Attitude; July 19, 2024

Posted on July 20, 2024 by jgarrott

Proverbs 28:9 If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction,
    even their prayers are detestable.

This verse kind of hit me between the eyes! It doesn’t matter how pious we might seem, if our hearts aren’t committed to obedience, then we are despicable. This is the big argument Jesus had with the Pharisees of His day, and human nature hasn’t changed. We go through assorted motions, thinking they qualify us for heaven, when God is always looking at the attitude of our heart. If we are set in our ways, always choosing whatever we think will advance our agenda rather than listening obediently to God, then He wants nothing to do with us. That actually breaks His heart, because He loves us enough to die for us, but if we ignore Him, what can He do? That is a big part of the mystery of free will. God did not create robots, or even pets; He created children, and generally speaking, children are not by nature obedient. If we want our prayers to be heard, we need to have the right attitude in the first place! God is incredibly gracious, and sometimes prayers get answered almost by accident, as it were, but if we want a consistent relationship with Almighty God, our hearts have to be lined up with Him in grateful obedience.

Of course I’m talking to myself here. I like to pray, and will do so at the drop of a hat, having grown up in a home where prayer was as natural as breathing. That’s why this verse hit me so hard. I cannot assume that because I can use words in a way that moves and impresses others, that those words go any farther than the ceiling. My heart has to be submitted to my Lord before my words are acceptable before Him. My heart attitude must be one of grateful obedience, or I am just playing a game. Over the years I have had real problems with this, with a level of spiritual pride that makes me shake my head just to think about it. I am not to presume on past encounters with my Lord, but always seek to hear and obey Him in every situation. That’s not automatic! Now that I have retired from school teaching, I need to be active and intentional in seeking God’s direction as to the use of my time, doing His will on His schedule for His glory, as I often pray to do. Just because I succeeded in doing that before doesn’t mean that I don’t need to stay focused right now. There are countless distractions, so I’ve got to let Holy Spirit be in charge, and rejoice to go along for the ride.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Feeling like I need to walk to maintain my physical health is awkward in this weather, because I come back soaked with sweat, which doesn’t leave me presentable for the visitation I feel is also on the schedule. Likewise, I need to write out Sunday’s message notes and draw up the August Scripture list for the church, and the heat is distracting from that. Help me hear what You say to me about my use of each moment, so that I will indeed do Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Pride; July 18, 2024

Posted on July 19, 2024 by jgarrott

Proverbs 21:4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart—
    the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin.

In reading this verse this morning I felt I was to write on it, but then I checked other translations, and was shocked! The ESV and the Japanese agree, but the NIV is very different. One of the difficulties of Hebrew is that it is written in consonants, with vowels indicated with marks like punctuation. That can lead to such things as the long-held misunderstanding that the name God gave for Himself to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14) was Jehovah, when the current understanding is that it was Yahweh. That, coupled with the fact that every language has homophones, words that sound the same but with different meanings, and you get what we have here. Where the ESV and the Japanese say, “the lamp/flame of the wicked,” the NIV says “the unplowed field of the wicked.” That threw me for a loop! In any case, the point that caught me as I read is that pride and haughtiness are sin. Recent news events are what made this jump out at me. Every human being is deeply flawed, which is why we need a Savior. However, God allows events in our lives to point those flaws out to us and give us opportunity to repent. One of the most polarizing people in the world today is Donald Trump. He was the darling of the media and the “glitterati” until he became a politician espousing common-sense changes to the system. Those policies gave him quite a following, but his pride, his reaction when attacked, has been an issue that has made him hard for many to accept. Yesterday, watching video from the Republican National Convention, I saw a very different Donald Trump. Coming within millimeters of having his head blown open seems to have knocked the haughtiness out of his eyes, and that is a very good thing indeed. From the very first reports after the assassination attempt, he has seemed to be very aware that God spared his life, and it looks like he has repented of his pride. If that is indeed the case, it is a very good thing indeed, both for him and for the nation, not to mention the world. The spiritual battle is intense, even when it doesn’t spill over into physical violence, and we are not immune from deception. We need to stand strong, but not in pride. As James said, we must submit first to God, and then resist the devil. (James 4:7) From that position of humility and strength, we are to pray for our leaders and for our neighbors, that the lies of the enemy may be defeated and God’s rule and reign be established, for His glory.

