January 2

Genesis 2 In Chapter 1 we read, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; . . . 27So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Here we get a fuller explanation of how He created them in His image. Part of the image of God is seen in our rule over creation. Part of the image of God is reflected in our marriages. At this time no sin was in humanity. God called it very good. He makes sure that Adam knows that it is very good. He makes Adam name all the animals before He creates Eve. In so doing Adam profoundly realizes his aloneness. When God finally creates Eve and brings her to him, he is really excited, “This is now!” or as the New Living Translation puts it, “At last!” Adam needs this woman to be complete in reflecting the image of God! Did you ever stop to consider that not only you are to reflect the glory of God, but also your marriage is to reflect the glory of God? Hmm. . . What are the relationships like among the three persons who are one essence in what we call the trinity? What is the relationship like with the one with whom I am one flesh? Does it reflect the glory of the Godhead? It should! The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are completely in love with each other. Everything they do, they do out of love for each other. That is the way He wants my marriage to be, so that I may reflect His image. So if I truly understand the glory of God, it will improve how I treat my spouse. Why? I will improve it so that I may reflect His glory. Lord help! Let me love my wife like each person of the Godhead loves each other. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john * Ezra 2 I was stuck in a traffic jam on the loop that surrounds Atlanta. If I remember correctly, there were six lanes going the direction I was going. It was an interchange, and the highway eventually narrowed down to 4 lanes. We were hopelessly gridlocked, six lanes across, completely stopped, as far as I could see. The opposing lanes were also shut down. I looked over the mass of humanity and thought, “Lord, how can you know all of these people and be intimately acquainted with all our thoughts, yet You do and are!” Today’s passage is one of those passages that remind me that my infinite Lord knows every one of the 7 billion people on this earth and is intimately acquainted with all our ways. He lets us know that by listing the heads of the family of all those who returned from exile. They are each important to Him. Even the Nethinim are important. Who are they? They were the non-Israelites that were forced into serving the Lord after Joshua conquered the nation. Their descendants became servants of the Levites and were carried away into exile with the rest of the nation with the fall of Jerusalem. God even includes them in recognizing those who returned. He knows the most intimate details of those the world would deem insignificant. Isn’t He wonderful? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor John Psalm 2 Yesterday I installed an antenna on my HD TV. For the first time in over 4 years, I have broadcast TV. I haven’t missed a whole lot; although, it is nice to have access to news and weather. I have to admit, it will be nice to be able to see OSU play football once or twice a year, especially today’s game. We watched an episode of George Lopez. George’s son’s dog was dying of a malignant tumor. His son manipulated George into praying for the dog’s healing. In his prayer George made a deal with God that if God would heal the dog, he would crawl on his knees for a mile at a cathedral in Mexico. The dog was miraculously healed. George was annoyed. He never really believed that his prayer would be answered. He was forced by his son and his conscience to keep his promise, which he tried every way not to keep. In one instance he quipped to his wife, “If God expected us to keep every promise, and we did not, then the world would be filled with wars and poverty.” Hmmm. . . Are we like the kings of the earth who wrangle for power and wealth? We make promises and don’t keep them. If they even acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being, they seem to think that the Lord will do nothing to stop them. Our world is filled with men seeking to gain preeminence over other men and nations. They are in total disregard of the Sovereignty of God. Yet are we any different? Maybe what we wrangle over are the same kind of things but upon a much smaller scale, like keeping promises. Am I trying to break the bonds of the purpose for which the Lord has created me? Have I identified who I am in His sight so that I may fulfill His plan? If I really grasped that He does sit in heaven and scoffs at my plans of mutiny against His purpose, would I still follow the daily and moment by moment course that I follow? If I was really convinced that He will one day return to secure His throne as King of the nations, would my interests still lie in the same area in which they presently lie? Would I be more careful in making promises and more consistent in keeping them? Do I really understand how my life fits into His purpose and how my living that daily purpose fits into bringing Him back as King of kings and Lord of lords? Lord Jesus, let me embrace Your discipline and instruction so that I may fully live my life as one which fully trusts in Your plan for Me, those around me and the nations. Perform Your plan in me! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john * Matthew 2 About seven hundred years before I was born, Chaucer wrote His Canterbury Tales. Being an English Lit major, I read them and other works of literature from that period. You know, not once did I ever come across something that foretold my birth. But then, one would respond, “So what?” But then, I never came across any other writing that foretold the coming of any great leader of our century. When I was born, no stars appeared in the sky nor did wise men come from Europe or Africa or Asia to worship me. Again one might respond, “So what?” But then, no wise men came to worship any one from any where in our time—of which I am aware. I am not aware that my birth or anyone else’s birth produced any political jealousies to the extent that leaders in power sought to destroy me as a baby or anyone else as a baby. But the glory of Jesus is that the place of His birth was foretold by Isaiah 700 years before He was born. Wise men, who lived 1,000 miles away, saw a star, somehow understood it to be the birth of a King and traveled to worship Him. In their worship they presented the baby with gifts. Gold is a gift fit to be given a King. Frankincense is a gift fit to be given to a priest, as it is a major ingredient in many incenses. Myrrh was typically an embalming spice. These wise men recognized the glory of the Lord. He was to be a King. He was to be a priest—interceding for many. His death was to be some how significant in history. When the wise men failed to inform the reigning king of their find, he sought to kill all young life that could possibly be the rival King. His parents fled to Egypt fulfilling Hosea’s prophecy given 700 years earlier. The infants of Bethlehem were massacred fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah written 500 years earlier. People who love power more than life can never stand the glory of Jesus. It is too threatening to their cause. The glory of Jesus is too powerful, too majestic, too wonderful. Even as a baby, one is given only two options, worship Him or fight Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor John