October 1

1 Kings 3
Sometimes I am really caught by surprise by the mercy of God. Solomon is one example. He makes a treaty with Pharoah and marries his daughter to seal it. Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary states,

At Sinai Israel was forbidden to make alliances with the Canaanites (Ex. 23:32). This was to keep Israel’s loyalties from being divided between God and pagan powers.

Now I realize that Egypt is not Canaan. However, I would have thought that the principle would have remained the same. After all, Solomon’s love affair with his pagan wives eventually turned his heart from the Lord (1Kings 11:4ff). He began sacrificing to their gods on the south west slopes of the Mount of Olives. To this day the Jews despise that area.
Solomon heads to the high place at Gibeon. Why Gibeon? The ark of the Lord was not there; it was in Jerusalem. David had moved it to Jerusalem. The Israelites had been instructed in the law to bring their sacrifices only to the priests at the tabernacle. Yet Solomon takes a 5 mile hike to Gibeon instead of the less-than-a-mile hike to Mount Moriah, and sacrifices a thousand offerings there. And yet, God appears to him in a dream. Solomon does not have it right, yet God appears to him. Maybe that is why some of my liberal acquaintances seem to have the blessing of God upon them, even when they don’t have it “right.” Maybe that is why I sometimes have the blessing of God upon me, even when I don’t have it “right.” Keep in mind, the Lord eventually is displeased with Solomon (11:4ff) because his wives turned his heart away from the Lord.
Hmmmm. . . so should I presume upon the great mercy of the Lord? Absolutely not! I should remember that eventually God will reign me in, if I don’t. I hope I move beyond my presumptuous heart. In the meantime, I will rejoice in the great mercy of our Lord. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Psalm 92
“I will triumph in the works of Your hands.” Is this a hope of victory because of the works of His hands, or is this a statement of ecstatic joy because of the works of His hands? And the answer is, “Yes.” Verse seven indicates that the psalmist’s enemies are alive and well. Verses 8-9 indicate that psalmist is resting in the overwhelming high-eternal power of the Lord. Because of the bedrock knowledge of that power, he has a hope of a future victory. Because of that knowledge, he has joy now.
What is that knowledge? It is that the Lord has accomplished already many great works; He is full of deep thoughts; He anoints and exalts us; He makes us flourish like mighty trees of a forest; He gives us fruit in our old age; He is our rock and there is no unrighteousness in Him. Hmmm. . . I turned 60 this year. I am already considered by many to be a senior citizen. I guess I am in the doorstep of old age. But He will cause me to bear fruit. I wonder how much longer I have to live. Lord because of Your great works, cause me to bear much fruit in my old age. Glorify Yourself in the works of Your hands in my old age! I triumph in the works of Your hands. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

Hosea 1
“Go take yourself a wife of harlotry.” Pardon me Lord, what did you say? You want me to marry a woman that You and I know will jump between the sheets with someone else? Lord, You want me to marry a woman by whom I can never be sure if her children are mine? Lord, do You know how that will reflect upon how I will be viewed as a prophet? You want me to name my children what? God sows, Not my people and No mercy? What? Do you want them to become professional wrestlers? You want me to have a marriage that is in constant turmoil, children that I don’t know for sure if they are mine, a career where everyone laughs behind my back?
My name is what? Why did my dad name me that? My mother does what? Why is she always doing that? Why don’t the ‘respectable’ people let me play with their kids? Why does everyone laugh at my dad? Why is he always going from city to city preaching? Why is he always so serious, so stern?
Yeah well, Judah told me that he bought a half hour with Gomer for a really cheap price, and Hosea calls himself a man of God. Well he certainly has a wife that is giving. She’s the gift that keeps on giving . . . to all the wrong people! With a wife like that, I certainly don’t want Hosea as my Rabbi.
Hosea is gone again on another preaching tour. He just doesn’t understand that I need a man to listen to me, to look after my needs, to hold me. . . Judah was really flirting with me the other day. Maybe I’ll just walk to the market place and see who is there. . . Hosea didn’t really leave me with any money to spend. You know Judah is really charming and he always has the money to have a good time. . . It felt so good to have his attention and he had plenty of money. . .
God designed Hosea and Gomer’s marriage to illustrate the relationship between Him and His people, Israel and Judah. Hosea is illustrative of Him. Gomer is illustrative of His people. Ultimately it illustrates how He feels about us. He loves us passionately. He demands holiness and loyalty out of us. He goes to great lengths to deliver us from our sin, but there is a limit to what He will do. He will deliver us back into bondage, if we choose that route. It brings great embarrassment upon Him in the realm that is watching the unholy drama. Ultimately, it will bring Him great glory as He redeems us and delivers us out of the slave pit of sin. Above were just some thoughts from four different perspectives of the situation. All of them could be launch pads for sin. But the Lord clearly designed this situation to teach us about our relationship with Him, our need for cleansing, His warning of coming judgment, and His undying love for us. There is no justification for sin. If I quit looking at my justifications for sin and look at His glorious judgment and love, embracing them, it becomes an overwhelming motivation for seeking Him to receive His power for living. Wow, what a loving God! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Ephesians 4
When Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, part of the job of the Holy Spirit is to make us one, to bring unity. The Holy Spirit does that immediately upon our conversion. We are part of one body, headed by one Lord. Our job is to preserve what He has already created. It is His glory to give us gifts as to how we fit into His body. Understanding our giftedness in the body and using it peacefully to build His body brings him glory.
Picture this: a general fights a nasty battle with an unusually cruel foe, which irrationally hates him. At great cost to himself he defeats the enemy and captures some of them. But rather than sending them to Guantanamo Bay for interrogation, he dresses their wounds, feeds them the finest food, clothes them and gives them each specific gifts to organize themselves into a fantastic army. These captives he gifts! But these captives are captivated by their captor. They have lost their desire to fight him and desire to follow him. How does their former commander handle having his former soldiers fighting against him? His only chance of survival is to get them to fight one another. Get them to be jealous of each others gifts. Get the infantry to demand that the artillery fight only with rifles. Get the air force to insist that all of the infantry fly. And the story goes on.
How does the general prevent the enemies scheme? He insists that his soldiers speak the truth to one another in love. They must understand that their giftedness is for a specific purpose and not everyone else operates as they do. They speak truth with a motivation of wanting the best for their fellow soldiers not wanting their fellow soldiers to become like them. As they do this, they are able to understand one another and remain where they belong in their unit. As a result, the general is glorified because his army becomes more effective at capturing more of the enemy and enlisting them in the general’s army.
So it is with Jesus. We are captivated by His love. He has gifted us. We must speak the truth in love. We must preserve the bond of unity that is already there in peace. As we do, He is glorified. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john