June 30

Joshua 2
“For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, . . . And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath” Is it not interesting that when some hear irrefutable evidence concerning the Lord that they believe, but others, when they hear, choose not to believe and fight against Him. Is it not interesting that frequently those who hear and believe are the despised and rejected of society as opposed to the rich and the powerful. Here the woman who believed was a woman who regularly sold her body for the pleasure of men. She chooses to trust in the Lord. The Lord receives her faith. She is listed in the genealogy of Jesus. She is listed in both Hebrews 11 and James 2 as a woman of faith and works. What grace and mercy! And it is available to us all from the God in heaven above and on earth beneath. What about those who do not believe? They become vessels of His wrath. Their end is destruction. In them we see His justice displayed. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

A view of some of the mountains surrounding Jericho:


Proverbs 30
Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Apart from Jesus, there are only two men in Scripture who ascended into heaven, Enoch and Elijah, but they never descended (unless you consider Elijah’s appearance at the Mount of Transfiguration as descending). There is One man who has both descended and ascended into heaven. Speaking to Nicodemus, Jesus makes the claim of descending in John 3:13. One thousand years before it happened, David prophesied of the ascension of Jesus in Psalm 68:18. The apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:9&10 recognizes that prophecy and explains it of Jesus.
Who has gathered the wind in His fists? How can one gather wind in His fists? Yet Jesus has done this on at least two occasions. In Exodus 14:21 “Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.” Once again in Joshua 3:16–17 we find:

That the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.

He used the wind in His fists to part the Red Sea to provide the salvation of Israel (a type of our salvation). He used the wind in His fists to part the Jordan River to provide access to the Land of Canaan (a type of our rest). He will one day (in the Millennial Kingdom) use the wind of His fists to dry up the Nile River Isaiah 11:15.

“The LORD will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt; With His mighty wind He will shake His fist over the River, And strike it in the seven streams, And make men cross over dryshod.”< blockquote>
Can you do that? Who has bound the waters in a garment? The Lord appeared to Moses on Mt. Sinai clothed in dark clouds, I would say that that is having bound the waters in a garment. Exodus 19:9 And the LORD said to Moses,

“Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.”

The Psalmist says in 104:1-3,

“You are clothed with honor and majesty, Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind,”

In Matthew 26:64 Jesus said,

“Hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

In Revelation 1:7 John says,

“Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.”

Jesus not only binds water in a garment but He also binds them into modes of fancy transportation. Can you do that?
Who has established all the ends of the earth? Well obviously, Jesus has established the ends of the earth! listen to John 1:1–5,

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”

In Acts 17:26 Paul says,

“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings.”

Can you do that?
There is one who can do all of these things. What is His name? It is Yahweh. What is His Son’s name? It is Yahweh Saves, or better known in English as Jesus. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 25
Today (2014) the Supreme Court struck down Obama’s health care requirement that employers had to provide health insurance which pays for abortions when the employer held a deeply religious conviction that abortion was wrong. It is the first time that the high court has declared that businesses can hold religious views under federal law. Social media, newspapers, TV, and radio are ablaze with hot fuming words especially against the ruling. Unfortunately even a former parishioner of mine is spewing her verbiage on Facebook about how terrible it is that Hobby Lobby is cramming its religious views down its employee’s throats. It is indeed sad that my former parishioner feels that way.
Last March I visited the Killing Fields outside of Phnom Penh. One of the most moving places was the killing tree. It was a tree where soldiers took babies by the heels and swung their heads against the tree crushing their skulls to kill them. In some cases one soldier would throw the baby up in the air while another would catch the baby with the point of his bayonet. The world was out raged, and so was I, when we learned of these atrocities. Why are we outraged when the Supreme Court rules that a religious company not be compelled to pay for abortions by providing insurance for its employees who desire to kill their babies?
What does any of this have to do with the glory of God? Does not something cry out within us when we learn of the atrocities of the killing fields that says, “Where is the justice of God?” Of course it does! The answer is seen in today’s passage in Jeremiah. Previously God had told the nation through Jeremiah and other prophets that His long suffering had come to an end. Manasseh had spilled much innocent blood, and because of this, God was going to destroy the nation. Manasseh had led his people to sacrificing babies on the altars of Molech. Are we any different when our government leads us in sacrificing babies upon the altars of pleasure, in the abortion chambers of America? When is God going to bring an end to this government? I see little difference between the killing tree of Cambodia and the abortion chamber of the USA and the altars of Molech in ancient Israel. I know this that God will be just when He destroys this country. For Him not to do so would make Him unjust. So when Jeremiah records the following words, it reveals the glory of God!

30‘The LORD will roar from on high, And utter His voice from His holy habitation; He will roar mightily against His fold. He will give a shout, as those who tread the grapes, Against all the inhabitants of the earth. 31A noise will come to the ends of the earth— For the LORD has a controversy with the nations; He will plead His case with all flesh. He will give those who are wicked to the sword,’ says the LORD.” 32 Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Behold, disaster shall go forth From nation to nation, And a great whirlwind shall be raised up From the farthest parts of the earth. 33 “And at that day the slain of the LORD shall be from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth. They shall not be lamented, or gathered, or buried; they shall become refuse on the ground.

There are times when enough is enough and justice must be served. There are times when God gives mercy, and there are times when He gives justice. It is His glory to do both. Those who fume against not forcing companies to pay for abortions are walking close to the justice side of God. They should be careful to repent soon lest they end up receiving justice instead of mercy for it is the glory of the Lord Jesus to dispense both. For their sakes, those railing against the right of Hobby Lobby not to pay for insurance which pays for abortion, I hope they will repent soon so that they may receive the glorious mercy of the Lord and not His justice. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 10:1-23
At this point in the book of Acts it has been an undetermined number of years since Jesus ascended and Pentecost came. With over-conservative certainty we can say that by now the church numbers more than 20,000 men, women and children. Certainly that is a healthy number for a city the size of Jerusalem. But the church is mostly Jewish believers in Jesus, including a number of the priests and Levites. When are they going to start making disciples of the nations? They had given their stamp of approval on the Holy Spirit's demonstration upon the half-Jewish Samaritans. But they have not made any concerted effort to reach outside their Jewish culture with the good news of Jesus. Why?
They were still trapped in their turn-of-the-millennium-Jewish world-view. Any consorting with Gentiles would render them unclean. From their world-view, Jesus may be the Messiah, but the Messiah was for the Jews. If the Gentiles want Jesus, they needed to first convert to Judaism. How does the Lord of Glory communicate the need to depart their world-view and begin making disciples of all ethnic groups? He arranges a series of circumstances to coincide with two different visions given to two different men. As we will see tomorrow, He will then confirm the meeting and visions with the outpouring of His Spirit. Without this vision Peter would never have left his world-view, even though he had heard the command of our Lord to make disciples of all ethnic groups. Without Peter going to Cornelius, there would never have been the auditory and visual confirmation that Gentiles could be saved without first becoming Jews. Without this confirmation Paul's ministry would have been rejected by the church. Our glorious Lord orchestrated all of these events to push and confirm to His church that we are to make disciples of all ethnic groups. His ability to orchestrate the details of our lives in order to accomplish His purposes is amazing! Indeed we serve a glorious king! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

June 29

JOSHUA 1
It was 30 hours of traveling including the time spent waiting in airports. I dozed on occasion, but I had no good rest. Additionally, I crossed 13 time zones. I was tired. As tired as I was, I still could not get the proper rest that I needed. My body was out of sync with the new time zone. Even though I needed rest, it took me several days to get it. My body had to adjust to the new rhythm of sleeping. Arriving at a new country required a little bit of courage. It was a bit disconcerting. My luggage did not arrive with me. By the time I had filled out a baggage claim with a clerk who did not speak English and passed through customs, the airport was shutting down. There remained only a handful of airport employees and a few taxi drivers. My ride was not there yet. I had no Mongolian money, and no phone that would work in Mongolia. The lady at the information desk seemed to have limited English and little desire to help me find and use a phone. I needed rest and courage.
You know what? The Lord eventually gave it. This is what the Lord our God gives us: rest and courage. What is it about Him that He would do such a thing? Well, He is a God of great glory. He gives rest and courage, but we must seize it as He gives it. And He does give it! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PROVERBS 29
Verse 7 says, “The righteous considers the cause of the poor, But the wicked does not understand such knowledge.” Why would an outgrowth of righteousness be to consider the cause of the poor, and why would failing to understand such knowledge be an outgrowth of wickedness? Certainly righteousness finds its root in the very character of God. Does that mean that it is part of the character of God to consider the cause of the poor? Jesus himself said that we would always have the poor with us. Does this mean that as God considers the poor, He thinks that it is a good thing that poverty never ends? Obviously from all the Scriptural teaching about poverty, that cannot be true of God. What is the meaning of poverty? What is the source of poverty? What does a righteous God want to do about poverty as He considers it?
Poverty is more than just a lack of financial resources. I recently co-facilitated a Getting Ahead Circle for a small group of people in poverty. The main thrust of the investigation of the circle is that poverty is a lack of resources in one of many different areas, not just financial. One can lack resources in many areas, financial, social, educational, familial, mental, emotional, spiritual, physical, etc. Usually, one in financial poverty is experiencing a lack of resources in many areas. The lack of financial resources is a multifaceted problem. Just throwing money at it will not alleviate the problem. It will give temporary relief but not long term relief.
So when God contemplates our poverty, what does He consider? Apparently, His primary concern is our spiritual poverty. When Jesus came, His primary thrust was not to reshape economic systems, although that has been a by-product in times past of His reshaping cultures. His primary thrust was to restore man to his rightful position. His primary thrust is to give us the revelation that He alone can restore us to that position, and that position is true riches. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 24
Are you a bad fig or a good fig? The Lord seems to have classified the people of Jerusalem into two categories, good figs and bad figs. Josiah’s Kingdom fell apart upon his death in battle against Pharoah in 609 B.C. Jehoiakim was eventually put in power by Pharaoh. After a few of years he switched his allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar who had won a decisive battle against Egypt at Carchemish. Later Jehoiakim rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was replaced by Coniah, who after three months was carried off to Babylon. Along with Coniah, Nebuchadnezzar carried off the best of the land to Babylon. It is this exile to which Jeremiah is speaking. The salvageable people are referred to as good figs, and the unsalvageable are referred to as bad figs. Am I a bad fig or a good fig? How about you?
In the midst of this the Lord says of the good figs:

For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. 7 Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.

