March 7, 2016

Posted on March 8, 2016 by jgarrott

Philippians 4:12-13 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Verse 13 is widely quoted out of context, which is to say, it is widely quoted and that is usually out of context. People want it to say, “I can do anything, period,” so that’s how they quote it, but that isn’t what it is saying at all. People would rather overlook verse 12 because it points out that life on this planet has lots of ups and downs; it’s not a bed of rose petals without any thorns. There are preachers who teach that “In Christ, everything is smooth sailing,” but they are charlatans. We are indeed “more than conquerors” in Christ, (Romans 8:37) but you can’t be a conqueror without having a battle! A careful, honest reading of the New Testament will tell you not to expect easy street. Tradition tells us that the only one of the original 12 apostles to die of old age was John, and that was after he had been exiled to Patmos and suffered various other things as well. Our goal is never to “have it easy,” but rather to do God’s will and grow closer to Him in the process. The point of what Paul is saying here is that life can be rough, but in Christ we can get through it. That is a message both of realism and hope, and it should make us rejoice.

I don’t think I have had a difficult life at all compared to many other people, but that’s not at all to say that everything has been smooth sailing. However, like Paul I have learned that in Christ I can get through whatever might confront me. When a problem looms up I may have no idea how I will get through it, but I can have complete peace that I will get through it. That’s a very good assurance to have! The past few months have been pretty rough at times because of my wife’s health issues, and we’re not completely through that yet. However, God has been present and He continues to be, so I have nothing to be anxious about. As a pastor I deal frequently with people who, because they don’t see how they will get through their current circumstances, have trouble believing they will get through them. My challenge is to help them see what I have seen, which is what Paul is talking about here. As God told me personally a few years ago, our task is to rest, relax, and rejoice, doing whatever the Lord directs but trusting Him to direct as needed, and leaving the results up to Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all You did in the day yesterday. I forgot some pretty important things, so guide me in when and how to take care of them. However, You enabled me to do everything You knew was necessary at that time, so thank You. Thank You also for everything You have planned for today. Help me not be anxious about any detail of it, but rather flow with Your Spirit on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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March 6, 2016

Posted on March 8, 2016 by jgarrott

Luke 21:34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.”

It just hit me that here Jesus is putting anxiety on the same level as dissipation and drunkenness. The more I think about it, the more that boggles my mind. Growing up in a Baptist missionary household as I did, dissipation and drunkenness were “automatic outs,” so to speak, but anxiety was a completely different matter. The thing is, anxiety displays a lack of faith, and “without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6) That’s just further proof that we all are completely dependent on the grace of God. The reason Jesus brings up anxiety here is that just as much as dissipation or drunkenness, it distracts us from God. The devil doesn’t much care what he uses, so long as he can get our attention off of God. Because to human logic it doesn’t seem as bad as a lot of other things, we tend to overlook it or even expect it. In a sense it really is part of the human condition, which is why Jesus specifies, “of life,” but here He makes it very clear that we must not let it consume our minds so that we can’t see God and what He is doing. When our hearts are truly tuned to God, we both rest secure in Him and are sensitive and obedient to all that He tells us to do. Anxiety keeps us from that, as much as anything else does.

Ouch! Like everyone else, I have let “what if” scenarios take over my mind more times than I could count. I am not to be blind to possibilities, but my attitude should be, “even if.” Faith and trust do not preclude common sense and preparation, but they should keep our focus on God who is the solution to our problems, rather than on the problems themselves. As a pastor I have dealt with people who were genuinely consumed by anxiety. It does no good to lecture such people, any more than it does to lecture an alcoholic. Rather, they need people to be “Jesus with skin on” to hold and comfort them and then assure them that God’s got everything in His hands. In practical terms, gender differences need to be observed in such things, because the devil will use anything he can to trip us up, but with that understood, actions are far more powerful than words. Also, how I deal with potentially anxiety-producing situations is a powerful testimony to those around me. I’ve had a lot of opportunity for that with my wife’s health in recent months! I am not to be dishonest about my reactions, but I am to let my struggles encourage others, because God’s grace is both essential and sufficient for every one of us, if we will only open up to receive it.

