What is your name? What does it mean? What difference does it make? Jacob blesses Joseph’s sons by pronouncing to them the names of his fathers and his own name. Abraham means father of a multitude. Isaac means he laughs. Which of his own names did he pass on to them, Jacob or Israel? Jacob means supplanter. Israel means God prevails or prince of God. God gave Abraham and Israel their names. Is there anything significant in that? Maybe it is this: God wants them to be the father of a multitude of people who laugh and over whom God prevails. There wasn’t much laughter recorded neither in Israel’s life nor in Isaac’s life. But somehow I think that when the Spirit of God is truly prevailing in one’s life that there will be frequent times of laughter. After all, the joy of the Lord is our strength, and the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy. . . Somehow I think that the Glory of God is increased when we experience joy and laughter because of him. In passing on his names to Joseph’s sons I think that is part of what Israel was trying to impart.
What really ought to excite us as believers is that He has invited us to share in His name. After all, He has adopted us as His children. Do we reflect His name to others? Or do we reflect our old name? Is what we radiate to others, supplanter? Or is what we radiate to others, laughter because He has prevailed? Some people whom I have met take their Christianity very seriously, and we ought to. But some are so straight laced that I think if they laughed, their skin would split. Is that the way God wants us to be? Certainly He demands that we take our relationship with Him seriously. I remember being with Fred Hartley as we traveled in Senegal. We took the mission we were on very seriously. But when the work was done, and the trip was done, Fred was full of laughter. God had prevailed, and it filled our hearts with joy. I think that is a great way to reflect His glory. When we are a people over whom He prevails, it is seen in obedience and joy. We laugh. Can you see Him laughing? Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
PSALM 46
It has been an interesting year. A year ago today, we had the coldest day on record for Stillwater, Oklahoma. That led into a drought and a long hot summer. We set records for heat during the summer. In the fall as the drought began to weaken (we still haven’t recovered), we had on the same day tornados, thunder storms and an earthquake. The extreme cold, the extreme heat, the drought was devastating for our farmers and ranchers. In November, Quad Graphics, a large employer in Stillwater announced an impending shutdown of their plant. Mercury Marine, a long time Stillwater employer, closed their plant in December. Last week, Frontier Engineering announced a layoff of 20 employees. All told we have lost hundreds of jobs in Stillwater in the last year. We have gained some too, so I am not sure of the net loss. Oklahoma’s 45th infantry deployed to Afghanistan. We have lost a lot of young men there. Stillwater has had its share. The good news is that our men in Iraq have come home for the most part. OSU almost won a national football championship-just one interception away.
Mountains seem to be falling upon us as the ground literally trembles beneath us. The desolation of drought robbed many of income for the year. The closing of industry robbed others. Wars might be coming to an end, but our young men still die. What is God trying to teach us in the midst of all this? Primarily He is trying to teach us that He alone is our mighty fortress. He alone is our protection. He alone is our income. He alone brings us safely through war. His water of life alone can make us glad. Neither bumper crops, large herds, great employment, domestic or foreign peace or even national football championships can make us glad in a significant way. His river of life alone makes us glad, and that is His glory! Let us behold the works of the Lord as He works desolations upon the face of the earth. Let us be still and know that He is God! Let us exalt Him among the nations for He is our refuge! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
JOB 14
If a man dies, shall he live again? This thought gives me hope, so that in all my anguish I eagerly await sweet death! (LB) At 55 years of age, I have stood by the graveside often. This past year and a half, I was there more than most years. Twice I was there as a pastor. Four times I was there for older family members, my oldest brother, my Dad and an aunt and an uncle. I’m kinda tired of funerals. But I have many more to attend. I have lots of older relatives. I have many aunts and uncles and cousins. I am the youngest of five siblings. If we go in chronological order, I will be the last to exit. If looking at the longevity of families means anything, the love of my life will probably exit before me. You know, I kind of expect those older than me to exit before me. It is the ones younger than me that are the most difficult. I have a couple of grandchildren on the other side. Death is universally accepted as an unwanted intruder in our relationships. It is cruel; although, not unusual. It is common to us all.
The prelude to death often is not any prettier. Every one of our earthly hopes are one by one extinguished. We get old and wrinkled. We lose our hair then our teeth. Bodily processes begin to cease functioning properly. Our eyes go dim. Our memories begin to fail. If we bear only these problems, we are fortunate.
Why did Job eagerly await death? Because he knew the glory of God, He eagerly awaited it! He knew the awesome power of God. Death is only a portal into eternal life or eternal death. It is only a portal into an eternal relationship with the Lord or an eternal existence separated from the Lord. He knew that the mighty power of God would raise him from the dead. In that understanding, death is a mercy. Imagine that! God will one day take the elements and refashion a physical body for us! We will have flesh that can see God and will not corrupt. Those of us who have clung to Jesus will enter into an eternal relationship with Him that is filled with joy inexpressible. Those who did not, will enter into an eternal separation from Him. So what is important now? Is it not preparation for knowing God? Does it not make sense that in order to prepare for the other side, that I should do all that I can do now to know and exalt the glory of God? What am I willing to be deprived of in order to do that? Should it not be everything? Yet I keep hanging on to the poverty of this world when His fantastic glory is so near. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
MATTHEW 27:27-50
No illustration can do it justice. How can one describe the glory of our Lord in His crucifixion? He is the King of the universe. Nothing exists that He did not create. Yet here He is permitting the soldiers of a lesser king to strip Him. He could have destroyed them all instantly just by speaking the word. But He allowed them to mock His Kingship. Weaving a crown of thorns they crushed it upon His head. Mocking His anointing as King they anointed Him with their spit. What should have been kisses of loyalty became beatings with reeds and whips. Leading Him off to be crucified, He fell, too weakened by the loss of blood to carry the massive beam of the cross. They drafted a man from the crowd to bear His cross. At the Place of a Skull they offered Him a cheap drug that might deaden some of the pain. But He was born for this. He chose to feel all the pain that would be inflicted by our sin upon Him. Crucifying Him they then gambled for His only earthly possessions, His clothes. Then in continuance of the mocking of this "King," they placed a plaque above His head which read, "This is the King of the Jews." Indeed He is the King of the Jews as well as every other ethnic group that has or ever will live. But this obviously was cast in derision of what He claimed.
Those passing by blasphemed Him. They used His words against Him, "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself!" Little did they know but as they spoke those words He was in the process of doing just that. He was allowing them to tear down the temple of His body. In three days He was going to build it back up again. Do you suppose that any of those who walked by wagging their heads in derision, after the resurrection repented of their unbelief and recanted their words? Even the robber crucified with Him reviled Him.
But all these were not the greatest pain. The greatest pain for our Lord came from noon until 3 in the afternoon. An eerie darkness fell upon the land. Why? I believe it was because at that time the Father placed all the sin of the world, my sin and your sin, upon Him upon that cross. During that time the Father poured out His holy justice upon Him as He hung between heaven and earth. He, who knew no sin, became sin on our behalf. For the first time the Father was in His face with all His terrible wrath being poured out upon Him. He knew the absolute terror that all of those who choose to go to hell know. He knew the terror of being the recipient of eternal wrath. In agony of the spiritual pain He cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Crying again, He yielded up His spirit. It was not wrenched from Him. He gave it willingly. This is glory that cannot be illustrated only received. Have you received it? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
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