July 25

JUDGES 8
The pursuit of the glory of God can often be bizarre. The courage Gideon exhibited in doing what God asked is absolutely amazing. He pared his army down to just 300 at God’s command, and led them to defeat an army of 120,000. God used those 300 men to confuse and confound the 120,000, so that Gideon’s enemies killed each other and began to flee. By the time the enemy army was regrouped and had ceased running, there were only 15,000 men left. The 300 were exhausted from chasing the 15,000, yet they continued to pursue. Outnumbered at last 50 to 1, they prevailed! Who should receive glory? Obviously only God could have obtained such a victory. Yes, the men were courageous, but God brought the victory. They should have been wiped out. When God gives me a promise, I should stand in it. Yes it will require courage on my part, but He will display His glory in fulfilling the promise, because it will be His doing.
Finally, I need to be careful to not let the victories go to my head. What is up with Gideon marrying many wives? What is he doing taking all that wealth? Why does he make his own ephod-something only a priest should have? His victories went to his head. He stole the glory of God and it corrupted him. I/we must be careful. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

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

JEREMIAH 50

ACTS 26
Paul didn’t mince any words with Agrippa. He stuck to the facts. He talked of how he had seen the glory of Christ on the road to Damascus. He spoke of the mission that Jesus had given him to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. He closed it with the Scriptural fact that the glory of Christ was that he suffered, died and rose again. This fact of the glory of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the light, who brings life to the dark death around us.

I serve a risen Savior. He’s in the world today.
I know that He is living, whatever men may say.
I see His hand of mercy. I hear His voice of cheer.
And just the time I need Him, He’s always near.
He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along the narrow way!
He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives, He lives within my heart!

Agrippa II said, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian." Why almost? The saddest statement about humans is that the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ can be eloquently and unmistakably laid out before us and we still prefer what we have over Him. We would say with Satan in Milton's Paradise Lost, "Better to rule in hell than serve in heaven."
The resurrection of Jesus Christ was foretold by the Scripture. It is the most attestable single fact of history. The power of the risen Christ continues to change lives today. It is the single most powerful force in cultural change in the world today. Why? Because it is the truth. And the truth sets people free! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john