July 27

Proverbs 30
Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Apart from Jesus, there are only two men in Scripture who ascended into heaven, Enoch and Elijah, but they never descended (unless you consider Elijah’s appearance at the Mount of Transfiguration as descending). There is One man who has both descended and ascended into heaven. Speaking to Nicodemus, Jesus makes the claim of descending in John 3:13. One thousand years before it happened, David prophesied of the ascension of Jesus in Psalm 68:18. The apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:9&10 recognizes that prophecy and explains it of Jesus.
Who has gathered the wind in His fists? How can one gather wind in His fists? Yet Jesus has done this on at least two occasions. In Exodus 14:21 “Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.” Once again in Joshua 3:16–17 we find:
That the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.
He used the wind in His fists to part the Red Sea to provide the salvation of Israel (a type of our salvation). He used the wind in His fists to part the Jordan River to provide access to the Land of Canaan (a type of our rest). He will one day (in the Millennial Kingdom) use the wind of His fists to dry up the Nile River Isaiah 11:15. “The LORD will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt; With His mighty wind He will shake His fist over the River, And strike it in the seven streams, And make men cross over dryshod.” Can you do that?
Who has bound the waters in a garment? The Lord appeared to Moses on Mt. Sinai clothed in dark clouds, I would say that that is having bound the waters in a garment. Exodus 19:9 And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.” The Psalmist says in 104:1-3, “You are clothed with honor and majesty, Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind,” In Matthew 26:64 Jesus said, “Hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” In Revelation 1:7 John says, “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.” Jesus not only binds water in a garment but He also binds them into modes of fancy transportation. Can you do that?
Who has established all the ends of the earth? Well obviously, Jesus has established the ends of the earth! listen to John 1:1–5, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” In Acts 17:26 Paul says, “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings.” Can you do that?
There is one who can do all of these things. What is His name? It is Yahweh. What is His Son’s name? It is Yahweh Saves, or better known in English as Jesus. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

July 25

Psalm 24
I never cease to wonder at the raw beauty of the earth around me. Even in this sun burned Oklahoma summer where the drought has turned the rolling hills into a light brown death, there is a certain beauty as I view the prairies streaked with fences, dotted with cattle and hopelessly resisting drought and red cedar invasion. The drought reminds me that there is something wrong with planet earth, but the land still cries out for its Creator. I just returned from a quick visit to the east coast. What a contrast! Its moisture releases a verdant carpet across the land. The ocean roars of the beauty of its Creator. But even in its outlandish beauty, there is something that belies that something has gone wrong with the creation. The Creator is somehow missing in some way. Who can enter into His presence?
The psalmist informs us of who may enter the Creator’s presence, he who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol nor sworn deceitfully. Woops, that just eliminated the entire human race. We are imprisoned in a beautiful death capsule. We live in a world that is full of the beauty of the Creator but devoid of His manifest presence. It is almost as if we live in a gated community surrounded by bars designed to keep Him out, and we are slowly dying as only His presence is what make life worth living. Living in a world bursting with His beauty, He is not fully here. It has created a famine for Him. We languish for Him. The gates have sought to keep Him out.
It could lead one to despair if one believed that the gates would sustain His assault upon them. But while our sin would seek to bind the gates to keep out the rightful King, He created the gates to declare His presence. Jesus has come to deal a death blow to death. The Creator has come to once again open the gates for the glory of His presence. He has come to declare the eternal beauty of His name. We call and command the gates to open wide and receive their Master. You see, people are the gates. People who have rebelled and died are being transformed from sin ridden vermin to holy, clean saints! It is all done by the Creator God/Man who died and rose again in our place. As we are cleansed by His blood, we can lift up our heads and receive Him as our conquering King! As He comes, He pours new life upon our drought-sucked lives. He rips out the life impaling thorns and thistles in the remaining verdant areas of our lives. He is, after all, the King of Glory. He is coming down to dwell in our midst. Who may ascend? Those with clean hands. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

July 20

Proverbs 31
Laura has told me on a number of occasions that this is one her ‘unfavorite’ chapters of the Bible. (I hope I am not in trouble for revealing that, but then I suppose that this an ‘unfavorite’ chapter for a lot of women. It holds an incredibly high standard for the virtuous wife. Certainly, if I were a woman, I would not be able to meet the standard.) But let us look beyond the literal meaning of this chapter to a different level. Since the theme of the Bible is the restoration of the Kingdom of God, what does that look like as we illustrate it? One of those illustrations is marriage. Our marriages are to reflect the marriage of God and humanity. When the kingdom was train wrecked with Adam and Eve’s sin, the marriage of God and humanity experienced a postponement, a divorce; Jesus became a widower. The theme of Scripture is not only the restoration of the Kingdom of God; it is also the marriage of Christ and His resurrected bride.
As Lemuel’s mother gives him instruction for being a king, she tells him to not give himself to ways that destroy kings, particularly giving his strength to women. There are many other things that he should do as king, avoid intoxication, uphold and pursue justice, plead the cause of the poor and needy. All of these things Jesus has done and does. But Lemuel’s mother’s greatest instruction is to find a virtuous wife. Could it be that one of Jesus’ chief goals in His interaction with humanity is to find a virtuous wife? Certainly that would be the indication of Ephesians 5:22-33 and Revelation 19:1-10. When the whore who sought to supplant the bride is judged, and the preparation of that virtuous wife is complete, we see the coming forth of the Bridegroom to destroy those who resisted Him by resisting His bride (Revelation 19:11-21). So we see that it is the intention of the Lord to raise up for Himself one great bride. He will not give Himself or waste His strength of the whore of this world.
So what does this bride look like? I think that Proverbs 31: 10-31 could be a metaphor for what Jesus desires in His bride. As we fulfill that metaphor, we bring glory to Him, just as this virtuous wife brings glory to her husband. Jesus trusts in His wife because she is constantly seeking to do Him good and bring Him gain (v.11). She searches the world over to bring Him riches (missions v. 12-14). She works tirelessly to provide food for household (v.15). The glorious bride, the church, provides a rich diet of the word of God for her household. She girds herself with strength (v. 17). Where does our strength come from but from the Spirit of God? She helps the poor and needy when the needs of her own household have been met and because that is the work of her husband the King (v. 20-21). Her husband is made known in the gates because of her proclamation and work (v. 23). As the church proclaims the Gospel of the Kingdom, we are making the name of Jesus known in the world. She is dressed in fine linen (v.25), the righteous acts of the saints (Rev. 19:8). Her husband praises her (v. 28). We shall one day stand before the bema seat of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:9-17). Our works shall be judged by fire. The good works shall remain, and we shall receive the praise of our Lord and husband. He shall say, “Well done, you good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master.” Great, attractive and entertaining programs of churches are deceitful and passing, but a congregation that fears God shall be praised by Him (v. 30).
You see, when we are this kind of wife, we bring glory to His name. When we are not, we bring shame to Him. It is all about His glory, not ours. Our marriages are to reflect this. Proverbs 31 is a goal for women to reflect what the church should be like. Men, we should reflect what Jesus is like. He “loved the church and gave Himself for her.”(Eph. 5:25). Proverbs 31 demands a great deal out of wives; Eph. 5:25 demands more. Men are you doing it? When we do, we bring glory to Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Be His glory in your marriage today!
--Pastor john
P.S. Laura, my darling, in my mind you fulfill Proverbs 31, even though you do not think you fulfill it. You are my virtuous wife! You are marvelous, and I am so proud that you are my wife!

July 15

Psalm 15
“Can I come over to your house?” I heard that a few times when I was a kid. Usually I was delighted with the prospect of a friend coming over. However, I remember one occasion when a friend came over. It was fun at first, but for some reason he kept purposely doing things that he knew would irritate me. I would tell him to quit, but he would ignore it. Finally, I had enough. I told him to get out of my house and go home. We still played together, but not at my house. Who can come to my house? Those who don’t purposely do things to irritate me may come.
Who may dwell in the tabernacle of the Lord? This Psalm is basically a list of what it means to walk uprightly. Those who walk uprightly may go to God’s house. The problem is that, as we saw in Psalm 14, none of us does any good. We all walk not-uprightly. (Would that be downrightly, or upwrongly?) We all at one point or another purposely do things that irritate the Lord. Usually those irritations are directed at other people. Once again we are reminded of the wonderful mercy of our Lord. Although we do not deserve to go to His house, He cleans up our walk. His grace changes it from a downright walk to an upright walk. By His power we can become people that He enjoys dwelling in His house. Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

