November 29

1 CHRONICLES 26-27
So what is there of the glory of Christ in the description of David’s administration? Have you ever looked around at the tremendous detail and order of the creation which God has made? The more that I look at creation, the greater becomes my awe of my Creator’s work. Day to day his glory pours out of His creation. Night to night it streams forth. When we organize ourselves, we are in a way mimicking His glory. It is right to organize ourselves, but that organization should never be of greater focus than Him. When we organize, we increase His glory in a small way.
Nestled away in this description of administration is the report of Obed-Edom and his family. Remember that Obed-Edom was the Gittite/Levite who lived near where the Lord killed Uzzah, when he touched the ark while they were transporting it. In his anger, David decided to store the ark in Obed-Edom’s house. Can you imagine having the Ark of the Covenant stored in your house? How fearful/glorious would that be? During the three months that the ark was there, God blessed Obed-Edom. Moreover, Obed-Edom followed the Ark when it came to Jerusalem. He was rewarded with being able to become a door-keeper in the tabernacle. His descendants became doorkeepers and administrators in the temple. Wow! What a privilege! What an inheritance! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 149
Let us rejoice in our Maker. When I study the works of creation, I am astounded, to say the least, concerning the greatness of our Master-Designer. The quantity, quality, complexity and brilliance of all that He has done is staggering to my mind. Revelation 4:11 says, “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” I like the way the Authorized Version translates it, “And for thy pleasure they are and were created.” He enjoyed creating us! It was thrilling to Him! It was joy for Him to do so! And unbelievably to us, He desires that we be passionate about our joy in Him! Listen to what Col. 1:16 says, “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.” He receives pleasure in our enjoying Him! It is “for Him” that we are created. When we refuse to delight in the praise of Him, The rest of the obedient creation hangs their head in wonder at our refusal. Satan rejoices.
The children of Zion are commanded to be joyful in their King. It would be easier to approach this passage by saying, “This passage is for the Jews in the land, particularly Zion. Therefore, it does not apply to me.” However, the writer of Hebrews 12:22 (NLT) says, “No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering.” The Living Bible paraphrase says, “. . . and to the gathering of countless happy angels.” We then are spiritual children of Zion. As such we are commanded to be joyful in our King!
His name is to be praised with joy! One of the obvious out-workings of joy is dancing. Dancing means to whirl around in circular movements. When I am gone for a long time, my dogs dance upon my return. They will literally run around in circular movements in expressing their joy at my return. In a very real sense the creation dances to the praise of God! Electrons spin around the nucleus of an atom creating the bonds of physics that hold things together. The planets whirl on their axis and around the sun creating life that brings glory to God. The stars whirl around the centers of their galaxy declaring the glory of God! Is there ever such a thing as a dance of sadness? I think we usually refer to it as a dirge, but a dirge is usually just the music. It tends to lack the expression of physical music.
Unfortunately, Satan loves to corrupt that which should bring glory to God. I was raised in an environment that taught that almost all dancing was evil. Indeed the proponents of such teaching have one good point. They purport that the purpose of dancing is to excite sexual passion between a man and a woman. So, if a man and a woman, who are not in a marriage covenant, dance together for that purpose, then it can only lead to an illegitimate expression of sexual passion. I would guess that more often than not, it is true. It is interesting that in Exodus 32:19 when Israel became physical idolaters and spiritual adulteresses with the golden calf, and when Moses came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, that Moses’ anger became hot! Israel was to be in a covenant relationship with Yahweh, not a golden calf (probably much like one of the gods of Egypt). She gave what should have been reserved for Yahweh to an idol. Dancing should have been a whirling in celebration of love for Yahweh. In contrast it became a whirling about in celebration of a golden calf.
So is it wrong for a husband and wife to participate together in dance? No it is not because sexual passion was invented by our Creator as a good thing that was to reflect His image. Within the godhead there is this infinite passion between the Father, the Son and the Spirit. That passion led to the creation. The creation in return dances for joy in the presence of the Creator. Indeed, it could be argued that between a married couple, a dance is a good thing, for that dance could create a passion that strengthens the bond between them and produces offspring as well.
But dancing wasn’t the only method of expressing joy in praise toward Yahweh. The timbrel and harp were also called upon for the expression of joy. In the worship wars of today, so many people focus on the style of music and the instruments of music as to what is godly and what is not. It seems to me that they are missing the point. The point is not what style of music but what condition of the heart. From this Psalm it would seem that the Lord wants His praise to be joyful (2&5), humble (4), vocal (6a) and Scriptural (6b). The question for each culture is what instruments can help us best as a group express joy, in humility according to Scripture. That will vary from culture to culture and even with subgroups within those cultures. But one thing is clear from this Psalm, that praise is to be joyous no matter how it is expressed! How dare we approach praise in any other manner! I like Isaac Watts poem that Robert Lowry set to music.

Come, we that love the Lord,
And let our joys be known;
Join in a song with sweet accord,
And thus surround the throne.

We’re marching to Zion,
Beautiful, beautiful Zion;
We’re marching upward to Zion,
The beautiful city of God.

The sorrows of the mind
Be banished from the place;
Religion never was designed
To make our pleasures less.

Let those refuse to sing,
Who never knew our God;
But children of the heav’nly King
May speak their joys abroad.

The men of grace have found
Glory begun below;
Celestial fruits on earthly ground
From faith and hope may grow.

The hill of Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets
Before we reach the heav’nly fields,
Or walk the golden streets.

Then let our songs abound,
And every tear be dry;
We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground
To fairer worlds on high

--Verses by Isaac Watts and Refrain by Robert Lowry
Can we declare His praise in any manner other than joyously? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ZECHARIAH 11
Today’s passage is a marvelous double fulfillment prophecy of the rejection of the Messiah and the consequent destruction of the nation by Rome and then again in the day of Jacob’s trouble. Verse 4 presents God the Father speaking to God the Son as the Good Shepherd. The flock, Israel, was prepared for their slaughter because of their rejection of the Messiah. The Messiah takes two staffs. The oriental shepherd used two staffs, “one to protect the sheep from wild beasts and the other to assist the sheep in difficult and dangerous places. “ He calls them Beauty and Bonds or grace and unity respectively. It is interesting that it is grace that gives the body of Christ the gifts to build itself up to protect itself and it is unity that encourages us to propel us through difficult times and dangerous places
When Jesus presented Himself as King to the nation, He was rejected by the officials who fulfilled the roles of prophet, priest and king of that day. Perhaps that is what He meant by the reference to dismissing the three shepherds in verse 8. They rejected Him; He in turn dismissed them. So He demanded His wages. They weighed out 30 pieces of silver as they valued Him. Exodus 21:32 values a maimed servant at 30 pieces of silver. He is valued cheap, not even the value of a healthy slave. The priests who gave Judas his blood money would have been well aware of the Scriptural value which they paid Judas. It was probably an intentional insult. The command is given to throw the money to the potter. So it was thrown in the house of the Lord for the potter. The potter makes things of the earth. He was not even valued on a spiritual level. In sarcasm He calls it that “princely price.” The poor of the flock were watching. The spiritually humble, the disciples, were the ones that eventually recognized the prophetic impact of the events. One of those disciples, Matthew, clearly understood the import of the action of the chief priests and appears to quote Zechariah but attributes it to Jeremiah. The KJV Commentary has this to say about designating the source of the quote.

Some have expressed concern over the mention of Jeremiah in this passage on the basis that the quotation apparently comes from Zechariah. While there is an allusion here to Zechariah 11:12–13, the actual words do not agree with either the Hebrew or the LXX. The major difference is the addition of the word field, upon which the fulfillment claimed is based. This word, and the conception behind it, comes from Jeremiah 32:6–9, where the prophet refers to the purchase of a field for certain pieces of silver. It is obvious that Matthew’s concept of prophetic fulfillment rests upon both passages. Thus, he combines both passages into one quotation, giving credit to Jeremiah as the older and more predominant of the two prophets. Hendricksen (p. 948) draws the same conclusion, noting that a major prophet is preferred over a minor one in a similar double reference in Mark 1:2–3. There Isaiah is credited instead of Malachi (see Mal 3:1). This is certainly to be preferred to Plummer’s suggestion (p. 386) that it was a “slip of the memory.”

What an amazing thing about our Lord! He controls even the details of His death! He knew the rejection He would experience. He knew the price at which they would value Him. He did it all for us. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

2 PETER 1
The glory of Jesus is a brilliant thing! Do I have eyes to see it? Peter, James and John saw part of it physically on the Mount of Transfiguration. Just a moment in that glory and it forever etched His great power in their minds and spirits. His majesty was partially and briefly shown there. The Father's command was to listen to Him. For John it gave him the ability to pursue Jesus even when he did not understand what Jesus was doing. He is the one who helped let Peter in the door at the trial of Jesus. He, alone among the disciples, accompanies the women at the cross. He believed upon seeing the empty tomb. Then he understood the Lord’s warnings about the cross. Peter saw the glory of Christ and was ready to lay down his life for the glory. He only became weak hearted when he did not listen to the Lord's instruction about the cross. He held to his own ideas about the work of the Messiah. There was too much of his own thinking about the glory in his mind. There was not enough thinking about the Lord's instruction concerning the cross and the glory. But even then the vision of His glory at the Mount sustained him to the end of his life. For James the glory led him to fearlessly proclaim the glory of Jesus. James found his head on a chopping block as a result.
Such divine power leads us to cooperate with changing our character. Because of the glory, we pursue knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. James and John were previously known in the community as 'the sons of thunder.' One hardly gets the impression that knowledge and self-control were foremost virtues in their lives prior to Jesus coming to them. These virtues lead us into great usefulness in spreading the kingdom of God. Is it not amazing that His glory is so powerful that by focusing upon it, we are changed. These virtues are added to our lives as we gaze upon Him. As we gaze upon His glory, we realize that every thing that we need pertaining to life and godliness is found in His glory. The glory of Jesus is a brilliant thing! Do I have eyes to see it? If I am focusing on His glory, His virtue is increasing in my life. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

November 28

1 CHRONICLES 24-25
“Moreover David and the captains of the army separated for the service some of the sons of Asaph, of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals.” How important is music in the praise of the Lord? In the Revival of David’s day, it was incredibly important. On the one hand, I do not see where the Lord instructed David to do this. On the other hand, the Lord did not stop him from doing this as He stopped him from building the temple. I think this reflected what the Lord desired. Music is incredibly important to the Lord in worship. It enables us to see more clearly the glory of God. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 148
I have had the privilege of having visited or lived in a number of places on this globe. I was born in Indiana, raised in Oklahoma, matriculated to Seminary in Oregon, lived 13 years in coastal North Carolina, and now again in Oklahoma. I spent 6 weeks in Kenya, weeks in Germany and surrounding countries, ten days in Senegal, weeks in Mexico & Canada, one month in Mongolia, and ten days in the Middle East. I have seen a lot of things, swum in 3 oceans, climbed mountains in the Appalachians, the Rockies, the Cascades, Europe and the Middle East. I have traversed deserts in the SW USA, Mexico, Senegal and Mongolia. I’ve seen the wonders of the oceans, the deserts, the mountains, the plains the forests and the swamps. I have sat for hours looking at photographs brought to us by the wonders of Hubbell Telescope. If you have not seen them, check out this website: http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album/entire/pr2010013a/ . And yet, I have seen so very, very little in relation to what our Lord has created. The more that I see causes me to realize more that I have seen very little. And yet every ecosystem, every rock formation, every life form screams out at me that the Lord is a Lord of Great Glory!! I am, after all, but a tiny speck in the vast formation of His creation. With the exception of Humans, who are made in the image of God, they all cry out in praise of our God. What is our problem? It is our sin, NOT His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ZECHARIAH 10
The Lord has a fierce loyalty to His people. He will draw them back to Himself, even after they wandered like sheep, even when the appointed shepherds don’t behave as shepherds. He still cares about and calls His people back to Himself causing them to wend their way home. This is His glory. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

1 PETER 5
4and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. . . 10But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
There are two kinds of glory:
1. Very great praise or renown given by common consent to someone or something
2. The source or reason for giving praise or renown whether it is given or not.

There have been times when all of us have received praise. But it is always short lived. In the fifth grade, our class did a production of Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. I was cast for the role of Ebenezer Scrooge. We did the play for everyone in the school in first grade through seventh grade. I even had seventh graders telling me what a great job I did at acting the part. Now to a fifth grader- wow-I was soaking in the praise. I really thought I was something. At least everybody said so. Short lived praise. The next day I was the only one who remembered. Indeed here we are 40+ years later. I’d bet if we could locate those fifth grade class members (much less the audience) that a very small percentage could remember what play we did much less who played the leading role or even whether he did a good job. My point? Most praise or renown given by common consent is fleeting and indeed trivial. I mean really, who cares but me and the fifth grade class of 65/66 as to who played Scrooge or how well it was played? I don’t even care any more. I just have this weird memory floating around in my head. Praise and renown given by common consent is often trivial and we don’t even recognize it.
So what good is glory? What makes it non-trivial? What makes it beautiful, just for beauty’s sake? Is the resplendent glory and beauty of the universe trivial? What if the Creator of it could destroy it in an instant and make an even more beautiful one? What if He could do that over and over again successively? Eventually we would say the first universe was trivial. What then really matters? Would it not be the source or reason for giving praise? And would it not be the Creator Himself? Would not glory emanate from Him and return to Him? This would be glory that would never end.
Peter says that Jesus is the source of that eternal glory and we can partake in it. This Creator became flesh. This Creator is not the divine watch maker who made and wound the clock and then left it to run down. But He is the shepherd of our souls. A shepherd must take careful interest in the welfare of his sheep if the sheep are to thrive and do well. But the sheep have to understand where the source of their welfare comes from. It comes from the Creator of their souls, not from themselves. The Creator invites us to share in His glory. But we cannot do that if we are fixed upon who played the part of Ebenezer Scrooge in a fifth grade play. We can only do that if we are fixed upon Him. To Him be glory and dominion forever! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John, a has been Scrooge

November 27

1 Chronicles 23
I wonder what my last words will be. I hope they will be ones which promote or exalt the glory of the Lord. “For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above; 28because their duty was

1. to help the sons of Aaron in the service of the house of the LORD, in the courts and in the chambers, in the purifying of all holy things and the work of the service of the house of God…
2. to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise at evening;…
3. and that they should attend to the needs of the tabernacle of meeting, the needs of the holy place, and the needs of the sons of Aaron their brethren in the work of the house of the LORD.”

Looking back over his life, David wanted a lasting legacy for the glory of the Lord. The LORD would not allow him to build the temple because he was a man of bloodshed. What could he do? Once blood is spilled upon the ground, it cannot be gathered back up and placed into the body from which it came. A life taken is a life taken. His last words were provision for worship of the LORD.
He did not want his legacy to be that he was a man of bloodshed. When we teach our children about the LORD from the life of David, what do we teach them? David and Goliath. As important a lesson that is, I don’t think that is the legacy for which he wanted to be remembered. He united the nation of Israel and took it to its apex in world strength. As great as that is, I don’t think he wanted to be remembered for that. I think he wanted to be remembered for directing people in worship of LORD. He has been called by many “The Sweet Psalmist of Israel.” When you think of David, is that what catches your attention? LORD, when I pass from this world let my legacy be that others were led into your glory because You shone through me. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 147
My kitchen sink is clogged. It is most annoying. I spent an hour working on it Saturday afternoon. I thought I had it unclogged. A bottle of drain opener and gallons of HOT water and it seemed to be flowing. Sunday afternoon it was clogged again. We tried a bladder controlled high water pressure. It didn’t touch it. I poured boiling water down the drain. It is still clogged. I guess grease is pretty good way of stopping up sink drains. Boiling water normally melts the grease. I am really frustrated. I guess I am going to have to call Rotorooter. I think there is a metaphor in here somewhere.
Like the residue of grease from daily washing of dishes, sometimes the residue of sin builds up in our lives freezing the flow of life-giving water causing the build-up life disabling activity. In our seasonal year, God sends beautiful snow, frost, hail and other curious weather phenomenon. They are beautiful when temporary, but in areas where the seasons do not change (Antarctica etc.), the cold becomes deadly and the environment barren. When sin builds up, we need something to melt it away. He sends forth His word and it melts it all. It makes the water flow washing away the caustic sin of my life. That is what is amazing about Him. He can unclog my life when I am frustrated and unable. He does it through His word. That is His glory. That is why I daily need His word. Lord use you word to melt my heart frozen by the build-up of greasy sin! Unclog my spiritual heart! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ZECHARIAH 9
Our King has come to deliver us! He came riding upon a donkey’s colt. 550 years before it happened, Zechariah spoke of it. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day saw the obvious claim that Jesus was making as He rode into Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday. Their response? “It is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” But because Jesus submitted to the Father in this, He will one day reign from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. Upon a donkey He came to die to purchase the right to reign. Upon a mighty steed He shall return to tread out the fierceness of His wrath upon the nations who refuse to repent.
Because of the blood of His covenant with us, He comes to us who are bound in the slavery of our waterless pits and lift us out of the pits. We are set free to become prisoners of hope. We have genuine hope! It was for freedom that Christ set us free. We no longer are bound by the chains of sin. We can walk now as heirs to the throne of God. We have everything we need in Christ Jesus, for as we live and die in Him He raises us to walk in newness of life! Now that is hope! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

