Light; September 30, 2024

Posted on October 1, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 36:9 For with you is the fountain of life;
    in your light we see light.

This is a very interesting Psalm, with its very pointed description of an evil person in the first four verses. The ESV says something I’ve never encountered in other translations: “Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart.” Outlier translations are generally suspect, but that seems to be accurately descriptive! In contrast, the rest of the Psalm speaks of God’s goodness to those who choose to follow Him. This verse has always struck me, because of its saying that without God’s light we don’t see light. Part of that is the usage, common in the Old Testament, of “the light of life.” With that meaning, this says that God’s light gives us life. However, I realized years ago that it is also true that without God’s light/revelation, we don’t recognize light/truth when we see it. We human beings can be incredibly dense at times! We have the expression, “as plain as the nose on your face,” but we are remarkably adept at ignoring such things. A case in point is going on in America right now, with people espousing things that have never worked in any place they have been tried. Those who recognize the foolishness of that have trouble believing those doing the espousing could be so blind. Some of those in that category fit the description in the first four verses of this Psalm, but by no means all. As many have recognized, the reason for this deception is that people have actively abandoned the light of the knowledge of God, and so don’t recognize the light of truth even when it shines on them. That is sad indeed, and calls for prayer and compassion on the part of those who do see, but unwavering allegiance to God’s light. It is not loving to be silent when people call darkness light and evil good.

Like probably everyone else, I tend to think I am walking in the light, and it is other people who are mistaken. Such pride can be very dangerous! I’ve got to remember that God is the only source of true light, of Truth with a capital T. It was hardly insignificant that Jesus said that He was “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (John 14:6) I need to keep my heart fixed on Him, and let the Holy Spirit show me my errors. He’s very good at that! These are days of fierce division, and not just in America. Japan just acquired a new Prime Minister, and the opinions I’ve heard are all over the place! Every disciple of Jesus Christ needs to be active in their commitment to Him, and let Him be the Lord of their thoughts, words, and actions. Only then will God’s healing light bathe the land, as it so desperately needs.

Father, I’m physically separated from the US, and I have no citizenship/right to vote here in Japan. Help me be faithful in prayer for both nations, that people would accept, and actively seek, Your light to guide them, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Fear; September 29, 2024

Posted on September 30, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 34:4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
    he delivered me from all my fears.

The introduction to this Psalm says that it was written right after David had been in genuine physical danger for his life, but this verse applies more broadly than that. It has rightly been said that fear doesn’t prevent bad things from happening, it just prevents us from enjoying life before bad things happen. That’s why the devil loves to project fear on us. After all, he is only out to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10) He can’t have any of the good things God has provided for us, so he wants to keep us from having them either. At its root, fear is a survival mechanism, because those with no fear of dangerous animals, poisonous plants, or precipitous cliffs are going to die out pretty quickly! However, someone with an excessive fear of falling isn’t going to be a good tree climber, and climbing trees is often a very useful skill. Living on this earth has its negatives, as Jesus said very clearly, (John 16:33) but playing “what if” about all the possible negatives will leave us completely paralyzed, unable to receive all the good things God has for us in the middle of, and sometimes even because of, the bad things. All of this can be very hard to judge. Where is the line between being a pessimist and being prudent? Between being an optimist and being foolhardy? We are quick to say that others are on the “wrong” side of the line, while saying we are the “wise” ones, but that is extremely subjective. Genuinely wise optimism comes from trusting our Creator, who loves us enough to send His Son to die for us, and also desires that we grow and become strong in faith and obedience. The thing is, strength comes from overcoming resistance in various forms. The negative things we experience are allowed by God to teach us and grow us. When we have that firm assurance, our only concern will be whether we are accurately hearing and obeying Him, and if that is our heart, He will take care of it in His wisdom and strength.

This is something I face constantly, as we all do. A huge list of negative things could happen to me at any moment, and sometimes it takes an active choice to trust God to keep from running away. As an example, I recently came across a very clear article on the symptoms and stages of Parkinson’s Disease, which my wife has. God has kept the progression of the disease very slow, to the point that doctors have commented on it, but the temptation to fear what doctors say is “inevitable” is demonic. Yes, those things could happen, but they haven’t yet, and fearing the next stage would keep us from enjoying what is still possible at this stage. The same thing applies to relationships. All sorts of people come into my life. They may bless me, they may hurt me, they may make life more complicated, but fearing what could happen will keep me from participating in what God wants to happen, for the blessing of that person as well as of me. As John said, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” (1 John 4:18) I need to rest in God’s love, loving Him in return (which includes obeying Him) so that His plans, and His alone, may be fulfilled.

