July 12

JOSHUA 16-17
It had been a long dry spell in a hot Oklahoma summer. My older brother and I went for a bicycle ride down the county section line roads. He was 5 years my senior, and his legs were a lot more powerful than mine. We came to a valley on the road. The dry weather and constant travel on the road had turned the valley road into fine loose sand a couple of inches deep. My bike went a few feet and then my tires seemed to be engulfed in the sand. Try as I might, I could not make my pedals turn. Without any forward momentum, I had to dismount my bike. I was still pointed downhill. If I could not overcome the hold of the sand going downhill, what would happen when I had to ascend out of the valley? Why didn’t my brother slow down? He was still mounted and already going up the hill. I was becoming fearful that I would be left behind. I began to call for help. He waited to get to the top of the hill before he turned and answered my call. No he wouldn’t return to help me. “You can do it!” was his only reply. I was really frustrated. I was just barely big enough to ride the bike. It was extremely heavy. It was impossible to push through the sand. Even if it got it through the sand, without any momentum, I would have to push it all the way up the hill. I begged and complained. But he wouldn’t come back to help. Now I was fighting tears of frustration. All he would do was say, “Do it yourself.” He did not help me. Obviously, I am no longer in the valley. Yes, I made it home with the bicycle, and no, he did not help me. He just kept telling me that I had to do it.
The tribe of Manasseh could not drive out the people in the valley of Jezreel. The Canaanites had chariots of iron, a military technology that the Israelites did not posses. Mountain living is nice, but it takes a lot more land per person to make a living there. And it is a lot more difficult. They complained to Joshua. It is not enough room! Give us more! There wasn’t any more room. The Lord had given them all that they needed. “Do it yourself!” was essentially Joshua’s reply. Where is the glory of the Lord in this? I believe that His glory is visible and available at all times. However, there are times when He simply says, “Trust me; you can do it; do it yourself.” It is to His glory to strengthen us. So He leaves us in situations to strengthen us or to show us our hearts. If we keep our eyes upon Him, we need only to trust and put one foot in front of the other. Sometimes it is through tears of frustration. But He is waiting for us on the other side of the valley of depression. Finally the dawn breaks and his glory is seen. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 11
We have once again entered a political season. It seems that we never leave the political season. I remember from past political seasons much criticism of the President, whether Republican or Democrat, for spending too much time out of the office. The criticism was that he was campaigning and not running the country. In all cases there was probably some truth on both sides of the fence. The point was that the President was not in his office doing his job. Does God have an office?
“The Lord is in His holy temple.” Well, where else would He be? Why do we need to be told that? We need to be told because we think and act like He is not. A king would be in His court for several reasons: 1) to receive worship (honor from others), 2) to reveal, establish and administrate justice, mercy and grace, 3) to transact the business of the kingdom, 4) interact with his subjects. God is in His temple for the same reasons.
There are times when we feel like He is not in His office. There are times when we feel like He no longer reveals, establishes or administrates justice, mercy or grace. David was in one of those times when he penned this Psalm. Was it when he was being hunted by Saul? Or perhaps it was in Absalom’s rebellion. Whatever the case, he had a sense that the foundations of righteousness and justice had been obliterated. What was he to do? There was no one to whom He could run. It appeared helpless. He purposely slows down and reminds himself, “The Lord is in His holy temple.” He reminds himself that the Lord is, loves and administers righteousness. There are times when we must slow ourselves down and remind ourselves of the very same thing.
We have an advantage over David. He had to go to the tabernacle to seek the presence of God, which he did on one occasion. Today we, the people of God, are his temple. The Lord is in His temple in heaven, but He is also in His temple on earth, the people of God. He is among us to reveal, establish and administrate justice, mercy and grace. Let us NEVER forget that! He seeks to do that in us! That is His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 37
“Is there a word from the Lord?” What a question! It is a question that we all have! It is a kind of a haunting question. Why would Zedekiah ask such a thing secretly of Jeremiah? I think that deep down inside, Zedekiah knew that Jeremiah was right. Deep down inside he knew that Jeremiah spoke for the Lord. But his throne was more important than anything else. Hoping against hope, he hoped that the Lord would forgive him and permanently send Nebuchadnezzar away. His political supporters were such that if he surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar, he would lose their support and his throne. If Nebuchadnezzar returned, they would be crushed. The only chance for him was some kind of miracle of God. He hoped God would change His mind.
It is the glory of God that His character never changes. The Lord gave Jeremiah the strength to speak the unpopular truth to Zedekiah, “You will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.” Not only that but Jeremiah boldly pointed out Zedekiah’s own waffling spirit. And then he asked to not be sent back to the dungeon. How could Jeremiah be so strong? He knew the glory of the Lord. The glory of the Lord was more important than where Jeremiah lived. Jeremiah could have eased his own suffering by coming in line with the false prophets. But the Glory of the Lord was too important to him. Is the glory of the Lord more important than my own comfort? Hmmmm. . . Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 17:16-34
Paul starts from a common point of reference with the Athenians and moves to the specific glory of Jesus. What is that common point? Don Richardson explores that in his book, Eternity In Their Hearts. Richardson delves into Athenian history, recorded some by the poet that Paul quotes. He reveals that centuries earlier, Athens had experienced a plague that could not be checked by any of their gods. After sacrificing to the One true God who made heaven and earth, who’s name they did not know, the plague was checked. The monument that Paul saw was an altar to that God. Paul uses that common point of reference to reveal that Jesus is the Man sent from the Unknown God to reveal how we might find Him. Paul stresses the resurrection of Jesus as and assurance of the authority of Jesus and establishing Him as judge of all.
That is just like the glory of our Lord. He uses something in centuries past that He did to demonstrate His love for a certain people and then connects it with the present. Our Lord is our creator, lover, healer, savior and judge. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