1 PETER 4
A few years ago Reno family court judge, Chuck Weller was shot and wounded in the chest as he stood near a third-floor courthouse window. The suspect was Darren Roy Mack, who had appeared before the judge in a divorce case. It won't happen in our court system, but what if Mr. Mack had to stand trial for shooting Judge Weller and Judge Weller was the criminal trial judge for Mr. Mack? I don't think it would bode too well for Mr. Mack.
When Jesus was last upon the earth, He came to seek and to save the lost. He did not come as a judge--that time. But as Peter points out here, He is coming again to judge the living and the dead. Peter calls this coming the "revelation of His glory." When Jesus returns, He will eventually hold two courts, one a 'family court' and one a 'criminal court.' In the 'family court' He will judge His own household, His own family. As children of God we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and all our works will be tried. Those works deemed valuable by Him will be rewarded and those works deemed not valuable will be destroyed. But the person will not be destroyed. It will not be a divorce court. He will not be deciding whether to separate us from Him or not. He died to apply His death to our lives. We received His death and resurrection. He will not deny Himself. There will also be a second court, a 'criminal court.' All those whose names are not in His book of having received the benefits of His death and life will be tried there. They will stand before the One, who went to the cross in their place, who bore the load of their sin, who died for them, who was rejected by them as unworthy to kneel before and call upon His name as Savior and Lord. He will do what is right. However, I it bodes not well for them.
Should we ever suffer because of the Name of Jesus, we must remember
1. He also suffered but overcame the suffering to receive great glory.
2. By suffering we may share in His glory.
3. It is His glory that at some point in time He will set all things right.
It bodes not well for those who do not delight in His glory now. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

November 26

1 CHRONICLES 22
Yesterday we saw how pride poisons our ability to see the glory of God. Yet God was doing more here than just pointing out David’s pride. He was doing something for all time. He was establishing the location of the temple. This is a significant place. Compare this passage with Gen 22:2 and 2 Chron 3:1. We find that this is the spot where Abraham was commanded to bring Isaac to sacrifice him. This is the spot which David bought from Ornan to sacrifice in order to stay the hand of the Death Angel. This is the spot where Solomon would build the temple. This is the spot where the second temple would be rebuilt. According to Hebrews, the temple typology speaks clearly of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was near this spot that He was taken outside the city walls and crucified in our place as a sacrifice for sin. He is the Son of the Father who is sacrificed in our place. He is the Ram hidden in the thicket that died for us. He is the altar of sacrifice where the oxen were slain for the pride of David. He died in our place to pay the penalty for our pride.
Here David makes preparation for Solomon to build the temple. Here he desires a sanctuary to the Lord our God to be built. His intent was for the house to be built for the LORD to be, “Exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all countries.” When the preparations were completed, he exhorted Solomon to, “Set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God. Therefore arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy articles of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the LORD.” The Glory of the LORD is such that we should build him a sanctuary that is exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all countries. His sanctuary today is His people. It is not buildings made of wood, stone, concrete, metal, and glass. It is my life and the lives of others through whom His glory can shine. Lord, use me and those who read this feeble writing to build your sanctuary! Build lives through which your glory may shine! Make it exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious for Your name throughout all the countries of the world! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 146
Most of the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ (at least the ones I know) were quite dismayed the morning after the election. Obama is antithetical to biblical mores in many areas. He is solidly pro-abortion, even to the extent of legally protecting the laws permitting doctors to kill a child who survives a late term abortion. He supports the enactment of more laws and proclamation promoting the redefinition of marriage and protecting the rights of gender confused people. During his first administration, the national debt has doubled. It appears it will double again soon. Clearly the Scripture states, “The borrower becomes the lender’s slave.” Our grandchildren are being enslaved. He has snubbed his nose at the head of state Benjamin Natanyahu. The word of the Lord clearly states concerning the descendants of Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.” So, many people, whom I know, were very dismayed by the election returns.
But you know what? We shouldn’t be. Our hope is not in a political leader, as verse 3 says, “Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.” Ultimately our King is not of this world. Our help is from the Creator of the Universe. He made everything. He is truth. He executes justice and gives food to the hungry. He sets the prisoner free, opens blind eyes, watches over strangers, and relieves the fatherless and widow. Obama will only last 4 more years, but He will one day return, and when He does, it will last forever. Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ZECHARIAH 8
I didn’t realize how blessed I was to grow up when and where I did. Born in 1955, my parents moved to Glencoe, Oklahoma in the summer of 1962. Glencoe had about 280 people in the town limits. The whole school system, first grade through 12th grade had barely 200 students. It was mostly a farming community or people who had jobs in the “big city” (lol) of Stillwater about 15 miles away. I had two guys my age that lived in the town limits. We could play in the streets in safety and often did. If we were bored with the streets, we were less than blocks away from the countryside and woods. Life was relaxed. It was an idyllic world! In the summer of 1967, we moved to Stillwater. Although I could no longer play in the street (my parents lived on a major thoroughfare), it was, none-the-less, a pleasant place for me to grow up. With all the accoutrements of a major university, OSU, it still had the feel of a small town. The main advantages were security and prosperity.
Jerusalem lost both security and prosperity when the Babylonians came. Indeed, she lost everything. Even under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua she was neither secure nor prosperous. But the Lord points to a time when she will have a King who will restore both. It will be under the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. He Himself shall reign in Jerusalem. His beauty will be so evident that people from all over the world will come there to pray and seek Him. Once again children will play in the streets. If we kneel before Him, He brings true peace and prosperity for eternity. Oh may that day come soon. This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for the little bit of security and prosperity I enjoyed as a child. However, I am more thankful for the coming security and prosperity that will be when He returns! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

1 PETER 3
I love Tolkein's stories of hobbits and the ring of power. I guess I identify with the hobbits because although they are not considered by anyone to be a mighty folk, they end up being the true heroes of the story. Frodo endures unimaginable suffering to achieve great glory. If the story were something we could enter into and I did not know the ending and I were Frodo on the plains of Mordor, I would probably give up the quest. But knowing the ending, the glory to be obtained, I think I could continue on. Some, like me, would want the glory, and some would give up anyway.
In the summer of 1978, after one year of marriage, Laura and I went to the Institute of Biblical Studies hosted by Campus Crusade for Christ at CSU in Ft. Collins, CO. We took four courses. One was Christian Marriage and Family. It was co-taught by two couples. One couple was Dennis and Barbara Rainey. Some of you may recognize that name from the radio show Family Life Today. We got a glimpse of what a true Christian Marriage should look like. One thing we learned is that it was going to take work. But we also saw a glimpse that a true Christian marriage could be a glorious thing. Something we both wanted. Is it not safe to say that unless one sees glory, they never want it? We see in 1 Peter the glory of Jesus through suffering.
I find it interesting that right in the midst of Peter's letter on how to live through suffering, how to live in the intersection of heaven and earth, that he takes time out to give instruction about domestic life. In 2:18 he begins by encouraging servants to be submissive to their masters. Now I can see the similar line of reasoning to the glory of Christ in that Jesus became submissive even to the point of death on a cross and a slave being submissive to a master. But here in chapter 3 he begins by saying likewise wives be submissive to your husbands. Then He commands husbands to live with their wives with understanding. Now get the flow of submission here: Jesus to death; slaves to masters; wives to husbands; husbands to understanding; Christians to loving one another. The second half of each of those implies that submission to them is a hard thing.
Now, I am a husband. I feel like I have been slammed at both ends. I mean, on one end it is implied that for Laura to be submissive to me is suffering for her. What am I a despot? On the other end it is implied that it is suffering for me to live with my wife with understanding. What am I stupid? Wait, don't tell me the answers to those questions. I don't want to hear it. Well, I think most men would agree that it is impossible to understand a woman. We usually throw up our hands with Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady and proclaim, "Why can't a woman be more like a man?" The truth is that if they were more like men, we wouldn't want to be with them.
Here is where the glory comes in. I may think I am not a despot. I may think I am not misunderstanding. But apart from Jesus, I am wrong on both counts. Only He is able to enable me to fulfill my responsibility on both counts. It takes the mighty act of God to break a woman's will so that she is able to truly submit to her husband as Jesus did to the Father. Only He is able to break the will of a man so that he is willing to day in and day out actively seek to understand the way his wife is thinking--not how she thought a year ago but how she is thinking now. Men like to conquer something and then move on to the next task. To live with a woman in an understanding way is an unending task. (By the way guys, Peter makes it clear that if we don't do that, our prayers are hindered.) Men are incapable of it. Ahhh, but Jesus is able. Nothing reveals the glory of Jesus like a couple where the wife is happy to submit and the husband consistently understands. When people see that glory, some want it.
Nothing reveals the glory of Jesus like an employee who gives his best for the benefit of his employer. Nothing reveals the glory of Jesus like a church where the people are of one mind, have compassion for one another, love each other, are tender hearted toward each other, are courteous toward each other, return blessing for evil. Only Jesus can enable us to do that. He can enable us because He has already done it Himself. That is His glory. When we focus on His glory, He changes us to reflect more and more of His glory. When people see His glory some want it. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

