March 12, 2010

Exodus 23

Our mayor and one city councilman have been in the news a whole lot over the last six months. If you are from Stillwater, unless your head is buried in the sand, you are aware of the accusations that are flying between them. The mudslinging has been so great that it has resulted in a successful recall petition for the mayor and possibly for the city council member. Both men categorically deny that the charges brought against them are true. Most of us sit back shaking our heads and groaning. What a waste of time and effort and good talent. We wonder what would happen if the same amount of effort went into solving our cities problems as goes into mudslinging. I guess this demonstrates the truth of Proverbs 29:2: When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan.

In this instance I am not even sure that I am going to try to sort out the truth. Obviously somebody, if not both parties, is circulating a false report. It is possible that one of them is totally innocent. Hmm. . . Can we really know if either party is telling the truth? This one thing I know. I can be responsible for myself. I will determine that I will not pass along false reports. I will choose to not cooperate with evil people by telling lies on the witness stand. I will keep myself from joining a crowd that intends to do evil. When it comes to speaking, I will not be swayed in my testimony by the opinion of the majority. If in the pursuit of doing and saying what is right, I am slandered, then I will determine to love the one who slandered me. If I find my slanderer in trouble, I will help him. I will not waste time trying to subvert my slanderer’s progress, but I will take rest. I will spend a little time each day and at least one day a week focusing upon the One who gives me rest.

Why will I do this? I will do this because the One who created me is Truth. He will have nothing to do with falsehood. The One who created me is love. He will not have me hate those whom He loves. The One who created me rests. When I have done what He wants me to do, I have time for rest—no matter what anyone else demands of me. I determine to do these things because the One who created me demands obedience. I fear Him and seek to obey Him. Why? I do it because of His glory. He is true, just, love, rest and demands my obedience. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john

Mark 13:1-20

A couple of years ago while attending our District Conference, we were able to get some free tickets to go tour the Biltmore Estate which was only about 20 miles away. Normally the tickets are in the neighborhood of $38.00 each. So, we jumped at the chance to go. For those of you who do not know, the Biltmore, America’s largest house, was built by one of the richest families in the USA shortly before the turn of the 20th Century. Its opulence is simply stunning. It was built as a summer home in the mountains of North Carolina near Ashville. The master bedroom is bigger than my house. The house includes a swimming pool, bowling alley and gymnasium. The estate was amazing. It made me marvel. I received a taste of what it was like for the disciples when they visited Herod’s temple in Jerusalem.

When we looked at the parallel passage of Matthew 24, we saw the glory of the temple buildings. But Jesus desires that we gaze at a different type of glory. That is why He gives this instruction about His second coming. We desire to live in the glorious temples that are full of beauty. After all, did not Jesus say, “I have come that they might have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” If we define abundant life as the material goods one might posses or the good living situations and relationships into which one may enter, then the disciple of Jesus ought to focus on living in glorious temples. But Jesus has made it clear that life does not consist in the abundance of the things one possesses. It is difficult to embrace that concept day after day, week after week month after month, year after year. But it is nonetheless needful.

The glory of the Lord reveals itself not in buildings but in changing sinful creatures to people who reflect the high moral quality of the Lord. That change is only revealed in adverse circumstances. In the midst of adverse circumstances one who wants to live in the Biltmore will quit. One day the loss of all beautiful buildings will come. Along with it will come the loss of secure nations, security from tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts etc. But in the midst of it all, the Gospel will still go forward, preached by those who don’t focus on the beautiful buildings but rather focus on their beautiful Lord. Now that is glory! Some people have so fallen in love with their Beautiful Lord that they give up the ‘Biltmore’ to proclaim His glory! Not only will they give up the Biltmore, but they will endure war, disaster and martyrdom for Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john