December 2, 2011

Posted on December 6, 2011 by jgarrott

Genesis 12:4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him.

God had just given Abram one of the most foundational promises in the whole Bible, and this is the response. It’s mind boggling to try to think of what might have happened had Abram done otherwise! Would God have chosen someone else? We can never know, but we do know that obedience makes a difference. This is a lesson children need to learn very early in life or they will suffer all their lives for not knowing it. It’s very evident that many today never did learn that lesson, at least not in the right way. God gives us the opportunity to participate in His plans, but He doesn’t violate our free will in that. We can say yes or no. This is where faith comes in. The better we understand the love and grace of God, the more certain we will be that obedience is the path of blessing. God’s instructions are seldom as clear as they seem to have been for Abram, but there’s a major difference in our circumstances: we have the Bible. Absorbing as much as possible of the Bible makes it far easier to recognize God’s specific directions, because we will be familiar with His “tone of voice,” so to speak. Sometimes people agonize over whether something is of God, when an objective look at their situation in the light of the Bible would make it very clear. I keep coming back to the truth that one of the most important things for hearing God correctly is the commitment to be obedient to Him before we hear what He has to say. If we have that heart attitude, we will be instruments of blessing, just as Abram was.

My record of obedience has been spotty, to say the least. It is on record that I stated a call to missions when I was 10, but I seem to have forgotten that very quickly, and it was many years before I was conscious in my obedience. Cathy likewise recognized her calling at 12, and had that narrowed to Japan at 13, but wasn’t moving toward it consciously much of the time between then and our arrival in Japan. I remember very clearly the moment the Lord made it very clear to both of us at the same time that we were to leave the US and come over here, right then. That gave a lot of clarity, and He opened the doors remarkably. He is the judge of how obedient I have been to Him since then, but I trust and rely on His grace. I do not know how many people I have impacted as God’s instrument in the years since then, but that too is in God’s hands. The point for me is daily obedience, in small things as well as big, because I know that is the path of blessing for me as well as for those around me.

Father, thank You yet again for Your grace and patience toward me. If I had been in Your place, I would have given up on me a long time ago! Help me express that same grace and patience toward those to whom You have me minister. Help me not demand emotional fulfillment from them, because if I do, I will always be disappointed. Help me focus fully on You, letting You be my joy and my delight, so that my emotions won’t get in the way of ministering effectively to all. In this Christmas season with all its busyness, help me keep my eyes on You rather than on anything else and walk in moment-by-moment obedience, so that Your will may be accomplished on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

December 1, 2011

Posted on December 1, 2011 by jgarrott

Isaiah 9:2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.

Ever since the Fall, when mankind sinned in Eden, humans have lived under the shadow of death. The only light that can ease that darkness is the light of faith in Jesus Christ, who went through death so that we might have life. The difference between the death of a believer and a non-believer can be very striking, and I’m not talking about church membership here. There are plenty of church members who are functional non-believers! Some people are greatly affected by the fear of death even when there seems to be no immediate probability of it, and some of those even say they are Christians. That’s not to say that even a strong Christian has no fear of death at all, because there is always an element of the unknown, and there is certainly a major element of separation. However, such people have light in the middle of the darkness, and that is worth more than all of this world’s pleasures and wealth.

Three retired Japan missionaries from my parents’ denomination died last week. As with my own parents, and with Cathy’s, there is a large element of grateful celebration in their passing. That doesn’t necessarily make it easy for their survivors, especially their spouses, but it certainly makes it easier. When I am less than a year from the age at which my father died, this subject comes up in my mind with some frequency. For myself, I have no fear of death at all, but I know what my mother went through after my father died, and I don’t want that for Cathy. On the other hand, the thought of her going first certainly gives me pause! However, we not only have the assurance of eternal life, we also have the assurance that God’s grace is all we need for this life, however long or short it might be. (2 Corinthians 12:9) The point for us now is to try to put as many people as possible into the position of having that same assurance. That’s not at all a matter of psychology, but of getting them into right relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, so that the Holy Spirit can speak that assurance into their hearts.

Father, thank You indeed for the assurance of eternal life. Thank You for things like Cathy’s experience of death, from which You sent her back, and the book I’m reading right now of a small boy’s experience of heaven. However, those things are merely confirmations. Help me keep my eyes on Christ, and lead many, many others to do the same, so that we may walk in Your light in all circumstances, for our blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

November 30, 2011

Posted on December 1, 2011 by jgarrott

Psalm 146:5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them.