Father, thank You for this powerful Word. Thank You for how You have been carrying me through this season. Help me be an open channel of Your grace to all, especially those closest to me, so that together we may keep our focus on Christ Jesus our Lord, for our blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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March 5, 2016

Posted on March 6, 2016 by jgarrott

Luke 10:40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

This church had a running joke about Mary and Martha a few years ago, but it’s actually no joke. Different people have different gifting and so gravitate to different activities. That is exactly as it should be. Just yesterday I watched a video of a man playing Beethoven very skillfully on two different pianos. One was a normal piano, but the other had been specially modified so that every key played the same note. The English word that means “same note” is monotony! The whole point of the video,which had been made as an ad for some company which I don’t remember, was that unity doesn’t mean sameness, and that’s a very important point indeed. The problem in the story of Martha and her sister Mary was actually not in what they were doing, but in the resentment that Martha allowed to fill her heart. Resentment is a killer! It robs us of joy on several levels and makes us unable to appreciate people and events. The other side of the coin is that we are not to use our gifting as an excuse not to be kind or to help others. Don and Katie Fortune put out a very helpful book several years ago called Discover Your God-Given Gifts. Based on Romans 12:6-8, it not only has diagnostic tools to identify gifts, it also has lists not only of the strong points of each gift, but also of the weak points of that gift. When we know what our gifts are, we not only know where to focus our efforts, we also know what to be careful of so that we don’t wound and offend needlessly. In this story, Martha had the mindset that women were to take care of housework, and learning from a traveling rabbi was frivolous. Mary, on the other hand, simply wanted to absorb all she could of the words of life that came from Jesus. Under different circumstances, Mary had every reason to help Martha, but this situation was special. I personally think Jesus had some special blessing in store for Martha, but her resentment kept her from being open to receive it at that time. Later, when their brother Lazarus died, Jesus gave Martha the truth of His victory over death before he told Mary; (John 11) He wasn’t playing favorites.

As I was typing the passage in Japanese I could hear in my mind a particular lady in the church saying Martha’s lines. She has let resentment rob her of a great deal, and it is very sad. As a pastor I have to deal not only with my own gifting but also with those of every member of the church, and we are certainly diverse. Having Teacher gifting, I would rather not have to worry about all that! However, that is not an option, and I must not let resentment block the flow of the Holy Spirit through me. Sometimes I remind myself that Moses clearly was not gifted as an administrator, but God placed him in charge of His people, and with the help of his father-in-law and others he managed to get the job done. I would love to be able to wave a wand or say a few words and eliminate resentment from people’s hearts, my own and others, but it doesn’t work that way. I’ve got to receive the lessons God gives me and be His instrument in teaching others, so that together we may learn to reject the devil’s traps and walk in the light of God’s path for us, for His glory.

Father, it was striking how clearly I heard that lady’s voice as I typed. I ask Your mercy for her and for all who are tripped up by resentment, so that by letting go of resentment we may take hold of the peace and joy and life that You have for us, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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March 4, 2016

Posted on March 6, 2016 by jgarrott

Mark 4:18-19 “Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.”

I can’t help but feel this describes the majority of Christians today. They have heard the Word and accepted just enough for their salvation, but the voice of the world from outside and the voice of their flesh from the inside together drown out anything further. Whether such people actually are saved is something I have to leave in God’s hands, because I certainly can’t make the call. At the very least, just as Jesus says here, they have no fruitfulness, no results of their faith in their daily lives. I don’t recall the exact statistic, but a survey was done to try to determine the percentage of Christians in America who had ever shared the Gospel deliberately with another person, and the number was shockingly low. The “fruit” we bear is more than just evangelism, but that is certainly an unavoidable part of it. The devil tells us that sharing the Gospel is “too much trouble,” that it is embarrassing. Jesus had an answer to that: “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26) Presenting Christ is more than words, certainly. There are people who talk about Jesus but negate everything they say by their attitude and the way they live. However, living an exemplary life without talking about Jesus tells people you don’t need Him to be a good person. I have read a testimony of exactly that, where a person congratulated a coworker on becoming a Christian, and was met with this response: “You mean you were a Christian all along? I thought that if someone could be as nice as you were without being a Christian, then I didn’t need to be one either. That greatly delayed my commitment.” It is a constant battle to keep our lives “weeded,” not to let the things of the flesh and the world crowd out the fruit we are capable of bearing. Many people are convinced they can’t bear fruit, and so they don’t try. Anyone who has received the seed of the Word is capable of bearing fruit, but it requires our own will as well as the help of the Holy Spirit.

This is a somewhat painful topic for me, since I minister in a land that is noted for low return on investment when it comes to evangelism. It would be easy to use the past history of missions in Japan as an excuse for my own low rate of return, but I have to be honest about the weeds in my own life as well. I cannot make anyone commit to Christ, but at the same time I must not get in the way of their doing so. I must not be so sold on Christianity that I forget Christ. That actually is a real problem, and I have seen it happen many times. It’s easy to spot in others, but hard to recognize in myself. I need to live as a demonstration of the Gospel I proclaim, never inviting people into something I am not walking in myself. I have an opportunity today to cement the influence I have had on my nursing school and rehabilitation school students as I attend the graduation ceremonies, and the parties afterwards, of those two schools. I am to be fully sensitive to the Holy Spirit and not miss any of the opportunities He gives me, so that somewhere down the line these people may indeed repent and believe, for an abundant harvest to the glory of God.

Father, I’ve been teaching at these schools for 34 years now, and I have prayed this, or something similar, year by year, and yet I haven’t had direct feedback of anyone’s salvation. Frankly, that’s discouraging. Help me not be bound by the past, but let Your Spirit use me fully today, so that all of Your plans may be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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March 3, 2016

Posted on March 4, 2016 by jgarrott

HeWhoMakes

Jeremiah 17:7-8 “But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”

This is a strong echo of Psalm 1:1-3, which has long been a favorite passage, particularly since in Japanese it has been set to music very delightfully. The image is perhaps not so strong for someone who has never lived in an arid climate (which I haven’t) but it is clear and even scientific. The whole point is that a person who depends on God isn’t destroyed by circumstances. There are many things that seek to tear us down, or at least have that potential, so the matter of roots is vitally important. When our roots are in God and His Word, we have stability and nourishment regardless of external circumstances. This also brings to mind Jesus’ parable of the sower (which I notice is the reading for tomorrow). The major difference in the two images is the depth of the roots. Since grain doesn’t have such deep roots, the soil is of great importance. However, there are trees that thrive even in poor soil, given a water supply, if they have opportunity to get their roots deep enough. The harsher the environment, the more important those roots become. Frankly, the world is going crazy, which is a pretty harsh environment. It is imperative that every child of God get their roots deep in Him and His Word, not being led astray by promises of instant success or no problems, much less by “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” (1 John 2:16) God has stability and fruitfulness for those who will put their roots down in Him.

I’ve been having my root system tested over the past few months because of my wife’s health, and a quick look at the news tells me that testing isn’t likely to end any time soon. I have indeed been blessed to develop a strong pattern of seeking the Lord through His Word every morning, and I must not waver from that. As a pastor, I desire this sort of a relationship with God for each of the people in my care, and it is painful to me when they betray the shallowness of their roots. I cannot force them to grow, but I can provide spiritual nutrients and continue to speak the truth in love. Colossians 3:16 (actually, 15-17) is absolutely excellent as a guide for living, but it is the word “admonish” that gives me pause. I don’t like to chew people out, to force them to look at what they are doing wrong, but sometimes that is needed, and failure to do it is less than loving. I don’t have the wisdom or temperament to do it right, so I’ve got to be totally dependent on and obedient to the Holy Spirit. If I will do that, God will use even me to help others put down the roots they need, and together we will bear fruit for our Lord.

Father, as I’ve been reminded a good bit recently, times of growth aren’t always pleasant. Help me not rebel against anything You are doing, but rather put my roots down even further into You, so that I may be an example and an inspiration to as many as possible to do likewise, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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March 2, 2016

Posted on March 4, 2016 by jgarrott

Ecclesiastes 11:10 So then, banish anxiety from your heart
and cast off the troubles of your body,
for youth and vigor are meaningless.

That sounds like a bitter old man! In the first place, if we could get rid of anxiety and physical problems purely by force of will, then everyone would always be happy and healthy. The thing is, when Solomon was youthful and vigorous he didn’t keep his focus on God and what He wanted him to do with his vigor. Solomon used the abundant gifts and abilities God had given him to amass material wealth and a huge harem, and that was indeed meaningless. Many people today have the same goals that young Solomon did, and they will find them to be just as empty as he did. Youthful flings are enjoyable at the time, but as Solomon discovered, they have consequences. God did not give us His laws to punish or bind us, but to protect us from destruction and guide us into genuine satisfaction and happiness. To take just one point as an example, psychologists tell us that the spousal relationship is the greatest single source of subjective happiness in the long term. As Genesis 2 and Matthew 19 make clear, such a monogamous relationship is exactly what God planned for us from the beginning, but many, like Solomon, aim for as many partners as possible, and destroy their happiness in the process. Youth and vigor are not meaningless, but they are to be exercised responsibly as gifts from God.

Having passed 65 by a bit, I have a very different perspective on this issue than I had, say, 50 years ago. I indeed had the usual share of youthful foolishness, but God was remarkably gracious in protecting me from the majority of my fantasies, matching me up with a wonderful partner from age 20, and I’ll have to say that I agree with the psychologists on the source of happiness issue. Age indeed brings its challenges. As has been said, growing old isn’t for wimps. However, when my focus is on God, living in obedience to and fellowship with Him, then the bumps in the road are no more than that, and not bottomless pits of remorse, as so many find. Right now we have new and very real challenges, but as God’s grace has been sufficient in the past, it will continue to be so in the future. I am to live each day as a faithful steward of all that God has placed in my hands, including that day itself, for His glory.

Father, yesterday was a pretty rough day emotionally. Thank You for getting us through it, and that Your mercies are indeed new every morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23) Help me be a good steward of today and all it holds, moment by moment, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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March 1, 2016

Posted on March 2, 2016 by jgarrott

Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?

Solomon is a truly sad enigma to me. He was indeed blessed by God with a magnificent intellect, on the level of Newton or Einstein, but he still wandered off into idolatry with his multiple wives. I can’t help but think that if he had been smarter with women, his end and his legacy would have been very different. Here we have an example of real truth, but Solomon himself didn’t enjoy it, because he allowed the devil to blind him and suck all the joy out of him. That said, it is worthwhile to consider the truth in this passage. It is indeed true that there is nothing better than to recognize your purpose for being on the earth and to find satisfaction in fulfilling that purpose. Solomon saw that as labor, something hard and tedious, but there is intense satisfaction and even joy in accomplishing things by putting your all into them. That’s one of many reasons God doesn’t give us lives of ease, with everything handed to us. People who are raised like that generally have pretty pathetic ends. The truth in verse 25 is most ironic, because it is exactly why Solomon didn’t enjoy the latter part of his life, yet he is the one who recorded this truth for posterity. We can indeed not even live, much less enjoy life, apart from God. We tend to forget that, in practical terms even if not logically. Just yesterday I was watching an interview with an astrophysicist in relation to the confirmation of the existence of gravitational waves. As a believer, he was pointing out that God is outside of Creation, because otherwise He would be a created being Himself. Without Him, none of Creation would even exist! When we get a real hold on that fact, getting into right relationship with Him automatically becomes the highest and most urgent goal of our lives. The degree to which we enjoy the abundant blessings that God has prepared for us is in direct relationship to the level of our fellowship with Him.

This profound truth is something the devil desperately tries to keep us from grasping. As a pastor, I not only need to grasp it for myself, I am charged with communicating it to those under my care. It can frankly be very frustrating, even heartbreaking, when people stubbornly refuse to acknowledge this truth. I see so many who have “pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Tim 6:10) because of their blindness in this area. At the same time, it is immensely satisfying and joyful when I am able to bring someone into genuine knowledge of the truth. Since that is what I am commissioned to do, it is only right that I would enjoy it, just as this passage says. I am not to give up on people, no matter how many times I am disappointed, but rather rejoice with the angels when one does come into the family of God. (Luke 15:7)

Father, You have not assigned me an easy task, but You have certainly blessed me along the way. Thank You for all who are in Your family because of what You have done through me. Help me never give up, either physically or emotionally, but rather keep fulfilling the commission You have given me, for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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February 29, 2016

Posted on March 2, 2016 by jgarrott

Proverbs 12:23 A prudent man keeps his knowledge to himself,
but the heart of fools blurts out folly.

I am reminded of the extra-biblical proverb, “Better to be silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” The modern ease of communication has reinforced the truth of this verse. The thing of it is, once something is on the Internet it is essentially permanent, and collections abound of the absurdly foolish things people proclaim on social media. One of my uncles once told his older daughter, “If you are as smart as they say you are, you won’t let people know you know it.” I think that’s a restatement of this verse to a T. There are times when knowledge is helpful, and not sharing it is less than kind. However, there are also times when it will not be received, and sharing it only creates problems. It takes real wisdom to distinguish the difference! A major factor in this whole issue is motivation, because all too often we are motivated by a desire to be “the one in the know,” to stroke our ego. However, even a genuine desire to be helpful can meet with rebuff and resentment. We need to realize that our own wisdom is not up to the task, and ask and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us and put a check on our mouths.

This is an area that has been a problem for me all my life. I have felt inferior socially and athletically, and I have compensated by displaying my knowledge. That’s hardly wise! I have reacted to my feelings of inferiority by conversely becoming conceited about my intellect, thereby putting myself in the second half of this verse. I couldn’t begin to count the number of times I have confidently stated things that turned out to be untrue, not because I was trying to deceive but because I wanted to be seen as the expert, even when I was ignorant. I still have trouble with that! I am quick to spot that failing in others, precisely because I am so prone to it myself. I’ve got to stay humble before God and before men, letting God assign me whatever place is right for me and not trying to raise myself up in the eyes of men.