I didn’t like Donald Trump at all when he was simply a media personality, but his policies as president won me over. That said, I continue to be amazed at the depth of Trump Derangement Syndrome I see displayed with great intensity, even by my own relatives, and very intelligent relatives at that. I have come close to serious rifts with people who are very dear to me, and that pleases no one but the devil. Of all people, I should be aware that pride is sin, period, and walk in loving humility, without letting go of the truth. We live in a sinful world, but we are no longer of the world (John 17:14-15) and I must not act like the world. I have no wisdom or strength to get it right on my own, but God is able to do anything, and I am to be fully submitted to Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I get very upset at the blindness of people I love, but I have certainly been blind about a lot of things. May I continue to grow as You intend, extending Your grace and love to those around me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Marriage; July 17, 2024

Posted on July 18, 2024 by jgarrott

Proverbs 18:22 He who finds a wife finds what is good
    and receives favor from the Lord.

With the high rate of divorce, there are some who would dispute this verse. However, I am convinced that comes from a misunderstanding of marriage in the first place. I touched on this just a few days ago, but marriage must have mutual commitment, respect, intimacy, and forgiveness in order to be all that God intends it to be. For that to happen, we’ve got to be humbly yielded to God first, and then to each other. Right at the beginning of his famous treatise on marriage, Paul says, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21) Men tend to make a big deal of the following verse, that explicitly says the wife is to submit to her husband, but they overlook this verse. There must be a fundamental humility on both sides for it to work out as God intends. If the attitude toward God isn’t right, then the attitude toward each other isn’t going to be right either. In society today, the physical relationship often comes first and is taken for granted, trivialized even, without the commitment and respect that must underly it. It is tragic to go on the Internet and see girls bragging about their “body count,” when God created them for a committed, monogamous relationship. Men have tended to be that way from time immemorial, but they too miss out on a great deal when they fail to be emotionally and physically committed to one wife. The explosion of pornography has certainly contributed to the decline in marital satisfaction and happiness, and that’s another whole treatise. The devil hates marriage for many reasons, and he does all he can to tear it down. Having a Biblical marriage is an important part of resisting him. (James 4:7)

With a 55-year track record so far, I’m grateful to say that God has indeed given me a very good thing in my wife. As I tell couples consistently in marriage counseling, I consider marriage to be God’s 2nd greatest blessing, after eternal life itself. I also tell them that it is the biggest job of their life, and it carries the greatest rewards. I have seen many tragedies that have come from one or both partners placing something ahead of their spouse. The most common things that become idols are job/career and children. However, retirement comes eventually, and children grow up and leave home. Misplaced priorities will always result in sorrow and loss. My children have been gone from home for many years now, and I have finally retired from teaching, but I’m still living joyfully with the partner suited for me, (Genesis 2:18) and I am deeply grateful.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for Your incredible grace to Cathy and me. May we continue to be an example and inspiration to those who see us, so that the lies of the devil may be defeated in more and more homes, for Your will to be done for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Humility Before God; July 16, 2024

Posted on July 17, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 143:8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
    for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
    for to you I entrust my life.

Many of David’s Psalms seem to have been written as part of his morning devotions, but this one seems like it might have been at night, looking forward to God meeting with him the next morning. English translations tend to say “unfailing love” or “steadfast love” here, but the Japanese says “grace.” The Japanese word for grace has strong overtones of blessing, and is often used explicitly with that meaning, so the whole business of going between languages can get complicated! Whatever the terminology, David knew that he could expect good things from God, and he needed a pick-me-up. We can have the same assurance as we pray, but like David in the first verses of this Psalm, we need to realize that we are dependent on God’s mercy, because we can’t stand in our own righteousness. Humility before God is essential! However, if we have that, trusting in God as David did, we can indeed expect good things from God, because He delights to do good things for His children.

I think my current humility before God is in a way a result of the pride I once had. God showed me that pride in an instant, and it absolutely crumbled before Him. We all tend to think we are right, that we are justified in what we do and have done, when that is never 100% the case. It’s not that everything we do is bad or wrong, but that we never have a perfect track record. I still have the tendency to think I’m right, period, and a certain element of that is necessary, I think, to avoid constantly dithering in indecision, but I’ve got to keep remembering that God’s smart and I’m not, regardless of my IQ. I need to be actively seeking Him and His will for me constantly, not resting on past encounters but knowing there is always more. As has been said, I’m not to expect a fresh assignment from God until I’ve completed the last one He gave me. At the same time, I need to be willing for Him to lead me in ways I’ve never gone before, because His plans are always better than mine.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for what You brought me through yesterday, and for what You have planned for today. I only know part of that at this point, but I know I can trust You and Your plans for me. May I be Your agent to accomplish Your will, on Your schedule, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Yielding Our Way to God; July 15, 2024

Posted on July 16, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 142:3 When my spirit grows faint within me,
    it is you who watch over my way.

