January 27, 2016

Posted on January 30, 2016 by jgarrott

Daniel 10:12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.”

I find I am reminded of Pastor Saeed Abedini, the pastor who was recently released from Iran. In an interview with him that I saw just yesterday he was talking about the difficulties of being imprisoned for so long, with physical and mental abuse, and how his great comfort was prayer, for hours on end. Daniel was not in prison as such, but he was in exile far from Jerusalem, with no way to return. He had risen to a place of considerable authority, but his focus was on God, no less than Pastor Abedini’s. His encounter with the angel recorded here should be an enormous comfort to every faithful believer who prays. There is a great deal we don’t know or understand about the spiritual realm, but the biggest message here is that faithful prayer is not ignored. We don’t always see the results in the timing we would prefer, but believing prayer is not wasted. Show prayers, with no heart behind them, are indeed empty and meaningless, but prayer from the heart, in humility and faith, goes straight to the throne room of the Creator. Two things are significant about Daniel’s praying in this episode. We tend to notice the fact that he went on a fast of sorts, refraining from luxuries. We have lots of things that could come under that category! However, that was simply an expression of the more important point that he set his heart to understand; it was a decision of his will. There are many examples of this throughout the Bible, teaching us that if our choice is God, period, He will do more than we could ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20) We can’t dictate when He will do what, but if we trust Him enough to submit everything to Him in complete surrender and obedience, His response will be magnificent.

Well, that’s a Word for me this morning! There are numbers of issues that concern me, so I need to commit my heart to listen to God in all humility. There are very local issues and there are wider issues, all the way to global issues. All of them are disturbing to me on one level or another, but none of them are difficult for God. With full assurance of that fact, I need to be quiet enough before Him to hear what He will say to me about them, and what actions, if any, I am to take in relation to them. I can’t fix any of them in my own strength, but if He wants to use me in those situations, I need to be fully available. I need to let go of my desired schedule and let Him do things on His schedule, knowing that His plans are always best.

Father, thank You for this Word this morning. It seems like we are constantly going through training in this very area. Keep me from being passive or resigned, but at the same time not trying to be in control myself. Thank You that You are more than capable of perfect control! Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice, just as You have told me to do, so that Your will may be done in and through me on Your schedule, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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January 26, 2016

Posted on January 27, 2016 by jgarrott

Ezekiel 39:29 “I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

We forget what the life of faith was like before Pentecost. Actually, we can’t imagine what it was like, because we’ve never lived in a time when the Spirit of God was not available to all who would believe and receive. Those who have fought severe depression perhaps have the best grasp, because it feels like God is far away and unresponsive, but even there the Holy Spirit is still available, once they get past the lies of the enemy. The thing is, we live in times of great turmoil and spiritual warfare, but God is always accessible to those who will turn to Him. The only thing that can hide God from us is our own sin. If we are in willful rebellion, then God can indeed seem distant or even nonexistent. The operative image there is Jesus’ story of the Prodigal Son. (Luke 15:11-32) The Father’s love never changed, but the son had to “come to his senses” (Luke 15:17) before he could recognize that. Paul tells us we can grieve and quench the Holy Spirit, (Ephesians 4:30, 1 Thessalonians 5:19) and He can certainly seem distant at such times, but all He is waiting for is repentance.

My personal Pentecost was in 1974. I wish I could say that I have never grieved or quenched Him since, but that would be manifestly untrue. I have experienced time and time again the blessing of repentance. That’s not at all to say that it wouldn’t have been better had I not sinned in the first place, but it is to say, as the hymn does, that God’s grace is greater than all my sin. It is a joy beyond any other to fellowship with my Lord by His Spirit, and I desire that everyone have that same joy. It is a continuing mystery to me that we so often settle for less, or even refuse to believe that such fellowship is possible. As a pastor I urge the believers to take the time to get to know their Lord, to be comfortable with Him and allow Him to speak intimately with them, but so few really make the effort. I am not to give up, but live my life as a demonstration that it is possible, and continue to invite all who will to join me in that lifestyle.

Father, I am often painfully aware of my own foolish weakness, but I am even more aware of Your magnificent, omnipotent grace and love. Thank You. Help me be increasingly effective in communicating that grace and love to others, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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January 25, 2016

Posted on January 27, 2016 by jgarrott

Ezekiel 34:31 “‘You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are people, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord.'”

This echoes Psalms 79:13, 95:7, and 100:3, with a minor difference that struck me just now. The references in the Psalms all conflate people and sheep, but here God seems to be making the point that whereas we are indeed the sheep of His pasture, we are specifically people, human beings, and not just sheep. We have a lot in common with sheep, more than we like to admit, but that’s not all we are. God is the Creator of sheep, but He is not their heavenly Father. We need to remember that, and not always act like dumb sheep! In saying that we are people, God also affirms that He is our God; He is not disowning us. That is enormously important. We do lots of stupid things, and we suffer the consequences, but rather than discarding us, God disciplines us and draws us back to Himself. That’s what John 3:16 is all about. The glory of the Gospel is that by repentance and faith we can become the people of God, purchased and cleansed by the blood of His Son. When we have that firmly in our minds and hearts, nothing can shake us

This has been my experience, and I am deeply grateful. I act like a sheep far too often, being both witless and stubborn, but God always draws me back with His rod and His staff. (Psalm 23:4) Apart from Him I have certainly no better defenses than a sheep, but in Christ I can put on the whole armor of God. (Ephesians 6:10-18) Apart from Him I have no resources beyond what I happen upon, just as a sheep eating grass, but in Him I have an abundant feast. (Psalm 23:5) I am His sheep and I am also His child, called and anointed by Him as His representative to the world around me, so that others too may know of His love and grace and repent and believe, for their salvation and His glory.

Father, thank You for making it possible for me to be Your child. Help me be an obedient, loving child, mature in faith but never forgetting my childlike wonder at the depth and magnificence of Your grace. May I be increasingly effective and transparent as Your agent toward all I encounter, so that nothing will interfere with their seeing Christ through me, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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January 24, 2016

Posted on January 25, 2016 by jgarrott

Ezekiel 3:7 “But the house of Israel is not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for the whole house of Israel is hardened and obstinate.”

Jesus echoed this to His disciples, though from a slightly different angle: “A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!” (Matthew 10:24-25) We tend to throw a pity party when people don’t receive what we have to say or to give them, but God says, that’s the way it is! However, just as Jesus didn’t fail to come to earth because He knew He would be rejected and crucified, so we must not fail to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God, because some will hear and receive, and they are worth it. The thing is, we don’t know who will listen and who won’t, so we can’t limit our proclamation to friendly audiences. John put it this way: “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:10-13) We aren’t to obsess over those who won’t receive Christ, but rejoice in those who do, who are born again as children of God by repentance and faith.

I’m not sure I had realized before how thoroughly I identify with Ezekiel! I have no question that I have been sent to the Japanese people, but they certainly qualify as obstinate (the Japanese expression used here is “steel-skinned”)! It breaks my heart that so few open up to receive what God has for them, but God makes it clear that I’m not to take it personally. At the same time, I’m not to be resigned or fatalistic, giving up before I start. I am called to be faithful, whatever the response. I cannot force anyone to be saved, but I can demonstrate how attractive salvation really is, not just as a prospect for the next life but in daily fellowship with God right now. It is a particular mystery to me that so few Christians, even, make/take the time to have devotional fellowship with God every morning, but I am not to stop pointing out how delightful and beneficial it is. I am not to let circumstances get me down, but rest, relax, and rejoice in God, letting Him use me to accomplish His purposes in His way on His schedule for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the snow today. It looks entirely possible, even likely, that no one will be able to come this morning. Thank You that You are here! I ask for clear guidance as to what we are to do or not do, so that Your plans may be fulfilled exactly as You intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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January 23, 2016

Posted on January 25, 2016 by jgarrott

Ezekiel 2:7-8 “You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”

When God commissions someone it’s because there is a need for what that person is sent to do. If the Jews had been earnest in seeking God and wholehearted in their obedience to Him, He would not have needed to commission Ezekiel to speak to them. We tend to react to the task ahead of us, not realizing that if that task weren’t there, we wouldn’t need to be there either! However, we shouldn’t think that because we are sent to deal with that task that we have it all together ourselves. Here, God is cautioning Ezekiel not to be like those to whom He was being sent. I am reminded of Paul’s famous words to the Romans: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2) We have a strong tendency to conform to our surroundings. In some ways that’s not bad, but when it comes to obedience to God it is very dangerous indeed. Pastors and the like have the strong temptation to feel that they are above those to whom they minister, that the rules don’t apply to them personally. We see that in politicians as well, but it is even more dangerous in those who speak God’s words. Here God was telling Ezekiel to take in the message He was giving him, but not to think it didn’t apply to him as well.

