August 20, 2015

Posted on August 22, 2015 by jgarrott

Lamentations 3:33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to the children of men.

This verse expresses something that I tell people with considerable frequency, and that is that God is not mean. Often we don’t know why unpleasant things happen to us, but we need to have it settled in our hearts and minds that God isn’t just picking on us. The initial cause of something unpleasant is sin, either our own, someone else’, or simply because we live in a fallen world. If everyone listened obediently to God all the time, we wouldn’t have any of it! The point then becomes, how do we respond to the unpleasantness? That question governs almost entirely how much we enjoy life. If we nurse the negatives, being resentful and unforgiving, then we will be miserable, period. If we seek to learn from the negatives, believing and trusting this verse, the fact that God is love (1 John 4:8), and that God can and does work everything together for good (Romans 8:28), then we will be cheerful, optimistic, and genuinely enjoy our time on this earth. We are like little children, unable to accept that Daddy won’t let us do some things because they are bad for us or makes us do other things because they are good for us. When we really get it through our heads that God loves us and actively works for our good, then we can start looking for the good that He intends in circumstances that aren’t pleasant. In other words, we need to grow up! We need to keep a child-like wonder and delight in all the good things our Father gives us, but we need to stop insisting on a diet of ice cream and cookies.

I well remember the time an acquaintance brought a friend of his to meet me, telling his friend, “I want you to meet someone who really enjoys living.” That acquaintance was a member of Sokagakkai, a militant Buddhist sect that is analogous to the Jehovah’s Witnesses, but he could see that I enjoyed life more than he did. Sadly, he didn’t accept my explanation of why I enjoyed life, and it’s been several years since I last saw him. More recently I had a psychology professor, whom I have taught with for over 30 years, tell me he really enjoys his encounters with me because I am always cheerful and upbeat. There too I tried to tell him why, but he wasn’t ready to accept that “religion” was the answer to it all. Actually, religion isn’t the answer; I’ve known plenty of miserable Christians! The answer is faith that this verse is true, and that God is love, and that He can and will use anything that is yielded to Him to bless me. I do still lose sight of that in the short term occasionally, but years of experience have convinced me that it is absolutely true, and that is an enormous comfort and blessing.

Father, thank You for so graciously teaching me this over the years. Thinking about it, the hospital staff seemed a little surprised at my cheerful attitude toward having skin cancer surgery the other day! Thank You for who You are, for Your grace, love, and mercy. Help me communicate that more and more effectively to more and more people. Give them faith and courage to believe as well, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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August 19, 2015

Posted on August 22, 2015 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 50:8 “Flee out of Babylon;
leave the land of the Babylonians,
and be like the goats that lead the flock.”

Goats generally get a bad rap, but here they are used as something to be emulated. When people are in a bad situation, someone has to lead the way. Goats tend to have much more initiative than sheep, and so are suited to leadership. We have the expression, “Judas goat,” from a goat that is used to lead sheep at a slaughterhouse, and Jesus used goats as the type to illustrate those who were not His (Matthew 25:31-46), but we should not let that blind us to goats’ good qualities. In recent years “sheeple” has gained popularity in the US as a term to describe the masses of people who don’t seem really to think for themselves, especially politically. What God is saying through Jeremiah here is, “Don’t be one of the sheeple.” Rather, each person who perceives God’s truth needs to act on it, whatever the people around them are doing. Maybe someone will see our example and follow it! In Jeremiah’s day Babylon was certainly a physical location, but today the term applies more to the world system, and taken that way, this verse could not be more timely. Rather that “going with the flow” of “everybody’s doing it,” we need to get serious about what God says in His Word and living that out, even if the people around us think we’re strange or even take us to court. Right now “Babylonian” thinking is totally rampant, and judgment seems overdue. For most, physical relocation is not a viable option, but we must be very careful that our “spiritual location” is not in Babylonian degradation.

