April 6, 2016

Posted on April 9, 2016 by jgarrott

1 Kings 8:39-40 “Deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of all men), so that they will fear you all the time they live in the land you gave our fathers.”

It takes courage to pray that God would deal with us according to our deeds and our hearts, because we all have a bent toward sin. However, here Solomon was praying under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and this is a good prayer indeed. The reason to pray this way is given in the last part of the passage: so that people will fear God. The problem is, when we don’t recognize the consequences of our actions, we have little incentive to continue doing good stuff and stop doing bad stuff. We receive those consequences, but too often we don’t recognize the connection. Right now America is in the middle of receiving the consequences of rejecting God, but even Church leaders hesitate to say it, because it isn’t politically correct to do so. Not everyone affected by a natural disaster, for example, is in rebellion against God, but that doesn’t mean the disaster hasn’t come because of the actions of society as a whole. More than anything else right now, America is in need of a spirit of repentance. Only then will the healing and revival many long for be poured out on the nation.

Living in Japan as I do, things in America at once seem both clearer and more distant than they would if I were there. I am not to let that make me feel either that I am immune to the temptations that have snared so many, or that what is going on is unimportant to me. Japan is the nation of my birth and the majority of my life, but my roots are distinctly American, and America has enormous influence, both for good and for evil, in the whole world. I am to guard my own heart, and my consequent actions, and I am to pray faithfully for America. The presidential election this year is an enormously important turning point. If a man of genuine righteousness is elected, then there will be far more hope for the nation. If someone who ignores God is elected, then that will mean God’s judgment has come on the nation. I am to pray for God’s mercy, not just for Japan where I live and minister, but for America as well.

Father, thank You for this reminder. You give them to me pretty frequently! Help me be faithful in all that You have for me to do, in activities, in words, and especially in prayer. May I be Your agent for Your will to be done on every level, throughout the world, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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April 5, 2016

Posted on April 9, 2016 by jgarrott

1 Kings 8:24 “You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today.”

God’s promises are going to be fulfilled, so we had better pay attention to them! Often we read the Bible and think, that’s nice, and then go on our way with no grasp of the fact that what we have just read is even more certain than the day’s headlines. After all, reporters just write as they perceive things, while God is aware not only of what is really going on, but also of what is going to happen. That’s why it is helpful to write down what we feel God is saying to us, particularly in daily devotions. Looking back over what we have prayed and what God has spoken to us in the past can be a powerful encouragement to faith in the present for the future. When we read the promises in the Bible, it’s important to pay attention not just to the promises themselves but also to the conditions that God attaches to those promises. If we ignore the conditions, we won’t be able to enjoy the things promised. Also, it’s important to recognize that God doesn’t just promise good things, He also promises bad things if we fail to be obedient. We don’t like to think of those as promises, but they are just as valid as the ones we like to claim. I often quote John 16:33 – “In this world you will have trouble, but rejoice; I have overcome the world.” That’s a promise! Any time we have trouble, we should remember that verse and take our troubles as a sign of the faithfulness of God.

I’ve had plenty of run-ins with the “name it and claim it” crowd. Their focus on God’s promises is good, but woefully deficient, because they tend to ignore the conditions, as well as the negative promises. I must not let such negative encounters blunt my appreciation for God’s absolute faithfulness and love. In my familiarity with Scripture I must not gloss over passages, because familiarity indeed breeds contempt. I must keep my heart open and sensitive to the Holy Spirit all the time, and particularly every time I open the Bible, or even recall a verse or passage. I am to proclaim the good news of God’s kingdom and remember that every bit of it applies to me just as much as to the people to whom I speak. God is faithful, and His Word is eternal.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that I’ve been asked to speak briefly to the graduates today. I pray that Your words through me would indeed encourage each graduate, and the others present as well. May we all have a fresh appreciation of Your faithfulness, to commit ourselves to You afresh so that Your plans may be accomplished in and through us, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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April 4, 2016

Posted on April 9, 2016 by jgarrott

2 Samuel 24:24 But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”
So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them.

