November 14, 2012

Posted on November 16, 2012 by jgarrott

PS 132:9, 16 “May your priests be clothed with righteousness;
may your saints sing for joy.”
“I will clothe her priests with salvation,
and her saints will ever sing for joy.”

Here we have the record of a prayer and of God’s direct response. It is of particular interest to notice the differences between them. In the prayer, God is asked to clothe the priests with righteousness, but in His response He says He will clothe them in salvation. From the standpoint of the people, they wanted the priests to be upright, doing their job faithfully and not being twisted by the various temptations of high position. However, God said He would go them one better, and make the priests agents of salvation. Paul makes it clear that sal­vation is by grace through faith, and not by works of righteousness. (Ephesians 2:8-10) Someone who has accepted God’s salvation will indeed be increasingly righteous, but we can’t get to salvation by being righteous on our own; we just aren’t that good. Those praying the prayer in verse 9 didn’t fully understand that, but they did want to sing for joy (or sing joyfully). In God’s response, He indicates that His better solution will cause them to sing greatly for joy (or for great joy). God’s solutions are always better than anything we could come up with!

All of this takes on new meaning when we consider that God is making us to be a “royal priesthood.” (1 Peter 2:9) That turns verse 9 around and says, “If you are clothed with salvation, you are a priest.” This is of course one of the central doctrines of the Protestant Reformation, the Priesthood of the Believer. As a pastor, I am in the position of a priest (and am often addressed as such by Japanese in Nagasaki who are more familiar with Catholics than Protestants), but I am a believer first, one of “the saints.” That means that as God clothes me in salvation, I will walk in righteousness and sing for great joy! I have tasted that, and my heart’s desire is that more and more of those around me would experience it as well. So few Christians grasp the reality that God desires to use them as His agents, His priests, and even those that do keep trying to do it in their own strength. I know, because I’m guilty! I need to both remember and teach that God wants to use us in His holiness and power, so our weaknesses aren’t an issue, but neither can we take any personal pride when He does so. We have to accept God’s “robes of righteous­ness,” (Isaiah 61:10) but we can’t just take them on our own.

Father, this is a deep subject, and I thank You for the insight You have given me on it. Help me grasp it, and walk in it, more and more, leading the believers to do likewise, so that we may indeed be “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9) Thank You. Hallelujah!

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November 13, 2012

Posted on November 16, 2012 by jgarrott

Psalm 125:1-2 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds his people
both now and forevermore.

Just as it says in Psalm 135:18 in reference to idols, those who serve God become like Him. That’s not at all to say that we become gods, but rather that we take on His characteristics in various ways. That even includes living eternally! The New Testament is filled with phrases like “Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19) and “con­formed to the likeness of his Son.” (Romans 8:29) Just as a husband and wife who live together well for many years come to resemble each other, the longer we walk in fellowship with God, the more we come to be like Him, and specifically His Son who became a human being. Of course, that process isn’t perfected until we are before His throne in heaven, but it’s certainly something to look forward to! Any time we recognize things in ourselves that are contrary to God’s character we need to repent, and let Him make adjustments. And that includes getting anxious about things! Because God is totally trust­worthy, if we really trust Him we will be unshakable, as verse 1 says. We will rest secure in the assurance that God has us covered; we are in His care, in His hands.

This is something that has worked into me more and more over the years, but I can’t say I’ve got it down pat. That should give me understanding and patience toward those who are struggling in this area. I run into a lot of them! It’s easy to recognize this problem in others, while at the same time rationalizing the same problem in myself. There is absolutely no reason for me not to trust God, as many times as He has shown Himself faithful in my life, but I still trip up at times. He told me personally, about two years ago now, that I’m to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him. I need to follow through with that more and more, so that those around me may know that it’s possible, and be encouraged to trust God more themselves.

Father, thank You for this reminder. You’ve really worked me over on this issue recently, particularly in relation to the political situation in the US. Help me recognize what You have for me to do, without being anxious about anything. Help me allow You to work through me, without being lazy or irresponsible myself. From my perspective there seem to be numbers of contradictions, but from Your perspective there aren’t, so help me release it all into Your hands with great peace and joy, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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November 12, 2012

Posted on November 12, 2012 by jgarrott

Psalm 119:165 Great peace have they who love your law,
and nothing can make them stumble.

