Perspective; August 23. 2024

Posted on August 24, 2024 by jgarrott

2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

In recent years I think I have quoted this verse more than any other in the whole Bible! It puts everything in this life into perspective, and that can be very valuable indeed. In the moment, we don’t feel like our troubles are light, and from our perspective they may seem to go on for a long time, but on the scale of eternity, they certainly qualify as momentary. We really don’t have much grasp of the eternal glory that awaits believers, but Paul had had a near-death experience when he was stoned in Lystra, (Acts 14:19-20) so he had an idea of what he was talking about. There was doubtless a lot of physical pain in that, and in the recovery afterward, but at the same time I think Paul was glad he had been through it, because it prepared him to face the rest of his life, including his eventual martyrdom. Part of maturity – physical, emotional, and spiritual – is the ability to put things into perspective and not get all worked up over things that we learn will seem much smaller in retrospect. Adults sometimes laugh at the angst of teenagers over various things, for example, maybe not even remembering when they went through the same sort of trials. The problem is, our response to temporary issues can have far-reaching consequences. The ultimate example of such a response is suicide, but there are many, many more negative responses we can make. As has been said, success in life isn’t a matter of what happens to you so much as it is in how you respond to what happens. We generally have little if any control over what happens to us, but we have far more control than we realize over how we respond to it. This verse should give every believer the assurance to praise God and thank Him, whatever is going on in their life.

I experience things constantly that, if I allowed them to, could drag me down a great deal. Just this morning I received a message that makes me very concerned about my relationship with someone I care about very deeply, and I am praying for God’s wisdom in responding to it. On the physical side, in January of last year I broke my left wrist rather spectacularly, requiring surgery to install a titanium plate to put it back together, and then physical therapy for me to regain full use of the wrist. However, it never felt like that big a deal to me, and now I remember it only occasionally, even though it’s been less than two years ago now. I am very grateful for perspective! One thing the Lord has spoken to me repeatedly is something Peter said: “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” (2 Peter 3:8) My awareness of time is not at all like God’s, and I need to trust Him to do the right thing at the right time, for my blessing and the blessing of those around me, and for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all You’ve allowed me to get done already this morning. I pray that each moment of today I would flow with Your Spirit on Your schedule, so that all of Your purposes for me may be fulfilled for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Benediction; August 22, 2024

Posted on August 23, 2024 by jgarrott

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hope, joy, and peace are all things the devil loves to steal from us – though he doesn’t gain them for himself, he just doesn’t want us to have them. That’s why this particular benediction (spoken blessing) is an important part of spiritual warfare. And it’s such a fun part of it, too! When Paul says, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds,” (2 Corinthians 10:4) we have trouble understanding just what those weapons are. We can grasp the idea of prayer as a weapon, but the idea of speaking blessing just doesn’t look like a weapon to us! When Jesus famously said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given me. Therefore go,” (Matthew 28:18-19) He was delegating His authority to His disciples – which includes us! Any time we are doing what He wants us to, we are operating in the authority of the Son of God! And that certainly includes speaking blessing, which directly counters the intents and purposes of the devil. We tend have corrupted the whole concept of spoken blessings by using the Latin, even when speaking English, and have made it part of liturgy, only to be done by someone with ecclesiastical authority. There are whole denominations that forbid anyone from pronouncing a benediction unless they have been ordained as a pastor! A benediction can be as simple as just saying, “Bless you,” or it can be longer and more specific, but it’s not just empty words or wishful thinking, if it’s done with any awareness of the One who is the Source of all true blessing. (James 1:17)

I recall being first aware of this specifically around 41 years ago, when Yongi Cho led a big meeting in Fukuoka. Though he was Korean, he spoke in Japanese, and I was in the booth to do simultaneous interpreting into English for the sake of non-Japanese attendees. I don’t remember the details of the message, but this point of speaking blessing stuck with me, and I actively practiced it even that day. (I think that’s why it stuck in my memory.) I do enjoy speaking and writing blessing, but I think I could well do it more actively, as an intentional form of spiritual warfare. The Lord Himself made it clear to me many years ago that He’s not pleased with many things as they are in the world right now, so speaking His will of blessing to counter the things that don’t agree with Him is active obedience! I need to ask Holy Spirit to make me aware of the opportunities He gives me to do this, as well as be careful not to come across as “holier-than-thou.” Such an impression can certainly keep someone from receiving the intended blessing! Serving God is a joy, and this is one of the most pleasant ways to do that!

