True Worship; October 4, 2024

Posted on October 5, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 50:14-15 “Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
    fulfill your vows to the Most High,
and call on me in the day of trouble;
    I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

God has just made it very clear that He doesn’t need anything we could give Him, because it all belongs to Him in the first place, but here He says to give offerings. That makes it very clear that we give to God not because of His need but because of ours. We have a fundamental need to recognize that He is God and we are His creation, not the other way around. To be honest, the vast majority of the gods of all the cultures of history have indeed been human creations, dreamed up by human imaginations. We are born with the impulse to seek God, but for the most part we have failed to do that in honest humility. Of course, the devil has greatly encouraged human misconceptions, because he covets the worship and adoration that only our Creator deserves, so he basks in all worship that is given to less-than-God. That’s why calling on God in our days of trouble is appropriate worship: we are acknowledging that only He can help us, because He alone is God. The first of the 10 Commandments is hardly incidental. If we place anything beside Him, much less ahead of Him, we aren’t recognizing who He is at all. We have the expression “Thank your lucky stars,” but that is actually blasphemy, because we weren’t created by the stars, but by the One who created the stars. Some have said we are “stardust,” because the atoms in us are identical to atoms found in stars, but that is an effort to take God out of the picture, to say we are the result of “natural processes.” We try to wriggle out of accountability any way we can, but it doesn’t change the facts. The 4th verse of When I Survey the Wondrous Cross gets it right: “Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small. Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.” Isaac Watts knew how to worship!

I was raised in a family that knew God and worshiped Him in spirit and in truth. I couldn’t be more grateful for the huge store of songs of adoration and praise that are in my heart and mind. The one I just quoted has come up just recently, causing me to sing it silently as I have gone about whatever I was doing. I want my life to be one of continuous worship, continuous awareness of the One who not only created me, He loved me enough to send His Son to die in my place, and incredibly, He speaks to and through me and uses me for His glory. People around me respond in various ways, with some just thinking I’m strange, some actively opposing me, and some joining me in worship. It is those who join me that encourage me to keep going, to keep pressing in for more of my gracious Lord. I want my life to be so attractive that others will have the courage to believe that God loves them as much as He does me, and so open their hearts to Him in repentance and faith.

Father, thank You for Your truly amazing grace. May I never take it for granted but respond fully, just as Isaac Watts said, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Our Purpose; October 3, 2024

Posted on October 4, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 44:6 I put no trust in my bow,
    my sword does not bring me victory.

We all have the tendency to depend on what we can see and feel, when those things are transitory at best. At times it can become a major test of faith. However, as Paul said, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18) This verse refers to physical battle, but again as Paul said, “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) One of the biggest barriers to people receiving all that God has for them, from eternal life on down to whatever you can think of, is the desire to take credit for our lives, our victories, our salvation. The thing is, we can’t draw a single breath apart from the grace of God. That particular way of putting it occurred to me many years ago, but since then I’ve understood that the universe itself couldn’t exist apart from God’s gracious intent, because physicists can’t explain why atoms hold together without using terms like “spooky.” We are totally dependent on God, but we don’t like that fact, and we rebel against Him. How foolish! The better we understand our place in the scheme of things, incredibly small and insignificant, but at the same time unbelievably loved and counted precious by God, the more we will delight in our weaknesses, because they are reminders of who and what we are, in relation to Who and What God is. This doesn’t remove our accountability to our Creator, but it corrects our perspective and allows us to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him. Paul very famously expressed it as, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:8-10) God created us to do His will, and he equipped each one of us for the tasks He had in mind. Those tasks are unique to each individual, so each person’s gifts are likewise unique. There are similarities among us all, but we are never to think of ourselves as “above” or “below” anyone else because of our differences. There is no room for either pride or jealousy in God’s kingdom! We are to keep pressing in for more of God, and He does continue to give more to those who are faithful with what they already have, but the glory is always His.

This is of great importance to me, because God started me out with a fairly unusual set of abilities, and I thought I deserved them! Depending on my gifts (instead of on God), I looked down on those who didn’t have them, and so became utterly foolish. I had to learn that my “bow” and my “sword” weren’t the true source of my successes. Humility is so much better than pride that I don’t have words to express it! God has had work for me to do, and I have done some of it. I don’t know that I’ll ever know all that He wanted me to do that I failed to do! At this point I am very aware that my time to keep serving God on this earth is limited, but then, it’s limited for every human being. One of my tasks is to help others understand that they too were created for a purpose by a God who loves them, and the more I succeed at that task, the happier my Creator will be. It’s clear that I can’t do that by my own strength and wisdom, but it’s also clear that God can use even me to get the job done, so I am to keep myself available.

Father, thank You for this reminder. This doesn’t seem like just a Sunday message, it seems like a whole series! Help me express what You are saying to Your people so that they will receive it with joy, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Guidance; October 2, 2024

Posted on October 3, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 43:3 Send me your light and your faithful care,
    let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
    to the place where you dwell.

