October 5, 2012

Posted on October 9, 2012 by jgarrott

Psalm 18:35 You give me your shield of victory,
and your right hand sustains me;
you stoop down to make me great.

This whole Psalm is a slightly polished version of 2 Samuel 22, which was in our readings not long ago, but it has so much good content that it bears frequent repeating. The biggest lesson from it is that God is responsible for our success. David was by every standard a remarkable success, rising from shepherd boy to being a powerful and respected king, but he knew where the credit lay, and that was a distinct factor in his being “a man after God’s own heart.” (Acts 13:22) This particular verse has a striking difference in the Japanese from most English translations. Where the English says, “shield of victory,” the Japanese says, “shield of salvation.” Most of us don’t live our lives in a strongly win/lose context, and the Japanese are currently very anti-militaristic, so from that context the difference makes a lot of sense. However, I have liked this verse since long before I started doing my daily reading in Japanese as well as English, and that’s because of the last line. The NIV phrase of “You stoop down to make me great” presents a graphic and beautiful image to me. (The Japanese says, “Your humility makes me big,” which shows the benefit of reading in both languages!) The idea that the Creator of the universe would express humility on behalf of His creation is mind boggling, to say the least, but an examination of human history in the light of the Bible shows that it is true. That should certainly inspire humility and gratitude on our part!

I too am prone to think that I have accomplished things, forgetting that it is God who has enabled me to do it. Yesterday’s work on our replacement bulletin board was a good lesson in that area. The young man helping me was impressed that I had designed it in my own head, but I was focused on what a poor job I had done in painting it! Thankfully, he was able to touch up many of my painting mistakes, but I am very aware that I don’t deserve much credit for it, any more than I did for the first one that rotted in the weather. I need to be faithful to apply all the gifts and abilities entrusted to me, but remember at all times that God deserves all the credit.

Father, thank You for what we were able to do yesterday, and thank You for all that You have planned for today. The schedule looks pretty full, but You supply time as well as ability, and I trust You. Help us get the bulletin board completed and mounted, and anoint my teaching, visitation, and every other activity, so that Your purposes may be accomplished on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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October 4, 2012

Posted on October 4, 2012 by jgarrott

Psalm 15:1, 2 LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy hill?
He whose walk is blameless
and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart.

David asks a valid question in verse one, and then seeks to answer it in the rest of the Psalm. For once I think the NIV is probably grammatically correct in rendering everything from verse 2 through the first half of verse 5 as one sentence, though the Japanese doesn’t do so. David is not talking about sinless perfection here, but is rather listing some very specific characteristics of a person pleasing to God. He was writing many years before his son Solomon built the first temple, so what the NIV renders as “sanctuary” is actually “tent.” In any case, David is talking about fellowship with God. It is very interesting to me that the first specific characteristic David mentions is honesty. The NIV says “speaks the truth from his heart,” and the Japanese says “speaks the truth that is in his heart.” I think that goes beyond simply not lying, but extends to the sort of thing David expanded on in Psalm 40:9-10, where he speaks of proclaiming the things of God “in the great assembly.” A person pleasing to God is going to be talking about Him to others, giving Him thanks and praise openly. Not telling lies is of course foundational, but speaking truth doesn’t stop there. A third aspect is mentioned in verse 4, and that is being true to what you have said, even when it is worse than inconvenient. A person’s character is really tested in that case!

Once again I grew up with a magnificent example. One of my father’s foundational principles was absolute honesty. It was one of five “absolutes” that were taught at a conference he attended as a young, single missionary, where, I believe, he was baptized in the Holy Spirit. To my knowledge he never spoke in tongues, but that conference brought him to deep repentance before God and absolutely shaped his life from that point onward. I certainly saw the principle of absolute honesty demonstrated in his life. It was something he talked with me about in the brief 2½ months Cathy, the girls and I lived with my parents in Fukuoka before they left for the furlough in the US during which he had the heart surgery from which he didn’t wake up. I had intended to be honest before I had that conversation with him, but that established it as a principle in my own heart and mind. Of course, as a missionary pastor and educator, my father also did a lot of talking about God, both “in the great assembly” and in private. That too is something I have sought to emulate, though it was several months after my father’s death that I accepted the idea of going to seminary. I do not claim that I have always acted as I have described here, but by the grace of God, this is my choice of how to live.