I don’t recall God using these exact words, but I feel like this is very much His commission to me. Japanese aren’t so much a rebellious people as they are a stubborn, independent people, not realizing they need God. I guess that could be described as rebellious after all! I am never to give up, any more than Ezekiel was allowed to give up, but keep proclaiming the truth in love. It’s not wrong to desire fruit, a “return on my investment,” and it’s not wrong to rejoice in however much fruit I see, but my obedience is not to be contingent on fruit. My focus is to be on the One who called me, saved me, and commissioned me, doing His will on His schedule and leaving the results up to Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for continuing to work on and in me; I need it! Help me express to others the patience, persistence and grace You have shown to me, drawing them out of the traps of the enemy with Your truth and Your love, so that they may be set free to walk in all that You have planned for them from Creation, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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January 22, 2016

Posted on January 23, 2016 by jgarrott

Lamentations 3:57-58 You came near when I called you,
and you said, “Do not fear.
O Lord, you took up my case;
you redeemed my life.

When Jeremiah was in the depths of grief and despair because of the destruction of Jerusalem, he remembered how God had saved him out of some pretty severe circumstances in the past. Anyone who has walked with God for any length of time has such times they can remember, if they will choose to do so. The devil tries to get us to forget God’s mercies and remember only the hard times, but that is so he can steal our peace and joy. As I keep remembering, in this world we will have troubles, just as Jesus said. (John 16:33) However, the choice of what to dwell on is ours. That expression, “to dwell on,” is very telling, actually. “Dwell” means live, reside. We have the choice of whether to live in misery or in gratitude; it’s all in where we place our focus. People are amazed at how bright and cheerful my wife is, when she has a list of medical problems as long as her arm. After coming through major back surgery in November, she now faces brain surgery in a couple of weeks, but she is smiling, upbeat, and enjoys the blessings God provides in the middle of all this. That is dwelling on God’s goodness, rather than on temporal difficulties. We certainly have difficult moments, and frustration is no stranger, but when the focus is on God we can recognize and appreciate His overflowing grace and blessing toward us.

There are moments when I am tempted to focus on the negative, but experience has taught me that is ceding territory to the devil, and I certainly don’t want to do that. I am not to ignore difficulties by any means, but they are to be accepted as challenges, with the assurance that since God is for me, anything against me is already defeated, if I will abide in Him. (Romans 8:31) As a pastor I deal constantly with people who don’t yet have that perspective, and they suffer greatly for it. I am not to make light of their circumstances, nor am I to put them down for their spiritual immaturity, but I am to continue to encourage them to lift their eyes to Jesus and recognize His grace and love toward them. There are times, frankly, when I want to grab them and shake them and say, “Snap out of it! Look to Jesus!” However, that wouldn’t accomplish anything good, for sure. I am to express toward them the patience and mercy God has shown to me, so that together we may defeat the devil’s schemes and walk in all that God has planned for us.

Father, this is another message I want to preach! Thank You for the message You’ve given me for Sunday. Guide me in what I am to share when, where, and how, so that Your Word may go forth through me to accomplish that for which You send it, (Isaiah 55:10-11) for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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January 21, 2016

Posted on January 23, 2016 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 51:46 Do not lose heart or be afraid
when rumors are heard in the land;
one rumor comes this year, another the next,
rumors of violence in the land
and of ruler against ruler.

This time the NIV and the Japanese are extremely different. In the Japanese it says, “If you don’t do this (get out of Babylon) then you will lose heart and be afraid of the rumors you will hear in this land.” Rather than an encouragement, it’s a warning. We don’t like to face the consequences of disobedience. It goes without saying that the world would be a much more pleasant place if everyone were obedient to God! That said, someone who is obedient to God could take this verse the way the NIV renders it. In speaking of the Last Days Jesus mentioned “wars and rumors of wars.” (Matthew 24:36) We are more than capable of being devastated by rumors. Right now there are plenty to go around, and certainly not all of them are base­less! There really is a lot of junk going on in the world, because the devil is always out to steal, kill, and destroy, but we must remember that Jesus came to give us genuinely abundant life. (John 10:10) We cannot be strong against the onslaughts of the enemy, to walk in Jesus’ abundant life, unless we are fully submitted and obedient to God. (James 4:7) I see many people who are debilitated by fears of all sorts. The answer for every one of them is submission to and trust in God. Too often we try to trust when we aren’t willing to be submitted. That never works! It is the heart that is fully submitted to God that is rock solid in Christ, immovable in all the storms of life.

