October 1, 2016

Posted on October 8, 2016 by jgarrott

Matthew 21:22 “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

This is one of Jesus’ flat statements that we have a lot of trouble accepting. Those who go whole hog on it tend to have faith in faith, rather than faith in God Himself. On the other hand, most Christians tend to discount it, failing in the very area it is talking about. There are two problems with how we approach this verse. The first is dealt with by James. “You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:2-3) We have a wide variety of motives in our praying, and since God sees our hearts, that produces a wide variety of results. Even when we are praying for something that is good and right, we may destroy the effectiveness of our prayer by wanting that thing to happen so that we will be seen as holy, having “special access” to God. We can be remarkably blind to that sort of motivation in ourselves. The second problem is the matter of timing. That subject has come up several times recently, and it’s still very true that we don’t understand God’s timing. Hebrews famously talks about all the saints who died not having seen that for which they believed. (Hebrews 11:39-40) You could call that the ultimate escape clause! It all boils down to trust, which could be called faith with shoes on. Faith can be very abstract, but trust produces action and impacts how we live. In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed with perfect faith, knowing that God was fully able to rescue Him, but at the same time He was completely trusting, surrendering His human desires to the Father’s will. We can certainly do no better than to follow His example.

This whole issue of prayer can get terribly complicated. I have long held that prayer is illogical from an objective standpoint. Why would the omnipotent Creator listen and respond to what His creatures say? However, as a parent myself I understand that our heavenly Father would want to talk with His children, and that is what we are. Just as good human parents delight to respond to their children’s requests, but still won’t give them things that are bad for them, our Father delights to give us His kingdom, (Luke 12:32) but He knows far better than we do what effect things will have on us, and He doesn’t want to give us things that will be detrimental in the long run. I have wrestled with this issue much of my life, and I expect to continue to do so until I’m rid of this merely human body. I am not to fail to ask, particularly when Jesus told us to ask, seek, and knock, (Matthew 7:7-11) At the same time I am not to insist that the answers to my prayers be as I imagine them; God’s ideas are always better!

Father, I am back to the realization of how little I know about prayer, though I love it and practice it frequently with joy. May I continue to grow in my knowledge and understanding of You and Your kingdom, so that I may be a better child and more effective servant, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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September 30, 2016

Posted on October 6, 2016 by jgarrott

Matthew 21:1-3 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

Something struck me as I read this just now that I don’t recall being stressed very much. Not only do we have a donkey and colt going with strangers, (and the colt being ridden for the first time) we have the owner agreeing immediately to the use of what could well have been a major chunk of his material wealth. Often the real test of our faith and our priorities comes when the Lord indicates something dear to us and says, “I need that.” Letting go can be painful at times, but the result is always far better than trying to hang onto whatever it is. Sometimes that includes our own children. When Cathy and I were headed to Japan as missionaries, her father offered me five acres of land and help in building a house, (they lived on a large farm) and we turned him down. He seemed satisfied with that, and said, “Just checking.” He was releasing his daughter and two of his grandchildren to the Lord. Sometimes we balk at releasing much smaller things. Peter famously asked Jesus what the score was for himself and the rest of the 12, and Jesus’ response was magnificent. “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29) Any time God asks us to give anything up for Him, He always has far better for us in return. We may not be able to imagine what that might be at the moment, but it is true nonetheless.

For me, I think the biggest struggle may be time. I tend to think of time as mine, and be resentful when other things impinge on “my” time. The thing is, I’ve committed my life to Christ, and lives are measured in time, so what’s my gripe? I think I’m growing in this area, but I haven’t reached perfection yet! I need to hold everything loosely, not failing to use it as the Lord directs, but not getting possessive about it either. Frankly, I have hoarding tendencies, not liking to throw anything out because “I might have a use for it later.” I have little trouble giving things away to people who need them, but sometimes the Lord indicates that I just need to NOT have some item. That can be painful! I know, from years of experience, that the Lord is more than able to supply everything I need, and I need to trust Him more completely with that.

Father, thank You for this very timely reminder, as we have been going through things we have had stored for over 30 years. Help us have Your peace about each item, and especially about the things to which we have a sentimental attraction. Give us Your wisdom about the disposition of it all, so that we will be equipped as You intend and others will be blessed as well, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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September 29, 2016

Posted on October 6, 2016 by jgarrott

Matthew 19:13 Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

The implication from the text that we have is that this happened immediately after Jesus had given His definitive teaching on divorce. We have to wonder whether the mothers (presumably) who brought the children had heard what Jesus said, and that was part of their motivation. We have trouble grasping the social context of the day, but what is coming out about Islam should give us some insight. It is taught, and legally practiced in some Islamic countries, that all a man has to do to get rid of his wife is to say, “I divorce you,” three times, and it is done. We have to realize the context of the question in verse 3, “for any and every reason.” There were some teachers in that day who said that burning breakfast was sufficient reason to divorce a wife! Jesus’ response gave both partners equal dignity, and that was revolutionary. Any wife who heard that would quite understandably have wanted Jesus’ blessing on her children! In a marriage where the husband fails to cherish his wife properly, she has no emotional sup­port for her self-image other than her children. We see that around us all the time. That’s why such women place their children ahead of their husband in their priorities about almost everything. The women here may well have been thinking, “I don’t know when my husband may try to divorce me, so Jesus, bless my children!” The devil hates marriage and intact families, as is very obvious in the world today, so standing up for the Biblical description of marriage and family is a major way of resisting the devil and destroying his works. (James 4:7, 1 John 3:8)

One ministry the Lord has given me has been marriage counseling and weddings, so this is an issue I think and talk about a lot. I have been blessed with a magnificent marriage, but that hasn’t been a very strong shield even for my own children. Every generation has to deal with this for themselves. Unfortunately, the majority of young people lack the spiritual maturity to seek and follow God’s prescription, and so bring lots of unnecessary grief on themselves. Parents need to be clearer and more open about their own marriage with their children. I don’t know that my own parents were as clear as they should have been, seeing my siblings, and I know I wasn’t sufficiently clear with my own children. All the passages about transmitting God’s Word to succeeding generations aren’t just blowing smoke! As I teach on marriage and family I have no room for pride, but Cathy’s and my relationship is noticed and held in awe by many who know us. I am to be fully grateful, and be consistent in speaking the truth in love as the Lord gives opportunity, so that I may indeed destroy the devil’s work and be an agent of God’s kingdom.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Many things on this trip have been reminders of what the devil is doing to tear down families. May I be fully submitted to You so that I may be fully effective as Your agent in proclaiming and establishing Your truth, so that many may be set free from the devil’s lies, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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September 28, 2016

Posted on October 5, 2016 by jgarrott

Matthew 14:23 After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray.

We often overlook the many references to Jesus praying. It might seem counter-intuitive that Jesus would pray, since He was – and is – a member of the Godhead. You could even say He was talking to Himself! However, when He took the form of a gamete in Mary’s womb He took on all the limitations we face, and that included His total communication with the Father and the Spirit. He was reduced to prayer! That said, He made full use of that incredible privilege we also are given, of talking to the Father on a personal basis, by the Holy Spirit. The more we understand the nature of that privilege and how marvelous it is, the more we will utilize it, with overflowing gratitude. When we understand that Jesus needed to pray, we will have no shame in doing it ourselves. It is amazing, but quite a few people – especially men – feel that prayer is an admission of weakness. When we compare ourselves with God, there is no room for claims of strength on our part!

I grew up in a home where prayer was as natural as breathing, but that doesn’t mean I have always made full use of the privilege. I am growing in what Paul calls “praying without ceasing,” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) but I can hardly say I’ve perfected it. I am to the point where I don’t hesitate to pray, anywhere, anytime, and that is a blessing indeed. As a pastor, I desire that joy for every believer, but too many draw back for one reason or another. For one thing, a habit of prayer makes you more sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and that will keep you from sin. Some people don’t really want to be kept from sin! I am never to give up, but constantly and consistently speak the truth in love, modeling a lifestyle of fellowship with our Lord, asking the Holy Spirit to convict and guide as necessary.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me not proclaim the Word and then fail to appropriate and practice it myself! May I continue to grow in prayer, in fellowship with You in all ways at all times, so that Your will may be accomplished in and through me on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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September 27, 2016

Posted on October 5, 2016 by jgarrott

Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

For most thoughtful believers, these are some of the most devastating words in the whole Bible. There is that in us that does not like to forgive. However, God knows full well that failing to forgive eats away at our souls, and that is something He will not permit. We hang up not only on forgiving others, but also on forgiving ourselves at times. We have trouble accepting the truth that our offenses against God are far greater than anything anyone could do to us, and at the same time we can’t wrap our minds around the truth that the cross of Christ was sufficient payment for every one of our sins, and God’s forgiveness is both real and complete for anyone who comes to Him in Christ. There are many layers to what God told Paul one time when he was asking for physical healing: “My grace is sufficient for you.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) That not only means that God will support us regardless of our physical circumstances (which is why it was spoken to Paul) it also means that His forgiveness is very real, and not dependent on acts of penance and the like. When we refuse to forgive others, we are ignoring the truth of God’s grace and essentially spitting in His face. Grace is received through humility!

