March 8

EXODUS 19
It was during the beginning of the recession of 1980. I was working the second shift in gray iron machining. The company had already shut down the second shift in die cast. Die cast was right next to gray iron machining, and the lights were all off back there. During lunch break, I decided to go for a walk. As I passed by the vats of molten aluminum, I couldn’t help but to stop and stare into the glowing liquid metal. There was just something awesome about the glowing heat of the molten metal. There was something purifying about it. I am sure the die cast guys, who worked there regularly, didn’t get this sense. The familiarity and having the lights on probably took away the awe. But for me, it was mesmerizing. There is something purifying about fire.
The LORD called Israel to be a Kingdom of Priests, His own special treasure. In order to experience this privilege they needed to be pure. How was this purity to come? It was both their act and God’s act. His act in response their purifying themselves was to reveal Himself in smoke, lightning, quakes and fire. Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. Is that awesome or what?
He still calls us today to be His Kingdom of Priests, His own special treasure. He descends upon us to place His glory in us so that others may see His glory and be drawn to Him. How does He purify us? Consider this, “Our God is a consuming fire.” What is He burning away in us? Now that is how His glory is seen in us. Sometimes it is a painful experience. Sometimes it is an exquisite experience. What a privilege to be in his presence and be purified by Him! Lord, purify me and make me clean. Burn away my desires to hang on to the things of this world. Let me gaze into the glowing, purifying fire of Your presence. Refine me as one of Your priests so that others may be brought to You. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 67
There is a lot of talk today about God wanting to bless us. It is true that God wants to bless us. He wants to bring blessing to our lives, but there is one crucial ingredient to that blessing that we dare not misunderstand. God wants to bless us in such a way that all the ends of the earth will fear Him. From an eternal perspective what will that blessing look like which will cause the ends of the earth to fear Him? To Bless means to make happy. In what way will our being made happy in God make the nations fear Him? After seeing that blessing, will they fear Him because they want the blessing or because they want Him?
It seems to me from this Psalm that the ultimate blessing is for the face of God to shine upon us. What does that mean? It means that we would have a full relationship with Him where nothing is hidden. Whatever happens in my life so that I can have a full relationship with Him is a blessing. If that means he heals me, then it is a blessing. If that means he temporarily takes my health away, perhaps leading to death, then that is a blessing. If that means giving me wealth for the spread of the gospel, then that is a blessing. If that means taking away wealth for the spread of the gospel, then that is a blessing. As there are no two finger prints that are alike, it will be different for each individual as to what blessing looks like. His desire is a full relationship with Him that leads others to fear Him.
Wow, a full relationship with the creator of the ends of the earth. Hmmm. . . Lord bless me! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JOB 37
I love violent thunderstorms! There is something exciting about them that just stirs me up! One of my favorite memories is of a brief time when we lived on 8.5 acres in East Norman. We came home from down town Norman one night right in front of a thunderstorm that was building behind us in the west. It seemed to move behind us at the same rate at which we traveled home. Lightning was constantly flashing in the sky as we drove. We arrived just in time to dash to the front porch before the rain began. For a solid thirty minutes the sky was filled with lightning and thunder from east to west and north to south. It wasn’t just now and then, but it was everywhere constantly. As we sat on the front porch and watched, the power display was simply exhilarating! We dared not step off the porch for fear of being targeted by a lightning bolt. What a gorgeous display! The God of glory thunders!
Recently we saw the awesome display of God in snow, ice and cold! We plummeted to a negative 22 degrees! Most people went nowhere. We were shut up in our houses. Animals hid in their holes. It was a wonderful day off—if you had warm shelter to stay in. From time to time I think God works these wonders just to remind us of His great and mighty power. Otherwise, we forget His power. Listen to Elihu’s words:

22 From the North the splendor comes,
surrounding God’s awesome majesty!
23 The Almighty! we cannot discover him,
pre-eminent in power and judgment;
his great justice owes no one an accounting.
24 Therefore men revere him,
though none can see him, however wise their hearts

.
Sometimes we need to just sit and enjoy the power of nature in order to enjoy Him! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

MARK 11:1-18
It was called the Big Dipper. The amusement park was Springlake in Oklahoma City. I had never ridden a roller coaster before. My dad was sitting next to me because I wasn't tall enough to ride by myself. We began the first ascent. There was sound of the "chink, chink, chink" of the chain and safety latches pulling the coaster up the hill. It was amazing as we began the slow ascent to the first hill how quickly everything below became smaller. At the top it looked taller than I had imagined. It was huge! Then all of a sudden we began hurling down the valley. It was the first time ever that I had experienced such strong "G" forces. It was wild! Then we hit bottom and although the acceleration ceased, the speed did not. We were shooting toward the top of the highest hill at neck breaking speed. Plummeting down this hill I again felt the thrill of acceleration. The compression of my body at the depth of the valley was tremendous. The speed was now incredible as we approached the third but shorter hill. Cresting the top of this hill, my little body lost contact with the seat and I literally wondered if I was being ejected from the car. As quickly as I lost contact, I felt a hand on the back of my neck pushing me back down in the seat. It was my dad. He was keeping me where I belonged. The ride continued with more twists and turns highs and lows, but none were as exhilarating as that third hill, where it had not been for my dad, I would have lost my seat.
As Jesus revealed His glory to His disciples there were many highs and lows. Certainly the Mount of Transfiguration was a large hill that gave the disciples much momentum. The miracles He performed were continuous hills, storing up energy within them for one catastrophic descent toward the crucifixion. Jesus' resolute determination to go to Jerusalem where death awaited Him was a fearful valley for the disciples but they had too much kinetic energy stored up in them now. They couldn't, and probably wouldn't if they could, get off of the ride. They arrive at the highest hill of Jesus' ministry. It is His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. As they ascend to Jerusalem from the Kidron Valley the crowds have heard of His arrival. They storm out to meet Him. Here is the Man who makes the lame to walk, the dumb to talk, the deaf to hear, the blind to see, the dead to live again, the demon possessed set free, the multitudes fed, the wind and the sea be still and who speaks with authority that no other man can speak. This can only be the glory of the Messiah. They throng Him with their adoration. They recognize Him as the rightful occupant of the throne of David. Their plea is "Hosanna!" or "Lord, save!" But the ride doesn't stop here. There are some valleys and hills ahead, a big valley in front of them. But the sight from this hill is fantastic. The speed and momentum is unstoppable! But Jesus knows that with this kind of glory, there should be some fruit ready to be picked from the nation. There is none and the descent into the valley begins.
The day is late. He returns to Bethany to for the night. On the way He passes a fruitless fig tree. As a prophetic act toward Jerusalem, He curses the tree. Where does one channel all of the energy of the glory of Jesus into productive works which change the world? It begins in the corporate prayer courts of His people. The next morning He visits the temple. In the court of the Gentiles, a place where all nations should have come to pray, instead of finding a prayer meeting He finds a business, dishonest business at that. He casts out the business men. The plot to destroy Him quickens as the downhill energy is released.
The glory of Jesus in our lives is that which builds up spiritual energy. How does one channel it? It is best channeled in our corporate prayer meetings. As we find the strength of the glory of His presence, His Holy Spirit clothes us with power to take the life giving flow of His water of life into valleys of the thirsty people below. He comes searching for people who long for Him together in prayer and let their find of Him flow out to people below. Instead He finds a people intent on business as usual--if the people below want water they can come to our service and buy it. It takes a resurrection to get us out of the valley of lost inertia.
But I think our Lord specializes in resurrections. So much so that at the next hill we'll need His hand to keep us in our seats. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John