January 24, 2015

Posted on January 25, 2015 by jgarrott

Psalm 149:4 For the Lord takes delight in his people;
he crowns the humble with salvation.

I was surprised to read the Japanese of this verse just now, because it says, “The Lord loves His people.” I checked various English translations, but they all said “delights in” or “takes pleasure in.” I guess that says more about the nuance of “love” in Japanese than it does about the original Hebrew. All of those words certainly apply to God’s attitude toward us, but agape love is far deeper than pleasure and enjoyment. Americans might understand the Japanese use of “beloved dog” for a pet, but they would probably balk at the use of “beloved car” for your personal automobile. That obviously presents some problems for teaching that “God is love!” The translation of the second half of the verse presents a familiar spread of terms: humble, poor, meek. The verb also sees some variety: crown, beautify, adorn. However, those differences don’t cause any major conflict in understanding. The whole point is that God is happy about us, and He does really good stuff for us when we recognize that we are dependent on Him. That’s something for us to be happy about!

I deal with the issue of the Japanese understanding of love a good bit. I do quite a few weddings, so naturally I talk about agape love in the ceremony and I talk about practical applications of it in premarital counseling. Frankly, for many people that’s a real eye-opener. The average Japanese man may never say, “I love you,” to his wife. The closest he might come is to say, “I like you.” Recently that has been shifting with the younger generation, so that I don’t get so such resistance when I tell men their wife needs to hear them express affection verbally. Many wives would be happy to hear even, “I like you,” occasionally! People are obviously deeply impressed by the affection they see expressed between my wife and me, both verbally and in such basic things as respect and consideration. We need God’s wisdom to help them understand that such love is possible because we have accepted God’s love for us, and that love is equally available to them.

Well, Father, I certainly didn’t expect to write on this topic from this Psalm! Thank You for speaking to me in unexpected ways. Help me recognize what You are saying to me all the time, whether it’s something I expect or not. Help me be an accurate, faithful demonstration of Your love, Your character, at all times, so that as many as possible may repent and believe, receiving Your love for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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January 23, 2015

Posted on January 25, 2015 by jgarrott

Psalm 147:1 Praise the Lord.
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

True praise and worship are inextricably tied to humility. When we are truly aware of our relative status before God, conceit is out of the question and praise and worship flow naturally. When we grasp, even to a small degree, how infinitely greater God is, quite literally, but that He loves and cares for us individually, then gratitude will well up and overflow in praise and worship. It is actually a high privilege to be able to offer God praise and worship, and when it is genuine it is delightful, just as the Psalmist recognized. I have encountered even some musical people who considered singing in church a bore, but I have also encountered people who couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, but they loved to praise God. Guess which were happier? Musical ability and skill are good things, but genuine praise is not dependent on them. What God is after is heart attitude. I have heard great works of Christian music performed by professional musicians that were essentially cold and lifeless, as beautiful as they were, and I have heard far less polished performances that I’m sure delighted heaven. As a musician myself I certainly prefer that people be on pitch, but what is most important is “heart pitch.” There are virtually unlimited styles of music, and I dare say practically all of them can be used to praise God. Each of us has preferences as to style, but again, the important thing is the heart behind the music. God is worthy of our best, but that’s got to start from the heart.

I grew up singing hymns with my family, and could read the notes before I could read the words. However, it was when I first encountered the Charismatic Movement in the ’70s that my understanding of praise and worship began to grow. I learned what Jesus was talking about when He told the woman in Sychar that “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24) I have observed that Christian musicians seem to have a target painted on them by the devil, because he knows the power of anointed music and he seeks to discredit it as much as possible. I have seen so many musicians stumble and fall, both big names and unknowns, and I have taken to praying for the protection of gifted musicians as I have become aware of them. Music is not my major ministry, but even so I feel like my guardian angel has had to work overtime! I am to teach the believers the joy of praising God and worshiping Him. For those who are interested I can teach vocal techniques, but the important thing is teaching them to appreciate who God is and what He has done for them, and then respond from their hearts.

Father, several years ago You indicated very clearly that praise and worship were to be essential weapons in our armory for spiritual warfare, yet I have not focused on that element very much at all. I ask for clear guidance in that in this year particularly. I feel we don’t do badly, but we certainly have room for growth. Help us be the worshipers You seek, (John 4:23) not as a matter of technique but as a matter of hearts and lives totally committed to You, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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January 22, 2015

Posted on January 23, 2015 by jgarrott

Psalms 81:13-14 “If my people would but listen to me,
if Israel would follow my ways,
how quickly would I subdue their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes!”