This is a significant story that shows us more of why David was pleasing to God. The amount he chose to pay in silver for the land would not be insignificant even today (though by land prices in Tokyo it was pretty cheap). The whole point is that a sacrifice is a sacrifice, which is distinct from an offering. These days we think of everything in terms of money, but initially it was agricultural products, and when they were gone, they were gone. That was the whole point of a burnt offering: no one but God got any of it. With fellowship offerings, the fat was burned up but the meat was eaten by the worshipers. That was one reason festivals were such happy occasions: everyone got to eat meat. What David did here was different, burning the entire animal so that it was totally given to God. The closest New Testament parallel that comes to mind is the story of the widow who gave God all she had to live on. (Mark 12:41-44) God honors giving like that. Sadly, these days any time the whole matter of giving to God comes up, “Prosperity Gospel” comes into the picture. There are exceptions, but much of that becomes “giving to get,” so that the motive is actually greed. It is entirely true that “We can’t out-give God,” as they are so fond of saying, but the “return on investment” is seldom directly financial. When we give to God in sincerity He does bless us, but our motives are of the utmost importance.

This is an awkward subject for me, as I think it is for most people. We’re all conflicted on the matter of money! I grew up with tithing as an ingrained habit, but got away from it for a while as a young adult. I was already married and a father when I came under conviction, with Cathy, that we needed to be tithing, but there was always more month left at the end of the money, and it didn’t seem to be possible. However, when we chose to take the tithe out first, as soon as the money came in, there was actually money left at the end of the month! Tithing first has been our practice ever since, for 40+ years now, and though there have been lean times, God has always met our every need. Understanding both how much God has already done for us, and that His supply is literally infinite, makes that part of it easy. At the same time, we are constantly bombarded with requests for money from many directions, and many of those are indeed worthy causes. Rather than turn off to them automatically, I need to ask God what, if anything, He wants me to do about each one. It is a privilege and a joy to be a channel of His supply, but my motive and my direction must always be Him, and nothing less.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I don’t have wisdom in myself to deal with all that You place in my hands, so I ask You for that wisdom. May I be a faithful steward, not just of what I give to the church, and not just in finances, but in every area of my life. May I return to You what You give to me in ways that are fully pleasing to You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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April 3, 2016

Posted on April 4, 2016 by jgarrott

2 Samuel 15:25-26 Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling-place again. But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him.”

Once again we have an example of David’s humility and submission before the Lord. I dare say the considerable wisdom, even craftiness, he displayed immediately after this was a result of that humility. He trusted God to do what was best, whether that agreed with what he personally desired or not. That’s an attitude we would all certainly do well to emulate! His statement here was addressed to people rather than to God, but it still beings to mind Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane: “Not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39) This is what the Bible is talking about when it says that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10) When God is our first priority, He will guide us beyond anything we could manage on our own. David was facing a coup de etat by one of his own sons, but God gave him wisdom to the point that he came through even more firmly in control of the nation than before. If we will walk in the level of trust in God that David was displaying here, we too will see results better that anyone might have predicted.

I’ve never faced this particular level of crisis, but I have had “rebellion in the ranks,” so to speak, and God has brought me through it. However, the nature of the crisis isn’t the issue, it’s the whole matter of trusting God enough to be obedient to whatever He shows me, whether that agrees with my natural inclinations or not. I face various issues all the time, and as He has shown me, God’s smart and I’m not. I’m not to discard the intellect the Lord has given me, but my starting point, and my ending point, must be God and what He wants, rather than what my own intellect can devise. God is far better able to deal with any situation than I am!

Father, thank You for Your grace that provides all that we need out of the love that You are. Thank You that I have no reason to be anxious about anything at all. That’s a hard thing to remember at times! Today is a full day, and then we get an early start tomorrow for a three-day trip, and I’ve got a runny nose. Help me take each step in full obedience to You, resting, relaxing, and rejoicing, so that all of Your plans involving me may be fulfilled, on Your schedule and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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April 2, 2016

Posted on April 4, 2016 by jgarrott

2 Samuel 7:18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:
“Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?