November 25

1 CHRONICLES 21
What’s the big deal about taking a census? It was a big enough deal that God chose to kill 70,000 men as a punishment. Also, even David himself admitted that he was the one who made the decision. Why punish the people for his decision? What’s up with that? Also, we saw yesterday that Chronicles did not even mention David’s murder and adultery. Most of us would think that adultery and murder were far more serious of sin than ordering the census. Yet 70,000 die for the census and David get’s his sin published in the Chronicles. What’s up with that?
The essence of David’s sin was pride. The purpose of a census in his day was mainly to assess his military strength. The last nationwide census was taken when the nation had finished its 40 years in the wilderness. It was time to begin the conquest of Canaan. They needed to know how many fighting men they had in order to assess how to organize their troops in order to prepare for battle. David had already reached the apex of his military strength without a census. How could a census aid him? It couldn’t. It was a matter of pride. Look at results of the census. He had 1,600,000 fighting men. Joshua only had 600,000. Wow! He had a million more men than Joshua! Sounds like pastors swapping statistics about their ministries.
Okay, so he was having a problem with pride. So why come down so hard on that? Pride seeks to rival the glory of God. God will not have a rival. It is worse than adultery or murder. It condemned Satan to hell. It barred Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. It transferred their kids, you and me, into a cloud of darkness. It clouds the glory of God. When we are proud, we cannot see Him. God will have nothing to do with it. Having a hard time understanding the justice of God? Having a hard time seeing the glory of God? It is pride. The more I catch little glimpses of His glory, the more I begin to see how horribly proud I am. Lord, help me to empty myself of my pride so that I may see your glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
P.S. What in the world were the Tabernacle and the furniture of the tabernacle (minus the ark) doing in Gibeon when David had moved the ark to Jerusalem? After his first misdoing with moving the ark and this experience, no wonder he was afraid of the Lord. Do our failures sometimes produce an unhealthy fear of the Lord?


This is commonly called the Dome of the Rock. It sits upon the location which some believe the temple once sat. In the basement is the bedrock which Muslims claim that Abraham sought to sacrifice Ishmael. Muslims believe that the Jewish and Christian Scriptures have changed the story. They say it was Ishmael whom Abraham was commanded to sacrifice and not Isaac. Muslims also believe that Mohammed made a miraculous night journey here, where he ascended to the highest heaven and had a conversation with Allah. All three religions believe that this temple mount is where Abraham sacrificed a ram in the place of his son and where David sacrificed oxen to stay the hand of the death angel. Christians believe that outside of the Temple Mount gates, Jesus was sacrificed in our place. The first two sacrifices were types of what would happen with Jesus.

PSALM 145
“If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” It is that stupid question which people, who play with definitions, enjoy asking. But it does have some merits to it. Growing up, we would visit my grandfather’s farm located on the Cimarron River at the dead end of a county road about midway between Yale and Cushing, Oklahoma. He only had 58 acres but he also leased some more acreage from the Indian tribe next door to him. I have spent hours scouring his acres and exploring his land. Even though the land is no longer in the family, I still enjoy exploring it from google earth. If a tree fell on his land, would it make a noise? Well, if you define noise as vibration of molecules in the atmosphere or ground, then of course it made a noise. The laws of physics would indicate that the same vibrations would be there whether or not a receptor was there. But, if you define noise as the reception of those vibrations, and no one was there, then of course there was no noise. There was no one there to receive it or observe it. In my exploration of Grandpa’s farm, I found many a broken dead limb and fallen tree lying upon the ground. Did they make a noise when they fell?
As I searched the land, I found all sorts of life forms, vegetation, insects, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds. The variety of life was awesome! The things out of which life sprang were also varied. A good portion of grandpa’s land was good arable soil. About a third of the land was rocky, hilly and covered with blackjack oaks. It led up to the edge of his land, which was a beautiful bluff overlooking the Cimarron River. He had a couple of small ponds kept his cattle watered. A shallow well provided water for his garden, laundry, washing dishes, bathing etc., but for drinking he preferred distilled water brought in from town. Yes, there was much to receive and observe upon the farm. I could spend paragraph upon paragraph describing in much more detail the wonders of things I found on his farm as a grade school kid. If I had never had opportunity to explore, would they have still been there? But, then I would have been oblivious to its existence.
If God exists in eternity, and there is no creation to observe Him, does He still exist? Of course He does, but He would be the only One who would care that He exists. But there is a creation. But what if some of that creation does not have opportunity to explore the wonders of their Creator? Then they would be oblivious to His existence. There are only two ways that we can know His majesty: He can somehow communicate what He is like to us, or we can study what He does and guess what He is like.
Psalm 145:5 I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works. Two things give us much material upon which we may meditate: 1) the splendor of His majesty and 2) His wondrous works. What is the difference? The splendor of His majesty is what would be true of Him even if we had never experienced any of His wondrous works. His wondrous works are what we experience because of what He is like, revealed in what He has done. Certainly, that is a fine difference, but nonetheless, it is a difference.
What is He like? He has a name that should be blessed and praised forever. His greatness is unsearchable. He is good all the time. He is compassionate, slow to anger and merciful. He is powerful. He is righteous, gracious and near. All of these things would be true of Him whether or not I ever experienced an act of His that would reveal this as true of Him. I can only learn these things of Him as He reveals them in His word.
But what if I have opportunity to experience His works? Ahh! Then I should make it a point to explore, examine and meditate on His works! I can examine what He has done for others and what He has done for me. One of the most important sources of learning is from the previous generation. It is such a privilege to pass on my stories of God’s works to my children! I love to hear stories from other generations about God’s provision for them, especially stories demonstrating His compassion, goodness and mercy. For me to be able to pass on those stories it is important that I learn the art of meditating on His works so that I will know the significance of the acts when they happen. Sometimes when I sit down and begin exploring the acts of the Lord in my life, it becomes a little overwhelming. I see that it is true that when my eyes are on Him, He opens His hand and I am fed. Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ZECHARIAH 7
In Ezra 2:28 we learn that 223 exiles had settled Bethel (House of God). The better translation of verse 2 is, “When Sherezer came with Regem-Melech and his men from Bethel, to pray before the LORD.” These men came with a legitimate question. Jerusalem was breached and burned in the fifth month, and Gedeliah, the provisional governor was assassinated in the seventh month. Without the instruction of the Lord, they had been observing these fast days for over 76 years to commemorate these events before the Lord. Some Orthodox Jews still observe these fasts to this day. Now that they had returned and the temple was in the process of being rebuilt, was this fast necessary?
What seemed like a great idea receives a surprising answer from the Lord. Verse 5 “Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me—for Me?’” Sometimes our focus leads us to make decisions that are full of zeal but misguided. Fasting can be a very empowering discipline, but the Lord is not so concerned about some of our outward disciplines as He is the attitudes of our hearts. Part of the sin that had sent the nation into exile was their attitude toward the disadvantaged in their society. The exile seems to have cured them of their blatant idolatry, but it did not change their attitude toward the poor. Fasting is supposed to demonstrate our mourning over sin, not the discipline brought to correct us of our sin. They simply didn’t get it. They were like children who mourned being spanked not mourning that they had done wrong.
The Lord’s answer was simple. He just wants us to execute true justice showing mercy and compassion to everybody. What is playing out before us is a very real example of the Lord’s parable of the unforgiving servant. It is really pretty simple. But they would not hear it. The Lord just wanted them to reflect His true justice, mercy and compassion. Is that so hard? Apparently it is because we never get it right. They walked away in disobedience. As a result, the Lord refused to hear them.
The glory of the Lord is that He wants to display His true justice, mercy and compassion through us. Is that not incredible? Should we not then be the most just, merciful and compassionate people on the face of the earth? If we are reflecting His image, we are. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

1 PETER 2
Everyone wants to be part of something big. Andy Stanley tells of an early mentor in his life who used to ask him, "Whatcha got goin' 'big'?" At that stage in his life, the question bothered him. At that point in Andy's life the biggest thing he had going was getting 20 youth group members to the amusement park and back without losing any of them. Churches in the USA don't grow unless you've got something 'big' going on. One would think that if you are following the Lord of the Universe that one would be part of some impressive things. One would think that following the Lord of the Universe would be like moving from one massive victory to another.
Peter is speaking to people who are undergoing persecution because of their faith in the Lord of the Universe. They were not seeing anything 'big' going on in their lives. Consequently they were beginning to drop out. He writes to encourage them to be faithful in the midst of the persecution. He reminds them that Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone. We've looked at the cornerstone quote before in Matthew 21:23-46 and Luke 20:1-26. In the midst of persecution and seeming smallness, Peter recalls Jesus' words as encouragement. The ironic thing is that history demonstrates that when the church is persecuted, that is when Jesus does some of His 'biggest' building.
Remember a cornerstone is one from which the rest of the building gets its orientation. It is the main stone in the foundation. You pick the best quality for that stone. It is usually massive and perfectly shaped. By uniting two intersecting walls, a cornerstone aligns the whole building and ties it together. Jesus says that He is the stone the builders rejected. He became the chief cornerstone.
The wall of heaven and the wall of earth intersect. Ever since the fall of Adam the human cathedral was falling. It collided with heaven's wall. The human wall was crooked and never fit. God gave some instructions to the Jewish nation concerning how to build. Imbedded within that instruction were prophecies concerning the Cornerstone. This is a quote of Psalm 118:22, 23.
The glory of Jesus is that He uses living stones. We are not some dead cathedral that never changes. We are a living organism that continues to grow and change but ever into a more beautiful reflection of Him. We are part of an organism that is so 'big' that we cannot see even a small portion of it. But He is building it one cell, one stone, at a time. In shaping the stones sometimes the mason has to cut or break off the unwanted edges of stone. Since we are living stones, that hurts. Since we cannot always see the whole living cathedral of which we are part, we feel isolated. That is why we must look at His glory. He also suffered. He bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed. That's the way He fits living stones together. He's got something goin' really big. We are part of it. I cannot think of anything bigger than being part of a living wall that intersects heaven and earth! Let's participate in His work. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

