June 20, 2013

Posted on June 23, 2013 by jgarrott

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.

We sing this familiar Scripture to at least three different musical settings in this church, and that’s good, but that still doesn’t mean we grasp all this simple verse means. When I read it just now, with the following verses, at first I didn’t see why the passage as a whole was in the readings for “freedom” (even though I chose the readings several years ago). Then the Lord pointed out to me that when you can’t see, your freedom is greatly limited. Those with visual problems speak of this issue, but those with normal vision have trouble grasping it. The same situation holds spiritually, but there we are all too often unaware that we can’t see! I frequently speak of the Bible as “the instruction manual for human beings,” and that’s apt, and more than just a metaphor. I wonder sometimes how people who don’t accept the Bible, or even who just leave it on their shelf, get through life at all! God doesn’t want us wandering blindly, because as Jesus said, that can lead to disaster. (Matthew 15:14) However, those whom He accused as “blind guides” were actually very familiar with the words of Scripture, they just hadn’t let the Author speak those words to their hearts. (Matthew 23:16, 24) The Bible isn’t light to us until we accept it as God’s Word, with the help of the Holy Spirit who wrote it.

I grew up steeped in the Bible, but really walking in its light has been something I’ve had to learn over the years. It has been commented that I’m addicted to the Bible, and I certainly hope that’s true. I’ve still got room to grow in applying it fully, because life gets complicated at times, and I don’t have the whole Bible on “instant recall.” My focus needs to be on maintaining fellowship with God through the Holy Spirit, so that He can bring the Word to life in my heart and mind. If I will do that, then I will be able to share the Word with others effectively, which is my desire and my joy, for their blessing and the glory of God.

Father, thank You for the amazing privilege of sharing Your Word with others. Keep me from failing to be obedient personally to what You speak through me, because that would be a total sham. (James 1:22, 1 Corinthians 9:27) Help me indeed walk in the light, as You are in the light, (1 John 1:7) so that I may guide others effectively and above all, be pleasing to You, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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June 19, 2013

Posted on June 20, 2013 by jgarrott

Psalm 119:45 I will walk about in freedom,
for I have sought out your precepts.

Reading this I am reminded of something I tell people frequently when talking about parenting, and that is that as human beings we need boundaries. Throughout our lives the period of greatest security is in the womb, with very little freedom even of movement, but no anxiety at all. Setting and maintaining appropriate boundaries is one of the most important tasks for parents, because children who have appropriate boundaries grow up to be both responsible and fulfilled adults, but those who lack such boundaries suffer all sorts of problems. It is an interesting quirk of human nature that we always test those boundaries, overstepping them, but if no consequences come, we go further and further afield, losing emotional security in the process and all too often encountering disaster. The Psalmist here gives the secret to a life that is both assured and unhampered, and that is to love and seek God’s laws. That is true freedom. For example, we are not free to walk off of a cliff to try to get to the next hill, nor are we free to walk through walls to get from one room to another. Most of us understand such physical boundaries, but we can fail to understand moral and spiritual boundaries. Not knowing what the boundaries are leaves us uncertain, in trouble, or both. Knowing that God is our loving heavenly Father, and that His rules are for our good, should cause us to seek His guidance and rejoice to be obedient to it.

This is something I have come to understand as I have grown as a parent and as a child of God. I was blessed with parents who did seek to set Godly boundaries for me, and in large measure they succeeded. It was in areas that they failed to do so that I made the most problems for myself and for others. As I grew, along with making plenty of mistakes myself, I studied psychology and counseling and also learned better how to apply the Bible to life. In the process I came to agree completely with something expressed by a Christian clinical psychologist friend of mine, who said, “Psychology and psychiatry can diagnose, but they can’t heal. Real healing is only by the Holy Spirit.” In the final analysis, for someone who is spiritually mature, the only boundaries we need are the 1st and 2nd Commandments, as Jesus defined them. (Matthew 22:37-39) If we love God with all we are, we will seek to be obedient to Him in everything. If we love our neighbor as we should love ourselves, we will do him no harm, but only good. This is how I am to live, and how I am to teach others to live.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I see every day that I live in a fallen world, and people all around me are in chains because they have ignored Your boundaries. Help me indeed preach deliverance to the captives (Luke 4:18) so that they may walk in the freedom of loving You and Your laws, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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June 18, 2013

Posted on June 20, 2013 by jgarrott

Psalm 118:9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.

