Walking in the Light; February 1, 2025

Posted on February 2, 2025 by jgarrott

1 John 1:6-7 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

This is in many ways a culmination of the months we have been reading passages connected with light. It does no good to talk about it if you aren’t walking in it! There are all kinds of darkness, and all kinds of light. Recently my wife and I have encountered a prophecy over the Internet about “3 days of darkness.” This is obviously something supernatural/spiritual, and it seems to me to be calculated to generate fear and/or anxiety in believers. As it says in the verse ahead of this, there is no darkness at all in God, so we are to rest in the assurance of our life in Christ. There are indeed incredibly dark things in the world, but we aren’t to fear them, but rather resist them. As a song from over 40 years ago says, “Don’t try to drive the darkness out; you just turn on the light.” We are called to be light, not on our own but as reflectors of the light of Christ. I personally like the image of fiber optics, which of course didn’t exist in Biblical times, which transmit light so accurately and effectively that detailed information can be contained in the light. That’s what we are to be in relation to Christ Jesus our Lord. In shining with His light, we are to transmit His truth to people so that they may be set free. (John 8:32) As this passage says, walking in His light enables fellowship, with Him and with one another. When two parties have no fellowship, there is darkness in at least one and probably both. When fellowship is cut off, we need to examine ourselves honestly to identify places of darkness, and if we find them, we need to repent immediately and welcome God’s light, however embarrassing it might be.

This morning I am sharply aware that my wife and I are under spiritual attack, in a variety of ways. That makes this reading very timely! We are to allow God’s light to flood us, submitting fully to Him so that we may firmly resist the devil. (James 4:7) There are a number of things we need to do, and we are not to let the devil confuse us or make us anxious, but faithfully take the next step in each project as the Lord directs. Stress tends to make me irritable, and that certainly interferes with fellowship. It’s been many years since the Lord told me personally to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him, but I’m still learning how to do that! I certainly do not want to say I walk in the light and then fail to do so! Times like this are training, and I am to be grateful for them, giving God the glory.

Father, thank You for this very timely reminder. Help me stand firm against all the lies of the devil and walk boldly in Your light, doing Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Legacy; January 31, 2025

Posted on February 1, 2025 by jgarrott

2 Peter 1:15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

Peter and Paul both were informed by the Holy Spirit that their martyrdom was close, and they responded similarly. Paul had already written the many letters that form half of the New Testament, so he just wrote to Timothy, his dearest son in the faith. Peter had only written one letter that remains at this point, and he did that with the help of Silvanus, who corrected his Greek very beautifully. Here, he had no such help, and the Greek is frankly of poor quality, exposing his Galilean fisherman roots, but he didn’t let such embarrassment hold him back. His overriding concern was that his spiritual children continue in pure faith, just as it was for Paul. Today we have the New Testament fully available, so there isn’t as much urgency in that area, but there are still a lot of heresies and bad actors running around, so we should do all we can to confirm a strong Biblical foundation in those we lead. Just yesterday I watched an interview by Nick Freitas of a woman who had an almost unbelievable experience with a heretical pastor who actively worked to “deconstruct” the faith of believers. I find it fascinating that Nick, who is technically a politician at this point, is so active in ministry in various ways. I’m a big admirer! Since there are such people as that pastor, we do need to be careful that God’s truth is firmly planted in those to whom we minister. We don’t have to write books, but in this Information Age there are all sorts of ways to communicate. The point is that truth needs to be communicated to be applied, and we aren’t going to be around forever to keep reminding people, so we should seek to leave a lasting legacy of faith.

I’ve been publishing this blog since October of 2015, and I now have over 1000 people who receive it daily – whether or not they read it! At 76, I am much more aware of my own time limitations than I was when I was younger, naturally enough, but I have great assurance of the power of the Holy Spirit to seal the truth in the hearts of believers. I’ve made a start on my own autobiography, as a record of God’s grace, but I have let myself be distracted. I still have areas of self-discipline in which I need to grow! As my father recognized 60 years ago, I have a gift for words, and I need to exercise that more faithfully so that more people may receive God’s truth for their blessing. At the same time, I must remain careful that I don’t go spouting off on my own, because that benefits no one. God’s Word is true, but anything that is just mine is worthless.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your incredible faithfulness, even when I am less than faithful. Help me follow through with each thing You show me to do, so that what remains may be Your works, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Who We Are in Christ; January 30, 2025