The only difference between the English and the Japanese here is that the NIV puts this as a future conditional promise, while the Japanese continues the past tense of the previous verses. In either case, the whole passage, at least from verse 8, is talking about the consequences of failing to be humble before God, in contrast to the benefits of humble obedience. Every parent has experienced times when their children have insisted that they knew better than their parents. With human parents that is sometimes true, but we never know better than our heavenly Father. Again and again throughout the Bible we see the benefits of listening to God and the consequences of failing to do so. God’s rules are never to restrict us, to be mean to us, they are to protect us and enable us to realize our full potential. John nailed it when he said that God’s commands are not burdensome. (1 John 5:3) Rather, His commands are to lift the burdens of sin, guilt, and their consequences from us. Life is so much easier when we’re following God! That’s not to say we don’t have problems; Jesus assured us quite to the contrary. (John 16:33) However, when we are listening obediently to God, we can indeed rejoice even in the middle of our problems, again just as Jesus said, because we will walk in the victory of Jesus Christ.

I’ve had times of listening obediently to God and I’ve had times of being like a kid in the “terrible twos.” There’s no question which is better! As a pastor I deal constantly with people who are in fixes of their own making, because they failed to listen obediently to God. The first step out is always repentance, but it’s amazing how resistant we can be to that most basic step. As long as people insist that their circumstances are entirely someone else’ fault, I can’t help them. That’s actually a principle I was taught in Counseling class in seminary, but it’s certainly true. I’ve also learned the hard way that as long as I am closed to the idea that I might be wrong, I make very little progress no matter what I’m dealing with. That’s not to say I’m never right, but it is to say I must always be humble before my Lord and seek to listen to Him, even if He’s speaking through someone I don’t care for particularly. I know that God’s plans are always good, (Jeremiah 29:11) so for myself and for those around me I need to focus on listening obediently to Him.

Father, thank You for Your incredible patience with me. Help me extend that patience toward those I work with as well. May we all learn to listen to You more consistently and obey You more faithfully, so that all of Your plans for us may be fulfilled, on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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January 21, 2015

Posted on January 23, 2015 by jgarrott

Psalm 25:4-5 Show me your ways, O Lord,
teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.

This is the cry of someone who is genuinely humble before the Lord, and it is no surprise that it was written by David. It is a recognition that left to ourselves, we wander like sheep. (Isaiah 53:6) The English and the Japanese translations agree remarkably here, with virtually no deviation, which is actually somewhat unusual. As I see it, “Your ways” speaks of general life principles, but “Your paths” speaks of more specific, individual guidance. We need both! The Bible is certainly adequate to teach us life principles, but we need to be trained in listening to God to recognize His more detailed instructions. Hebrews 5:14 says it this way: “But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” It is by applying the truth/Scripture we know that we learn to distinguish between opportunities and temptations. To the natural eye they can seem remarkably similar! David recognized that his salvation was in God alone, which is why he waited expectantly for God all day long. (For some reason English translations seldom use that compound expression, often translating it “hope,” or simply “wait,” but it is frequently found in the Japanese.) It was when David lost the edge of recognizing his need of God that he fell into the huge sins of adultery and murder. That should be an object lesson for every believer. One of the most dangerous things of all is thinking, even for a moment, that we don’t need God.

This passage expresses the attitude I know I need, but I must not presume I have it sufficiently. I am to keep watch over my heart, that I not fall into the deception of self-sufficiency. I am to apply the Word I know, so as not to deceive myself. (James 1:22) The more people are touched by the words I speak, the more I need to recognize that I can say nothing good on my own. As has been said, in God’s kingdom the way up is indeed the way down. If I lose sight of my total dependence on God, I’ve lost it all. I desire to be an open conduit of God’s truth to many, but I must remember that I am no more significant than a clay pot. (2 Corinthians 4:7)

Father, thank You for the many opportunities You give me to speak Your truth. I ask You to guard my lips this morning, that I may be as brief as I need to be, yet still communicate what You want said. I pray that in my every encounter I may speak Your truth in love, to build people up and not tear them down, so that the Body of Christ may be strengthened and energized to do Your will in Your way on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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January 20, 2015

Posted on January 23, 2015 by jgarrott

Job 40:6-7 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:
“Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.”