This verse is so obvious as to go without saying, yet it still needs to be said. We have such a strong tendency to depend on that which we can see and hear with our senses, rather than on the One who created everything, that we need to be reminded of reality from time to time. This is true regardless of the system of government we live under. Looking back over history it is obvious that every leader, and every functionary, is an imperfect human being. We tend to forget that and pin our hopes on one person or another, regardless of the goals and values we hold dear. The only thing we can be assured of is that we will be disappointed! However, God can and does use imperfect men and women to accomplish His will, which is of course the greatest good. In a democracy we have the privilege of choosing which imperfect people we want in leadership, which sometimes makes our disappointment all the more acute. That’s why it is so important to depend on and listen obediently to God. That’s not just on election day, it is every day in every interaction, not just with elected officials but also with bureaucrats. As has been said so famously, the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing, but we often overlook prayer as the most important thing we can do. We need to pray for our elected officials and for our bureaucrats, and keep ourselves available to God for whatever He wants us to say and do in relation to them. Jesus wasn’t speaking idly when He told us to pray that God would be honored as holy, that His kingdom would come on this earth, and that His plans and intentions would be fulfilled on every level. (Matthew 6:9-13)

Recently there’s been a lot of reason to be disappointed in both elected officials and bureaucrats, but historically, that’s nothing new or unusual. I am not to allow myself to get tied in knots over it all, but keep trusting God, for myself and for the nations with which I am involved. Being informed about what is going on is not a bad thing, but it carries the risk of being so focused on specific issues that I take my eyes off of the One who is over all. As issues come to my attention I am to submit them immediately to God, rather than agonizing over them. I am to see to it that nothing gets in the way of my personal relationship with God, because it’s the prayer of a righteous man that is powerful and effective. (James 5:16) It is often interactions with individual functionaries that are the most personally irritating. That’s all the more reason to keep every situation bathed in prayer, so that I may be a channel of God’s pure love and grace, so that His will may be accomplished in and through me.

Father, You know my conflicts and frustrations better than I do. Thank You for allowing them, to teach me to release them to You and walk in humble obedience. Help me remember that nothing can ever take away the least bit of Your sovereignty or Your love, so that I may rest secure at all times in faith, whatever seems to be going on around me. Thank You. Praise God!

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June 17, 2013

Posted on June 18, 2013 by jgarrott

Psalm 81:10 I am the LORD your God,
who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

Ever since I heard the story, I can’t read this verse without thinking of the Christian dentist who had the second half of this verse up on his wall! However, that’s a bit of a distraction from what the Lord is actually saying here. He is reminding the people of what He did for them and their ancestors in the past, providing for their every need, and then He’s saying that He will do it again. I get the image of baby birds with beaks wide open as their parents fly to the next with food. In the final analysis, we are as helpless as baby birds without the support and supply of our heavenly Father. However, we don’t like to acknowledge that, as the next two verses speak of. God’s plans are always good, but we tend to be headstrong and not want to listen. That attitude brings troubles on us that God never intended and doesn’t desire, but we turn around and blame those troubles on God! Verses 13-14 are God’s cry, His sorrow, at what happens to his stubborn children. We often refuse to recognize that actions have consequences, but that doesn’t change those consequences. That’s why the Gospel of Jesus Christ is good news indeed: God has provided a way out of the hole we have dug for ourselves by our own stubborn disobedience and rebellion.

This is of course the message that I preach, and I preach it from experience. It’s interesting to think about how smooth my life might have been had I stayed humbly obedient to God from childhood! However, I can’t change the past, and that fact is one of the lessons of life. That said, it is a glorious truth that God will take everything that is truly submitted to Him and use it for good, even when the thing itself wasn’t good at the outset. (Romans 8:28) God isn’t limited by what we have been, He wants repentance and obedience now, so that what will be may be what He desires for us, which is good indeed. There are many mysteries in life, including genetic disorders and the like, but when those who are affected by them turn them over to God in trust, He can and does use even things that are tragic in themselves for blessing.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Yesterday I interacted with three different families with young children, two of which have genetic problems. I cannot fix those problems, but I can comfort and encourage the families and be a channel of Your love and grace to them. I pray that Your perfect will would be done for each family, as a testimony of Your love and grace, drawing everyone involved into faith/ deeper faith in You, for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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June 16, 2013

Posted on June 18, 2013 by jgarrott

Psalm 54:4-5 Surely God is my help;
the Lord is the one who sustains me.
Let evil recoil on those who slander me;
in your faithfulness destroy them.

