May 7

NUMBERS 15

“Make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. 39“And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the LORD and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, 40“and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God. 41“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God. (emphasize mine)

The blue chord is the color of the heavens. The blue chord was to remind them of the glory of the LORD. The Lord desires for us to remember His commands and be holy. Why? Because He is the LORD our God. His glory upon the earth is intricately entwined with our obedience. Wow, that means there is more at stake than my own welfare in my obedience or disobedience. In a sense the very glory of God is at stake. On the one hand, when someone uses the excuse of not following the LORD because of the hypocrites in the church, it is no excuse. They are allowing the hypocrite to keep them from coming to the glorious God of the universe. On the other hand, the glory of God is dimmed to those around us when we are disobedient. If we truly love the LORD our God, that is unacceptable. How can we, who have been purchased by the blood of His own sacrifice, ever allow His glory to be diminished because of our disobedience. If we stop and think about it, it is absolutely unacceptable. His glory is too precious. His glory is too awesome. His glory is too wonderful. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 126
The Glory of the Lord is that He sets the captive free. I do not know about you, but He has set this captive free. I was chained to sin; He broke the chains. I was a debtor beyond my ability to repay; He paid my debt. There are times of poverty, but He replaces them not with financial riches but with His riches. The principle is: Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. That is an aspect of His glory! I certainly want to exchange my poverty and slavery for His riches and freedom because it is all about experiencing His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ISAIAH 37
I have been truly blessed! I cannot think of a time in my life where my very existence was being threatened by another human or country. Yet in my lifetime, I have read in many different instances of one country threatening another. Today there is much tension in the Ukraine as they hold their breath as it appears that Russia would seek to wipe them out and force them back into a political union with them. Already there has been much death and threats of human rights abuse. Israel constantly puts up with the threats of Hamas and other groups that desire their demise. In the Sudan there have been decades of murder, rape and torture by Muslims against Christians. In many countries of the world, to be a believer in Jesus is to automatically place yourself as a second-class citizen if not to sign your own death warrant.
Hezekiah was threatened by the most powerful nation of the world of his day. The city was surrounded by at least 180,000 Assyrian soldiers. What did he do? He brought it before the One Who Is. He prayed. I love his prayer. He builds himself up in his most holy faith by reminding himself of who God is. He gazes on the glory of the Lord. Listen to what he has to say:

Isaiah 37:16–20 16 “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 17 Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 18 Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, 19 and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 20 Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD, You alone.”

The One Who Is permits the awful times of our lives to teach us what He taught Hezekiah, ‘He alone is God, the One Who Is.’ That is part of His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

LUKE 24:1-35
It is interesting how people change but don't change over the years. When I was 51 years old, I returned to my home town to attend my son's college graduation. After church a woman walked up to me that looked vaguely familiar. "Paula?" I asked. Indeed it was Paula. We went to grade school together. It had been almost 40 years since I had last seen her and yet she was still recognizable. Now to be honest, my mother had told me that she had started attending the church. So, I had a little bit of context to recognize her. Had I just passed her on the street out of context, I might not have recognized her. Sometimes we need a context to recognize even those with whom we are familiar.
The glory of Jesus is somewhat like that at this point. The women at the tomb could not recognize His glory because they had a mindset that was a context of death, not resurrection, not the Lord of Glory. The angels had to tell them the significance of the empty tomb. From another Gospel we learn that even Mary did not recognize Him when she first saw Him. The disciples on the road to Emmaus did not recognize Him, although they walked with Him a few miles. It was only after He had expounded the Scriptures did they finally see His glory. Then He vanished. It was a context that sparked their recognition. It was the context of the Scriptures that enabled them to move them from their mindset of death to gain a glimpse of His resurrection life. It was the context of His giving thanks and breaking of bread that finally turned the light on. They saw the glory, albeit momentarily, but they saw the glory! That moment changed them forever.
We too can see His glory. Maybe we can't see it physically with our eyes. But in the context of the Scriptures, He comes to us through His Holy Spirit, and as we mull upon and meditate up the Scriptures and His glory, we finally get it! Albeit momentarily, but we get it! Yes He is risen, and He does take our death mindset and turns it back into life! Today, we must see Him in the Scriptures. It is they that testify of Him. Only in Him can we find life. That is why daily we must see His glory and share it with others. Yesterday's manna will not suffice. Yesterday's offering is a death mindset. But He is risen today. We can meet Him in His Scripture for He has entered into His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john