“The monkey is going to jump on his back right about. . . now.” It was track practice. The coach had given some instruction about setting the proper pace in running a 440. Then, he was trying to illustrate it as he sent several of us to run around the track while he gave instruction to others. A 440 (a quarter of a mile) is a little longer than a sprint, but it is still a sprint. One has to understand when and where one is going to hit the wall, and how to handle it. Normally at a certain spot in the 440 it feels as if a giant monkey has jumped upon your back, and it is trying to pull you back. It is unavoidable.
The Israelites had endured ten plagues at the beginning of this race. God had displayed His power in showing setting them free to sprint. He seemed to fill their sails with a mighty powerful wind when He parted the Red Sea and drowned Pharaoh’s army behind them. But as they obtained their head start, and seemed to be pulling into the homestretch, the 800 pound gorilla jumped on their backs. Three days into the desert, and they were out of water. By the end of the first day, I am sure that they were parched. How many had left Egypt carrying sufficient water for the journey? On the first day of the journey, I am sure that the realities of the lack of planning on their part were settling in. Three days without water and it was now critical. Three days in the desert with no water and people would soon be dying. They came to springs of water, but they were bitter and undrinkable even when dying of thirst. The gorilla was relentless.
God in His mercy showed up. “Moses, take a particular tree and cast it into the water and it will be made sweet.” Moses did it, and the waters were healed. What a picture of the cross! Our lives, which are wrecked and ruined by the bitterness of sin, are made sweet and satisfying by His cross when we consider ourselves dead with Him! When life is bitter, when it feels like the 800 pound gorilla has jumped on my back, it is to time consider myself impaled with Him on the cross. When I do, He raises me up to newness of life. He brings me soon to the springs of Elim where refreshing waters flow, and that is His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
PSALM 63
“My soul thirsts for you.” Can I be spiritually dehydrated and not know it? Can I be physically dehydrated and not know it? Ask any Doctor if a person can be physically dehydrated and not know it, and he will probably tell you, “Of course!” It happens quite frequently. Indeed dehydration can lead to a myriad of other problems with the body which could have been avoided if the person had just kept drinking water. Sometimes we don’t recognize our thirst sensation for what it is. Other times we have trained it to search for substitutes. Whether or not I recognize my need for water, I still need water.
Like water, the glory of God is necessary for my life. As the dull headache in the back of the head is to dehydration, so spiritual thirst is to our need of God. I can find no substitutes. I can search for love in this world, but ultimately all human love fails me. His lovingkindness is better than life. I can search for all manner of things with which I might satisfy my spiritual thirst, but ultimately only He can satisfy the longings within me. I can grasp for all kinds of things to help me spiritually, but ultimately only He can pull me out of the depths of the place of the dead. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
JOB 33
As a 9th grader I gave in to my older brothers’ pressure and went out for the 9th grade basketball team. It was one of the most embarrassing experiences of my life. I was so bad that I was the only guy who went out that never even got to suit up for a game. I didn’t even get to warm the bench. Nobody at my school identified me as a jock, especially when I was in the 9th grade. I have a cousin two years older than me that went to OSU on basketball scholarship. When I was a senior in high school, my FCA club invited my cousin to come to an FCA event to give his testimony. I was unaware that he was scheduled to speak that night. Our mothers are sisters, so we have different last names. No one had any idea that we were related. We were kind of surprised to see each other that night. I was because I did not know he was on the agenda. He was because I had not earned any athletic recognition. Of course as cousins we enjoyed good conversation when we saw each other that night. All of my acquaintances wanted to know how I knew this OSU basketball player. “Oh, he’s my cousin.” Few could believe my declaration. Not much family resemblance in athletic ability.
Elihu sees a few things as being wrong with Job’s defense: 1) Job claims to be pure and innocent. 2) Job claims that God views him as His enemy. 3) Job’s argument implies that God must give an account of Himself to man. As for Elihu, he is right. Job was claiming to be completely innocent. As we have seen before, Job was right and he was wrong. Job was a sinner, but he repented and clung to God. We know from elsewhere in Scripture that as such, God had removed his sin from him. In that sense He had been declared by God to be righteous—not that he had never sinned, but that his sin was removed. God did not claim Job as His enemy; on the contrary, He viewed Job as a great ally. After all it is through Job’s suffering that God is revealing something to all successive generations of the role of suffering in relation to the glory of God. He is a co-laborer with Him. Finally, God is never bound to give an account of Himself to mere men. What a tragic reality this would be if the infinite God had to give an account of Himself to finite man!
Don’t these three issues really reveal the great glory of God? I mean after all, isn’t it wonderful that by simply repenting and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ that even I can be declared not guilty? Get this! John Chaffin is declared to be perfect in righteousness in the sight of God because my sin has been washed away by the blood of His precious Son! Now that is Glory! Wow, not only am I now declared just, but I am also equipped to be a co-laborer with Him to declare His Glory to all of creation! Hey! Let me introduce you to my Co-worker. He is the God who created the Universe! Does the infinite God ever give an account of Himself to His creation upon our demand? I don’t think so! He is after all, God! Let me introduce you to my brother, the Creator of the Universe, the Perfect One. Not a whole lot of family resemblance to begin with. But He has declared it so, and it’s kind of growing on me! That is infinitely better than having a cousin who is a collegiate basketball star! How could I ever hold Him to account for Himself? Wow, Isn’t He something? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
MARK 9:1-29
What event would be the most exciting thing that you could imagine for you to attend? For a sports enthusiast it might be the World Series, the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup, the World Cup, the U.S. Open or Wimbledon etc. If you were a music enthusiast maybe it would be the New York Opera, the Boston Symphony, a Beetles concert etc. If you are into politics, maybe to sit next to the president during his inauguration would be your desire. If you are into U.S. history, maybe you would like to have been at the deliberations for the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Can you imagine being promised to see the kingdom of God present with power?
It happened to Peter, James and John up on the mount of Transfiguration. They saw it. There was no mistake. But Jesus thought it important to tell them part of the glory of it that they did not see, could not see and would not see for some time yet. But they would also attend that event and see it just as well. It would be just as mind boggling but not exciting. In the midst of this great event, where they saw the Son of Man in His glory, He asked them, “How is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?” You see His crucifixion is part of the glory of the Son of Man, for his crucifixion provides for our attendance at His coronation. The kingdom of God was present with power at His crucifixion and resurrection.
Coming down from the great event, they were met with a power conflict between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. There was a boy possessed by a deaf and dumb spirit from which the disciples could not release the boy. Jesus released him with one command. Why couldn’t they cast it out? This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting. I tend to focus on the need for prayer and fasting. But do you get the basis upon which the prayer and fasting is possible? The kingdom of God can come in power!
We may never experience the mount of Transfiguration until the rapture, but we can experience the Presence of the kingdom of God with power! Jesus does show His glory. It is present whenever the power of darkness is defeated. We can be victorious over sin. When we are, it glorifies Jesus, for in one more instance He has defeated the power of darkness. I might not see Him transfigured before me, but I can see Him transformed in me! That’s His glory! And I want to be present for all of that for which I can be present. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
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