Sometimes we can pursue the glory of the Lord for the wrong reasons. Abijah is an example. The Chronicles, written under priestly influence, does not give us the insight into Abijah’s true character. He appears here to be a valiant warrior for the Lord. However, in comparison to 1 Kings 15, we find that Abijah was described by the Lord as having committed all the sins of his father and not being committed to that Lord as was David. He only reigns 3 years. The implication is that he was wicked, and God took him. Even his name belies him in the book of Kings. There he is called Abijam, which means, “My father is Yam.” Yam was a Canaanite sea god. We read that he took the city of Bethel. Bethel was one of two cities where Jeroboam I placed his golden calves. We read nothing of Abijah destroying it. It again appears later in the historical narrative. So, we can only assume that he did not destroy the loathsome idol. We then read that he increased his wives to 14. The Lord’s kings were not to multiply marriage alliances. Yet it appears that he did so. After all, all of the kings before him did it.
So what is the point? I must be careful. I can appear to everyone (as Abijah does here) as though I am quite godly, and I can still be ungodly inside. I can say the right things and even be rescued by the Lord. And yet, my heart can be miles from wanting the glory of the Lord to shine through me. I guess it is the glory of the Lord to condescend and sometimes even aid those who speak the right words yet whose heart is miles from Him. Let me be careful. Lord, bind my wandering heart to Thee! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
PROVERBS 12
He lay in the hospital bed with his pain managed by morphine. He had asked for a chaplain. The hospital did not deem a fulltime chaplain as a fiscally responsible investment, so they relied on volunteers. I was a volunteer, so they called me to come in. He was disappointed to find that I was not a Mormon. He was certain that Mormon elders had the power to heal. Both shin bones had been shattered by gunshot wounds. The pain was tremendous and obviously more than physical.
His parents were out of town for a few days and left this 19-year-old in charge. His little brother decided to invite a few friends over for a beer party. Soon people began showing up whom he did not know. Eventually some of those uninvited guests started becoming rowdy. He played the role well as an older brother. He told the uninvited rowdy guests to leave. They left, but unfortunately they were gang members. They were back in less than ten minutes with the entire gang. The gang was spotted through the window as they drove up. The older brother told the others run and hide while he tried to shut and lock the door. Too late. He was able to get to the door in time to try to hold it shut, but he was having trouble locking it. They shot multiple times through the door shattering his shin bones. Their revenge was accomplished. They left him to bleed to death.
In the hospital he waffled between blaming God for letting him get shot and calling out for healing. It has never ceased to amaze me that he blamed God for getting shot. Verse 28 says, “In the way of righteousness is life, And in its pathway there is no death.” What did he expect to happen when a bunch of under aged teens got together to drink? Was this a way of righteousness? Did he really expect God to protect him from evil as he walked in unrighteousness? Apparently so! But then that is an easy example for me to point at and say, “Well, you were walking in unrighteousness. God is under no obligation to protect you on that path!” When do I/we ever walk in righteousness so that God is obligated to protect me/us? Just where do we draw the line? What exactly is the pathway of righteousness, and what is life and death?
Jesus defined life in his High Priestly prayer in John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. Life is knowledge of the Holy One, not about the Holy One, but ‘of’ the Holy One. That is why in the pathway of righteousness there is no death. But wait a minute; the one common element to all humans is that we all die. That would imply that there are none who are righteous. Might it also imply that there are none who know God? Hmmm. . . . So the task of Jesus was to bring us into the pathway of righteousness so that we might know Him and God the Father. The implication of that is that I am just as culpable as the young man who had been shot, and that I need someone to put me back on the pathway of righteousness. Hmmm. . . Well that is certainly what Jesus is seeking to do with me and with you. Sometimes he lets our path of unrighteousness follow its course yielding a great deal of pain. The pain is supposed to function to cause us to choose Him over our sin. When our pain level cannot be managed even with morphine, will I cooperate? Will You? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
REVELATION 3
One summer I spent on a project with Campus Crusade for Christ. Each week we did an evangelistic outreach together (all 60 of us). Toward the end of the summer it came my week to head up the project. Like a well oiled machine we swung into action. It was a big time disaster. Nothing went right. We came close to getting kicked out of the camp ground in which we were ministering. In evaluating what went wrong, one of the brothers said, “Jesus’ words, ‘Abide in Me and I in you for apart from me You can do nothing.’ Keep coming into my mind.” I think he was right. We had become accustomed to doing it a certain way. We were dependent on our tool not our Lord.
Like those in Sardis we are often powerless. Oh we may have all the right traditions. We may have a perfect past. But our trust is in programs or in the structures of past accomplishments not in the Spirit of God. Jesus reveals Himself as the One with the seven Spirits of God. The rest of the Scripture teaches that there is only One Spirit of God. What is going on here? Seven is the number of completion and perfection. I think the image being presented here is that He is the One with complete and perfect power. Those who would depend upon programs or past structures will eventually find them to be disasters. Only He has complete power.
To those who are faithful to keep their eyes upon His glory, like the church in Philadelphia, He opens doors that no man can shut and closes doors that no man can open. That doesn’t sound like dependence on fixed program to me. Those who are fixed upon Him who is the beginning of Creation can never be satisfied with routine. Lukewarmness just won’t cut it. They have to have the Creator and nothing less. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
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