What comes across to me here is not anger, but maybe even wry amusement. The Creator is pointing reality out to His creature, because the creature had lost his sense of perspective. It’s like someone has said, “foolproof” is a misnomer, because there’s no limit to the foolishness of mankind. Job had allowed his circumstances and the well-meaning but misguided remarks of his friends to distract him from the calm faith he expressed right after the disasters happened to him. (Job 1:21, 2:10) We are no better than Job, certainly; most of us don’t start with his level of faith! When things happen to us we need to take a deep breath, let it out, and then look up, to recognize that God is still God, He is still love, (1 John 4:8, 16) and His grace is sufficient for us. (2 Corinthians 12:9) We have a strong tendency to want to control our own destinies, but we are limited in that; all we can really do is choose to cooperate with God’s plan for us, or rebel against it. Guess which choice has the better outcome? This is not fatalism, and it’s not passive. Paul tells us to “work out our salvation.” (Philippians 2:12) We are to be active participants in God’s plan, but we must not think for a moment that we are in charge. When we try to take control we lose the fellowship for which we were created, exactly as happened with Adam and Even in Eden, and that is a huge loss indeed.

I’ve had my moments of being mad at God, and they’ve never done me any good! I have almost 60 years of active relationship with Him, and there have certainly been ups and downs. The closer I walk with Him here, the more I look forward to eternity with Him in heaven. All misunderstanding will be taken away then, and it will be more glorious than I can now comprehend. (1 Corinthians 13:12) As a pastor I am continually dealing with people who can’t seem to get that reality through their heads and hearts. Caught up in the mole hill in front of them, they can’t see the mountain of God’s grace and love for them. I am to be gentle but I am to be firm, pointing them to Jesus consistently, speaking and demonstrating God’s truth to them so that they may receive and know it and so be set free from the dead-end traps of the enemy.

Father, You know who came to mind as I wrote that. I pray a sense of perspective for them. They seem to have almost none at the moment! Recently You have allowed me to speak into several people’s lives, and I feel that is going to increase. Keep me from speaking out of my own head, but rather out of Your heart, so that they may be lifted out of where they are wallowing and set on their feet, to recognize Your grace and love for them and accept it with joy, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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January 19, 2015

Posted on January 23, 2015 by jgarrott

Ezra 8:21 There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.

As the next verse makes clear, Ezra was very literally “putting his money where his mouth was.” Verse 26 lists the staggering amount of treasure the group would have with them. Travel in those days was a risky proposition, with lots of bandits and such along the way. (This is why the Pax Romanum, the Roman Peace, was so important to the spread of the Gospel in the 1st Century: for the first time it made long trips reasonably safe.) This was deadly serious business, and Ezra wanted to be sure everyone was focused on the only One who could ensure their safety. In America and Japan at any rate, we tend to take travel much more casually, but we forget that none of us has a guarantee of tomorrow. Last week a close friend who had put off and put off and put off making a commitment to Christ dropped dead, and she has no more opportunity. That is indeed tragic. She had failed to humble herself before the only One who could save her. Physical salvation is important mostly in terms of our having opportunity for spiritual salvation, because everything material is temporal, temporary, but spiritual salvation is eternal. This is not to say that everyone who acknowledges Jesus as Lord has to fast like Ezra did, but salvation does require humbling ourselves before God. The first requirement for salvation is to acknowledge you need to be saved. That requires humility. It is a choke point for many, and some never get past it. Honesty before God will always lead to humility, because He is perfectly holy, as well as omnipotent and everything else, and we certainly are not. It is only in humility that we can receive all the aspects of the magnificent salvation that He has prepared for us in Christ.

My life has been an odd mix of pride and humility. I grew up knowing that God was perfect and I wasn’t, but I still got stuck in pride of various sorts, and the result was never good. It is interesting that genuine humility and submission before God will generate an assurance that will look like confidence, even brashness, to outsiders. I know from experience that God can do anything, and He can even use me to do things that are totally beyond me personally. However, I will experience those things only as I am genuinely humble and submitted before Him. I continue to have the feeling that God has remarkable things planned for this year, but I’ve got to stay on my face before Him if I am to be available and flow with His Spirit.