Some people are very uncomfortable with David asking God for the destruction of his foes, but they miss an important point. That is, David is depending on God and isn’t trying to take vengeance for himself. The preface to this Psalm explains the circumstances, and David was very naturally upset. However, instead of going on a rampage against those who put him in real danger for no good reason, he went to God. The world would be a very different place if everyone reacted like that! Jesus indeed tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, (Matthew 5:44) but that is on top of releasing our enemies to God in the first place. When we take attacks personally, nursing hurt feelings and plotting revenge, we are doing ourselves more real harm than our enemies have done. After all, the worst they can do is kill our bodies, but refusing to forgive removes us from God’s forgiveness. (Matthew 6:14-15) It makes a world of difference to realize on every level that “God is the one who saves me,” as David says here.

Raised in the environment I was, revenge has never been a big motivator for me. The strongest I can recall it being has been the desire to excel to prove naysayers wrong, and that’s not necessarily bad. However, I have dealt with people who have been consumed by the desire to “get back at” those they consider their enemies. There’s as fine line between rival and enemy! I am to exercise God’s grace toward them and encourage them to receive it from Him themselves, even when they consider me one of their enemies. I am to remember that “God is the one who saves me” at all times, letting Him show me whether their attacks contain any element of truth, pointing out anything of which I need to repent. I am to practice radical forgiveness, just as God has so radically forgiven me. (Ephesians 4:32)

Father, thank You for how You have both protected and grown me in this area. Sometimes the attacks have been pretty painful! Thank You for indeed being the One who saves me. I pray that I would be Your agent of grace to all, however they respond to me. May I draw others to You by word and by example, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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June 15, 2013

Posted on June 18, 2013 by jgarrott

Psalm 31:5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;
redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.

When Jesus arguably quoted the first half of this verse as His last words before His resurrection, (Luke 23:46) it is very significant. However, there is a difference between the NIV and the Japanese in the second half that really strikes me just now. The NIV frames it as a request, “redeem me,” while the Japanese expresses it as a statement, “You have redeemed me.” The NIV translators were perhaps influenced by the image of Jesus on the cross, thinking He was not yet delivered from that suffering, but the thing of it is, we who are already redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ can and do experience all sorts of suffering. Suffering in no way cancels out or negates redemption! It is a statement of faith to quote this verse as the Japanese has it in the middle of suffering, and that faith is a great shield with which we can quench every flaming arrow of the enemy. (Ephesians 6:16) The devil and the world are quick to jump on anything negative and tell us it’s evidence we aren’t loved and saved by God, but that’s simply not true. God, however, is indeed the God of truth, and He has redeemed all who call on Him in truth, through Jesus Christ His Son.

This is something I have experienced, and I seek to communicate it to others, because it is indeed Good News. Last night was an exercise in that, as Cathy and I went to comfort and encourage a lady who is in the middle of an essentially unbearable situation. Almost every member of her family has major problems, and her health is being torn down by the stress of it all. She has not yet committed her spirit to the Lord, as this verse says, and so she has not yet experienced the Lord’s redemption. We sought to be listening ears for her, and at the same time remind her, since she’s heard it before, that redemption is indeed available to her, and to every member of her family. If I were to try to carry her burdens emotionally, I would be as devastated as she is, if not more so. As Paul did with the Ephesian elders, (Acts 20:32) I need to “commit [her and her family] to God and to the word of His grace.” This is not being callous or uncaring, it is recognizing that I can’t possibly fix her problems, but God can. I need to do everything for her that God indicates I should, but most of all I need to share with her the word of God’s grace.

