January 31

GENESIS 32
In 2006 I was seeking the Lord for His direction for my life. In the midst of that time, I was in this section of Scripture. As I was reading, the words ‘return to the land of your fathers’ jumped off of the pages at me. Over the ensuing months, the Lord made it absolutely clear that I was to return to the land of my fathers. In the intervening year and 9 months, many events filled my life that taught me that the Lord was with me and my family. My son left for Iraq. My father-in-law died. My house burned down. I visited Senegal and Germany. My first granddaughter was born and died two days later. Another son married. Finally on May 1 of 2008, I arrived in Oklahoma, the land of my fathers. I have never really been specifically sure why He wanted me back here. Since returning here, my oldest brother and father have died. I have a little bit of responsibility in caring for my mother. I have become pastor of New Beginnings Alliance Bible Church (Now called Christian Missionary Alliance Church). I guess those are reasons enough.
Jacob’s promise to the Lord at Bethel had been that if the Lord would indeed be with him and bring him home safely to his father’s house, then he would return to Bethel and the Lord would indeed be his God. If he were headed for Bethel, he should have crossed the Jordan north of the Sea of Galilee. What is he doing on the east side of the Jordan? He is still not sure that he can return to his father’s house safely. There is still the matter of his relationship with Esau. It must have been very comforting, as he reached the Jabbok River, to see an army of angels waiting there to meet him. It is at this point that he has the confidence to send word to Esau that he is coming home. God protected him from Laban, but is this army of angels really there to protect him?
Out of the frying pan into the fire. Yes, the Lord was with Jacob. He caused Laban to avert his wrath upon Jacob, but the Lord told Jacob to go back to the land of his fathers, the land of his family. When Jacob was last here twenty years ago, his brother Esau was looking for opportunity to kill Jacob. Had the intervening twenty+ years allowed Esau the ability to forgive Jacob, or had it merely allowed it to fester? Jacob did not know, but he needed to find out. He sent Esau a large gift to show that he did not need any of the family wealth; he was wealthy enough without the inheritance that was due him. Esau responds by coming to meet Jacob with 400 men. Why would Esau do that? Had his anger indeed festered against Jacob? Was he coming to wipe out Jacob? Or was he afraid of Jacob? Was he making a show of force to Jacob that he was well established and that Jacob had better not attempt to take any of the inheritance from Esau. Whatever Esau’s intent was, it was certainly intimidating to Jacob. There was no way that he could defend himself against 400 men. Yes, he had jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.
He divided his camp and family into two groups hoping that if Esau took one group, then the other would escape. After a time of prayer, he sent gifts in droves to Esau. As night approached, he settled his family sending them across the Jabok. Remaining alone He wrestled with God. God, why did you send me back to my family’s land, if Esau is coming to kill me? He would not let go of God in the man form. God asked, “What do you want?” His reply, “I want you to bless me.” On the eve of this momentous meeting with Esau, a meeting which will define the direction of his life from now on, a meeting which may even determine his life or death, he does not ask for peace with Esau. He takes the time to wrestle with God and simply asks for God’s blessing. When God blesses He adds no sorrow to it. Jacob’s conniving had done nothing but bring sorrow and pain. The blessing which he connived for always had strings attached.
When God gave the blessing what was it? He gave Jacob a new name. Jacob, heel-catcher, supplanter, is now named Israel. Israel might come from a root meaning "rule" or "prince", giving the meaning, "he who rules with God.” Or it might come from a root meaning "strive" or "struggle", or "he who struggles with God.” Or it might come from a root meaning "straight", "honest" or "honest man of God.” Jacob received his blessing, a new character exhibited in a new name. He still did not let go. This God-man who gave him a new name, Jacob had to know His name. He had to know His character. What was the God-man’s response? “Why is it that you ask about My name?” I like how the CEV translates it, “Don’t you know who I am?”
“Jacob, I told your mother that your older brother would serve you. You would receive the blessing. I met you at Bethel and promised to be with you. I watched over you the last 20 years as you served Laban. I kept Laban from bringing you harm. I am the One who has been with you all this time. Haven’t you figured Me out yet?”
Why did God bring Jacob back to the land? Maybe his biggest purpose was just so that Jacob could figure out who God is. Why has God brought me to Stillwater? My dad died shortly after I returned. The church I serve is not exactly thriving. We currently (2013) find ourselves in a big financial hole that has occurred on my watch. Why did God bring me back? May be it is so that I and others can figure out who He is. It is His glory to reveal that He is with us. He wants us to experience His presence. That is part of His glory. He wants to give us a new character. That is His glory. In the midst of walking with Him, We figure out what He is like. That is His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 31
I remember Mom making preserves. She made several kinds, but foremost in my memory is the sand plum preserves. Sand plums grow wild in thickets. The cattle used to like to go into the thickets to get shade from the hot summer sun. If I remember right, the sand plums ripened in early summer. We went out to the cattle lease to the thickets and picked them empty. When we brought them home, Mom cooked them and did whatever it is you do to fruit to sweeten and preserve it. We had preserves to eat with our peanut butter for months to come. But if they were not preserved, they only lasted a few days at most.
It always strikes me as odd when I read the Psalm and hear it say, “The Lord preserves the faithful.” I get images of the Lord cooking us down to mush and adding sugar and whatever in order to make us tasty and to not spoil. I almost get the image of Him putting us on the shelf for Him to come back later and consume. After all, we were created by His desire, His will, as the KJV puts it, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” So when I cry out, “Preserve me, O God!” I know that what I mean is, “Don’t let me be destroyed!” But do I stop to think that the preservation might involve some unpleasantries comparable to the metaphor of being cooked down to mush and having other ingredients added in order to make me palatable to His taste, and that the whole process is to please Him and not necessarily me?
What does David mean when he cries out,

9 Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body! 10 For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away?

Sounds like being cooked down to mush to me. How does that bring glory to our God? Well the cooking process destroys the bacteria that bring ruin to the fruit. The cooking process in our lives destroys the sin that brings ruin to the eternal fruit of our lives. In so doing, He can enjoy us forever, and we can enjoy Him forever. Preserve me, O Lord! Love the Lord all you His saints! Be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ESTHER 8
Sometimes the parallels between us and Bible characters are very real and cause us wonder when we think on Jesus’ glory revealed through them. Take Mordecai in this chapter. He was a second class citizen, doomed to die by the intent and decree of Haman. Yet through the intercession of Esther and the amazing providence of God, he is delivered from death, promoted to second in the kingdom and given the very signet ring of the king for the purpose of delivering the Jews from their enemies. You know, it is the glory of our Lord that He has done a parallel thing with us. He has delivered us from death through the blood of His own Son. He has raised us up together with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places. We are in Him second in command to the King of the universe! He has given us His signet ring for the purpose of delivering people from every tribe and tongue and nation out of the kingdom of darkness and into His kingdom of light! What is His signet ring? It is the seal and empowerment of His Holy Spirit. It is His mighty authority to tear down the powers of darkness for the purpose of spreading His rule and reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. Yes, in the typology of this chapter there is much to be seen of the glory of Christ. Am I sharing in that glory? Am I working toward the purpose for which He has called me into that glory? Am I laying down everything in my life in pursuit of His glory and the expansion of His Kingdom? Or am I simply living my life happy to only enjoy the benefits which he has given me? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

MATTHEW 20:17-34
Martin Luther King Jr. has a famous sermon that is called The Drum Major Instinct. The main point of the sermon is, ”Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.” It is based on this teaching. One of the hardest lessons for all of us to learn is that one. I first started learning it in college. I was jealous of some brothers in Christ. They just seemed to be more gifted than I on all accounts. When good times of recognition happened to them, I frequently found myself wishing it was me instead of them being recognized. I don’t think I ever said or did anything that demonstrated that jealousy, but it was there. The Holy Spirit quietly spoke to me about it. Like James and John I wanted to be at the right or left hand of Jesus. I still struggle with that from time to time. Apparently it is a lesson that I will always be learning.
It is a lesson Jesus has known from the beginning. He left the place of greatest recognition in heaven and became a man. He was not recognized by the great ones of our world, only fishermen and tax-collectors and political rebels. His trade for the first part of His life was carpentry, a builder. Even as a builder, there was nothing that we know for which He excelled. He came for one purpose to serve, to give His life a ransom for many. Indeed He accomplished that purpose. That is part of His glory. He served the twelve. He served the blind men in Jericho by healing them. They were two men whose names were not even known so that they could be given in the story. He served to the point of death on the cross. He continues to serve you and me, people whom the world will probably never recognize. That is why He is highly exalted. The Father exalted Him again to greatness because He served. Indeed we serve a glorious serving King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