I have tended to be fairly forgiving of others, but certain things I have done tend to haunt me. Big things I can recognize and release to God, but it’s the little things that tend to slip through the cracks. It is at times amazing the things that come to my mind that I did years ago! Each time that happens I’ve got to acknowledge that I did whatever it was, and then ask for God’s forgiveness and choose to receive it. It’s that last step that I tend to trip on! Forgiving things done to me is fortunately something that becomes easier with repetition, and by now it has become almost automatic. I rarely hold things over to the next day, and I have been greatly blessed by that. However, few of the people I encounter live like that, and getting them to see the truth about forgiveness can sometimes be a huge challenge. That’s especially awkward when they have something against me. I try to apply what Jesus taught about that, (Matthew 5:23-24) but apologies are not always accepted. Japanese culture has a long tradition of honoring revenge, and that is of course the opposite of forgiveness. On top of that, the average Japanese doesn’t even know the proper word for Biblical forgiveness, because it is a homophone (though written with a different character) of a word that simply means permission. As a result, if something can’t be allowed, it can’t be forgiven, in their thinking at least. Just explaining the two different characters (which I do every time I do marriage counseling) doesn’t necessarily get through to the point that people practice forgiveness with any consistency. I am not to give up, but continue both to explain and to demonstrate Biblical forgiveness, so that the truth may penetrate and set people free. (John 8:32)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You also for Your promise that when I forgive people, they really are forgiven. (John 20:23) Help me be an agent of Your forgiveness to all, so that the devil’s traps may be destroyed and people set free, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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September 26, 2016

Posted on October 4, 2016 by jgarrott

09/26 Matthew 5:43-48
Matthew 5:48 “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is dearly loved, but at the same time it sets such a high standard that it causes quite a few people to give up and reject Christianity altogether. Jesus’ point, of course, was not to cause people to give up, but to make us understand that it is only by grace that we can come to God. We tend either to be conceited, blind to our own sins, or despairing, not accepting the way God has provided to get out of our weakness. This one verse should be the final blow to spiritual conceit, but unfortunately it often is not. Paul is an excellent example for us here, as he so often is. Even though he wrote half the New Testament, he stated very clearly, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14) In other words, he knew very well that he wasn’t perfect yet, but he had full assurance that God could do the job, and that He wasn’t going to stop before it was finished. (Philippians 1:6) Jesus is our example of perfection, and as Christians we bear the title of “little Christs.” That title ceases to be ironic to the degree that we are submitted to Him, aware that we can’t get it right on our own, (John 15:5) but that He can and will get it marvelously right through us, if we will allow Him to do so.
I will never forget the time when a member of Sokagakkai (the Buddhist equivalent of Jehovah’s Witnesses) accosted my mother and me in Fukuoka. (I think I was in about the 7th grade.) He had spotted my mother as a missionary, and he was in attack mode. He brought up the command to love our enemies, directly from The Sermon on the Mount, and used it to say that Christianity demanded impossible things, whereas Sokagakkai did not. My mother countered with a story of some American Christians who had forgiven and adopted a Japanese young man who, as a very young prison camp guard in the closing days of WWII, had deliberately shot and killed their son, who had been a POW. I won’t go into the details, but such an example of loving your enemies effectively shut the Sokagakkai member up. As a pastor I am constantly confronted with human imperfection, my own and others’. I am never to give up, on myself or on anyone else, but realize that we are all totally dependent on the grace and mercy of God, and rejoice in that grace and mercy. I am never to use grace as an excuse to wallow in sin, certainly, (Romans 5:20- 6:2) and I am never to be satisfied with less than the perfection of Christ, but at the same time I am to leave it all in God’s hands, striving toward the goal as Paul did, and expressed so beautifully to the Philippians.

Father, sometimes human imperfection is more in my face than at other times. Help me be so focused on You that Your love will cover it all over (1 Peter 4:8) and bring about Your salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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September 25, 2016

Posted on October 4, 2016 by jgarrott

Habakkuk 3:17-19 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.