Again, being at a physical distance from the US puts me in a different situation, but then Japanese society never has been based on the Bible. I need to be careful I’m not carried along with the “Babylonian” tide, but be someone to lead others out of it. Actually, as a pastor that is a major part of my job description. As I am often reminded, being a Caucasian in the Orient tends to make people think they can’t emulate me even if they admire me. They say things like, “I wish I could live like you do,” with the unspoken assumption that it would be impossible for them. Actually, sometimes they come right out and say it, and are not persuaded when I tell them otherwise. That’s all the more reason to seek to get their focus on Jesus rather than on me. After all, He wasn’t European, however He is depicted in paintings.

Father, I want to be more effective in leading people out of the devil’s traps, but I can’t do it in my own wisdom and strength. I ask for Your anointing of wisdom, power, and love, so that more and more will indeed “come out of Babylon” and into Your kingdom, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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August 18, 2015

Posted on August 19, 2015 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 31:16 This is what the Lord says:
“Restrain your voice from weeping
and your eyes from tears,
for your work will be rewarded,”
declares the Lord.

I don’t know if this verse was in the writer’s mind at the time, but Hebrews says something very similar. “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” (Hebrews 10:35-36) Paul also said, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9) This is a word of encouragement that people have needed from the dawn of time, and will continue to need until our final reward. We all have hard times, and the temptation to give up can be unrelenting. That is when faith really needs to kick in, but sometimes we don’t choose to allow it to do so. People who commit suicide have chosen, whether or not they realize it, not to lift their eyes to see God, above and beyond their circumstances. Despair is a very real, human, and not uncommon emotion, but it leaves God out of the equation. We despair only when we are limiting our vision to this life, to the temporal that is by definition temporary. Nate Saint comes to mind, with his famous declaration that “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Nate and literally millions of others gave their lives out of obedience to God and refusal to deny Him, but after physical death they entered into the fullness of the eternal life that they received when they believed in and committed themselves to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. There were more Christian martyrs in the 20th Century than in the previous 19 combined, and the 21st Century certainly seems set to outstrip that. However, martyrs haven’t lost, they have gained a huge reward.

It’s been many years now since I realized that both of the sons of Zebedee gave their lives for Jesus, just as He said. (Mark 10:38-39) However, James was the first of the 12 to be martyred, (Acts 12:2) and tradition tells us that John was the only one of the 12 to die a natural death of old age. I have come to the conviction that James had the easier path! James endured only a fraction of the things John had to go through, but I’m sure both knew it was more than worth it. I minister in a nation that has less physical danger, of violence at any rate, than America, but it has caused countless missionaries to give up, broken and defeated. Just yesterday I received news of the death of a dear friend, to whom I had witnessed countless times but who had never opened his heart to believe. The grief is very real as I will be going to his wake tonight and funeral tomorrow. I cannot force anyone to believe and receive salvation, but I can and must be faithful to continue to offer that salvation to all. God tells me through Jeremiah to restrain my tears, but I would so like to see these people I love receive my reward with me. I’ve got to keep trusting, keep obeying, and leave the results to God.

Father, thank You for this Word this morning. Thank You for getting us through the photo show that ended yesterday. There too my outlay was greater than my intake, as far as I could see, but You know the impact we had on people that can’t be measured in numbers. I pray for Your harvest in Your time for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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August 17, 2015

Posted on August 18, 2015 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 29:13-14 “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord.