Father, thank You yet again for being so gracious to me. I am reminded of one of my father’s, and his father’s before him, favorite verses, in the very next Psalm. “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” (Psalm 16:6) Help me share the overwhelming bounty You have poured out on me, more and more effectively drawing others into fellowship with You so that they may receive it too, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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October 3, 2012

Posted on October 4, 2012 by jgarrott

Psalm 14:5 God is present in the company of the righteous.

It is an indication of the fact that David was a man after God’s own heart that he said so many things that are similar to things Jesus said. This verse of course echoes Jesus’ famous statement in Matthew 18:20 that “Where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” It is simple fact that when people who love God get together, He shows up. That alone should be enough to make Christians want to gather! Actually, it does. Any time people who say they are Christians don’t want to get together with other Christians, it indicates problems. The list of possible problems is quite long, starting with the possibility of “false conversion,” with no genuine acknowledgment of sin and subsequent repentance. Sadly, there are churches where God probably does not show up, because everyone is there from false motives. Any time we feel a reluctance to gather with other Christians we need to take it as a diagnostic danger signal and look for the cause, starting in ourselves. One of the first possibilities is that we have allowed our love for God to grow cold, by placing something ahead of Him in our hearts. That actually violates the first of the 10 Commandments! That can happen gradually, so that we don’t notice it at first, but not wanting to gather with other Christians should be a “yellow card” to wake us up to what is happening. I could go on and on about the blessings that are poured out on the “gathering of the saints,” but it all starts with a commitment to love God and place Him first in our hearts and lives.

I can’t say that I’ve always wanted to go to church. When Cathy and I were first married we were in a real sense running from the Church, but we learned that you can’t out-run God. As a pastor, I have learned that too many scheduled meetings can burn the life out of a church. When gathering becomes an obligation rather than a privilege, that’s not good. I have had to learn that my calling people together is not the same as their gathering in Jesus’ name, as He said. However, I’m not to slight the importance of our gatherings. A major technique of the devil in modern times is making us too busy for God, and it takes real will power to stand against that. I’ve got to get the help of the Holy Spirit to stand firm in my own life, and I’ve got to encourage and strengthen the believers in doing the same. This is a difficult subject in this day and age, but we can do it by the power of Him who gives us strength. (Philippians 4:13)

Father, thank You for this reminder. I expect to see someone this morning who has fallen for the devil’s lies and hasn’t been to church in quite a while. I ask for Your grace, Your love, and the power of Your Holy Spirit as I talk with him, that he may be led out of the dark hole into which he has fallen, to walk in Your light and life. I pray for the other people I will be visiting today as well. May they all receive Your truth and so be set free from the lies that have bound them, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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October 2, 2012

Posted on October 4, 2012 by jgarrott

Psalm 11:3, 4 When the foundations are being destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”
The LORD is in his holy temple;
the LORD is on his heavenly throne.

This Psalm really brings to mind the situation in the US right now. Verse 3 is the last of a quote from someone who is either in a panic themselves or is trying to make a righteous person panic. The NIV says “the foundations” and the Japanese says “the safe places,” but the thought is the same, and that is, the breakdown of society. The US is certainly in the middle of that! It would take all day to list the various evidences that there is a lot wrong with US society today, not to mention the world as a whole. However, a righteous person today should respond as David did: God is still in heaven, and He’s still accessible to those who seek Him. It is interesting to see different people’s responses to what is going on. Some, who either don’t know God at all or are in rebellion against Him, rejoice to see changes they think they want. Others are simply oblivious (and there is overlap in these categories). Some are distressed by what they see going on, to the point of absolute panic, and then there are those who, though not pleased by what they see, still keep their eyes on God and trust Him to carry them safe through the storm.

Like most people, I have been in more than one of these positions over time. It is very easy to get stressed out over all that is going on, especially when the media seem to do all they can to show that those who ignore God are winning. Been there done that! Pulling in like a turtle and trying to ignore it all doesn’t work very well either. I am faced with the active choice to trust God, understanding what He wants me to do personally, in prayer or other action, and leaving the reigns in His hands. That’s not always easy, but it certainly makes faith grow! There are two major kinds of terrorists: those who do direct physical damage, and those who simply go after minds and hearts. However, in either case their goal is to control through fear; that’s why they’re called terrorists. If I succumb to fear, I have let them win. I’ve got to remember that the devil is a liar. Even when he uses objective facts, he is trying to hide the reality that in the end, he is going to lose and God, along with those who are committed to Him, is going to triumph.

Father, thank You for this further reminder this morning. Help me keep my eyes on Christ, whatever my flesh or my intellect might be telling me. Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You even in the middle of all the turmoil, so that the devil will be able to steal nothing from me by terrorism, but You alone will be glorified. Thank You. Praise God!

