March 25, 2010

Exodus 36

I really don’t know what went into persuading T. Boone Pickens to give his hundreds of millions to OSU for the building of a football stadium and an athletic complex. It must have been a fund raiser’s dream come true. I have tried to help raise funds for a few organizations (and I think most every organization was more worthy than a football stadium and an athletic complex). I wish that I could have raised for those organizations even one tenth of one percent of what was given to OSU. But then that is not where God has placed me. Why was Mr. Pickens so willing to give to OSU? It was because he caught a vision of what the glory of the athletic program at OSU could become. It was important to him.

All the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work he was doing, 5and they spoke to Moses, saying, “The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do.” 6So Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, “Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.” And the people were restrained from bringing, 7for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done—indeed too much.

Granted there were other factors than willingness which account for the abundance of giving. For example there is the ratio of wage earners to the project competing for donated funds. There were about half a million men as part of Israel at this time and only one project. If all the people (every man, woman, child and college student) of the Stillwater area were assessed to give an amount so that the sum would equal Mr. Pickens gift, it would be around $3,000.00 each. In my household of four, that would equal about $12,000.00. I would have to take out a loan paying it back over the course of years, and I would not be a happy camper. Granted, the Israelites probably had to give a much lesser percentage of their belongings, but still they gave willingly. They gave so willingly that they had to be restrained from further giving. Why were they so willing? They seen had a little of the glory of God. They had a vision of a place where the glory of God could be experienced.

Did you know that one day the glory of God will fill the peoples of the earth? When will that day come? Jesus said it would come when the Gospel of the Kingdom was preached as a witness to every ethnos of the earth. Do we have a vision of the glory of God filling the earth? Did you know that if the people who name the name of Jesus in the United States gave ten percent of their income to their churches and another one percent to the fulfillment of the Great Commission that there would not be a single ministry in the U.S.A. or missions sending organization that would go underfunded? Maybe our problem is that people who name the name of Christ really don’t have a vision for the glory of God. What would happen if each of us spent time in the word daily until we saw something of the glory of Christ? What would happen if each of us then shared what we saw of the glory of Christ with someone else on that day? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john

Luke 2:25-52

If you could visit any defining moment of history as an observer, what would it be? If you could meet any great person of history who would it be? Maybe Noah as he came off of the ark? Maybe Nimrod at the Tower of Babel? Abraham when God sent him out of the land? How about Hammurabi as he solidified his law code? Moses at the burning bush or confronting Pharaoh for the final time? Maybe some great moment in Chinese history? David when he defeated Goliath? Nebuchadnezzar when he destroyed the Temple? How about Alexander the Great when his troops refused to go any further at the Indus River? Julius Caesar as he decided to cross the Rubicon? Titus as he destroyed the second temple and crushed the Jewish rebellion? Attila the Hun as he set out to sweep across Asia and Europe? Genghis Khan as he began his conquering quest? William the Conqueror at Hastings? George Washington at Valley Forge? Napoleon at Waterloo? What would you want to observe?

For Simeon it was the new born Jesus. When he saw Him, he declared, “My eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” Most of the people first mentioned above brought death to many and security and wealth to a few others. They are considered to be glorious by some and infamous to others. One thing none of them ever brought was peace with God. They may have brought fleeting happiness to some but it was only fleeting. Many of them certainly brought death and destruction to others. When Jesus came he led no armies. He conquered no lands. He did not re-distribute wealth. He built no castles. He had no palace. The closest thing he had to a coronation was riding on the back of a donkey. Yet as a result of Him more people have found peace with God, meaning in life and true wealth than as a result of all the other conquerors combined! Sinners who once wasted their wealth and abilities on debauchery have become productive citizens. Hospitals have been built, clothing disbursed, food pantries organized. Love is restored because of Him. That is the light Simeon saw. That is part of the glory of our Jesus. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John