July 17

Psalm 17
Laura and I have a friend who has lived in poverty most of her life. She told Laura the other day that she is convinced that the Lord does not love her. She equates God’s love with adequate food and being able to pay the bills. She has given up on God. Hmmm. . .
What if all in the space of one year you lost your job, your house, your spouse? That happened to my cousin. He is currently in a mental institution. Furthermore, what if you were listed as public enemy #1 so that all the law enforcement officials were looking for you? What if you were reduced to hunting and gathering (poaching) as your only means of eating? Would you feel that the loving kindness of God was upon you? What if your only companions were those disgruntled with government, the political and economic rejects of the country? What if many others spoke ill of you saying that you deserve the harsh circumstances that the Lord has placed you in? Would you feel that God was just? Would you need some kind of vindication? All of these things had happened to David. It is the context of this Psalm. David had lost his job as one of Saul’s top military leaders. He had lost Michal, his wife, Saul’s daughter. He was forced to flee for his life from his house. Saul had his army searching for him to kill him. The only companions David had were the unwanted of the land. His only means of eating was off of the land. He had no flocks, herds, lands or crops. All of this was simply because God had chosen David to be the next king. He lived in this fashion for probably a decade.
Does this sound like loving kindness of God to you? How would you handle this adversity? David asks this, “Show me Your marvelous lovingkiness by Your right hand. . . Keep me as the apple of Your eye. . . As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.” Can we be satisfied with just that when everything is going wrong? David was. He had tasted and seen the glory of the Lord. For that reason he could be satisfied when He awoke in the likeness of the Lord. That loving kindness really cannot be described. It can only be experienced. It is better than any physical comfort. I am convinced that He lets those who wait upon Him experience it. We just cannot give up on waiting. He is worth the wait and the poverty. He is too rich! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

July 8

Psalm 8
What makes a name excellent? Is it not what a person does which positively exhibits what that person is? If I say, “Mickey Mantle,” and you are my age and a baseball fan, you immediately think of the man who held the homerun record for decades. I still remember watching him on television on October 10, 1964, Game 3 of the Worlds series. It was the bottom of the ninth. The Yankees were tied 1-1 with the St. Louis Cardinals. Mantle walked to the plate and slammed a home run on the first pitch. I was elated. I immediately took a victory lap around the house. When I hear the name Mickey Mantle, that is what I think of. However, if you are old enough to be my father, you might think of a man who could not hold his alcohol, was inclined to gambling and womanizing, and was therefore not worthy of being a role model for kids. A few years before his death, Bobby Richardson shared the gospel with Mickey. He prayed to ask Jesus to be his savior. His life seemed to then fall in line with a godly lifestyle. A few years ago, I used the name Mickey Mantle in a sermon as an illustration of heroes. After the sermon a man the age of my father told the negative things about Mickey Mantle that I had never learned from baseball cards or the newspapers. In his mind it was not an excellent name.
What makes God’s name excellent? What He has created should alone make His name excellent. When I consider the stars and moon, it sends me reeling in awe of our fantastic creator. Just the sheer size alone, mass and volume, dwarfs me in overwhelming smallness. Then I consider the complexity of how it is set in place, then I am amazed at His capacities. Why should He ever think about me? I am less than a grain of sand in the whole world in comparison to the Universe! Yet, He is mindful of us. I never think of sand, unless it annoys me. He not only constantly thinks of us, but He has made us a little like Himself. He has given us some glory and honor. He has given us the right and ability to rule over the sentient beings of this earth. Even as He rules, so can and should we. Does that make His name excellent. We are born to rule under Him. Wow! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

July 4

Psalm 4
I remember the early days of our relationship. Laura’s face would literally brighten when she saw me. I cannot put into words how fulfilling that is to me. Here is the person of my choice, and she brightens when she sees me. “Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.” That word for countenance is literally face. Listen to what the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT) says of this word:
This particular word always occurs in the plural, perhaps indicative of the fact that the face is a combination of a number of features. As we shall see below, the face identifies the person and reflects the attitude and sentiments of the person. As such, panim can be a substitute for the self or the feelings of the self. . . . A “shining” face is evidence of joy. . . . Most of these idioms and phrases are also applied to God. God’s face “shines” as a sign of favor and good will.