In the final analysis, loving God’s Word to be obedient to it is simply the smart thing to do. The rewards for such a lifestyle are obtainable no other way, and they are highly desirable. It would be impossible to count how many people are searching for, or at least greatly desirous of, inner peace. Many of the latter group have given up searching, because they don’t think they’ll ever find it. However, it’s not far from anyone, and it comes by faith. There are few places in the world today where the Bible is unavailable (except by govern­ment decree). God who caused the Bible to be written is the source of all true peace, order, satisfaction, and everything else that’s good, and He is never more than a prayer away. However, access to Him is by faith and obedience, and there are many who balk at one or the other of those. Actually, many who say they are balking at faith are actually balking at obedience, because they realize that one will lead to the other. It is clear from the whole of Psalm 119 that the Psalmist does not separate love for God’s Word from obedience to it, and that’s why so many people decline the “abundant peace” that this verse talks about. As an added benefit, those who love God’s Word enough to be obedient to it have clear guidance, and so don’t run into things that make them stumble. This sort of guidance isn’t on the level of finding a street address, but rather in the matter of life choices, and it is truly priceless.

One of our church members several years ago, a recovering alcohol-ic, made a remark in a Bible study we were doing that moved me to tears. He said, “You’re addicted to the Bible. I know, because I’ve experienced addiction.” He wasn’t being critical! My tears were tears of gratitude, because that is very much how I want to be. Among various others in the Bible, I would certainly consider the writer of Psalm 119 to be a role model. I desire to impart love for God and His Word to all, and it pains me that so few really seem to get it. Even some whose salvation I don’t doubt can’t seem to “get into the groove” of taking in the Word, feeding on it, digesting it, and apply­ing it. I’ve got to accept that I can’t force that on anyone, but I am to make it clear that it’s available, and that the rewards are more than abundant.

Father, thank You for Your great love that caused You to make Your Word available to us. You even made Your Word flesh, to be born on earth as a human baby and die for our sins, to make eternal life available to us. (John 1:14; 3:16) Help me be an effective commun-icator of Your Word, both the written and the Lord we meet on those pages, so that many may receive and believe, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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November 11, 2012

Posted on November 12, 2012 by jgarrott

Psalm 119:147 I rise before dawn and cry for help;
I have put my hope in your word.

Our priorities and values are demonstrated in our actions. When we run into difficulties, what do we do first? When we can do anything we would like, what do we do? As someone has said, character is what we are like when no one is watching. The writer of Psalm 119 was obviously someone with an intense devotion to God and His Word. It is clear that he had enemies, and that life was not always easy for him. However, obedience to God was his first priority. Here, his desire for God has gotten him out of bed before dawn, so he waits expectantly for what God would say to him. There’s nothing particu­larly admirable about losing sleep over problems, but valuing fellow­ship with God over sleep is hardly a bad way to be.

I didn’t expect to read such an intensely personal verse this morning, but this has turned out to be exactly that. Getting up early to have time with God is a long-standing practice of mine, to the point that a couple of years ago I wrote a song about it that starts out, “5 O’clock in the Morning.” This morning I woke up at 4:30, after two rather intense dreams. One was that I had gone to a church conference elsewhere in Japan. The attendees were milling around talking in the lobby area of the hotel where it was being held, when an announce-ment was made about the evening meal that would start the confer-ence. We were told to get our meal pass out of the material we had been sent before the conference, but when I went to look for mine, I discovered I not only didn’t have my envelope of material, I didn’t even have a change of underwear in my bag! Distraught, I went off to a corner and called my wife on my cell phone, ready to get back on a train and head home, but she encouraged me to stay regardless, because I would miss whatever God had in mind for me at the conference. That dream then morphed into my going to the Tohoku (Northeast) area of Japan and street preaching, along the lines of, “This guy from Kyushu has come to give you a message of hope and love.” I am quite literally a “guy from Kyushu,” since I was born and raised in Fukuoka, but since I am Caucasian, that’s a pretty attention-getting statement for me to make. There was the clear feeling that if I got a good, strong, response of people coming to the Lord, that was a sign from God that I was to relocate to Tohoku. I have invested the past 31 years in this Kyushu town of Omura, and we have deep roots now. This is not a casual matter! I am not to dismiss it, but neither am I to rush off half-cocked. Leaving where I am known and loved is not a small thing, but obedience to God must be my first priority. I am to seek God indeed, crying out to Him as the Psalmist did, waiting expectantly for Him to make His will clear to me, so that I my be obedient.

Father, this was totally unexpected, but I submit it to You. I don’t know if it is directive, or simply testing my heart. Thank You that by Your grace I will come through Your tests, whether that means staying, going, or anything in between. Help me, like the Psalmist, put obedience to You, fellowship with You, ahead of everything else, so that all of Your purposes for me may be accomplished on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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November 10, 2012

Posted on November 10, 2012 by jgarrott

Psalm 119:105-106 Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.
I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
that I will follow your righteous laws.