The Japanese and the English divide the sentences differently, which makes choosing a section to write on a little awkward. However, this will do, and it expresses a powerful truth that is central to the whole Bible. It is indeed a blessed situation when someone makes the clear commitment to trust in God, the Creator, rather than in anything else. We have an amazing capacity and tendency for trusting almost anything but God. Small children who have been well treated trust anything and anyone, but they quickly learn the pitfalls in that. The difficulty comes in learning what to trust and what not to, which, sadly enough, also means who to trust and who not to. God is the only one who is fully trustworthy, and people are trustworthy only to the degree they are being obedient to God. Yesterday I was reading a paper on Super String Theory, which is a branch of theoretical physics that seeks to determine the fundamental nature and construction of the universe. I was struck by the statement, expressed more than once in different ways, that not only is it all incredibly complex, if any part of it were even the slightest bit different, life as we know it would be impossible. That dovetails with a video I saw a couple of days ago put together by an imaging expert, of human life from before conception to the point of delivery. He also was speaking of the incredible complexity of it all, and he, in contrast to the physics article, was saying it was inconceivable that there would not be a guiding, creating Will behind it all. Someone said long ago that the task of science was to find God’s footprints, that is, how He created the universe. It amazes me that only some scientists come to that realization. It is indeed a blessed thing when a scientist, or anyone, does indeed realize that there is a Creator who loves them, and in response they commit themselves to Him.

When I was raised in a home that was both highly academic/intellectual and founded on a Biblical world view, it is hard for me to understand how people can reject either side of that balance. It seems many people of faith try to throw science out the window, and many “scientific” people reject faith. (I put “scientific” in quotes, because I believe a truly scientific mind would not be able to dismiss the evidence for a Creator.) Both sides grieve me, but I am called to minister to both. I am to be unwavering in presenting God’s truth in love, while maintaining full honesty. There are many things mankind does not know, and really cannot know. Intellectual curiosity is a good thing, but as so many are pointing out these days, there is an irreducible complexity to it all, to the point that we just have to lift our hearts to heaven and cry, glory! I must not operate in pride toward those who disagree with me, but neither may I draw back from telling them the truth of their sin and God’s love and grace.

Father, thank You for Your love and grace toward me! I know too well what it is to walk in pride. You have kept me from the abyss more times than I could calculate, because I don’t even know them all. Help me trust You indeed, allowing You to use me to draw others into right relationship with You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

November 29, 2011

Posted on December 1, 2011 by jgarrott

Psalm 145:18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.

There are two important concepts expressed in this verse. The first is that there are various ways we can call on God, and not all are equally effective. I’ve been at many functions that started with an “invocation” that was as dry and empty, and ultimately meaningless, as chaff from grain that has been threshed. I don’t think God pays much attention to such prayers! I’m reminded of the humorous poem about the farmer who, through a series of mishaps, wound up suspended by one leg tangled in a rope, upside down in his well. The poem is first person, and ends up with, “But the ‘prayingest’ prayer I ever did pray was upside down in that well.” The point of the poem is that posture doesn’t matter as much as heart attitude, and that certainly agrees with what David says here. The second important concept in this verse is that God can be near or far. That may not seem like a big deal, but it’s actually very important. Because God is infinite and we aren’t, logically speaking we exist inside God. Actually, the Bible says that, too. (Acts 17:28) However, God, by choice, is “near” to those who are in line with Him. The more we know of God, the more desirable that seems to us. When we don’t know Him well, when we think of Him as a stern taskmaster just waiting to whack us when we get out of line, then we won’t want to be near Him. However, when we come to know Him as David did, as “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love” (verse 8), then we really can’t get enough of Him!

I have certainly tasted this myself, and as a result, intimacy with God is perhaps my highest goal. However, there are moments when you might not know that from how I am acting! Like Paul, I get frustrated with myself for not living consistently in line with the truth I know. (Romans 7) However, I have learned the importance of absolute honesty before God, which is what David is talking about here. Like the father of the epileptic boy, I cry out, “Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) As a “professional Christian,” the temptation to pray empty prayer is often there, and I must stand firm against it. Through listening to me pray people can learn how to pray and also learn that it is possible to be intimate with God, but only if my prayers are genuine indeed. I need to seek the help of the Holy Spirit every time I pray, so that I may indeed pray in truth, according to His will.