I have had my times of fearfulness and I have had my times of disobedience, and looking back on them, there is significant overlap. The devil continues to try to make me afraid, and I face plenty of opportunities to yield to that temptation, but at this point I find I am not so moved. As a pastor I deal with people constantly who are tied in knots by fear. I am to speak God’s peace to them, but I must not fail to speak repentance as well. I need to help them see that their failures of obedience lay them open to every attack of the enemy. Bad things happen even to those who are fully obedient, simply because we live in a fallen world, (John 16:33) but when we are committed to obedience, even those things can’t really shake us.

Father, I had wondered what I was supposed to speak on Sunday! Thank You for making it clear. I ask for clear guidance as to what Scriptures to use and for everything else about my preparations, that it may indeed be what You are saying and not just something I’ve dreamed up. May I speak Your Word to accomplish Your will, in the hearts and lives of my hearers and in the heavenlies as well, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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January 20, 2016

Posted on January 21, 2016 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 42:5-6 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God.”

This has got to be one of the most hypocritical declarations in the whole Bible. It sounds pious, beautifully righteous, but the following events prove that it was all a sham. These men had decided what they wanted to do and they wanted Jeremiah to put pretty window dressing on it, but they were forgetting that Jeremiah was a true prophet of God, who would speak what God said to him, and not a politician who would say whatever was expedient. As it turned out, when God through Jeremiah said the opposite of what they had already decided, they refused to be obedient, in direct violation of what they said here, and did what they had planned anyway. This may be an extreme example, but it is all too typical of our attitude toward God, wanting Him to rubber stamp our plans rather than genuinely listening to Him in humble obedience. I really think the biggest reason we think God doesn’t guide us is that we aren’t willing to listen to guidance that doesn’t go along with what our flesh wants to do. Sadly, we bear the consequences of that, just as these men did eventually. Sadly, tradition tells us that when things turned out badly, they blamed Jeremiah and stoned him to death, adding sin on top of sin. It is so much better when we obey God with our actions instead of just with our words!

As a man of words, I am constantly in danger of this. Like so many, I tend to feel that if I said it, that’s the way it is, but that attitude is risky indeed. God is the only one who can say it and it is! I’ve got to be careful of unintended hypocrisy. No one lives up perfectly to the standards they profess, but I’ve got to be honest enough to repent every time I stumble, not stubbornly continuing in my sin. As a pastor, I couldn’t possibly keep track of all the pious statements people have made to me that they never followed through with. I don’t think I’ve encountered anything as drastic as Jeremiah did, but some have seemed to come close. I am not to be judgmental, but neither am I to turn a blind eye. I am to speak the truth in love, whether it is received or not, and let God fulfill His word. I certainly can’t do it for Him!

Father, You know the people and situations about which I am most concerned, but You also know of other situations which are equally or more serious which I don’t know about. Keep me from thinking I am, or from trying to be, in control. Help me be fully submitted to You both emotionally and practically, so that I do Your will and nothing less, destroying the lies of the enemy and setting people free, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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January 19, 2016

Posted on January 21, 2016 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 30:8-9 “‘In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty,
‘I will break the yoke off their necks
and will tear off their bonds;
no longer will foreigners enslave them.
Instead, they will serve the Lord their God
and David their king,
whom I will raise up for them.