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October 1, 2012

Posted on October 4, 2012 by jgarrott

Psalm 9:10 Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Languages are interesting in their nuances. Where the English says “trust,” the Japanese expression is more like “depend on.” Such things make me glad there will be absolutely no language barriers in heaven! Likewise, we don’t attach so much meaning to knowing someone’s name. In David’s day, names were seen as being an essential part of someone’s being, and knowing their name gave you a handle on them, so to speak. In English today, and particularly in the US, the names of the Father and the Son are used perhaps more in swearing and cursing than with respect and love. That’s quite a contrast to the third of the 10 Commandments! (Exodus 20:7) A more culturally sensitive paraphrase of this verse might say, “Those who know who You are and what You are like, trust/depend on You.” Actually, when we fail to trust God fully we are demonstrating that we don’t know Him fully, but then, as Paul pointed out, we won’t know Him fully until we are face to face with Him in heaven. (1 Corinthians 13:12) Meanwhile, our lives on earth are to be spent in getting to know Him better, because the better we know Him, the better we will love Him and the better we will serve Him.

My life has certainly been a pilgrimage in getting to know/love/serve God more. I have no recollection of ever not knowing of God. A couple of years ago I came across a carbon copy of our family Christmas newsletter from when I was five years old, and found myself quoted: “Mommy, I really, really love you, but I don’t love you nearly as much as I love Jesus.” I can only wish that attitude had been maintained more consistently throughout my life! My commission and life work is in teaching others about Him, and that is a high privilege indeed. I cannot grab people’s heads, turn them toward Jesus, and pry their eyes open (as much as I might like to do that sometimes!) but I can share His Word and my experience with them, and let the Holy Spirit use those to open the eyes of their hearts. For that to happen, I need to do all I can to keep my life and character from being a distraction from Christ. That is, my life must be consistent with the message I preach. That’s a constant challenge! To meet it, I need to be pressing in constantly to know my Lord more and more, and thus love and serve Him better.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that You indeed never turn away those who seek You. I pray that You would use me more and more to spark people to seek You, so that in seeking they may find You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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September 30, 2012

Posted on September 30, 2012 by jgarrott

Psalm 7:17 I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness
and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

The more we know of God, the better we know Him, the deeper and higher our praises will be. And interestingly, the more we praise Him, the deeper our revelation of Him becomes. That fact in itself reinforces for me the validity of Psalm 22:3. The NIV relegates “You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel” to a footnote, but the Japanese clearly says, “You make Israel’s praise your dwelling place” for that verse. The more we know of God, the better we know Him, the less we are dragged down by our circumstances. For this verse, the Japanese renders it as, “I will praise God in a way appropriate to His righteousness/justice.” I think it would be very good if everyone examined their religious activities to see if they were appropriate to the God they say they worship. David famously said, after dancing before the Lord in just a loin cloth, even though he was king, “I will become even more undignified than this.” (2 Samuel 6:22) For David, his God was worth everything he had, material and immaterial. His experience of God was far from academic and theoretical, it was “down dirty” and personal. Christians claim they worship a God who is holy, yet they think nothing of watching TV shows that celebrate immorality. They claim they worship the Creator who provides all that they have, and yet they shrink back from returning even a tenth of their finances to Him. They claim they worship God who is love, yet they look down on and belittle their neighbors for the flimsiest of excuses. As James, John, Paul, and yes, Jesus all proclaimed, our actions must confirm our words, or our words are meaningless. God is totally true, and those who worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)

This is an issue for every believer, and everyone who is honest will concede that we can never do a perfect job in worshiping God appropriately. That’s a major reason I look forward to heaven: there will be nothing to interfere with perfect praise and worship. I have had moments of deep fellowship with God in very formal worship settings, and I have had them in times of very loud, energetic worship that many formal churches frown on. I have had them in large gatherings of believers, and I have had them when I was the only person visible. The appropriateness of our worship doesn’t depend on style, it depends on our hearts. In the same service, one person might be having deep communion with God and the person beside them be bored to tears. As a pastor, a major danger for me is being more concerned with the mechanics of a service than with the God whom I say I am worshiping. As a human being, when I feel miserable physically, as I do right now from a head cold, it can be difficult to raise my heart in praise and worship. However, knowing that God knows my heart, I can rest in the assurance that He will enable me to worship Him appropriately, if that is my choice.