Father, thank You for raising me in a family where it was as natural to talk to You as to anyone visible. Very few people have had that advantage. Help me not take that privilege lightly, but be faithful to lead, teach, and train others into intimacy with You. May this church be a place where You delight to manifest Your presence, because we delight in You. May all who enter here be touched by Your Spirit and brought to repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

November 28, 2011

Posted on November 28, 2011 by jgarrott

Psalm 144:1 Praise be to the LORD my Rock,
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle.

David experienced more physical battles than most civilians do, but all of us experience spiritual battles, whether we recognize them as such or not. Pacifism is not an option, spiritually speaking! Ephesians 6 is the most famous passage on the subject, but the Bible deals with it many times from many different angles. Physical battle can make us sharply aware of our dependence on God. It has famously been said that there are no atheists in foxholes. However, when it comes to spiritual battle, many people are ironically oblivious of their need to depend on God. Logically, the opposite should be true! At any rate, there is a gem of truth hidden in this verse that I don’t think I ever noticed before. David speaks of God training his hands and his fingers. Hands and fingers are certainly important, but the power comes from the arms. I doubt that David knew much of physiology, but there are no muscles in the fingers and hands at all. There are plenty of ligaments and tendons, but the muscles that pull them to produce motion are in the arms. Likewise, we are to be active in service and obedience to God, but the power to accomplish things comes not from us but from God. Physically speaking, if disease or injury damages the connection between, say, a finger and its muscles, then disability results. If we fail to maintain right connection to God, then spiritual disability results. Just as in the physical, practice makes perfect. (Hebrews 5:14) However, we must not forget that the power comes from God.

This is a beautiful illustration of important truth, and I need to ask the Lord how He wants me to use it. As David recognized, the training also comes from God, and I need to accept and apply the training He gives me. Yesterday was good training in preaching for Hiroki Kawata, and he gave a good message. It was a joy to interpret for Him! As a pastor, I am to be actively involved in training the believers, equipping them with skills to do the work of ministry. (Ephesians 4:11-12) It was joy indeed to hear a testimony/prayer request from one believer yesterday about no longer being a silent, “hidden” Christian, but being bold in proclaiming Christ even to those closest to her. Moments like that remind me that it is indeed all worth it, and the power comes from God.

Father, thank You again for all You are doing in this church, in each individual and in the body as a whole. Help us all submit to You with joy, allowing You to train us as well as strengthen and protect us, so that we may be effective instruments in Your hands, accomplishing Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

November 27, 2011

Posted on November 28, 2011 by jgarrott

Psalm 135:1-3 Praise the LORD.
Praise the name of the LORD;
praise him, you servants of the LORD,
you who minister in the house of the LORD,
in the courts of the house of our God.
Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.

This Psalm appears to be something of a compilation of bits and pieces from other Psalms, but whoever wrote it certainly chose some good bits! I like this first part a little better, if anything, than the very similar, and slightly more famous, passage in Psalm 134, because that specifies those who minister at night, whereas this one doesn’t limit it to that. Verse three here gives the motivation for praising God, though the English translation lends itself to misunderstanding. God is to be praised, not simply for what He has done, but because He is good. The Japanese breaks that down a little more to say that He is “of deep compassion.” Those who have never encountered difficulty have very little grasp of this, which is one reason the Lord allows us to get ourselves into fixes. He doesn’t pick on us, but He wants us to understand that we really do need Him! It’s the second half of verse three that is most misunderstood. The NIV gives it as “Sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.” That puts the emphasis on “It feels good, so do it.” That is very contemporary, but it’s the wrong motivation! The Japanese says, “Sing praise to His name. His name is beautiful/lovely.” That’s more like it! Like the first part of the verse, it puts the emphasis on God, and not us. Far too many people go to church just because they enjoy it, which means they go only when they feel like it. Church should be enjoyable, but that attitude is hardly discipleship!

As a pastor, this is a constant issue for me. I want those who come to church to have a good time, but I don’t want the good time to be their major motivation. I cannot force anyone to commit to discipleship, as much as I would like to! However, I need to remember how much of my own life has been spent as a lukewarm believer, and have compassion on others. I need to pray for them, and let the Holy Spirit speak and act through me to encourage them to growing commitment. God is more than able to do the job, so I must not feel I have to do it on my own! I really empathize with Paul, when he said that he was “in labor” for his spiritual children, that Christ might be born in them. (Galatians 4:19)

Father, thank You yet again for Your patience with me. Help me extend that patience toward all around me, while speaking Your truth in love. Thank You for the privilege of speaking Your Gospel in the meeting yesterday. I pray that all present would have been impacted by Your Spirit, with the few believers stimulated to greater devotion and the many non-believers drawn to seek You for themselves. May all that I do be worthy of the calling You have given me, because You are indeed more than worthy of my total love and devotion. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian | Tagged | Leave a comment

November 26, 2011

Posted on November 28, 2011 by jgarrott

Psalm 119:133 Direct my footsteps according to your word;
let no sin rule over me.