Posted on January 31, 2025 by jgarrott

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

I almost wrote on a different part of this chapter, but this verse is just too glorious to pass up! This has been very memorably set to music, and I learned it that way many years ago. When I translated it into Japanese I changed the “you” to “we,” making it a faith declaration, and I think it serves that purpose very well. This is the assurance God wants us to have. It isn’t conceit, because the operative agent is God, not man. When we know who and what God has made and called us to be, all sorts of things change. All the trials of this world shrink greatly in perspective, because we know the glory for which we are being prepared. As Paul famously said, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17) This doesn’t mean we look down on others, but rather that we seek to lift them up to the place God has prepared for us all. “Doom and gloom” disappear from our vocabulary, and we eagerly look forward to the next thing God has for us. The scale is different in many respects, but I think what is happening in the US right now is a good illustration. Conservative patriots have a fresh hope, a fresh optimism, and the mood is contagious. In many respects it feels like awaking from a nightmare, and some people are downright giddy. That has its risks, but it has been many years since a national leader has used the term, manifest destiny, in a speech. There are some who despise that way of thinking, but an objective look at the past 250 years of world history shows that the US is indeed unique in a number of ways, and most of them are good. For one thing, the US has sent out more missionaries by far than any other nation. As big as all that is, it is minor compared to what Peter is saying here, and the better we grasp that reality, the more useful we will be to God in establishing His kingdom.

Several years ago I participated in a round table for The Christian Newspaper here in Japan. I think my most important contribution was the statement that when Japanese Christians wake up to who and what they are in Christ, not only the nation, but the whole world will be transformed. I think it’s much like world politics started changing once Donald Trump was elected, even before the inauguration. We have spiritual authority, not on our own but because of who we are in Christ, and the better we exercise that authority, the more God’s will will be done in this earth. I am never to be cocky, but I am never to back down. As James said, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) I am to remember who and what I am in Christ and teach others who they are as well, so that the devil’s schemes may be defeated and God’s will be done, for His glory alone.

Father, thank You for this reminder. As many times as You’ve spoken this to me, I still tend to forget it in practical terms. I ask for Your anointing as I prepare the message notes for Sunday, so that the believers may likewise be encouraged to stand up as who You have created them to be, for their great blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Change; January 29, 2025

Posted on January 30, 2025 by jgarrott

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Every part of James is packed with extremely practical, even hard-hitting, truth, so it’s hard to choose what to write on. However, that can be said for a lot of the Bible, because after all, it’s God’s Word to us! This particular verse is a reminder to be grateful. I’m reminded of a refrigerator magnet we had at one point that said, “Happiness is seeing a beautiful sunset and knowing whom to thank.” The Japanese translation of this verse inserts something I don’t remember seeing in English translations. It specifies that the “shifting shadows” are because of the movements in the heavens, ie. the sun and the moon. God created the light, and the things that give us light, but He Himself does not change, the way we see things change on the physical plane. The physical world changes, no matter how solid and permanent it might seem. Sometimes we see news items of natural landmarks disappearing, because the very forces that created them work to their destruction. There was a cliffside that looked so much like a man’s face that it became a symbol of the state of New Hampshire, but a few years ago that cliffside collapsed, so the “face” exists only in photographs and on car license plates. That’s a good reminder that as He told Malachi, only God doesn’t change. (Malachi 3:6) In the physical world, it has understandably been said that “The only constant is change.” We can’t stop time and entropy. That’s why all the hoopla over “climate change” is such a scam. Everything in the physical world is constantly changing, so we need to fix our hopes and our affections on the only One who doesn’t change. Thankfully, He is incredibly loving and gracious, and delights to give us good things. We just need to remember where they came from!

Once again I am reminded to be grateful for the upbringing I had. My parents were very aware that every good thing came from God, and they raised their children to know it as well. There is a constant tension between knowing that God provides everything good and knowing that we aren’t to be passive. Perhaps the ultimate example of that is expressed very famously by Paul: “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 has provided eternal salvation for us, the ultimate “perfect gift,” but He doesn’t expect us to just sit around, but rather do the good works that He has prepared for us to do. I have some tension with a close friend, because I tend to focus on “God will provide,” and he focuses on “We need to plan and act.” This church has never really set a budget, because we don’t know in advance what God will provide when, and that drives my friend up the wall. I do need to listen to him, but at the same time never forget that God is the One who provides, and so keep my focus on Him.

