January 7

GENESIS 7
Can you imagine the sense of irreparable loss that might have flooded Noah and his family as they sat in the ark. The floodgates of the deep were broken up. The water canopy from above fell. Forty days and nights the water poured down. Perhaps Pangaea was breaking up during this time. Tremendous volcanic and seismic forces were rocking the earth causing tidal waves that washed the face of the earth wiping it clean of the violence of man. All living flesh outside of the ark died. Noah had been told by the Lord what was going to happen outside the ark. There was an opening along the top where they could look out. Do you suppose they spent much time there? Light in the ark would only have been provided by candles, lamps and fires. But the chaos outside would have been far worse.
In the midst of irreparable loss, the Lord invites them in to the ark, “Come in to the ark, you and all your household.” Inside they found safety. That must have been one wild ride inside the ark with wild animals inside and wild waves outside. Do you suppose the Lord protected them against seasickness? Although, its 450 ft. length, 75ft width and 45 ft. height would have made it extremely stable, except for in the most horrendous tidal wave. The size is enormous. It would be a total of over 1.5 million cubic feet. It could not sit flat inside OSU’s Boone Pickens Stadium. It was safety in the chaos outside. Noah and his family and the animals were secure in the midst of irreparable loss.
Peter compares the ark to the salvation which we find in Jesus:
1 Peter 3:20-21: 20 those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood. 21 And this is a picture of baptism, which now saves you by the power of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. Baptism is not a removal of dirt from your body; it is an appeal to God from a clean conscience. The New Living Translation
Baptism is essentially identifying with Jesus. Like the ark in the midst of irreparable loss, Jesus invites us into the safety of Himself. He says, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 7
There have been times in my life when I have been attacked by those whom I considered to be my brothers. While I make no claim to being sinless, in many of those instances there was no sin of my own of which I needed to repent, but rather, they were looking for fault in me because they did not like the direction we were going. It is painful indeed. What is the appropriate response?
The title to this Psalm indicates that it is a response to the words of Cush the Benjamite. Saul was a Benjamite. We can only assume that this near or distant kinsman of Saul had been slandering David. Most likely this occurred during the time before David became the king of the united kingdom. How did David respond? He first spent some time in self-evaluation. He sought to see if any of the accusations were true. How else could he say, “If I have . . . , Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me; Yes, let him trample my life to the earth, and lay my honor in the dust.” Then he appeals to the Lord to rise up and judge. He asks for a judgment of the wicked. Finally, he rests in the fact that God is a just judge. He is angry with the wicked every day. He lets it go there.
Hmm. . . if God is angry with those who have inappropriately judged me, why should I be angry with them. If I really believe that God is a just judge, it is only right that I should rejoice in justice, but why should I take their punishment into my own hands? I would not want to be a sinner in the hands of an angry God. He is much more capable of punishing sin than I am. He is also much more capable of extending mercy than I am. It is His glory to extend both as needed. The appropriate response to being attacked is to spend time in letting God judge me and reveal to me my heart. Then it is appropriate to call upon Him to judge. Then it is appropriate to revel in the fact that He is a just and merciful judge. When I do that, it allows for others to see the operation of His justice and His mercy. It also allows for greater healing in my life. Lord, search me and try me and show me any hurtful way. Judge me and those around me. You are a just judge! Be merciful in judgment! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

EZRA 7
I often long to see the hand of my LORD upon me or to see Him work in a really obvious way. Do you long for the same thing? It does not happen regularly in Scripture, but it does happen.
Josiah died about 609 BC. It was not long after that the first deportation to Babylon occurred. Cyrus rose to the throne around 539 BC. The Return to Zion was shortly after he rose to the throne. It was awesome for that generation to see the LORD move upon the heart of Cyrus to decree the return and rebuilding of the Temple. It was awesome once again to see Darius decree that the temple be completed about 20 years after Cyrus’ decree. Now Ezra comes along. This chapter begins about 457 BC. It is about 82 years after the decree of Cyrus. Once again the LORD moves upon the heart of the pagan king to work the LORD’S own will! Look how Ezra phrases it,

27Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem, 28and has extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty princes.

Once again we see the Glory of the Lord in the pagan king.
But we also see the glory of the Lord working in Ezra.

10For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel. . . 28So I was encouraged, as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me.

Ezra prepared himself in three ways: 1) sought the Law, 2) did it, 3) taught it. If Ezra had not prepared himself, would God still have done what He did? Yes and no. Yes he would have still moved upon the heart of the king, no He would not have used Ezra. He would have raised up someone else to do the job. I long to see the hand of the LORD move upon me. I long for His glory to shine in me. I think there are some requirements though. I must seek Him to do what He says and share it with others. Do you desire the same? Let us pursue Him! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Matthew 6:1-21
Most of us are those who do our good works in order to receive recognition from other people. Few of us would do them if the only recognition we received were from God after we die. There is a big performing arts theater at a community college near where I used to live. It is named Odell Williamson, for the man who gave the money to build it. He is known for having given millions to different things in the county. I often wonder, if no one would ever know what he had given to, would he still give? I guess only he and God know. My gut feeling is that if his name were not on the theater building, then he probably would have given less. Why? The reason is because that is human nature. Jesus warns against doing our good works for the adulation of others, whether it is giving money, praying, or fasting. Those who do it for others to see, receive only that as a reward. He encourages us to labor for reward in heaven. When we do good works only for the glory of the Father in Heaven, then we receive reward in heaven.
Jesus gave all He had for the Father. He fasted in private, for the Father. He prayed in private, for the Father. He went to the cross for the Father. Since His motivation was for the Father, imagine the pain He felt when He felt the Father had forsaken Him! He will receive His reward from the Father. His reward is we who are changed by the power of His blood and His Spirit. He is worthy of His reward. Would you endure all He endured for an audience of One, the Father? He did. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John