Our God is a God who is just and yet full of mercy and grace. He wants those attributes to be seen in His people. Those attributes are made manifest in us in our relationships with one another. In the marriage relationship it is made manifest when the marriage vows are honored. Keeping our vows demonstrates that He is just. The most basic vow that most people make is the marriage vow. It should be honored. The KJV Bible Commentary says, “The custom of giving letters of divorce was probably adopted by the Israelites from the Egyptians because they had a practice of writing out contracts in relationship to every area of life.” God’s original desire was for the vow to be kept until the death of one of the partners. However, some people, for whatever reason, never seem to be able to keep their vow. What if the breaking of that vow was so heinous that it made the marriage untenable? Because of our inability to forgive, God, through Moses made provision for divorce. The higher road is forgiveness. But if the partner will not repent, the provision for divorce was available. The divorce provision, however, was not to be used to make promiscuity legitimate through a series of legal maneuvers. God wants his people to live in commitment to their vows.
Today’s passage also demonstrates the mercy and grace of our Lord in the way that we treat each other. At times it is necessary for those who have this worlds goods to lend to those who do not. If it is a loan, those who lend are not to take advantage of the situation by making life worse for those to whom they loan. I should not take anything as surety that the person to whom I am lending could not live without. This is the basis for our bankruptcy laws. The farmer was to leave the gleanings of the crops for the poor to gather for themselves. Food needed to be made available to the poor, if they were willing to work for it. This is grace. The farmer had no obligation to leave the gleanings. But He was to do so in order to demonstrate the mercy and grace of our God. Our God makes commitments to us. He keeps them. Our God extends grace to us. He is under no obligation to do so. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
PROVERBS 19
When I married my wife, my father-n-law was unemployed. I paid for the wedding. I never really expected any great inheritance. To my surprise, when he passed away, we received an inheritance that more than enabled us to pay off our house. Indeed in our situation, the Scripture is true when it says, “Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers.” Thank you, Bill. On the other hand, I have a wife who is understanding and wise, or in other words, prudent. “But a prudent wife is from the LORD.” Yes, she is a gift from the Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Because of You, I have found her; I have found a good thing and obtained favor from You! Indeed you are glorious! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
JEREMIAH 14
As of May 23,2014 we had only received 2.75 inches of rainfall since January 1. I am happy to report that the last month has brought much more rain. We are up to 8.15 inches of rainfall since January 1. In the last month we have had twice the rainfall received in the first 5 months. Everything has turned green again. It is wonderful. Droughts are very unpleasant. I pray the rain continues at the same rate as this month for the next 6 months. That might restore our ponds, lakes and water tables.
The Lord told Jeremiah that He brought a drought upon Israel because of their sin. They had sought the idols of other gods. They had left their Maker. Clearly a severe drought was upon the land because they had left the Lord. The people then had a choice. They could repent and seek the true God, or they could listen to the false prophets, who promised them peace and prosperity. The physical drought was only a representation of the spiritual drought that was upon the land. Apparently, they chose to continue in their sin. The result was that the Lord instructed Jeremiah in verse 11 to not pray for the people. This is the fourth time that the Lord had instructed Jeremiah to not pray for the people (7:16; 10:25; 11:14; 14:11). They had reached a point of no return. There was no longer a remedy, only judgment. Is there glory for the Lord in judgment? Certainly there is as we have discussed previously. However, the Lord would prefer true repentance upon our part, but there does come a point of no return. They had reached it. His glory is revealed in the droughts which they had suffered.
The chapter ends with at least some of the people pleading for mercy from the Lord:
Are there any among the idols of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are You not He, O LORD our God? Therefore we will wait for You, Since You have made all these.
It was too late for that generation. They had gone too far. They were doomed for destruction. Is it too late for us? There are many false prophets among us who preach that God’s desire for us is financial prosperity. Is that true? Is God’s first priority for us financial prosperity? While God certainly desires that our physical needs be met, there is a deeper need that He wants to meet. It is our spiritual need. Clearly at times He uses the physical realm as a teaching tool concerning the spiritual realm. He brings physical drought to call attention to our spiritual drought. Lord, thank you for bringing the recent rains, but as the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs for you. Bring spiritual rain upon me. Bring spiritual rain upon us. Restore our spiritual cisterns, ponds, lakes and water tables. Who else among the heavens can restore our parched souls? Therefore, I/we will wait upon You because you have made all these things. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Acts 4:23-37
It is the glory of Jesus, the anointed One, to become flesh, dwell among us, bear our sins in His own body on the tree as a ransom for our sin, to become sin for us, receiving the full wrath of God against sin to die, paying the full penalty due our sin, to rise again accomplishing the defeat of sin and death, acquiring the ability to give us life.
It is even a greater glory Jesus to give not only life to those who call upon His name in faith but to send His Holy Spirit to live in each of them, giving some the power to do signs and wonders through His name and filling all with His Holy spirit to speak the Word of God with boldness.
It is even greater glory to change those who believe to the point that they gave of their worldly goods and possessions to the point that they appeared that they shared all things in common. Some have said that this is communism. But communism forces the masses to share all things in common, destroying the motivation to excel. I say this is simply people who are so consumed with the glory of Christ that their worldly possessions no longer were something that they compulsively hung on to--just like Jesus leaving the throne of glory. His glory was not the adoration of heaven. It was who He is. The disciple's glory is not their possessions but by whom they are possessed--who Jesus is.
How much does the glory of Christ possess me? The glory of Christ is more than sufficient motivation to excel. Indeed our King is a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
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