To ask God for the light of His countenance upon us is to ask Him to be joyful about us. It is to ask for His favor upon us. It is to ask the person of greatest worth to treasure us. It is to ask the person of our choice to enjoy us. It is to ask Him to fulfill us. It is to crave Him, to desire Him. It is more than just a smile of joy. It is to know that He is pleased with us. Remember in the movie Chariots of Fire where Eric Liddell says, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.” That is Eric experiencing the light of God’s countenance. God has indeed made us for a purpose. That purpose is related to how He made us physically, mentally and spiritually. When we seek Him to fulfill that purpose, God experiences inexpressible joy in our seeking. He in turn sheds the light of His countenance, His pleasure, upon us. It is ecstatic.
This is the divine romance. Nothing is more pleasurable to me than when my wife joyfully responds to my pursuit of her. Nothing is more deadening to me than when my wife ignores my pursuit of her. Nothing is more deadening to my wife than when I expect her to respond to me when I have not pursued her. I would hope that nothing is more life giving to her than when I have pursued her, and she responds. Our marriages are to reflect the marriage of Christ and the church. He pursues us, but do we respond to Him? The divine romance is that He pursues us and we respond by pursuing Him. Is it any wonder that there is such a lack of divine life in our congregations when there is such a lack of response on our part to His pursuit of us?
In mountains near Ashville, North Carolina, lies the Biltmore Estate. Built by George Vanderbilt near the turn of the 20th century, it is America’s largest single family dwelling. It rests on 8,000 acres of land. The house has his and her bedrooms. One is at one end of the mansion; the other is at the other end of the mansion. Each bedroom is larger than my house. It is a couple of minute walk from one bedroom to the other. I understand that the Vanderbuilts only had one child. I really don’t know, but it sounds like their sleeping arrangement might have had something to do with it. It sounds like there was a problem with pursuit and response. In the midst of opulence and wealth, there was very little offspring life. Sounds like the American church.
Could it be that we have failed to respond to His pursuit of us? Could it be that as the culture around us turned the glory of our Groom into shame that too few of us were angered by it? Could it be that those who were angered by it responded in a sinful way? Could it be that we have failed to meditate upon our beds concerning the ecstasies of the righteousness of our Groom? Could it be that when He was pursuing us to let the light of His countenance fall upon us, we were ho-hum about it thinking, “Who will show us any good?” Would that not deaden His pursuit of us?
Is it not time for us to cry out to Him, “Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us!” If we responded in such a way, would He not pour out gladness in our hearts? Would it not bring joy in excess of this world’s wealth or wine? Would we not then lie down in peace in sleep? Would we not then experience true safety? Would it not produce an overflow of glory to His name? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

July 5

Psalm 5
I was once a machining floor inspector at Mercury Marine. The basic idea of quality control at that time was that when a machine was set up to run a process, the inspector would examine a part produced by the machine. If the part met all of the specifications, then they could begin performing that process on the part. Periodically during the run of that process, the operator of the machine was required to check for the quality of the process. The inspector would make rounds of the different machines to consider each process and to determine if the parts met the standards. If they did, then everything was fine. If they did not, then the operator and foreman would be informed; the process would be stopped until corrections were made. The parts produced since the last inspection would be individually inspected until the point was found where the parts were properly machined. Some machine operators were always nervous when I came around. For various reasons, they did not like having their work inspected. Others did not care. They had confidence that their work met the required standard. The inspection only confirmed their confidence.
“Consider my meditation.” Would you be able to declare with David the same request? How could David make such a request? After all, he was a man of bloodshed. The common declaration of Him was, “Saul has slain his thousands, but David his ten thousands.” When Nabal refused to reward David’s men for their volunteer work, David strapped on his sword and was on the road with his men to kill him, and he would have if Abigail had not interceded. He had Uriah killed in order to cover up his adultery. It sounds pretty blood thirsty to me. David had seven or eight wives before he ever met Bathsheba. It sounds pretty lustful to me. Adultery and blood thirstiness begin in the mind. How could David request God to consider his meditation?
David knew God’s character well enough to know that he (David) was flawed. He knew that in the process of life, he needed correction. He knew that God is also merciful enough that if he daily came into the presence of the almighty King, he would receive the mercy that he needed for the meditations of His heart and the grace that he needed to follow the corrections that needed to be made. He had to make it a daily morning cry, or his heart would lead him out of God’s specifications. He knew that he was a man of bloodshed and that he needed the Lord to lead him into righteousness. He knew that he was an adulterous man and that he needed the Lord to straighten him out. Was he not afraid of the wrath of this stern God? Yes he was, but he was also convinced of His mercy. He knew God well enough to know that he had to come to Him.
Why then did David go into adultery with Bathsheba and murder Uriah? I can only think that as years progressed, He let that morning appointment, that morning correction go fallow. Bit by bit the glory of God was obscured in His meditations. Step by step he let himself be carried away. Without realizing it, his morning meditations were no longer God centered but David centered. Like the frog in the kettle he did not realize that the water was heating up. Only when it was too late, did he realize it. Only after the prophet came to correct him, did he come to his senses.
But praise to our Lord, He does forgive. That is part of his glory! Even though David was forgiven, he still had to live with the horrible consequences of his sin. Let us never use God’s forgiveness as a justification for permission to sin. But let us not shrink from God because we think he will not forgive. Let us daily enter into fellowship with Him inviting Him to consider our meditation. In so doing we enter into His joy and love His name. He in turn defends us and surrounds us with His shield. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

July 1

Psalm 1
Is pleasure a choice? Dictionary.com states that pleasure is, “1) The state or feeling of being pleased. 2) enjoyment or satisfaction derived from what is to one's liking; gratification; delight.” I often fall into the trap of thinking that pleasure is more or less a spontaneous state that arises as a response to my experiences. While pleasure can be that, the deepest pleasures are something more. Back in the 70’s there used to be a T-shirt that said, “Candy is dandy, but sex won’t rot your teeth.” It was the age before the eruption of AIDS and the multitude of STDs. It was an age of the pursuit of pleasure for the sake of pleasure. It was an age that at times professed sex as being little different than any other bodily function. I even remember it as being equated to drinking water. I also remember Josh McDowell quipping, “Let me tell you, there is a whole lot of difference between drinking a glass of water and experiencing sex.”
We are now culturally and corporately reaping the rewards of pursuing that short-term pleasure gratification. More than half of our young people are infected with STDs. Abortion remains unabated. The greatest contributor to poverty is single parent households. We no longer understand what marriage and family should be. Culturally, we have walked with the ungodly; we have stood in the path with sinners; now we are sitting in the seat of scoffers. Marital union (sex), marriage and family were meant to reflect the image of God and to reflect the marriage of Christ and the church. What was meant by God to be a pleasure and a delight of the deepest kind has become a confusion and battleground. What happened?
The allure, the delight, of pleasure varies greatly according to many factors. In many ways, the pleasure experienced is directly proportional to the choices one makes on the road to the experience. In many ways the deepest pleasures are the result of many choices that postpone an immediate shallower pleasure for a deeper longer lasting pleasure at a later time. Hebrews 11:25 tells us that Moses chose to ‘suffer affliction with the people of God’ rather ‘than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.’ Why would anyone choose affliction over pleasure? Moses knew that a greater pleasure awaited him down the road if he chose affliction now. He had to lose his position in Pharaoh’s court, experience 40 years of living in the desert herding sheep and goats, 40 years of leading a stubborn and rebellious people. He chose that to experience communion with God. During the last 40 years of his life, he had occasion to enjoy the pleasure of speaking with the Lord face to face as a man speaks with his friend. Indeed, Moses is currently experiencing unimaginable pleasure in the presence of the Lord.
I like that famous quote of C.S. Lewis found in The Weight of Glory, and Other Addresses:
It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
The Lord calls us to take delight in His Law, to meditate upon it day and night. Meditation takes effort and work. There are many other things that might promise greater short term delights. Watching television takes less effort than meditating upon the Lord, and in that sense, it promises to bring greater short term pleasure, but it is passing. The Lord requires us to make the choice to meditate upon his Law. We make it a delight. Yes, pleasure in the Lord is a choice. As Moses made the choice for a present affliction in order to receive a future pleasure, so too, we choose meditation upon/with the Lord as a delight in order to receive the pleasure of speaking with Him face to face and the eternal pleasure of His presence.
Would I choose to turn down the alluring propositions of the most beautiful Hollywood actress? Absolutely! Why? Because the long-term benefits of pursuing pleasure with my wife are so much greater. Should I choose focusing upon the needs of my wife above my own needs? Absolutely! Why? Because the long-term benefits will bring greater pleasure to me, because in so doing I am bring Glory to God, because that is what He does. Pretty self-centered isn’t it? Yes, but that is the way God designed it!
Yes pleasure is a choice. The deepest pleasures always require postponing a present pleasure for future reward. It requires the ability to see the future. It requires the ability to spend time in His law. Those who say that they do not have time to spend daily reading and meditating upon the word of God are lying to themselves. What they are really saying is that they prefer the passing pleasures of the present above the eternal reward of His glory. What they are really saying is that they have time to walk in the counsel of the ungodly but not the Lord. What they are really saying is that they have time to stand in the path of sinners but not with the Lord. What they are really saying is that they have time to sit with the scorners but not the Lord. Yes pleasure is a choice, let us pursue a pleasure of the deepest kind, the pleasure of His presence. Let us find Him in the word! Let us put off lesser pleasures that keep us from pursuing Him! For His presence and glory are greater and deeper! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john