July 11

JOSHUA 14-15
Yesterday, on the way back to MIU, a man was approaching me from the opposite direction on the footpath. Seeing me, he reached down and picked up a huge rock with one hand. He then crouched holding the rock out and looking at me as if he were going to hit me with the rock. I was quite startled. I wasn’t sure what to do. The only way around him was to walk up a mound to the right of him. I am 55 years old. It is not a time in my life when I want to start acting like Nicolas Cage or Harrison Ford. But then, I have never been able to back down from a challenger, even when I knew I would be defeated. My options seemed to be: 1) to be fearful and back down 2) to fight or 3) to trust the Lord to protect me and see if I could just walk around him. Option one is just not in my character. Option two is stupid. If the man were a better fighter than I, I would only get beaten, and he would get what he wanted anyway. If I were a better fighter than he, I would only beat him, and there is a strong likelihood that there would be some severe and unpleasant spiritual and legal repercussions for me. That only left option three. I made the decision to move forward and unaggressively walk up the mound. I guess he realized that I was not going to be intimidated by his stance. By the time I was even with him, I had the higher ground. He set the rock down and went on his way after I passed. I think it was the glory of the Lord that protected me. What if he had attacked as I passed by? I honestly do not know what I would have done or how it would have turned out. But this one thing I know, God would ultimately have been glorified.
Caleb is 85 years old. He was forty years old when they left Egypt. He was chosen to represent Judah when the spies were selected to spy out the land. He and Joshua alone brought back a good report because they knew the glory of the Lord. But the Lord promised him that for his faithfulness he would receive the land upon which his feet had walked. After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness and 5 years of fighting in the campaigns to break the back of the Canaanites, Caleb reports, “I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the LORD spoke in that day.” Caleb knew it was the glory of the Lord that sustained him. That gave him the faith to say, “Give me this mountain!” May his tribe increase! What mountain is there in my our your life that for the glory of God, we need to face? His glory is more than sufficient! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 10
David Hannum, P.T. Barnum’s rival in the Cardiff Giant Hoax is reported to have said, “A sucker is born every minute.” It was eventually revealed that Hannum was the sucker. Perhaps Barnum could have added to the quote, “And two out looking for him.” That is a very cynical view of life, but probably fairly true. Have you ever wondered why payday loan stores and pawn shops are usually located in or near a low income community? One reason is that the rich do not need them. Another reason is that the rich are rich because they understand the principle of unreasonable usury. If the rich need a loan, they know how to and are able to get a low interest rate and to borrow only what they know they can -pay back. They know that if you convert the fees and charges of a payday loan into an APR that it would be equal to 50-200%! On the other hand the poor are usually desperate and make desperate decisions in order to make ends meet now.
Jesus said that the poor will always be with us. It is easy to make a simple claim that the poor are with us because, as the first thirteen verses of this Psalm indicate, the wicked are abundant and seek to take advantage of those who have the propensity to fall into poverty. Indeed, that is one of the reasons that the poor are with us. But there would be those who are in poverty whether or not the wicked were there. Otherwise, how could the wicked crouch and wait to catch the poor in his net? It is also easy to make a simple claim that the poor are with us because of their own poor decisions. And that would very often be accurate. So it would seem that the poor will always be with us because of two reasons. The poor are desperate, and the rich are heartless.
Why doesn’t God do anything? Is it His place? To the degree that He is the Great Judge of all the earth. It is His place. And because we are moral agents, He delays His judgment for at least two reasons, to reveal our hearts and to give us time to repent. During that delay, it appears that God doesn’t care. But let us not be deceived. God is a judge and a help, particularly to those most vulnerable, the fatherless and the oppressed. They are in poverty not by choice but by circumstance. A simple view of the Lord as our King and Judge forces us to declare and ask that He will do something about the poverty. When we ask Him to do something, He calls us to join in with Him in doing something. He asks us to work with Him in seeing His glory in the way He works to rescue the perishing. That is His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 36
With the exceptions of Satan, Adam and Judas, in my opinion, this is one of the most flagrant acts of rebellion recorded in Scripture. A day of fasting had been called by someone. The people were gathered in Jerusalem to fast over their national crisis (under the thumb first of Egypt and now of Babylon). It was day of fasting or humiliation when one humbles one’s self before the Mighty God to seek His forgiveness for one sin. A public day of fasting is for public repentance. Jehoiakim had been repeatedly warned by Jeremiah. Remember 22:13-23? Jehoiakim was specifically warned about abusing the poor, but he would not listen. Jeremiah was detained by authorities at the court, probably because of his warnings against Jehoiakim. Now was the time for Jehoiakim to repent. It was appropriate for the day of fasting. If this whole day were not just a pretense, now was the time for Jehoiakim to publicly humble himself. Jeremiah dictated the prophecies given to date to Baruch. He had them delivered to the public celebration. Note that the king was not in attendance. After the reading, the officials warned Baruch and Jeremiah to go hide while they took the message to Jehoiakim.
It was a moment of great tension. Everyone present knew what was at stake. Would the king humble himself, or would he respond inappropriately. Everyone sensed what would happen and no one really wanted to oppose the king. The king listened intently; at some point, he rose and took the scroll. It was evident what he was about to do. Three men implored him not to, but their pleas were not strong enough. The king took the very words of God in his hands and threw them in the fire! And yet, no one expressed dismay at such flagrant disrespect against the Lord! There was not enough passion with in their lives to drive them to fall to their knees and cry for mercy for themselves and their nation when such pride had filled the leadership.
Our country writhes in the filth of our pride. Our president has declared that we are not a Christian nation. You know what? He is descriptively correct. Maybe our nation was once founded upon Christian principles, but the issue is that we no longer function that way! And none of us really has the passion to cry out before God and beg His forgiveness for our sin! Why? The fault is not the presidents; it is ours! Look at our churches! We are more concerned about running our programs in a way that is more attractive to people than we are about gathering together to humble ourselves before God to listen to what He has to say about us, repent and proclaim His glory! Why would we want to attract more people rather than call them to repentance? Even if we did gather to listen, would we truly hear His voice, or would we be like Jehoiakim and burn the word of the Lord in the nearest fire? I fear that the glory of the Lord has become so sullied among us that all the world can see is our sin. Why would the world want our Lord, when all that they can see is our sin, our lack of passion for Him? That is all that could be seen of Jehoiakim. Lord, uncover our sin! Bring a spirit of repentance upon us! Remove our sin as far as the east is from the west! Humble us! Unveil your glory once again! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 17:1-17
When Paul preached, what did he preach? I think it is summarized in verse 3, "explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ." It is a simple message, a true message and not difficult to grasp. Yet at the same time it is impossible to grasp. This simple message speaks of the glory of Christ. This simple message had such a life changing message upon people in Palestine, Asia Minor and Macedonia that when Paul and Silas came to Thessalonica, their enemies cried out in a frustrated rage, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too." Can speaking the glory of Christ be that powerful? It can and will be. We are just too afraid to speak it. Or we really haven’t seen it. Or we speak of things related to the glory of Christ but not the essence of His Glory. The King of Creation, the King of Glory, became flesh for the express purpose of being the substitute for our sin. He died in our place. He defeated death and thereby that sin, by rising from the dead. He ever lives to intercede for us. If we repent and believe in Him, we can know God. It is a simple glorious message that has and will turn the world upside down. Indeed, we serve a glorious king! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

