December 29

2 Chronicles 34
Manasseh set into motion the straw that broke the camel’s back. Although he later repented, the nation did not repent. His son, Amon, reaped the bitter rewards of Manasseh’s early life. Amon was evil also. He became king at the age of 22. He was so evil that he was assassinated after only 2 years of reigning. So Amon’s son, Josiah, became king as an 8-year-old. That means that he was born when Amon was probably around 16 years of age. It is possible that Josiah was 6 when Manasseh died. As an 8-year-old, Josiah began to do what was right in the sight of the LORD. Where did he learn that? The text does not say. Maybe Manasseh saw how he had ruined Amon. Maybe Manasseh communicated that to Josiah. Maybe Josiah saw the evil in his own dad and knew of the change in his grandfather. Maybe Josiah realized that he needed a different path than the path which his father took. Maybe his mother taught him. At any rate, Josiah never had a copy of the Scriptures until he was 26-years-old. So how did he know how to do what was right in the sight of the LORD?
We are told that it was in the eighth year of his reign that he began to seek the God of his father David. He was 16 years old. Amon was 16 when Josiah was born. Do you suppose that knowledge triggered something in himself to drive Him to seek the LORD? Do you suppose on his 16th birthday that his mother reminded him that Amon was 16 when Josiah was born? He had 10 years to go before he would get his own copy of the Law of Moses. How did he know to do what was right? When he was 20, he began to purge the country of false gods and images. When he was 26 he ordered the repair and remodeling of the temple of the LORD.
During the remodeling process, the priests found the Law of Moses and sent it to Josiah. The king had the Law read. Having heard it, he repented and sent to inquire of the prophetess to find out what should be done. Maybe that is how he knew what was right and how to seek the Lord. Maybe not. At any rate, now he had heard the Law. Now there was not excuse. I cannot help but think that this is a marvelous example of how God is so gracious that He will move heaven and earth to bring a knowledge of Himself to someone who truly wants to know Him. The truth is that we really do not seek after Him as we ought to seek after Him, but for that rare person who does seek Him, He brings them to Himself, eventually bringing them His written word.
Manasseh brought the final judgment upon the nation. Josiah temporarily stayed the hand of judgment because he sought the LORD. Furthermore, the LORD said to him, “Because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you Surely I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place and its inhabitants.” Wow what mercy!
Lord indeed you have extended such mercy toward me. Even when I did not seek you, you gave me Your word! You do not give me what I deserve, rather You give me Yourself! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

December 28

2 Chronicles 33
I am amazed at the mercy of our Lord! No one was ever as wicked as Manasseh. He even made his own son pass through the fire, i.e. sacrificed him on a pagan altar. Not only was he personally wicked, but he also seduced “Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel.” How could a man who had such a great father go so far astray? But obviously he went astray. But God disciplined him greatly. The king of Assyria came and took Manasseh into captivity. There he was disciplined. As the passage says:
12 Now when he was in affliction, he implored the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, 13 and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.
Isn’t that amazing? God would forgive a man who was such a low life! Indeed our God is a marvelous king! He forgives Manasseh and He forgives me! Wow! But I should never forget that even though Manasseh repented, it was too late. The people had been seduced, and the people did not repent.
Oh Lord, You are so kind and merciful to forgive me of my sin. You are so gracious to enable me to turn from my sin. Let me never presume upon Your mercy and grace! Rather whenever your Holy Spirit convicts me of sin, let me repent immediately turning to You. Indeed You are a merciful God! . Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

December 26

2 Chronicles 31
Why do I give to the United States Treasury? I give for one overriding reason. If I do not, I will be charged penalties and interest. If I ignore the penalties and interest long enough, the U.S. Government will confiscate all my belongings to pay what I owe, or throw me in jail, or both. Why do I give to the State of Oklahoma, or the county of Payne? I give for the same reason that I give to the U.S. Government. If it were not forced, would I do it? Probably not. Yet, the federal, state, county and city governments provide services that greatly enhance my quality of life. Because of their work, I have good running water, sewer, electricity, natural gas, police protection, ambulance coverage, decent roads to drive upon, safety in travel from state to state, protection from foreign invaders, quality higher education for my children, etc. If the governments did not require it, would I still pay for the benefits? Hmmmm. . . I am pretty short sighted. I would pay if I saw the direct benefit. I would probably not pay if I did not see the direct benefit.
In the late 1800’s when the men at the Oklahoma A&M campus planted trees, did they do it for their benefit? No they did it for generations to come. Today I enjoy the shade and beauty of large oak and cypress trees on the OSU campus because of their foresight. They paid for others as well as themselves.
Hezekiah’s revival brought a renewed vision for the glory of the Lord. That glory required the service of many priests and Levites that had previously not been supported by the people. Hezekiah required the people to tithe. That requirement came at the height of the revival when the vision of the glory of the Lord had been renewed. Having seen the glory of the Lord and having the king’s requirement, the people brought in their tithes. Being an agrarian society, they stacked their tithes in three gigantic piles. They took 4 months to heap it all up. The leaders saw it and blessed the people. It could have been smaller heaps. The people could probably have cheated a little and succeeded, but they saw the glory of the Lord. It was worth it to them to give to the Lord.
It was an issue of value received for a gift given. They valued the glory of the Lord. He was worth their gift. Do I view Him that way? Jesus put it this way, “What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Am I so short sighted that I cling to the things of this world?” Is my focus on the value of the world or the value of His glory? When it is His glory, I will let go of the things of the world because they will pale in value compared to the things of the Lord. When it is the things of this world, I have to be commanded to give to His kingdom, and if I give, it is grudgingly. When my focus is His glory, His command is not burdensome. I am excited to participate in His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

