Do you ever stop to think that sometimes the Lord intervenes for you to keep you from sinning? He actually does something that prevents you from being able carry out a plan for wickedness! I am not sure how often He does that. Certainly, I have committed more wickedness than I want to admit; however, how many times did I have a plan in place, but in His goodness He thwarted my efforts?
After Liam was born, we did not have enough room in our car for our whole family to legally ride in the car. Laura began praying for a van before he was born. Six months after he was born, I was contemplating borrowing money to buy a van so that we could drive from North Carolina to Oklahoma to visit my parents and from North Caroline to Pennsylvania to visit Laura’s parents. Now, you might be wondering, what’s wrong with that? It is the American way! Yeah, but it wasn’t God’s way for me. I had decided more than a decade before that I would never again borrow money to purchase a car because borrowing money for a vehicle had brought me into financial bondage. An elder heard that I was thinking of borrowing money or even renting a van. He told me, “Why don’t you just borrow my van for your trip.” I thought it over for a couple of days and took him up on his offer. After I had waited and borrowed the van, the Lord prompted someone to give me a brand new van. I am still driving it to this day, almost eleven years later. I was saved from covetousness for a van.
Some people in David’s day might have said, “So what if David kills Nabal? He is such a fool; he deserves it. David has been such a benefit to Nabal; David deserved a gift from Nabal. It is only right that David kills him.” But that is not God’s way. The Lord prevented David from doing wrong by prompting Nabal’s wife Abigail to intervene. David was saved from covetousness of someone else’s wealth. It was a need that he and his men had. They deserved a gift. But he needed to hold his rights loosely. And the Lord intervened. He does not always intervene. But this time he did. Isn’t He marvelous? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
PSALM 62
I remember Monty Python and the Holy Grail. In their search, the protagonists come upon the exterior of a French castle. They make demands of the inhabitants of the castle. The castle inhabitants respond in jest and throw many unlikely things over the castle wall in order to drive away the aggressors. My kids made a movie, The Meaning of it All, which spoofs the scene. (Personally I like my kids’ movie better.) If one knows that one cannot be hurt, one acts differently in the face of a real threat. The point is that when one is secure in a place of safety, a fortress, one is emboldened to speak and act things that one would not otherwise do.
Yesterday, we saw David’s cry to be raised to a rock higher than he, to a fortress. Today we see that he is there. From his place of safety, David twice says, “I shall not be moved.” To be moved has the idea of overthrown, dislodged, let to fall or drop or greatly shake. (TWOT). From this position David could say to his enemy, “You shall be slain, all of you, Like a leaning wall and a tottering fence.” He could say this because he was secure in His place with the Almighty. What is pressing in on me today that is making threats upon me? Am I secure in the grip of the Almighty? If I really understood His power and mercy how would that affect my reaction that which is threatening me? Meditating upon his glory has the effect of making me realize that I am secure in His fortress. I can rebuke that which assaults me because He is great and made me so that I cannot be overthrown or dislodged. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
EZEKIEL 31
I learned a little from my older brother’s mistakes. He was engaged 3 times before he found an excellent woman and was engaged to the woman who did become his wife. They have been married 42 years now. Maybe it made me too cautious, but I’ve only been engaged once and married once. Although, in one of my sermons I got my words jumbled in my mind and referred to Laura as my ‘first wife.’ Well technically, she is my first wife. She is also my last wife and my favorite wife, my most beautiful wife, my most patient wife, my wonderful wife, etc. So, yes, I learned from his mistakes, and found an excellent wife.
Learn from the sins of others. The glory of God is that He warns us to learn from the sins of others. Assyria was at one time the world power. She dominated even Egypt at times. She had, as the Scriptures say, become rich and luxuriant. She was powerful. But in her fierce wrath against other nations, she eventually developed enough enemies that they began to chip away at her strength. In 606 B.C. the last Assyrian king fell fighting the Scythians. Nabopolassar, the viceroy of Babylon had joined the northern invaders against Assyria. Realizing the power void in the North, Pharaoh Necho took his army north to meet Nabopolassar at Carchemesh. Josiah, the last good king of Judah, opposed Necho’s march through Israel. Necho killed Josiah. Pharaoh should have learned from Assyria. He did not. Pharaoh and Egypt, were doomed.
Do I learn from the sins of others? The Lord often warns through the discipline of others, but do I learn from it? It is human nature to think that I am not like someone else. Lord help me to hear You in the fabric of life. When I see your discipline in others, enable me to take to heart the lesson there and learn from it. Show me Your glory! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
1 CORINTHIANS 12
Part of the glory of Christ is the glory of His body. On earth we are His body. He has given each of us specific functions in His body. His glory is increased when we function properly in that which He has given us to function. Therefore, functioning well in our giftedness is essential to giving Him the glory He deserves. Have I discovered my giftedness? Am I functioning well in it? Is my giftedness a source of praise to His name or am I using it as a point of pride to exalt myself over others? Have I not found my giftedness, hiding behind a false humility which says I have nothing to contribute? He has given us our gifts so that we may glorify Him. Indeed, if we are able to do anything of eternal value, it is only because of Him. Let us minister in the realm in which He has gifted us to His glory! Let us not shy away from it nor let us exalt ourselves because of it. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
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