Verse 105 is widely quoted and sung, but verse 106 seldom is, which is unfortunate, because it explains why verse 105 can be true. We often say we want God to guide us, and we sing verse 105 to any of a number of musical arrangements, but until we commit ourselves to do what God says, the Bible is not “a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path,” it’s just a good luck charm. The vast majority of people largely ignore the Bible. A smaller number revere it, and keep it on their shelf, coffee table, or desk. However, for it to be the guide that we claim it is, it has to be our constant companion, not necessari­ly physically, but in our hearts. Just ahead of today’s passage there’s a very interesting sequence of three verses, 98-100. The writer is claiming more wisdom than his enemies, more insight than his teachers, and more understanding than his elders, and I’d say he was probably right. That’s because the Bible was constantly with him, he meditated on it, and he obeyed it. For the Word of God to be all to us that it can be, and that we claim it is, we must make it an integral part of our daily lives, not just reading it and going on, but thinking about it and most especially, putting it into practice. When we do that, our way is indeed bright through the light of the Word.

The Bible has been integral to my life since infancy, because of the incredible blessing of having parents who were committed to God and His Word, but that doesn’t mean I’ve always followed through with the second and third of the steps outlined above. As a result, I have at times acted very foolishly, and I have suffered the conse­quences. I have learned the hard way that until we follow through with putting God’s Word into practice, it’s not much more than an accessory to our lives. As a pastor, I seek to impart a love for God and His Word in others, but I must extend to them the grace and patience that have been shown to me. It has been very strange to me to have some people get started in the SOAP (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer) devotional system I use, talk about how wonder­ful it is, and then not continue in it. Perhaps part of the problem, on top of the time pressures of modern life, is being uncomfortable with the pressure to apply what they read. We tend to like verses that com­fort or encourage us, putting them up on our walls as decorations, but we are less enamored of verses that call us to faithful obedience! I am to be faithful in my own obedience, which means speaking the truth in love at all times, so that people will have every opportunity to make and follow through with the commitment that will bring them all the riches of God’s Word.

Father, I remember one couple that complained I wasn’t “preaching the Gospel” enough. They also said I talked a lot about commitment, but they didn’t see that so much in the Bible. I wonder what Bible they were reading?! Help me be faithful in communicating Your whole Word, calling people to the relationship with You and Your Word that You desire and intend, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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November 9, 2012

Posted on November 10, 2012 by jgarrott

Psalm 119:75-76 I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous,
and in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
May your unfailing love be my comfort,
according to your promise to your servant.

Everyone has problems of one sort or another; it’s part of being a human being. I am often reminded of Jesus’ statement in John 16:33, that “In this world you will have trouble.” The question is simply how we will respond to our problems. The Psalmist is an excellent example for us, with his unwavering faith. His view of life is on the firm foundation of knowing that God’s rules are right and good, and that everything God does is an expression of His loving, faithful character, whether we enjoy it at the moment or not. The Psalmist has gotten God’s promises into his mind and heart, so his prayer is simply that those promises will be fulfilled. That’s a very secure place to be! When things happen to us, good or bad, it’s wise to ask what God’s purpose is in allowing those things, but that inquiry should be based on the fundamental conviction that God is good and God is right in all He does. Most of the time when we ask “Why?” we are really accusing God of being unfair, and that will get us nowhere. God is never unfair, but our minds can’t grasp all the things God takes into account, so we have to accept His fairness by faith. God famously gave Jeremiah the illustration of a potter, who is not being “unfair” with what he does with the clay, (Jeremiah 18:1-6) and Isaiah used the same image. (Isaiah 29:16; 45:9) It’s no surprise Paul picked up the thread as well. (Romans 9:21) Accusing God will certainly not improve our circumstances, and it will cloud our minds and sour our hearts. Trusting Him will bring comfort, peace, and yes, joy, whatever we may be going through.

I’ve actually been through a good bit, some of which was very unpleasant at the time, but in retrospect, it indeed looks like “light and momentary suffering.” (2 Corinthians 4:17) I still don’t know the reasons for some of the things I’ve experienced, but many of them have fallen into place in the pattern I now see the Lord has been building in me. I certainly don’t see the whole pattern yet, but I should not let that trouble me. As a pastor, I deal with people all the time who are going through things they don’t enjoy, and few of them have the foundation they need for the peace they so desire. I must not put them down for their weakness, but rather remember God’s gentleness with me and remind them of His faithfulness.