January 30

GENESIS 31
Here is that phrase again, “I will be with you.” It is associated with one simple condition, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your family.” Jacob is certain that if he tries to depart openly then Laban will strip him of all that he has. So he takes an opportune time while Laban is away elsewhere shearing sheep, and he leaves with all of his possessions. Laban is infuriated when he finds out. He catches up with Jacob, but God is with Jacob and appears to Laban at night in a dream warning him not to do anything to Jacob. God is indeed with Jacob.
However, Laban is concerned about one thing that seems to him to have no bearing on God’s warning. He wants his household idols back. Apparently Rachel had stolen them without Jacob’s knowledge. Why would she do such a thing? They had plenty of wealth in terms of flocks and herds. She apparently is divided in her heart toward the true God, or perhaps she wishes to reveal to others, who worshipped the idols, the impotence of gods to protect themselves against those who would steal their own images away. Or perhaps she had some emotional attachment to them. Whatever the case, what mercy our Lord has upon Jacob and his family as he flees his father-in-law. God is indeed with him as He has been since he first left Isaac and met Him at Bethel. Jacob has continued to be conniving. His wives have likewise been wrestling for dominance. This is just one large dysfunctional family. Yet God is with Him. Wow! What mercy He shows us even today! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 30
“You hid Your face and I was troubled.” Everything else can be going fine, but if I can’t see His glory, what is the use? Every once-in-a-while I get in a funk. It seems that I just can’t see Him. It is indeed troubling. Why does that happen? Why does He hide His face? I suppose there are a variety of contributing factors. Sin of course is an obvious reason. If I regard iniquity in my heart, he does not hear me. I would suppose that he also hides His face at those times. Sometimes I think He does it to make me desire Him more. Sometimes I think He does it to test me and show me my heart. Sometimes I think He does it to strengthen my resolve. Sometimes I think He does it to teach me to seek His face and not His hands (blessings). Whatever the reason, it is always troubling.
His anger over my sin remains only as long as I hold on to the sin. So there is weeping until I finally let go. He once again reveals His face and there is joy again. His anger is but for a moment, but His favor is for a lifetime. Last night in Families in the Word we emphasized, “Truth lasts forever, but lies last only a moment.” That is an interesting comparison. His anger over my lies lasts only a moment (or until there has been true repentance). His glory is seen when I turn from my lies to His truth. When I walk in His truth, His glory is seen. The truth is this: He has not withheld His only Son, so that I might walk with Him. He smiles on that. I enjoy basking in the warmth of His smile. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ESTHER 7
Don’t trouble my wife. If you want to get me angry really quick, harass my wife. I think that would be true of any decent husband. Remember that the marriage relationship is to reflect the relationship between Christ and His church. Does Jesus get mad when folks harass His bride the church? You had better believe it. In a limited sense Xerxes becomes a type of Christ in this chapter. Upon learning of Haman’s plot to kill the Jews, he is filled with wrath. He leaves the room in anger. Custom would have demanded that a man not be left alone with a woman of the royal harem. Haman should have left immediately. Knowing that his fate was sealed, he threw himself on her couch to beg for mercy from Esther. Unfortunately for Haman, that is when the king walked in. Haman had shown complete contempt for custom. The King becomes even more incensed at this flagrant outrage. Haman is toast.
Is it part of the glory of the Lord to be incensed at those who seek to destroy His bride, the church? Listen to 2 Thessalonians 1:4–10

4…we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, 5 which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; 6 since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, 7 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.

It was not Esther’s place to take vengeance upon Haman. It was the King’s decision. It was the King’s place to decide to hang Haman on the gallows upon which Haman had planned to hang Mordecai. It was his glory to do so. Even so our Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. After countless opportunities for repentance, there is coming a time when it will be to His glory to take vengeance upon those who would not repent. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

MATTHEW 20:1-16
When I was 8 or 9 years old, there was a truck farmer that lived in town. For those of you who did not grow up in a rural community, a truck farmer is someone who lives in town and has various plots of land around the community that he rents from land owners. He would grow various crops on the different plots of land. This particular farmer specialized in tomatoes, cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew, etc. He'd pick the crops and take them into the local grocery stores and sell them.
He would from time to time have more work than he personally could handle. So, he'd hire the local kids to work with him. (Now days I presume the small town operations are taken over by large farms who hire migrant workers many of whom are illegal aliens, without whom we could not have such cheap food.) This truck farmer paid wages according to what he thought you were worth. Once or twice he asked me to work for him. I got paid the whopping wage of $0.25/hr. I guess I wasn't worth much. He was right. But I was happy to have a little bit of money. After all in the early and mid sixties you could buy a candy bar for a nickel. My point is that he paid what he thought was fair. No one had to work for Him. If $0.25 was not enough, I didn't have to work for him. It was really by his grace that I got to work for him the few times I did. Yes, there were others that worked more often and were paid more per hour. But He didn't have to hire any of us.
Jesus is that way. Not only does He save us, forgive us, bestow upon us the title of son and brother, lavish His great love upon us, but he also calls us to work, so to speak, in His fields. He commands us to work but doesn't force us to work. He rewards us with more than we deserve when we do work. Some may appear to be awarded more than others, but in the end we will see that it is all His grace anyway. That is the glory of our Lord -- it is grace after grace lavished upon us. We don't deserve it, but He gives it anyway. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

January 29

GENESIS 30
Yesterday we began to contemplate how when God blesses, He adds no sorrow. We continue in that today. Rachel and Leah are constantly jockeying for Jacob’s favor, particularly to bear him children. Leah was obviously not Jacob’s favorite, yet God opened her womb. Through the process of naming her children, we can learn that she sought to obtain Jacob’s prime love by the children that she bore him. Why couldn’t she be satisfied with just the blessing of children? Do you ever struggle with feeling unloved? Leah did. I don’t think she ever felt loved by her husband. Would her drive to be felt loved by her husband have been as strong if she felt loved by God and contented herself in that love and in the limited blessing of the children that He gave her?
Rachel on the other hand felt loved by her husband, but God closed her womb. She sought desperately to obtain children. She finally resorted to the same cultural solution that Sarai used with Abram; she gave her handmaid to her husband for the night. She obtained two sons by that method but it did not satisfy. Leah’s sons found some mandrakes in the field. In ancient cultures mandrakes were considered love potions or magic charms. Rachel believed the mandrakes would bring her fertility. After Leah bore two more children (at least 2 years later), the Lord opened Rachel’s womb. Do you suppose that Rachel realized that her mandrakes did not work? If she had found her delight in the glory of the Lord, do you suppose her drive to have children would have driven her to bargaining for mandrakes or giving her handmaid to her husband.
Both Jacob and Laban wanted wealth. The Lord gave it to Jacob. Jacob came up with schemes to make his livestock more productive. It was foolishness. Laban sought to divert Jacob’s financial growth by changing his wages, yet Laban grew weak in comparison to Jacob. It was all foolishness. But God blesses Jacob anyway. How much did Jacob miss out on because of his foolishness? I don’t know, but I do know that it is the glory of God that He blessed Jacob anyway. That gives me hope. Even in my foolishness, He will bless me to accomplish His purpose. It is just a matter of how much pain I must endure because of my own foolishness. Do I content myself with His glory, or do I add sorrow to his blessing because of my foolishness? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 29
Constant streaking, crackling, thundering, flashing, lightning, pulsating, rumbling filled the sky from one horizon to the other. Occasionally the strikes were so close that the sound and light were simultaneous and deafening. The display lasted for about 30 minutes. It was the early fall of 1994, and I have never been so awed by a thunderstorm in my life. Oklahoma is famous for its violent weather, and this had to have been the most awesome barrage that I have ever experienced. It illumined the sky in a fireworks display that is unequalled by man.
Such displays overwhelmingly speak to me about the judgment of God. “The God of glory thunders!” My personal theology leads me to believe that before the flood of Noah, certainly before the fall of Adam, such displays did not exist in our environment in a destructive form. They are the result of the curse of the fall and the radical change in the earth’s land masses and atmosphere stemming from Noah’s flood. Electrical storms are a constant reminder of God’s hatred of sin and His sovereignty over the earth. His rainbow is His promise of peace.
David was a widely traveled man for his generation. He spent 10 years on the run from Saul. His travels took him from far south in the Negev to the northern limits of the promised land. Apparently from this Psalm, he had been as far north as Lebanon and Mt. Hermon (Sirion). He was a friend of Hiram, the King of Tyre, who helped David with cedar to build a palace. Early in David’s life the Philistines were the major power in the promised land. Philistines were a sea-going people. Consequently, their gods included sea gods sometimes depicted as part fish. So when David says that the voice of the Lord is over many waters, he is declaring in poetic fashion that the Lord is greater than the gods of the Philistines. The Lord controlled the great flood of Noah; He certainly controls the waters of the Philistine gods, and He certainly controls the elements of the gods around me. But He is not limited to just the sea-gods. He also is sovereign over the mountain forests. This glorious God of ours is sovereign over all things! His power makes the best lightning displays of Oklahoma seem like a mere ripple of 1.5 volt direct current. Whoopee.
Just His voice is full of power and majesty. When Jesus was in the boat in the middle of the storm in the Sea of Galilee, His voice spoken firmly and once, “Peace, be still,” caused the wind and the waves to be still. I have no doubt that His voice not only calmed the sea, but it also caused the storm. Why? Because He wanted His disciples to know His voice was over many waters. He wanted His disciples to know that He is God. No wonder they said to themselves, “Who is this that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” His voice speaks storms into my life and speaks peace into my life. Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ESTHER 6
A friend of mine related to me a very significant vision that he had at the College of Prayer. In his vision he found himself in a room with three persons who were rolling in laughter. In his vision he understood them to be the Trinity. The One he understood to be the Father slapped His thigh in laughter and said, “Can you imagine that, he (my friend) doesn’t believe that We love him.” My friend related to me that all his life he has struggled with really sensing that God loved him. Intellectually he acknowledged God’s love, but somehow in His spirit he wrestled with it. Somehow in the humor of that vision, the Lord communicated to him the immense love He has for him. My friend had difficulty explaining the overwhelming sense of love he experienced in the humor of that vision.
The Lord has a sense of humor. One of the definitions of comedy in classical literature is a play in which the main characters and motive triumph over adversity. That is certainly the case in Esther. The plot begins reveal the move toward that direction in this chapter. Not only are Esther and Mordecai now moving toward a triumph in adversity, but the Lord does add a sense of humor to it. He forces Haman to publicly honor Mordecai! I need to remember that and lighten up even in the worse circumstances. Who knows, maybe the Lord is about to display some of His humor. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