Father, I do pray for that family, as I have been doing for several years now. Thank You that Your plans are perfect, and I can trust You. Help me indeed commit my own spirit to You and not try to take it back into my own hands, and help me do the same with every issue I encounter. I am so prone to again take up burdens I think I’ve laid at Your feet! Help me trust You right through to the end in everything, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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June 14, 2013

Posted on June 15, 2013 by jgarrott

Deuteronomy 15:14, 18 Give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you. And the LORD your God will bless you in everything you do.

These two partial verses struck me because they put the focus on God as our Provider. This of course goes back to the story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac on Mt. Moriah, where the covenantal name for God of Yahweh Jireh, The Lord our Provider, appears. (Genesis 22) It is far easier to be generous when we understand that God never runs out of anything! That’s something we can understand with our minds and still have a hard time getting into our hearts! Even so, it is an outstanding statistic that Christians are more generous than anyone else. It is an irony of the current political scene in the US that “liberals” (that’s an ironic name right there) accuse conservatives of lacking compassion for the poor, but conservatives are many times more personally generous than they are. “Liberals” want to help the poor with taxes, that is, with someone else’ money! None of the things in this chapter have anything to do with taxes, but rather with individuals recognizing need, and that God is their supply.

I have been on the receiving end of both government programs and personal benevolence, and I must say that personal benevolence feels a lot better. It also creates much more personal gratitude, and the urge to “pay it forward.” Now there’s a Biblical concept for you! When God gives us so much, yet Himself needs nothing, we do well to express our appreciation to God by giving to others. I know of no other “holy book” that encourages generosity the way the Bible does. God is not stingy, and those who love and follow Him will reflect that in their own lives and characters. The Lord is building a message in me for Sunday’s service, and now I know why I wasn’t able to get further with the notes yesterday! I need to help the believers understand that this is an important part of their stewardship of finances, time, and energy. The better we are focused on God, the more open we will be as channels of His grace and blessing to those around us.

Father, thank You for Your perfect plans for everything! I had been feeling a little guilty about not getting further with my sermon notes yesterday, but You knew that this needed to be included. I pray that I would not be stingy with my money and talents, and especially with my time, but realize that everything I have comes from You, and give You thanks and praise as I make the use that You intend for everything, as an example to others and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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June 13, 2013

Posted on June 15, 2013 by jgarrott

Leviticus 25:17 Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the LORD your God.

The passage as a whole is fascinating, saying that land can never be sold, but only leased. That is an enormously equitable system in an agrarian society, but it falls apart pretty quickly in an industrialized society. That said, this verse is still an eternal principle, even though it is ignored all too often. If we indeed fear God, we are not going to harm our neighbor, because we will understand that God sees everything, and He settles all accounts in the end. Those who cheat, steal from, and otherwise do harm to others obviously are not looking at things from the eternal perspective; their greed has blinded them. These days there is a lot of uproar over government surveillance in the US, but even modern technology can’t touch God’s omniscience. The problem with government surveillance is that people and governments can’t be trusted not to make wrong use of what they know, but God is totally trustworthy. Many people would like to hide from God, because their ways are evil, as Jesus expressed in John 3:20, but as He said in verse 21, those who are obedient to God are happy for Him to know everything. It comes down to knowing who and what God is, and choosing to trust Him.

I have been aware of God’s omniscience for as long as I can remember, but it hasn’t kept me perfectly straight! That’s evidence that knowledge alone isn’t sufficient: there must be the choice to act on that knowledge. As a pastor/teacher I can impart knowledge, but I can’t make people’s choices for them. However, I can help them understand what the choices really are, because the devil is good at disguising them. Often we think we are choosing freedom, when we are really choosing bondage to sin. I have had people strongly resist being told that, and choose sin anyway. That can be heartbreaking, but the decision is theirs to make, not mine. I am to be faithful in warning and encouraging others, but I am not to take their choices on myself as burdens, because I can’t bear them. I am to pray for them and trust God’s grace and mercy.

Father, You know the particular example that came to mind as I wrote that. I don’t have direct input into that situation, but I pray for wisdom, strength, and peace for the Christian parent who is understandably distraught at what is going on. Tough love isn’t easy! I do pray for the child, that they would come to their senses as to what is really going on, so that they may repent and turn to You. I pray that the whole family would be united in Christ, even though some are very far from Him. May Your name be hallowed and Your kingdom come as Your will is done in that family, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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June 12, 2013

Posted on June 13, 2013 by jgarrott

Exodus 36:2 Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work.