The attribution of this Psalm says it was written when David was “in the cave,” that is, fleeing from Saul. That was indeed a very rough period in David’s life, but God allowed it to teach him to trust Him completely. Here David is honest enough to say that emotionally, he is about ready to give up. However, he remembers that God hasn’t forgotten him, and He knows both where David is at the moment and where David should go. That’s true for us, too, and it should be as great a comfort to us as it was to David. When we are self-centered, all we can see are the problems around us and our own inability to solve them. When we lift our eyes to see the Lord, we recognize that our problems are mighty small compared to Him. The difficulty comes in believing that He really cares, and He isn’t mean. One of the devil’s favorite lies is that God is a bully. Any time that thought enters our head we need to recognize where it comes from, and reject it immediately. God’s loving plan for us probably includes some mountains to get over and some jungles to get through, but in doing that, in following God’s path for us, we grow and are strengthened in ways that would never happen otherwise. I keep coming back to the fact that Jesus expressly said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Those troubles aren’t accidents, any more than Jesus’ cross was an accident, but considering the outcome of Jesus’ cross, we can anticipate what blessings will come from our own troubles. (2 Corinthians 4:17) God knows our way, and in His plan, it is ultimately a very good way indeed.

This is a lesson I have been preaching for quite a few years, but I feel like I am finally learning it. What a relief! Releasing everything to God, however good or bad it feels in the moment, removes a huge amount of stress. I know what it’s like for my spirit to fail within me, and it’s no fun. I don’t know what God has for me around the corner, but I know the final destination is absolutely fabulous. When Jesus could endure the cross for the joy that was set before him, (Hebrews 12:2) I can endure anything I might encounter because of what lies ahead for me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. We’ve just lost people close to us, and there are more we could lose any day. I’m not to be morbid about any of it, but remember our mortality and rejoice in it, because the next life is far better than this one. Thank You for how blessed You have made this one for me! May I be a channel of Your grace and comfort to those around me, so that they too may rejoice in You regardless of their circumstances. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Covering; July 14, 2024

Posted on July 15, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 140:7 Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer,
    you shield my head in the day of battle.

This is linguistically a very interesting verse. Different translations render it differently. Most English translations say something about “day of battle,” or something similar, but the Japanese I use says, “the day I take up my weapons.” In that context, saying that “You shield my head,” or “covered my head,” is directly equivalent to saying, “You are my helmet.” The imagery of a “helmet of salvation” is used even in the New Testament. (Ephesians 6:17) Covering the head is also a sign of authority, or of submission to authority, as in crowns and the Jewish yarmulke. Here, it is God doing the covering, and David is simply receiving. Even today helmets are considered an essential item of battle gear, and they have saved countless lives. We need to receive the whole armor Paul talked about in Ephesians 6, knowing that in the world today, we are certainly in “the day of battle” every day, and stand up as God’s warriors for the sake of those around us, for His glory.

I spent two years in the US Army, courtesy of the draft, but by God’s grace I was sent to Hawaii rather than Vietnam. I am familiar with helmets, in that context and also in riding motorbikes. That said, I have been in far more dangerous situations spiritually than physically, and I must remember my spiritual covering at all times. As a missionary, I had a period of thankfully just a few years when I had no one regularly praying for me, and my focus went out the window. God had to deliver a strong Word of correction to me, and then take me away from Omura for four months to foster spiritual connections before bringing me back. Now, the Internet allows me to maintain communication with prayer warriors around the world, and I am grateful. I am also in the position of providing prayer covering for quite a few people, again, around the world. Physical distance makes no difference to God! I am to receive covering from others and provide it to others, recognizing that God is the ultimate source of all covering, and maintaining my full submission and obedience to Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I have two families that are under intense attack at this point, and several more that are in lesser danger. Help me be faithful in prayer, that they may be covered indeed and all the plans of the enemy be foiled, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Forgiveness; July 13, 2024

Posted on July 14, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 130:3-4 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
    Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
    so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