MATTHEW 19
Some things are just impossible. One summer I had a job mowing empty lots and garbage collecting in a large mobile home park. There were over 120 lots, and over half were empty. Needless to say by the time I finished the rounds, it was almost time to start them over again. One day my mower quit working. I pulled and pulled and pulled to restart it. Try as I might, nothing would work. Finally, I prayed over the mower. I pulled the rope one more time. It started right up. I finished the day without a problem. I thought it was impossible. Was it a miracle? I don't know. But I do know that I was no longer frustrated over a non-working engine. Some things are just impossible.
Jesus hits on some impossible things here. Living with one woman for an entire lifetime for some people is impossible. Now, my wife is almost perfect. Sorry guys but there aren't many like her and you can't have her. So, I've never had to deal with the problem of an unbearable spouse. Maybe she's had to deal with it with me, but not me with her. But I've met some women whom I wonder how their husband can stand living with them. And I've met some men of whom I have wondered how their wives could stand living with them. But Jesus makes all things possible.
Some people have the gift of celibacy. I wonder how they could stand it. I was celibate until I was 22. So, I guess I've never had to deal with the problem of long term celibacy. But I know some men that have. They can tell you, "Jesus makes all things possible."
There are some people who just seem to be able to do everything right. They are morally straight, good looking, intelligent, relate well to everyone they meet, they have achieved wealth, they are athletic. It just makes one envious to know them. Jesus met one of those. He called Jesus, "Good Master." Jesus knew where the man's heart was. He revealed to the man what he was lacking.
Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow Me." It was only one more hurdle for the man to cross in order to make himself perfect. But He couldn't do it. That was the real point that Jesus was trying to make with the man. He thought he could become perfect. Jesus just showed him that he couldn't.
The disciples were flabbergasted. "Who then can be saved?" was their reply. With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible," was Jesus' reply to them. It harkens back to Jesus' question to the young man who wanted to be perfect, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God." Jesus is God. He could make the young man perfect. But He only does that for people who see the need and are willing to receive His power. Jesus is able to make us willing to do anything. But we must be willing to let go and let Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

January 28

GENESIS 29
When God determines to bless us, He often puts up with a great deal of foolishness on our part. Witness Jacob’s determination to steal the blessing, his marriage, the rivalry between Leah and Rachel and Jacob’s struggle to gain wealth. God met Jacob at Bethel. He promised him descendants, land and a blessing. One of the keys to hearing God in the Old Testament narratives is to understand that God does not necessarily condone the activity of His saints, but He does use their lives to teach us. God desires to bless all in this story. Yet all are conniving to accomplish their desires. Proverbs 10:22 says, “The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.” You see, that is part of the glory of our Lord; when he blesses, we become rich in ways in which there is no sorrow. The problem of sorrow with blessing comes when we add our conniving to gain the riches as we define them not as He defines them. Let us see how it is playing out in this narrative.
Jacob wanted the family blessing that should have gone to Esau. He schemed, took unfair advantage and lied to get it. Rebecca wanted Jacob to have the family blessing. She schemed and manipulated to get it. Together they received what they wanted. What was added? Sorrow was added. They lost the relationship with Esau. Jacob was forced to leave for his own safety. The Scripture does not say, but I don’t think Rebekah and Jacob never saw each other again. Laban meets Jacob; remembering the wealth of Abraham’s servant, he has plans to gain more wealth from Jacob through marrying his daughters to him. What happens? We don’t see it in today’s passage, but Laban eventually loses his daughters, his grandchildren and a good portion of his flock. They all obtain what they wanted, but sorrow drips through the blessings of this chapter.
Where’s the glory? The glory is Himself. We on the other hand focus on the blessing to the point that we redefine what true blessing is. We focus on the blessing rather than the blesser, the gift rather than the giver. How much did they miss because of their foolishness? I don’t know, but I do know that it is the glory of God that He blessed them anyway. That gives me hope. Even in my foolishness, He will bless me to accomplish His purpose. It is just a matter of how much pain I must endure because of my own foolish conniving. Why can’t I be satisfied with just His fantastic glory? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 28
“Save Your people, And bless Your inheritance; Shepherd them also, And bear them up forever.” A Shepherd wants only what is best for his sheep. Why? Because ultimately what is best for his sheep, is best for the shepherd. The sheep has nothing to fear from the Shepherd, if it obeys. It has only good to receive from its shepherd. What ill is allowed by the shepherd is to increase the shepherd’s glory. I have nothing to fear from Him as long as I obey. He wants only the best for me. Not for His sake, but because that is simply the way He is.

In God’s green pastures feeding by His cool waters lie,
Soft in the evening walk my Lord and I.
All the sheep of His pasture fare so wonderfully fine.
His sheep am I.

As His sheep, he does not render to me as I deserve according to my works. Otherwise I would be in the butcher shop, dead meat (is there any other kind?). As His sheep, He builds me up. Some times to build up, one must first tear down. He is my shield. He protects me. The only ill He permits in my life is that which will allow me to bring greater glory to Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ESTHER 5
A segment of how God deals with men and women can be seen in the contrast between Esther and Haman. Haman made no attempt to remediate the behavior of Mordecai. He simply moved to crush it. Esther initially made a move to remediate. She made Haman part of the private banquet she sought with the King. Why did she do that? If it had been me, I would probably have sought only an audience with the king so that I could fully speak my mind and get rid of the scoundrel, Haman. She might have had this whole thing planned out in advance. However, I don’t think she could have predicted Haman’s road to perdition. I think she wanted to privately find out where Haman stood in all of this and see if there was any possible move toward remediation with Haman’s involvement. The first banquet revealed no possibility to her. Stalling for time to continue to consider her road for action, she asked for a second banquet. She looked for remediation.
Haman left the banquet feeling good about himself until he passed Mordecai at the gate. The powers of darkness can never stand the sight of a man who refuses to bow to anyone except the King of Kings. Rather than trying to find out why Mordecai will not bow, he becomes further entrenched in his desire to destroy Mordecai. He is totally focused on his riches, his family, his rank, and his honor. His wife advises the construction of a 75ft. tall gallows. What a monstrosity! And he had the power to have it built over night! It would certainly display Haman’s power in the country.
What a contrast! Esther is cautiously looking for possibilities of remediation. Haman is recklessly seeking the destruction of a people who will not give him what does not belong to Him. I see the same contrast with Jesus in how He deals with us. On the night that Jesus was betrayed, He knew what Judas was doing. He dipped the bread into the wine and offered it to Judas. It was a clear offer of friendship and remediation. Judas took it, but rather than repenting, he continued on in his recalcitrant track of betraying Jesus. Satan entered him. There was darkness as he had never known. But Jesus had loved him up to this point. Our Lord is that way. He is always looking for our remediation, our repentance. But there comes a point when He says, “No more.” Thank you, Lord, for being patient with me! Help me to enter into your correction. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

MATTHEW 18:21-35
Ever wonder how much 10,000 talents would be in today's money? 10,000 talents was equal to about 1,800,000 Greek Drachmas. A Greek Drachma was about a day's wage. Currently the average salary in the USA is about $40,000 per year. Divide that by 270 work days and the average day's wage in the USA is about $148.00. Multiply that by 1,800,000 and we get: 10,000 talents equals approximately $266,400,000.00. That is more money than I will ever earn in my entire lifetime.
T. Boone Pickens gave over $265 million to Oklahoma State University to build an athletic village. Now, obviously he has more money than he knows what to do with it. If he had to repay someone $266.4 million, He could survive it. But only he and a handful of other people in the world could handle it. The average person could not handle it. That is part of the point of Jesus' parable.
We are so indebted to God because of our sin that we could never repay the debt. Jesus' death and resurrection make the payment possible. It is applied to our account when we receive Him. We owe Him everything. It is a dangerous thing when we do not forgive from the heart someone who has sinned against us, whether that sin is real or imagined. Some would interpret this passage that if there is someone we do not forgive that we will lose our eternal salvation. Because of other clearer passages in Scripture concerning the security of the believer, I do not believe that Jesus is teaching that our salvation is dependent upon our forgiveness of others. Rather His point is that our own forgiveness is such an overwhelming debt that He paid Himself on our behalf, that our forgiveness of others is minuscule in comparison. Also, if we do not forgive, He permits our own un-forgiveness to torture us until we forgive the one who sinned against us. You see, He wants us to be like Him, forgiving all from the heart.
That is why focusing upon His glory is so important. When we focus upon His glory, we see His greatness in forgiving us. In the light of such greatness, such glory, how can we but forgive those who sin against us? We can let their sin against us go, and we can walk in freedom. All of this is because of His great forgiveness. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

January 27

GENESIS 28
I tend to be grumpy on occasion, just ask my wife. When my kids started having kids, they asked me, “What do you want your grandchildren to call you?” I told them, “Grumps.” For some reason or other Caedie in particular has attached herself to me. They were with us this weekend. Caedie wasn’t feeling too great. Often she would call out, “Gumps! Gumps!,” (she can’t pronounce the ‘gr’ yet) or, “Gumps, help!” Often times she just wanted to be held. She just wanted to know that I was with her. There is something about knowing that you are not alone that really helps, especially when you are sick or in new situation, or in a situation that challenges you.
I am not sure exactly how old Jacob was when he set out for Padan Aram, but consider this: He was 130 years old in Gen. 47:9. Assuming that this occurred shortly after Jacob moved into Egypt, Joseph was roughly 39 years old at this point. That would mean that Jacob was roughly 91 when Joseph was born. Jacob was in Padan Aram 20 years. Joseph was born toward the end of that time. It would appear that Jacob was around 71 when he left home for Padan Aram. Depending upon how one interprets the description of how long Jacob worked for Laban, the youngest that Jacob could be when he left home is 57, most likely he was 71. Not exactly a spring chicken in either case! Hmm. . . So, here we have a single 71-year-old Jacob, who has just embarked on a mission to obtain a wife with whom he may produce heirs to the Abrahamic Covenant. He is leaving because his brother is mad enough with him that he is contemplating killing him, but the official reason is to find a wife suitable for the covenant.
Yet in the midst of this horrible conflict with his brother, a conflict caused by his own conniving, being on his own for the first time at the age of 57 or 77, God meets him in a dream. There God promises him, “I will be with you!” I am sure that was welcome assurance. What mercy on the part of the Lord! Jacob in no way deserved such comfort. Yet, God extended it. This same phrase is used to describe Joseph’s lot when he was made a slave and in jail, “God was with Him.” That promise alone should be enough. Often, it is not enough. For this reason the writer of Hebrews tells us, “Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” The God, who created the universe, is with me. That should be enough! But, like Caedie, sometimes I cry out to him, “Help!” Sometimes I just want Him to be there. Sometimes, I need some specific help, but it is to His glory that He is always there. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