There is immense practicality to this prayer. The first half gives all the reason anyone would ever need to get as much of the Bible into their hearts and minds as possible. Life is terribly uncertain, particularly in this modern age when the only constant seems to be change. The Holy Spirit guides us, certainly, but the more of the Bible we get into us, the more material we are giving Him to work with. The image, mentioned in several places in the OT, is of a sure-footed deer or goat on a mountainside, walking and even running without hesitation in places that would be very difficult for mere humans to travel at all. And that brings us to the second half of the prayer. The world is filled with temptations and pitfalls of all sorts. When we make the Word our guide, we won’t fall into those, and sin won’t control our lives. That’s not to say we’ll never sin – 1 John is very clear on that point – but we will recognize our sins and repent quickly, not allowing them to take root and control us.

This is of course relevant to me all the time, but it seems particularly applicable today, as I am on a business trip to a location I’ve never been before. I do have good directions, but it certainly helps for the Lord to make my way sure! Likewise, in unfamiliar circumstances, unexpected temptations can pop up. There, too, I need the help of the Holy Spirit to stand firm, wearing the full armor that God provides. As a pastor, one of the cries of my heart is for each of the believers to absorb as much of the Word as possible, making it their own through familiarity and meditation. People come to me all the time asking for direction and advice about decisions that face them. I must not answer them out of my own understanding, but point them to God and speak only what He is saying. This verse applies to all who will receive it, and I need to do all I can to make it easy for people to appropriate and apply it.

Father, thank You for the incredible privilege of being the product of several generations who lived by this verse. As familiar as I am with the Bible, keep me from ever taking it for granted. Show me more and more how to meditate on it, to make it part of me, not only so that my way may be sure, but so that Your truth may be communicated through me to as many as possible, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

November 25, 2011

Posted on November 25, 2011 by jgarrott

Psalm 119:37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to your word.

This could be called the prayer of modern man! There are so many worthless things vying for our attention. The devil is putting all he can into provoking “the lust of the eyes.” (1 John 2:16) That’s not just pornography, though that is a scourge that has destroyed and is destroying many, but it also includes the many things we look at that pull our thoughts and our hearts away from God. It is only in God’s path that we have life, as the psalmist recognized, and the devil constantly seeks to get us off of that path. In the OT, “worthless things” is often used to refer to idols, and modern society offers many idols. Entertainment personalities are even called idols! How many people are distracted by them from the kingdom of God? We are in a time of over stimulation, of people being unable to focus and concentrate because they are constantly distracted. We’ve come up with a “diagnosis” of ADD/HD, but often that is just an excuse. The challenge is to pull our eyes and thoughts away from “worthless things” of all sorts and allow God to fill our hearts, our consciousness, with Himself. That means examining the elements of our daily lives from the perspective of the kingdom of God, to see what is of value and what is not. This is not to say that recreation is wrong, or that entertainment must be excluded. It is, however, to say that we are to lay everything on the table before God and let Him pick and choose, and find our true delight in Him.

Talk about dead on! I am all too capable of spending hours on the Internet, with nothing particularly wrong of itself, but nothing advancing my understanding of God and usefulness to Him, either. I do gain useful information that way at times, but balance is urgently called for. And I’m not nearly as addicted as those I see glued to their mobile devices! I’m not to be a “digital prude,” turning my nose up at the whole category of electronic communications, but I am to keep things as tools, focusing on God and how He wants me to use those things. As a pastor, I need to help others do likewise, and the field is much broader than just electronics.

Father, as I write, I realize I’ve just touched the tip of the iceberg. Show me how I have turned my attention to worthless things, and help me focus fully and consistently on You. I am often stressed, feeling pulled in several directions at once, and focusing more on You is certainly the answer to that. I acknowledge that I have no strength or wisdom to do it properly on my own, so I ask You to do it in and through me, so that I may lead many onto Your path of life, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

November 24, 2011

Posted on November 25, 2011 by jgarrott

Psalm 115:9-11 O house of Israel, trust in the LORD–
he is their help and shield.
O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD–
he is their help and shield.
You who fear him, trust in the LORD–
he is their help and shield.

