November 13

1 CHRONICLES 1-2
What can be seen of the Glory of God in a genealogical list? Since He included it in His book, it must be an indicator that He cares about where we have come from and where we are going. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 133
I remember walking to grade school in the fall. The long hot summer was over. As the weather changed, so did the dew points. The grass was drenched with the early morning dew. There was something refreshing about it. The dry heat of summer was gone; a new, cooler, moister and more pleasant weather pattern had finally arrived. Believe me; after some of those more brutal Oklahoma summers, the dew of fall and its typical rainstorms were very welcome
The first brothers fought, and Cain rose up and slew Abel. In only ten generations, violence so filled the earth that God used a flood to wipe it clean. Within 5 generations Nimrod arose as a mighty ruler in Babel. Legends, if they can be trusted, indicate that he enjoyed using leopards to hunt other men. Ishmael mocked Isaac; that is when Abraham sent Ishmael away. Their rivalry remains in their descendants to this day. Jacob bested Esau in the conflict for the family birthright and the family blessing. Joseph’s ten brothers sold him into slavery. The history of the human race apart from the grace of God is a history of brother against brother. It is like a long, dry and hot summer. Sometimes one wonders if it will ever end.
Jesus came in order to reverse the curse, to destroy the effects of sin. One of the plagues of sin is the lack of brotherly love. He came to reverse that curse. He felt so strongly about it that on the night in which He was betrayed, He said,
John 13:34–35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
One of the most obvious displays of His glory is when His children love each other. It graphically displays that the long hot summer of human discontent and hate is now coming to an end. How pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It glorifies His name! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

HABAKKUK 3
Habakkuk gets a vision of the glory of the Lord. He says that it covered the heavens and the earth was full of His praise. The first part of the vision is very disturbing. It almost describes the night we had a few nights ago when we experienced lightning, thunder, hail, torrential rain, tornados and earthquake all at once. It almost sounds like he was caught outside in it. But after experiencing the glory, he sums it all up by saying,

17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls— 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills.

Hmmmm. . . As fearful was His vision of the glory of the Lord, there was just something about it that made utter economic ruin and famine to become not fearful because the Lord was with him. Do I have that kind of vision of my Lord? Lord, may it ever be, and may it ever increase! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

HEBREWS 10:1-18
The body of the Lord Jesus Christ was prepared for the specific purpose of being offered as a sacrifice to God the Father to pay the wages of sin and death in our place. To be a suitable offering He had to be perfect and He had to be able to pay for all time, the holy demands or our righteous God. It was God's will that Jesus do this. It was prophesied 1000 years before His birth that this was the purpose of His coming (Psalm 40:7,8). Through His death Jesus justified us.
It was not only for our justification that Jesus' body was prepared. It was also for our sanctification. Sanctification, among other things, is the working out of His holiness in our lives. It results in our obedience. Because He obeyed the will of God in doing the impossible, so also, we, through His body, are able to do the impossible. He did it once and for all. One of the things I hate about cleaning is that it has to keep being done. In His sanctifying work, Jesus cleans us up. The provision for that impossible outworking in our lives was done once and for all. It is all His doing. He is indeed holy and effective! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John