“Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, since I have a Levite as a priest.” How does the New Testament put it, “1But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2For men will be . . . 5having a form of godliness but denying its power.” What could be more pious our godly in appearance than using your own money to hire your own personal priest? Wow God! Look what I am doing for You! Can we get a little Quid Pro Quo going here? Maybe a little tit for tat? I have done this; surely You will be good to me. Sounds ridiculous does it not? In 2006 Time Magazine had as its cover story, “Does God want you to be Rich?” It was an expose on prosperity teachers of many mega churches in the USA. I wonder if their mindset is any different than Micah’s.
What do we think of the glory of God when we operate in such a fashion? The man is not condemned. Or is he? Snuggled in the midst of this story is the theme statement of Judges, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” It is not that everyone did what was right in the eyes of a Glorious God. Micah’s problem was that his eyes were fixed upon His own glory. Does God want to give good things to His children? Certainly, that is part of His glory. But the primary good which He wants to give us is Himself. It does not come as a Quid Pro Quo agreement. It comes as a demand on His part, “Lose your life.” Then He gives us His. That is not a Quid Pro Quo relationship; we get the greater end of the deal. It is an exchange of our life for His life. Worldly riches are a small thing in comparison. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
PSALM 34
Have you ever done something really stupid and then in the middle of it realized, “Oh my, what have I done?” Our 4¾ years in Portland during seminary were very lean years financially. The first six months that we were there, the only furniture that we had was our mattress, our baby’s crib, a desk, a big ugly black box and a really ugly worn out sofa—better than nothing. After a while, I scraped together enough cash to buy a sheet of chip board and some 2x4s. I made a table and a bench out of it. From time to time over the years somebody would give us a piece of their worn out furniture, and we gained what we needed, although most of it was rather seedy looking. By the end of those years I was making a livable wage working part time at UPS and delivering the Wall Street Journal after I was done at UPS. The running joke for Laura and I was, “Someday when we have the money . . . “
I took my first pastorate in Oklahoma along with a pay cut in comparison to what I was making part time at UPS in Oregon. But the prospects were good and I presumed that things would pick up. Needless to say much of the furniture was not worth the cost of moving to Oklahoma. We joined a purchasing club when we moved. The things that the club listed were much less expensive than if purchased at Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club. Then after a couple of months we realized, that was really stupid. We weren’t making enough to buy anything. We paid the membership fee but were never able to take advantage of the membership. After a year, we had purchased nothing. We let the membership lapse. That was a waste of money. Maybe if I had listened to the Lord first, I could have saved the membership fee and used it for something else. The joke continued, “Someday when we have the money. . . “
Saul had attempted to murder David twice. David had been a faithful servant for years, and Saul was repaying him by trying to kill him. David probably reasoned, “Since I am now Saul’s enemy, maybe I can go to his enemies and they will protect me.” He jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. In the middle of it he realized, “Abimelech wants to kill me just as much as Saul wants to kill me.” Wow! Did David stop to consult the Lord about the wisdom of running off to Abimelech before doing it? I doubt it. But did God abandon him for it? No, He did not abandon David. In the midst of his stupidity, David realized what he had done, and he called out to the Lord. “6 This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.” The Lord taught David firsthand what deliverance was all about.
In further response to this situation David says, “8Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! 9 Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.” Want, by the way, has the meaning of lack in relation to necessities, not desires beyond necessities. For the next 5-10 years David lived a life of deprivation in relation to desires for comfort, but he never lacked for necessities. He was a young lion and he never went hungry. He knew that his afflictions would be many, but he also trusted that the Lord would deliver him out of it. I have learned that, and I continue to learn it over again. There are many afflictions that will come my way, but the Lord will deliver me out of all of them. The only question is, “Will I consult Him first and obey his answer, or will I follow what I think best first?” I hope I will consult Him and obey. Otherwise, I will continue to do stupid things and compound the problems of my life. But either way, He shows His glory in the way He delivers me. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
EZEKIEL 2
The last line of Ezekiel 1 indicates that Ezekiel fell at the feet of the Lord when He saw His glory.
The Lord says to him, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.” Awestruck by His glory, Ezekiel falls to the ground in the presence of the glory of God. What a privilege! But, it is one that no unsanctified human can bear. God help me to seek and find Your glory! Finding Ezekiel in his helpless position gives him a command with a promise, “Stand on your feet!” How can one stand in the presence of sheer Majesty? But what the Lord commands, He provides. The Holy Spirit entered Ezekiel and stood him up on his feet. It was the Spirit who set him upright when he had been given the command to stand. It was the Sprit who gave him the ability to hear and to listen. It was the Spirit who gave him the ability to go as he was sent to do the really weird commands given in his lifetime. Why could Ezekiel do what he did? It was because of the glory and the Spirit. Lord let me see Your glory, as did Ezekiel, and fill me with Your Spirit as you did Ezekiel. Let me obey Your commands that Your glory may increase! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
ROMANS 6
What is the glory of Jesus? He allows and yes, even desires, that you and I should be identified with Him! He, being eternal, causes us to be identified with that human part of Him that was crucified 2,000 years ago and that was raised from the dead 3 days later. Because He died, we died. Because He lives, we live. Because He lives and walks in righteousness, we should live and walk in righteousness. We are no longer slaves to sin. We are slaves of God because of His gift to us. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
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