, 2017

Posted on January 6, 2017 by jgarrott

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

It’s interesting that I was so sure we had used this verse as the verse for the year not that long ago, but we can find no record of that having been the case. It may be because it comes out so long in Japanese that I had avoided it, choosing shorter verses instead. I am of course preaching on this verse this morning, but there is so much here it looks like a series to me. The focus for this morning’s message is on the fact that we are chosen. Jesus said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.” (John 15:16) We may question His wisdom in choosing us, but it’s not up to us. Paul wrote at length about God’s choosing in Romans 9, but in the end it remains rather a mystery to us because of our being in the flow of time and God being outside of it, having created time in the first place (since time can’t exist without matter). Because God sees everything at once, He knows who chooses to follow Him and who chooses either to ignore or to rebel against Him, but that doesn’t mean He forces us into those choices. That’s what predestination and free will are all about. We get caught in traps of human logic when we try to think about that too deeply, because this also touches on the whole area of prayer, and why it makes any difference to pray. We have to come back down out of the clouds of philosophy into the “real world” of our experience, simply because we are not outside of time, and so have no real vocabulary even to think about it clearly. We tend to think about God’s choosing as a matter of discarding the ones not chosen, but those have eliminated themselves from God’s choice by their own choices. That’s not to say they have deliberately chosen against God, but rather that they have chosen all sorts of things instead of God. Jesus’ statement and Peter’s statement do not eliminate human responsibility and accountability.

I see that I’m faced with quite a challenge in communicating this clearly and simply this morning! I need to focus on what Peter and Jesus said was the purpose of God’s choosing: that we may declare His praises and so bear much fruit. As a pastor I am involved in far more than just my own choosing/being chosen, but I’ve got to remember that it is ultimately not up to me, it is up to God. I can do spiritual warfare on behalf of people so that they may have a clear path to escape the devil’s traps, but it is up to them as to whether they take that path. I am to provide nourishment for the flock, (John 21:15-17) but I cannot force them to eat and drink. God knows how they will respond, which is part of His choosing. I am not to write people off, but I am to yield them to God. I am not to be proud of having been chosen, but I am to urge others to allow themselves to be in that category as well.

Father, thank You for this Word, for today and for this year. I can see that I really need Your wisdom and guidance as to what to say and how to say it in the message this morning, or I will leave people terribly confused. May I speak Your words in the power of Your Spirit to that Your will may be accomplished, in individual lives, in this church, in this city, in this nation, on earth as it is in heaven, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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December 31, 2016

Posted on January 1, 2017 by jgarrott

Lamentations 3:25-26 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.

Any time we read Lamentations it’s important to remember the horrendous circumstances under which it was written. Modern warfare can certainly be horrible, but precisely because they didn’t have guns and explosives back then, war was intensely personal. In most cases you saw the person who killed you, which is the opposite of today’s drone strikes. Jeremiah had lived through that, and he was faced with the aftermath of the destruction of Jerusalem after a very long siege. Detailing the horrors he experienced isn’t perhaps necessary, but we do need to have some sort of grasp of the level of faith expressed in this third chapter. We need to let the truth expressed here work its way into our hearts and minds so that we can have peace and stability regardless of what is going on around us. That is a treasure indeed!