The outstanding thing about this prayer of David is the humility that shines in every sentence. Humility was a rare thing in kings (as it is in politicians today) and that makes it all the more remarkable. David was genuinely blown out of the water by what the Lord had said to him through Nathan in the previous 17 verses, and this prayer is the result. It is entirely focused on God, in total amazement that He would pour out such blessings on David. David had seen Saul chosen and then deposed, and he considered himself to be in danger of the same. Now God has said that his successors would be his descendants, and that he himself would have a close, intimate relationship with his Creator. Actually, he didn’t even realize the very best part, and that was that the Messiah would come from his descendants. In any case, he had no illusions of being worthy of all that, and this prayer is the response. Today we tend to be rather far from David’s attitude, acting like spoiled brats rather than recognizing how very patient and gracious God has been toward us. We complain at the least inconvenience and always demand more. What James said about this comes to mind: “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) That’s the polar opposite of David’s attitude here.

I’m preaching to myself. I’ve learned a few things about the grace of God over the years, but I still have room to grow. I’ve never been a slave trader, but I have definitely learned that God’s grace is amazing. The challenge to me, as it is to everyone, is stewardship of all that God has poured out. The minute I think I deserve all the blessings I start being a poor steward of them. The minute I complain about what I don’t have I start failing to enjoy and make the best use of what I do have. I live a life of what would have been inconceivable luxury and opportunity just a generation or two ago, and yet I grouse over little things! I talk about the “entitlement mentality” of so many people today, and yet I overlook that exact trait in myself. I need to let God open my eyes to recognize better His incredible grace toward me, so that as a good steward of that grace I may extend it effectively to others, for their salvation and His glory.

Father, forgive me for the presumption I fall into so easily. Help me stay aware of the magnificence of Your grace so that I may walk in gratitude and joy. You have poured so much out on me that I can’t even perceive it all, much less exercise it fully in Your service. Help me be a better steward of Your grace, drawing many into Your family as You desire, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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April 1, 2016

Posted on April 4, 2016 by jgarrott

1 Samuel 12:23 “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.”

This needs to be taught in every seminary and displayed in every pastor’s study. Preachers are taught theology and techniques, but too seldom are they taught to pray. We act as though human thinking and human activity could bring the kingdom of God! We forget that we are totally dependent on Him and that both we and the flocks under our care belong to Him. I have heard “religious professionals” speak of Bible reading and prayer in a dismissive fashion, as though they were unimportant, and statistics show that preachers, in America at least, spend precious little time reading the Bible other than to prepare sermons, and their personal prayer life is practically nonexistent. No wonder the churches and the nation are in sorry shape! We fail to realize that failure to pray is sinning against God, when we have been charged with caring for His people. Anyone who takes the time to really think about it will realize that there is literally no end to the things they could profitably pray about. There is no family without issues of one sort or another and no congregation without them either. Simply going through the church roll, or in a large church, even a list of the church committees, should yield vast quantities of things to pray about, and that doesn’t begin to touch on the issues in our communities and nations and in the world at large. Not every individual is called to pray for every issue, but we at least need to be seeking the Holy Spirit’s guidance actively, so that He may show us what and how to pray. (Romans 8:26-27)

I’m preaching to myself here. I tend to be overwhelmed by all there is to pray for and retreat into prayerlessness as a result. That’s certainly not the answer! When the issues pile up, the first part of the prayer that Jesus taught comes to mind: “Father in heaven, may Your name be recognized as holy. May Your kingdom come as Your will is done absolutely perfectly, right here on earth, in every one of these situations.” That should be my continuous prayer, whether I am actively “in prayer” or not. I am still very much learning prayer. The tension between praying in faith and praying persistently is hard to manage at times. I need to pray about that! I will never forget the time the Lord told me very clearly that there is much in the world today that He’s not happy about. He didn’t say it at the time, but I know that all this evil exists only because of human free will, and that as the Bible makes clear, in God’s perfect timing it will all be made right. Meanwhile, I am to offer myself in prayer as His agent, His instrument to bring His will to pass right now, even before the end of all things. I cannot explain why it is this way, but many times I have seen God take the words His Spirit prays through me to change things, if not to perfection, then certainly at least to far better than they were. That should make me eager and faithful to pray, but I still have plenty of room to grow.

Father, thank You for this reminder. None of this is new to me, yet I still am not as consistent as I should be. Help me keep growing, to get past all the distractions and apply myself in prayer as You desire, so that Your will may be done indeed, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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March 31, 2016

Posted on April 2, 2016 by jgarrott

1 Samuel 8:7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.”

What the Lord said to Samuel can be very important for leaders to understand. If a leader is genuinely submitted to God, (and that can be a very big IF) then rejection of their leadership really is rejection of God. There are of course leaders who are presumptive, who aren’t submitted to God, and often they are more likely to claim this verse than those who are humble! No leader is perfect, and that obviously included Samuel, because of the behavior of his sons. Had he done better by them, then the people probably would not have responded this way. However, those being led have a responsibility to pray for their leaders, so that they would be true to God and receive His wisdom and guidance. We all tend to take people’s responses too personally, thinking we deserve all the credit when we are liked and acclaimed, and thinking it’s all our fault if people fail to follow. Samuel didn’t seem to have much trouble in the first response, but here God was cautioning him about the second. Everyone, both leaders and followers, needs to remember that God is the ultimate authority. All authority in the temporal realm is strictly delegated, and needs to be treated as such. If we are rightly related to God, then we will relate rightly to the human authority figures in our lives as well.

This is a complicated area for me, as I think it is for a lot of people. As a pastor and as a secular teacher I am an authority figure to a lot of the people I relate to every day. I’m used to it, but it isn’t always comfortable. There are times when I would much rather just follow, but there are also times when I get headstrong. I need to remember the centurion whom Jesus commended for his faith. (Matthew 8:5-9) He understood authority and leadership, and I feel sure he was well respected by those under his command. I need to focus first on my own submission and obedience to God, but then be unafraid in exercising the authority He has delegated to me. I am often painfully aware of my own imperfections, and I must always be open to correction. However, I must be more focused on God, and allowing His power, wisdom and authority to flow through me.

Father, You know better than I do the struggles I have with exercising authority. Help me be fully and properly focused on You, not taking things personally, so that I get either conceited or depressed, but allowing You to use me to accomplish Your will on Your schedule through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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March 30, 2016

Posted on April 1, 2016 by jgarrott

1 Samuel 3:7, 21 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.

This is a very famous story that is taught in Sunday School all over the world, I would suppose, but it is of far more importance than many adults attribute to it. Precisely because they learned it in Sunday School, and because the main character is a child, they think it no longer has bearing for them. Nothing could be further from the truth! Many “Christian” adults are in the position of Samuel as they story begins: they don’t really know the Lord. This is different from knowing about Him. Literally living in the Tabernacle, Samuel had to know all about the rituals of worship, and I’m sure he pestered Eli with “Why?” a great deal. However, he didn’t have a personal relationship with the God he served. All that changed when God spoke to him, and not only his life, but also the whole nation, and indeed world history, changed as a result. I keep remembering that up through Samuel, people had very little written Bible to go on. Living in the Tabernacle, Samuel had far more access to what Moses had written than the vast majority of people, and it is quite possible that this experience of hearing directly from God caused him to dive into what was available to him, seeking to know the One who had spoken to him. That may well be included in what verse 21 says about God continuing to reveal Himself through His Word. Today we have not only the whole Old Testament but the New Testament as well, so we have far more opportunity to develop a personal relationship with our Creator, whether or not He speaks to us in audible words. When it is so possible, it is a mystery why so few people seem to pursue it! The Bible as a whole is clear that God desires a deep, personal relationship with each of His children, and there is no greater joy, satisfaction, or achievement than entering into and growing in such a relationship.

This is something I have certainly learned over the years, but then I had the huge blessing of being raised by parents who each had such a relationship with God. The Word of the Lord was deeply and truly honored in our home, and I became quite familiar with the Bible from a very early age. However, being familiar with the book and receiving the Word of the Lord are two different things! I have had to grow in listening, in opening my heart and being quiet enough to hear what He was saying to me. As a pastor I am charged with communicating the Word of the Lord to others, but if I fail to receive it for myself, that does me no good. I am never to preach anything I am not willing to receive myself.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You also for having me re-read just now Mark Conner’s “Preaching to Change Lives” outline that is on the wall beside me right here. Help me not only hear You fully myself, help me communicate what You are saying effectively to my hearers so that they may hear You through me. May I not just dump information on them, but lead them gently so that the eyes of their hearts may be opened to receive Your truth and understand it to apply it. May each person in this congregation come to a deep, personal relationship with You, taking in Your Word for themselves and growing as You desire and intend, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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March 29, 2016