PSALM 27
I have never experienced warfare. I am part of that generation that watched Vietnam on the nightly news. Every night they would give a body count of US, Vietnamese and Viet Cong. While the Vietnamese counts were almost always a couple of times higher than the US and the Viet Cong were almost always multiple times higher than the US, it was still wearing upon the soul to hear the nightly counts that went on for years. Occasionally the news would bring footage of battle that occurred recently. I have listened to the stories from my son, who spent 15 months in Iraq and lost many friends and acquaintances. I have read the histories of the Civil War, in which the nation lost more soldiers than all the other wars combined. My great grandfather fought at Cold Harbor, which one general called, “Not war but murder.” I think about the ancient wars in which it was not uncommon for 50-80,000 soldiers to die in one battle. I think about David, who led his men into battles all through his life. He said:

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell. 3 Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident.

How can any man not fear and be confident when surrounded by the enemy?
The answer can only be, “Either he is not in touch with reality, or he is filled with blood lust, or he really knows what it means for the LORD to be his light and salvation.” When I know that the LORD is my light and salvation, I can smile at my enemy and say, “I know something you do not know. I am not left handed.” (That’s for you Princess Bride aficionados.) Yes, I can say, “I know something you do not know. I am not alone. The God of all creation is with me.” Why should I ever be afraid?
We are in a spiritual war. The casualties are all around us. The enemy seeks to eat our flesh. He is destroying our families, our children, our friends and our enemies. He wins when we cease to keep our eyes on our light and salvation. He wins when we focus on periods of calm in between the battles. He wins when we set our swords (the Word of God) and shields (our faith) down to enjoy the calm. His ambushes are always unique. But our LORD ever remains our light. In His light we can identify the ambushes of the darkness. In His light we can forge forward in confidence. In His light we can gaze upon His beauty. He is our salvation. We need nothing else. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ESTHER 4
Who and what does God use to glorify His own name? In Esther 1 we saw that He uses even the immorality of man to accomplish His plan. In Esther 2 we saw that He uses our own helplessness—when we are in trouble. In Esther 3 we learned that He is working even in the midst of our own perplexities. What about Esther 4? He desires most to use obedient people. He designs and places us in positions where we must trust Him. In that position He asks that we put everything on the line. He asks that we obey. What would you be willing to do for Him? Oh it is easy to say that I would die physically for Him. Most of us will really never have to make that kind of choice. But he always asks us to die to our own desires.
It would have been easier for Esther to just stay in the Harem and never say anything to the king. After all, would anyone really try to kill the queen? To enter the king’s presence without being bid to come could result in her own execution. It would be easier to ignore the plight of her people and do nothing. But as Mordecai told her, “Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Her response was one of obedience and acceptance of whatever would be the outcome. She simply put it, “If I perish, I perish.” Hmm. . . Am I so enthralled with God displaying His glory in me that I can say in any situation, “I will obey God, no matter what the result. If I perish, I perish.” I think the glory of God is so great that if I really grasped it, I would emphatically obey! When I disobey, it only proves that I am not clearly seeing the glory of God. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

MATTHEW 18:1-20
I remember in college hearing the testimony of a fellow student concerning how the Lord has spoken to her about her attitude toward children. She said she didn't like children. But as she was reading a passage (perhaps it was this one) the Lord convicted of her attitude. She said He revealed to her through many passages how much He loves children. She was humbled by it. Part of the glory of Jesus is the special place He holds in His heart for children.
A few days ago, I heard George Barna on the radio. He gave some staggering info about children. Did you know that statistically, what a child believes at 13 years of age they will believe until the day they die? Did you know that very few churches in the United States put much of their resources into children's ministries? Did you know that many of the churches that do children's ministries do so by undermining the home by not training the parents how to lead their children spiritually? Yet it is the glory of our Lord that He cherishes children. He tells us that we must become as little children to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Why would that be humbling? It is humbling because a little child is so dependent upon others to live. A little child needs desperately to be taught. We each must see that need and place ourselves in that position before God in order to enter His kingdom. The glory of Jesus is not only that He commands us to place ourselves in that position, but He Himself took that position. He left the throne room of heaven, was born of a virgin, was in complete dependence upon His parents. As a man, He grew in wisdom and stature--He was taught. During His ministry, He did what He saw His Father doing. He was obedient. His Father treated Him as His child, even announcing from heaven, "This is my beloved Son in Whom I am well-pleased." Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

January 26

GENESIS 27
We begin the stories of parental favorites and sibling rivalry. When there is only one child in the family, there is no problem with parents playing favorites. When there is only one child in the family, there is no problem with sibling rivalry. I don't recall my parents ever playing favorites. Maybe my siblings would disagree. My wife says that as the youngest, I was spoiled. I guess that has made her job a little more difficult. Hey, I can't help it if I'm the smartest, biggest, strongest, best looking, most sociable, most self-confident of the pack. Sorry guys but sometimes we just have to face reality. Speaking of reality, let me get back to it here. Laura and I have always attempted to love our children equally and not play favorites. I tell my daughter frequently that she is my favorite daughter. Every once in a while she reminds me that she is my only daughter. Occasionally, I will tell my first son that he is my favorite first son, and my second son that he is my favorite second son, and my third son that he is my favorite third son, and my youngest is my favorite youngest son. I guess it is one of the ways that I have of trying to communicate to them that I love them for their uniqueness, even though I love them equally.
In Isaac's family there was a big problem. Isaac and Rebecca played favorites and it was obvious. Maybe being the only child of the promise blinded Isaac to the problems it would cause. Maybe seeing all his half siblings sent away from home caused him to think it okay. The parental favoritism only fueled the sibling rivalry, and it sky rocketed in full flames. Rebecca had asked the Lord when the boys were in the womb, “What is happening in my womb?” The Lord had told her then, “Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger.” How could Rebecca not tell Isaac of that experience? Isaac knew what the Lord had told Rebecca. Did he believe her? He is about to pass the blessing on to the older whom God said would serve the younger. Why didn’t God communicate the message directly to Isaac. Maybe it was because Isaac did not care enough to ask about the struggle in Rebecca’s womb. Rather than stooping to deception when Isaac was making a bad decision, why didn’t Rebecca go to him and remind him of what the Lord had said. I get the impression that they had had that conversation one too many times and Rebecca was convinced that it would be useless.
Esau was a man's man, wild at heart, but he put no value in spiritual things and thus despised God. Jacob was a conniving mamma's boy, large and muscular to be sure, but he preferred the flock over the hunt. He saw some value in spiritual things, but he felt he needed to connive to get those spiritual things for himself. Some mercy needed to be extended upon him. Esau married into the daughters of Heth. Remember Abraham would not allow Isaac to marry one of the girls of the land? I suggested it was because of the problems it would cause with the covenant. Esau and Jacob had known grandpa Abraham until they were 15, when Abraham died. I am sure that Abraham communicated the value of the covenant to them. Apparently Esau didn't care. All those stories about the appearances of God were probably in his mind just the fertile imagination of an old, old man. When his instinct for starting a family kicked in, it made no difference to him that who he married might affect the covenant. He married the one who pleased him most. So what if she was one of the ungodly Canaanites?
Well, you know the story. Jacob got the Abrahamic blessing. You know, neither Jacob nor Esau were worthy of the blessing. Jacob wanted the blessing, but he had a very conniving heart. That is where the glory of the Lord comes into play. In His mercy, the LORD comes to Jacob and meets him and promises to give the covenant of Abraham and Isaac to him. You know, there is nothing in me that is worthy of the way the LORD loves me. But He does love me. He has billions of children. None of us are worthy of the love that He has shed upon us. But He does love us. Some of His children are more talented than others, but He does not love the more talented ones more. Some of His children do greater exploits than others, but He does not love the ones who do greater exploits more. He loves us all genuinely, uniquely and completely. He comes to me and says, "You are my favorite six billionth son." I don't know what number I am. So He really doesn't say that. But He does say, "I love you genuinely, uniquely and completely." To hear that, is all I need. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

Esau was to dwell in a desolate place. His descendants literally carved out a fabulous city in the mountains southwest of the Dead Sea. In Israel’s days it was known as Sela. Later it was called Petra. The Nabateans carved many fabulous buildings out of the sandstone. The picture below is the treasury building. When you exit the Sik, it is the first thing you see. To enter Petra you have to walk through an almost mile long canyon (the Sik) (The top picture) which narrows at times to be only a few horses in width. This gave it an incredible defensive position.