This is one of the purest, most beautiful expressions of faith in the whole Bible, and as such it is justly famous. Most of the time we operate in highly conditional “faith,” trusting God as long as things seem to be going well for us. However, that is operating by sight rather than by genuine faith, and that is the opposite of how we are to live. (2 Corinthians 5:7) As long as we are relying on material things to tell us whether to love and trust God, we haven’t really placed our faith in Him. Our bodies are material, and God is aware of all the limitations involved in that, (Psalm 103:14) but He also gives faith to all who choose to receive it. (Romans 12:3) At issue, as it is almost always, is our choice of whether to receive that faith and believe. Habakkuk made that choice in a time of famine on top of military disaster, and we are blessed by his expression of that choice.

I have never been faced with Habakkuk’s exact circumstances, but I am faced daily with opportunities to choose either faith or distrust, either a spiritual mindset or a materialistic one. Many years of experience have taught me that indeed, faith is the victory that overcomes the world. (1 John 5:4) I grew up singing the hymn that repeats that principle in its chorus, but it has taken years of “battlefield experience” to really get it through my skull. I have had many crises of one sort or another over the years, and the best outcomes have always come when I have chosen to trust. My flesh doesn’t like that, but if I let my flesh control me, I am defeated already. The devil does all he can to get us to focus on how we feel physically, when those factors are temporary at most. “Submitting to God and resisting the devil” (James 4:7) always includes the choice to trust God, often in defiance of what our senses tell us. I am not to live in la-la land, simply pretending that things aren’t so, but I always must remember that God has the last say, and His plans are ultimately good, because He is good and He is God. (Jeremiah 29:11) That’s where Habakkuk was, and that’s where I want to be.

Father, I do better at remembering this with big issues than with small ones. Little things like how a computer is behaving can have an inordinate impact on my sense of well-being. Forgive my foolishness and pour faith into me by Your Spirit. May I join Habakkuk and Paul and so many others in standing firm in faith at all times, so that Your victory may be manifested in every area of my life, not just for my personal blessing but so that the devil’s strongholds may be torn down in other people’s lives as well, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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September 24, 2016

Posted on September 27, 2016 by jgarrott

Habakkuk 2:1-3 I will stand at my watch
and station myself on the ramparts;
I will look to see what he will say to me,
and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

Then the Lord replied:

“Write down the revelation
and make it plain on tablets
so that a herald may run with it.
For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
it speaks of the end
and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
it will certainly come and will not delay.”

When you pray to the living Lord, you would do well to expect an answer, as Habakkuk did in verse 1. We are very prone to entreat the Lord for guidance, encouragement, revelation or what have you, and then turn away if we don’t get what we’re looking for in the way we expect it within a very limited time. We also have the problem of not paying attention and listening to Him in the first place. The first time I ever heard the Lord speak to me in what might as well have been an audible voice, I had been praying non-stop, begging Him to give me an answer. (At this point I don’t even remember what I was praying about.) When I paused for a breath, He said with perfect clarity, “Well then, shut up.” I was shocked into silence, but then I had to laugh. Whatever I had been asking Him about wasn’t as important as the lesson that I had better be listening. We say we serve a living God, but we seldom act like we ourselves really believe it. A very big part of faith is simply expecting God to answer. It’s not wise to try to dictate the content of the answer, or the timing. We are all too likely to specify both! The second half of faith is acting on the reply we receive, and not just feeling satisfied because we got an answer. James said that’s deceiving ourselves. (James 1:22)

It was at least three separate times the Lord gave verses 2-3 to me and to Shinsei no Sato. The second of those times, the person delivering the Word said, “Nobody gives a message from Habakkuk, but here it is!” The times after that we weren’t nearly as surprised! I feel the Lord has placed this passage in the Bible-reading sequence at this point precisely because we have been looking at our ministry of the past 35 years, and particularly its status right now, and wondering what real good we have done. Actually, the Lord gave me the answer to that through my own mouth as I was talking with someone at the conference a couple of days ago, when I said that we don’t know the extended consequences of what we do, either good or bad. We can look at people in the Bible and see how their actions have echoed through the centuries, but we can’t really get that same perspective on ourselves. I’ve got to trust God to fulfill what He has said, through the Bible and to me personally, whether that fulfillment is within my physical lifetime or not. He has said that we will see every street corner filled with people who are praising God because of us. Even if that’s at our funeral, or even at some memorial further down the road, I’ve got to trust Him with it, because I certainly can’t make it happen on my own.