November 24

1 CHRONICLES 19-20
Most scholars consider the Chronicles to be the priestly version of Israel’s history. It is compiled from a priest's view point. Hence, we have all the genealogies and especially details related to the temple. I find it interesting that as the priestly account, the record does not address David’s adultery and murder. In today’s passage we find that David stayed home from battle, 20:1. 2 Samuel tells us that this is the time that David succumbed to adultery and murder. Chronicles does not even mention it. Why? A priest offers up sacrifice to cover the sin of the people for whom he is representative to God. From a priestly perspective, the sin of adultery and murder, which David committed, is covered by the blood of the sacrifice. Since those sins do not relate to the temple, the priestly account of David does not even mention it because it is covered by the blood of the sacrifice.
Jesus is our sacrifice. His blood not only covers our sin, but it washes it completely away. Once we have repented of our sin, Jesus never again mentions it. If I am suffering from guilt over past sin, I need only true repentance and confession. When that happens, it is under the blood. I am forgiven. It is gone. Jesus never throws it in my face again as a condemnation. If that is happening, it is not from Him. He is my High Priest. He cleansed me with His own blood. I am free. I walk in that marvelous light. It is nothing that I have done, but it is all of Him. Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

This picture is taken from the balcony of our hotel in Amman Jordan. In the top center of the picture is the northwest corner of the Roman wall of ancient Rabbah. Left center is a tunnel for cars to go under the mountain. You can see that the slope going to the top is quite steep making the fortress at the top much easier to defend. We walked to the top to visit the ancient city which is now a park for the residents to enjoy. Much of the area has been preserved along with a museum to give a history of the various periods of growth.


Zooming in with the camera from the same point, here is a close up of the walls. While these are Roman walls and younger, the part of the city dating from Joab’s is over the other side from here along the southeastern edge of the ruins. With the steep slope, it must have been a very difficult siege to take this city.

PSALM 144
Why does evil exist? That is a good question for which the Scripture has only one clear answer, “It is allowed to reveal His glory.” But how does allowing evil to exist show His glory? I mean, wouldn’t it be better if He just never allowed it to exist? That way, when anyone thought about evil and asked, “Why doesn’t evil exist?” the answer would clearly be, “Oh evil does not exist because we have such a glorious God. He would never allow such a thing.” Hmmm. . . But if everything but God is finite (Is evil finite? Can evil exist outside of time and space?), then how would we even begin to think in terms of something which we had not experienced? My mind becomes severely twisted when I start trying to think these things through. Physicists talk about the fabric of space. I don’t quite get that. I think of space as nothing. How can nothing have fabric? I guess space is something, but if nothing is something then it is not nothing so it can’t be something. If evil did not exist, how could finite beings think of it? I think I am going into an existential spiral and getting intellectual motion sickness. Before Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, I do not think that they really understood what evil was. They only knew that God said, “Don’t go there.” Eve took the fruit because she did not understand what it was. When Adam saw her with the fruit, he immediately ‘knew’ what evil was because he saw her doing it. He knowingly chose to take the fruit from her because he desired her more than God. In an instant evil became experienced and entrenched. It was no longer a question of, “What is it?” but, “What do we do about it?”
Enter death. Apparently death is the infinite God’s only solution for evil. How would He apply the solution? I don’t think I can adequately explain why evil exists, but even my opponents in explaining the answer would agree with me in this, “Evil exists.” No one can deny that evil exists! To deny that is to deny existence! To deny that is to deny all reason!
So if this infinite God hates evil, then does He not hate evil infinitely? If He hates it infinitely, then He will always be about eradicating it. If He is about eradicating it, and He is infinite, then surely He is able to eradicate it instantly. Then why does/did He not do it instantly? When God first warned Adam and Eve, He said, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” I am told by the Hebrew experts that the language could be literally translated, “Dying you shall die.” It became a process, not instantaneous. Certainly that matches with reality. Why did He choose a process for the finite world? I am beginning to sound like a child, “Why? Why? Why?” I am not sure that I can give adequate answers for the discerning mind, but this I know, “The eradication of evil is a process. It does not happen instantly.” This matches Scripture and reality.
This infinite God, who has permitted evil, who is bent on eradicating it, who has chosen to use a process rather than doing it instantly, this God has also chosen to have us participate with Him in its eradication. Therefore, He trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle. He has chosen to have us partner with Him in the eradication of evil. Now it is obvious from Scripture that this is going to mean different application for different people at different times, but the metaphor of the training for battle remains constant through time. It is in the training for battle and war that we learn His hatred of evil. But it is also in the training and war that we learn His lovingkindness and protection. Apart from the contrast of war and loving kindness we would never experience the depths of either.
Wiki Answers says the average life expectancy of the “D-day” soldier was 1-2 seconds. I cannot begin to get my mind around such carnage. That is evil. But those who survived should have a greater appreciation for experiencing lovingkindness and protection. The life of the average soldier on that day was literally like the passing of a shadow. But what is the length of my life in comparison to Eternity? It is like the passing of a shadow. I am 57 years old. In some respects I still feel like I am only beginning life. The average life expectancy of a male in the world is 64.52 years, in the USA it is 75.6 years. I have 7 to 18 years left according to the averages, just a shadow. In my 57 years I have enjoyed much of His lovingkindness and protection. I have experienced a little of the ravages of His war on evil, but mostly His lovingkindness and protection. I am experiencing the blessings of His lovingkindness and protection. I am privileged to see my sons and daughter to grow up and produce fruit and become ‘pillars’ in society! But there is yet much evil to be eradicated, and I have only a shadow left!
O God of glory will you come down out of heaven in Your awesome glory and eradicate evil! Continue to use my hands and fingers in the battle for the eradication of evil! Do it in a way that brings You the most possible glory! Keep me from falsehood! Give me new songs to sing to you! Glorify Yourself in delivering Your servant from evil! Lord, I have family, friends and neighbors whose lives are entrenched in evil. Use my hands and fingers to set them free from the bonds of evil! In so doing, glorify Yourself! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ZECHARIAH 6
“Behold the Man!” I cut short the full quotation from Zechariah; however, they are the same words that Pilate used when he presented Jesus as the King of the Jews. The crowd demanded His execution. Interesting is it not that when Zechariah is using the words that he is referring to the chief priest and is placing a crown upon his head. The crown is the symbol of a king, and yet Joshua is a priest. It is interesting that the name Joshua is the Hebrew form of the Greek name, Jesus. Jesus is our priest and king. He is called the branch. As Joshua rebuilt the temple in Zechariah’s day, Jesus is rebuilding His temple now. We are being built upon Him as the chief cornerstone. He desires to sit upon His throne and rule as a priest over us. One day His rule will be supreme. He will rule from a literal throne and judge the nations. Right now He rules over His church. Let us be responsive to our priest and king! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

1 PETER 1
The glory of what we have seen of the Lord is great. The glory that is to be revealed at His coming is greater still! What is the glory that has been revealed? His abundant mercy has not checked but satisfied the mercy of God. A body He prepared for us! His body He prepared for us. He sacrificed His body for us. He died to remove our sin. He rose to defeat that sin and death! He gives us hope, a living hope! Our hope can't be killed. He defeated death. We can be killed. But we shall live again because of Him! What power there is living in us because He is living in us! Simply because we believe!
In the movie Polar Express the boy receives a bell from the sleigh of Santa Claus when he learns to believe. His parents could not hear the bell because they did not believe. One by one his friends ceased to hear the bell because they ceased to believe. We enjoy the movie because it distracts us from reality and goads us to believe that there is good in this world that is full of bad events. It is a dead hope because deep inside we know it is make believe. We force ourselves to believe in spite of the facts. It is indeed a dead hope.
Not so with Jesus ! He is the only true hope. We do not base our hope on make believe, which we force into reality by the power of our faith. That would indeed be a dismal hope. Our hope is in His resurrection. The resurrection is securely attested to by history. It was produced by the power of God for our salvation. Our faith does not produce it; it merely secures what is already there for our own.
Faith is important. With out it we cannot receive His provision. But the provision is there whether or not we believe. Our faith merely enables us to realize it. That is why focusing on His glory is so important. His glory increases our faith. Remember His glory is a living hope! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

November 22

1 CHRONICLES 17
One of the problems of writing a thing called Meditations on the Glory is that it is both presumptuous and pretentious. It is presumptuous in that it presumes that I can say something of accurate significance about the glory of God. I have a great ability to be presumptuous, and I guess that I have an ability to say something accurate and of the glory of God, but only as it is revealed to me by the Holy Spirit through the word of God. You see, there is none like God. There really is nothing to which I can compare him. So apart from His self-revelation, I really cannot accurately know anything about Him. How do we receive this self-revelation of God? It is by His Spirit and by His Word. It is also pretentious. A child is said to be pretentious when he or she attempts to be older in behavior and thought than they really are. Perhaps I am being pretentious in hoping to explain something of the glory of God. How can I explain anything about the One to whom nothing can be compared?
Somebody has once said that we cannot know God completely, but we can know him truly. He is the infinite God. We can truly know some aspect of Him. But since we are finite, we cannot know Him completely. To know Him completely, we would have to be infinite. Similarly since anything to which we might compare Him is finite, there is none like Him. But He has chosen to enter our lives to deliver us from our sin so that He might make a name for Himself. If He were not the infinite God, that would be very prideful. But since He is the only infinite Creator, it is only right for him to enter. We are most delighted and fulfilled when we find our delight in enjoying some small or new aspect of what He is like. There is none like Him! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 142
The title says it was David’s prayer in the cave. At least a couple of times, David hid in caves from Saul’s army. Here was a young man who had tasted great military success. He had singlehandedly defeated the Philistine champion. Over the years he went on to lead portions of Israel’s army in successful fight after fight against the Philistine. During the time, he learned vital military skills in leading men into battle. He had become Israel’s champion. The people sang his praise, “Saul has killed his thousands, but David his ten-thousands.” He had accomplished all that King Saul had asked him to do, including marrying Saul’s daughter with its attendant bride price of 200 Philistine foreskins. He had even been secretly anointed as King by the prophet Samuel. Saul’s son Jonathan had recognized that David would be king in his place, and he was fine with it. But David’s meteoric rise to power and the promises that came with it were nowhere on the scope of fulfillment without some sort of mutiny. Mutiny against the Lord’s anointed did not exist in David’s theology.
So here he sits in a cave with his men. He is hunted as a criminal. Instead of leading Israel’s finest, He is leading Israel’s disenchanted. Instead of receiving recognition and adulation of the people, He is receiving scorn and rejection. From a strictly human perspective, this is a hopeless situation. He felt as if no one cared for his soul. The walls of the cave began to close in and shut like the bars of a prison. His physical problems were not the major problem. He was in a prison of the soul. How does one break out of such an impenetrable prison?
David cries out to the Lord. He declares his trouble before him. He complains to the Lord. Wait a minute! He complains to the Lord? Did not the Lord kill thousands of people in the wilderness for the sin of complaining? Yes He did, but their complaint was of a different order. Their complaint was against the Lord and His leadership. It arose out of an unbelief that the Lord loved them and would bring a good resolution to their complaint. David’s complaint is of an altogether different sort. David’s complaint is on the one hand recognizing the realities of his awful situation, and on the other hand, recognizing the realities of who God is and then submitting to His leadership.
Look at how he holds this tension before him. When his spirit was overwhelmed he says, “Then You knew my path. In the way in which I walk, they have secretly set a snare for me.” He does not discount the problem at all, but he declares what he knows to be true of God in this situation. God is omniscient and this difficulty did not in any way catch God by surprise. God knows beforehand the traps that our enemy sets for us. Declaring such truth enables David to begin the process of relaxing in the face of death. The only physical refuge that David had was the cave with all of it amenities, snakes, spiders, bugs, scorpions etc. David brings back to mind that God made the cave, “You are my refuge.” He brings back to mind that God provides his needs, “You are my portion.” A complaint given to the Lord in belief also looks beyond the complaint to a time of greater fulfillment. David says, “You shall deal bountifully with me.” I once was told that a component of maturity is being able to endure a current deprivation in order to obtain a future reward. That doesn’t mean that I have to like the current deprivation.
So the glory of the Lord can be seen even in the worst of circumstances. It is His glory to welcome our complaint of the present as long as we are focused upon Him. Focusing on Him enables us to see His omniscience, His protection, His provision and His reward. We can see that even in the midst of great problems! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ZECHARIAH 4
There is no light at the end of the tunnel. When I was in seminary, the administration told us that the hardest time of the years was in the middle of the program. If you took a full load each quarter, the M.Div. program was three years long. After a year and a half, the excitement of beginning a new thing was definitely worn off. There was still no light at the end of the tunnel. It was still another year and a half or two years until the toil was finished. A lot of guys became discouraged and quit at that point. For them it was a mountain that could not even be climbed, much less moved.
Zerubbabel had been building the temple for ten years. It was a monumental task. It probably seemed that it would never end. The Lord comes alongside him to encourage him. Mountain moving is a specialty of the Lord; after all, He made them. The Lord wanted him to know that only His Spirit could accomplish such a task. 6 So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts. 7 ‘Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” ’ ” The Lord gives us the grace to complete the tasks which He gives us. Grace is the unmerited favor and ability to accomplish what God designs for us to do.
We are designed to build the temple, His church. It is a life-long task. Often times it seems as if there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Weariness can easily set in, but our Lord is mountain mover. Sometimes He is a tunnel digger, and always He is the light in the tunnel. In the toil and in the darkness, He calls out, “Grace, grace to it!” He gives us what we need. That is His glory! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JAMES 4
Part of the glory of Jesus is that He is jealous of us. What would I do if some man began making advances (that she did not want) toward my wife? You'd better believe that I'd be in His face pretty quick. But what if she wanted his advances? I would probably still be in his face. But I would also have to address the reason she wanted his advances. Would the reason she wanted his advances be because of a deficiency in me or a deficiency in her or a combination of both?
With Jesus there is no deficiency. When we give in to the advances of Satan, the world or the flesh, it is because of a deficiency in us, not in Him. He yearns for us, but not at the expense of His holiness. Receiving the advances of others is an indication of pride. After all, He is our Creator. We are receiving advances of a created thing over the love of the Creator. What unbelievable pride! Humility is understanding His glory and yielding only to Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

November 21

1 CHRONICLES 16
“Still church” it is the advertising slogan for one of the churches here in Stillwater. Obviously, both a play on the name, ‘Stillwater,’ and an attempt to attract people who don’t like the change in church culture that has occurred over the decades. If I went there here is what I would expect to find: men dressed in suits, women wearing dresses or skirts; songs sung out of a hymn book, a sermon that is somewhat emotional, an invitation to be saved or to join the church at the end of the sermon, a full blown Sunday School before the service, a bus ministry that picks up kids throughout the community to bring them to church, a highly entertaining children’s church, definitely an offering, maybe even a baptism or two during the service. In short I would expect to be transported back in time to a highly nostalgic feel of an evangelical church in the late 60’s early 70’s. It would be, “Still church.” One of the main points though would be the style of music. Admittedly the church is growing in numbers. It is attracting a number of people.
There is just something about the glory of the Lord that produces music. I love this:

4 And he appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to commemorate, to thank, and to praise the LORD God of Israel: 5 Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, and Obed-Edom: Jeiel with stringed instruments and harps, but Asaph made music with cymbals; 6 Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests regularly blew the trumpets before the ark of the covenant of God.

Wow, they had quite the band going there, stringed instruments, harps, cymbals, trumpets and their voices. I wonder what it sounded like. But the point is not the music. The point is that because of the greatness of the glory of God a fresh creation of music flowed out of His presence. It wasn’t about the music or its style; it was about His glory. When we experience His glory, how can our hearts keep from singing? How can our feet keep from dancing? How can we keep from using instruments to increase His praise? How can we keep falling on our faces silent before Him? How can we keep from crying out that we are undone? How can we keep from crying out in ecstasy of the sheer pleasure of Him? His glory is infinite and ever different yet never changing.
Look who was part of this uproar in praise—Obed-Edom (v. 5 & 38 see the entry for November 19). Obed-Edom just can’t get enough of God’s glory. He is even recruiting others to join him:

37 So he left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD to minister before the ark regularly, as every day’s work required; 38 and Obed-Edom with his sixty-eight brethren, including Obed-Edom the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah, to be gatekeepers;