July 10

JOSHUA 12,13
“Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the LORD said to him: “You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed.” How old was he? Well, let’s see. He was 110 years old when he died (Joshua 24:29). We are not too sure how old he was when he left Egypt. We normally associate him with Caleb because they spied out the land together. Caleb was forty when they left Egypt, and from Caleb’s conversation, we can assume that the conquest lasted five years (Joshua 14:7-12). I wouldn’t think that Joshua was any younger than Caleb. Indeed, I think he was older. So Joshua is at least 85 at this point. I suspect that he is much closer to 110. Joshua has much to reflect upon the glory of the Lord during those years.
He was with Moses when they left Egypt. The first mention of him is in Exodus 17 when Moses makes him general of the army when they fight that famous battle against Amalek. He saw the glory of the Lord in the midst of the battle. It was clear that when Moses raised his hands, they won. When Moses lowered his hands, they lost. Joshua knew that it was the glory of the Lord that produced his victory.
Joshua went with Moses when he went up on the mountain of God to receive the law (Exodus 24:13-18). He was nearby when the fiery finger of God inscribed the law upon the stone tablets. He alone dwelt next to the cloud on the mountain and experienced the thunders and lightings of the presence of the glory of the Almighty God as Moses entered the cloud for forty days and forty nights. As they returned, it was Joshua who remarked that there was a sound of war in the camp (Exodus 32:17). He was unaware of the apostasy that occurred in the valley below. While it was Moses with whom God spoke face to face as with a friend, it was Joshua who refused to leave the tabernacle where the glory of God dwelt (Exodus 33:11).
It was Joshua that was jealous for the glory of Moses when men were prophesying in the camp. But Moses corrected his thought relating to the glory of the Lord, saying, “I wish the LORD would give his Spirit to all his people so everyone could be a prophet (Numbers 13:29).” It was Joshua who was selected among his tribe to be one of the twelve spies sent into the land. Only he and Caleb brought a positive report because they knew the glory of the Lord. When they rebuked the people, the people took up stones to kill them. It was then that the glory of the Lord appeared and prevented any harm to him (Numbers 14:6-10).
It was Joshua who led them across the Jordan. It was Joshua who met the commander of the Lord’s army. It was Joshua who led them in the renewal of the covenant signs. It was Joshua who led them around Jericho. It was Joshua who led them against AI. It was Joshua who stumbled in making the treaty with Gibeon. It was Joshua who had seen the might victories against the Canaanite kings. What a legacy! My how he had seen the glory of the Lord! When you and I die, will we with Joshua be able to say, “I have seen the glory of the Lord in my life, and this how I have seen it. . . ! God forgive me for being satisfied with lesser things. Let me thirst and crave nothing less than the glory of God. Let not my life be mediocre! Let it only be saturated and dripping with the glory of God. May people see not me but the glory of God! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 9
We were driving in the middle of the night going east on I-70. Laura was driving; I was sleeping. We hit black ice at 70mph. I woke up when she screamed. The first thing that I saw was snow coming over the hood. My first thought was, “Lord, I’m coming home!” It was rather frightening. We came to an abrupt stop in a 4-foot-deep snow bank. A highway patrolman came right behind us and dug us out. He said, “It is black ice all the way from here to the border. Take the next exit and find a motel.” We started on our way. This time I was driving. Even going slow, I soon went into a spin. I was trying to remember my driver’s education, “When you go into a spin, turn into the direction of the spin.” That was just counter-intuitive. Its kind-of like, if a guy throws a left hook, you lean into it. I soon found myself sliding off the highway again. We dug ourselves out again, and we took the next exit.
The Lord is a just judge. The concept is both frightening and comforting at the same time. It is frightening because I know that I have sinned. In Psalm 7 we learned that the Lord is angry with the wicked all day long. How many sins must I commit in order to be considered wicked? The Scripture is clear, one sin makes me wicked. IF the Judge is angry with me, I am fearful to be judged by Him. However, this judge is also merciful. 9:10 says, “You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.” So, I, who am wicked, am supposed to run to the judge, who is angry with the wicked all day long?
That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. It seems counter-intuitive. It is kind-of like turning into the direction of a spin on ice. Yet, that is what He desires. He delights as a judge in dispensing mercy. He wants to show us His mercy so that we may revel in His love. It is only by turning into His direction of the spin that we are in that we can find mercy. It always brings us back to Him. Turning into His direction is called, ‘repentance’. When I turn that direction, instead of finding a God who is angry with me all day long, I find a God who delights in my embrace. To turn away from Him is to invite His wrath. To turn toward Him is to invite His embrace. Why do I hesitate? Should be a no-brainer. But it is not. It is counter-intuitive. I rejoice in the fact that He is a just judge and invites me to seek Him. What glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 35
Jonadab, the son of Rechab, was the founder of the Rechabites. He recognized the value of obeying his glorious Lord. He also knew the corrupting influence of cities and wine. In the days of the Kings, Israel excelled in the production of wine. They exported wine all over the world. Of course, if there is something that a nation produces a lot of, the nation is usually first a consumer of it. Israel was surely a consumer of their product. The Canaanite religions were excessive in their use of wine. We can safely assume that as Israel picked up the worship of the Canaanite Gods, they also picked up their drinking habits. Centuries before Jeremiah, Jonadab charged his sons to live the life of nomads and not drink wine for the purpose of avoiding the corrupting influences of cities and wine. According to the KJV Commentary, “During the reign of Jehu (841–814 B.C.) the Rechabites assisted in the eradication of the Baalim from Israel (II Kgs 10:15–23). Obviously, the Rechabites had been holding true to their tradition.
As an object lesson to the nation, Jeremiah tests the Rechabites who are now living in Jerusalem because of the Babylonian invasion. He sets wine before them and asks them to drink. They passed the test. They refused to drink the wine out of obedience to their fathers. The Lord points out how much He appreciated their obedience and His desire for Israel to be equally obedient to Him. There is One who was totally obedient, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians tells us that he was obedient to the Father even to the point of death, even death on a cross. It is the glory of our Lord that He is obedient to the Father. He wants us to share in His glory. Will we obey? If we do we may share in His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 16:22-40
Have you ever been a prisoner? We all have been at one time or another. Maybe not in a conventional prison but, we have been prisoners trapped in the confines or consequences or our own sin. Jesus is the ultimate liberator because He makes us free from the very bars that we have built.
Paul and Silas were in prison. It was a literal prison. They were there unjustly. They could have been bitter. They could have allowed emotional walls to go up that would have enslaved them against the jailer and the people of Philippi. But they knew too much about the glory of their king. Indeed, Paul had been left for dead and Jesus raised him up. Paul had encouraged others that through much tribulation we must enter the kingdom of God. They knew that in every town that they entered, tribulation and maybe death awaited them there. Why did they still go? Because they knew that in every town they entered, the glory of their king needed to be revealed.
They had received many stripes and were placed in the securest cell with their feet in stocks. But they chose to focus on the glory of their king. That focus on the glory made all the difference in the world. You know, whenever I focus on the glory of my King, I cannot help but sing. So too, they could not help but sing. Picture this: Many stripes--that means that their back was beaten until the skin broke in multiple places. You know they had to be experiencing physical pain. In prison with no knowledge of if or when release would come. You know they had to be experiencing emotional pain. Feet in stocks. If your back is bruised and bloodied and your feet are stationary in stocks, how can you possibly lie down? It is midnight. I am sure they have been in the stocks for some hours now. Now they begin singing. Why? Because of the glory of their King. It has nothing to do with their remarkable character, which they had. It has all to do with their remarkable King. Choosing to focus on Him made all the difference in the world. They could have been prisoners in a second cell, an emotional one. But they chose to focus on the glory. A Roman family embraced that glory because Paul and Silas made the choice to focus upon it. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