This is a general principle about God, and it can be applied to me and you. He desires to give us a heart to seek Him. There comes a point when that offer is no longer available. We have become bad figs. But what incredible grace He gives us that we should be given by Him a heart to seek Him! That is the whole issue of meditations on the glory, men & women in the word, families in the word etc. Are we seeking Him? We need each other to spur each other on to seek the Lord! He gives us the heart; He gives us the grace, but we must choose to seek Him! Lord Jesus I choose to receive the heart to seek You that You have given me. Increase my knowledge of You. It is You I crave and need. It is You who salvages my filthy life! Your glory is all I want! ! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 9:23-43
Sometimes the glory of Jesus is really hard to believe. It seems impossible to believe that Jesus could change someone who once hated Him supremely into someone who couldn't quit talking about Him. But, that is what happened. It happened instantly. None of the Jerusalem believers, save Barnabas (the son of encouragement) believed. But why not? They had seen people healed, raised from the dead, miraculous deliverances from prison. Indeed a few days hence, Jesus through Peter would heal a lame man in Lydda (about 20 miles NW of Jerusalem). Then Peter would go to Joppa (modern day Haifa) and raise a woman from the dead. Why not believe Saul had been converted? To believe would mean they would have to love and trust Saul. Past experience had taught them that this would lead to their imprisonment and perhaps their death, if they were wrong, if Jesus really hadn't changed him. This required them to put their faith on the line. This is a test of faith for the Jerusalem believers that was as strong as Peter's request to walk on water, only Peter requested to walk on water. This test was thrust on the Jerusalem believers by the Lord. True to form, Barnabas, always the son of encouragement, passed the test.
Was it sin for the Jerusalem believers to not trust the glory of the Lord in the conversion of Saul? I really don't know. But this I know, Jesus did not convert Saul in order to add him to the Jerusalem church. He had a big plan for Saul, soon to be Paul. But Saul needed a little down time first, to sort things out. The Jerusalem believers were having a hard time "Going" as Jesus had commanded them to go. (Now that is a consistent problem with the church throughout church history. We enjoy huddling but hate going.) Jesus used the unconverted Saul to force the Jerusalem church to scatter when they had become enamored with their holy huddle. Jesus now had plans for this Jew of Jews to go through the Roman empire to the very heart of Rome preaching the Gospel and establishing churches among the Gentiles. Now that's glory! He takes a man who found all Gentiles to be an unclean thing and changes him to be the foremost missionary among them.
Why doesn't Jesus do that all the time? Certainly, Jesus did not change everybody 2000 years ago, who believed. Obviously He doesn't change everybody today. We still deal with husbands who don't love their wives even though they profess the name of Jesus. We still deal with people who continue to get drunk, even though they profess the name of Jesus. We still deal with people who fornicate even though they profess the name of Jesus. I could go on and on and get really negative here, but you know what I mean. What makes the difference? First it is the exchanged life. We will not lay down our lives for the life of Christ. Second it is a matter of focus. We are focused on our glory rather than the glory of Jesus. Because of that, we won't lay down our life for His. From a human perspective, Saul's hatred for Christians before his conversion was partly because of his passion for the glory of God. Once he saw the glory of Jesus, the exchanged life was a no-brainer. Paul was forever pursuing God's glory. That meant he had to pursue the glory of Christ. Indeed we serve a glorious king! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

June 28

DEUTERONOMY 33 &34
For me to live is Christ; to die is gain. I know those are the words of Paul. But here is an illustration of those words. How do we prepare to die? We prepare by living in the presence of the Lord. Moses blesses the tribes of Israel. How could he do otherwise? He had spent the last 40 years living in the presence of the Lord. The character of the Lord was shining through him. Moses proceeds to the top of Mt. Pisgah. There the Lord gives him a virtual tour of the Promised Land. There Moses dies. There the Lord buried him. He is the only person in the Bible that it says that the Lord buried him. What an intimate picture! Do you suppose the spirit of Moses stood and watched while the Lord buried that old tabernacle? When the Lord was done, did He turn to Moses and say, “Come on, Mo, let’s go home?” But Moses already communicated with Him face to face. I think He already was home. Home was wherever the Lord was. It was just that Moses could now see His glory unrestrained. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

The view from approximately where Moses viewed the land:

PROVERBS 28
Yesterday, (written in 2010) I sat at dinner with a longtime friend. He mentioned how he was torn concerning the upcoming election. We have three candidates and none are that great of a choice. Obama is an abomination because of his ardent support of abortion and gay marriage. He did not feel that Romney could be trusted any farther than he could throw him. Paul wants to abandon Israel; that is indeed dangerous. Verse 28 says, “When the wicked gain pre-eminence, other men hide; but at their fall the just flourish.”
This chapter covers a number of proverbs that all deal with rulers, the law, the people and the relationships that exist between all of them. But how does this all relate to the glory of the Lord Jesus? The issue of history is, “How will humans respond to the rule and reign of God.” We have been in rebellion since Adam and Eve. The theme of the Bible is the restoration of the Kingdom of God. One day Jesus will return, and He will be the supreme ruler of all the earth. He will in practice and not just title be King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the one who will rule in righteousness. He will properly define the beginning of human life and destroy those who take it wrongfully. He will be trusted in all of his rulings. Providing good paying jobs won’t be a difficult task. As for the nation of Israel, Jerusalem will be His throne and the descendants of Israel will inhabit the land surrounding it. He will bring peace to the city of Jerusalem. How could He possibly bring peace to such a troubled area? He is the One full of all understanding. He will hate the covetousness that drives the instability of the land and this earth (verse 16). As the all-wise, all-powerful ruler, He will know how to eliminate it. He will have the power to eliminate it. Now that is glory that far exceeds an Obama, a Romney, or a Paul. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 23
This chapter makes me squirm a little. First, I am a pastor. Pastor is an English word for shepherd. Here the Lord is denouncing the shepherds of Israel. Second, my name is Chaffin. Although, linguistically the name has nothing to do with the chaff in wheat, it sure sounds like it. In the Bible what do they do with chaff? It is burned. God’s word is like a fire that burns away chaff (v. 28,29). Well, I guess that means I need to let Him burn away my name and replace it with His. May it be; Lord Jesus, burn away my name and replace it with Your own. May your name be exalted in my life, and may my name receive no glory.
What shall be my motivation to endure the burning away of my name for His?

23 “Am I a God near at hand,” says the LORD, “And not a God afar off? 24Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?” says the LORD; “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the LORD.

He is always near. His manifest presence (His known presence) is not always near, but He is always near. This knowledge should spur me to realize that in everything I say, do, think, feel or see, He is fully aware of it! You know, as a child, I would act differently when an adult, to whom I was accountable, was around. Why? It changed my motivation because I knew that I couldn’t get away with anything. As a pastor, what can I get away with? If I really understand that He is near, the answer is that I cannot get away with anything. The fact that I can never get away from the presence of the Lord dramatically changes my motivation. It does not matter where I am at; He still knows what I am doing, saying, thinking, feeling! I cannot get away with anything! Realizing that changes my motivation. Experiencing His manifest presence increases my potential live every moment in fellowship with Him. Oh to be like Brother Lawrence in practicing the presence of the Almighty. That is what He desires! Why do I not pursue it harder than I do? It is the one thing that is achievable that no one else can take away! Oh Lord, let me lay aside all things that I may pursue You with all of my heart! Burn away my name with your word that I may live and move and have my being only in Your name! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 9:1-22
Wow! Wow! Wow! This is indeed one of the high spots of the glory of Christ in Scripture. Here is a deceived man, who hated Jesus. He was trying to stop anyone from speaking the glory of Christ. He participated in the murder of Stephen. He had put people in jail for loving Jesus. Now he is on a mission to kidnap and bring to Jerusalem anyone in Damascus who loved Jesus and spoke His glory. Why would Jesus just strike him dead? He, if anyone, deserved it. That would indeed have been glorious! But that isn't the way Jesus prefers to work. His love is irresistible. Saul needed some proof of the glory of Jesus. Jesus condescended to give it to him. Wow! Saul saw some of His glory. It destroyed his physical sight. It destroyed his spiritual life. It destroyed his soulish-self-confidence. Just a moment of the glory of Christ and Saul was instantly and forever changed. He didn't quite understand it mentally but he was forever changed. Jesus took him, renamed him Paul, restored his sight, re-birthed his spirit, and reinitiated his confidence. From that point on Paul could only speak of the glory of Christ. Lord, let me see Your glory! Indeed we serve a glorious king! Speak His glory to someone today! He uses our speech to draw others to Himself.
--Pastor John

June 27

DEUTERONOMY 32
Herr Wolhert was a great German teacher. I had him for my first semester of College German. The second semester I had Frau Wolhert. It has been 35 years since I took German. You know the old saying, “Use it or lose it.” Well, I have lost most of my German, except for one thing. Herr Wolhert taught us a folk song. To this day I can still sing the song, “Oh wie wohl ist mir am abend, mir am abend. Wenn su rue die glocken leuten, glocken leuten.” I doubt that I spelled it correctly. But I believe I still pronounce it correctly. “Oh how well I am in the evening, in the evening, When I hear the bells ringing, bells ringing.” The song is about getting off work. Even if I don’t get the words exactly right, I still have the melody imbedded in me, and I remember the general meaning of the song.
Yesterday we asked, “How do we prepare someone to die?” We prepare them to live. Moses gave them a song about life. Songs are powerful tools. Moses gave us several songs. Miriam sang one in Exodus 15. This song in Deut 32 was specifically to teach the Israelites how to live. Psalm 90 also belongs to Moses. He wrote it at the end of his life. Verse 12 of Psalm 90 says, “So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.” The song in Deut 32 was given to teach the people how to live. It was given to teach us how to number our days. It was given to us to teach us to not waste our days on things that will not last.
What are the important concepts in this song that will teach us to number our days? First, God is our rock. He alone is the fount of truth and justice. He alone is our safety and refuge. We dare not go to any other for these things. Next we are to know that just as He has set boundaries for the peoples of the earth (v. 8), so He has given us a unique purpose in those boundaries. We need to find the purpose that the Lord has given us to live and learn to soar in that purpose. Next as we live in that purpose, the Lord will bless us. That blessing may be financial; it may be family; it may be spiritual; it may be emotions. We will become “fat” in that blessing. In the midst of that blessing we must always remember that it is the Lord’s blessing, not ours. We hold the blessing with a loose grip, willing to give it away whenever He asks. Otherwise, the blessing will lead us to make it a god. There is no god besides Him (v. 39). He and His glory must always remain preeminent. That is how we learn to evaluate and number our days. As we do that, we will live for His glory. The song will be a powerful tool in giving our life meaning in light of His glory. We are prepared to live when we see His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PROVERBS 27:23-27
Two days ago I was walking my dogs in my son’s neighborhood. As we walked by a former neighbor’s house, we stopped to talk to him. As we were talking his cat came. The cat was obviously furious concerning the two dogs which we had on our leashes in the street. The cat crept closer and closer with his ears back and growling at the dogs. My standard golden doodle was quietly straining at the leash desiring to get the cat. I said to my neighbor, “That is a really brave cat.”
He responded, “Oh he loves to attack dogs. If he attacks, he would probably get the better of the dog.”
“Wow, an attack cat, interesting!” I replied. Hmm. . . I am reminded that Jesus said to the disciples in Matthew 10:16, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”
Lord, You are the great Shepherd. It is to Your glory that you tend Your flocks and take care of Your sheep. You have appointed me and the elders as under-shepherds to this flock called Christian Missionary Alliance Church. You instruct in a general sense the shepherds to know the condition of their flocks. Enable us to know the spiritual, emotional, mental, social and physical condition of our flock. Enable us to know our condition especially in relation to our purpose and our core values. Enable us to know how to teach, guide, protect and direct and equip each sheep so that it might fulfill its purpose within the development of Your flock and this congregation, not only in Stillwater but also in our state, district, nation and world. Make us all that You want us to become in being warrior, builder and valiant sheep in Your Kingdom. In relation to the enemy, make us attack sheep raiding the gates of hell to bring out new lambs in your flock. Keep us from attacking each other. Expand Your glory in us. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 22
He was a godly man. His father was an idolatrous, baby-killing, whoremonger. How did he become a godly man? His brother walked in his father’s footsteps. His sons were evil. How did that happen? His grandson was extremely evil. I speak, of course, of Josiah. How was it that he was a godly man? Jeremiah speaks in this chapter of the evil of Josiah’s sons, grandson and brother. Each of them reigned successively after Josiah. Each was removed from his reign because of his evil. The first nine verses are probably addressed to all three descendent kings of Josiah. As Jeremiah summarizes their evil, what was it? Here is what he says:
3Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. . . . Why has the LORD done so to this great city?’ 9 Then they will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshiped other gods and served them.
Beginning with Shallum (Jehoahaz) (v.10-12), he tells him to weep for himself, not for Josiah, for Shallum will never see Jerusalem again. Shallum, Josiah’s middle son, was set up as king by the people after Necho, Pharaoh of Egypt, killed Josiah in battle. But three months later, Pharaoh took him captive and set up Jehoiakim, Shallum’s older brother, as king. Jehoiakim was more evil than Shallum. Here is how Jeremiah summarizes Jehoiakim:

13 “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness And his chambers by injustice, Who uses his neighbor’s service without wages And gives him nothing for his work, 15 Did not your father eat and drink, And do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. 16 He judged the cause of the poor and needy; Then it was well. Was not this knowing Me?” says the LORD. 17“Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness, For shedding innocent blood, And practicing oppression and violence. . . . 19He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey dragged and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem. . . . 21 I spoke to you in your prosperity, But you said, ‘I will not hear.’ This has been your manner from your youth, that you did not obey My voice.

How about that! Part of knowing God is judging the cause of the poor and needy. Because of his lack of justice toward the poor Jehoiakim was removed from office after 11 years. Finally, Jeremiah addresses Coniah (Jeconaiah or Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim, grandson of Josiah). What does he say to him? We are not told specifically what Coniah did that was evil, but he only reigned 3 months before he was deported to Babylon. We can only assume that he increased the sin of his father. His sin was so bad that the Lord cursed him from ever having a blood descendent from reigning upon the throne of David. Joseph the husband of Mary the step father of Jesus was a descendent of Coniah.
So what was their sin and what does that tell us about the glory of Jesus? Their sin is that they were idolatrous men who put their own comfort above justice toward the poor and refused to listen to the voice of the Lord. It is the glory of the Lord that He pursues justice for the poor and expects us to listen to His voice. Am I pursuing justice? Am I listening to His voice? This is part of knowing Him. Lord, enable me to pursue justice for the poor! Enable me to listen to Your voice! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 8:26-40
Do you realize that the glory of Jesus is stamped throughout Scripture? Remember on June 1 as we looked at John 12, John identified the glory of Yahweh as the glory of Christ? Here the Holy Spirit uses Isaiah 53:7,8 to capture the heart of the Ethiopian eunuch. He knew that Someone significant was being spoken of but he just couldn't quite figure out who it was. The eunuch longed to understand of Whom the Scripture spoke. Why? Because the glory of Christ was shining through it. What did Philip speak? "Beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him." As they came to water, the eunuch wanted this glorious Jesus. Apparently, Philip had mentioned baptism or the eunuch understood its significance from some Jewish teaching. But somehow this eunuch wanted the glory of Jesus and he understood it to be related to baptism--buried with Christ in baptism and risen to walk in newness of life. "What prevents me from being baptized?" he said. "You must first trust in Jesus," was Philip's reply. For someone who has seen the glory of Jesus, that's a no-brainer. The eunuch's reply was, "I believe." How about that? A Gentile from Ethiopia recognizes the glory of Jesus in the prophet Isaiah. But the hardened Jewish leaders do not. He wanted this glory to dwell in him. He received it. Whosoever will may come. That is the simple and magnificent glory of our Lord. Indeed we serve a glorious king! Speak His glory to someone today! He uses your speech to draw others to Himself.
--Pastor John