What we have gone through in the past month is no comparison to the horrors of war, but it has been training in faith nonetheless. We have been faced with seemingly insurmountable circumstances one after another, and have seen the Lord get us through them. Last night I called the owner of the land next door to give him a report on all we are doing to move forward toward getting through all the red tape involved in our purchasing the land, and he spent virtually the entire call emphasizing how it was hopeless for us. I stood firm, without lashing out at him more than to say at one point that he had already made himself very clear, but at the end of the call I was tied in knots, to put it lightly. However, just a few minutes later he called me back and said that he was working on what amounts to an end run around the regulations about the sale of agricultural land, applying to get it re-zoned as non-agricultural. He emphasized that such applications are rarely approved, but it is certainly true that the land in question has not been used for agriculture since the end of WWII at least. If that application is approved, then he can simply sell the land to the church, no questions asked, and what we do with the land after that is entirely our business, with no time pressure. That would be welcome indeed! However, my focus isn’t to be on the land, the owner, the bureaucracy, or any plans involving all of that. My focus is to be on my Lord, who owns it all and has it all under control. On this last day of the year I need to remind myself and others of the goodness of God, and place my hope and my expectation entirely in Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I ask for guidance, wisdom and strength for all that today holds. Help us get each thing done in turn, leading up to a very blessed Watch Night Service tonight. May we all focus our hearts and our minds on You, allowing You to do in and through us all that You desire and intend, so that we may be prepared for all that You have for us in the new year, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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December 30, 2016

Posted on January 1, 2017 by jgarrott

Luke 2:50-51 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them.

It struck me as I read this just now that there were communication problems even in the Holy Family! Two people can be using the same words but each have a different frame of reference, so their words and minds don’t connect. It’s also important to note that even so, Jesus was not rebellious toward Mary and Joseph. The English says He “was obedient to” them, but the Japanese says He “served” them. That attitude isn’t so common in most teenagers! What I think we need to take from this is that hearing is far more than taking in the vibrations we call sound. Maybe this sort of experience was why Jesus spoke so many times about “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Mark 4:23 and many more) Our problem in hearing God accurately is that always our frame of reference is vastly more limited than His, but even between two people, the more different our life experiences, the more difficult it can be to communicate on more than a surface level. That’s a major factor in male/female communication, because the biological/physiological differences automatically generate different frames of reference. Every one of us needs the grace and help of God to communicate and get along with our fellow human beings!

Recognizing the complexities in communication made me switch from a Chemistry major to an English major in college. (I ended up with a Speech/English major, which was really Drama/Creative Writing.) Having been born and raised in Japan, I had an extremely different frame of reference from my classmates in a school in East Tennessee! One of the biggest factors in my deciding to marry Cathy was that I felt we could communicate. I now know that was because she also had a frame of reference that was strong on music, creativity and faith, but my thinking wasn’t quite so clear at the time. I can’t say there weren’t other factors, too! That said, our communication hasn’t always been smooth in the years since 1969, but we have both worked at it, and that has made a big difference. Ministering in Japan, communication could be said to be 90+% of my life, for good or for bad. Communication difficulties abound, to the point that I probably couldn’t even list them all. I have got to maintain humility, first toward God and also toward the people around me, because the moment I get proud, I stop really hearing them. Different frames of reference isn’t a matter of blame, it’s simply a fact of life. I’ve got to seek and depend on the help of the Holy Spirit to get it as right as possible, and not dwell on misunderstandings. One of the biggest things I have to look forward to in heaven (to hear the reports of those who have been there) is perfect communication!

Father, thank You for this reminder this morning. Thank You for the awareness of communication You have given me over the years. Help me be Your agent all the time, communicating accurately with You and with those around me and helping them to do likewise, so that the lies of the enemy may be exposed and defeated and Your truth set people free indeed, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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December 29, 2016

Posted on December 31, 2016 by jgarrott

Matt 2:15 And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Matthew emphasized the fulfillment of prophecy more than any other New Testament writer, making it clear that he was writing for a Jewish audience. Recent computer analysis indicates that he probably wrote originally in Aramaic, which was translated into Greek for general consumption. (The oldest texts we have are all Greek.) He wanted to show that Jesus wasn’t just some generalized Savior, much less some run-of-the-mill “holy man,” He was the promised Messiah, the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham, David, and many more down through the centuries. Human beings are very prone to focus on right now, on whatever their senses tell them at the moment, but God sees the end from the beginning, and He has it all in His hands. We need reminders of that from time to time, to give us perspective and keep us from losing it over the crisis of the moment. After all, Jesus was “the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8) God knew the mess the world would become from the moment He created it, so He had His solution ready from that point as well. When that is the case, why do we get tied in knots over such minor things (however major they might seem to us)? We are in the flow of time and so see things from a linear perspective, but God sees it all at once, and we need to trust Him with all of it.