December 25

2 Chronicles 30
We had a baptism this morning, Christmas morning. I filled the tank before I went home Friday. I remember years ago when First Baptist Church of BSL burned down early one Sunday Morning. The cause of the fire was traced to a faulty water pump/heater for the baptistery. With that in mind and since Christmas Eve was a Saturday, I decided to get up at 6:00 on Christmas morning to start the heater. It would just be done later. I didn’t want to be gone a day while the heater was running. Unfortunately, the pump seized up when I tried to start it. It became really hot to the touch. It was too late to call a plumber to fix the heater for the morning’s baptism. Sometimes things just don’t get done in time. Later in the morning, I learned that one of the baptismal candidates was ill. She and her husband could not attend. Their baptism would be done later. Sometimes things just have to be done later. We went ahead and had the baptisms with the other candidates. Brrrrr. . . it was cold.
The Passover is a celebration of Jesus. The Lord wants us to celebrate Him. It is His glory for us to celebrate Him. Sometimes things just don’t happen in time for it to happen. Sometimes things just don’t get done in time. As marvelous as was the revival in Hezekiah's day, it just did not get done in time to allow the priests to properly prepare for the Passover. But the law had a provision for celebrating the Passover in the second month for those who could not celebrate it in the first month. So, Hezekiah called the nation to celebrate the Passover in the second month. Sometimes things just have to be done later. It is the glory of the Lord to recognize this and mercifully allow for change. When there is real change going on in our lives, He makes allowance for us. He is so merciful to allow for my slowness, as long as there is real change going on. What was the result in Jerusalem? There was joy! Lord, keep the change going on in my life! Thank you for Your mercy in giving me more time. Keep me from presuming upon Your mercy! You are so glorious in Your patience with me! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

December 4

Malachi 4
Do you enjoy promises? Of course you do. Promises are the basis of good relationships. Thirty-four and a half years ago, I made a promise to Laura and she to me. Those promises have been the bed rock of our marriage. Yes, you guessed it. They were our wedding vows. Those promises have made our marriage work. Why? Because we both honored them. We can trust each other even during trying times. She honors my name. Because she honors my name, it is my delight to do everything that I can to demonstrate my love for her. Part of the wedding vows, which I regularly include in my wedding ceremonies, includes the following vow that the groom gives to the bride:
I (Groom’s name) take you, (Bride’s name), as my wedded wife; to love you with all my heart's affection; to give you all my earthly possessions; to give you all the honor of my name; and to share with you the grace of my God.
Malachi 4 is a promise to “those who fear My Name.” He promises to be the sun of righteousness, who has healing in His wings. The healing extends to hurting relationships, especially to turn fathers back to children. He heals families. Now that is glory! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

December 3

Malachi 3
There is so much of the glory of the Lord in this chapter! In the last chapter we ended with the people complaining too much. Their complaint was, “Where is the God of justice?” In this chapter He warns them that the God of justice is coming. Before He comes He will send His messenger to prepare the way for Him. Before He comes we must prepare ourselves through repentance. That was John the Baptist’s message. It remains true today that if we want to know the God of Justice we must repent. That is, we must bring our thought processes in line with His thoughts. He demands that we return to Him. How have we strayed away? We have robbed Him. How? In Malachi’s day it was the keeping back of the tithes and offerings. Today Jesus calls us to leave it all at His feet.
What does it mean to leave it all? The last time that I checked, “all” did not mean 10%; it meant 100%. I have heard so much preaching and teaching that we must give the Lord our tithe or our 10%. That teaching is so miserly with the way we treat God. It is no wonder that we are so anemic in our spirituality. Jesus makes it plain. He wants it all. Why don’t we test Him with it? Why not give it all? I am so stingy with Him. His glory is that when I release it all to Him, He meets my need. Why am I stingy? It is because I have my focus on my glory and not His glory. If I really saw His greatness, I wouldn’t have a problem with leaving at His feet. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

