All in a Day's Work

Luke 3:7-18  NKJV
7 Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 9 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10 So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?”
11 He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.”
12 Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”
13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.”
14 Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?”
So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”
15 Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, 16 John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”
18 And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for sending John to prepare Your way.  Your earthly cousin proclaimed a heavenly message that resounds yet with conviction and relevance. 

William Barclay describes John's disposition this way:  "It was John's conviction that nowhere can a man serve God better than in his days' work" (In The Gospel of Luke, 1953, p. 30).

I need that message.  John addressed his audience of working people saying simply, "Repentance is an action."  Oh yes, he called people to a change of heart, but then he challenged them to demonstrate repentance with a reversal of life direction, an about face, a 180 degree turn.  "Give out of your plenty to those who have nothing.  Clothe the naked. Feed the hungry.  Engage in fair business practices.  Don't bully and intimidate others into submission.  Don't levy false charges upon the innocent.  Be content with your salary." 

Could John's message be more relevant for today?  In a world filled with contrasting excess and need, an absence of integrity, cruelty, control, character assassination, and covetousness, I need to hear a rugged message of repentance.

"Repentance is an action."

Help me to serve You today through my work.  I have appointments to keep, letters to write, phone calls to make, meetings to attend.  I have duties to perform for Your glory.  In my workday, convict me where I must reverse my direction.  Teach me the grace of humility that is the foundation of true repentance.  Teach me to make the simple proclamation, "I am wrong." 

"Repentance is an action." 

Thank You for the joy and fulfillment I find in working for You.  Thank You for a place to serve with purpose and intention.  Thank You for the privilege of serving alongside other people who make me better, not only in character, but also in service. 

Every day is a big day, a full day, a challenging day.  Empower me to serve You and others in a spirit of humility and servanthood today.

In the Name of my Creator who shaped me for His work,

Amen.

A Courier for the King!

Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.

Isaiah 40:1-5 “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God.
2 “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the Lord’s hand Double for all her sins.”
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth;
5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

John 1:6-9 "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world."

John 1:19-28 "Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, 'Who are you?'
20 "He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, 'I am not the Christ.'
21 "And they asked him, 'What then? Are you Elijah?'
"He said, 'I am not.'
"'Are you the Prophet?'
"And he answered, 'No.'
22 "Then they said to him, 'Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?'
23 "He said: 'I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said.'
"24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, saying, 'Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?'
26 "John answered them, saying, 'I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27 It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.'
28 "These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing."

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

I have been pondering the role of John the Baptist as the forerunner of Jesus.  As I have pondered, I have been stirred to thanks, wonder, and personal challenge as to what I must do as a courier for Christ.

John was obedient.  He humbly accepted the role of forerunner to the Christ, but humbly refused the title of "prophet." He was often alone.  Obedience to the Father's call drove him to the deserts. Perhaps he studied with the Essenes, the third sect of first century Judaism, near Qumran. His emphasis upon light and darkness, repentance, and baptism seems to reflect the Essenes' influence. John embraced the image of being an oddity.  He was counter-culture in an age, much like our own, that insisted upon conformity to social prescriptions.

William Barclay writes: "So John is regarded as the courier of the king. But the preparation on which he insisted was a preparation of heart and of life. 'The king is coming,' he said. 'Mend, not your roads, but your lives.' There is laid on everyone of us the duty to make life fit for the King to see" (Barclay in The Gospel of Luke, 1953, p. 27).

You have challenged me with John's example of obedience, courage, and challenging the prevailing culture's assumptions through Your Word. Empower me to call people to "Mend, not your roads, but your lives." Help me to build a life that is fit for You to see.  

In the Name of the King who is coming,

Amen.

There's a Wideness in God's Mercy

There’s a wideness in God’s mercy,
Like the wideness of the sea;
There’s a kindness in His justice,
Which is more than liberty.

There is no place where earth’s sorrows
Are more felt than up in Heaven;
There is no place where earth’s failings
Have such kindly judgment given.

There is welcome for the sinner,
And more graces for the good;
There is mercy with the Savior;
There is healing in His blood.

There is grace enough for thousands
Of new worlds as great as this;
There is room for fresh creations
In that upper home of bliss.

For the love of God is broader
Than the measure of our mind;
And the heart of the Eternal
Is most wonderfully kind.

There is plentiful redemption
In the blood that has been shed;
There is joy for all the members
In the sorrows of the Head.

’Tis not all we owe to Jesus;
It is something more than all;
Greater good because of evil,
Larger mercy through the fall.

If our love were but more simple,
We should take Him at His word;
And our lives would be all sunshine
In the sweetness of our Lord.

Souls of men! why will ye scatter
Like a crowd of frightened sheep?
Foolish hearts! why will ye wander
From a love so true and deep?

It is God: His love looks mighty,
But is mightier than it seems;
’Tis our Father: and His fondness
Goes far out beyond our dreams.

But we make His love too narrow
By false limits of our own;
And we magnify His strictness
With a zeal He will not own.

Was there ever kinder shepherd
Half so gentle, half so sweet,
As the Savior who would have us
Come and gather at His feet?

(Frederick W. Faber 1854)

Perpetual Surrender

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Father,

I heard Dr. Phil Speas repeatedly say that "The trouble with living sacrifices is that they tend to crawl off the altar."