Father, thank You for directing me to get back to regular fasting. It’s been quite some time since I’ve done that, even though times of fasting in the past have been greatly blessed. Thank You for arranging it that this passage came today, though I had no thoughts of personal fasting when I was making up the Scripture list. I have various things that need to be done today. Help me stay focused on You in prayer even as I do other things, so that Your purposes for this time may be fulfilled both in me and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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January 18, 2015

Posted on January 19, 2015 by jgarrott

2 Chronicles 36:12 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord.

To this point we have been reading about people humbling or failing to humble themselves before God, but here it speaks of failing to humble yourself before God’s messenger. We have trouble with that, too! When God uses someone we are to give that person honor, not because of them personally but because of the God they serve. We tend to bow to titles, to political or physical power, or even to popularity, but all of those are illusions and/or temporary. Jeremiah got the short end of this stick for most of his life, and tradition tells us he was stoned to death in Egypt by the very people to whom he was seeking to deliver the Word of the Lord. Today we recognize him as one of the giants of the Old Testament, but I wonder how we respond to someone acting in that same capacity today. David Wilkerson comes to mind. Some acknowledged him as a faithful servant of the Lord, but many dismissed him as a “fringe fanatic.” That’s not humbling yourself! Some of his prophecies were perhaps delayed by repentance, but many are looming over us even today, just as Jeremiah’s were over Judah. He reached many, but it was still comparatively few, because he was never a crowd pleaser. We are never to idolize people, but when they deliver the Word of the Lord to us, we are to give them the respect due the Word, in all humility.

This is an awkward thing for me to write on, because it feels like I am demanding respect, and that is not my heart. Last night I delivered a Word to a group where most of those present had never heard me before. The response was actually very good, though I’m sure there was a wide spectrum. I feel like I was given a high level of respect, and I praise God for it. I’ll be going to two conferences/meetings next month, though not as a program speaker. I am to keep myself available for whatever God intends, recognizing the opportunities He gives me and making the most of them, just as Paul said. (Ephesians 5:16, Colossians 4:5) I am never to demand respect or honor, but I am not to refuse it when it is given because of the Word I speak. God is the source of all true glory, and it is to be returned to Him.

Father, thank You for speaking through me last night. I do pray that Your words would remain in the hearts of those who heard, whichever language they were listening to. May all of Your children catch the vision You have for them, not borrow someone else’ vision, and be fully faithful in moving toward it in Your wisdom and power, so that Your Name may be hallowed and Your kingdom come as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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January 17, 2015

Posted on January 19, 2015 by jgarrott

2 Chronicles 33:21 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for two years.

I had never done the math before, and I’m floored. Amon was 22 when he became king and he was killed at 24, but his son Josiah was already eight at that time. That means Josiah was born when Amon was 16. No wonder there was such a disconnect from one generation to another! Procreation was seen as a strictly biological function, and in the case of royalty, was to be engaged in as early and as often as possible, with next to no thought of parenting as such, with all such duties being farmed out to staff. Even David really blew it with his children, probably because he had no model to go by. Parenting is serious business, both an incredible privilege and a high responsibility. Approached correctly it is a blast, but it is never without struggles and even heartaches as well. Just yesterday I was hearing that the current statistics for America say that less than half of all children are in intact, traditional homes, not because of the divorce rate, though that is high, but because of all the people who are having children without getting married. They are like King Amon, but without the support structure. That is tragic. America will not get back on its feet morally until it takes marriage and family seriously again. The old song that says, “Love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage,” seems as antiquated as the mode of transportation referenced. Today “non-traditional” marriage is being pushed on the basis of “love,” but marriage was originally never about love; rather it was (and is) about a social contract as the foundation of society. Love was and is desirable, but human love is a mighty weak foundation even for a family, much less society.

I insist on premarital counseling before I do weddings, and I always ask the couple what is the foundation of their relationship. Many of them have no answer at all, though over half either already have a child or have one on the way. (They may or may not be legally married, because in Japan a religious ceremony carries no weight. The legal aspects are taken care of very simply at a municipal office.) After I go through what I feel is a Biblical explanation of the marital relationship, they are often in awe, never having seen it that way before. It is a privilege to introduce Biblical truth into the foundation of society like that, but I can only do it one couple at a time. My prayer is that they would in turn talk about marriage with their friends, and in time with their children, so that the “yeast” would spread and cause all of society to “rise.”

Father, there have been bad marriages and bad parents throughout history, yet You have brought us through to this point. Josiah obviously benefited from being raised by people other than his father! I pray Your mercy on Your creation. Thousands are being slaughtered and women are being considered chattel, sold off as wives or concubines, in some areas, which makes America look pretty good, but the moral infection is rampant worldwide. I pray that Your children would stand firm in Your truth against the onslaught, not in their own strength but in Yours. I pray that Your Name would be acknowledged as holy, and that Your kingdom would come as Your will is done, in every part of this planet as perfectly as it is in heaven, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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January 16, 2015

Posted on January 19, 2015 by jgarrott

2 Chronicles 33:10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention.

Can you say, bad move? This could be the very definition of a bad move, but it’s all too common. God speaks to everyone, actually, but the vast majority have no spiritual ears to hear Him. That’s why Jesus told His disciples they were blessed, because they had eyes that could see and ears that could hear, spiritually speaking. (Matthew 13:16) Things got pretty rough for Manasseh because of his turning his back on God, but he at least had the good sense to repent and humble himself before God. So many don’t seem to come to their senses no matter what happens to them! As it says so clearly in Psalm 95, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” (Psalm 95:7-8) The problem is one of hearing Him in the first place, and then of being humble and obedient enough to do what He says. We tend to mystify “hearing from God” to the point that it seems impossible for the ordinary human being to experience, but nothing could be further from the truth. As Paul said, all of Creation speaks of God. (Romans 1:20) That is the most general of categories, but God gets more specific with each individual as well. One of those ways is what we call a conscience, yet no one alive has ever lived so as never to violate their conscience. The clearest, most specific way God speaks to us is through His Word, the Bible, but the vast majority of people in the world read it seldom if ever. Of course, the devil does all he can to try to discredit the Bible and get people to ignore it, but that’s no excuse. For those whose hearts have been “tuned to the right frequency,” so to speak, by reading the Bible with humility and faith, God speaks almost constantly, not necessarily as specific instructions but as an awareness of His Presence and love, with correction and instruction provided when necessary.

It has taken me a long time to move toward that last category, and just as Paul said, I haven’t arrived fully yet, (Philippians 3:12-14) but I am deeply grateful for the progress I have made in that direction. Though I have been used in prophecy, I have learned that such specific words are only a small part of how God speaks. Several years ago He allowed me to realize that He could and would direct me in lane changes as I drove. When I depend on my own calculations of which lane will move faster it never benefits me in the long run, but when I pay attention to His gentle nudges, I get through traffic very smoothly. It’s something of a barometer of how open I am to Him, and often enough I have to repent of being hardheaded. As a pastor, I desire that everyone in the flock learn more and more how to hear God, and certainly not just on Sunday mornings. I need wisdom from the Holy Spirit to train them, because I certainly can’t do it on my own! I need to keep growing in my own sensitivity and obedience, and encourage them that they can do the same.

Father, I keep getting the strong feeling that this is to be a very eventful year. Yesterday we had the great shock of hearing of the sudden death of a good friend of Cathy’s for the past 33 years, and that friend never committed to Christ, though she was given the opportunity numbers of times. We can’t force anyone to listen to You, but we do pray that Your words through us by Your Spirit would be effective in bringing people to repentance and faith while there is time, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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January 15, 2015

Posted on January 16, 2015 by jgarrott

2 Chronicles 30:9 “If you return to the Lord, then your brothers and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will come back to this land, for the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.”

This was a very bold move on the part of King Hezekiah. The 10 northern tribes had not joined with Judah to worship God for many generations, and it took real courage on the part of those who did accept Hezekiah’s invitation. However, unity has to start somewhere, and if we only attempt what seems possible to us, we will never achieve any sort of greatness, much less really experience the power of God. The result of Hezekiah’s boldness was a Passover for the history books, and God poured His grace and mercy out abundantly. It is never wrong to tell people what this verse says, because it is profoundly true. If we return to God, no matter how far we feel we have gotten from Him, He will always respond to us with amazing grace and compassion. That is at the very heart of the Gospel. The devil does all he can to hide this truth from people, which is why we need to be diligent in making it clear and plain, so that as many as will may receive it, accept it, repent and believe, for their salvation and the glory of God.

This is of course what I’m here to do. However, in Japan it is less than productive to say “Return to God,” because most people don’t know they ever left, since their ancestors weren’t Christians either. I’ve got to couch the invitation in terms of our Creator, since many will acknowledge that they are created beings. God’s love is the same, and is just as amazing, whatever terms we use to describe it! I certainly need God’s words and His inspiration, because my words aren’t going to get the job done. However, I am not to fail to issue the invitation just because I don’t expect much response, any more than Hezekiah did. He really didn’t get much turnout from the northern tribes, but those who did respond were enormously blessed, and that would have been missed had the invitation not been extended. I am to be one who continually cries out, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15)

Father, thank You for the privilege of issuing Your invitation. I have failed to issue it out of fear of offending more times than I could count, and I regret that deeply. Help me never fail in that again, but be fully faithful as Your agent. Keep me from spouting off on my own, but may I never be silent when You say to speak, so that Your words through me may accomplish everything for which You send them, for Your glory. (Isaiah 55:11) Thank You. Hallelujah!

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