PSALM 26
What makes me pure in His sight? How could I ever ask Him to judge me? I could make noise like David has made here about having walked in integrity. Comparing myself to other men, I might be able to make a pretty good case for being a man of integrity. But the problem is that the standard is not other men; it is God’s own character. David implores God to not gather his soul with bloody men. Yet God Himself would not allow David to build the temple because, as God put it, “You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight.” How could David have the gall to say to God, “Vindicate me, O LORD, For I have walked in my integrity.” Even if this was written before he sinned with Bathsheba and murdered her husband, he was still responsible for the death of thousands of men and had multiple wives. How can he ever claim to walk in integrity?
His loving kindness is always surrounding me. Because of that, I will go about (walk in circles around) His altar. The altar is where sacrifices for sin were made. David was a man of integrity in one respect. He knew that the only way to have his sin covered was at the altar. He knew God was full of loving kindness as well as full of justice. He knew that he could meet God at the altar and be cleansed. Today I can rejoice in the loving kindness of the Lord. I constantly dwell at His altar, the cross of Jesus Christ. There I find and experience His loving kindness. There my sin is washed away and not just covered! There I am empowered to go and sin no more! I come to the cross for one purpose, to die with Him. When I die with Him, I am raised with Him. What loving kindness! What love! What glory! Lord help me to die with You for Your loving kindness surrounds me there and raises me to new life! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Esther 3
There are times when we do not understand why other people do strange things. Mordecai refused to bow down and worship Haman as he walked by. He was raised a good Jew. A good Jew bows down to worship no one but the Lord. He was being faithful to the Lord. What was the result of his faithfulness? The result was not only was he endangered, but all the Jews of the whole kingdom were now targeted to be killed. It seems to be an odd reward for faithfulness from a sovereign God who controls the whole world. But the world would not know that He is worth laying down our lives, unless some people laid down their lives. Still he was probably perplexed.
Not only was he perplexed, but the whole city of Sushan was perplexed. Why? Why was one of the top officials of the king calling for the death of all the Jews? It just did not make any sense. But then why did Satan rebel? Why did Adam and Eve rebel. Why did Hitler order the execution of 6 million Jews? Closer to home, why do I sin? In the midst of perplexing issues of the world and my own personality, there is one underpinning principle. God is occupying Himself by showing His glory through the world. Wait to the end. We will see the glory of it then. Right now we don’t see it, but we will see it then! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

MATTHEW 17
Not long from now I am going to be getting city/county water. I'm kind of excited about it. I've lived on well water for 8.5 years now. Everything that gets my well water on it eventually turns orange. Yes, I have a water conditioner. Without it the water would be unbearable. I don't know how many white shirts & light colored shirts have eventually become dingy from being washed in my water. Even after just a few washings, you can see the difference. It doesn't' matter what detergent or bleach you use. Light colored clothes quickly start looking dingy.
Jesus was on a high mountain with Peter, James and John. Do you suppose His clothes were dingy? Were they light colored? Now think about it. No washing machines, constant traveling on hot dusty roads, no place to call his own to lay His head, all of these probably produced dingy clothes.
Suddenly, He was transfigured before them. Somehow His pre-incarnation glory began to shine through Him. Moses & Elijah showed up. They both had experienced the glory in their flesh life. Moses, in Exodus 34:29-35, was spending time with the Lord on Mt. Sinai. When he came down his face shone. The glory of the LORD was shining through him. The people of Israel were fearful. Elijah rode to heaven in a chariot of fire with horses of fire. These two were glimpses of the glory of the pre-incarnate Jesus.
Back on the mountain with Jesus, His glory was shining through His flesh and even clothes. No dinginess was left in Him. The disciples were convinced this was the beginning of Messiah's reign. Just then a bright cloud overshadowed them. (By the way, how does a bright cloud over shadow?) From the brightness a voice spoke. It was the Father. He said:

1. This was His beloved Son.
2. He was very pleased with Him.
3. The command was given to listen to Him.

Where else does God Communicate with people a place where His glory shines? In Exodus 25:21,22 God instructed that from the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant. He would meet and speak with people. The ark in the holy of holies was the dwelling place of the glory of God. Ark is an English word of box. In Genesis 50:26 it is translated coffin. In the coffin of the covenant was placed the tablets of the Ten Commandments. Once a year, the blood of the Lamb was sprinkled on the mercy seat. The glory shone from there and God spoke. Jesus is the ark, the coffin. The law is in Him and fulfilled in Him in His death. His blood washes away our sin. There He speaks with us.
The disciples fell on their faces at the sight of His glory and sound of the voice. They were full of fear. They were not to speak of the glory until He had risen from the dead. He speaks from the resurrection. Death comes first. That is where His glory shines.
Paul tells us Moses veiled His face because the glory would fade till he went back to the presence of God. He didn't want people to see it fade. Yet we can be transformed from glory to glory as we gaze upon His glory, 2 Cor. 3:7-18. This dingy flesh can be transformed into something of glory. I'm tired of drinking from old well water. I want to drink and bathe in His glory. Oh how we need to gaze upon His glory and speak it to others! That is how we are transformed! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

January 25

GENESIS 26
I was walking through the State Fair of Oklahoma. My oldest and second sons were walking by my side. My third son was riding on my shoulders. As I walked along, one man in his booth blurted out, “Well there is no need doubting your wife’s faithfulness.” Apparently, he saw a strong enough resemblance in each of them that it was clear that they were my sons. Remember that song in the musical, Oklahoma, “A Girl who Can’t Say No?” As Will and Addo Annie sang about the possibility of future sons, the cowboy quips, “They’d better look a lot like me.” While I have never ever doubted my wife’s faithfulness, the physical looks of my children give outward evidence that I am their father.
Is it not interesting that Fathers pass a lot of even their non-physical traits on to their sons? Isaac was a whole lot like his dad. Similar to Abraham's wife, Sarah, Isaac's wife Rebecca was barren for 20 years before bearing children. I wonder what stories Abraham told them? Both Abraham and Isaac had wives who were considered beautiful by other men, even though they were over 60. Isaac had the same streak of cowardice concerning other men and his wife's beauty that Abraham had. Isaac also had to argue over water rights as did his father.
When Abraham died, Isaac went down to Beer Lahai Roi. Now that probably doesn't mean a whole lot to most people but if you turn to 16:14 you will find that that was the well that saved Hagar and Ishmael's life. It was down south on the way to Shur & Egypt. The name means, "Well of the Living God Who Sees." What was Isaac doing down there? Abraham had headed that way during a famine. Now Isaac was headed that way during a famine. It was a famine of more than lack of food. It was a famine of the soul as well. His father was now dead. Grief has a way of working on our minds. It was working on Isaac's. He went south and found the well that saved his half-brother's life 76 years earlier. Sometimes you just want to know that God sees you. He dwelt for awhile at the Well of the Living God Who Sees. Notice that it says that God blessed Isaac there.
That is the glory of our Lord. He sees us. As we bask in the light of His vision, the pain of our grief slowly fades away. Eventually Isaac left there to Gerar and from place to place as he was driven off by the inhabitants of the land. Isaac was about to see over the next few years or decades that God really is the one who sees. God delivered him in spite of his lies about his wife. God delivered him through the squabbles over water rights. Indeed He is the Living God Who Sees. When Isaac learned those lessons, God appeared to him. He confirmed His covenant with Isaac. And He promised that He was with Isaac.
You know, one can endure almost anything if one knows that God sees him and is with him. What is your grief or pain today? He is the God Who sees and Who is with you. That is part of His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 25
Hurry up and wait. All morning long I had been hurrying to get things done on time, but now I was waiting in the backyard driveway behind the privet hedge of my any-moment-to-be in-laws. The Wedding ceremony was supposed to have started 15 minutes earlier. I was waiting and would wait a little longer. But it was okay. I knew that she would eventually come out. It was a beautiful June day; I was enjoying the weather and the anticipation of the event. Finally, someone came out of the house to tell me what was going on. Laura’s wedding dress was homemade, and unfortunately things just didn’t get finished. They were literally sewing her up in her wedding dress. Eventually the ceremony began and my beautiful bride came around the corner escorted by her Dad. She was and always has been worth the wait.
The Psalmist uses the term ‘wait’ three times in this Psalm, verses 3,5 & 21. According to TWOT this root means to look for with eager expectation. The first thing that the Psalmist tells us about waiting is that those who wait will never be ashamed. As I waited for Laura, I was looking with eager expectation. I certainly was not and never have been ashamed. But the context of the wedding and the Psalm are completely different. The context of the Psalm is that he is surrounded by enemies who were seeking his demise. The context of a wedding is that I was surrounded by friends and family who were seeking to celebrate with me. His plea is that in his waiting, nothing would be accomplished by his enemies that would cause him shame. I think it might be easier to look with eager expectation for a beautiful bride to come around the corner than for deliverance from a host of enemies. But that is why he asks for no shame as he waits. He understands that God’s glory is at stake, not his. He waits on the glory of the Lord to be revealed in and through him.
David then uses the term ‘wait’ in relation to his own attitude as he looks for the changes that need to take place in his character in the presence of a holy God. As he waits, he becomes ever more aware of his own sin and the need for change in order to experience the presence of the Lord. What if in my hurry to prepare for my wedding (getting folding chairs, setting them up in the yard, decorating, placing other furniture etc.), I had forgotten to put on my tuxedo? While waiting out by the privet hedge and seeing all the finely dressed guests, I think I would have realized my shabbiness. As we wait upon the Lord, He reveals His holiness to us. That reveals our sinfulness in His light. As we see our sin in His light, we confess our sin and he is righteous and just to forgive. If we refuse to acknowledge the sin, the light goes out. We are no longer waiting. We are hiding. Finally, David uses the term ‘wait’ to sum up what he has said and done. Only in waiting in integrity can our sin be removed and we see His glory. But when we see it, oh it is worth the wait, and it always shall be! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ESTHER 2
I was having enough troubles of my own. My track record for handling conflict had not been all that great. I was fresh off of one problem. The principal of the school which met in our building walked into my office to explain a conflict problem that one of the teachers was having with one of the parents of the school. The parent had become so obsessive with the situation that he seemed to be stalking the teacher. All I needed was more trouble!
Mordecai did not need any more problems. He had taken into his home as his own daughter his cousin. Esther had been orphaned, and Mordecai had taken the responsibility to raise her. Esther was very beautiful. Every good father worries about the welfare of his daughter. Mordecai was no different with his cousin/adopted daughter. Now the king is looking for another beauty to add to his harem. If I were Mordecai, I think I would make my daughter go into hiding. But it was too late. Esther’s beauty was already well known. The beauty scouts found her. Mordecai strongly warned her, “Don’t let anyone know you are a Jew!” Why? First of all, they were a defeated people. They were brought to that area of the world by Nebuchadnezzar. They were second class citizens. If they knew her ethnicity, she would probably be abused rather than selected for the king.
What happened next? The text doesn’t say it, but it appears that God gave her favor with the eunuch in charge of the women who were selected. She was selected to be groomed as a possible replacement for Vashti. The 12 month course of preparation included 7 maidens to meet her needs and a room in the best part of the palace, not bad accommodations. God’s favor continued. She was eventually selected as queen.
But what about Mordecai? He daily walked as close to the king’s gate as he would be allowed, more trouble. While at the gate, he overhears a plot to kill the king. Mordecai reports it to the Esther. Certainly if the plot were successful, Esther would also be in danger of being killed. Unfortunately, his good deed was forgotten.
Where is God in the middle of trouble? Without the trouble we would never know of His great power. So where is the glory of God in all of this? He is seen in the midst of guiding us in trouble. When I encounter trouble in my life, it is opportunity for me to once again learn that He is the one who delivers us out of trouble. I began with my story of more trouble. God showed me once again that He delivers through trouble. I did not enjoy the rough time that we had. But I did learn that God delivers through trouble. God uses us even in times of trouble. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