December 2

2 Malachi 2
The Lord directs this chapter toward the priests. Now, priests no longer exist in Israel or Judaism. So how does this apply to the Christian? According to 1 Peter 2:5&9 we are priests,
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
So the principles directed toward the priests could be directed toward us. Malachi instructs them to take the rebuke to heart so that they might give glory to God’s name. What were the rebukes? The priests had failed to teach the people how to walk in the ways of the Lord. It is to the glory of the Lord that we walk in His ways and teach others how to walk in His ways as we walk the walk before them. What does that mean? First we seek Him in His word constantly to hear is voice and do what He instructs us. What does His word instruct? That we love others as He loves us. Wow! That is a tall order.
The next rebuke, which He gave, related to the family. He rebukes the nation for marrying the daughter of a foreign god and for dealing treacherously with the wife of their youth. Both of these practices put at risk the desire that the Lord had for the nation. What was His desire? He wanted a godly offspring. This theme traces itself in Scripture to the creation. At creation God said,
Genesis 1:26-28 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.
From the beginning God’s plan was to fill the earth with people who reflect His image. Marriage and the procreation of children was for that purpose. Through the ages men have subverted that purpose. The men of Israel at the time of Malachi were choosing wives not on the basis of how his wife could help him reflect the image of God, but upon his own pleasure. Was she pleasing to him? As his relationship with her progressed, and as she no longer was pleasing to him, he would divorce the wife of his youth in order to find a wife pleasing to him.
Our marriages should reflect what God is like. What is He like? Well that is a question that is full of many answers. There is the issue of attributes. Literally thousands of books have been written on that question. There is the issue of the Trinity. There is only one God in essence eternally existing in three persons. There is an eternal commitment to each other in the persons of the Trinity. The desire of the Lord is that husband and wife become one flesh. While the phrase does refer to our sexuality, it goes way beyond that and is inclusive of us emotionally and spiritually. There is to be a oneness in our marriage relationship that reflects to the world what God is like. When we as believers bail out of our marriages, we make it difficult for our children, our friends and the world to see the reflection of God in us. It is like trying to view yourself in a shattered mirror; it is possible, but obscure.
Attitudes in couples that lead to unequally yoked marriages and/or divorce also wreak havoc upon the children of those unions. The children see the differing commitments to the Lord God in the unequal unions, and they see and sense the hypocrisy in the union of their parents, who are not one, or who go to the divorce court. Those parental attitudes produce one more hurdle for the children to pursue hard after God.
So where is the glory in all of this? We must recognize that God has designed every detail of our lives to bring glory to Him. He wants those around us to see Him in us, particularly our family. It is not the end of the world if we blow it. However, we have to pursue the goal for His glory. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

December 1

Malachi 1
Can I rest in the simple fact that He loves me? At the same time, can I dwell in the knowledge that He is a great King? Often times we let our thoughts be channeled by the world. Love according to the world is demonstrated by what one provides for the object of one’s love. Does love provide the right kind of housing? Does it provide food in proper quantities and taste? Does it provide the right clothing? Does it provide recreational activities desired? Does it provide time? When God says that He loves the poor of this world, and they remain in poverty (by our standards) does that mean that He does not love them? At what point do our needs have to be met in order for us to feel that God has demonstrated that He loves us? The word is very clear, “God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” And again the Scripture says, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” The greatest demonstration that He loves us is the cross. The greatest demonstration that He hates sin is the cross. Is it not interesting that to us, whom He loves, He says, “Take up your cross and follow Me.” The voice of love incarnate says, “Take up your cross and follow Me.” It is not about houses, food, clothes, recreation or even time. It is about giving ourselves. He did it first; we simply follow.
So is he a great King? Do I really believe that He is a great King who loves me and will freely give me all things that are necessary to demonstrate that love? When I hang on to the things of this world, as did the people in Malachi’s day, rather than letting everything go to His hand, I am demonstrating that I believe one of two things, 1) He really doesn’t love me, or 2) He really is not great enough to meet my need. My mind tells me both of those statements are wrong. My flesh continues to grasp at the things of this world. That is why He says, “Take up your cross, and follow me.” I won’t win the struggle unless the flesh is crucified with Christ. He really does love, and He really is great, but He will not force me to let go. He wants me to voluntarily go to the cross. His glory wins the struggle. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john