May his tribe ever increase! Obed-Edom with his sixty-eight brethren! I don’t think it means biological brothers; although, in their culture it was a possibility. The glory of the Lord is just too contagious. Not only has Obed-Edom become a ‘glory junkie’, but he has infected 68 other men so much that they are called his ‘brethren.’ They just have to have a fresh experience of His glory. When the glory comes, it flows in praise and music!
I had my first encounter with the glory of Jesus as an 8-year-old (1963) at the First Baptist Church of Glencoe, OK. I have encountered His glory time and again since then. Some of the highlights since then have been at Falls Creek, and during involvement with Campus Crusade for Christ in college, and during hard times of trust in seminary and early ministry, and during somewhat successful times of ministry in Southport, and during extremely stressful times of ministry. During all these times of highs and lows, God has allowed Himself to be found in His glory, if I sought Him. Consequently, I can feel quite nostalgic when I hear hymns being sung well with exuberance. I am motivated by the ‘Jesus music’ of the 70’s. I can be drawn into an emotional calm or high when I hear the worship music of the 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s. Honestly, there are forms of modern Christian music that I do not think that I will ever connect with, but if it is just the music that moves me, then I have missed the glory. The music is our response to and flows out of the glory. It is not the glory itself. If I am dependent upon my encounter with Him to still be like it was in the 60’s, then I am on dangerous ground, for I am not dependent upon His glory. His glory is new and fresh, ever different but never changing, because that is who He is, infinite, omnipresent, omniscient, omnisapient, loving, just, merciful, gracious. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 141
How does being a person who is ‘safe to correct’ relate to the glory of the Lord? When I was a sophomore in college, I was involved in the central action group (CAG) of Campus Crusade for Christ. One of the things that the staff asked of us was that we each fill out a weekly ministry report and turn it in. On the report were various questions like, “The number of people with whom you shared the 4-Laws? . . . the Holy Spirit booklet? How many people came to your Bible Study/Action Group? What are you studying in that group? There were a few other questions but the one that always made me most uncomfortable was, “What are you reading in the Word in your Quiet Time?” One week during CAG, our campus director brought to our attention that many of us were not filling in the question as to what we were reading in the Word. He wanted to know why. My immediate response was, “Well that is a very personal thing between God and me.” Immediately one of the other staff members guffawed and said, “O come on! If we can’t share with one another on that level, then we really don’t have a discipling relationship at all!”
I was immediately angry and embarrassed, but I held my tongue. He went on to explain the importance of being open with each other about our relationship with the Lord. Later I began to think on it. He was right. If I cannot open up and share with those who are ‘righteous’, then it isn’t much of a relationship. If the truth were known, it wasn’t so much about my privacy as it was that I was really inconsistent in reading the word and did not want to admit it. Also, when I did read the Word, its words often seemed silent, and it became a check on my checklist of things to get done. I did not want to admit that to anyone else, especially those discipling me, lest I be seen as less spiritual. You know, for a while I really thought staff member who guffawed was arrogant. But eventually I came to see that it was a wound of love. The next year, he became the who was discipling me. The year after that, I met Laura. It was to him that I went for advice when I was seeking the Lord’s will about asking Laura to marry me. You know, he gave me a number of good questions to ask about our relationship that really helped me understand what the Lord wanted. He was trustable because he was righteous. A large part of my recognition that he was righteous was that I learned that he loved me. By that I mean that he genuinely wanted the best for me. For him to have held his tongue would not have been love. His correction was followed up with genuine interest in my life, in helping me grow in my relationship with him.
I have learned through this experience and a multitude of other experiences, how to determine whether a correction is from a person who is righteous and a person who is not. The unrighteous seek only to wound. The righteous seek to wound for the purpose of bringing healing. The righteous will continue to remain in the life of the one they wound in order to help them heal. The unrighteous wound and run, or wound and drive away the victim, or wound and kill the victim. As a possible victim, the Psalmist pleads with the Lord to protect him from the wounds of the unrighteous. He also pleads for the grace to receive the wounds of the righteous, “Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; it shall be as excellent oil; let my head not refuse it.”
But how does that relate to the glory of the Lord? I do not think that I could possibly have the humility to allow someone else to correct me unless I knew that ultimately my life was in the hands of a great God who was shaping and directing my life through the wounds of others. I need the assurance that He is the sovereign God who is in control. When I have entered His courts to view His glory and allow my prayer to rise up before Him as incense, and when I have lifted up my hands before him in the evening sacrifice of praise, I am reminded of the greatness of His glory. I am reminded that I can trust Him in His sovereign directing of my life. You see, even in my being corrected, it is still all about His glory. The same is true for you. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ZECHARIAH 3
In this vision, Joshua the High Priest is standing before the Lord in filthy garments. Should it not have been unthinkable for a High Priest to do his mediatorial work in filthy garments? Such is the nature of sin that once we have wallowed in it awhile, we no longer are aware of its filthiness. And when we do become aware, we do not have the capability of removing it from us. But the glory of the Lord is such that He will not let His people remain in their sin. But He chooses to send forth His Branch, His Stone, for the purpose of removing the iniquity of the people. Both terms are ones used of the Lord Jesus Christ to describe Him. The Branch is also used in Zech 6:12; Isa 4:2; 11:1; Jer 23:5; 33:15. The Stone is also used in Gen 49:24; Ps 118:22; Isa 28:16; Mt 21:42; Acts 4:11; I Pet 2:6. Our Jesus is a life giving branch through Whom the sap of eternal life flows, quickening us from the dead! He gives us the life and ability to live righteous lives and enjoy life more abundantly! Our Jesus is the stone which the builders rejected upon whom we can be built as a living stone into His temple for His habitation. He is the firm foundation which brings stability and usefulness to our lives which will last for eternity and His glory.
It all begins on the day when He removes the iniquity of His people. Notice that He says that He will remove it in one day. He did! He removed it in one day at Calvary. And it is applied the day that I repent and believe!

Down at the cross where my Savior died,
Down where for cleansing from sin I cried,
There to my sin was the blood applied;
Glory to His name!
Oh, precious fact, when my Savior died,
Not only sin's debt was satisfied;
Life's flowing fountain was opened wide!
Glory to His name!
--Elisha Hoffman

Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JAMES 3
Jesus is able to use His tongue rightly. That is part of His glory. The press loves to jump on President Bush because of his misspeaks. They love to denigrate and belittle him over the slip of the tongue. Some of their clamor is because Mr. Bush did slip with the tongue. Most of it is just political maneuvering. The religious leaders for Jesus' day were the same way. They looked for ways to trip Him in His speech. Yet, they never found it.
The masses marveled at the way He taught. He taught as one having authority, not as the scribes. Once the leaders sent soldiers to arrest Him, having come back empty handed, the leaders asked, "Why didn't you arrest Him?" Their honest reply was, "No man ever spoke like He did." When He was before the leaders in His trials, He controlled the conversation. His tongue is as a sharp sword cutting in between fantasy and reality. His words are true and just. They promote holiness and love. They divide only when men and women cling to their self-righteousness. They condemn only when He is rejected. They bring a sword only when the holiness of God is called into question. They are pure. His words seek to gently bring peace by revealing holiness and sin and then offering mercy and grace. Those who have received that mercy from His lips seek first to extend it to others, because they have come to see the greatness of His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

November 20

1 CHRONICLES 15
“13God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about the proper order.” Does that strike you as an odd statement? It does me at first. It conjures up in my mind that God is in some kind of box (like the ark), and finally He can’t take it anymore so he lashes out at those around the box and then returns to His box.
This is a statement of Scripture. The doctrine of inerrancy tells us that David really did say this, but our doctrine of hermeneutics will tell us how it should be interpreted. God did kill Uzzah because he touched the ark. Uzzah touched the ark because David and others had not consulted the Lord about how the ark should be transported. If they had consulted the Lord, Uzzah would probably have never died in the transport of the ark. But what bothers me about the statement is the phrase “broke out.”
It almost implies that David thought that the Lord could be contained in a box. It is interesting to note that in the parallel passages in 2 Samuel that it is after this incident that David determines that he must build a magnificent house for the Lord. What was the Lord’s response? 2 Sam 7:5f, “Would you build a house for Me to dwell in? 6“For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle.” As you read that passage, the flow is that God is saying, “I don’t need a tent to dwell in. I am bigger than that.” Solomon caught the Lord’s drift. When he dedicated the temple, he said, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!” God cannot be contained in anything and we have difficulty remembering that.
But do I not mentally put God in a box. He is supposed to act in this religious manner. He is supposed to do this when I do that. He should always act according to my parameters. Hmmm. . . maybe that is part of why our Christianity is so weak. We expect God to work according to our parameters rather than consulting Him about the proper order. After all, the infinite God might have a better idea about how to do what needs to be done--each time it is done. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 140
Early teen-aged-years are a very volatile time in life. In my experience it was a time filled with pride filled remarks, both giving and receiving. The insecurity of growing up and not really knowing who one is leads to some very proud comments on one’s own part and against others. Most early teens mask their insecurities with proud statements or statements of sarcasm toward others. I had one or two acquaintances who never grew out of that. I saw one at our 20th year high school reunion. His first comment at the reunion toward me was very negative. I hadn’t even had a chance to greet or offend him, before it was out of his mouth. He had become a pretty successful surgeon. I guess what Matthew Henry says about this Psalm aptly described him, “Proud men, when they prosper, are made prouder, grow more impudent against God and insolent against his people . . . ” Although I noted the sarcasm, I just ignored it. I figured that he just hadn’t grown up. My best friend from high school was standing there, heard the comment, and came to my rescue with a retort that made our acquaintance know that his comment was out of line.
So how does the glory of God fit into this? The wicked advance themselves by tearing others down. For one who knows who he is in relation to the glory of God, the evaluation of others, no matter how successful they are, is of little importance. Even if that evaluation is able to bring harm to one’s life, it matters little because what really matters is the evaluation of the Almighty God. The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:3–4:

3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord.

He is the Almighty God and will safely bring us into His presence. Not so with the wicked. They will have many challenges to face in the presence of the Holy God. I am confident that the Lord will handle it justly and well. So when others slander me out of their own insecurities, it is best for me to do as the Psalmist has done, and let the Lord take care of it. After all, He is the judge, and that is His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ZECHARIAH 2
Labor day weekend of 2007, I was mowing my lawn. I went under a large bush pushing the lawn mower. A branch caught on the handle of the mower and flipped back and cut the cornea of my eye. That was about 8:00 in the evening. By 3:00 in the morning I was in excruciating pain. I never knew that such a little injury could cause such great pain. It gave me a new appreciation for the phrase, “touching the apple of the eye.” I ended up in the emergency room because of the pain.
In his vision, Zechariah continues on in the theme of chapter one and quotes the Lord speaking of His people as saying, “5 For I,’ says the LORD, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst. . . . He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.” When His people are cleansed, His glory is seen in the midst of His people. He calls His people the apple of His eye. When they are pained, it pains Him. I take away two significant things from this: 1) He wants to display His glory in our midst (assuming I am part of the people of God. 2) When we are pained, it causes Him pain as well. Is the pain as excruciating to Him as it is to us? Probably more so. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JAMES 2
This chapter is full of the justice of Jesus. Have you ever noticed how we tend to make one sin greater than another? If we don't break the 'great ones,' the implication is that we are really 'tight' with Jesus. Today I was sharing the Gospel with a man. He stated at least twice, maybe 3 times, that his worst habit was smoking. He'd quit drinking. I began to share the Gospel with him. I shared Romans 3:23, "All have sinned. . ." We talked about the 10 commandments. I pointed out a few--taking the Lord's name in vain, breaking the Sabbath, stealing, murder, adultery, coveting. By his own admission, he had broken them all.
James says that if you've broken one, you are guilty of all. We tend to look down on those who have a problem with the ones with which we don't have a problem. Not Jesus. He sees the one with which we have a problem and He says, "You are guilty." That is bad news. There is good news. He says that if we will repent of what we are guilty, then He will forgive all.
When we have received that mercy, it is incumbent upon us to give mercy to others. No, we may not have sinned as they, but we have sinned. We are just as guilty. As rich Americans it is to judge some of the poor among us and say, "You are being judged by God because of your misuse of your resources," or to look at the rich and say, "You are being blessed by God because of the good use of resources. In both cases our judgment may or may not be true. But what is true is that if either of them have sinned and if we do not speak to that sin for the purpose that they may receive forgiveness, then we have judged in error. We must show mercy & speak to both when sin is clear, so that both may receive of the wonderful grace of our Lord. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

November 19

1 CHRONICLES 13-14
“Let us bring the ark of our God back to us for we have not inquired at it since the days of Saul.” That is a long time. Saul had died a minimum of 7 years prior to this point. It was possibly well over 10 years. This is bound to be a momentous occasion. With great pomp David plans on doing this, yet he failed to search the Scriptures regarding how the ark should be transported. David’s mindless mistake cost Uzzah his life. Do I ever approach the Lord without thinking it through? He bids me come boldly before the throne, but there is a protocol. It is only by the blood of the Lamb that I may enter. There was only one gate into the Tabernacle. It led by the altar of sacrifice. Do I appreciate what it cost Him for me to enter? Or do I just cavalierly waltz in expecting the Holy Almighty to bow at my presence?
Uzzah’s death angered David. He abandoned the whole project and left the ark in the home of Obed-Edom a Gittite, a man from Gath. Gath was the Philistine city from which came Goliath and his brothers. Wouldn’t you be a little reluctant to receive the ark after this event? I would. He was probably a member of David’s bodyguard, so he was a good obedient soldier and received it.
Yet the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all in his house. Who do you suppose was the first to notice the blessing that Obed-Edom received. How did they note it? When the author of life takes up residence in your house, do you not believe that it would make a difference? I suspect that Obed’s house became brimming with life. How great is that? It forever changed him. The same name is used in 15:24&25; 16:5,38; 26:4-8,15. I believe they are the same. He so fell in love with the glory of God that he gave up his military career and permanently pursued the glory of God serving as a doorkeeper/gatekeeper/musician. How cool is that? He could no longer live without the glory of God. Both Psalm 81 & 84 are written to be played on an instrument of Gath. I think this is in memory of Obed-Edom. It is Psalm 84:10 which says:

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

That was Obed-Edom. He so encountered the presence of the Glory of the Lord that it changed his whole life. He went from a military man to a man of the cloth. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 139
She looked kind of frumpy. At forty-seven-years-old, she certainly was not the kind of woman that you would expect to see on the cover of any beauty magazine. She was 50-75 pounds overweight. She wore no visible make-up and did not shape her eyebrows; they were rather thick. Her hair was kind of Medusa looking. Her dress was plain. Britain’s Got Talent host asked her what she hoped to accomplish by coming on the program. She replied, “I have hopes of becoming a professional singer.” Immediately, snickers appeared on the face of each panelist. Her name was Susan Boyles, and she sang I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables. After the first line, the camera angle switched to the panelists. The astonishment was clear upon their faces. Boyles gave a flawless performance, turned and began to march off the stage. The crowd and two of the panelists rose to their feet in a standing ovation. Clearly they had misjudged Ms. Boyles.
We all long to have someone of significance know everything there is to know about us and still desire us and think that we are wonderful. Our great God and Savior is that person. He knows all there is about us. He has studied us completely. Nothing is hidden from His sight. He is knows our thoughts and our words before we know them. His Spirit is ever with us, and like Jonah we cannot get away from Him. He knows even the agony of the inhabitants of those in hell. He knows where dark things sleep in the depths of the sea and in the sordid depths of our minds and souls. He knit us together in our mother’s womb. In light of all this knowledge, David asks the Lord to search him and reveal any wicked way. Indeed God does have this kind of knowledge about our lives. For those of us who are born again, not only does He know everything that there is to know about us, but He also is delighted with us. Like the panelists with Susan Boyles, He jumps to his feet in feeling His pleasure in us. There is a difference with us though. Ms. Boyles walked away from the stage still looking frumpy, nothing had changed about who she was before or after her encounter with Britain’s Got Talent. We step back from our encounter with the Creator forever changed for the better. We become new creatures when we meet Him. He purifies us of the things He doesn’t like and gives us the things He does like. He gives a flawless performance in changing us and then stands back and applauds us, His work. Such knowledge for us is difficult to attain, but it should motivate us to step back and return the applause to the One who changed us. That is His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ZECHARIAH 1
It was an early April snow, very unusual for Oklahoma. The storm dumped 6-8 inches on us overnight. For northern states that have the equipment to remove snow, it would have been nothing. But for us, it is safer to just call off school for the day and let it melt. It would all be gone in a day anyway. With school out, our neighborhood decided to have a snowball fight with the guys from a nearby neighborhood. I was one of the youngest in the group. I think that I was in the 7th grade. I was able to sneak up on a guy two years older than I, and I nailed him. He wasn’t about to take that from a squirt like me. So he began his revenge. I was getting hammered terribly, but then my brother, a senior in High School, saw my plight. He came to the rescue. Boy did he come to the rescue! I almost felt sorry for the guy who was pummeling me. It kind of ended the snowball fight. Now, my brother and I once in a while would have a disagreement (usually I was the aggressor), but I had never seen anger like that out of him! He was zealous for me.
The Lord says, “I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great zeal. I am exceeding angry with the nations at ease; for I was a little angry, and they helped—but with evil intent. Therefore thus says the Lord: I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it.” The Lord was indeed a little angry with His people, Judah. He used other nations to kick them out of the land. But as His tool of disciplining His children, they had evil intent. The result? The Lord was very angry. My brother might get angry with me, but you’d better not mess with me. The Lord gets angry with the disobedience of His children, but you had better not mess with His children! That is part of His glory. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JAMES 1
Where is Jesus in this chapter? First He permits us to fall into trials for the testing of our faith. He does what? To my simple mind that does not sound like much glory! Why can’t He just keep the trial away? To my simple mind that would seem like more glory. But if we did not experience the trial, we would never know His power to change us through the trial. And He wants us to become perfect like Him. How was He perfected as a Man? Remember Hebrews? He learned obedience, even to the point of death upon a cross. As we go through trials, He is making us like Himself. We are going through trials that He Himself has endured. Jesus, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross despising the shame. We endure the trials, perhaps despising the shame, because of the joy set before us.
What does Jesus give us as we endure the trials with joy? He gives us patience, wisdom and the crown of life. It is gracious of Him to do this because we ought to endure those things without reward. Yet He freely gives us reward. He knows the temptations that we have been through; He experienced the full intensity of all our temptations through His life. In every temptation that Jesus experienced, Satan tempted Him to its fullest strength. Jesus wrestled with the temptation to turn from the Father’s cup of suffering when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane. Having gone through all temptations Himself, He leads us through our trials by His word of truth. He does that so that we might be the first fruits of His creatures.
If He leads us through by His word of truth, then how important it is that we become hearers and doers of His word! What precious gifts He has given us in His word! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John