Father, thank You for this reminder. I ask for wisdom in how to follow through, so that it won’t be just a nice idea, but a powerful tool in establishing Your rule and reign on this earth, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Conformity; August 21, 2024

Posted on August 22, 2024 by jgarrott

Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

These first 8 verses of Romans 12 are familiar almost to the point of absurdity, because they form the basis of what is called Motivational Gifts teaching, as taught by Don and Katie Fortune. They have both graduated to heaven, but I interpreted for them many times when they came to Japan, as well as staying with them when we visited the Seattle area. That said, the urgency of this verse could hardly be greater than it is in the world today. The pressure to conform is immense, and “this world” is hardly in line with the standards laid out in the Bible. The minute we conform to the world we lose sight of God, His principles and what He has planned for us, and that is a loss greater than words can express. There are countless “rudderless” people in the world, with no clear grasp of who and what they are and what the purpose is of their existence. The fastest way to get like that is conformity to this world. “Everybody’s doing it” is no excuse for anything! Every human being is unique, and no one is without purpose and meaning, but we discover that purpose and meaning only by turning to the God who created us. As I often tell people, any time we get a piece of electronic equipment it comes with an instruction manual. Familiarity with the manual enables us to make full use of all the functions of the equipment, as well as being able to use it a long time. The Engineer who designed and created us is God, and the instruction manual He has given us is the Bible. We aren’t to conform to this world, but rather to the standards laid out in the Bible. In all honesty, they are impossibly high, but striving for them and making them our goal will give us more peace, joy, and satisfaction than any other lifestyle.

I am certainly no exception to this principle. As I comment frequently, I’ve been steeped in the Bible from infancy, but that hasn’t made me immune to the pressure to conform to this world. I have learned the hard way that conformity leads to frustration, pain, and regret. Sticking to God and His Word has always brought me all the things the world has promised me, without the negative strings attached. That’s not to say that the road has always been easy by any means, but what I gain from obedience to God is always better than anything the world can offer. I love, and certainly agree with, what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:17: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” Conformity to the world will never get me that assurance.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all I see You doing around me all the time. Help me be increasingly conformed to the image of Your Son, (Romans 8:29) so that I may be fully useful to You for Your purposes, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Omniscience; August 20, 2024

Posted on August 21, 2024 by jgarrott

Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
    How unsearchable his judgments,
    and his paths beyond tracing out!

My impression is that God revealed the truths expressed just before this to Paul even as he was writing them, and it blew his mind. Human wisdom, knowledge, and understanding are by definition limited, but not so with God. We have the term, omniscience, which means “all-knowing,” but that isn’t limited to information about what’s going on, it includes the why and how of everything as well. This is a continuation of the thought I wrote on yesterday, and it demands a humility that doesn’t come easily to us. We want to feel like we are in control, that we are the pinnacle of creation. In terms of created things that might actually be true, but we are still nothing compared to our Creator. That He does reveal things to us, as He did with Paul in the verses ahead of this, is astounding when you think about it. And this doesn’t just apply to theology. Many scientists have described their work as “discovering the footprints and fingerprints of God.” That He allows us to investigate and know things about the universe is a very high blessing that isn’t given to animals, for example. At the same time, “scientific consensus” has certainly changed over the years and the centuries. After all, simply proposing that the earth wasn’t the center of the universe got people branded as heretics, back in the day. That’s why the proclamations of “scientific consensus” about such things as climate change today are instantly suspect. C. S. Lewis wrote in The Great Divorce that one thing we can be sure of is that when we get to heaven we will discover that we were all wrong somewhere. That to me is wisdom from God! We are to rejoice when God shows us things, either by investigation or by His speaking them to our heart, but we must have the humility to remember that we are not omniscient, any more than we are omnipotent. God alone is those things, and that’s a very good thing!