Father, this is somewhat painful to consider, because I have failed at it so many times. Thank You for Your grace, and for using me in spite of myself. Help me make the use that You intend of all that You have placed in me, so that I sill accomplish Your will for Your glory, and not fall into the traps of the devil. Thank You. Praise God!

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February 28, 2016

Posted on February 29, 2016 by jgarrott

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

This is a justly famous and dearly loved passage, but it strikes me just now that it is asking God to do what the first part of the Psalm, through verse 16, has already said that God can and does do. In other words, it is giving God full permission. Much of life actually is like that, and particularly much of prayer. I don’t think we can force God to do anything, but we can get in line with the good He already wants to do. I think prayer will be a mystery, though a delightful one, until we are before God’s throne and nothing is between us. Prayer is an incredible privilege, yet it is inherently illogical. After all, why would the omniscient, omnipotent Creator listen to the prayers of His creatures? Nevertheless, we are created with an impulse and a desire to pray. All of us squash that sometimes, and many squash it most of the time, but it’s there nonetheless. That’s why practically everyone prays in times of extreme need, even supposed atheists. From Genesis to Revelation the Bible overflows with examples of prayer. Not all of it is necessarily good examples, but this one is excellent. This illustrates the attitude we all should have, of yielding to God and asking that His will be done. This is a prayer we can be sure God will be delighted to grant!

Growing up in a home that was pervaded by prayer, it seems as natural to me as breathing. However, that doesn’t mean I’ve always made full and proper use of it. I feel my prayers sometimes lack the intensity they perhaps need. I am certainly not a shouter when it comes to prayer. One thing that actually keeps me from praying is the awareness that there is literally no limit to things to pray about. I have been included in a prayer group on social media that is based in India. Just in that subcontinent there is enough to pray about that I could be at it 24/7 and not run out of topics, and that isn’t even where I have been called to minister! Right here where I am, I could pray to exhaustion and not cover everything. That’s why I need to let the Holy Spirit choose my battles, so to speak. We have the great comfort of Paul’s words on the subject: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” (Romans 8:26-27) I am never to stop praying, but neither am I to think I have to do it all, because I am just one part of the Body of Christ. I have been the beneficiary of the prayers of others and I have had the privilege of seeing my prayers for others answered, so I am never to hesitate to pray specifically, but it must all be in the context of how Jesus taught us to pray: that God’s Name would be acknowledged as holy and His kingdom come to this earth as His will is done perfectly, in and through me, for His glory.

Father, thank You for the incredible privilege of prayer. It grieves me, and often amazes me, how even Christians are so often hesitant to pray. I ask for a spirit of prayer on this church, that we would all learn the joy of intimate communication with You, to better be Your children and Your agents, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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February 27, 2016

Posted on February 28, 2016 by jgarrott

Psalm 94:17-19 Unless the Lord had given me help,
I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.
When I said, “My foot is slipping,”
your love, O Lord, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought joy to my soul.

The NIV expresses this as a declaration of past blessing, while the Japanese expresses it as a prayer that this is how things would be, which makes me wonder about the tenses in the Hebrew. This Psalm is unattributed, so with no idea who wrote it, we have even less idea of the circumstances that prompted it. In a sense that makes it all the more universal, because it could apply to any believer. We all have times when we “come to the end of our rope,” when we realize that we can’t make it on our own. That actually is a huge blessing, because it teaches us to rely on God. As Andrae Crouch sang so memorably, “If I’d never had a problem, I wouldn’t know that He could solve them.” (Through it All) The Psalmist here is honest in saying that sometimes anxiety does grow within us, however much faith we might claim. When in such times we choose to release that anxiety to God as an active choice of our will, He does give us a joy that can be had no other way. It is as Jesus said: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) The more firmly we know that Jesus is our foundation, our Rock, our Savior, the less we are shaken by events and circumstances around us, and that is blessing indeed.

We have certainly been going through a “shake-down cruise” in recent months, and we aren’t through yet. However, the awareness is there that God is going to use everything that has happened, as well as everything that is going to happen, for our blessing and His glory. (Romans 8:28) Even that awareness doesn’t always make things easy, but the harder the trial, the greater the growth that comes from it. We still need to be consistent in choosing to look to Christ, to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him, however violent the immediate storm. I am reminded of how Jesus was sound asleep in the back of the boat on Lake Galilee when the storm was bad enough that His disciples though they would be swamped and sink. (Mark 4:35-41) The better we are grounded in Him, the better we can even sleep through the storm!

Father, thank You for Your grace. Thank You for all You have brought us through, and that You will bring us all the way through to the other side. Help us receive all that You want to pour into us in and through all of this, so that we may then in turn be vessels to let it flow through us to others, (2 Corinthians 1:4) for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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