Father, thank You for Your patience with me, and for the great privilege of being Your agent to others. Thank You for the comfort and encouragement I was able to impart yesterday. I do pray that each of us in this church would understand the goals You have for us, personally and as a body, for the short and the long term. I pray that I would be more and more the instrument You want me to be, doing Your will in Your way on Your schedule, so that the works of the devil may be torn down in many hearts and lives, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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November 8, 2012

Posted on November 10, 2012 by jgarrott

Psalm 119:67, 71 Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I obey your word.
It was good for me to be afflicted
so that I might learn your decrees.

Right here we have another answer to the perennial question of why bad things happen to good people. In the first place, no one is fully good. (Romans 3:10) There are degrees of evil, but no one is without their blind spots, their places of ignoring or actively disobeying God. With that out of the way, we have this passage. It is a blessed thing when we realize that what we have gone through has drawn us closer to God! I like the Japanese expression in these verses as opposed to the English. Where the English says, “be afflicted,” the Japanese says, “encounter suffering.” That makes verse 71 come out as, “It was happiness for me to encounter suffering.” That brings to mind Paul’s famous statement in 2 Corinthians 12:10 that “ I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.” Paul was not a masochist, he just knew that temporal problems can bring the eternal reward of closeness to God. That’s not at all to say that all suffering has this result; it’s a matter of our response to it. If we just get angry at God, then it drives us further from Him. How­ever, all suffering has the potential of opening our eyes to our need of God, and that’s why He allows it. God is not a sadist! As a card on our refrigerator says, “Everything God does is love, even when we don’t recognize it.”

This is very timely, considering how stirred up and depressed I was at the results of the US election. This probably will usher in a time of great turmoil and suffering for the US, and I do grieve for that, but I need to be praying for people’s response to the suffering. I do not know how this will all play out, but many have been saying for a long time that the American Church was in need of persecution to cleanse it of the absurd junk that has accumulated over the years. This could well be that time! I am to keep walking in personal obedience and devotion, allowing God to use me in prayer, speech, and activities, and trusting Him with everything. Even as I was so upset yesterday I recognized that I was having a failure of trust. Early this morning, before I got out of bed, the chorus, “This is the Day that the Lord has Made” was running through my head, and the Lord was reminding me that He makes each day, and that we are by faith to rejoice and be glad in each day, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this clear, strong reminder. I do pray Your grace and mercy for America, and I thank You that what has happened is an example of that, whatever it looks like. I pray that Your children would continue to wake up more and more, so that as the dark gets darker, the light would indeed get brighter, bringing many from playing with Christianity to a genuine relationship with You. I ask You to strengthen the genuine Christians against the persecution that will doubtless come, so that they will be able to say with Paul, and the Psalmist, “It was happiness for me to encounter suffering.” Thank You. Praise God!

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November 7, 2012

Posted on November 8, 2012 by jgarrott

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

Many people, and sadly, even many Christians, think that following God is all about restrictions: don’t do, don’t taste, don’t touch. The Bible indeed has quite a few restrictions of various sorts, but they really amount to things like “Don’t touch hot metal,” “Don’t drink poison,” “Don’t stir up a nest of rattlesnakes.” In other words, the Bible’s prohibitions are to protect us, not restrict us. I’m reminded of raising children. You put an infant in a crib or a playpen, with slats or net sides, not because they are prisoners but to protect them from danger. As they gain maturity and experience many restrictions are lifted, but that still doesn’t mean it’s OK for them to do things that are harmful to themselves or others. This verse proclaims that someone who is genuinely seeking to do God’s will has a broader field of activity than someone who is not. Paul put it this way: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is free-dom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17) That’s not at all to say that it’s OK for Christians to do drugs, for example. That is directly damaging, and is irresponsible stewardship of our body. It also doesn’t mean we’re to flaunt our freedom in front of people who aren’t ready for it, like big kids enticing little kids to do things they aren’t ready for. Paul applied that to the matter of eating meat from animals that had been sacrificed to idols, and said that if eating meat would cause a less mature brother to stumble, then he would live as a vegetarian. (Romans 14:20-21) Following God is a life of freedom, privilege, and authority, but we must not forget that with those things comes responsibility.

I was raised by parents who did their best to encourage rather than restrict, within Biblical guidelines, and I ended up with a very wide skill set, having tried my hand at all sorts of things. I think that is very much in line with this passage. God wants us to try all sorts of things, and to use us in ways that perhaps we haven’t imagined. We need to seek Him first, and thus allow Him to open our eyes to where He wants us to go and what He wants us to do. My skill set is some-times intimidating to others, and I must be careful about that. Rather, I am to encourage them to believe that God can, and probably wants to, use them in ways that they can’t imagine.