Father thank You for this reminder. At this point I’ve lived long enough to have experienced a lot of negative things that could easily happen again. Keep me from dwelling on that, but rather help me stay focused on You, resting, relaxing, and rejoicing in You, just as You have told me to do, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Encouragement; September 28, 2024

Posted on September 29, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 31:24 Be strong and take heart,
    all you who hope in the Lord.

It is significant that David so often encourages others to trust God. There are three major reasons to write things like this Psalm. The first is simple emotional catharsis, personal satisfaction in expressing feelings and experiences. Some poetry that gets published seems to be just this, ending up as a kind of emotional diarrhea. The second, for a person of faith, is to give thanks and praise to God. The third is to encourage the reader, or the hearer, just as this verse does. It is significant that David wasn’t satisfied simply to know God himself, he wanted others to know and trust Him too. Even in prose writing, if there is no emotion behind it, it quickly becomes stale and uninteresting. We don’t often read a technical manual or a legal paper simply for enjoyment! The motive of giving thanks and praise to God is certainly a limited subset, but even those with that intention have varying degrees of success at it. However, the intent to encourage applies very broadly. It can come across as pride, “Be like me,” but if there is humility, it becomes, “If I can do this, you can too.” That’s when it becomes uplifting. David composed his Psalms for all three of these reasons. In reading them we need to recognize, and perhaps identify with, his emotions, and join with Him in praising the God who saved him, but we should not fail to receive encouragement, that the God who was gracious to David will be gracious to us as well.

This is very timely for me, since I am in the process of writing my autobiography. I need to be emotionally involved, so that my readers will likewise become involved in what I’ve written, but my major motive is the second one, of praising God for His grace to me. I don’t want it to be an account of all that I have done, but rather of what God has done involving me, often in spite of me. That said, I do want what I write to be an encouragement to others to trust God themselves, to seek Him with their whole heart and discover His all-sufficient magnificence. As someone with Teacher gifting I sometimes tend to present facts, cut and dried, expecting those facts to change people, but that seldom works. I need to bare my heart so that others too may discover that God loves them as they are, but He doesn’t leave them as they are. I have changed in even more ways than I know over my so far 76 years, but I am still who God created me to be, and I want to encourage others that God wants to and will do the same for them, if they will yield themselves to Him.

Father, thank You for this clear reminder. My schedule looks rather free for the next couple of weeks. Help me get back into writing what You have told me to write, so that all of Your purposes for the words You pour through me may be fulfilled, drawing many into genuine discipleship, for their great blessing and Your glory. Thank You Hallelujah!

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Trusting God’s Schedule; September 27, 2024

Posted on September 28, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 27:14 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

Once again we have a Psalm that is incredibly rich. Not surprisingly, several parts of it have been set to music. It’s almost surprising to realize all of those songs come from the same Psalm! I don’t know of an originally English musical setting for this verse, but a friend of mine put the Japanese translation I use directly to music. I had to modify the terminology a little to make it singable in English, but it came out like this. “Be strong, and wait for God. Take heart, and wait for Him. Know that the Lord your God will answer, so be strong and wait for Him.” This is a fitting ending to a Psalm that starts with saying we have nothing to fear, because God is our light and salvation. This is a Psalm of someone who genuinely knew God, even though he wandered at times. We all fit in the “wandering” part of that, so the question is how well we know God. As David says in verse 4,  being close to God needs to be our chief goal in life. The truer that is, the more His grace and mercy will overflow in our life. As He told Jeremiah, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) We need to realize that knowing God is worth more than all the universe put together, because He created it all with a few words. As finite beings we really can’t grasp an infinite God, apart from His revealing Himself to our heart, but if that is our desire, He will do just that. We just have to be willing to act on what He shows us, and let our priorities and our values fall into place accordingly.

This is something the Lord has been working into me more and more over the years. “You can’t take it with you” is a truism, but the older I get the more I understand it. I’ve heard it said, “He who dies with the most toys, wins,” but such a person is still dead. As Jesus said, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:36) There are many things I do care about in the world as I know it, but all of those things have to take a back seat compared to my Lord, the Creator of the universe. When Jesus died for me, how can I not live for Him? Frankly, things often don’t happen on my preferred schedule, but as this verse says, I’m not to let that drag me down in any way, but trust my Lord and His timing, and rejoice in Him!