Giving to the Lord isn’t limited to finances; we are to give Him our time and abilities too. However, this verse is a reminder that every­thing we give to God is something we have received from Him in the first place. We are so quick to forget that! The two things called for in this verse are God-given ability and personal willingness to serve. It’s that second item that’s most often the sticking point! It has been said that God isn’t after ability, He’s after availability. He can give ability to whomever He pleases, but if the recipient of the ability doesn’t make themselves available to God, then nothing good is accomplished. In this verse the NIV uses the words “skill” and “ability,” but the Japanese says “wisdom” for both, and I have a feeling that’s closer to the original. A proper attitude toward God is of course the foundation of wisdom, and these were people who recognized that their skill sets had been given them by God, and therefore should be used for His glory. It is sad to see talented people who decline to acknowledge God. That attitude never results in true happiness and satisfaction for the individual. I personally think Frank Sinatra’s signature song, My Way, is one of the saddest in the catalog, because it expresses the emptiness of his life, that is shared with far too many talented people.

I don’t know that my abilities are outstanding in any particular area, but the Lord has certainly given me a wide variety of them. It is quite appropriate that my name is Jack, because I’m certainly a “Jack (apprentice) of all trades, and master of none.” A lot of people don’t realize that’s the full quote, or that “Jack” means “apprentice,” which is why it appears so frequently as a name in nursery rhymes. In any case, I am able to do many things, and to a degree that has kept me from focusing on anything to excel at it. However, that’s no excuse! I am to keep every ability God has given me available to Him at all times, so that His purposes may be accomplished. Only that will bring real satisfaction to me, as it blesses others and gives glory to Him.

Father, even I wonder sometimes why You have enabled me to do so many different things. It has been a temptation to pride for me and it has been intimidating to others. Help me walk in genuine humility that doesn’t deny what You have placed in me, but doesn’t take personal credit for it either. I pray that I would continue to grow in stewardship of all that You have placed in me, so that Your will may be done in and through me for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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June 11, 2013

Posted on June 13, 2013 by jgarrott

Exodus 35:29 All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the LORD freewill offerings for all the work the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do.

Because Japanese doesn’t have a specific term for “freewill offerings,” this verse sounds quite redundant in that language, but that serves to drive home the point of just what a freewill offering is. The tithe was essentially a flat tax in that society, the funding on which the religious system, essentially the government, operated. However, that brings up the difference between taxes and offerings. Nobody is especially fond of taxes, (except perhaps those who collect them) but for a person of faith, it feels really good to be able to give an offering freely. As Paul pointed out in 2 Corinthians 9:7, God loves a cheerful giver! Under the New Covenant in Christ we are freed from legalism, but the tithe is still an excellent place to start in thinking about giving. However, if we stop with that, or if we conversely think of it like a tax, we lose blessings that God intends for us. One thing we need to remember is that in the situation of today’s verse, these people had no good way to replace what they were giving, because they were in the process of a 40-year trek in the wilderness. What they were giving here was stuff they had brought out of Egypt, and once it was gone, it was gone. How much of our giving is like that? The joy of giving comes from recognizing that God is our supply, both now and in the future, and He always has enough. God could have created the ark and tabernacle and all of that out of nothing, but He gave the people the privilege of participating in it as a blessing to them, to allow them ownership of what was being done and to grow their faith.

I have noticed the connection between giving and faith in my own life. It seems reasonable that we give if we believe, but the interesting thing is, giving itself increases faith, in my experience. However, we need to be very careful that we never think that we are “bribing God” about anything. The very idea is an absurdity, but it is hardly uncommon. I need to teach, by word and example, the joy of giving out of gratitude toward God for all He is and does. The awkward thing for me is that I benefit directly from what people give to this church, and that makes me afraid of what people will think when I preach on giving. That’s a trap of the devil! However, I do need the wisdom and anointing of the Holy Spirit to grow people in their faith in every area, for their blessing.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s been a while since I’ve preached on giving. Help me recognize what You are saying Your people need, and be faithful to feed them that and nothing else. May I be unstinting in giving You not just my finances but my time and energy and devotion, so that Your purposes may be accomplished on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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