MATTHEW 16
"Red sky at morn, sailor be warned, red sky at night, sailor's delight." We've all heard similar sayings. We have literally made a science at reading the signs for weather patterns. The Weathermen are actually getting pretty good at predicting what the weather will be like tomorrow. The Lord still throws them for a loop on occasion, but as experience and technology increases, they are getting pretty good at reading the signs.
On a spiritual level, one could ask, "What sign do we have from heaven that Jesus is from God?" The answer is simple. He gave one great and irrefutable sign, His own resurrection. No other event in history has such a flood of historical evidence and yet so many refuse to believe it. Ultimately if one is to believe it is because the Father reveals Jesus to them. At one and the same time Jesus the Messiah is the greatest person of all history, of whom all history attests that He is the Messiah the Son of the Living God, yet He remains in the minds of most the greatest enigma of all history. He is in plain view and easy to find but only true seekers find Him. If one wants to find Him in His fullness, then He must give up everything. The one who won't give up, won't find. His glory is enhanced at our loss. Our loss gains His glory. We may taste death but glory is on the other side. This is all hidden in the sign, the sign of His resurrection. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

January 24

GENESIS 25
My oldest brother and I had a pretty good relationship, even though he was nine years older than me and out of the home after my ninth birthday. Absent from our culture is the passing of a family birthright from generation to generation through the oldest son. Hence, we often fail to get the significance of the struggle in this passage. Stan and I never struggled with a birthright, or even inheritance from our parents. Stan went to be with the Lord three months before my father died. Mom is still with us. Stan had no children to whom he could pass an inheritance, so there was no opportunity for any competition there.
So what is a family birthright, and why is it that Jacob would want to take it from Esau? Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines a birthright as:
A right, privilege, or possession to which a person, especially the firstborn son, was entitled by birth in Bible times. In Israel, as in the rest of the ancient world, the firstborn son enjoyed a favored position. His birthright included a double portion of his father’s assets upon his death (Deut. 21:17). Part of the firstborn’s benefits also were a special blessing from the father (Gen. 27:27) and the privilege of leadership of the family (Gen. 43:33).
Abraham was 160 and Isaac 60 when Jacob and Esau were born. Jacob and Esau were 15 when Abraham died. I am convinced that whenever Jacob and Esau were with Grandpa that he told them about the occasions when God had appeared to him and the covenant which God had made with him. Surely, one of the ways Moses knew of this story was the oral or written transmission of it through the intervening 400-500 years. The clear implication of the birthright was that it is not only a double portion of financial wealth but that it is also an inheriting of the covenant which God made with Abraham. Clearly Esau and Jacob are adults in this passage, and Esau was a man of simple physical passions. He had never learned to value a future reward over a present desire even in the physical realm. The text specifically says that he ‘despised his birthright.’
Despised is a pretty strong word. He despised having a double portion of Abraham’s wealth? Certainly he felt the desire of a present need to be greater than future wealth. He despised receiving the privilege of leadership in the covenant which God made with Abraham? It would appear so. When an alcoholic cannot quit drinking because he craves the current effect of inebriation over the long term security of being able to properly do his job, it could be said that the alcoholic despises his job. When a porn addict craves the current thrill of his voyeurism over the effect which abstinence produces in his relationship with God or with his wife or future wife, then it could be said that he despises those relationships. My lust for any sin to the point that I do it, reveals that I despise to some degree my relationship with the Lord. Esau despised the privilege of the covenant and the double portion of future wealth.
Does this mean that Jacob did not despise them? Well, he at least liked the double portion of future wealth enough to try to extort it from Esau. Because of his lying and deception, it would seem that the verdict on the spiritual aspect would not be so clear at this point. But why would Esau despise the spiritual aspect? Apparently he had never met the Lord. Apparently he was not impressed with what his grandfather had shared with him. Hmmm. . . We know that the covenant included that in his lineage that in his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed. We know that that seed is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Esau despised that possibility. No wonder the Lord says, “Jacob I loved but Esau I hated.” Esau despised the glory of the Lord.
Jacob eventually learned of the glory of the Lord. He experienced it many times when the Lord appeared to him. No, he did not become perfect. But he eventually chose to seek the glory of the Lord. Do I? Will you? Because of my own sin, I am not quick to condemn Esau, but I would say that he despised the glory of the Lord. How do I keep myself from falling into the same trap? Daily, moment by moment, I must come to the cross and realize that He came in my helpless estate. He shed His blood on my behalf. He rose on my behalf. He calls me to be united with Him, to claim my birthright in Him. He calls me to not trade it for a bowl of stew. The only competition I have is my shallow desire for the stews around me. I have to gaze on His glory to see how much He outshines stew. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 24
I never cease to wonder at the raw beauty of the earth around me. Even in this sun burned Oklahoma summer (2011) where the drought has turned the rolling hills into a light brown death, there is a certain beauty as I view the prairies streaked with fences, dotted with cattle and hopelessly resisting drought and red cedar invasion. The drought reminds me that there is something wrong with planet earth, but the land still cries out for its Creator. I just returned from a quick visit to the east coast. What a contrast! Its moisture releases a verdant carpet across the land. The ocean roars of the beauty of its Creator. But even in its outlandish beauty, there is something that belies that something has gone wrong with the creation. The Creator is somehow missing in some way. Who can enter into His presence?
The psalmist informs us of who may enter the Creator’s presence, he who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol nor sworn deceitfully. Woops, that just eliminated the entire human race. We are imprisoned in a beautiful death capsule. We live in a world that is full of the beauty of the Creator but almost devoid of His manifest presence. It is almost as if we live in a gated community surrounded by bars designed to keep Him out, and we are slowly dying as only His presence is what make life worth living. Living in a world bursting with His beauty, He is not fully here. It has created a famine for Him. We languish for Him. The gates have sought to keep Him out.
It could lead one to despair if one believed that the gates would sustain His assault upon them. But while our sin would seek to bind the gates to keep out the rightful King, He created the gates to declare His presence. Jesus has come to deal a death blow to death. The Creator has come to once again open the gates for the glory of His presence. He has come to declare the eternal beauty of His name. We call and command the gates to open wide and receive their Master. You see, people are the gates. People who have rebelled and died are being transformed from sin ridden vermin to holy, clean saints! It is all done by the Creator God/Man who died and rose again in our place. As we are cleansed by His blood, we can lift up our heads and receive Him as our conquering King! As He comes, He pours new life upon our drought-sucked lives. He rips out the life impaling thorns and thistles in the remaining verdant areas of our lives. He is, after all, the King of Glory. He is coming down to dwell in our midst. Who may ascend? Those with clean hands. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ESTHER 1
What do we do with this book in terms of the glory of God? The name of God or direct reference to God is never used in the Book. The Living Bible uses it once in 4:14, and that is because it is a paraphrase and not a translation. Yet, the hand of God is seen all through the book! I guess it proves that God will accomplish His purpose whether or not He directly receives the glory from humans.
Ahaseurus is another name for Xerxes. In Ezra 4:5-7 Ahasuerus is mentioned between Cyrus and Artaxerxes. So perhaps, some of the favor that Ezra and Nehemiah received from the kings of Persia may be attributed to the influence of Esther. If you have ever read the story of the 300 Spartans or seen the movie, he is Persian King against whom the Spartans fought. After defeating the Spartans, Xerxes advanced on Athens and took it. However, the Spartans valiant 3-day fight gave the Athenians time to evacuate and regroup elsewhere before Xerxes’ armies reached the city. Xerxes then committed some military blunders resulting in some Greek victories which cut off his supply lines and forced his army to return to Persia. I once read that Herodotus recorded that Xerxes retreated to find comfort in his harem. That may be a reference to the party referenced to the events here in Esther. There is no secular mention of either Esther or Vashti.
Certainly this party is probably part of a PR campaign to shore up support at home when his military campaign had gone awry. The wine was flowing freely implying that there was a great deal of debauchery going on. Vashti may not have been the only queen which Xerxes had. This may have led to Xerxes’ greater willingness to show off this wife’s beauty. Some have suggested that he was asking her to appear naked before his guests. That is a possibility; however, I find that a little difficult to believe. Whatever the case, his main intent was to display this wife’s beauty to all his guests. Given the context, it was a request that Vashti obviously found repugnant. She refused to obey. The king is now placed in a very precarious position. In the midst of trying to rebuild his domestic support through throwing this party, one of his own wives is now in public rebellion. His advisors warn him. It is no longer a family matter. It is also a matter of State. As beautiful as she is, Vashti is removed as queen in order to hold up the authority of all husbands in the Persian kingdom and to shore up support for Xerxes.
So, what do we see of the glory of God in this passage? God uses even the immorality of men to force events which will accomplish His plan. Within the book of Esther, he uses the king’s own immorality to put someone in his life who will cause him to want to protect the people of God. Outside of the book of Esther, Esther probably had a little influence over the life of Artaxerxes, the son of Xerxes, the king who gave the command to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. So, when the immoral lifestyle of others begins to affect the circumstances of my life, then I can start looking for how God wants to use those circumstances as part of His plan. He has a plan, but I must join Him in it! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