This letter from Jeremiah to the exiles in Babylon is significant for a number of reasons. In the first place, it was a written document from the start, so there is every reason to trust that the content has been transmitted accurately down through the centuries. Actually, Jeremiah was very much a writing prophet, because the Lord kept telling him things like, “Write in a book all the things I have spoken to you.” (Jeremiah 30:2) In the second place, the very nature of this letter meant that it was probably copied many times early on, which is all the more reason we would have a reliable version of it today. (Actually, God has been very careful with the transmission of His Word in all areas. One of the most shocking things about the Dead Sea Scrolls when they were discovered was that the virtually intact copy of Isaiah was essentially identical to the printed texts we have today, and those scrolls were hand-copied fully 2000 years ago.) With the authenticity established, we need to pay full attention to what the Lord is saying through Jeremiah. Many people say they are seeking God, but there remains a question of whether they are seeking Him with their whole heart. If we are honest, most of us have to admit to divided priorities. We know that seeking God is “the right thing to do,” but we also want fame, wealth, political power, physical pleasure, or what have you. Such divided priorities hide God from us and get us into all sorts of trouble. It’s not that those other things are necessarily bad in themselves (though our application of them can be) but that even the good can get in the way of God, if we ignore Him to pursue it. The thing is, everything else is fleeting; only God is eternal. We can never have full stability and security apart from Him. Here, God is saying that it is a matter of priorities, and He is promising that if our focus is sharp, we can’t miss Him.

I can’t say that my focus of God has always been sharp, which is ironic considering that I’m a photographer. Two things interfere with sharpness: focus and blur. I’ve got to be focused clearly on Him, and I have to be still enough that things don’t blur. Even if my focus isn’t off, if I’m in too much of a rush, things won’t be sharp. Starting each morning by consciously making the time to be quiet before Him, to receive what He wants to say to me through His Word, is invaluable for keeping things sharp. As a pastor I seek to help others grasp the importance and benefit of that, but people seem slow to take it to heart. I cannot force anyone to seek God with their whole heart, but I can set a good example, I can speak the truth in love, and I can pray for them. I need to do all those things faithfully, so that we may seek Him individually and as a church, and finding Him, walk in the obedient fellowship with Him for which we were created.

Father, thank You for being so gracious. You don’t have to be accessible to us, but that is Your choice. We take that grace so lightly! Help us grasp the magnificence of Your grace and love toward us so that we may respond fully, indeed seeking Your kingdom and Your righteousness above and before everything else, (Matthew 6:33) for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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August 16, 2015

Posted on August 18, 2015 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 23:16 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions from their own minds,
not from the mouth of the Lord.

What a tragic thing! When those who are charged with communicating the heart of God to His people speak only out of their own hearts instead, nothing good can come of it. Sadly, this is all too common. Just as in Jeremiah’s day, preachers who are concerned with padding their bank accounts or pandering to their flesh aren’t going to be on their faces before God, seeking what He would say to His people. Much of the mess today, not just in the Church but in the world, comes from precisely this problem. At the very least, preachers have been afraid to speak out against sin in society because they were afraid it would hurt their popularity, and they were more concerned with having a big church and big salary than with speaking God’s truth. Thankfully, recent events in America have caused some to wake up and realize they have to stand up against the tide of evil, and that is hopeful. However, this has to be on a day-by-day continuing basis, and not just a flash in the pan. It is too easy to get going with some popular movement and forget God entirely. Looking at a collection of sermons and picking one to preach is no way to feed the people of God! God calls all of His children into individual, personal fellowship with Him; how much more does He call for His shepherds to hear His voice! I have seen people who were “in the ministry” because they thought it was a good, safe occupation. How very dangerous! Speaking in God’s Name without listening to what God is saying is like playing Russian Roulette with five bullets and only one empty chamber. God calls His agents first of all to be holy, and along with that to be faithful. Anything else is running full tilt at a cliff.

As a pastor/minister myself, this certainly applies to me. If I cook up messages rather than listen to God, then I am inviting disaster. To be quite honest, I am nervous about this morning’s message, because I am speaking on the theme of my photo show that runs through tomorrow. It is a good theme, recognizing that we are created beings and responding to our Creator in gratitude and praise, but I fear that it might not be what God wants said to this congregation this morning. I need to be fully submitted and sensitive, speaking only and exactly what He wants said, because only that has the power to change hearts and minds and deliver from evil of all sorts.