I can certainly identify with Paul’s feelings as he wrote this verse, because I couldn’t begin to even calculate the number of times I have looked back over what I have written in these morning devotion times and realized that God had spoken through my fingers. I do have a high IQ on the human scale, but that is beside the point. I couldn’t come up with some of the stuff God says through me! It was very valuable and important for my intellectual, emotional, and spiritual development for me to fail two classes my freshman year in college, because academics had been such a coast for me up until then. Even so, I had developed an ingrained pride that didn’t really get shaken until the Lord tapped me on the shoulder, figuratively speaking, and when I turned, he had a mirror to show me the state of my soul, just for an instant. I was wiped out. It was a revelation from Him that, however much I might know on the human scale, I know nothing compared to Him, and that’s as it should be. I do get irritated at times at ignorance and slowness in the people around me, and the Holy Spirit has to remind me of how I am compared to God. There is a Japanese expression that really clicks with me: “acorns comparing height.” The difference between Einstein and someone who is barely functional is totally insignificant compared to the difference between Einstein and God!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me walk in continuous awareness of Your grace, in gratitude and humility and never pride, for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Perspective; August 19, 2024

Posted on August 20, 2024 by jgarrott

Romans 9:20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’”

This is a question we don’t like to face. We like to set the parameters of discussion, and think that God has to abide by them! Rather than complaining to God about anything, we need to be grateful that He created us at all! From at least one perspective it is quite amusing that mankind would be so full of itself as to complain, when God has created each of us as unique individuals, with unique blessings and purposes. That person you envy doesn’t get to taste some of the blessings that are available to you! As a simple, but actually rather extreme, example, there are countless stories of families that were incredibly blessed to have a congenitally handicapped child. My wife was blessed to have a cousin with Down’s Syndrome, and has many delightful tales of growing up around him. Was he any less valuable, or any less blessed, than her older brother, who got a PhD and went on to head a department at a university? I think not. There are many mysteries that we will never know in this life, and I’m not sure we will care in the next! However, we have Paul’s assurance that, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12) To us, we might seem distorted and ugly, but to God, we are beautiful!

I’m a fine one to be talking like this, because I feel like I have gotten an inordinate share of advantages: born into a loving family, high IQ, reasonable appearance, minimal physical issues, and on and on. My wife matches that, with the exception that her medical history could fill a book, and her daily question is not whether she has pain, but what pain does she have? For both of us, our marriage seems to be on a much higher level than that achieved by any of our siblings. Does that mean God loves me more than my wife, or us more than our siblings, or our families more than other families? Not at all! The problem is that we don’t have the mind of God, and we try to evaluate things on the basis of immediate circumstances. As God pointed out to Isaiah, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9) To go back to Paul’s analogy, it’s very much like a lump of clay questioning the potter’s intentions! I need to rejoice in God’s grace toward me and seek to fulfill His purposes for me, and leave pride out of the picture entirely.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I complain about all sorts of things! Forgive my foolishness. May I indeed be the son and servant You desire, today and every day, for Your glory alone. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Jews; August 18, 2024

Posted on August 19, 2024 by jgarrott

Romans 9:4-5 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised. Amen.

This chapter gets largely ignored, because chapter 8 is so loaded with justly famous verses. That may be one reason why antisemitism manages to remain in some Christian circles, even. These two verses should blow antisemitism completely out of the water! Christianity rests on the foundation of the faith of Abraham, and Christians must never forget it. The past 2000 years have held a lot of sad history, but that is not the end of God’s plan. Today, Jews are recognizing that Jesus is indeed their Messiah in unprecedented numbers, and it’s exciting. There are channels on YouTube dedicated to such testimonies, and the current tensions are only accelerating that trend. It is unusual to say the least that Dennis Prager, a devout, religious Jew, is as prominent as he is in the Conservative movement in America. I continue to pray for him to have a revelation of Jesus as the Messiah, and I feel sure that is coming, but even now he is greatly used by God. (I could say the same for Benjamin Netanyahu.) Romans as a whole, the absolute bulwark of Protestant theology at the very least, is very clear that God hasn’t discarded the Jews, and won’t. Those that bless them are blessed by Him! In recent years America has wavered from her previously strong support of the modern nation of Israel, and I think that is very dangerous, at least as much so for America as for Israel. Humans are very prone to retreat into I-my-me-mine, with a misguided interpretation of what those pronouns mean, but God has no such tendency. Every believer needs to strive for God’s perspective on the world and events, and offer themselves to Him to further His purposes.

