August 20. 2010

1 Samuel 12
While I was in Mongolia, I asked a Mongolian who was an expert in economics what Mongolia needed in order to develop economically. The answer surprised me in one way, but in another way, it did not surprise me. Without hesitating, this person replied, “Mongolia has all the resources that it needs to develop economically. What it needs is a government filled with people who will not allow corruption.” That comment could be applied equally well to many of the countries of this planet. Why has the USA been able to become one of the most prosperous countries the world has known? The USA has vast resources for sure, and that is part of it. But other countries, which have not developed, also have vast resources. One of the things that has kept the USA in a position to prosper is a history of a government which exists for the people as opposed to a people which exist for the government. How did this happen? I submit to you that it is the result of a strong Christian heritage. It is a heritage where leaders serve the people and not where the people serve the leaders.
Samuel is an old man. He has spent his life serving and judging his people. He feels that they have rejected him in order to have a king. He wants to make sure that he leaves without any blemish on his record. He asks them a series of questions. The questions all deal with his personal integrity as he has led them over his lifetime. The questions are there to elicit from them that he has not personally benefited by unjustly using his leadership powers over them. The answer was, “you have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man’s hand.” There is the glory of Jesus. He can take the cheating-corrupt-sinful heart of a man and change it. He can take us who would use our leadership to gain unjust advantage over the people we should be serving and make us into people who serve for the sake of serving. Now that is glory! If you do not think so, then look at the corruption found in many of the 3rd world countries. Much of their problem lies not in the lack of resources but rather in the corrupt heart of the leaders. Not so with our Jesus. He will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it pleases Him to make us His people. He will teach us the right way. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

1 Corinthians 3
Boy, talk about mixing metaphors! Paul really mixes them in this chapter. There is the metaphor of the newbirth in Christ and the lack of individual spiritual growth in the church of Corinth. There is the metaphor of a farmer seeking to produce a crop with the church being the crop. There is the metaphor of a builder building a temple. What is the point? The point is the temple of God that He is building, the crop that He is producing, the maturity that He is growing. It is all about Him. One day there is only one thing that will remain--that which pleases Him. The Lord Jesus employs men and women to assist Him in these tasks. However, we should not be enamored with those people, nor their methods, nor our own methods. We dare not boast in past accomplishments in building the church or in other's past accomplishments in building the church or in our methods that have seen success. Everything belongs to the Lord. If there is true eternal fruit to our works, it is only because he has given the increase. Therefore to boast in it is to attempt to steal His glory. Let us boast only in what He has done. It is immaterial through whom He has done it or through what method He has done it. That is why speaking His glory to one another is so important. It keeps us from trying to steal some glory for ourselves. When the church is finally finished and Jesus presents us to Himself as His pure spotless bride, there will be reward for us where we have assisted in the building of His bride. But in the light of the magnificence of His glory, I think we will probably present those rewards right back to Him and say, "We are unworthy servants; we have only done the work we should do.” Christ is the foundation of everything good that we are becoming. Christ is the substance of everything good of the structure we are becoming. Christ will destroy anything that we add that detracts from His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John