Father, this is an area where I need to keep growing. Help me grow particularly in hearing You, so that I will indeed do all the good works that You have prepared for me to do, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Qualification for Ministry; January 28, 2025

Posted on January 29, 2025 by jgarrott

Titus 1:7-9 Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

Wow! I wonder how many pastor search committees use this as their guideline for choosing someone? Much less, how many seminary students would there be if this were the requirements for entry? However, the list is not only detailed, it is down-to-earth and practical. We tend to focus on peripherals, such as speaking ability and even physical attractiveness, that ultimately matter very little. I’m reminded of James’ words of caution: “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” (James 3:1) One thing struck me in reading this in Japanese. Where the English says “overbearing” or “arrogant,” the Japanese says, “selfish.” People go into ministry for all sorts of reasons, and many are quite inappropriate. I won’t go into a list of possible motives, but many come to mind. The only essential motive is a desire to follow God and serve Him in full commitment. The Japanese term for “surrender to ministry” (as some groups call it) is kenshin, which means, literally, offering your body. (For reference, kenkin is giving money, as in what you put in the plate on Sunday morning.) Actually, this is something every believer should do, and I have preached to that effect numbers of times, but it is particularly important for all who would be in leadership in the Body of Christ. Without that attitude, the probability of meeting the list of qualities Paul wrote to Titus is very small indeed. No leader – indeed, no human being – is perfect, so we aren’t to be nit-pickers in relation to our leaders, but we are to remember that this is to be the standard and not the exception, and apply this standard to ourselves as well as to our leaders.

I have struggled in every one of the areas in this list, which helps keep me humble! However, I cannot deny the irrepressible urge to speak God’s truth. Every time I open my mouth it tends to be a sermon! However, I’ve got to pay attention and be obedient to the things God speaks through me. I’m not to be a Pharisee, saying the right things but not doing them. (Matthew 23:3) I’ve got to be aware of my own weakness and so teach with gentleness, though with full assurance. God’s Word is true, even if I’m not following it perfectly! I’m not the ideal pastor. A close friend, a retired pastor, said recently that he understands why I’ve always said I’m gifted as a teacher but not as a pastor. However, God is faithful, and He makes up for my deficiencies in various ways. That said, I am to keep watch over myself with this list in mind, not making excuses but walking in repentance, so that the Body of Christ may be built up.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me indeed be the servant You desire, for the sake of those around me and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Assurance; January 17, 2025

Posted on January 28, 2025 by jgarrott

2 Timothy 1:12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.

Paul started his adult life with a lot of confidence in himself, but God kept working on that. He didn’t demolish Paul, making him feel he could do nothing at all, but He showed him over the years that He was able to do anything at all through Paul, but Paul could do nothing on his own. That is a very blessed place to be! God replaced Paul’s self-confidence with assurance that God could, and probably would, do absolutely amazing things through him. We see the same sort of transformation in Moses. Raised in a palace, he had every reason to think he was something special, so God set him to herding sheep for 40 years. He then switched his assignment to herding Israelites! We have the proverbial expression of “herding cats,” but I think Moses’ job was if anything even harder! He made some missteps along the way, but God still used him as one of the pivotal figures in all of human history. The drama of Paul’s encounter with Christ is justly famous, but we don’t necessarily think about the level of transformation that occurred in Paul over the years. This letter is widely considered to be the last he wrote before his martyrdom, so we get a pretty good picture of the “finished product” of all God did in him. Here, we have a concrete statement that God had replaced his confidence with assurance, his pride with gratitude. I think that is the goal of what God wants to do in each one of us, and we should rejoice in all that God allows us to go through toward that end.

I have no idea at what age I learned the hymn that uses this passage as the chorus, but I have loved it for literally as far back as I can remember. Even so, I certainly suffered from an inflated ego. After all, I was the son and grandson of great men, with superb genetics and a host of other advantages. I don’t doubt I was an insufferable little twit! God dealt a huge blow to that pride when I was 24, but that just started the process. He has been incredibly gentle and gracious with me over the years, but He has kept chipping away at my self-confidence, replacing it with assurance of His love and faithfulness. As the Bill Gaither song says, the longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows! For that to happen, my focus has had to shift from me and my environment to Him and His all-sufficiency. It gives me a great appreciation and affinity for what Paul says here. I may have learned that song a long time ago, but I’m finally beginning to really understand it! I have no anxiety about end-of-life issues, because I have complete assurance of what awaits me, even though I know no details of it. What matters is that, like Paul, I know whom I have believed, and that is enough.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the close family friend who graduated into Your presence last week at 93. Thank You for the sister who received Jesus into her heart just before Christmas and is now in the hospital, before she turns 100 next month. However many more days or weeks she has left here, I know I will see her again, not because she is wonderful but because You are faithful. May I indeed let go of everything and just flow with Your Spirit, doing Your will on Your schedule until that leads to my standing before Your throne, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Choices; January 26, 2025