For as long as I can remember I have been proud that I was born in the same year as the modern nation of Israel. One of the many music books in the house when I was growing up was The Fireside Book of Folksongs, and I delighted to sing the Jewish ones. By God’s amazing grace we were adopted into the Messianic fellowship when I was in seminary, and some of them were amazed that I knew those songs better than they did! I rejoice to listen to the testimonies of “completed” Jews, and how Isaiah 53 has opened the eyes of so many. There are very few Jews in Japan, to say the least, but there are an amazing number of parallels between Jews and Japanese, and I have been involved in some Messianic outreaches to Japan. It is an honor! In daily terms, all I can do is pray, but I do pray, not only for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6) but also for the eyes of Jews around the world to be opened to Jesus, who is their Messiah as much as He is mine.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all You are doing in the world, and for Your plans that will not be shaken. I pray for their fulfillment on Your schedule, bringing in the maximum number of souls, for Your glory alone. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Truth; August 17, 2024

Posted on August 18, 2024 by jgarrott

Romans 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

From here through the end of the chapter sounds remarkably like a description of modern society! I started to write on verse 32, but it struck me that this verse is indeed the starting point, because it does start with suppressing the truth. After all, that’s what the devil did even in the Garden of Eden. The devil doesn’t want the truth to get out, much less be acted on, so he serves up all sorts of lies, which are his forte. In America today, even simple biological facts are descried as “hate speech!” That’s why censorship is so much in vogue: those who promote lies can’t stand for truth to get out. That’s no reason for those who do know and try to operate in truth to retreat. Rather, we are to proclaim the truth all the more boldly and persistently, though always in love. Speaking the truth in love doesn’t necessarily mean doing it quietly! Truth is to be trumpeted, certainly no less that the lies that are so prevalent today. What we must remember is that it is a spiritual battle, as Paul wrote so clearly in Ephesians 6, but we also need to remember that, appearances notwithstanding, we are not at a disadvantage, because “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” (2 Corinthians 10:4) The thing is, to be on the side of Jesus, who is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” (John 14:6) we have to walk in truth all the time, both in principles and in speech. “White lies” and “political correctness” don’t cut it. Those are just ways of suppressing the truth, as this verse says. We’ve got to welcome truth even when it is to our disadvantage, knowing that we don’t stand because of our own strength, but because of God’s.

As I have written before, I was raised by a father who held absolute honesty as one of his core principles, and I am deeply grateful. However, I have shown myself to be adept at deceiving myself, (James 1:22) thinking that being able to speak truth was the same as walking it out. I am disgusted at the lies that are thrown at us constantly, to the point that I literally do not watch TV any more. However, that doesn’t mean I’m to retreat into my own little sanctuary, but rather that I am to ask the Lord for opportunities to speak His truth in ways that people can receive it. There are various peripheral arguments that I could get caught up in, and that has happened at times. I am to seek to avoid those, but rather walk in the truth God has shown me, so that others too may recognize the lies for what they are and so be set free, just as Jesus said. (John 8:32)

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the various ways that truth is getting out more and more. I pray that people may indeed be set free from the lies that so ensnare them, and so walk in all that You intend for them, both now and through eternity, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Condemnation; August 16, 2024

Posted on August 17, 2024 by jgarrott

Luke 18:9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable:

This is a famous and very important parable, but what struck me just now was that it was addressed directly to the very people Jesus was talking about. He wasn’t saying things behind their backs, but confronting them to their faces. Doubtless some got angry, but perhaps some had their eyes opened. That was always Jesus’ aim, no matter how severe His words might have seemed in the moment. Even talking with Pilate, the man who would sentence Him to death, Jesus spoke in ways that, if Pilate later thought about it, would lead him to repentance and faith. Jesus was never in the business of condemning people. Rather, we condemn ourselves by our own words and actions. It is no accident that the most famous verse in the Bible is followed by, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:17) Reading further in John 3 makes the point very clear that we send ourselves to hell, by loving darkness rather than light. Eternal darkness is certainly nothing to aim for! Sometimes we forget that evangelism is telling people they are headed for hell. Those who already know it are sometimes the easiest to save! It’s the ones like Jesus was talking to here who are the hardest cases, because they are convinced they have a “gold ticket to heaven.” That is of course a lie of Satan, who has condemned himself to hell and wants to take as many people as possible with him. The theme of the readings we are following at this point is Mercy, and it is not merciful to fail to warn someone when they are headed for horrible destruction.

I have never been a “hellfire and brimstone” preacher, and I don’t intend to become one, but I may have erred a bit much on the side of “sweetness and light.” Jesus was neither vehement nor vindictive as He spoke this parable, but He certainly didn’t pull any punches. I must do the same, never holding back from what the Lord wants me to say, but always doing it in love, as Jesus did. That balance is difficult, and I will get it right only by complete dependence on and obedience to the Holy Spirit. I am not to condemn people, but I may have to tell them they have condemned themselves. That’s not an enjoyable task, but everyone needs to be given the opportunity to repent.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me never be “confident of my own righteousness,” but always humbly grateful for Your grace. May my words always draw people to You and not drive them away, so that as many as will may repent and believe, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Being Right; August 15, 2024

Posted on August 16, 2024 by jgarrott

Luke 10:29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

The parable of the Good Samaritan is one of Jesus’ most famous, but this particular detail stands out to me this morning. This man speaking to Jesus was an expert in the Law of Moses, and he knew the right words to say in terms of having a right relationship with God. However, his relationship with God wasn’t any deeper that the words on the page, and he naturally wasn’t satisfied with it. At the same time, he wanted to be right, to be the “expert.” That is a very natural, human impulse, but it can get us into a lot of trouble. The thing is, the only one who is always right is God; we are right only to the degree we agree with Him. The impulse to self-justification is something the devil loves to use to keep us from God. No one can be saved without acknowledging they are a sinner, which is to say, that they are in the wrong. The testimony of a genuine Christian is, “I was horribly wrong, but Jesus made me right.” We can’t accept by faith the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21) without acknowledging that “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6) Being right is far more than having correct information. The man talking to Jesus had plenty of correct information, and Jesus commended him for it, but He took it a step further and told him he needed to act on it. (verse 28) As James pointed out, having correct information and not living it out is just deceiving ourselves. (James 1:22) We need to maintain the humility to say, “Lord, show me how to do the things You have told me, because I can’t do them on my own.”

This has been an issue for me most of my life. Being steeped in the Bible from infancy, I have always known the right words to say, just like this man talking to Jesus. However, far too often those words go no deeper into my heart and life than the ink on the page. The Lord confronted me about that when I was 24, but I still have to be careful about it over 50 years later! I don’t like having my mistakes pointed out to me any more than anyone else, but I’m learning to be grateful for it, because that’s the only way I will be right. I still try to justify myself all too often, but at least I know that’s a mistake! I need to let the Holy Spirit show me what is genuinely right, and enable me to act on it, because I certainly can’t do it on my own.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the right things You do through me. Thank You for the good day at the gallery show yesterday, and particularly for the interaction with that one young man. Thank You also for the thunder shower that brought those other young men into the church for shelter, right after prayer meeting. Thank You for all of Your appointments! Help us meet them with joy, not depending on our own strength or wisdom but allowing You to use us as You will, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Golden Rule; August 14, 2024

Posted on August 15, 2024 by jgarrott

Luke 6:31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

I regularly deal with the Golden Rule in my marriage counseling, because as I tell couples, it can be very dangerous, particularly between men and women. The problem comes when we think of it in strictly surface terms, with specific actions. Sometimes that gives a good result, but sometimes it gives the opposite of what is intended, producing anger or even deep hurt. The example I give couples is that a woman’s chief emotional need is to feel cherished, whereas a man’s chief emotional need is to feel capable and acknowledged. Thus, a woman, generally speaking, delights to be helped even when she hasn’t asked for help, but a man may feel offended that the “helper” didn’t think they were capable of doing it on their own. (Of course, sometimes those roles are reversed, but that’s the general rule.) What genuinely fulfills the Golden Rule is caring enough about the other person to find out what they want and need. As the Bible tells us in various places, we tend to look at exteriors, but God sees the heart, and we need to strive to do the same.

Counseling others doesn’t mean I necessarily do this right myself! I recently had an incident that caused real hurt that came from my projecting my preferences and feelings on someone else, when they didn’t feel that way. I too need to keep growing! Sometimes the Lord shows me a person’s heart, but sometimes I assume I know it when He hasn’t shown it to me, and that’s dangerous. I need to be both humble and gentle, as I would hope others would be with me. At the same time, just as I can see that some people need a sharp word of correction, sometimes I need one myself! I need to desire God’s discipline for myself before I go trying to administer it to others. We are complex beings, and only God understands us completely enough to get it right every time. I need to yield myself fully to Him, and speak and act only as He directs.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the recent training You’ve allowed me to go through. Thank You that the first day of our gallery show went well, and for all the people who came. I pray that every day of this show would go as well or better, with our interactions accurately representing Christ to all. May we rest, relax, and rejoice in You throughout today, producing Your results by our obedience to Your Spirit, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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