Father, thank You for telling me, years ago now, to rest, relax, and rejoice. That includes dealing with the various areas in me that still need to change! Help me trust You and Your schedule, so that I may do what You want me to do, when and how You want me to do it, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Words and Thoughts; September 26, 2024

Posted on September 27, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 19:14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
    be pleasing in your sight,
    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Even if he had written no others, this Psalm would be enough to establish David as a Master Psalmist before the Lord. It is rich indeed, and I could write on any verse in it. The description of God’s Law, from verses 7-11, is deeply meaningful and worthy of a book. I have used verse 1 to title sky pictures in my photo shows. The whole subject of willful/presumptive sins in verse 13, not to mention hidden faults in verse 12, is worthy of long and deep meditation. However, this last verse in a way summarizes it all. David was indeed a man of words, as his Psalms show, as well as a man of action, but he knew that it all came from his heart, in one way or another. He wanted it all to be right before God, as should we. This verse has naturally been set to music, but more than that, it needs to be engraved on our hearts. James wrote a good bit about controlling our words, and Proverbs speaks to that as well, but the ultimate issue is the heart. As Jeremiah lamented, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) We don’t do a very good job of cleaning up our hearts, but we can choose to submit them to God – and He’s an expert at it! When we find ourselves thinking along paths that we know are not pleasing to God, we need to make a conscious choice to submit our heart to Him. The devil will tell us we can’t do it, that it’s no use trying, but as Paul said, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) In Christ, we can indeed have thoughts and words that are pleasing to our Father, and that should be our goal.

I too am a man of words, so this feels particularly close to home. I have been told that my sermons are wonderful, but my words in conversation can be hurtful. Part of that comes from my being more direct than some people desire, but I have had other people implore me not to abandon my directness. The key here is to have words and thoughts that are acceptable to God, not necessarily to people. I’m not to hurt needlessly, but Jesus was certainly direct in many of His statements. I need to seek to let the Holy Spirit be the guard on my lips and my thoughts, because He alone can keep me straight.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I will be meeting someone this evening who was recently widowed, and I have no idea of his spiritual state. May my words both comfort him and draw him into a deeper, more honest relationship with You than he has known before. May all of my interactions accurately reflect You, so that Your will may be done in and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Giving Light; September 25, 2024

Posted on September 26, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 18:28 You, Lord, keep my lamp burning;
    my God turns my darkness into light.

This whole Psalm is a beautiful expression of appreciation for all that David recognized that God did for him. I was tempted to write on the verse after this, because it is the basis for a very catchy worship chorus, but this verse speaks to me most clearly at the moment. Everyone has dark times, and this speaks directly to that. In other places the Bible uses phrases like, “the light of midday,” but here it is much more modest, just speaking of a lamp. This isn’t some LED floodlight, just a simple olive oil lamp, but David is grateful. The next line (in the ESV) is what seems most poignant: “the Lord shines in my darkness.” David isn’t demanding that God “turn the night to day,” like is expressed elsewhere, but simply that there be some light in the pitch dark. The darker it is, the brighter even a small light seems. There are times when we simply couldn’t handle the light of God’s glory, but He gives us the light we need, if we will just recognize it. Our theme at this point is Light, so reading after reading speaks to this, but we need to recognize the light God provides and walk in it, no matter how dark everything around us seems to be.

It’s almost hard to remember at this point, but when I was a college student I got so depressed I seriously wanted to die, and attempted to do so. Right now, I’m an absolute optimist, with a rock-solid assurance that God is going to work everything out, but I’ve had my dark times, too. That helps me minister to others who are “in the dark” in one way or another. One lady in the church was in such severe clinical depression that she couldn’t leave her house for a couple of years, but I took her a CD of our service every week and prayed for her at her front door, and the Lord brought her through it magnificently. She later told me she never listened to the CDs, but the fact that I cared enough to come and pray for her was a flickering lamp, so to speak, in her otherwise pitch darkness. Since coming out of that she has grown magnificently, and now is a rock – and a bright light – to others who are going through dark times. I must remember that Jesus tells us, “You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14) I can’t generate that light in myself, but I must be available for Christ to shine through me, at all times and in all situations, drawing people to Him for their salvation and His glory.

Father, thank You for the privilege of being a “fiber optic” for You, transmitting Your light to the people around me. May I fulfill that role faithfully, for the blessing of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Gratitude; September 24, 2024

Posted on September 25, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 13:1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?