This Psalm is demonstrably the last part of Psalm 42, but for reasons unknown got separated at some point. Be that as it may, the chorus that appears in 42:5 and 11 and again in 43:5 is certainly one to remember anytime we are tempted to depression. People sometimes laugh at the practice, common in the Psalms, of addressing yourself, or your soul, but it is actually extremely practical, since we have conflicting “voices” within us. That said, that is still a “self-help” practice, and in the final analysis we are unable to save ourselves. This verse, however, puts the focus where it rightly belongs, on God. As everyone has experienced, light is important for guidance, especially when the surroundings are dark. That’s what lighthouses are all about! An old hymn says, “Lead, kindly light, amid the encircling gloom.” Sometimes we think we see the way ahead pretty clearly, but we never see it as well as God does, so this prayer is always appropriate. Many translations say “truth,” where the NIV says “faithful care.” We also have difficulty distinguishing what really is true, so asking God for His truth is a good idea too. It’s interesting that the Japanese uses a term for “truth” that implies faithfulness, trustworthiness, as in the hymn, “I would be true, for there are those who trust me.” God’s truth goes beyond facts to His character, and so is an absolutely reliable guide. We need to let our awareness of Who and What He is confirm our destination within us, just as this verse says, so that we won’t be deceived by the “dead ends” (literally) the world and the devil offer us.

I have occasionally had difficulties with direction, but I have found God to be an absolute reliable guide. “God Positioning System” is the best! I encounter people all the time who are largely aimless, and it is my privilege to introduce them to the One who is both the supreme Guide and the ultimate destination. I have prayed this verse, even if not in exactly these words, many times, and I seek to teach others to pray them as well. Preaching down at people never works, so I need to come alongside them and encourage them to receive and accept the guidance God provides, so that they may walk out of the devil’s traps and into the abundant life that Jesus came to give us. (John 10:10)

Father, thank You for this reminder. I’ll be having a call today from a young Christian, and I feel he is probably wanting guidance. Keep me from speaking out of my own head, but rather point him to listen to You. Help him indeed get in step with Your Spirit, not only in where he walks but how he walks, so that he may grow as Your child and draw many more to You as well, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Storms; October 1, 2024

Posted on October 2, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 38:3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
    there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.

Thinking about this Psalm, two thoughts come to mind. The first is to wonder how often and with what diseases David was sick, since there are several Psalms that talk about this sort of thing. The second is to be impressed that someone in David’s position, as king, would be so open about his frailty, since this Psalm seems to have been used in public worship. Today we seldom think about diseases as having any relationship to our behavior before God, and I think that’s a real loss. For that matter, modern society likes to ignore the consequences of sin as much as possible, and is loath to connect “natural disasters” to sin at all. Making a 1 to 1 correlation is probably wrong, but saying there is no connection is denying the justice of God. In the recent hurricane in the US, Asheville, North Carolina was very hard hit. It came immediately to my mind that Asheville has been recorded recently as one of the most leftist cities in the state. Something like this could and should wake people up to practical realities, and leftist ideology certainly doesn’t strike me as practical. On the other side of that, this hurricane spawned tornados in Virginia, and a dear friend recorded one heading straight for her, then lifting off the ground and completely missing her house and livestock, before coming back down to work more destruction. Again, those that did suffer loss have been given the opportunity to consider what is really important, and what isn’t. With such a huge storm, the loss of life, though significant, seems remarkably low to me. We need to have the humility to ask God to show us what our actions have brought upon us, and not be so eager to transfer blame to anyone or anything else.

This is an awkward subject for me, because I am remarkably healthy for my age, but my wife, certainly no less holy than I am, has quite a list of physical issues. In her case, I come back to Paul’s experience of asking for healing three times, and then being told that God’s grace was all he needed. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) Her strength in the middle of physical weakness is amazing to all who know her. I am not to go around accusing people, but I am to encourage them to consider whether their attitude toward God has invited whatever they are going through. Personally, I’m never to presume I’m right. That’s a hard one! I am also to receive correction with gratitude – which isn’t easy either. A non-Christian neighbor comments on my posture at times. I’m not to be defensive, but grateful. Poor posture leads to all sorts of problems! More than physical posture, however, I need to seek to be straight in God’s eyes, not bent by the world and my appetites. I am to remember and proclaim that God is gracious and loving, but that love includes discipline, and seek to recognize and learn the things God is teaching me.

Father thank You for this reminder. I do pray Your grace and mercy for those impacted by the hurricane, but people are caught up in storms of all sorts all the time. May I be an agent of Your grace and mercy to all, whatever the nature of their storm, so that the plans of the devil may be defeated and people brought to wholeness in You, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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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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