Father, thank You for this Word to me. Help me indeed be faithful to communicate Your Word to Your people, to all to whom You give ears to hear, whether they are part of this congregation or not. Thank You for the opportunities You’ve given me to speak to people in various ways this week. May Your words through me have their full work, whenever, however, and to whomever they are spoken, so that the works of the devil may be destroyed (1 John 3:8) and Your kingdom come, for Your glory alone. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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August 15, 2015

Posted on August 16, 2015 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 17:5, 7 This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who depends on flesh for his strength
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.”

I had forgotten that this group of statements was in Jeremiah. It seems more like what we would expect from Psalms, but it does have several statements that are directly from the Lord, which is the very definition of prophecy, and Jeremiah was definitely a major prophet. That said, these contrasting descriptions are certainly worth taking to heart. The first sort of person is so common as to perhaps be in the majority today. This isn’t necessarily what we would think of as a “bad” person, it’s simply someone who turns to himself and other people rather than to God. Such a person is described as a Humanist, and that is seen as a good and admirable thing in society today. It would create quite a stir to proclaim, “Humanists are cursed,” but it would simply be quoting God! In contrast, the person who is blessed trusts and depends on God rather than on man. That is a sadly rare attitude these days. Whom we rely on shows our frame of reference. If we are focused on this world exclusively, then God won’t even enter our thoughts, except as a strange and “illogical” concept we overhear at times. We can’t escape this world completely, nor should we try to, because that is suicide, but we need to remember that we are eternal beings who happen to occupy slots in space-time for a while. That’s what Jesus was talking about when He said we are in the world but not of it. (John 17:14-16) When we remember that and keep our focus on trusting and obeying God, then we are blessed indeed.

I will confess to struggling with this myself, though I perhaps have more reason than most to understand what Jesus said. I’ve experienced “in but not of” on a strictly human level by growing up as a Caucasian in Japan. “Third Culture Kid” certainly applies to me, because I indeed synthesized my own culture from that of my parents and that of the nation where I lived. I had the real desire to be accepted as Japanese – after all, I was born here – but that never happened because I looked different. Spiritually, my parents certainly exemplified Kingdom culture, but I attended a US Air Force dependents school that was thoroughly secular, so there too I was between cultures. I have come to realize that all of this was to my advantage, because I have had to accept that I will never be the same as most of the people I am with, so God is the One to whom I turn. As this passage says, that is blessing indeed. I am still left with the temptation to depend on myself, particularly since God has gifted me in so many ways, but I am becoming more and more secure in the awareness that God’s smart and I’m not, God is omnipotent and I’m not. Every ability I have comes from Him, so it is only logical to depend on Him rather than on myself.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all the limits to my own ability that I run into every day. Help me be a good steward of all You have placed in me and keep my focus and my dependence on You, so that all of Your purposes for me may be accomplished, on Your schedule and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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August 14, 2015

Posted on August 15, 2015 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 14:14 Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.

This verse immediately brought to mind an article I was reading just yesterday about the rash of “prophetic” books that have come out in Charismatic/Pentecostal circles recently. I think it is very clear that humble discernment is called for. Groups such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormons, and even religions such as Islam, have been founded on prophecies and visions. The existence of the false does not negate the true, but it definitely calls for caution. This was certainly an issue in the early Church, which caused Paul to write about the need to “become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.” (Ephesians 4:13-14) Each one of us needs to have deep roots in the Bible and an active, ongoing relationship with the Holy Spirit in order to evaluate all the stuff that comes out. Someone might be completely sincere but not be hearing the Lord accurately, and another might simply be “cherry picking” verses to their own advantage. God is alive and speaking today, but He is not going to contradict what He has already said.