The Japanese here includes something that I think is an interpolation, but it’s not unreasonable. It says, “who could stand before You.” It is certainly true that if God had not created a mechanism through the sacrifice of His Son for the forgiveness of sins that no one could come into His presence, because absolute holiness cannot tolerate sin. I often use the illustration of matter and antimatter, but in that case, both are destroyed by the contact. In the case of sinful beings and absolute holiness, it is only the sinful beings that are destroyed. The Psalmist here didn’t know just how God would provide absolution, but he knew that it was real, and he rejoiced by faith. It is interesting that he says, “Therefore You are feared.” (This latest iteration of the NIV changes that a bit.) At first glance, fear might seem to be a strange response to forgiveness, but that just shows our limited grasp of “the fear of the Lord.” This is an awareness of His power, certainly, and that we deserve destruction, but it is both deeper and broader than that. It includes a level of respect and honor that is sadly lacking in modern society in general. American culture in general is so focused on equality that we tend to think we are equal with God! People have widely different levels of ability, responsibility, and authority, but all of that becomes totally insignificant when compared to God. That God is able to forgive sin, to erase it from the record, is a sign of His power and authority that nothing else can equal.

I remember once having a Japanese person be terribly offended by my telling them I forgave them. In their view, that meant I was placing myself on a much higher plane than them, to dispense forgive­ness. The New Testament blows that out of the water in many places, with Jesus explicitly saying that if we don’t forgive one another, we won’t be forgiven by God. (Matthew 6:14-15) I deal with forgiveness a great deal in marriage counseling, understandably, I think. Several years ago I heard a snippet of a podcast, from Focus on the Family, I think, where a guest mentioned something very briefly, because of time restraints, and that has stayed with me and become a pillar of my marriage counseling. I wish I had some idea of who it was, but all I remember is that it was a woman. They said that the four levels of the foundation of a good marriage were, in turn, Commitment, Respect, Intimacy, and Forgiveness. Meditating on that, the Lord has greatly expanded it, and I have included it in a booklet I wrote that I use in marital counseling, calling it Successful Marriage, but I wish I knew whom to attribute it to! In any case, forgiveness is absolutely essential, not only for marriage but for all of life. And of course, all human forgiveness is based on the reality that God is a forgiving God, and His forgiveness is essential to every one of us.

Father, thank You for this reminder. This passage has struck me before, but Your Word keeps giving me fresh insight! Help me rejoice in Your forgiveness and extend it to others, so that they too may repent and believe for their salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Respect; July 12, 2024

Posted on July 13, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 123:3 Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us,
    for we have endured no end of contempt.

This is an interesting, brief Psalm. It rather goes against the little rhyme most English-speakers learn as children: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Words can be very painful indeed! The Psalmist is suffering from contempt, and that’s not a minor issue. Every human being has a fundamental need to be respected, to be valued as a human being, an individual, and the lack of that can truly cut deep. Sometimes it’s a matter of perception, and some people are certainly thin-skinned, but it is without question something to cry out to God about. That’s because God values every one of us immensely, and the better we grasp that, the more insulated we are against the contempt of human beings. That doesn’t mean that any of us is the center of the universe or anything like that, but it does mean that God considers each one of us worthy of sending His Son to die for us. That means we are worthy of respect! A lack of respect can be fatal to relationships, specifically including marriage. I am grieved to see movies and TV shows that portray the husband and father as a buffoon, an object of ridicule, because I have seen homes torn apart by that very attitude. Men in particular have respect as one of their highest emotional needs, and a man who is not respected by his wife is quite likely to find another woman who will respect him, or at least make him feel like she does. It is very significant that in the famous passage on the marital relationship in Ephesians 5, the man is commanded to love his wife and the woman is commanded to respect her husband. Paul wasn’t married, but God revealed to him how these things work. To be frank, there are various activities that aren’t worthy of respect, but we need to strive to separate the person from the activity. As the saying goes, “Hate the sin but not the sinner.” I have even seen evangelists who didn’t seem to respect the people to whom they were proclaiming the Gospel! That is certainly counterproductive!

I think I have felt respected most of my life, though I did have some nasty nicknames at different points in my childhood that served to toughen my skin a bit. I have also been a bit on the other side of that sort of thing, with pride making me look down on others. That is certainly sin on my part! I need to remember that every person I encounter is someone for whom Christ died, and treat them accordingly in my words and actions. Only then will they be able to see God’s love through me and be drawn to Him for repentance and faith.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s not an issue I think about very often, so thank You for the article recently that mentioned it in the marriage context. Help me be an accurate representation of Your attitude toward everyone I meet, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Depth of the Word; July 11, 2024

Posted on July 12, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 119:130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
    it gives understanding to the simple.