It struck me just now that this is the cry of a man who was used to hearing from God frequently. The thing is, when he got more comfortable in life as the undisputed king he stopped listening, and so went far afield with Bathsheba. I have heard it said that God likes to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” Both are actually expressions of His loving grace. God allows trials in our lives to shake us up, to remind us how much we need Him, not because He is mean – which He certainly isn’t. Good parents need to give their children opportunities to fail, because without failures, they will fail to mature, and will never know the true satisfaction of successes. If we constantly hear God, we won’t grasp what a privilege it is to have the ear of the Creator of the universe. A feeling of entitlement is one of the greatest “joy thieves” in existence. The better we understand God’s grace, and that it is grace, the more grateful and joyful we will be. Dennis Prager says that he has never met a happy leftist, and I can agree. I genuinely feel sorry for those, in America of all places, who fail to recognize the abundance of blessings that are available to them, and instead, bad-mouth everything. Just yesterday I read the story of a woman who was born a slave and lived to 102, and in her recollections she talked exclusively about how good she had it. She and her family even chose to stay with their former master as his employees after emancipation. One thing that struck me about that account was that her master had consistently given them the opportunity to go to church with him every Sunday, not commanding but offering. It obviously did them all a lot of good!

I think my parents consciously raised us to be grateful, and it was one of the best things they could ever have done for us. At Christmas it wasn’t “everything’s from Santa,” but each gift was from an individual, and that individual was to be thanked. Gift opening always took a long time, because we took turns, with everyone watching as each present was opened. I remember being more excited to see how someone else responded to what I had chosen for them than I was about what I received. Today, I couldn’t begin to enumerate all the blessings I feel God has poured out on me. As I have commented, sometimes I worry about my faithfulness, if my cross is so light! It’s not that I have no problems, but I feel bathed in love and grace. And to top it off, my Heavenly Father meets with me every morning! I seek to help others realize that such a life is available to them, but most of the time they are too focused on other things to recognize the goodness of God. I am to maintain an attitude of gratitude, expressing my love for God by obedience to Him, so that His purposes for me may be fulfilled on His schedule, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I really don’t have words to express a proper response to You for Your goodness. May my life be an expression of gratitude and praise, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Assurance; September 23, 2024

Posted on September 24, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 4:3 Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself;
    the Lord hears when I call to him.

Here we have the secret of David’s boldness, his assurance in times of trial. There are many other examples throughout the Psalms (as well as times when he didn’t feel so heard). David was certainly not perfect by any means, but he had learned to listen, and recognize when God was speaking to him. Some would think it was hubris for him to claim to be a saint, a holy one, (the NIV says, “faithful servant”) but the New Testament extends that term to every believer, and we need to lay hold of it. Those who rebel against God and persecute His people certainly don’t have that assurance, and it drives them nuts that we do! We are always to walk in personal humility, but at the same time know that we serve and are loved by the Creator of the universe. That assurance can get us through anything! The last verse of this Psalm expresses a very practical outcome of such assurance. “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8) If we have that assurance, anxiety and insomnia go out the window!

In 76 years I have experienced God’s loving, personal care more times than I could possibly count. That doesn’t mean the devil doesn’t still try to make me anxious, because he does, but it’s not difficult to change gears and be grateful for all that God has done for me. That is particularly effective when my brain won’t shut up after I’ve gone to bed. I run through the lyrics of songs like, “O Lord, You have been Good,” and focus on gratitude for all that He has done for me, and the next thing I know, it’s morning! Yesterday’s message focused on the reality that life on this earth isn’t just a walk in the park, and that God isn’t just a vending machine, but that we have absolutely nothing to be anxious about, even so. John 16:33 has become something of a theme verse for me, even though I know that my troubles are far lighter than those of many of my brothers and sisters in Christ, particularly in places like North Korea. I am able to remind myself that all my troubles are indeed “light and momentary,” just as Paul said. (2 Corinthians 4:17) As a pastor, I am to seek to help those in my care to have the same awareness, just as I did in the service yesterday.

Father, thank You for Your incredible grace toward me. Thank You for the joy and privilege of sharing Your truth with others. May every word You speak through me have its full effect, so that the lies of the enemy may be defeated and people set free, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Hearing God; September 22, 2024

Posted on September 23, 2024 by jgarrott

Job 33:14 For God does speak—now one way, now another—
    though no one perceives it.

