June 10

DEUTERONOMY 15
I opened up the building a few years ago so that those who were setting up for the food distribution for the poor could get ready. The distribution was to start in two hours. There were already 12 people there waiting for the distribution to start. I helped unload the bread truck and then decided that I needed to go home and work on my lesson plans. (I was leaving in six days to teach an English class in Mongolia.) I had more than I could finish. A thought popped into my mind, “Why don’t you stay and talk with these poor people.” An emotion of irritation arose in my mind, besides I had plenty of work to do. I went on home. Today as I read this passage, I wondered, “What was that irritation all about?” Could it be that I am not willing to give of myself to these people? I don’t mind giving my money, but my time is another issue.
Every seven years the people of Israel were to release their creditors. The people of Israel were not to harden their heart toward the poor or close their hand to them. According to the KJV Bible Commentary, the word ‘to release’ means ‘to let lie down,’ or, ‘to let go.’ So we are to give to the poor. Even when we lend, we should not lend except with the intent that we may never see the money again. We let it go. Why would the Lord ask them/us to do that? A key to the answer is found in Jesus’ statement in the Sermon on the Mount, “You shall be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Our debt to God has been released. He wants us to release others because He wants us to be like Himself. Like Indiana Jones’ father told him in the climactic scene of The Last Crusade, He tells us, “Let it go.” There is freedom to be had in letting it go. When we let it go, we vibrantly demonstrate the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ because He let our debt go. Our debt was paid for on the cross. When we trust, the Father lets it go. We are released. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PROVERBS 10

10:3 The LORD will not allow the righteous soul to famish, But He casts away the desire of the wicked.
10:22 The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.

There have been a few books and articles written about people who win lotteries or come into sudden wealth. As a general rule from these books and articles, it would appear that it does not end well for these people. Why? One would think that coming into the possession of millions of dollars would bring great blessing into the lives of the previously financially poor.
True blessing comes from the inside and works its way out of one’s life. It is the glory of God to bless people, and out of that blessing for His people to bless others. But His blessing is not the giving of wealth from the outside. His blessing is to work on the thoughts attitudes and desires of the inner man. As those attitudes are transformed, they work the transformation of the outer life. The transformation shapes one’s life to become a life of joy and peace in the satisfaction of giving. Without the transformation, life is a matter of acquiring and possessing rather than giving.
Because of Jesus, I am learning to be a giver and not a taker. Boone Pickens may have given $400,000,000.00 in stock to OSU, but is it because he is a giver, or is it because he wants to make a name for himself that will be remembered for the next generation. According to Wikipedia, he apparently has taken some kind of billionaire’s pledge to give away half of his fortune. That is quite a bit out of his estimated 1.4 billion net worth. Very admirable indeed, but he could still live quite sumptuously on $750,000,000.00 for the rest of his life. If I gave away half of my net worth, I could live a little less than 2 years without more income. But the question is not about Boone Pickens, it is about me. As I think about this concept, I realize that perhaps I am more of a taker than I thought I was. So probably are you.
If true blessing comes from the inside and works its way outward, then maybe I am not grasping the glory of the Lord as strongly as I should be. If my soul is solely set upon His glory, I will not in the least be disappointed with little financial reserve. He will not allow my soul to famish. His blessing always comes with wholeness of life, not just financial riches. Wholeness of life enables me to truly say, “And having food and clothing, with these I shall be content.” 1 Timothy 6:8. Lord, enable me to be satisfied with nothing less than Your glory alone. I want the riches of Your glory that brings no sorrow. . Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Jeremiah 5
I have spent a lot of time ministering to a friend of mine lately. He recently said that he was making a re-commitment to the Lord. Yesterday he spoke honestly, and it revealed the true state of his heart. He was sharing some things that he had done in the past in order to keep from starving. They were acts of dishonesty where he preyed upon the dishonest motivations of other people. Another friend semi-jokingly said, “Oh, but I am sure you have repented of that.” By his defensiveness it was clear that he was not repentant and justified the dishonest act in his own mind. He was in a defensive mood the rest of the day. It erupted in a lot of discussion about the issues of justice, especially between rich and poor and different ethnic groups.
Jeremiah had a tough message from the Lord to bring to the people of Jerusalem. Destruction from the Lord was coming. The Lord challenged them to search the whole city. If they could find one man who executed judgment (lived justly), then He would not destroy the city. I live in Stillwater, Oklahoma, a city of about 45-48,000 people, perhaps the same size of Jerusalem at that time. If God were to give that challenge to Stillwater, could that man be found? Am I just? Do I execute judgment? Jeremiah said,

Surely these are poor.
They are foolish;
For they do not know the way of the LORD,
The judgment of their God.
5 I will go to the great men and speak to them,
For they have known the way of the LORD,
The judgment of their God.”
But these have altogether broken the yoke
And burst the bonds.

My friend justified himself because he was poor, but what about the rich? The Lord said that they were spiritual adulterers. They assembled themselves to seek other gods like soldiers in whore houses. I have lived near towns that have army bases. I think I understand the pervasiveness of the imagery. When Jeremiah brought the message, the people denied that it was true. They said that the message was a lie. They rejected the message that judgment was on the way. They refused to believe in the Lord’s standard of justice. Indeed not a man was to be found in Jerusalem who believed in true justice, either among the poor or the rich. The Lord sent the destruction that He promised. Do I believe in His justice?
The Lord sums it all up in the end by saying:

An astonishing and horrible thing
Has been committed in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy falsely,
And the priests rule by their own power;
And My people love to have it so.
But what will you do in the end?

So where is the glory of the Lord in all this? I must learn to delight in the excellence of His justice. I must not pervert it by trying to twist it to my ends. I must love the excellence of His justice even more than my own life. When I do so, then I can go on to delight in His mercy. Then I will truly understand mercy. Then mercy will be valuable to me. Then showing mercy will be a priority to me. His justice is far beyond my understanding, but His mercy is greater still. Lord, let me not misrepresent justice nor rule by my own power. Let me not love anything less than your justice and mercy. Let me love the cross for it is there where justice and mercy meet. Let me die in Jesus on the cross, for then I shall truly live. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

John 19:1-22
How can the King who has all authority and all power allow Himself to be beaten? How can the King who has all authority and all power allow Himself to be mocked? How can the King who has all authority and all power allow Himself to be tried? How can a King who has all authority and all power remain silent in His own trial? How can the King who has all authority and all power allow Himself to be crucified? Only the King of truth could do this if He were sacrificing Himself for those whom He loves. Our King of truth willingly sacrificed Himself for us. Indeed our King is a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John