Different translations render the image in the first part of this verse differently, with “unfolding” common in English translations, but the Japanese says “when the door opens.” I like that, because the Bible is in many ways like the magical wardrobe in the Narnia books, leading deeper and deeper into things not previously imagined. In the second half of the verse, where English translations say “simple,” this Japanese translation says “shallow,” and the word for “understanding” is satori, made famous by Buddhism as “enlightenment.” Many, if not most, people are actually quite shallow in their understanding of the great themes of life, not because they don’t have the capacity to understand, but because they never think of them. Reading the Bible forces us to think about those things, which may well be why some people avoid the Bible! Actually, the devil likes things that way, because shallow people are easy for him to snare. When we get into the Bible, and let it get into us, we are far better equipped and enabled to follow God and resist the devil, just as James famously said. (James 4:7) Parts of the Bible are fairly easy to understand, particularly those relating to Jesus being the Savior, like John 3:16, but the depth of it is essentially infinite. That’s why it’s like the wardrobe leading into Narnia! There is always more to learn, more to gain, if we will allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into His Book.

I first read all the way through the Bible by the time I was 10, but I keep getting new insights. The highest compliment ever paid to me is that I’m addicted to the Bible! I can’t think of a more beneficial addiction! It is not unusual for me to be having a conversation in which I say something very matter-of-factly, and the person I’m talking to suddenly looks like I hit them over the head, or in the stomach. They say, “That’s deep!” but to me it’s simply obvious. I can’t take pride in that, because it’s only by God’s grace, and indeed, it makes me a poor evangelist because I’m not very skilled at laying the foundation for the deeper things. As my blog demonstrates, I open the Bible physically every morning, and God’s Spirit opens it to me spiritually, and opens my heart to it. I think that last part is key, because without a love for God and His Word, that Word can have a hard time penetrating. As I have commented many times, I feel like James 1:22 was written for me: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” I will not gain enlightenment, to go back to the verse in Psalm 119, without a heart that is committed to doing what the Lord says to me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me keep growing in taking in Your Word and making it part of me, so that I may share that Word with others in ways they can receive it, to allow it to transform us all, for Your glory. (Isaiah 55:10-11) Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Death; July 10, 2024

Posted on July 11, 2024 by jgarrott

Psalm 116:15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
    is the death of his faithful servants.

This verse is very famous, but I think it is greatly misunderstood. I think the misunderstanding comes from combined human weaknesses. In the first place, we tend to fear death. People will go to enormous lengths to try to avoid it, even though it is inevitable. The second problem is human greed. If something is precious, we want more of it, so we read this as God wanting more of His saints to die! The third issue is the word, precious. For many people today, that word brings up images of Golum in Lord of the Rings, muttering about the One Ring as “my precious.” That’s not wrong (Tolkien was a very careful wordsmith) but it still misses the point. “Precious” means not simply value, but importance and emotional connection. Put very simply, this verse says that God never takes the death of one of His children lightly; it is a matter of great significance. On one level that seems rather odd, because for the believer, death is simply a transition from this world to the next, but then, we treat other transition points, such as graduation or marriage, as being of great significance. I think it helps in understanding this verse to contrast it with the attitude of some governments toward death. It was Stalin who said, “Five deaths is a tragedy. Five million deaths is a statistic.” Dictatorial regimes have always been casual with the lives of their subjects, seemingly forgetting that if everyone dies, there’s no one to rule over! God is the opposite of that, caring deeply about each individual, and we should rest in that assurance.

I have long had a somewhat unusual relationship with death, and I’m not entirely sure why. Part of it comes from being steeped in the Gospel from my birth, and thus having a solid assurance that this life isn’t the end. I don’t think I ever saw a dead human body before that of my grandmother, when I was in college. I was quite familiar with death itself, since my family always had pets, and so I knew well what grief was. Also, I killed countless frogs, lizards, and snakes as I was growing up, since our house was in a rural area at that point. (I didn’t think insects counted.) As a pastor, I have lost count of how many people I have “seen off,” though some stand out in my memo­ry. Right now, we are essentially waiting for when the Lord says, “It’s time,” for one 87-year-old lady. The longer I live, the more I am convinced that the most important question about death is whether we have fulfilled the purposes for which God put us here in the first place. Do we have a close relationship with Him? Have we done the things that He prepared for us to do? (Ephesians 2:10) If the answer to those two questions is yes, then physical death is something to be looked forward to, and I do (though I’m not in the least suicidal). My biggest purpose is in bringing as many people as possible to the repentance and faith that will give them the same assurance I have.

Father, thank You for this timely reminder. I do pray for that lady and for her son. I pray that everything about her passing, whether it is today or years from now, would be exactly as You have planned, for their blessing and as a testimony to Your grace and faithfulness. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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