July 9

JOSHUA 11
Five times in this chapter the word “commanded” is used to describe how Joshua completed the destruction of the kings of Canaan in obedience to the Lord. If, as we said before, Joshua’s conquest of Canaan is a type of our battle over the flesh after our conversion, then observe how important is obedience to the command of the Spirit of the Lord. Yes, the Christian life is the exchanged life for the life of Christ. We can never let loose of that truth. However, in the midst of that exchange there is a call to obedience. When we lay hold of the life of Christ and in His power learn to put to death the deeds of the flesh, as Joshua, we enter into rest. The Christian life becomes one of rest. Lord, I present my life for today to You. What You desire to accomplish through me, I yield. I take your Life as my own. As You direct me, I choose to obey. I will consider myself dead to the deeds of the flesh as it seeks to raise its ugly head. Thank you for Your great Life. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 8
What makes a name excellent? Is it not what a person does which positively exhibits what that person is? If I say, “Mickey Mantle,” and you are my age and a baseball fan, you immediately think of the man who held the homerun record for decades. I still remember watching him on television on October 10, 1964, Game 3 of the Worlds series. It was the bottom of the ninth. The Yankees were tied 1-1 with the St. Louis Cardinals. Mantle walked to the plate and slammed a home run on the first pitch. I was elated. I immediately took a victory lap around the house. When I hear the name Mickey Mantle, that is what I think of. However, if you are old enough to be my father, you might think of a man who could not hold his alcohol, was inclined to gambling and womanizing, and was therefore not worthy of being a role model for kids. A few years before his death, Bobby Richardson shared the gospel with Mickey. He prayed to ask Jesus to be his savior. His life seemed to then fall in line with a godly lifestyle. A few years ago, I used the name Mickey Mantle in a sermon as an illustration of heroes. After the sermon a man the age of my father told the negative things about Mickey Mantle that I had never learned from baseball cards or the newspapers. In his mind it was not an excellent name.
What makes God’s name excellent? What He has created should alone make His name excellent. When I consider the stars and moon, it sends me reeling in awe of our fantastic creator. Just the sheer size alone, mass and volume, dwarfs me in overwhelming smallness. Then I consider the complexity of how it is set in place, then I am amazed at His capacities. Why should He ever think about me? I am less than a grain of sand in the whole world in comparison to the Universe! Yet, He is mindful of us. I never think of sand, unless it annoys me. He not only constantly thinks of us, but He has made us a little like Himself. He has given us some glory and honor. He has given us the right and ability to rule over the sentient beings of this earth. Even as He rules, so can and should we. Does that make His name excellent? We are born to rule under Him. Wow! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 34
From a worldly aspect, I chose a severe mercy. I had a good paying job working for Mercury Marine with good benefits, but the Lord directed me to go to seminary in Portland, Oregon. Resigning my job, I packed up my wife and baby and headed for Portland, no job, no promise of a job, only a promise of expenses. We went. For 6 months I was without a significantly-paying job. We ran out of money after a month. For 4¾ years we were without a full-time job. The security of a job was gone; I had only the security of the Almighty God, whom I could not see with my physical eyes nor hear with my physical ears. Ah but, I can see Him with my spiritual ears and see Him with my spiritual eyes. He only said, “Trust me.” I learned in my experience that He is trustable and worth the exchange.
It is a severe mercy and a severe justice at the same time. Right up unto the very end the Lord was offering the nation mercy. Already they had filled the country with innocent blood. They had sacrificed their children to Molech making them pass through the fire. For that God said that He was taking them into captivity. Justice demanded their removal from the land. Even as the king of Babylon had overrun all the villages and cities of Israel except Lachish, Azekah and Jerusalem, and even as he laid them under siege, and even as certain doom was looming before the nation, the Lord offered them mercy. The Law had stipulated that no Hebrew could be retained as a slave. Hebrews could be kept up to six years as a hired servant, but on the seventh year they must be set free. They had not obeyed the Law. He promised that if they would just set their Hebrew slaves free, then He would look mercifully upon them. A severe mercy indeed, their economy was based on save labor. To set them free would compromise their already dying economy. They initially agreed and cut a covenant with the Lord. But they reneged on the covenant. They sealed their fate. Death and exile were now coming. A severe justice indeed.
I was sinning in rebellion to God. Sin was having its way in my life. It had laid siege to the major centers of my life. I was in its control. The Lord set before me a choice, a severe mercy or a severe justice. The severe justice? I could die in my trespasses and sins and be forever lost and separated from Him. The severe mercy? He became flesh and died in my place paying the penalty of my sin. What must I do to find mercy? He said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” In my already perishing life He said, “I want your money, your wife, your children, your parents, your lands, your cars, everything you own. Yes, I want your very life. Don’t hold anything back. Then I will give you true life.” Now that is severe mercy, both on His part (it cost Him His life) and on my part (it costs me my life). Do I value Him to be greater than my already perishing life? If so, then why am I so reluctant to let go? The Israelites refused to let go. They died. The Lord constantly lays before us choices. Of course there is the choice of receiving salvation, but there is also the choice of walking in sanctification. When I let go, I truly live! Now that is real glory. Severe mercy means denying self. I choose severe mercy; do you? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john