This brings up two experiences I have had. One time I prophesied something to a couple that they “knew” was “physically impossible,” as they understood it, but some time later it was fulfilled in a way that was outside of how they had understood it at the time, and they remembered the prophecy. (At the time I had told them they needed to evaluate it, but that I needed to be faithful to communicate what I felt the Lord was saying.) Another time I had a fellow minister tell me I was “too balanced,” because “you have to be off balance to get moving.” It is true that I have perhaps not had the most active of ministries, but I can’t feel that being off balance is the answer! In these tumultuous times I need to be anchored and faithful, hearing the Lord accurately and being obedient to all He tells me. I am not to despise prophecies, certainly, (1 Thessalonians 5:20) but neither am I to chase them. I cannot help but feel that we are within the period of John’s vision on Patmos, but I am not to be anxious about what part, or what is going to happen next. Rather, I am to rest secure in the One who is over it all, and be obedient to Him.

Father, with the Internet we are more aware than ever before of things going on around the world. Help me fulfill my part in what You are doing, without holding anything back but also without being anxious about anything. May I speak clearly all that You are saying through me, but nothing that is just out of my own imagination. May I make the use that You intend of all that You place in my hands, my mind, and my heart, for Your kingdom and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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August 13, 2015

Posted on August 15, 2015 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 14:7 Although our sins testify against us,
O Lord, do something for the sake of your name.
For our backsliding is great;
we have sinned against you.

Reading this passage about a drought in Judah beings to mind the current drought in California. However, I haven’t heard anyone suggest that California’s troubles come from sin, even though over half the pornography in the world is produced there. It is politically incorrect to suggest that sin has consequences, not just for the individual but for society as a whole. It’s not that there is a necessary one-to-one relationship, but we don’t know people’s hearts and God does, and Jesus was very clear that we all need repentance. (Luke 13:1-5) There are various “major ministries” in California, but if they are preaching repentance to heal the drought, I haven’t heard of it. About 35 years ago Rock Church in Virginia Beach spearheaded a “2 Chronicles 7:14 Movement” that called, rightly enough, for repentance. I personally think some of the good things that did happen in America after that were connected with that, but for the most part all the noise was just window dressing, just as it was after the 9/11 attacks. God has been pushed out of the thinking of the vast majority of people, even Christians, so that they don’t think of Him as causative of anything. Just as Paul, in Romans 3:18, quoted Psalm 36:1, “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” If you check the Psalm 36 reference, you see that puts all such people in the category of “the wicked.” They might or might not do anything the police would be interested in, but if they ignore God, they are wicked. That very statement is terribly politically incorrect. There are politicians who are making a splash by being politically incorrect, but I haven’t heard most of them say anything about sin! Some are, and I applaud them and pray for their success, because widespread repentance is the only real hope for the nation.

As I observe America from a distance I must remember that I am just as much in need of Jesus’ words in Luke 13 as anyone else. I am to keep my own repentance up to date, not allowing anything to build up at all. I am to walk in humble obedience, all day every day. As I seek to lead others into a right relationship with God I must be careful that my own has not become stale. In my case, taking Him for granted is one of the biggest risks. If I lose my gratitude, my obedience becomes drudgery, and that benefits no one. I am to keep my eyes open to recognize His gracious blessings and lead others to do the same, so that He may receive the thanks, praise, and glory that are rightly His alone.

Father, thank You for giving focus to the message I was already feeling You want me to share on Sunday. Guide me now in laying it out so that it will flow by Your Spirit: Your Word to penetrate hearts and minds to work Your will, for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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August 12, 2015

Posted on August 13, 2015 by jgarrott

Jeremiah 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin
or the leopard its spots?
Neither can you do good
who are accustomed to doing evil.