Posted on April 1, 2016 by jgarrott

1 Samuel 2:21 And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.

This is “the rest of the story” for Hannah. Because she was willing to release her firstborn to the Lord, He blessed her abundantly with more children. Since her childlessness had been her big problem before, this was blessing indeed. Meanwhile for Samuel, the biggest issue was that he didn’t have a good example of parenting, and in consequence didn’t do a very good job with his own sons. (1 Samuel 8:1-3) However, Eli apparently treated him quite well, and he doesn’t seem to have suffered. Rather, he grew up with an awareness of God that was perhaps unique in his day, and in consequence became the first great prophet after Moses. And that was truly blessing indeed, not only for him but for the whole nation. Hannah didn’t know that would happen when she prayed so earnestly for a child, but unintended consequences can include good things as well as bad. We really can’t know all the ripples our words and actions will cause, but God sees the end from the beginning. We are to be faithful and obedient to God, letting Him straighten out all the lines of cause and effect, trusting that His plans are always for our benefit. (Jeremiah 29:11)

I have never been very big on planning, and at times I have suffered for it. The secular proverb, “He who fails to plan, plans to fail,” has some real truth to it! However, many of the major events of my life have been things for which I could not plan, but God has been more than gracious. I am to be faithful in planning and preparation, but that must always be with the awareness that God has the last word. James 4:13-16 is very much to the point here. My planning needs to be logical and thorough, but in full submission to God, allowing Him to change my plans at any time and in any way. Frankly, I don’t always respond well when He does that! However, as He has made it clear to me, He’s smart and I’m not, so I need to trust Him fully and rest, relax, and rejoice.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I’m in the middle of helping someone with some major plans in his life, and I need Your wisdom and guidance. Actually, people come to me for counseling and advice pretty frequently. Keep me from answering any of them glibly out of my own head. Rather, help me turn them to You, because only You know the end from the beginning, and Your plans are always best. Thank You. Praise God!

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March 28, 2016

Posted on March 30, 2016 by jgarrott

1 Samuel 2:2 “There is no-one holy like the Lord;
there is no-one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.”

We are back to the whole issue of shaky theology. Hannah was certainly not wrong, she was just relating to God from where she was. Actually, she expressed a very good rebuttal to the polytheism of the era, with an essentially monotheistic declaration. If you dip into comparative religions today you will likely be astounded at what other religions claim about their gods. The thing is, as Hannah said, none of those are in the same category as Yahweh and His Son Jesus. Having done some comparative religion study myself, I could go on at length about it, but there’s no point to that here. Actually, what Hannah said applies to philosophies we don’t consider “gods” as well. The whole idea of evolution without a Creator recently received a huge blow from a massive study that was done to try to engineer the simplest living organism possible. After numerous failed attempts to start from zero and build up, with the minimum number of genes, the researchers started removing genes from an existing bacterium to see how far they could go. The simplest they could make it and it still be alive, it still had around 300 genes, and the researchers had no idea of the functions of about half of those; they simply discovered they were essential. In other words, they ran into what is called irreducible complexity: there had to be a Creator, because there is no way chance could account for what is. From whatever direction we approach Him, God can tolerate all the scrutiny we can give, because there is indeed none holy as the Lord. None of us has perfect understanding, but He meets us where we are, if our hearts are humble before Him.

I have run into the whole gamut of objections to the God of the Bible, and none of them ultimately hold water. Without exception, those who reject Him stubbornly do so not because of logic or reason but because of rebellion. That’s why I need to be ready to talk to anyone about God, (1 Peter 3:15) but at the same time not just counter their arguments but rather ask the Holy Spirit to speak to their soul. It’s like the American who told a pastor he would become a Christian if the pastor could explain where Cain got his wife, but then it turned out the man’s real problem was someone else’ wife, with whom he was having an affair. He refused the claims of Christ because he didn’t want to repent. I can’t make anyone repent and believe, but I can speak the truth to them in love, and I must never stop doing so. I must remember that there is indeed no replacement for God, just as Hannah said, and that His grace is sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Sometimes I am tempted to try to argue people into faith, but I have demonstrated many times that I can’t do it. Help me be fully open and available to You, whatever You want me to say or do, or even be silent and do nothing. May Your will be done in and through me, destroying the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) and drawing many to full salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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