Father, thank You for Your grace. Thank You for this Word at a time when I do feel so bad physically. I ask You to carry me through not just the service but everything to follow, so that I won’t be a drag on anyone else’ worship, but will lead the way for all to come before You as You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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September 29, 2012

Posted on September 30, 2012 by jgarrott

Psalm 5:3, 8 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.
Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness
because of my enemies–
make straight your way before me.

Here we have the secret of David’s success. Simply put, he started each day with God. When he slipped up, which he indeed did very badly, I’m sure he had gotten away from the pattern expressed here. I like the turn of phrase in the NIV here, for once, but in verse 3 it differs from the Japanese somewhat, making me think it is a paraphrase at that point. The Japanese says, “In the morning I make preparation for you. I am on the lookout.” That would seem to indicate that David made a morning sacrifice, but in any case, his attention is on God. David had plenty of motivation for this, because he literally had plenty of people who wanted to see him dead. What we don’t realize is that we have no fewer enemies than David did, because the devil hates us and sends his evil spirits to torment us in any way he can get away with. We fall prey to such attacks when we get off of the path that God has prepared for us, which is why it’s so appropriate that David says, “Make straight your way before me.” We are so prone to say, “Make my way straight,” not realizing that is the wrong attitude to start with. If we start each day with focusing on God, being on the lookout for whatever He wants to say to us, however He wants to say it, with the desire and commitment to follow Him, then we see His plans unfold in our lives, in ways far better than we could have dreamed.

I was blessed to be raised by parents who believed strongly in daily personal morning devotions. I was aware that they did it, but I wasn’t included. Family devotions are very good, but they don’t take the place of personal devotions. However, I didn’t get into a regular habit of personal morning devotions until after I got out of the army – and my life to that point showed it! I knew that it was a good idea, and I remember trying to get started one time while I was in college, but that lasted only a few days. It wasn’t until God confronted me with my own sinfulness that I really got going. In other words, I didn’t seek God’s help until I really understood how much I needed it. God doesn’t want us to go from crisis to crisis, but if that’s what it takes to really turn our hearts to Him, He’ll allow it. This is a message I’ve tried to get through to people as their pastor, and it has saddened me how little it has penetrated. There are several in crisis situations right now. This might be the right time to present this truth in love yet again.

Father, there’s so much blessed truth in Your Word, and I want to communicate it all to Your people! Help me know when and how to say what, so that Your Word may penetrate as You intend, cutting off shackles and cutting out tumors, setting people free to be and do all that You intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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September 28, 2012

Posted on September 30, 2012 by jgarrott

PS 4:4, 8 In your anger do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
I will lie down and sleep in peace,
for you alone, O LORD,
make me dwell in safety.

Here we have the Biblical prescription for insomnia. There are some interesting differences in verse 4 between the NIV and the Japanese, but I don’t have the Hebrew resources at hand at the moment to know which is closer to the original. I rather like the NIV saying, “In your anger do not sin.” Ephesians 4:26 seems to quote this, and I would guess that this is how the Septuagint renders it, but the Japanese says, “Be fearfully submissive. Do not sin.” In either case, it carries the idea that we aren’t to let our emotions get the best of us. In the second half of the verse, the NIV says “search your hearts,” but the Japanese says “speak to your hearts.” Again, either way, the element of personal responsibility, of self control, is there. The key to that is in verse 8, and that is trust in the Lord. I would venture to say that virtually all insomnia (with the exception of jet lag, such things as caffeine, or physical problems) comes from an inability to release things to God in trust. I like the way the Japanese says, “I will lie down in peace and go to sleep quickly.” Most insomnia comes from being unable to “turn off our brains.” We worry things over in our minds, rehearsing them and considering possible outcomes, and that can drive sleep far from us. Whether good or bad, the future is in God’s hands. Getting that simple fact through our brains will free us to receive the rest, refreshing, and other blessings that God intends for us.