It’s a little hard to know how to take Elihu, the speaker here. He “comes out of nowhere” in the narrative, not being one of Job’s three friends, and after his lengthy discourse, he isn’t mentioned again. One of the members of this church, years ago, thought he was a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. I’m not sure I’d go that far, but it’s hard to fault what he says in his discourse. Here, he points out that God does speak to us, but we often don’t recognize what He’s saying or even that He’s speaking. In verses 29-30 Elihu explains why God speaks to us. “God does all these things to a person—twice, even three times—to turn them back from the pit, that the light of life may shine on them.” The methods of God speaking mentioned here are all physical ailments, but how often do we seek God for what He might be saying to us when we get sick? I’m not saying that every disease is a message from God, by any means, but the possibility is real, and we need to be listening actively. The methods God uses to speak to us are virtually limitless, so the point is to be sensitive and expectant. The problem is that very few people today have the expectation of God speaking to them. As I mentioned recently, just a few years ago when a public figure in the US mentioned something about hearing from God, they were ridiculed and accused of a mental disorder on national television. The devil doesn’t want us hearing and obeying God! That’s all the more reason to be listening eagerly, because the devil is absolutely a liar, out to kill, steal from, and destroy us. (John 10:10) If he wants you to do something, do the opposite!

I grew up with the awareness that God is intimately concerned about us. Though my parents didn’t often use the terminology of “hearing from God,” they sought His guidance in daily devotions and were faithful as He led them. Prayer was as natural as breathing in our house, and it was understood that it wasn’t just one-way. Even so, it was many years before I developed a lifestyle of listening to God. I mention it frequently, but it was a total shock when I first heard Him speak in what seemed to be an audible voice, and what He told me was, “Well then, shut up!” I do delight to talk to Him (I’m quite a talker in any case), but I still have room to grow in listening to Him, just as I need to grow in listening to the people around me. At 76, my physical hearing isn’t what it once was, but I know that my spiritual hearing is far more important. Even talking with people, I need to hear what they are really saying, above and beyond their words. I especially want to hear what my Lord is saying and be fully obedient to Him, above and beyond any other voice, or even my own intellect. God does speak, and I want to listen.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for how You are so faithful to give me the messages You want conveyed to Your children. I pray that I would do so accurately this morning, both for those physically present and those who will hear electronically. May we all listen to You as obedient children, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Salvation; September 21, 2024

Posted on September 22, 2024 by jgarrott

Job 25:4 “How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
    How can one born of woman be pure?”

This is an existential question for mankind as a whole, and different religions have tried to answer it in different ways. I don’t know how Hinduism explains it, but Buddhism dispenses with the whole idea of a Creator, and says that human perfection comes from discarding human impulses. Islam brings it all down to submission, with martyrdom being the only guaranteed route to acceptance. Judaism of course knows the God of the Bible, but presents good works, that is, obedience to the Law of Moses, as the way to salvation. Various “Christian” groups have gone the same route, ignoring the two councils of the Church in Jerusalem, recorded in Acts 11 and 15, that agreed that we are saved by grace through faith, and not by genetic lineage or external rules. That seems like good news, and it is, but human pride stubbornly wants to take credit for our own salvation. That’s why Paul had to expressly deny the possibility of our doing that, in Ephesians 2:8-9. But then we come back to Bildad’s question here. He was essentially saying that the gap between God and man is so great, there’s no use trying. That’s another lie of the devil. In His incredible wisdom, love, grace, and mercy God created a bridge for that gap in the person, death, and resurrection of His Son. Without that act of judicial reparation for our sins, faith alone would have been empty. We aren’t saved by wishful thinking, we are saved by believing that God loved us so much that He indeed sent Jesus to die for us, as it says in John 3:16. That is the ultimate answer to Bildad’s question.

This is something I had to answer in my own life, and it is what I have devoted my life to sharing for the past 50 years. At one point I thought my genetic heritage put me in a pretty good place, and God had to very firmly correct me in that error. I have been incredibly blessed with a heritage of faith, but it has to be my faith to be effective for my salvation. Now, some people look at me and think, “Of course God loves him. Look at how he is living!” What I try to get across to them is that He loves them just as much as He does me, and the key to receiving that love is humble repentance. Jesus died for all mankind, but that salvation must be believed to be received. I can’t save anyone myself, but I can share the good news of salvation by faith, and pray that the Holy Spirit will work it into people’s hearts to produce the repentance and faith necessary, for their salvation and God’s glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the various personal encounters we had yesterday, some of them quite deep, and others largely surface. I pray that our every interaction with people would point them, draw them, to You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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