Father, being on a trip like this causes us to examine all sorts of things and perhaps see them differently. Thank You. The process isn’t necessarily easy or even pleasant, but it’s valuable. (Hebrews 12:11) Help me learn from each thing You allow me to experience, not complaining or rebelling but trusting You to use everything for my good and for Your glory. (Romans 8:28) Thank You. Praise God!

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September 23, 2016

Posted on September 27, 2016 by jgarrott

Habakkuk 1:13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;
you cannot tolerate wrong.
Why then do you tolerate the treacherous?
Why are you silent while the wicked
swallow up those more righteous than themselves?

This is a question that every honest believer has asked in some form at least once, and probably several times. God’s grace and mercy are at times more mysterious than His judgments! The answer keeps coming back to what the Lord told Isaiah: “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9) In the human world there is something called “The Law of Unintended Consequences.” We don’t, we can’t, know every effect of an action. God, on the other hand, does know that, and this is why He never makes any mistakes, whatever they might look like to us. You could say that God took an enormous gamble in giving mankind free will, but that would only be from our perspective. Actually, He knew the mess that would ensue, and He knew what He would have to do to fix it all. This is why the Bible says Jesus was the Lamb chosen before the creation of the world to be our atonement. (1 Peter 1:19-20) Being anchored in time ourselves, we really can’t imagine what it is like for God, who is outside of time because He created everything, and even physicists will tell you that time can’t exist without matter. God allows things in the short term because of what effects and ripples they will have down throughout eternity. For example, no one grows, learns, and matures without encountering and overcoming difficulty. We don’t enjoy it at the time, but the results are good. (Hebrews 12:11) That’s why Jesus could say, with absolute assurance, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Rather than complaining, either about our own struggles or about how evil people seem to succeed, we need to submit fully to God on every level, trusting Him to be both perfectly powerful and perfectly good. That doesn’t mean we aren’t to be active in opposing evil; our learning to do that is one of the biggest reasons He allows evil. However, we are to be grateful even for the struggle, trusting that God will indeed use everything for good, and for His glory. (Romans 8:28)

I can express this truth without hesitation and know it is truth indeed, but that doesn’t mean that complaints don’t crop up in my heart! I am to operate in the truth I know, not insisting I know more than God says I need to and not trying to be in control. I am to submit my will to His, exercising the authority God gave mankind over the created universe (Genesis 1:28) and especially the authority that is mine in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord, (John 14:13, etc.) but I am not to try to take over for God. As has been said, if God is my co-pilot, then I need to change seats!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You also for having made clear to me that at the moment, many things are not as You would like them to be. Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, submitting to You on every level so that Your Name may be hallowed and Your kingdom come as Your will is done in and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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September 22, 2016

Posted on September 26, 2016 by jgarrott

Habakkuk 1:11 “…guilty men, whose own strength is their god.”

This snippet of description is astounding, really. For one thing, it is a marvelous use of words, painting a vivid description with a minimum of effort. We all know of people like that, and we probably know some personally. There are all kinds of strength, and all of them are worshiped sometimes by some people. That automatically makes those people guilty, because they are guilty of idolatry at the very least. However, far more amazing than the literary turn of phrase here is the fact that these were the people God was going to use for His purposes! Now THAT is mind-boggling! We usually think of God using holy people who are committed to Him, but here we have the opposite. This is the sort of thing that shows us that God’s ways are higher than ours, and His thoughts than ours. (Isaiah 55:9-10) The whole point is, God can use anything or anyone to do what He desires, even if it seems impossible to us. Our place is not to limit God by our limited perspective, and especially not refuse to be used by Him because we are “unworthy.” The Babylonians were hardly worthy!

I can name some people I know personally who fit the description in this verse, and frankly, both major candidates for the US presidency would seem to fit. (I think politicians are quite prone to this, because they tend to worship their own political power.) However, to be honest, I have fit this description myself, when I have effectively worshiped the intellect God gave me. We all run the risk! That said, that doesn’t eliminate me from being used by God, it just changes how much benefit I get out of it. If I want any benefit from it, then I indeed need to be consciously submitted to Him. I indeed want to be His agent so that His Name may be hallowed and His kingdom come, so listening obediently to Him needs to be my first priority. I don’t want to force Him to use me in spite of myself, I want Him to delight to use me, because that will be the greatest blessing for me and the greatest glory for Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for this trip we’ve started, and for how You have guided and blessed already. I pray that I would indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You throughout the trip, because that will keep me in greatest availability to You, for the greatest blessing of the greatest number of people, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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