ACTS 16:1-21
Time Out!!! What's going on here? We've just had this big fight in Antioch that necessitated a special trip to Jerusalem on which the council decided and the decision required two envoys be sent back with Paul and Barnabas to validate their report. The issue was over circumcision--was it required to be part of the people of God. And now Paul is taking one of his associates and circumcising him in order that he might accompany him. Isn't that a classic example of saying one thing and doing another? Ah, but here again is the glory of our Lord. The issue was the requirement to be part of the people of God not the voluntarily laying down of one's rights in order to share the Gospel with them. That makes all the difference in the world.
Would I be willing to do that to share the Gospel with others? I can hear Timothy now, "Paul, you want me to do what so that I may be able to share the gospel with people who do that? But its not a requirement. This is getting awfully personal!"
I can also hear Paul's response, "Yes, but unless you do it, they won't engage in any kind of relationship with you. They will consider you unclean. In short, they will not listen to you."
Timothy was willing. For the glory of the Lord Jesus, he laid down his right not to be cut on. He allowed circumcision, while at the same time helping deliver the decree which said it was not necessary. Our Lord's glory is really awesome. He can change the heart of someone to that point of commitment all because of His glory. The Lord changes hearts!
The Lord establishes two things that seem contradictory. Outward keeping of the law is not necessary to be one of His children. He calls his children to voluntarily acts of laying down their rights related to the outward keeping of the law in order to promote His glory. Having established these things for the church-Jew and Gentile alike-, the Lord redirects Paul's ministry geographically and for the time being, mostly toward Gentiles in the Roman city of Philippi.
Our Lord changes hearts. He doesn't just lay down the law, He changes hearts. Do we get it? He loves us so much that He doesn't beat us into submission like some brute animal. But He uses our circumstances and His glory to change our hearts. Indeed, we serve a glorious king! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