Posted on January 27, 2025 by jgarrott

1 Timothy 6:11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

Life is a succession of choices, though many of them are unconscious. Here Paul is writing to his son in the faith, probably the person dearest to him on earth, about the choices he needs to make. He has just been writing about the thirst for material wealth, which consumes vast numbers of people, and here he tells Timothy to flee all of that, and what he should choose to pursue instead. The qualities he lists here are aspirational; we can’t really generate them on our own. However, if the choice is there, God is faithful to manifest them in and through us. We can’t take pride in them, because they don’t originate in us, but we can certainly choose to seek them and rejoice when God provides them. Frankly, this doesn’t agree with the world’s value system. The world says, “He who dies with the most toys wins,” but they are still dead, and have to face their Creator! The things Paul lists are all intangibles, which means they have value for eternity, in contrast to everything material. We need to have discernment to recognize what is eternally valuable, and seek that. As Jesus said, if we will do so, everything we need materially will be provided to us as well. (Matthew 6:33)

I have never been all that tempted by wealth as such, but I have certainly lusted after various material things that money could buy, such as computers and cameras. God has dealt with me pretty thoroughly on that score, and now, due to a totally unexpected inheritance, I’m about to have funds that logically should be invested. I’m very grateful to have a daughter who’s a banker, because I know nothing about it! My concern is the risk of my values being distorted. I need to be consistent in following Paul’s advice to Timothy, choosing the intangibles and making use of the material to that end. I don’t think I have the strength to do it on my own, but as Paul said, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13) I am to follow the Holy Spirit in choosing God’s kingdom and His righteousness at every turn, knowing that is the way of true blessing.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for yesterday and all it held. It held various unexpected things, but I recognize Your hand in it. Thank You for the wisdom you gave us. Thank You for Your plans for today. I pray for the sister who will be delivering the message, that she would have joy and liberty in letting Your Spirit flow through her. I pray that my interpreting would be accurate and not distracting, so that Your Spirit may flow through me as well. May Your Word accomplish everything for which You send it, in the hearts and lives of all who hear, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Children of the Light; January 25, 2025

Posted on January 26, 2025 by jgarrott

1 Thessalonians 5:5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.

This chapter is well loved for a number of sections, particularly verses 16-21, but there are several others as well. This particular verse was set to music rather memorably around 50 years ago, though sadly, the group that recorded it later got tripped up by the devil’s schemes. They weren’t living out what they were singing! That is a risk for everyone, but particularly those with a public ministry. The better known someone is, the more they become a target, because of how many people they might bring down with them. Paul was thankfully aware of this, and was particularly careful. (1 Corinthians 9:27) In recent memory, Billy Graham famously would not be alone with a woman other than his wife. That was consciously walking in the light! We do have good examples like that of people who walk wisely, and we need to follow them! The light is available to us as the natural domain of all who believe in Jesus, but we need to choose to walk in it. Jesus made several remarks to that effect. It is when we walk in the light that people see the light reflected off of us and are drawn to Jesus, who is the source of all true light.

This is something I can preach on easily, and I have done so many times, but I’ve got to walk it out and not just preach it to others! It is interesting how much allure dark things can have at times. It is sad but not surprising how popular Halloween has become in recent years. That whole trick is nothing new, but I’ve got to be aware of it and resist it firmly. It is very encouraging to me that, at least in the US, light seems to be shining into many of the dark places of the government – and some of them are very dark! The exciting thing is, similar things seem to be happening in many other countries as well. I am to rejoice in that, but not let such things distract me from walking in the light myself. As John said, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7) That is to be my desire and my daily practice, so that nothing will pull me away from fellowship with my Lord and Savior.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You indeed for the light that seems to be shining in Washington D. C. and elsewhere. May I not be distracted by that, but be faithful to walk in Your light myself, so that more and more people may be drawn to repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Kingdom Truth; January 24, 2025