MATTHEW 15:21-39
Have you ever had an experience at a store where you were not satisfied with the service that you were receiving? Did you ask for someone higher up in authority? I have. Sometimes the one in higher authority can help. Sometimes they cannot or will not. I once subscribed to a long distance phone company that I felt dealt dishonestly with me. We had an exchange student come to live with us. Of course we allowed him to call home to Mexico. Within a few short weeks, we had run up a bill of over $800.00. When I received the first bill, I promptly called the company. I received no satisfactory explanation from the customer service representative. So, I asked for someone in authority over them. Still I received no satisfactory answer. I exhausted their chain of command and was told that I just had to pay the bill. My father-in-law suggested that I contact the FCC. I did. Finally after about six months of waiting, the FCC forced them to refund about $600.00. But I was beginning to wonder if I would ever see that money again. I finally received some compassionate treatment, forced by someone in higher authority.
This woman with a cruelly demon-possessed daughter needed some one to deliver her daughter. She, a non-Israelite, knew that Jesus had the power to deliver her daughter. She begged Jesus to deliver her daughter. Jesus remained silent. It was a teaching point. The disciples (those in lesser authority) were frustrated with her insistence on asking for her daughter's deliverance. Finally, the teaching point was made, the woman's faith revealed and Jesus exercised His authority, the girl was delivered. He had compassion upon her. She did not have to appeal to a higher authority. Jesus is that authority and He is compassionate.
Again He shows His compassion. He healed the mute, the maimed, the lame and the blind. Having received His compassion, they did what? They glorified the God of Israel. Three days He was with them in the wilderness healing and teaching them. Four thousand men plus women and children were there. By this time the food supplies, which had been brought with them, had dwindled to nothing. He told the disciples, "I have compassion on the multitude. . . I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." Because of His compassion, He multiplied seven loaves and a few little fish to feed them all. Now that's glory! Do you ever wonder if He will have compassion on you? He will. If you don't wonder, others do. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

January 23

GENESIS 24 (2010)
I have 4 sons and a daughter. My second son married when he was 23 years old. My first son was 28 when he married. I was 22 when I married. Laura says I was too young. Oh well, she's stuck with me. Too bad for you, Laura, great for me. I got the good end of the deal. (heh, heh, heh) My third son is 25. Marriage might be on his mind. My daughter is 20. I told her she could start dating when she was 35. My youngest is 10. Right now all he can think about is fighting bad guys and going on adventures. Winning a beauty is not yet one of his concerns. (Yes, I have read Wild at Heart.) Having been a pastor 25 years, I have seen a lot of bad marriage & family situations. Who my children marry is of great concern to me. Nothing makes life more miserable than a bad home life. I guess that parental concern is pretty natural. I remember when my mother found out that Laura was raised in a Catholic background she said, "Be careful. You'll end up with 12 kids." Well Mom, I tried but Laura just wouldn't cooperate. I still have 7 to go and I am 54. If I make it, it will be another Abraham and Sarah story. (In case you are wondering, I am teasing.)
Abraham was pretty intent upon making sure that Isaac did not marry from the Canaanite (Amorite) women. Why? The text does not say why. One can conjecture easily enough. The LORD did not give the land immediately to Abraham because, "The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." (Gen 15:16) There are at least three implications here. One is that the Lord was going to take the land from the Amorites as their punishment because of their great iniquity. Two is that if Abraham's descendents were to marry into the Amorites, it might make the extraction of them from the land rather messy. Three is that if Abraham's descendents married into the Amorites their wickedness would lead his descendents into wickedness. Abraham was protecting the purity of the LORD's covenant by forbidding the intermarriage with the people. You see, you don't really marry a person, you marry a family. So, he gave explicit instructions for his servant to go back to his own family in Padan Aram and find a wife for Isaac. Now, to be sure, his own family wasn't exactly the paradigm of righteousness. But at least he wouldn't have to deal with the land issue.
The servant takes off on his trek. Is this guy a believer? It would seem so. He prays for guidance. Granted, he addresses the LORD as, "The God of my master Abraham." But then God had appeared personally six times to Abraham. You know what? God has not appeared to me even once like He did to Abraham. Indeed, in general we rather think of people who claim such visions to be somewhat psychotic, unless we know them well and know them to be otherwise reliable people. But get this--God answers the servant's prayers! Wow! You don't have to be a spiritual giant for God to answer your prayers! You only have to be walking in His path, in His direction. That is the glory of our Lord. He answers our prayer not on the basis of our spiritual giantness but upon the basis of how it brings glory to Him because we are walking in the direction that He is going. He answers it for the glory of His name. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
Oh by the way, Isaac was 37 when his mother died. He was 40 when he married. He was comforted in his mother's death by his wife. I have two things to say. One is what a beautiful relationship they had. The other is, "What a mamma's boy!" Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 23
Hands down, this is one of the most popular and widely used portions of Scripture to encourage and bring comfort to people. It is widely used to read at funerals and to read at times of extreme health problems. I have had friends who raised sheep. I have read Phillip Keller’s, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. It is not very flattering to be called a sheep. Sheep are dumb, defenseless, dirty (3D) animals that require constant attention if the flock is to be prosperous. David knew that as a shepherd. That is why he picked shepherd as a metaphor concerning the relationship between God and himself and His people. You see the focus of the Psalm is to explain what God is like in relation to His people. The focus is God. If we are talking about how great God is in comparison to us, then it is an appropriate metaphor.
It is His greatness that feeds, waters and restores our souls. He is the One who makes me capable of living a righteous life. When I have no ability to walk righteously, He enables me. When death surrounds me or my loved ones, He is with me. His tools of correction and protection are ever with me. Even when I am surrounded by enemies, He enables me to relax and I can eat without threat of them. Sheep often have problems with parasites invading the ears. The result could drive a sheep insane with the irritation. Oil poured in the ear would drown the parasite and bring relief. His anointing oil brings healing to the irritations of life brought to me by parasites. He gives me more than enough to satisfy my thirsty life. Goodness and mercy are always following me. To top it off, I get to go live in His house when I die. What more could I ask? All of this is because of His Glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

NEHEMIAH 13
Misplaced priorities will quickly lead me away from the glory of God. When the temple was built, it had store rooms on the side for all the things necessary for the continual carrying out of the sacrifices. The sacrifices were central to experiencing the glory of God. Grain offerings, frankincense, the articles used in the daily ministrations, the tithes of grain, the new wine and oil were all articles used by the priests and Levites to do the ministry and to support themselves while they did the daily sacrifices. The sacrifices all spoke of Jesus. They spoke of the cross and what Jesus would accomplish for us through the cross. Because of the cross we can have fellowship with God (grain, wine and oil). Because of the cross we can come boldly before the throne of God where our Great Intercessor dwells, and we can bring our prayers to Him (frankincense).
Eliashib, the priest, cleared the storeroom so that Tobiah could occupy it in some way. Now, Tobiah was one of the leaders of the enemies of the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem. Tobiah was an Ammonite. God had instructed Israel not to associate with the Ammonites. What is Eliashib doing? He replaces the materials for the daily sacrifice with the enemy of God! Because of the phrase, “Now before this,” in verse four, some have suggested that Eliashib had perhaps married a relative of Tobiah, and to preserve family unity was why he let Tobiah move in. Marrying people without listening to the instruction of God also demonstrates a lack of priorities.
So what is going on here? Clearly the sacrifice of Christ must be central in our lives, homes and churches. Paul wanted to know nothing among the Corinthians except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Do I make room in my life for things that should be reserved for Jesus? Do I bring movies (even wholesome ones) into my home when I have not first sought Him? Do I yield what should be reserved for Him to my spouse? Do I yield what should be reserved for him to my family? Do I yield what should be reserved for Jesus to my church? Do I yield what should be reserved to Jesus to His enemies? Those are hard and difficult questions, yet they are ones to which the cross-centered life demands an answer.
Jesus lovingly calls us to yield to Him. Nehemiah wasn’t as loving. He pulled out the offender’s beards. He demanded obedience. One solid reading of the book of Hebrews reveals that Jesus also demands obedience. Yes, He will never forsake us or leave us, but when we replace what should be reserved for Him, and we remain steadfast in that direction, then discipline is on the way. Hmm. . . I think I’d rather experience the loving side of Jesus. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