June 26

DEUTERONOMY 31
My father died in January (written in 2010). My aunt died in February. A couple of mothers of my parishioners have passed recently. A friend and former parishioner died a few weeks ago; I preached her funeral. Yesterday, I received word that one of the women of our church passed away alone in her home while I am here in Mongolia. I have experienced some death since the first of the year. Death is an unwanted intruder for which we must all prepare. But God in His glory always brings honor to His name out of it. The Lord tells Moses to prepare to die. He has seen a whole generation pass away. Only he and Joshua and Caleb are left of those who were over 20 years of age when they left Egypt—not too good of a percentage. About .00015% made it to the edge of the Jordan. That’s a lot of dead people each day. Maybe an average as many as 140 people per day.
How do you prepare the people you are leaving behind for your death? You prepare them to live. Thirty-nine years earlier God gave the Law to Moses. He placed a copy of it in the Ark of the Covenant. Moses wrote another copy, Deuteronomy. The second copy was to be placed beside the Ark. He commanded the Priests that it should be read publically to the entire nation at least once every seven years. I wonder what would happen if we required the whole church to be present for the reading of the entire Word of God at least once every seven years. Then he inaugurated Joshua as the new leader. Then, the glory of the Lord appeared above the door of the tabernacle. How can I prepare the people I am leaving behind for my death? I make sure that the Word of God is incorporated into their lives. I make sure that they understand the proper role of leadership. I give them every opportunity to see the glory of God. Certainly it is God’s prerogative to let His glory appear. However, we have a responsibility to be in the Word, yield to leadership and be looking for His glory. His glory is seen even in death, if we are in the right position to see it. We are prepared to live when we see His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PROVERBS 26
There is a vine in North Carolina and Oklahoma that is popularly called, ‘cat’s claw’. It has kind of a heart shaped leaf. The vine itself is very strong and hearty. It likes to grown in bushes and will eventually take over a bush. The only way to get rid of it is to dig up its roots. It is hard to disentangle from a bush because of its multitude of thorns, hence the nick name ‘cat’s claw’. I have received more than one prick while trying to disentangle a bush from the clutches of a cat’s claw. It is easier to get rid of it when it is first beginning to climb the bush. I suppose one could use it as a weapon to cut and tear the skin of an enemy. But only a fool would use it.
Verse 10 says, “The great God who formed everything gives the fool his hire and the transgressor his wages.” This chapter is full of contrasts of fools and wise people, but this is the only verse that deals with the glory of God. As one scans the chapter for the folly of the fool it is easy to see many examples of fools in real life. At times in the past, I have been that fool. I pray that it is no longer so. Although, while I have been on vacation, I have to admit that I have been a little slow to turn on my bed. I like the companion (verse 9) comparison of the fool until I read some of the other translations. Wow, what a difference in meaning! Anyway a fool attempts to use his foolishness to satisfy himself, never understanding that God will eventually bring his foolishness back upon Himself.
Lord, You are the Great God who formed everything. Keep me from foolishness and foolish living. Let my wages be the wages of wisdom. I need Your empowerment in this. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 21
I have been in the process of passing a kidney stone. Last night the pain was bad enough that I took one of the Percocets which the hospital gave me night before last. This morning I feel awful. I don’t know which is worse the kidney stone pain or the after effects of the Percocet. If the kidney stone pain doesn’t come back, there is no way that I will ever take another Percocet. This sensation is dreadful. What will I choose if the kidney stone pain returns like it was on Saturday night? Most likely I will take the Percocet. But the point is that I will have to make a choice. Which will be better, no kidney stone pain or no after effects of Percocet.
The Lord sometimes deals with us in a similar fashion because of our sin. Listen to what He says in verse 8, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.’” The Lord was seeking to cure them of their idolatry. Nebuchadnezzar was sent by the Lord to discipline them and cause them to see their need for a cure of their idolatry. They had a choice. They could choose to submit to Nebuchadnezzar, or they could be killed or taken captive by him. Neither option sounded desirable. It would have been far better to never have pursued the idols in the first place.
Why do we pursue idols when we can walk the infinite Creator? He lays the choice before us, the way of life and the way of death. The choice is ours. Lord, empower me to tear down the idols that I have already erected in my life, and keep me from submitting to any new ones. Lord, I choose life, Your life. In You there is no bad after affect. You are my glorious King! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 8:1-25
One would think that a glorious King would protect His servants from the enemy, if He had it within His power to do so. Jesus certainly has it within His power to strike down those that hate and oppose Him and hate and oppose His servants. How can it increase His glory to not strike them down? Remember in Acts 1 we said, "Right now, the glory of Christ is seen by the world only in His people who are filled with His Holy Spirit and are busy witnessing by their words and actions, making disciples, building His church." His plan is to increase His glory through us. He desires that because of the filling of His Holy Spirit that each one of us would display His character in each of us. How can the world see the self-sacrificing love of Christ for an enemy, unless some of us lay down our lives for those who hate us? The only alternative is that people read about it in a book, or be told about it in a sermon, or see it in a movie. But somehow none of those are quite as real as when one of us does it. Not necessarily that we should be seeking to be martyred but rather all of life is laid aside for Jesus so that, if the choice is ever presented between Jesus & life, there is no hesitation because we know the excellence of Jesus over life. In this way the people of the world see the glory of Christ modeled in human flesh. It becomes more convincing. His glory is increased.
Also, our glorious King had commanded the gospel be taken into Samaria. The church, although numbering in the tens of thousands had not gone to Samaria. This persecution scattered the disciples. They probably should have scattered much sooner. Philip the deacon, not the apostle, went to Samaria. The King of Glory empowered him to do mighty deeds there. The enemy was scattered and confounded. The King of Glory was glorified through an ordinary servant of the church. That’s what the King wants. He wants to glorify himself through ordinary people. He wants the world to see what He can do. Not what extraordinary people can do. The apostles came up to view what was going on. Then the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the Samaritans just as at Pentecost. This confirmed the second portion of Lord's instruction in Acts 1:8, ". . . You shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. . ."
Does He still want to glorify Himself today? Of course, He does. Why don't we see more of that confounding of the enemy? We don't see more of it probably because I/we don't lay down our lives. We are too busy promoting the self-life instead of the exchanged life. The result is that our lives, marriages, families, churches are all filled with self. God won't glorify that. He has only one solution for the self-life--crucify it. He only glorifies His Son. After all He is the only One worth glorifying. Indeed we serve a glorious king! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

June 25

DEUTERONOMY 30
“Chaffin, you are as good of a fielder as anybody on the team, but I swear if I rolled a basketball to you on the ground, you couldn’t hit it.” The words of my 14-and-under baseball coach stung rather smartly in my spirit, particularly as we rode back home after the game. My athletic experiences of organized sports were not too encouraging. Most of my memories are rather negative. I was so bad at basketball that I was the only one who tried out for the team that never even got to suit up for a game. I think my coach rather wished that I had not come out for the team. He ignored me most of the time. Most of my football memories aren’t much better. With the exception of my last game, I was usually yanked from the game with a few unpleasant words spoken. That last game was different. I finally had hit my niche. I started at nose guard and even finished it as well. I finally heard some encouraging words from my coach, “Chaffin, if I knew you could play nose guard like that, you would have been there all season.” It felt good to hear my coach rejoice over me.
I took note of today’s passage that when the nation of Israel sought the Lord with all their heart, He would rejoice over them. Wow, can you imagine, the King of the Universe rejoicing over you? Who cares about a coach of some dumb sport? We have opportunity to have the King of the Universe rejoice over us. It is this passage that Paul quotes in Romans 10:6-8 and then applies it in 10:9,10. You see the true faith in the Lord and confession of that faith results in that obedience which causes the Lord to rejoice over us. Wow! My King, the King of the Universe is rejoicing over me when I exercise faith that results in obedience! You know, that really feels good! I don’t want to be on the bench. I want to suit up and get in the game! It is not too difficult. I simply trust and obey. He provides the fuel for obedience. I only choose. He rejoices over me. It is not difficult because He performs it. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PROVERBS 25
I am on vacation in North Carolina, visiting my son, daughter-in-law and grandson. There is something about traveling, whether it is across the state, across the country to North Carolina, or across the world to Mongolia, that reminds me of how small I am. In the midst of the travel I must struggle to traverse the vast distances, but the distances are mere trifles in comparison to the vast distances of creation. In the midst of travel I encounter fantastic variety of information in different species, and am reminded that my Creator thought it all through. I am overwhelmed how He holds it all together.
Friday I was bitten by something, an insect, a spider; I don’t know. My arm is swollen and extremely itchy. The bite mark is hard in the center and oozing. I checked the internet for types of possible spider bites. Purportedly there are not brown recluses in this area of the USA. The only antihistamine that I have with me is Claritin. It seems to briefly help the swelling, hardness and itching, but it wears off quickly. I began thinking about the extreme complexity involved in the chemistry of a spider bite and other chemicals of the body. It is indeed a matter which is wholly hidden to us. Yet God has designed it all both in its creation and its curse. He has concealed this matter.
Why does God conceal a matter? Indeed most of creation is matters which are hidden to us. The question sounds almost as if He is trying to hide something. Rather I think it is that He is so far greater than us in knowledge, power and virtue (infinitely so), and we are so far under Him that it appears that He has concealed all of these things. We will be infinitely studying matters which He has concealed (because He is infinite) and we will never exhaust the mysteries which He created or concealed. The ultimate mystery is Himself, the love that exists in the Godhead, and the marriage of the Son and His bride. That is His glory.
But there is another glory! It is the glory of kings to reveal what God has hidden. There is one King, the King of Kings, who reveals what God is like. The one who has seen Him, has seen the Father. The one who finds Him, finds the way to the Father. The one who knows Him, knows the Truth. The one who obtains Him, obtains life for the Father has granted Him to have life in Himself. The one who has Him has the perfect exegesis of the One is above all else. That is the glory of the Lord Jesus. He is both the one who conceals all things as their creator, as well as the one who makes everything known. That is part of his glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 20
Some messages from the Lord are not welcome, to say the least. In the previous chapter Jeremiah had brought a very negative (from the nation’s perspective) message to the nation. One would expect the worshippers of other gods in the nation to be upset, but not the priests of Yahweh. Yet, the priests of Yahweh were the ones that took the greatest offense! Pashur struck Jeremiah and had him placed in stocks. It would seem the better part of wisdom for Jeremiah to shut his mouth, but he couldn’t. When the glory of God grips us, it drives us to proclaim His message, no matter the cost. Jeremiah delivers to Pashur a scathing prophecy because of Pashur’s lack of repentance. Jeremiah renames him ‘fear-on-every-side.’ Now Jeremiah has to sit and dwell upon the personal cost of his announcement while the people gape at him and while the stocks chafe his wrists and ankles as he sits in the high gate of Benjamin.
The people filing in and out of the north gate to the temple could taunt and ridicule the ‘prophet’ for his ‘inappropriate speech.’ (It is interesting that the Lord was led out of the second temple to be crucified in the same general direction.) Can you imagine how humiliating this would have been for the prophet of the LORD? He spoke the truth and was rejected for it. Jeremiah responded just like every one of us would have responded. He said to himself, “All right, enough is enough! I’m not speaking the word of the Lord anymore!” But the glory of the Lord is more powerful than physical beatings. The glory of the Lord is more powerful than stocks. The glory of the Lord is more powerful than the ridicule of our comrades. When His glory grips us, His word becomes like fire in our bones! We cannot but help to speak the things which we have seen and heard. We know that the Lord is with us like a Mighty, Awesome One! It hurts now, but only for a little while. For them it feels okay now, but their everlasting shame will never find relief.
Oh Lord, let Your glory consume me! Let your glory fill my life producing everlasting praise to Your name! Let it overflow even the pain of life that comes from proclaiming your word! May Your glory be the fixed reference point of my life! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 7:44-60
Stephen makes a clear case that the glory that was revealed in the patriarchs, Moses and the prophets was the glory of Jesus. The fathers of these religious leaders had resisted the glory of God (and thereby the glory of Jesus) just as these religious leaders had resisted the glory of Jesus by crucifying Him. As they sought to kill Stephen for speaking the truth, Stephen saw a greater glory of God, i.e. Jesus standing at His right hand, the place of prominence and power. Normally a monarch remains seated while in court. Jesus stood to receive His faithful servant into His court. What glory! Interesting isn't it that the more we resist the glory of Christ, the less we see of it, and the more we speak the glory of Christ, the more we see of it? That is the way Jesus works. Indeed we serve a glorious king! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

June 24

DEUTERONOMY 29
An acquaintance of mine has published several books on Christian Education. He tells the joke/story that during book signing events he frequently signs his name with the reference Deut. 29:29, which reads, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” One day after a particularly long day, he signed it Deut. 28:28. Later the lady came back and asked why he had signed it that way. He said that he had meant Deut. 29:29. He couldn’t remember what 28:28 said. So, he looked it up. It reads, “The LORD will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of heart.”
Is it not amazing that the God of the Universe would seek to establish us in a covenant with Him? He desires us to be a people just for Himself that He would be a God to us! How awesome is that? He is very jealous of that relationship. I am very jealous of my relationship with my wife. There is only one person to whom I want her to be more attached, that is God. It is right that I should be that way. The God of the Universe is very jealous. There is no person to whom He wants us to be more attached! It is right that He should be that way. After all, He is the God of the Universe. Nevertheless I am overwhelmed that the God of the Universe should desire such a relationship with me.
Everything He designs and permits to come into my life, He does so with the goal of enhancing that relationship with me. I do not fully understand His motivations in everything He designs and permits. They are often times secret. He does not make them known to me, nor is it incumbent upon Him to do so. But He has revealed this—He loves me, and wants my affections set on Him first. That is also true for my children. He has also revealed that He desires that I should obey Him. Anyone who says they know Him yet has no desire to obey Him should beware. Either they do not know Him, or they are about to receive some pretty severe discipline. Either way, it will not be pleasant. You see He is jealous for His own glory—rightly so. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PROVERBS 24
I remember clearly when I first heard of Randall Terry’s Operation Rescue. It was a radio report of a protest which he was leading at an abortion death chamber in Wichita, Kansas. Convinced that life begins at conception, Mr. Terry reasoned that to do nothing about abortion was to be an accomplice to the death of the innocents in the womb. At the same time, he was committed to the non-violence principles of the Scripture. He rallied his supporters around Proverbs 24:11-12:
Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Surely we did not know this,” Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?
How do you rescue those bound for death without violence? You lay down your life and place your body between them and the executioner. You go limp when the police try to drag you away. You may remember the result. Randall Terry and his followers were arrested multiple times in many cities. It was quite frustrating for the pro-death advocates. His ministry was slowing down the death trafficking, but it was not eliminating it. Finally the U.S. government used the Racketeering Laws to bring an end to his radical involvement.
Unable to continue his protests, Mr. Randall has sought other means to bring an end to the abortion practices of our country. Among them was a run for the Presidency on the Democratic ticket against President Obama. In Oklahoma he received 18,400 votes or 18 percent in Oklahoma’s Democratic Primary. Numerically it was enough to secure one delegate at the National Convention; however, he did not get the proper paper work in, so he lost the delegate. One has to admire his desire to stand against what he sees as evil. He surely has done what he could to end the American death march which has now interred without a funeral over 50,000,000 since 1973.
That is the positive side of Mr. Terry. However, if one would go the Operation Rescue website at http://www.operationrescue.org/about-us/who-we-are , one would find a darker side to Mr. Terry. My using him as an example does not mean I endorse him whole heartedly. Indeed it would seem that since Mr. Terry and Operation Rescue parted ways that Operation Rescue has taken a higher road of ethics than has Mr. Terry. But I do think that he provides a somewhat interesting type of Christ.
What does this have to do with the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ? Jesus, the eternal Word of God saw that we were headed for death. He placed Himself on the line. The police came and took Him to His place of death. He volunteered to place His body between us and the wrath of God. He died to take our death, experiencing the full wrath of God. He rose again to defeat our death. Now He offers pardon and peace to all who will trust in Him. He does not just give wise advice in His word, He does it! Now that is glory! ! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 19
I was returning a lawn mower to the garage. I was placing it right next to a ceramic footstool. I just barely bumped the footstool with the tire wheel of the lawnmower, and it cracked. I was instantly saddened. It was my son’s creation in a ceramics class which he had taken. It is the nature of pottery that once you have fired it, it is quite brittle. Once it is broken, it can never be as good as new. I once went to a Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Outdoors they had a mock-up of Qumran and you could go dig in it. They had seeded the mock-up with actual pottery shards from archaeological digs in Israel. We found several ancient shards and took them home. The shards were worthless. The pottery could never be restored, but it was kind of neat to hold in my hands a shard of a household implement that somebody 2,000 years ago had used.
Jeremiah was commissioned to bring bad news to the people. The people had once been malleable in the hands of the potter, but the potters to which they had presented themselves were to other gods. They had shed much innocent blood and burned much incense in worshipping the other gods. Finally they were fired in the oven of idolatry in the image of other gods. They had been dug out of the clay pit to reflect the glory of Yahweh, instead they reflected lustful, murderous other gods. The only alternative that the master potter had left was to shatter their corrupt image and bury them in the Hinnom valley, Tophet. God’s glory was at stake. Jeremiah took the flask and shattered it as an illustration of what would be done to them.
Lord, you have created me to reflect your image, your glory. Keep molding me into Your image! Do not let me be conformed by this world into its mold. Make me a vessel fit to show your glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Part of the Valley of Hinnom, Tophet, as viewed from St. Peter’s Gallicantu (where he denied the Lord).

ACTS 7:22-43
Moses understood himself to be some sort of a deliverer. But even having been raised in Pharaoh's court, his delusions of grandeur were too small. He had not yet met the God of glory. He thought that he could deliver his brethren from temporary oppression through murder. It didn't work. Forty years he lived in Pharaoh's court, believing he was somebody. Forty years in the desert he lived as a shepherd, learning he was nobody. But then he heard the voice of the Lord. He saw the Lord of Glory in a burning bush. Later he met the Lord of Glory atop Mt. Sinai. Understanding the glory of the Lord made all the difference in the world. He delivered 2,000,000 from Egypt to Mt. Sinai by just depending upon God to show His glory. He didn't have to commit murder. He left everything in God's hands. He simply spoke the glory of God as it was revealed to him. Moses learned that God takes nobodies who depend only upon His glory and does marvelous things for His own glory. That is the way Jesus works. Indeed we serve a glorious king! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

June 23

DEUTERONOMY 28
I was born in 1955 shortly after the call to an end of hostilities in Korea. Growing up, I thought of Korea as a small impoverished nation. In the 1970’s I began to learn of a revival that was sweeping Korea. In 1977 a friend of mine visited Seoul in order to be part of EXPLO ’77 organized by Campus Crusade for Christ. Over one million people attended the event. It was believed at the time to be the largest gathering of Christians that the world had ever seen. Today South Korea sends a high percentage of her believers throughout the world. The largest single church in the world is in Seoul. When I think of South Korea, I think of Christians with a zeal for the Lord, a commitment to prayer and a willingness to sacrifice for the Gospel. It is interesting that along with this rise of spirituality in South Korea that there has also come a rise in economic prosperity. I no longer think of South Korea as a small impoverished nation. It is economically affluent, intellectually advanced and a leader in the world. Indeed, today (2010) I am teaching at Mongolian International University. MIU is here at the request of the Mongolian government, but it exists because of the help of South Korea-her churches in particular.
We remember from yesterday’s reading that justice that was revealed on Mount Ebal. Flowing down from the justice pronounced on Mount Ebal to the valley before Mt. Gerazim, the Lord instructed an altar to be built. The only remedy for the transgression of justice is death, hence the altar. In today’s passage we read of the blessings that God would pronounce upon the nation if they obeyed. Flowing out of justice through sacrifice, blessing is received in God’s mercy as the result of obedience. Is it not interesting that prosperity of many kinds was promised to Israel after justice was satisfied and obedience was secured? Is it not interesting that the history of the USA follows roughly the same path? Is it not also interesting that as the USA has turned her back upon the Lord, and Christians have spent more of their income and time upon themselves that the USA has begun to decline? Is it not interesting that as South Korea began to turn to the Lord that she also began to increase in other ways? Is it not interesting that China who sought to destroy Christianity in her borders in the 50’s and 60’s found a dramatic increase in the growth of the church. Of her one billion+ population it is estimated that over one hundred million name the name of Christ. Is it not interesting that China in recent years has also begun to prosper. It is her prosperity that has caused her to begin to buy up metals driving up the price of metals worldwide. Is it any coincidence that her rise in prosperity corresponds to a rise in her people turning to Jesus as Lord and Savior? It is the Chinese house church that has committed herself to completing the great commission by taking the Gospel back to Jerusalem along the Silk Road.
It is the principle of Deuteronomy 27 & 28 that the Lord desires to bless His people when his justice is satisfied and obedience procured. But beware; in that blessing we become selfish thinking that we are the source of the blessing and we spend it upon ourselves. The result is that we turn from the Lord to the blessing. When we do that, cursing is just down the road. Yes, He is a God of justice, mercy and grace. We can never leave out just one. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PROVERBS 23
What is ancient? Growing up in Oklahoma, ancient was any building over 100 years old. I went to Israel with my third son in the summer of 2012. Ancient had a different connotation there. Archeologists in Israel regularly dig at sites that are uncontestably up to 5,000 years old. So what is ancient? The Free Dictionary defines ancient as:

1. Of great age; very old.2. Of or relating to times long past, especially those of the historical period before the fall of the Western Roman Empire (A.D. 476). . . 4. Having the qualities associated with age, wisdom, or long use; venerable.

By definition #2, Oklahoma has next to nothing that is ancient. We have the Spiro Mounds which are ancient Native American burial grounds, but in terms of human artifacts, that is about the extent of all of it. In Israel on the other hand, almost every community has areas with history dating back at least 1,600 years. If we take the fourth definition as our definition, then Oklahoma is rich in oral history of its Native American tribes.
So what does the Proverb mean when it says, “10Do not remove the ancient landmark?” Literally it refers to the stones and markers, which were difficult to move, which delineated property boundaries. If one could stealthily move the boundaries, one could increase the size of one’s own property. But, must the ancient landmark refer to property boundaries? What if it also referred to moral boundaries which are associated with age, wisdom, or long use? Could it be that such tampering might result in an increase in the number of fatherless in the culture? A case could be made that the good intentions of welfare regulations begun in the war on poverty and Johnson’s Great Society have over the years evolved and, along with other influences, resulted in producing a generation of fatherless children. The result of generations of fatherless children has not only produced a deeper divide between the rich and the poor in our country, but it has also produced predators upon those children.
Both those who moved the boundaries and those who prey upon the fatherless should beware. For their Redeemer is mighty. He will one day plead their cause to the judge of all the earth. That redeemer is the Ancient of Days. That redeem is full of glory. We must remember that we must give an account to Him for all our actions. This demands that we fear Him all the day. There surely is a hereafter, and we will give an account to Him. In this we hope. In this we make our decisions. We make them knowing that He is more ancient than all. We make them knowing that He knows where the ancient boundaries were set. We make them knowing that will righteously judge according to His ancient standard, not our modern thought. Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 18
Many years ago when my oldest was around 12 years of age, he gave me a gift for my birthday. It was a pewter figurine of a potter working on a foot powered potter’s wheel. He hand wrote on 3X5 cards a few of the verses of Jeremiah 18. It has made many moves since then. It has fallen off the desk many times. The head is broken off at the neck. The potter is no longer connected to the wheel. But I still have it and the hand written cards, which he gave with it. I keep it for many reasons. It was a very thoughtful gift from my son. It is a strong reminder to me that the Lord is still working on me. Hopefully my son understands that when he sees my imperfections. When I feel that I am hopeless, I can be reminded of the words of Jeremiah. He is the potter, and I am the clay. What I become is based on two things 1) the Lord’s skillfulness as a potter and 2) my yieldedness to His shaping hands.
Yesterday we saw in Jeremiah 17 the contrast between those who trust in the arm of the flesh and those who trust and hope in the Lord. We saw our need to cast ourselves at His feet to show us and change our hearts. If we were to see the complete depravity of our hearts all at once, I am convinced it would drive me to despair. It would probably drive you to despair also. I cannot change! Today in Jeremiah 18 we see a wonderful illustration of why we have hope and not despair. He is the potter, and I am the clay! If we will yield to Him, He is willing and able to mold us into the vessel which He wants us to be. The only issue is, “Will I yield; will I repent? If so, He is the master potter!
The message was too simple for the Israelites. No, they had their righteousness (so they thought). Jeremiah was just, absurd! They not only walked away, they began plotting how to destroy him. What was Jeremiah’s response? He asked the Lord to deal with them in His anger. There is always this tension with the Lord. On the one hand He is a loving forgiving Father to His children who repent and trust in Him. On the other hand, He is a just God who dispenses wrath on those who will not repent.
Do I like who I am? Oh Lord, keep me always with my mind being changed into conformance to your desires. I yield to you that you may mold me however you desire. You are the master artist. I am simply clay. As I yield, I choose to delight in the work of the Master Artist. How about you? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 7:1-21
Stephen begins his defense before the council. As we will see when he finishes the defense, it is really more of an offense. Why? They have missed the glory of God, and Stephen wants to make sure they understand the glory of God in the flow of Biblical history. It was the God of Glory who called Abraham apart and gave him the promise that in his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed. That seed is Jesus! It was the God of Glory who worked in all the circumstances of Joseph resulting in the salvation of Israel's family and their move to Egypt. Joseph is a type of Jesus! It was the God of Glory who arranged for the daughter of Pharaoh to rescue Moses from the river and allowed Moses to grow up in Pharaoh's court. Moses received much needed training in Pharaoh's court that equipped him to be God's deliverer. Jesus is God's ultimate deliverer. He is our King of Glory! He is the promised seed of Abraham who blesses all ethnic groups. Like Joseph, He is the patient One who endured the humility of becoming human and the agonies of becoming sin on our behalf that He might bear the eternal justice of God and rescue us from the penalty and power of sin. He is a deliverer of the magnitude that Moses could only be a small foreshadowing. This is the glory of our King. Indeed our King is a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

June 22

DEUTERONOMY 27
Saturday I had the privilege of going to the Mongolian National Museum. On display there is a huge granite stone many centuries old. It was quarried as a tall rectangle at least 8 feet tall. Engraved on three sides was Mongolian script, and on the back side was Chinese script. I have forgotten now what the text was about. But I am sure that it had something to do with the glory of the country and its laws. In ancient times it was a practice for rulers and conquerors to record their glories on large upright stones for all to read. It was a way in which they could live forever by recording what they accomplished. Other kings, such as Hammurabi, would record the laws of the land. By these stones we know how just the kings were. The Egyptians had engravings for the important things. But for things of slightly less importance they would plaster stones and then paint on them. This was an easier, and hence, somewhat cheaper method.
The Lord instructs the Israelites to build a heap of stones on Mt. Ebal, plaster it, and then write the Law upon it. A few days ago we looked at the justice of God. Here we see on display once again His mighty justice. It was to be recorded for all to read. But wait, is God cheap? Why does he have them plaster the stones and paint upon them. We all know that the best paint jobs left out in the weather never last more than one generation at best. Could it be that God wanted this to be a continual event, so that at least once every generation, the nation would be reminded of His glorious justice? There is a place for meditating upon justice. Without it we do not understand mercy and grace. I want to revel in mercy and grace, but without understanding justice, mercy and grace are meaningless. I am so glad that God is just, aren’t you? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PROVERBS 22
“A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold.“ What does it mean to be rich or poor. Recently in our Getting Ahead circles, we have from time to time mentioned that poverty is not always economic poverty. There are many kinds of poverty other than economic. There is emotional poverty, spiritual poverty, relational poverty, family poverty, intellectual poverty. You can probably think of a few other types of poverty. Just as there are many types of poverty, there are also many types of riches. I remember one time, when I was very young (at least under 6), asking my mother if we were rich. I had never had any memory of not having something which we needed. She gave a very perceptive but non-committal answer, “Some would say we are. What does it mean to be rich?” I was too young to understand the question, much less give a good answer. Looking back on it, of course my question was in relation to financial poverty. My parents were always able to give us what we needed, if not what we wanted. Is that rich? At least 1/3 of the 7 billion people in the world would say so. It was before Johnson’s war on poverty, and I suspect that we would have been ranked at just barely above the poverty level of the USA.
I learned from watching how they lived (raise up a child) that a good name is to be chosen rather than riches. I know that from 1981 through 1994, if you look at my Social Security records, it would reveal that my income was below the U.S. government’s standard for poverty for a household of four. But I was more interested in choosing to follow the Lord than to pursue financial riches. Many of those years we would have been eligible for food stamps and other government programs. There was only one government program which we used, WIC. Why? We wanted our Father to be our primary care giver. We wanted His name to be exalted in us.
Jesus set the example. He gave up the riches of heaven to become one of His creatures. Not only did He give up riches, but He took my spiritual poverty upon Himself going to the cross, dying a transgressor’s death, experiencing the wrath of the Father against my sin. The Father recognized the great love that His Son had for Him because the Son chose the name of the Father rather than great riches. Because of this excellent choice, the Father gave Him a name above any other name that at the name of Jesus every knee would bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord! He exalted the living Word above His name.
Ever notice the relationship in Scripture between name, word and deed? Consider the following Scriptures:

Psalm 138:2 I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.
Isaiah 45:23 (The Living Bible) I have sworn by myself, and I will never go back on my word, for it is true—that every knee in all the world shall bow to me, and every tongue shall swear allegiance to my name.
John 17:6 “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
Revelation 19:13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Deeds are performed because of choices which are made. Choices are made upon the basis of the understanding which we have of them. The understanding we have of them comes as a result of the words spoken about them. The deeds, choices and words done by or for someone all contribute to the glory or defamation of their name. Jesus, the Eternal Word of God, communicates to us the value of what God is like. He performed deeds which explain God. He made choices which reveal what God is like. His greatest choice in relation to us is the cross. The cross speaks deeds and words of what God is like. Simultaneously the cross speaks of God’s intense hatred for sin and passionate love within the Trinity and for us.
Does God hate sin? Absolutely! Just look at the cross! That is what God does to sin! Does The Son love the Father? Absolutely! Just look at the cross! Jesus was willing to endure the cross for the love of the Father. Does God love me? Absolutely! Just look at the cross! Jesus was willing to become sin in my place so that the punishment of my sin might be carried out upon Him rather than me. Is God able to change me? Absolutely! Just look at the resurrection! He could raise Jesus from the dead after 3 days. He can also enliven me so that I may live victoriously over sin. All of this glorifies His name. It stemmed from a choice, deed and words that Jesus did. Lord let me ever live in that choice, those deeds resting in those words for they bring glory to Your Name!!! In all of this I am rich! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 17
Dr. Strangelove was a strange movie. Maybe I should have reviewed it before using it as an illustration. But one scene stands out in my mind. It is toward the end of the movie. The warplane had arrived at its target but could not deliver its atomic bomb payload because it was stuck. Slim Pickens straddles the bomb and does what is necessary to release it from the bomb bay. But he is released with the bomb. What I remember was that as the bomb descends, you see him straddled upon the bomb as though he were riding a bucking bronco. In true cowboy form he waves his hat and yells, “Yee! Hah!” as he descends to his doom and the doom of the world. What would motivate a man to celebrate like that in the day of doom? The message of the movie is the absurdity of war. It is an apt scene to communicate that message.
The Lord places a very powerful juxtaposition before us in this chapter. On the one hand, He curses those who rely upon the strength of the flesh. Notice that He curses them! That is a very powerful statement! It is a curse! Lord, am I relying in any form upon my flesh? I have been reading David Platt’s Radical Together and have been challenged. Is the weakness of the American church that which most perceive it be its strength? Look at what we have! Slick packaged programs now abound so much that it is almost impossible to keep up with all of them, let alone just the ones that become popular. We have “Christian” music in every genre to attract people from every segment of society. We have video pastor’s so that we can have the “best” pastors broadcast into every congregation, or for that matter in some cases the most deceptive. We can control the atmosphere of our auditoriums to fit whatever we think will appeal to our target audience. That might mean low lights, bright lights, sun lights, video clips, dramas, humor, art, couches, pews, chairs, coffee shops, bookstores etc. None of these in and of themselves are necessarily bad, but if they are all so good, why is the American church so weak and ineffective? Why are we not growing? Oh sure individual churches increase in numbers, but the research continues to show that in general it is just a redistribution of population from one church to another, as we continue to close churches in record number and the overall growth of the church is minimal. Why does the church seem to be growing only in areas of the world where they do not have these things? Could it possibly be that we have placed our trust in these things rather than the simple word of the Lord and His Holy Spirit? What does the Lord say about that? “If your eye offend you, pluck it out.” Does He really want us to rip out our eyes?
On the other hand in this juxtaposition, He says, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is in the Lord.” Does this mean that this man or church does not have all of the things mentioned above? Not necessarily. It simply means that his trust and hope are in the Lord. Those things are immaterial to him. The only time that those things matter is when they keep him from trusting or hoping in the Lord. Then he rips them out. He knows that drought times will come when those things will not protect or produce life, but He will continue to produce the life of the Lord because ultimately it is the Lord who produces life. He knows that there is a doomsday coming through which he might have to live, but because he is trusting and hoping in the Lord, he looks forward to the future because his glorious Lord is in control. Because he has this hope and trust, he bears fruit that remains in drought and doom.
Right in the middle of this juxtaposition, He declares:

9”The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? 10 I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.

My heart and mind keep wanting to depend upon the flesh. It is a principle of this life. We have no option but to keep asking the Lord to test our hearts and minds. Why does the Lord test the heart? Is it so that He might find out what is in it? NO!!!! He already and always knows our hearts. The test is for us. It is His glory to show us our hearts and mind if we will ask Him. Beware! We may not like what we see. But, if we repent, we can place our hope in Him rather than the things around us. The benefit will be that in the drought and day of doom, we will still be producing fruit for eternity. Unlike Slim Pickens we can yell, “Yee! Hah!” Not because of the absurdity of our action, but because we know our destiny is to walk through the day of doom into the glory of God. O Lord, test my heart! Keep my trust and hope only in You!! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 6
"There arose a complaint." Satan is always trying to destroy the glory of Christ. His best weapon is to use Christians. He tried it in Ananias and Saphira. It backfired on him. Here he is trying the racism angle. In a city made up mainly of Hebrews, the complaint among believers arose. The Gentile widows felt that they were being neglected in the church's care. Real or perceived it was a complaint. If it was real, then the racist fault lay with the Hebrews. If it was perceived, then the fault lay with the Greeks. If it was a mixture of the real and the perceived, then some fault lay on both sides. The unity of the young church is being tested. How will our glorious Lord respond? That the unity of the church had not been tested before this point is a real tribute to the glory of our Lord. Adding up the numbers given in previous chapters, the church has to number more than 10,000 by this point in her life. It is no wonder that the religious leaders were threatened. They were losing control, losing members.
The solution of the twelve, as they reasoned together, was to select seven servants, for the purpose of overseeing the distribution of food to the widows. It is amazing to me that they could ever have grown this large and only just now needing to elect deacons! It is a great testimony to the glory of the Lord. When thousands are yielded to Him, filled with His Spirit, He can move them with very little "official" leaders. The key is that they were filled with the Holy Spirit and were focused on the glory of Christ. What was the criteria for selecting these seven?

1. of good reputation
2. full of the Holy Spirit
3. full of wisdom

What is the Lord of Glory's answer to complaint? Assign the problem to men who have a reputation for being full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. His glory shines through them, as is seen in the stories of 2 of the 7, Stephen and Philip. Apparently the Lord's plan worked. We have no more report of complaint. Indeed our King is a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

June 21

DEUTERONOMY 26
I was dying, indeed dead, in my sin. My enemy was dancing in victory over me. I was without hope and lost. But Jesus came. He took my sin upon Himself. He died taking the penalty of my sin. He rose on the third day. He embraced me in His death. He held me in His resurrection. He led me out of Hell with a mighty and outstretched hand. He broke the power of my enemy over me. He gave hope and freedom. I now know where I am and in a real sense where I am going. I have claimed a kingdom that He has won. He has invited me to live here. No, it is not a land upon this earth. It is a spiritual land, a land flowing with milk and honey. There is no lack here. I possess it right now. There are giants in this land. At times I have thought them to be overwhelming, but they are not. I have His victory. My physical wealth is immaterial for I am spiritually rich beyond imagination. If I can share anything of value with you, it is this. I choose to want and desire only His glory. If I can share that with you, I will have given you riches beyond compare. Do I believe this? Do you believe this? That is what this chapter is all about. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PROVERBS 21
Where is my heart? David probably stopped to ponder his actions. He must have justified himself many times. Each time that he took another wife, he surely justified himself. After all many others had multiple wives, why shouldn’t he? He once had vowed to kill a man for snubbing him and his troops after they had spent endless hours protecting him. Fortunately the man’s wife and the Lord intervened. The man died. David was more than willing to take the beautiful widow as his wife. But this new circumstance was a little different. This widow’s husband was intensely loyal to David. David had coveted her before her husband died. David had yielded to that temptation and seduced her while her husband was on the battlefield fighting for David’s cause. David arranged to have him put in a battle situation where he would surely die, and he was killed.
How could a man after God’s own heart justify such a course of action? The deception of our own hearts is ever deep. David must have thought, “I am king; I have the right to do as I please.” Kings throughout history have often taken the wives of other men and forced themselves upon them. Perhaps he reasoned even that it was his Divine right. After all had he not been faithful to “touch not the anointed of the Lord” for more than a decade? Had he not done everything possible to wait upon the Lord to bring him the rule of kingship over Israel? Did not more than a decade of running in the desert leading what many considered to be an army of thieves finally warrant some kind of perks? Didn’t he deserve this? And why should one night with the man’s wife matter to the man. After all she had promised that she would never tell him. No one would ever know. The complication of the whole matter was that she had become pregnant. No problem, bring the man home to enjoy marital conjugation with the woman, and everyone would think the child was the man’s. But the man had an unusual sense of honor. He refused to enjoy a night with his wife while his companions were on the field of battle. Do you suppose he knew what had happened? How could David ever justify this? For the good of the image of the office of the king, this matter must be discretely taken care of. He was the commander-in-chief. He would simply place the man in a unit where he would likely be killed. It was after all his prerogative. After all, he was King!
Where is my heart? Even a man after God’s own heart can make his perverted ways seem right in his own eyes. If David could fall prey to it, so can I. Even Solomon, a man blessed with wisdom and riches beyond any other, could fall prey to it, so can I. What are we to do? There is only one solution. I must throw myself upon the grace of our Lord imploring Him to constantly weigh my heart and show it to me. I can never be satisfied with the condition of my heart yesterday. The question is, “Where is my heart today?” Yes, I may have had a great interaction with the Spirit of the Lord and His word yesterday, but what about today? The glory of our Lord Jesus is that He will weigh our heart today and share with us the results, but we must pursue Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 16
Yesterday I received my new copy of Biblical Archeology Review. I only have two magazine subscriptions that I pay to receive. One is BAR and the other is ANSWERS (a creation science magazine). As I was reading BAR, I came across an article done by a biological anthropologist. While excavating a site in Biblical Lachish, they came across a small home that was destroyed and burned when Nebuchadnezzar sacked the city in 605 B.C. From the position, condition and size of the bones the anthropologist was able to determine that the skeleton once belonged to a young woman in her late 20’s or early 30’s. Her skull was broken and she probably died from a blow to the head or as the burning house collapsed upon her. Either way it was a sad end to a young life. Do you suppose she had any children? If so, were their deaths as violent as hers?
Jeremiah is commanded by the Lord to not marry. The reason which the Lord lays out for him is that most of the wives and children of Jerusalem would die gruesome deaths as a result of an invading army. It would be the same invading army that sacked Lachish, only a few years later. Why couldn’t he marry? It would be because the Lord would not allow any mourning over those killed or taken into captive as result of the coming destruction. Where is the glory of the Lord in this? He is attempting to cure His people of their idolatry. Look at what he says:
Surely our fathers have inherited lies, Worthlessness and unprofitable things” Will a man make gods for himself, Which are not gods? Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know My hand and My might; And they shall know that My name is the LORD.
The discipline of God is designed to turn us away from our idols. It is designed to cause us to know His name. If we do not learn from the discipline it becomes as it were, judgment. His glory is too great to be trifled with. Oh God, help me to revere Your Name. Let me not trade it for the gods of comfort, ease, recreation and games that fill our culture and our churches. Let me and my congregation be radically committed together to the only true God and not the idols of our making. Let your glory shine through us! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 5:17-42
Wow! One miracle after another just keeps happening! The Apostles are arrested. The Lord sends an angel to set them free during the night and tells them to go back to the temple to preach the Word of Christ. And they do it! I don't know about you, but in my flesh, if I had been arrested for the second time, I might question the wisdom of this plan of action, after all, these people had crucified the Lord of Glory. Couldn't there be another town that needs to hear about His glory? But then, when you are consumed with the glory of your Lord who is a glorious King, what a privilege it would be to go back to those who had jailed you and who probably could not figure out how you escaped, to preach the good news of your glorious Lord to them! Gamaliel's advice was well given. He didn't know how the Apostles escaped. He suspected God's hand. The glory was shining so brightly that it almost forced him to see what he did not wish to see. At times, even the glory of God cannot be seen when we do not wish to see it.
The Apostles were beaten for preaching the name of Jesus. They rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for His name. Why? It was because they were consumed with the glory of their King! He is a King who keeps sending His messengers to those who hate Him. He continually holds out His arms to receive those who hate Him. And He gives us the privilege to be His arms! Indeed our King is a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

June 20

DEUTERONOMY 25
It was unfair, unjust. I had just received my first six week report card for the second reporting period of the semester. I had an “F”. I had moved to the school system at the beginning of the second reporting period. I was certain that the 7th grade library science teacher had told me that I was not liable for the first six weeks material. Apparently I heard her wrong. While I had done “A” work for the second reporting period, any seventh grade math student knows that 100% averaged with 0% equals 50%. But it wasn’t fair. How could I be held responsible for class work assigned when I was not enrolled, and what is more; I was certain that she told me I did not have to make up the first six weeks class work. It wasn’t beyond my ability. Most of the work was just busy work. It was the first time that I ever challenged a teacher with such emotion. I am fortunate that I was not sent to the office. My volume level was way too high for the proper manner to address one in authority. Fortunately, for me I brought myself under control before I used the words that had come to mind to describe her to her face. But she had mercy and a little grace. She told me that I could still complete the work, and if I handed it in by Monday, she would not penalize me for being late. I had gone a full six weeks without handing in any of the first six weeks assignments. Nor had she ever given me the handouts that were required in order to finish the assignments. You would think she would have said something before this point. It was unfair, unjust. But she was the one in authority, and I could do nothing about it. I did the work during the weekend, handed it in on Monday, and eventually received an “A” on the semester report. (I had some tough explaining to do to my parents, especially since the teacher was an acquaintance of my mother in the Business and Professional Women’s club.)
There is something in everyone that cries out for justice. Perhaps it is part of what Solomon was talking about when he said that God had set “eternity in their hearts.” That life is not fair is the theme of many works of literature and many movies. One of my favorite movies is Labyrinth. A recurring line of the heroine is, “It’s not fair!” In today’s passage we have a number of situations where God is teaching that His people should be just in all their dealings. The court system was provided so that justice would prevail. The ox was not to be muzzled while it ground the grain; the laborer is worthy of his wage. Weights and measurements were to be perfect and just. Even Amalek who unjustly attacked the nation of Israel was to be dealt with severely in justice. Our God is indeed a just God and demands that we live our affairs in a just manner.
But wait; He is also merciful. If divine justice were immediately carried out in each of us, we would all be immediately slain. Look at a couple of items of mercy within this passage that temper the justice of God. When a man is guilty of a crime so that in the execution of justice he is truly worthy of being beaten, he was not to be beaten in such a way that his value as a human is diminished in the eyes of others. (Now there is a difficult balancing act.)
But right in the middle of this talk of justice is instruction that is hard to handle for the western mind. It is the law of levirate marriage. What does this have to do with justice and mercy. This is one of those Scriptural pictures of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. In their culture, the land (and hence, the ability to succeed economically) traveled through the male’s side of the family. If a woman married and had no sons, and her husband died, there would be no heir to the land and there would be no one to care for the woman economically. The unmarried brother, Kinsman Redeemer, needed to marry the dead brother’s wife for the continuance of the family name and for the economic security of the woman. The requirement for the Kinsman Redeemer was to be the closest relative and to have the ability to provide and the desire to provide. Jesus is our Kinsman Redeemer. Justice demanded that in Adam we all died. As God, He became man. As man, He is our closest relative. As God and man, he had the ability to pay the penalty of our sin for only as a man could He die; only as God could He be pure and able to pay the penalty of our sin. Finally, He had the desire to pay the penalty. What a picture of mercy! His justice demands our death. His mercy pays the penalty Himself. Is it fair? What glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PROVERBS 20
Many times I have declared something to the effect of, “This is where God is leading me,” only to find that while the first step was where He was leading me, subsequent steps force me elsewhere. Am I so dense that I do not properly hear the voice of my Lord? It could be. It could be that I am so disobedient that I am not in tune with His voice. Then again the proverb says, “A man’s steps are of the LORD; How then can a man understand his own way?” It is that old “sovereignty of God/free will of man” debate. How can man truly have free will if God is truly sovereign? How can God be truly sovereign if man has free will? I think I have heard or read most of the arguments on both sides. It is not an argument that is unique to Christianity. It is an argument that exists in all religions. I have never been completely satisfied with any answers that I have read or heard. I simply have come to live with the tension that both are true.
I genuinely believe that I am free to decide. Yes, I understand that when I first chose to sin (whether in Adam or in my early childhood), I became enslaved to sin. To some degree, I lost the ability to choose, but never the less I chose Christ. Somehow Christ lets me do that. Yet somehow, He chose me first. Theologians have always struggled with how to explain it. Wesley talked of prevenient grace. Jonathan Edwards, of course, was embroiled in a debate over the issue that cost him a great deal. Both of these were men with intellect far greater than mine. If they cannot explain it, why should I think that I can explain it any better than they? I am not highly motivated to try to understand it. I simply declare, “God is sovereign, and I must choose. I can live with both.” Some of you may think that is a cop out. Maybe it is, but I don't care.
He sometimes directs me in one direction by using things or saying things that I do not fully grasp. Often He seems to me to just be silent. That is part of the adventure. It is part of the challenge. If I want to partake, then I must stay at His side. I must stay focused on Him. Usually He unfolds a little bit more of His glory as I wait on Him to reveal a little more of Himself. He does it in small increments so that I will stay at His side. I get into trouble when I get too far away or quit looking. My steps are of the Lord. I really don’t know for sure where I will be tomorrow, or in a year. That is part of the adventure of experiencing His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 15
Man it was a nasty job! I was being initiated into a camping service organization. Since it was a service organization, part of the initiation of the was doing acts of service. A fellow initiate and I had been assigned to clean out the grease trap for the camp kitchen. The grease trap was where the solids of the kitchen sinks fell out before the water flowed to the septic system. In the words of Ludo, “Smells bad!” Yet we were called to cheerfully and silently clean out the trap. I have no desire to ever perform that job again!
Next to Jesus, Jeremiah had one of the lousiest jobs ever assigned to a man. He was called to call the nation to repentance. It was a nation that had not truly repented of the sin into which Manasseh had led the nation a full generation before Jeremiah. What was their sin? Listen to 2 Kings 21:2-9:

2 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; he raised up altars for Baal, and made a wooden image, as Ahab king of Israel had done; and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4He also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem I will put My name.” 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 6 Also he made his son pass through the fire, practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and mediums. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger. 7 He even set a carved image of Asherah that he had made, in the house of which the LORD had said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever; 8 and I will not make the feet of Israel wander anymore from the land which I gave their fathers—only if they are careful to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that My servant Moses commanded them.” 9 But they paid no attention, and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel.

They were old sins, entrenched by a generation of corporate practice, even religious practice. God called Jeremiah to rebuke the nation for their sin, and He called him to do it without interceding for them. The stench of the sin was worse than the stench of an opened grease trap or an open septic tank. But in the words of Sir Didymus, “I smell nothing! The air is fresh and fragrant!” The people did not smell the stench. It was a sweet perfume to them! They were deeply offended that Jeremiah should even consider that their behavior was sinful. But God had appointed them to death, sword, famine and captivity. What a lovely message! What a nasty job Jeremiah had! He was appointed to point out their sin and warn them of their impending death.
Jeremiah wasn’t very pleased with the job. He expressed woe concerning his mother because of it. Finally, he expressed to the Lord,” Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed? Will You surely be to me like an unreliable stream, as waters that fail?” The Lord answers. He summarizes it by saying, “20bFor I am with you to save you and deliver you,” says the LORD. 21 “I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, And I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.” If Jeremiah were with us today, he would still say that it was a stinky job, but I know that he would also proclaim, “In the midst of the stench, I experienced the fragrant saving presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. If He asked me, I would do it again because His saving presence is so wonderful. He was a reliable stream that washed away the stench of my nation.” That is the Glory of my Jesus, He gives me the fragrance of His saving presence in the midst of a job that is a stench in our nostrils. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 5:1-16
The glory of Jesus in the Jerusalem church was reaching a crescendo. Satan hates that. He is always looking for a place in the church to destroy the glory of Christ. He found it in Ananias & Sapphira. A&S were not focused on the glory of Christ but on what others thought of them--upon their own glory. They saw the esteem with which others held Joses called Barnabas. They wanted that same esteem from others.
They compulsively hung on to their glory rather than the glory of Christ. Jesus had already made it clear that those who wish to follow Him must give up all--especially their own glory. God will not share His glory with another. When the people of God are consumed with the glory of Christ, then His blessing is upon the church in power. When the people of God are consumed with their own glory, death is down the road.
Indeed our King is a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John