Posted on January 25, 2025 by jgarrott

Colossians 1:13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,

This is a vitally important truth that the devil does all he can to keep us from realizing. Once we acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, we no longer belong to the darkness that is all around us, but we are in the kingdom of God, which is light and life and holiness and all the rest. The problem is, we don’t always feel like it, and we don’t always act like it either. It is a completed transaction for eternity, but we don’t always enjoy the benefits because of ignorance and unbelief. I’m reminded of Paul’s Roman citizenship. It was a valuable, powerful thing, but when it wasn’t recognized by those around him, he didn’t get the benefit. In our case, it isn’t those around us who matter, it is we ourselves who need to realize that we no longer belong to the world, but we belong to Christ. The usual expression is, “there is a world of difference,” but in this case the difference is more than a world, it’s an eternity and an infinity of difference! The more and better we grasp this, the more we will act like it in our daily lives. Paul didn’t know this particular group of believers personally, but he knew Epaphras, who had won them to the Lord, (verse 7) and so he had assurance that they had been taught the truth of the Gospel, and he just wanted to cement that in their awareness. We too, as we grow deeper into Christ, should be praying for others that they would likewise grow in Him, so that together we may walk in all that God provided for us in Him, for His glory.

As a missionary pastor I am charged with helping others know and understand the things of the Kingdom, but I don’t always care so much about groups other than my own. Paul wrote this letter to people he had never met, and he talks about praying for them. I have minister friends literally all over the globe, and I need to be praying for their congregations to grow in knowledge and faith just as I pray for my own. I am certainly subject to human limitations, so I should not accuse myself over this, but I know I will be blessed if I do it. I have a friend in Nepal whom I have known for many years, though we have only met online. He is faithful in much more difficult circumstances than I endure, and I recently contributed to his building fund, but I realize that though I pray for him and his family, I haven’t been praying for his congregation! I also have minister friends in other countries around the world, not to mention here in Japan, so I should be praying for God’s revelation and the power of His Spirit to be poured out on every group. The battle will not be won by the ministers alone, but by the Body of Christ as a whole, and that means the believers. Since I desire that God’s name be recognized as holy and His rule and reign be established as His will is done, then I need to be praying for those who are to be instruments of that happening. If I will do that, then the consummation of God’s plans will come all the more quickly, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this Word. I don’t know that I’ve ever thought of how praying for other congregations would prepare the way for Christ’s return. Help me be faithful in all You show me, so that indeed, Your will may be done fully in and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Shame; January 23, 2025

Posted on January 24, 2025 by jgarrott

Ephesians 5:11-12 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.

As I was reading this it struck me that today, many of the things to which Paul was presumably referring are no longer done in secret, but are rather trumpeted, as points of pride. The whole concept of shame is attacked, as though shame itself were shameful. The devil has indeed blinded a vast number of people to what is going on, and even to what they themselves are doing. (2 Corinthians 4:4) Shame is hardly a comfortable emotion, but it can be a very valuable one. It is an important function of our conscience, and helps keep us from destructive behavior. The problem is, there is a spectrum of emotion from simple embarrassment to shame, and we often don’t hit the right spot on it. Passing gas in public can be embarrassing, but it is a natural biological function that shouldn’t be shameful. However, there is historical record of a Spanish woman a couple of centuries ago who passed gas in church very loudly, and it smelled so bad that, out of the sheer overload of embarrassment, she died on the spot of a heart attack. We have the expression, “I could have died.” Well, she did! That is a perversion of what God intended as something to help keep us in line. The devil tries to get us to feel ashamed of the things of God. That’s why Paul boldly proclaimed, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” (Romans 1:16) Society today totally perverts that There are those who utterly debase themselves for financial gain, or even for “likes” or “clicks” on social media. They are to be deeply pitied, and those who profit off of them opposed at every turn. That is shameful indeed, and I take no joy in reporting it. Shame is in itself a valuable thing, and we must be on our guard against the devil’s perversions of it. When it is properly applied, it leads to repentance and forgiveness, and that is a valuable thing indeed.

I find it interesting that some of my most persistent memories are of embarrassment. Sometimes they flash into my mind at odd moments, and I have to choose to place them under the blood of Jesus, who took the penalty for all my sins. The odd thing is, most of those do not fall into what I would call sin! I need to let the Holy Spirit be in command of all my emotions and judgments, not forcing shame on anyone but not accepting things that God says are shameful. The world today is far from what the Bible depicts as God’s plan, particularly in regard to sex. However, people are waking up. It was interesting that the biggest crowd response during Donald Trump’s inauguration speech was when he said that for at least the next four years, the official position of the US government is that there are only two genders, male and female. People are tired of the nonsense! I am not to depend on “official positions,” but simply apply God’s standards in every area. There is no shame in that!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You that people all over the world do seem to be waking up in a number of ways. I pray that they would not just correct their politics and economics, but genuinely turn to You in repentance and faith, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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