Serving is a fact of life on this earth. It’s not a question of if, but whom we will serve. Paul framed it in terms of serving sin or serving righteousness, (Romans 6:12-23) and that is applicable whatever our social status or nationality. Many people think slavery is something from the “bad old days,” but human trafficking is huge today, even in the US. Such people are generally slaves both to people and to sin. The good news is that God can and will rescue us from all such slavery, but that requires our choice to serve Him. Some people bristle at the idea of serving anyone or anything, not realizing that such an attitude is itself serving the devil, because it separates them from God and leaves them no defense against their own lusts. This passage speaks not only of serving God, but also of serving “David their king.” Social structures are another fact of life. We are used to democracy and elected government, and that is itself a blessing, but even so, defiance for the sake of defiance against government certainly bears consequences. Once again Paul had something to say on the subject. (Romans 13:1-7) Satan likes to tempt us with an illusion of freedom, but what he offers is actually total slavery to him through our lusts. True freedom comes only when we are in line with how we were created, filled with the Holy Spirit of God, using our free will to choose to serve God. (2 Corinthians 3:17)

I have had my times of walking in deception, thinking I was free, and the results have never been good. Being a slave to the flesh is only enjoyable for a moment, and the consequences are painful indeed. I see some people who are so used to that pain that they hardly recognize it! However, when people repent and believe, the difference is so great that even they have trouble accepting that it is real. I am in the business of offering people true liberty in Christ. As such, I must not leave out the element of choosing to serve Him, or they will be trapped again by the false liberties of the flesh. The devil is a consummate liar, and the world trumpets his lies at us all the time. I have great difficulty helping people really believe that being self-centered never leads to true happiness, because the devil blinds them to the fact that they are self-centered! I have found that I have no wisdom or power in myself to make them wake up to reality, but God can use me as an instrument of His Spirit to accomplish that. I am to pray for them and always speak the truth in love, so that by God’s grace they may come around to serving Him instead of a lie.

Father, You know the people who were most on my heart as I wrote that. Keep me from being self-centered in my efforts to help them, from being motivated by how they affect me rather than by what You desire for them. May I serve You by serving them, so that Your will may be done in and through us all, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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January 18, 2016

Posted on January 19, 2016 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 17:14 Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;
save me and I shall be saved,
for you are the one I praise.

The section from verse 5 on is very rich “wisdom literature,” to the point that it seems surprising to find it in Jeremiah. Reading on through verse 18, my impression is that Jeremiah had been feeling a bit overwhelmed by those who opposed him, who would not receive the Word of the Lord through him, and God was meeting him where he was and giving him what he needed for encouragement. That makes this passage very applicable to many of us! This verse is a bit of Jeremiah’s response to what the Lord was saying to him, and that makes it worthy of our consideration as well. We need to have it very clear in our minds and hearts that God is our Healer and our Savior, and when He does it, it’s done, period. Our physical bodies are temporary, and do wear out. Paul and Peter called them tents, and the analogy seems quite fitting. (2 Corinthians 5:1, 4; 2 Peter 1:13) God does heal physically and it can be quite glorious, but this is not limited to that. Rather, this speaks to His meeting all our needs, all our inadequacies, and making us whole. He alone is Savior, but we need no other, because He is infinite. In the last line the NIV tries to make what Jeremiah said a little more “normal” from our standpoint, rendering it as “You are the one I praise,” but many translations stick with the Hebrew and say, “You are my praise.” That brings to mind a praise song I have liked for many years. “You are the words and the music; You are the song that I sing. You are the melody, You are the harmony; praises to You I will bring. You are the mighty God, You are the Prince of Peace, You are the King of all kings. Now I return to You the song that You gave to me; You are the song that I sing.” I don’t think I’ve ever known who penned those words, but they certainly express my heart, and Jeremiah’s too, I would say.

This is a very good reminder to me, and I receive the whole passage! As much as I tell others to fix their eyes on Jesus and not on their circumstances, I need help in doing that as well. The good news is that the Holy Spirit does exactly that, and I am deeply grateful. As the song says, “The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.” This morning as she was getting dressed my wife was mentioning some pain she was having, and it came to me that our perception of pain is relative. When we’ve never experienced deep, blinding pain, minor aches and pains seem major and debilitating. When we have tasted real pain, and the reality that God can get us through it, then all pain becomes much easier to bear. In all honesty, I’d just as soon not go through the pain my wife has experienced, but just walking with her through it has given me fresh perspective on my own pains. I need to walk in God’s truth, not just speaking/writing it but living it out, so that all that God has planned for me and for those with whom I interact may be fulfilled, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this clear reminder. Thank You for all that You are doing, whether I can see it with my natural eyes or not. Help me indeed be anxious about nothing, but rather trust You fully and give You the praise, worship and obedience You deserve, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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