This verse is widely famous, referencing our inability to change intrinsic things. Interestingly, homosexuals claim that their predilection is as intrinsic as race or species, when actually it comes under the second half of this verse, in being an accustomed evil. The thing is, God has indeed made a way for those who are accustomed to evil to change, and it’s called repentance and faith. Jesus never gave up on the Pharisees, for example, though He spoke to them very bluntly about what they were doing, (e.g. Matthew 23) and some indeed did repent and become pillars of the Church. One of those, Paul, spoke of himself as “chief of sinners,” (1 Timothy 1:15) but he also spoke of how God takes the hopelessly sinful and remakes them into saints. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) God is in the business of transformation, but we must choose to repent in order to receive the transformation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 is famous and dearly loved. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” However, the new requires dying to the old. Paul uses that analogy extensively in Romans 7 and 8. Jesus Himself said that trying to hang on to our old self, that is, life as we are used to it, means eternal death, but letting that die, out of commitment and obedience to Christ, means eternal life. (Luke 9:23-25) Change is sometimes humanly impossible, but nothing is impossible with God. (Luke 1:37)

I have seen some pretty “impossible” transformations, and I praise God for them. I have also seen people use the Bible to “justify” their behavior, using verses like this one, with no intention of changing. That is tragic! I am to keep watch first of all on myself, that I not hang onto anything God says to let go of, and that I cling firmly to Jesus Christ my Lord, as He has taken hold of me. (Philippians 3:12) As a pastor, it is my task and my privilege to encourage others to do the same. All too often I get the response, “That’s OK for you, because you’re a professional Christian. I can’t do that.” I need to help them understand that I’m no more able than they are, apart from Christ. It is only in Him that “I can do everything,” (Philippians 4:13) and in Him they can too.

Father, I am constantly aware that apart from Christ I can do nothing. (John 15:5) Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, abiding in Christ as Your Spirit abides in me, so that all of Your purposes for me may be fulfilled, on Your schedule and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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August 11, 2015

Posted on August 13, 2015 by jgarrott

Isaiah 51:7-8 “Hear me, you who know what is right,
you people who have my law in your hearts:
Do not fear the reproach of men
or be terrified by their insults.
For the moth will eat them up like a garment;
the worm will devour them like wool.
But my righteousness will last for ever,
my salvation through all generations.”

The NIV, by saying “what is right” in verse seven and then “my righteousness” in verse eight, blurs the fact that these are exactly the same thing. We all desire stability in the middle of a changing world, and God is saying, “You want stability? You’ve got it in my righteousness, my salvation.” There will always be those who rebel against God, and they will always be antagonistic toward those who are obedient to Him, however illogical that might be. Many Americans are just waking up to that fact, though it’s been true all along. Here the Lord is saying that such rebellious people are like untreated wool clothing. It might look fine initially, but in no time it is moth-eaten and worthless. The key then becomes knowing God’s righteousness, and that comes by reading the Bible with faith. There are countless stories of saints who have been supported by a Word of Scripture in a tough moment. We’ve all had such experiences. The rate of change in the world today is so high that it’s causing a dramatic rise in mental illness, from people being unable to handle so much change. When we find our stability in God and His Word, then we can weather all the storms of change, even when they seem like a continuous hurricane, punctuated by tornadoes! There’s a reason that the Bible speaks many times of God being our “Rock.” We need to remember the old hymn that says, “On Christ the solid Rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.”

To be honest, my tolerance for change has dropped as I have gotten older. That’s a major factor in the nostalgia relished by so many senior adults. However, the deeper I’ve sunk my roots into the Rock of Ages, the less the change really shakes me. I see changes in the future that I don’t relish, but I know that the God who has brought me this far will carry me through to His good end. As I see the end of all things approaching I am to be active in each task my Lord sets for me, most particularly giving as many people as possible the opportunity to repent and believe for their salvation. I am not to be stingy with the knowledge of God’s righteousness! I am to be His agent, His representative, (2 Corinthians 5:20) drawing people to Him while there is time, for His pleasure and glory.

Father, thank You for the photo show that starts today. Thank You for enabling us to get it almost completely set up yesterday, and that so little remains to be done this morning. I pray that we would have good attendance over this coming week, but more than that, I pray that each person who comes would be touched by the realization that You indeed created this world we live in, and You love them. I ask for appointments with many people to share Christ more directly, and I ask You to give them faith and courage to believe and commit themselves to Christ. May this be a week not only of sowing but of harvest, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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