It is very interesting how the Bible slips in some very important concepts in places we don’t expect them, and are all too likely to overlook. On the surface, this passage seems like a very ordinary admonition to trust God. It is that, but what makes it special is those to whom it is addressed. First of all, there’s Israel, God’s chosen people. The whole OT keeps repeating the refrain of trying to get Israel to trust in Yahweh alone, and not in any of the idols the psalmist has just mentioned. Then there’s the House of Aaron, which is to say, the priests. On one level, we wouldn’t expect the priests to need this admonition, because after all, they’re priests of Yahweh. However, priests are just as human as anyone else. They are attacked by doubts of various sorts, and need to be reminded that God is the answer to everything that confronts them. Then we have the God-fearers. Throughout the Bible this term is used to refer to Gentiles who realize that Yahweh is the one true God, and choose to worship Him. What is so significant here is that exactly the same thing is said about them as about Israel and the House of Aaron. This is what Paul picked up on in Romans 2:11 and elsewhere, when he says that God does not show favoritism. Even Christian Jews in the 1st Century had trouble grasping that, and the Lord had to give Peter a very dramatic vision to get the point across. (Acts 10 and 11) The Gospel is for every human being who will accept it!

As a Gentile myself, this is of course vital to me, and doubly so when I am a missionary pastor. The human tendency is very much to build walls, and I must stand firm against that. After all, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28) It is not that those categories disappear, it is that they make no difference. We love to put people into boxes. An extreme example of that is the Indian caste system. It is extremely upsetting to some upper caste Indians that many lower caste Indians are rising to the top of society simply on the basis of ability. And naturally it is the lowest caste Indians who are most open to the Gospel, because it proclaims God’s equal love to them. Japanese society doesn’t have castes like that, but it is extremely vertical, with different ways of speaking to those who are above, equal, or below you. The Gospel wipes that out too, and many Japanese are uncomfortable with that, even in the Church. I’ve got to proclaim God’s equal love for all, and stand firm at the foot of the cross when people try to put me on a pedestal. I also have to assure those who have low images of themselves that they are as valuable in God’s eyes as anyone else, and that He wants to bless them and use them, if they will trust Him.

Father, You blessed me from childhood with parents who walked in this truth. Thank You. Some have seen me as disrespectful and/or conceited at times because of it. Help me not offend unnecessarily, but keep me from backing down from Your truth. May I be bold and loving in declaring Your Gospel to all who will receive it, so that many indeed may be saved, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

Posted in Christian | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

November 23, 2011

Posted on November 25, 2011 by jgarrott

Psalm 105:44-45 he gave them the lands of the nations,
and they fell heir to what others had toiled for–
that they might keep his precepts
and observe his laws.

God is incredibly gracious and generous, but His gifts always have the purpose of drawing us into right relationship with Him. As has been said, He’s more interested in our character than our comfort. Failing to understand the purpose of His bounty, or the purpose of His discipline, gets us into a lot of trouble. When it comes to bounty, often we make the mistake of thinking God has nothing to do with it, that it’s all a product of our own labors. We fail to understand that it is God who provides the circumstances and the abilities that result in our having abundance. (Deuteronomy 8:18) The other side of that is thinking that we are entitled to all the good stuff God gives us, not recognizing that it’s grace from start to finish. On our own, we aren’t entitled to anything! The news recently has been filled with the results of a distorted sense of entitlement, from the Wall Street protesters who want everything handed to them on a platter to the Japanese corporate chairman, the grandson of the founder, who was just arrested for blowing massive amounts of corporate funds on personal gambling. As today’s passage says, God’s gifts are to teach us to obey Him, not to be proud or lazy.

I haven’t always maintained a steady course on the correct side of this issue. I have been conceited because of the abilities God gave me, and I have expected God to drop things in my lap without my working for them. Neither attitude has turned out well! As a pastor, I need to teach others the truths God has taught me through His Word and through my mistakes, and I must always be careful to apply those truths personally in my own life. I know too well that just because God has taught me something doesn’t mean I always follow it! That said, I am to be gracious, compassionate, and patient with those under my care, because we are disciples together of the same Lord, and we all have room to grow.

Father, thank You for Your abundant provision in every area of life, from finances to abilities to friends to time to everything. Help me make the use You intend of each thing as a faithful steward, growing as You desire into the likeness of Your Son, my Lord and Savior, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

Posted in Christian | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment