February 21

EXODUS 4 “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?” This is a very interesting comment by the Lord. Normally, we complain and get upset with God when things happen that make us different from other humans, such as going mute, deaf or blind. Also it is a tendency to try to defend God for allowing these things to happen. It doesn’t seem to bother God. He takes full responsibility for the mute, the deaf and the blind. He says that He made that non-functioning tongue, ear or eye. Hmm. . . . From His perspective it would appear that is not necessarily a bad or evil thing. Does that mean that we have a faulty perspective of things that we consider evil? However that one falls out, I think His point is that if He made it to begin with, then He can remake it to function however he wants to make it work. The issue is not the mouth. The issue is the Creator of the mouth. If God wanted an eloquent orator, He could make Moses to become an eloquent orator. That is the glory of our Lord. The US has produced a number of great orators. They all have their cult followings. I wonder how much more glory the Lord would receive if they were not great orators. Conversely, D.L. Moody was heavily criticized on his first trip to England because he butchered the English language, yet the Lord used him mightily. Most homiliticians who analyze Billy Graham’s sermons would say that his sermons are not all that well crafted. Yet, the Lord uses him mightily. There is a distinct difference between being able to speak well and to speak in the power of the Holy Spirit. Is the point that the Lord is trying to make here that what matters is not our ability but His ability? It is not our glory but His glory. He can make the very rocks speak His glorify if needed. Maybe one of the reasons we see so little of the power of the Lord in the US is because we are so stuck on building our own name. Would I still do what I do if I knew I would never get any credit for it? If nobody ever read these Meditations on the Glory, would I still do them? Hmm. . . . Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john * * Job 21 From 1985-1994 there was a TV series called Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. I really am not familiar with the show. I have no memories of ever having watched an entire episode. I do remember seeing the opening scene of the program and promptly turning off the TV. Had Job been alive during this time and a fan of the TV series, perhaps he might have been talking about this show in this chapter. Why do the wicked live and become old, Yes, become mighty in power? . . . Their bull breeds without failure; Their cow calves without miscarriage. They send forth their little ones like a flock, And their children dance. They sing to the tambourine and harp, And rejoice to the sound of the flute. They spend their days in wealth, . . . “How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? How often does their destruction come upon them, The sorrows God distributes in His anger? At times it would appear that God does not uphold justice in this world. It seems that would be Job’s argument in this passage. Job describes the rich and the poor and then summarizes with this, “They lie down alike in the dust, and worms cover them.” Job has now experienced both the lifestyle of the rich and famous and the poor and infamous. He realizes that they both have the same end. Clearly God’s judgment day is not necessarily rooted in this world. So to evaluate a person’s life by their status in this life is foolish. So how do we evaluate our lives? Surely it must be by God’s standard not our own. “Can anyone teach God knowledge, since He judges those on high?” So what is the standard by which we should judge? Listen to what Paul said, “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.” When Jesus comes, He will reveal the true motivations of our hearts. In the meantime we should be pursuing this: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” How can we walk humbly with our God? I think it requires that we constantly gaze upon His glory lest we gain an inflated version of our own selves. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john * * Psalm 52 We all look for opportunities. Not all opportunities are equal. They are the way in which we gain advancement in this life. Doeg, the Edomite, was one of those opportunistic people. Not a natural citizen of Israel he saw the rising nationalism and power of Israel, his neighbor to the north. Moving to Saul’s capital, he sought to hook his wagon to this rising star. We don’t really know why he left his homeland, or how he gained access to Saul, but he did. It was a good opportunity for him. He apparently did something in order to gain high standing in Saul’s court. He served, watched and waited for the next opportunity to advance himself in Saul’s service. Being opportunistic, he did not care whether it advanced the Glory of God or not. His concern was his advancement in the eyes of Saul. The opportunity came when he observed the rift between Saul and David, and he observed the flight of David as he visited Ahimelech the priest in order to gain help from the Lord. He reported David’s activity to Saul. Saul ordered Doeg to kill the priests of Ahimelech. Doeg gladly responded to Saul’s order. In so doing he would ingratiate himself even more before the king. What an opportunity! Doeg destroyed 85 priests before the day was over. David continued running to the Philistine king Abimelech (Achish). There David had to feign madness in order to escape Achish. Not much opportunity there! Psalm 34 was written shortly after that. Psalm 52 was written after David learned of what Doeg the Edomite had done. David wrote this on the run from Saul. He spent more than a decade running from Saul. Yes, he had up to 600 men who joined him on the run, but it wasn’t exactly a prosperous time. He did not write it from the comfort of a palace. He wrote it from the confines of a tent as he was on the run. Yet in contrast to Doeg, the man who trusted in his riches, David describes himself as “I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.” That is quite the proclamation and commitment coming from a man who is running for his life from the wrath of the king! How can David have such confidence? David knows the good Name of the Lord. He knows that the Lord laughs at the kings of the earth who oppose Him. David knows that the Lord is! He knows that the Lord hears and comes down to deliver. In short, David knows the glory of the Lord. His situation is temporary! His relationship with the Lord is forever. It is the glory of the Lord that keeps him going. What keeps me going? Is it the promise of an opportunity, or is it the glory of God? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john * * Mark 3:1-19 Have you ever met someone who serves only if there is attention gained in the serving. Someone once told me about going to see their congressman when he was visiting in the area. They commented on how the congressman was all smiles as long as the press was around taking pictures. He even prompted the photographers, “Get a picture of me with this person.” But the instant the press left so did the congressman’s smile and willingness to meet his public. It made my friend really doubt the sincerity of the congressman to serve the people as opposed to his desire to gain power from the office. A servant doesn’t draw attention to himself. He merely serves and desires to multiply the effectiveness of his service. Jesus was healing people. He entered the synagogue. The press (Pharisees and Herodians) were there to observe Him to see if He might break any of their forms. It was the Sabbath. To heal on the Sabbath was, according to them, forbidden work. It did not fit their form. A man with a withered hand was there. What kind of press would He receive from healing this man’s hand? Jesus was not concerned about press. He was concerned about mercy and the glory of God being revealed on the Sabbath. He healed the man for it accomplished both concerns. He served the man and outraged the Pharisees. From that point on they began to plot to kill Him. Jesus withdrew. Naturally the multitude followed. He continued to teach, heal and set people free. Then He went up on the mountain and appointed twelve to: 1. be with him, 2. send them out to preach 3. heal the sick Jesus was limited by His body. He knew that He could multiply His service by empowering others. He made it part of His glory to empower others. And they received His power and served others. His glory was increased. Still today Jesus calls us to be with Him, to preach and to heal—to serve others. His glory is increased when we serve. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor John