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
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