July 8

JOSHUA 10
Every once in a while I get an old e-mail hoax forwarded to me. It usually has something to do with how NASA scientists have mathematically proven that there is a day missing in time. The e-mail usually associates the day with Joshua’s battle where the Sun stood still and with Isaiah”s miracle of the sun going backward. Without being a scientist, I know that NASA scientists could not have mathematically proven this. But I won’t bore you with the details. Although, it is interesting to consider how this miracle could possibly have taken place. After all, the laws of motion seem to indicate that if the Lord all-of-a-sudden stopped the earth, then everything not attached to the surface would have kept traveling and, relatively speaking, have been hurled eastward and perhaps off of the planet. There have been a few suggestions as to how the Lord may have arranged this mechanically without devastating the earth with massive tidal waves. Personally, while I find this interesting, I ultimately don’t care. After all, if my God is big enough to speak the universe into existence with all of its galactic and planetary motions, then He is able to stop the rotation of one little planet for one day and start it again and control all the laws of motion without doing harm to it. I mean, that is the point, isn’t it? He is after all, God. Do I have to be able to analyze it to believe it? I don’t think so. Sometimes we just need to let God be God, rather than trying to analyze everything.
In his book Life on the Mississippi, Mark Twain compares and contrasts two views of the river. One view is when he was a boy, and the river just awed him on a daily basis. The other view is after he had become a river boat pilot. He had so analyzed the river and knew it so well that it no longer held any wonder for him but spoke only of danger. Do I sometimes I approach the glory of my Lord in the same way? Do I have to use my western analytical mind so much that I cease to be truly awed by His glory? Can I not just sit back and be awed by the God of the Universe, who will enter time and space and reorder it, if need be, just to provide for my need and glorify Himself? Granted, making the sun stand still is probably a once-in-a-creation event, but still it causes me to reflect that our Lord is able to reorder all the daily events combining His sovereign design with the billions of free will decisions of His creatures in order to reveal His glory. From time to time He enters time and space and does something to order those events so that I know He did it. Wow! Now there is something that I just have to let awe me! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 7
There have been times in my life when I have been attacked by those whom I considered to be my brothers. While I make no claim to being sinless, in many of those instances there was no sin of my own of which I needed to repent, but rather, they were looking for fault in me because they did not like the direction we were going. It is painful indeed. What is the appropriate response?
The title to this Psalm indicates that it is a response to the words of Cush the Benjamite. Saul was a Benjamite. We can only assume that this near or distant kinsman of Saul had been slandering David. Most likely this occurred during the time before David became the king of the united kingdom. How did David respond? He first spent some time in self-evaluation. He sought to see if any of the accusations were true. How else could he say, “If I have . . . , Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me; Yes, let him trample my life to the earth, and lay my honor in the dust.” Then he appeals to the Lord to rise up and judge. He asks for a judgment of the wicked. Finally, he rests in the fact that God is a just judge. He is angry with the wicked every day. He lets it go there.
Hmm. . . if God is angry with those who have inappropriately judged me, why should I be angry with them. If I really believe that God is a just judge, it is only right that I should rejoice in justice, but why should I take their punishment into my own hands? I would not want to be a sinner in the hands of an angry God. He is much more capable of punishing sin than I am. He is also much more capable of extending mercy than I am. It is His glory to extend both as needed. The appropriate response to being attacked is to spend time in letting God judge me and reveal to me my heart. Then it is appropriate to call upon Him to judge. Then it is appropriate to revel in the fact that He is a just and merciful judge. When I do that, it allows for others to see the operation of His justice and His mercy. It also allows for greater healing in my life. Lord, search me and try me and show me any hurtful way. Judge me and those around me. You are a just judge! Be merciful in judgment! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 33
Yesterday, Jeremiah 32, could be summed up by saying, “When you are in the pits, it is time to look at the long term work of God, not your momentary distress. What is God seeking to accomplish?” Today, Jeremiah 33, we continue in sort of the same vein. Jeremiah is still in the court prison for speaking in the name of the Lord. If the choice were left to me, I wouldn’t want to be a prison Inmate anywhere. Yet it is in this prison that the Lord challenges Jeremiah, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” The KJV Commentary describes Mighty as: “Mighty. Inaccessible, hidden. The mysteries of eternity are available to the believer only through a call unto the Lord. “ Inaccessible—how many times have felt like the situation was hopeless only to find later that the Lord was working through the situation to produce a result which was far better than I thought the situation would lead? How could Jeremiah ever be delivered out prison? He was in the court prison because he was preaching a message that was tantamount to sedition and treason. If the Chaldeans were not effective in their siege, then Jeremiah would remain in prison. If they were effective, the nation would surely perish and become nothing on the face of the earth. It is literally the old saying of, “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.”
So what is this inaccessible, hidden thing that the Lord shows Jeremiah? It is simply the goodness and the mercy of the Lord. He will raise up out of the rubble a nation that will properly respond to the Lord. How will He do it? It will be a man, a God-man, the descendant of David. He will be called a righteous branch. While Israel was destroyed because of its unrighteousness, He will provide One who will make them righteous. While Israel was destroyed because of its unrighteous kings, He will provide a righteous King who will rule over them. You see, He had made two covenants one with the Levites and one with David. The Levites, which technically included the priests, were the family that was supposed to bring the people to the temple, and cover their sin. The line of David was supposed to rule in such a way that it led the people in righteous living. Both families had failed. Could God no longer keep His covenant? He would keep His covenant because He is good and full of mercy. He kept it in the God-man, Jesus Christ. Jesus, through the sacrifice of Himself, makes us righteous when we yield to Him. Jesus, through His eternal Spirit, empowers us, rules in us, when we yield to Him. When He returns, He will also establish a nation where He will be the true King. He would like to see that happen in His church right now. The availability of the New Covenant makes it possible. Will we yield? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 15:22-41
It feels like dissension could never bring glory to Jesus. And it is probably true that Jesus prefers that His glory be increased through routes other than dissension. But, even people who are normally Spirit-filled sometimes miss the mark and sin. The dissension at Antioch brought the landmark decision from the "home" church in Jerusalem. James writing for the majority (actually among the apostles it was probably unanimous) phrased it as, "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us." Dissension led to a unanimous decision, which led to a blessing upon the Gentile church.
The dissension now healed, Paul and Barnabas return their attention on planting churches among the Gentiles. Woops, dissension arises again. Barnabas wants to take his nephew John Mark with them again. Paul is dead set against it. After all John Mark had revealed that he didn't have what it takes in Perga of Pamphylia--he deserted them and went home. Barnabas ever the 'Son of Encouragement' insists John Mark has repented and is ready for the task. The dissension is too strong. Barnabas departs to go a different direction with John Mark and Paul chooses Silas who accompanied them from the Jerusalem Council. How can this dissension glorify Jesus? In the long run, there are now two missionary teams instead of one and John Mark is restored. At the end of Paul's life he requests the ministry of John Mark.
Did the dissension bring glory to the Lord? What came out of the dissension brought glory to the Lord. That is just like our Lord. He takes what we make bad and if we trust Him, He will bring glory to Himself. Indeed, we serve a glorious king! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