MATTHEW 15:1-20
Occasionally I do my own work on my vehicles, not because I enjoy it, but because it is cheaper. It fits my budget better. Whenever I do my own work, my hands get very dirty. I usually have some GoJo around to help clean my hands. It takes awhile. But eventually I get all of the grime off. I know how to clean my hands. We all know how to clean our hands. That is easy. But how do we clean the inside of us? Everyone of us, if we are honest with ourselves, have at least one sin that we have struggled with—if not presently then some time in the past. It is something that, try as we might, we just can’t clean it up. There is something inside us that prevents us from doing it.
The Scribes and Pharisees were concerned with keeping the aspects of the law that they could control. Those aspects were the outward observances of the law such as the washing of hands and what foods one ate. Jesus clearly points out that it is not what we do on the outside but what is going on in the heart that defiles us. The heart that produces evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies, etc., is what needs to be cleaned. How does one clean the heart? I can’t reach down my throat with GoJo and scrub it. Even if I could, it wouldn’t do any good.
That is where the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ comes in! He is able to purify our hearts, if we let Him. He’s better than Clorox! He is better than Tide! He even does a better job than fabric softener. He has cleaned my heart of many evil thoughts and things which defile. Has He cleaned yours? Our glorious Lord can and does clean hearts! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

January 22

GENESIS 23
As I write this meditation, I am sitting next to my father’s death bed (2010). The doctor just came in and expressed that it looks like my Dad doesn’t have long to live, probably won’t see the end of the day. How ironic that I am reading about Abraham making funeral arrangements for Sarah. I will probably be making arrangements for my Dad soon. Death is an ugly thing, not just the moment of parting but also all the degeneration that occurs in the approach. Never-the-less, it is something we all must personally face. Where is the glory of Jesus in death? Hmm…
Paul expresses it differently, “

51Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”
56The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord

.
I grieve at the momentary parting. However, my heart rejoices for my Dad. He will soon know no more suffering. There is the glory of Jesus. He encountered our spiritual death and took it upon Himself so that we might not have to bear it. For believers, our physical death is but a release into eternal life. We can endure the grief with hope because of Him.
Somehow Abraham knew about the resurrection of the dead. Yes, he knew that he would see Sarah again. He lived 117 years with Sarah. He would live another 38 years without her. But he could grieve with hope as he made the funeral arrangements for her. He could do that because he knew there would be a resurrection. That is the glory of our Jesus. Because of what He has done, I know I will see my Dad again. It may not be as long as 38 years, but I will see him again. That is because of the glory of Jesus. Isn't He glorious! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 22
“Stop swinging on that door!” The tone in the voice and the glare in his face let me know that my behavior greatly displeased him. Even now, I think that is a bit of an understatement. When Dad was angry the atmosphere was charged with an energy which you could almost taste; I certainly felt it. It was an anger that was in your face. It was unavoidable. As an 8-year-old, I could not quite understand why He was so angry, but I couldn’t deny the anger. As an adult I have had to repair many door frames. Often times the frames were broken because of children using the doors as toys. They place leverage on the doors that the doors were not designed to sustain. Now I understand his anger; then I did not. Nevertheless, his anger was real. I have never swung on a door after that.
Psalm 22 remains as a solid witness to all generations of the glory of the Lord Jesus. Matthew quotes this Psalm to prove that Jesus was fulfilling prophetic Scripture especially in His death. The opening line of this Psalm was Jesus’ cry shortly before His death as He hung on the cross. It was an experience that Jesus, the God man, had never experienced before. From the moment that He entered time and space by adding the nature of a man to His person, Jesus, the man, had known intimate fellowship with the Father. He had experienced the good pleasure of His Father. He knew fully what it meant to be beloved by the Father. Twice the Father publically declared His love for the Son. Only the day before in response to Jesus’ prayer to glorify the Father’s name, the Father had declared, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” But now that relationship had wholly changed. Jesus was now enduring the fullness of the Father’s wrath against our sin. For this eternal moment in time, Jesus was bearing the full brunt of the wrath of a just God against the sin that you and I had committed. Jesus knew the fury of God. He had never experienced that before either in eternity or in time. The Father was in His face, angry, wrathful, just, and furious. The pain seared His soul and spirit, as well as His body.
How could the Father be just and do this to His innocent Son? I wasn’t innocent. Jesus was. But that is one of the mysteries of the Gospel. The Psalmist tells us. Jesus was no longer innocent. He was now “a worm.” Somehow on that cross He, who knew no sin, became sin on my behalf. The Father was holy (v.3). Jesus was unholy (v.6). Justice required that this sinful worm be squished. And so, the Father was in His face, slowly pouring His wrath upon that sinful worm, but I was the worm.
The religious leaders recognized Jesus’ quote of the opening line of Psalm 22. In the deepest scorn they quote verse 8 right back at Him. So now even His own creation is in His face mocking Him. His created humans now surround Him like savage animals moving in for the kill. They pierce His hands and feet (16 crucifixion). Then they gamble for his clothes (18). Amazing! One thousand years after David prophesied this; Jesus fulfills this. What amazing control of the destiny of history! What amazing resolve to self-sacrifice for us! Just think, He became a worm in my place, Amazing! He faced the Father’s wrath, just for me! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

NEHEMIAH 12
The other day I was walking through the parking lot and broke out in song. Liam’s immediate comment was, “I hate it when you do that.”
“Why?” I asked.
“I just do,” was all that he could answer. Hmmm. . .
I was once told by a friend that she had studied some about the history of Handel’s Messiah. Handel was broke and pressed by creditors when he was given the commission to write the Messiah. He locked himself in his room in order to write it. He did not come out to eat, but he wrote continuously often fasting completely. He wrote it in record time. When he finished, all he could say was, “I have seen the face of God.” Anyone who knows anything about classical music is familiar with his masterful work. Did He see the face of God? Obviously he did not literally, for no man can see God and live, but he probably did see God’s face metaphorically. Music helps express the glory of God.
Music has always been important to the Lord. Some have indicated that Ezekiel 28:13 refers to musical instruments and that Satan was the first Choir leader in heaven. Music has the power to grasp our minds and affections and multiply the intensity of our affections in our minds, will and spirit. It can soothe a troubled spirit. It can heal, and is even used in therapy with some maladies. It is important in grasping the glory of God. That is part of the reason that there is so much fighting in the church over music. People often succumb to the flesh in the way that they express their music (on both sides of the fight). That is fertile ground for Satan to sow his seeds of discord. The filling of the Holy Spirit results in “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Music can help us see the glory of the Lord, or they can divert our vision off of the Lord.
In today’s passage we learn, “Both the singers and the gatekeepers kept the charge of their God and the charge of the purification, according to the command of David and Solomon his son.” Music was important to David. It was important in the later revivals under Hezekiah and Josiah. Music was important in the first return from exile and certainly considered important in Nehemiah’s day. Did you know that there is no record in the Scripture of angels singing? A literal translation of all the Scriptural passages of angels singing should really be ‘saying’ instead of ‘singing.’ Maybe part of the reason we were created is to sing the praise of His glory. Sometimes when I am having trouble remembering the glory of the Lord, I just have to sing it. Do you sing? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Sing His glory to someone today! But be careful, some will not like it.
--Pastor john

MATTHEW 14:22-36
When I was in college in Oklahoma, Oral Roberts jokes were not uncommon. (For all you non-Okies, Oral Roberts University is in Tulsa, OK, and for those of you who don't know who Oral Roberts is, he was a famous evangelist who emphasized receiving miracles from the Lord). I remember one joke that went, "Did you hear that Oral Roberts died today? He was hit by a speed boat while going for his morning walk." Okay, okay, I admit it. It was a bad joke and perhaps in poor taste. The point is that there are only two persons who have ever walked on water--Jesus and Peter. Peter was only for a few steps and only because of the power of the Lord Jesus.
But this shows the glory of our Lord. Who has the power to bring the laws of physics together such that either the water molecules support the weight of a man or something happens that it appears that they support the weight of a man? No one but the Creator could do that. Jesus has that power. Preachers have preached often and long on this passage. A few have denigrated Peter for failing in his faith while walking on the water. Yeah well, when was the last time you even tried? Notice that there were still eleven in the boat watching Peter try. I wonder if all twelve had jumped out of the boat, would their faith have waned. Would Jesus have to rescue all twelve? Or, would their corporate faith have kept them with their eyes on Jesus and enable them to reach their destination? Well, we'll never know. But this we can see, Jesus was willing to work His glory through Peter by granting Peter's request to command Peter to come. Hmm. . .
Why did Peter fall after taking a few steps on the water? It's right there in the text, "When he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink. . . " He quit looking at the glory of Jesus and began looking at the glory of the wind. Who made the wind? It was as if Peter was temporarily exalting the glory of the wind above the glory of Jesus. Jesus took Peter by the hand and raised Him out of the water. After they had strolled back to the boat, the wind ceased. There was no longer any question in their minds concerning the identity and glory of the Lord.
I believe Jesus wants to work His glory in and through us--so that there will be no question of His identity. He wants people to see Him in us. He wants people to see His character in our character. He wants people to see His works in our work. That is an even greater glory than walking on water. I think we spend so much time looking at the wind rather than the glory of the Son that we never walk on the water at His command. We don't even hear His command. The few that do hear His command often fail. But at least they get out of the boat. The rest are just sitting in the boat gazing at the wind-with an occasional glimpse of Jesus. Where is His glory? Metaphorically speaking, I hope that when I die that people will say, "Did you hear that John died today? Yeah, he was hit by a speed boat on his morning walk. He was letting Jesus work His glory in and through Him." And I hope the amazement won't be about me but about Him. “Wow! Jesus could really do that with such imperfect material like John? Isn't Jesus amazing!” Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Jesus went up on the mountain to pray while the disciples got in a boat to go to Gennesaret. This is taken from the traditional location of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus would have had a fairly commanding view of Galilee from just about anywhere on this mountain. As He saw their fear as they struggled with the waves, so He sees my fear as I struggle with life.