From what I’ve just written, it might seem that I have this whole insomnia thing down pat, but that’s not the case. However, I have learned from experience that what I have written is true. I certainly have an overactive brain at times, and that has indeed robbed me of sleep. However, I have found that when I lie quietly, asleep or not, and actively choose to trust God with each item, good or bad, thanking Him for His grace and His perfect solution to every situation, that “quiet” becomes “asleep” pretty quickly. Faith is immensely practical. When properly applied, it opens the door to countless blessings.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for enabling me to sleep last night in spite of both jet lag and a sore throat/cough. Thank You for waking me at a good time this morning to get going with the day, even though my time asleep wasn’t as long as I might have chosen. Help me rest, relax, and rejoice in You today, allowing Your strength to replace my weakness, both physical and every other kind, so that I may be fully useful to You in accomplishing Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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September 27, 2012

Posted on September 30, 2012 by jgarrott

Psalm 1:6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

This Psalm is justly famous as a description of righteousness. It starts with negatives, what a righteous person does not do, and it is interesting that those things are largely attitudinal. Attitudes lead to actions! From there it goes to positives, and it is striking how short the list is: essentially one thing. That one thing is again a matter of attitude, but it is attitude toward the Bible, God’s Word. You will never find an evil person who genuinely delights in the Word of God! This attitude toward the Bible isn’t an occasional thing, but constant, day and night. You won’t be genuinely righteous if you only open the Bible on Sundays! This is a matter of lifestyle, and the Psalm goes on to list the results of such a lifestyle. The image is of a tree, which is not a transient thing. A righteous person will put down roots into the Word of God, absorbing the spiritual nutrition that is there and bearing fruit that is in keeping with that nutrition. Such a person is not shaken by external conditions, because their supply is internal, in the Word of God. In contrast, the wicked are described as completely transient, with no roots, or even source, at all. In a world that is constantly changing, this contrast is striking indeed. Someone with roots planted in the unchanging Word of God is far better able to handle the constantly changing physical world than someone who is not so rooted. The Japanese, following the Hebrew, says that God “knows” the way of the righteous. No surprise, because it’s His way! It is the path He has laid out for the blessing of mankind, and it leads to eternal fellowship with Him.

I have had the immense privilege of being the son of such a man as is described here. I can’t say that it hasn’t been intimidating at times! That’s not to say my father was perfect, because none of us are. He had various regrets I’m sure, but it would be hard to question that his delight was in the Word of the Lord. That is my model. I am certainly no more perfect than my father was, probably much less, but I have learned to love the Word and walk in the grace that it teaches me. As a pastor, my desire is to impart in my spiritual children the same love for God and His Word that has been granted to me. I have now passed the age at which my father was taken to his reward, which makes it all the more pressing that I make the best possible use of the time I am given, letting God use me to open people’s eyes to see Him and His Word, so that together we may walk in the fellowship with Him for which we were created, for His pleasure and glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for making it clear that this is what You want spoken to this flock this coming Sunday. I pray that I would be fully submitted and obedient to You, not only in preparation and delivery of the message, but in living it out on a moment by moment basis, doing Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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September 26, 2012

Posted on September 27, 2012 by jgarrott

Job 42:5-6 “My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.”

There’s nothing like a revelation of God to give you a fresh perspective on yourself! We are so prone to pull God down toward our own level, and that naturally creates all sorts of misconceptions. He is perfectly holy, and since we aren’t, we have trouble even imagining that. He is totally powerful, and we are constantly running into our own impotence. However, He is also love itself, and that is where our hope lies. (1 John 4:8-10) Job had understood some things about God, and he was true to what he knew, and God acknowledged that. However, God loved him enough to give him a further revelation of Himself, and that blew him out of the water. The more we know of God, the better we understand that His every interaction with us is by grace, and our gratitude continues to grow. I would go so far as to say that anyone who is not grateful to God simply doesn’t know God. In all of his suffering Job didn’t let go of God, but he certainly complained! However, Job didn’t know of the scourging and crucifixion of Christ, how God Himself took on our suffering in order to open the way for us to be His children indeed. We have that Biblical record, and yet we often complain no less than Job did!

I’m certainly talking to myself here. The past week of traveling to England and back has had quite a few things that did not feel optimal to me at the time. At the moment my torso and arms have almost constant itching from an allergic reaction to the sweater I wore on the trip back. However, in the eternal scheme of things, those things are almost totally insignificant. I need to be praising God for His overwhelming grace toward me! I have indeed been blessed immensely on this trip, and I must not let insignificant things rob me of the joy and peace that God intends and has provided for me. Getting over jet lag yet again and getting back into the rhythm of life in Omura is a pressing issue, but there too I can trust God and know that He will bring me through. I need to seek His priorities for what I am to do when, meeting His appointments and doing His will on His schedule, because that will bring the greatest possible blessings to me and to those around me, and greatest glory to Him.

Father, thank You indeed for bringing us home safely, and for all that You have done in this week, both in England and in Omura. Help me move on from here, taking each step in turn, so that I will grow and not stagnate, and will draw others along with me in the journey, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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