Father, I’ve got examples of that all around me. Thank You for the one who just got a job that hadn’t occurred to him before, but which fits in beautifully with Your calling on his life, which he had already recognized. There are others who feel like they are at dead ends. Help them lift their eyes to You so that they may see that what they perceive as barriers are perhaps no more than speed bumps or curbing, and so move on boldly into what You have prepared for them. Help me be ready for whatever new things You have for me, seeking You first and accepting whatever comes with the package, so that Your will may be done in Your way on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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November 6, 2012

Posted on November 8, 2012 by jgarrott

PS 119:9, 11 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.

First analysis of Psalm 119 might make you think it was created just as a pious intellectual exercise, because each verse begins with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet, for each 8-verse stanza. However, there is an enormous amount of wisdom in it, as well as an almost overwhelming devotion to the Word of God. The writer was very aware of human frailty, perhaps painfully so, and these two verses show both that awareness and the solution. Raging hormones have been an issue for young people probably since we were cast out of Eden. (The writer’s choice of “pure” here is evidence that’s what he’s talking about.) The solution presented, as it is throughout this Psalm, is living according to the Word of God. However, that leaves us with the practical question of how to go about it, and that’s where verse 11 comes in. This verse is justly famous, and is indeed one of the first verses I memorized as a child. So, how do you “hide” God’s Word in your heart? Memorization is certainly one tool, but far more than just learning the words, we need to think over them and consider how to apply them in our daily lives. I preached not long ago on Deuteronomy 6:4-9, which is Moses’ instructions to the Israelites on how to hide the Word in their hearts. That passage could be boiled down to, “Love God enough that what He says to you consumes your thinking and your actions.” Being afraid of the consequences of disobedience isn’t a bad thing, but it’s not enough; our root motive needs to be love for God, responding to His love for us.

I was raised with an intellectual/academic knowledge of the Bible essentially from infancy, but there’s a big difference between that and living it out on a moment-by-moment basis. I can certainly make no claim to sinless perfection! Getting the Word from my head to my heart has been a lifelong journey, and there were stretches of time when I wasn’t even particularly interested in making progress on that journey. That memory should give me understanding and patience toward those in my care in similar circumstances. However, I should not be satisfied with leaving them there, but encourage and challenge them to keep moving on this pilgrimage. I encounter such people every day, so I need to be available for the Lord to use me at any moment. If I try to drag them along myself, it will create a negative reaction. If the Holy Spirit speaks through me, then God’s purposes will be accomplished.

Father, thank You for this reminder. You know how I have struggled with this issue over the years. Help me bless others so that they may have less of a struggle, but rather rejoice in the abundance of Your grace and mercy, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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November 5, 2012

Posted on November 8, 2012 by jgarrott

Psalm 118:22-23 The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone;
the LORD has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is among the Scriptures that Jesus quoted directly about Him-self, (Matthew 21:42) and as such it is very significant. The meaning seems pretty clear, and that is that God values people and things differently than we do, and that it’s God’s valuation that counts. We could easily replace “builders” here with scientists, lawyers, politicians, or any other sort of “expert.” Perhaps I should particularly include “theologians!” We can see that “experts” of past ages were pretty ignorant guys, but we don’t want to admit that we are all still pretty ignorant. It’s not wrong to have assurance in what you know, but it is a grand mistake to think you know it all. After all, the “experts” of Jesus’ day were for the most part the ones who rejected Him most thoroughly, which is why He quoted this passage to them. The past couple of days the readings have been about the fear of the Lord, and this is closely related. A proper fear of God will generate a profound humility before Him, and will open our minds and hearts to receive His truth regardless of what the “experts” say.

Hubris has always been a problem for me. Blessed with a high IQ, I have allowed it to make me stupid! Humility is always wiser than arrogance. I am not to reject what I have learned over the years, both academically and by experience, but I must always be ready for the Lord to show me something new or something different. I also must be open to Him using anyone or anything to teach me. Rejecting truth because we despise the messenger is never wise, but it is all too common. My focus is to be on God, on Christ, to the point that I am able to hear what He tells me above all the distracting voices that surround me.

Father, yet again You have me asking for something that is beyond my natural ability. Thank You, because that means You will do it in and through me. I remember when years ago You told me not to be surprised at what surprised others, but to expect great things of You. Help me be true to that Word, so that my unbelief may not get in the way of anything You want to do in or through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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