July 7

JOSHUA 9
Many liberal theologians speak negatively of the Old Testament as a “bloody religion.” They speak this in reference to the sacrificial system, but more negatively they speak of it in reference to command of the Lord to kill the inhabitants of Canaan and other similar commands. They (liberal theologians) seem to leave you with the impression that the Canaanites were innocent people who did not deserve to be killed or kicked out of the land. But consider this, many of the Canaanites practiced child sacrifice. Also, consider what the Lord told Abraham in Genesis 15:15-16: “Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” If you don’t know, the Amorites are one of the seven ethnic groups that lived in Canaan. By the time that the Israelites were delivered from Egypt their immorality had advanced to the point that they deserved to be kicked out of the land.
Another problem with the so-called innocence of the Canaanites is that many assume that the Canaanites were given no warning or option. But listen to what the Gibeonites said,
“Because your servants were clearly told that the LORD your God commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; therefore we were very much afraid for our lives because of you, and have done this thing.
Clearly they had been warned and had the options of pleading for mercy or fleeing the land. This is a picture of our need in salvation. We stand wholly destitute in front of a Holy God in need of mercy. We have no option but plead for mercy for salvation. We cannot flee the land for where can we flee from God? We have been warned. All of creation points to fact that we have offended a Holy God. All of Scripture points to the fact that we have offended a Holy God. If we will not yield to the revelation of nature and the revelation of Scripture, there is no remedy. There is no mercy. He is a just God.
But praise be to the name of the Lord Jesus, we can call out to the Father for mercy and He freely gives it to us in Christ. We need not and cannot resort to deception. We simply become aware of our need. We repent and believe. Then His mercy and grace are applied to us. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 6
I began my first class of seminary when I was 25, almost 26. I walked across the stage to receive my diploma when I had just turned 30, little over 4 years of constant toil. To a 25-30 year-old, 4 years seems a long time. Working full-time, going to graduate school full-time, having a family, and spending 10 hours a week in ministry was very wearying to the body, mind and spirit. When 2 years were completed and there were still 2 more years to go, it seemed that I had been working forever and that eternity stretched out before me. I was weak, and my bones were troubled. The question was, “How long O Lord?”
David was in a worse situation. He knows that he is guilty of sin for he cries out, “Do not chasten me in Your displeasure!” Could this be one of the Psalms that he penned after lusting after Bathsheba or wrongfully taking the census? Or could it be just some other occasion of which we are not informed of his sin? After all, he is a man of bloodshed, a man who had a minimum of 8 wives. He was a man full of passion—not just sexual passion. Perhaps his guilt is in one of those other areas of unbridled passion. Whatever his guilt, it is immaterial to the Psalm. In his misery he cries out, “How long O Lord?”
Tell me, was his question directed toward how long the Lord would put up with his mess or how long until he would be delivered? He desired to be healed of the trouble. Am I troubled by my sin, or do I push it off and cover it up in hopes that it will go away? Do I want to be healed of it, not just forgiven for it, but healed of it? Do I want it departed from me?
One thing that David knows is that it is the presence of the Lord that heals. He cries out, “Return to me!” When all other remedies lead to death, and we recognize that they lead to death, then we can honestly cry out, “Return to me, deliver me!” It is in that time of vulnerability that the Lord returns.
In that self-revelation of truth, that vulnerable moment, he makes the decision, “Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!” David wants no part in being tempted back into participating in his former state. He wants to walk worthy of the Lord. That is when the Lord meets him and delivers him.
After two years of seminary, it seemed that I had endured an eternity and had another eternity to go. How long? I called upon the Lord and kept on the path that He had revealed. Laura prayed for me and helped me. The Lord met me and enabled me to keep on pursuing Him and His course of action. He delivered me. That is always the case. Even when I am guilty of sin, He waits for me to come again to that point of repentance where I can honestly say, “Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!” Why? Because only in that state, can I truly be interested in His glory. It is no longer about me and only about Him. There is one day when He will judge the world. Those who have never come to that point of repentance, to them He will say, “Depart from me you workers of iniquity.”
That is His glory. He will exchange my iniquity for His glory if I will repent and believe. He will empower me to live as He directs. He will judge those who do not. That is His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 32
“A piece of property is worth what someone is willing to pay for it.” It is a common saying that I have heard from realtors; maybe you’ve heard it too. When I moved to Oak Island, NC, in January of 1995, almost any interior lot could be purchased for $7,000.00—$8,000.00. But alas, I did not have the spare money to purchase one, and the bank would not loan me the money. In January of 2006 real estate speculators had driven up the price of lots on Oak Island. Lots could not be found for less than $250,000.00. Before that happened, the Lord had provided several lots for me on the mainland in Boiling Spring Lakes. Two of them, through the help of an interested party, I was able to purchase for $1,000.00 each in 1997. A couple of years later I was able to purchase the adjacent lot for $5,000.00. Eventually the real estate speculation migrated over to the mainland. Lots like mine were selling for as much as $45,000.00, but then the bubble burst. By June of 2006 nobody was buying anything. About that time the Lord began to make it clear to me that I should move back to Oklahoma. But Lord, I said, ”It is financially irresponsible to move without a job and maintaining a mortgage on house here in a market where the house will not sell.” He has since proven to me that nothing is too difficult for Him.
Jeremiah found himself in a similar situation. The nation was occupied by an invading army. No one was buying fields or lands anywhere; after all, the Babylonians would be taking everything anyway. The Lord said to him, “Go buy your uncle’s fields.” Jeremiah knew that the fields were worthless. They would be worthless until the Babylonians left and the land was once again Israel’s. It looked hopeless! But it is in the middle of this realization that Jeremiah cries out,

Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. . . . You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings.

Somehow, God would release them from the yoke of bondage they were in. Sometime down the road the lands would once again be of value. What seemed impossible, God would do. Are you facing something impossible? Nothing is too hard for the great and mighty God. His counsel may seem foolish to you, but it always works out in the long run. I still own my lots in NC. My house burned down, but God delivered me through it, and moved me to Oklahoma. When you are in the pits, it is time to look at the long term work of God, and not your momentary distress. Nothing is too difficult for Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 15:1-21
2,000 years of tradition from Abraham & Moses is hard to break. As a pastor I am aware that even 20 years of tradition is hard to break. How do you break a tradition and mindset that represents over 50,000 people and 2,000 years of passing from generation to generation? Only our glorious Lord could do such a thing. The tradition was that the Gentiles could not be part of God's people unless they were circumcised as were the Jews. For 2,000 years circumcision had been the sign that your family was part of God's covenant people. It is the glory of our Lord to change it without causing a split in the congregation. He did it in such a way that it could not be refuted. First, he sent the Holy Spirit upon the Jews at Pentecost with visible and audible evidence to demonstrate that they knew the Lord. Then, He converted Saul with the purpose of making him a light to the Gentiles. Then. He gave Cornelius, a Gentile, and Peter, the leading Jew, simultaneous visions. Then, He poured the Holy Spirit out upon Cornelius & household just as he had done for the Jews at Pentecost. Then, He sent a mighty movement among the Gentiles in Antioch and Asia Minor raising up Paul (Saul) to plant churches of converts in city after city. Now the rub starts. Do these new coverts have to be circumcised or do they not? 2,000 years of tradition says they do. Paul and Barnabas say absolutely not! What do we do? Take it to the top! The case is laid out. Peter speaks. Paul & Barnabas speak. James the apparent head of the church in Jerusalem speaks. He confirms not only the experience of Peter & Paul but he quotes the Scripture in support of the Gentiles coming to God through Jesus without needing circumcision. God usually works that way. We may have experiences that we deem valid. But if it is from God, our experience never contradicts God's Word. Sometimes His word is a little confusing to us, but as James says, "Known to God from eternity are all His works." That is His glory. If we could always figure out His works, it wouldn't be all that glorious, would it? At times his ways are strange to us because He is the Creator and we are the Creature. Its kind of like the title of the song Intimate Stranger. On the one hand we have great intimacy with Him because of His blood. On the other hand He is the Eternal God. We cannot figure Him out. His ways are strange to ours. Indeed, we serve a glorious king! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

July 6

JOSHUA 8
“According to the commandment of the LORD you shall do.” As communicated in earlier meditations, the killing of people is no longer part of God’s plan for His people. So what do we do with this? The conquest of Canaan is a type of spiritual warfare that we experience now. How do we deal with the enemy of our spiritual flesh? We kill it, thoroughly and completely according to the commandment of the Lord. When we do this, He leads us in victory. He leads us into the valley of Shechem between Mt. Gerazim and Mt. Ebal where we see the provision that Jesus has for us. There the cursings and the blessings of the law are fulfilled in Jesus, and as we are in Him, they are fulfilled in us. This is His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 5
I was once a machining floor inspector at Mercury Marine. The basic idea of quality control at that time was that when a machine was set up to run a process, the inspector would examine a part produced by the machine. If the part met all of the specifications, then they could begin performing that process on the part. Periodically during the run of that process, the operator of the machine was required to check for the quality of the process. The inspector would make rounds of the different machines to consider each process and to determine if the parts met the standards. If they did, then everything was fine. If they did not, then the operator and foreman would be informed; the process would be stopped until corrections were made. The parts produced since the last inspection would be individually inspected until the point was found where the parts were properly machined. Some machine operators were always nervous when I came around. For various reasons, they did not like having their work inspected. Others did not care. They had confidence that their work met the required standard. The inspection only confirmed their confidence.
“Consider my meditation.” Would you be able to declare with David the same request? How could David make such a request? After all, he was a man of bloodshed. The common declaration of Him was, “Saul has slain his thousands, but David his ten thousands.” When Nabal refused to reward David’s men for their volunteer work, David strapped on his sword and was on the road with his men to kill him, and he would have if Abigail had not interceded. He had Uriah killed in order to cover up his adultery. It sounds pretty blood thirsty to me. David had seven or eight wives before he ever met Bathsheba. It sounds pretty lustful to me. Adultery and blood thirstiness begin in the mind. How could David request God to consider his meditation?
David knew God’s character well enough to know that he (David) was flawed. He knew that in the process of life, he needed correction. He knew that God is also merciful enough that if he daily came into the presence of the almighty King, he would receive the mercy that he needed for the meditations of His heart and the grace that he needed to follow the corrections that needed to be made. He had to make it a daily morning cry, or his heart would lead him out of God’s specifications. He knew that he was a man of bloodshed and that he needed the Lord to lead him into righteousness. He knew that he was an adulterous man and that he needed the Lord to straighten him out. Was he not afraid of the wrath of this stern God? Yes he was, but he was also convinced of His mercy. He knew God well enough to know that he had to come to Him.
Why then did David go into adultery with Bathsheba and murder Uriah? I can only think that as years progressed, He let that morning appointment, that morning correction go fallow. Bit by bit the glory of God was obscured in His meditations. Step by step he let himself be carried away. Without realizing it, his morning meditations were no longer God centered but David centered. Like the frog in the kettle he did not realize that the water was heating up. Only when it was too late, did he realize it. Only after the prophet came to correct him, did he come to his senses.
But praise to our Lord, He does forgive. That is part of his glory! Even though David was forgiven, he still had to live with the horrible consequences of his sin. Let us never use God’s forgiveness as a justification for permission to sin. But let us not shrink from God because we think he will not forgive. Let us daily enter into fellowship with Him inviting Him to consider our meditation. In so doing we enter into His joy and love His name. He in turn defends us and surrounds us with His shield. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 31
What kind of love is this?:
Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. 4Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel!
An everlasting love, it is a love that called in conquerors to defeat the nation and city. It is a love that has caused famine and pestilence. It is a love that demands purity in its object. It is a love that will stop at nothing to refine its object. It is a love that never lets go. It is a love that desires its object to return the love by being satisfied with His goodness. It is a love that yearns for its object. It is a love that yearns for faithfulness in its object. It is a love that satisfies its object. It is a love that even required the death of His own Son in order to purify its object. It is a love that uses that death to write His law upon the heart of the one He loves. It is a love that forgives iniquity, and sin. It is a love that chooses to never bring to mind again the sin that its object committed against Him. What kind of love is this?
I have been receiving about 3 calls a day M-F from people wanting help with rent/utilities/food/ gasoline. What kind of love either permits or designs for those things to happen to those people? I usually ask a series of questions. One is, “Do you have a church home? “ If they do, I want their church home to help them. If they do not, I usually tell them, “We prefer to help people with whom we have relationships. We would like to get to know you by you coming to our worship service or one of our Bible Studies.” That weeds out some of those who are not willing to think about a love that would permit or design a hardship in order to draw them to Himself. When they come it gives us an opportunity to speak the word into their lives. It gives opportunity to reveal the love that Jesus really has for them. It is not the candy store variety of love. Yes, His love is sweet, but it is also as hard as nails. It molds; it disciplines; it demands perfection. But it also does what it takes to provide perfection. That love is passionate. This is that of which this chapter of Jeremiah speaks. Wow! What a glorious love! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 14
The glory of Jesus is never without witness. He is the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them. He is good all the time. He regularly sends rain from heaven and fruitful seasons. He fills our hearts with food and gladness. Yet on special occasions He performs signs and wonders, different from His daily acts of goodness. These acts thrill our souls. Perhaps you are one or have known someone who was miraculously healed by the Lord or had some mighty act done for you. Are these any less glorious than the daily things He does for us? If you really stop to think about it, no they aren't. They are just not as frequent.
In the midst of the mighty acts, Satan is always working. In the ones we see every day, he deceives us into believing that they are mundane and not glorious. In the infrequent ones, he stirs up opposition to rip our sails and cease our momentum. So it is with Paul. He is stoned and left for dead. You can be sure Satan, the world and the flesh were all behind that. But the Lord's glory will not be hidden. Jesus raised up Paul. Having been stoned and left for dead, Paul encourages the believers in Derbe with these words, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God."
Jesus is indeed glorified when He does infrequent mighty acts through us. However, which is easier, to follow a leader who is winning battle after battle with very little casualties, or to follow a leader who says you must constantly be a casualty through your lifetime before you may share in His glory? I think we would all prefer the former and avoid the latter. And yet, if that leader is so loved by His subjects that they would constantly be casualties for the sake of His glory, which leader is more glorious? I think the love and loyalty of the latter would make the glory of that leader more precious. That is what Jesus is doing in this passage and in our lives. But it is difficult to follow Him if we focus on the pain and not upon His glory. Indeed, we serve a glorious king! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John