June 7, 2010

Deuteronomy11

When I was eight years old, through hearing the preaching of the Word of God, I realized that I needed to be saved from my sin. It was His glory to demonstrate my need for a Savior. It was His glory that His Spirit convicted me of that need through the preaching of the word. It was to His glory that I believed and received the Savior. In the decades that have followed I have been learning to love Him. I have not completely arrived yet, but I am working on it. In our culture we are quick to say that we love something or someone. But the Lord says here and other places that our love is only as strong as our obedience to His commands. Because He loves me, He chastens me. Sometimes that chastening is designed to force me to see my own heart as to how much I really love Him. To His glory it is designed so that once I see my heart, I will trust Him to change my heart. Through the decades I have learned of His great love. My learning has not come apart from His Word or His Spirit. That is what this chapter is all about. No we no longer need tie literal packages of His word to our forehead. You see we have His written word. But like the Israelites, we need daily to be tied to His word allowing His Spirit to teach us and change us and mold us. When that truly happens, it is to His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john



John 17
This chapter is often spoken of as "Jesus' High Priestly Prayer." He intercedes for His disciples before His travail in the Garden and His arrest. His theme and passion seems to be His glory and His desire to share it with us. I see three things that He asks concerning His glory.

First, in 1-4, 10 He asks to be glorified because He is about to complete the mission for which He came to earth. After dying and rising again on our behalf, to purchase eternal life, the Father is going to give Him all authority in Heaven and Earth. Jesus has the authority to give eternal life to as many as the Father gives Him. His glory is increased as He gives eternal life. He is worthy of the reward for whom He died.
Second, in 5 He asks to regain the glory He had with the Father before the world was. Indeed, before He added the nature of a perfect man to His person, He was in the form of God. As such, He was constantly adored as holy. (See the June 1 meditation). On this earth He was scorned, despised and rejected. But now that He has returned to heaven, He once again is adored by all the creatures in heaven.
Third, in 22,24 He asks for us to share in His glory. Can you imagine that? We can share in His glory, the glory of the King of the Universe, the maker of all things, the one who has all authority. Think about this: if part of His glory is doing what it takes to give us eternal life, if He has left us with the command to make disciples in all nations, then how do you think He wants us to share in His glory?
Our King is worthy of His glory! Let us share in it with Him! Speak His glory to someone today!