This is certainly applicable to me right now. This whole business of the land next door has been an emotional roller coaster ride, but that could be said about all of my 35 years of ministry here in Omura. Yesterday at the Prefectural Office I got a fairly warm reception, along with an explanation of the mountain of regulations we will have to deal with in purchasing the land and building the facility, not to mention operating it. At the same time, when I called one of the church board members to ask for prayer about the issue, I found out that for various personal reasons he and his wife and son will be attending a different church from now on, reducing our numbers even further. Though not unexpected in itself, the timing made it a bit more painful. It was a reminder that, as the song says, “In Christ alone I place my trust.” We have nothing else to rely on, but that’s really not a bad place to be. Even now, in the middle of all this turmoil, I am to rest, relax, and rejoice, not letting the devil steal anything from me through doubt and anxiety. I am to look forward each day to what God is going to do, savoring each moment and His presence in it, as His agent for His glory.

Father, thank You not only for yesterday but for this past year. Thank you that I’m not who or what I was a year ago. Help me keep growing, always looking to You and allowing You to operate through me, so that in every detail Your will may be done on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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December 28, 2016

Posted on December 30, 2016 by jgarrott

Matthew 2:10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

Confirmation can be wonderful indeed. We indeed walk by faith and not by sight, (2 Corinthians 5:7) but occasional visual confirmation is very comforting. Particularly before GPS, spotting a landmark that matched the directions we had been given was quite welcome. God leads us in various ways, and some of those lend themselves to this sort of confirmation more than others. That’s where spiritual growth comes in. It might be ideal if all of us trusted God perfectly all the time and never missed a cue, but reality is very far from that ideal. That’s one of many reasons we need our brothers and sisters in Christ. Not only can we comfort and encourage each other, sometimes one person will spot a confirming sign that another has overlooked. God doesn’t want us wandering around confused and He doesn’t want us losing hope, but He does want us to be strong in faith and knit together in love.

The Lord has certainly had us in a fairly intensive training program for a while now. We have several different things happening simultaneously, and He has given signs related to each one. We need to be encouraged by every one of those signs, even when they don’t seem connected to the immediate issue, because they are confirmations of His faithfulness. For example, the Hong Kong missionary team being interested in buying the house in another city that is being moved out of should be an encouragement that things aren’t going to fall through about the church getting the land next door here. God sees the whole picture, and every bit of it is interrelated. I am reminded that the star appearing again for the Magi did not mean that everything after that would be easy. They had to go home by a different, probably less convenient and possibly more dangerous route, and the Holy Family had to escape into Egypt. It is certainly not wrong for me to rejoice at the various confirmations we are given, but at the same time I am not to presume that the next step will be easy, nor resent it when it isn’t. Today I will be visiting the Senior Welfare Office at the prefectural capital. Much depends on the decisions that are made today, but I am not to be anxious about any of it. Neither am I to take any of it lightly. I am to go in a high state of humility, sensitivity, and expectation. I am to be respectful of whomever I talk with, receiving the information and advice they give me, but letting God tell me what it all means. At no point am I to despair, whatever I am told, but rather keep my heart fixed on Christ. The road ahead will not be easy, because we need more spiritual muscle and God is giving us a workout, but the end result will be very good indeed.

Father, thank You for all this training. It really isn’t much fun in the middle of it, so help us keep our eyes on the goal. (Hebrews 12:11, Philippians 3:14) Help us not decide ahead of time what the path ought to be, but rather trust You with it and follow faithfully, whatever the route. You have said to rest, relax, and rejoice. We are learning just how hard that can be, but Your grace is more than enough for us. (2 Corinthians 12:9) Help us recognize and welcome that grace at all times, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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