I want to remain yielded to you.  I want to stay on Your altar.

The Hebrew high priest slit the throat of the animal sacrifice at temple, drained the blood into a basin, dressed and washed the sacrifice.  Then, piece by piece, the sacrifice was offered to God upon the perpetually burning flames of the altar. As the life-giving blood was let, the animal's will to resist slipped away.

You don't slit my throat, but You do call me to a cross where I must die to myself.  This spiritual death to self opens me to Your purging flame of Your Holy Spirit to sanctify my heart and life.

But, "The trouble with living sacrifices is that they tend to crawl off the altar."

"God, You pull the strings in my life.  When I put my hands back on my life, You rap my knuckles until I once again surrender to you so that You are in full control of my life and can make me what You want me to be and what I was destined to be"  (Dr. Dennis Kinlaw, This Day with the Master, December 30).

I am Yours.  Any credit or glory from anything good out of my life goes to You.  I refuse to touch the controls, the glory, or doubt Your leadership in my appointed steps.  I choose to obey You as best as I understand Your leadership.  I rest in the assurance of Your Presence.

In the Name of my Lord who demands and accepts my full surrender with purging purity and power,
Amen.

Freedom in Relationship

Ronald C. Calhoun:  "There is a positive and negative side to living life in the image of God, the negative necessitated by the positive.  On the positive side, there is  a freedom for or openneess to the other person, divine or human, wherein one stands in a condition of integrity before the other without hiddenness or deception.  On the negative side, there is a freedom from or closedness to self-domination and earth domination (domination of things), which, if they were allowed, would cancel out the intended openness between oneself and God and oneself and the other human person." (In Ronald C. Calhoun's Life in the Image of God: the Sermon on the Mount as a Hillside Holiness Message, Westbow Press, 2013).

The Great Invitation

Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Isaiah 55:1-2 Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

Thank you for Your invitation to come.  You invite all to come to You.  Having heard Your call to "Come!" You invite us to take up the the refrain, repeating Your Great Invitation: "Come!"  You invite every thirsty soul, parched for the water of life, to come. 

I imagine sojourners traversing a desert.  Finding an oasis spring of water, one cries to another "Come!"  No one is angered by the invitation.  The opposite is true.  The only anger comes from the uninvited, the uninformed, and the omitted.  

Barclay writes: "'The Spirit and the Bride say: Come!' means that Christ and Christ's Church join in the invitation to accept all that Jesus has to offer... The word 'Come!' has to be taken up and repeated by every hearer...  Here is the great truth that every Christian is to be a missionary...  He who has received the invitation of Christ himself must pass on that invitation to others; he who has been found by Christ must find others for Christ; the invited must become the inviter and the found must become the finder" (William Barclay in The Revelation of John, vol. 2, 1959, p. 293).

Lord, I have received Your Great Invitation!  I have heard and heeded Your call.  My thirst is quenched in You.  Life has meaning and hope, in You.  But all too often, I rationalize my own cowardice: "I should not pressure others to come to the water of life.  They're busy.  They seem happy enough.  They may be offended by my invitation."  So, I remain silent.  Or, am I selfishly hoarding the oasis spring to myself?

Come!  Everybody's welcome!  Help me to extend Your Great Invitation to others who are just as thirsty as I.

I hear Holy Trinity's invitation: "Come!" Now I take up the chant, the cheer, the chorus... the Great Invitation.

In the Name of the Great Inviter!

Amen.

Wuddup dawg?

Revelation 22:14-15 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

A number of years ago, the term "dog" became a term of derisive affection between young adult males in the hip-hop culture. Entertainment culture promoted the term "dog" and it rapidly went viral, becoming mainstream slang.

The term dog, when used in reference for a person indicates "a person regarded as unpleasant, contemptible, or wicked."

For years I have found my sensibilities jarred by the use of the term "dog" among young males. I suppose my reading of the Bible has been most instrumental in sensitizing me.

For example, Jesus referred to the Gentiles as dogs in Matthew 7:6 when he said: “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces." Paul referred to the Judaizers who legalistically demanded that Christians adhere to the Hebrew law of circumcision as "dogs": "Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!" (Philippians 3:2).  

In the Bible, calling someone a "dog" was not a compliment or term of affection!  It was a derisive insult that had overtones of damning that one to Hell's eternal torment!

William Barclay elaborates on the Hebrew concept of "dog." He writes: "The dog was the symbol for everything that was savage and unclean." (William Barclay in The Revelation of John, vol. 2, 1959, p. 290).

Deuteronomy 23:18 says: "You shall not bring the hire of a harlot or the wages of a dog into the house of the Lord your God in payment for any vow."  This command from the Hebrew law makes it clear that money acquired through prostitution is not acceptable for a gift to God in His house.  Then, the law makes a seemingly dense declaration against the "wages of a dog."  What does that mean?

Barclay indicates that "In the ancient temples there were not only female sacred prostitutes, there were also male sacred prostitutes; and these male prostitutes were commonly called dogs. Dog can denote a thoroughly immoral person, and that may be its meaning here." (Ibid., 291).  It seems that the prohibition of a whore contributing her profits to God was extended to the male prostitute as well. Thus, the Hebrew law offers us a glimpse into the holiness of God and His design for His Creation.  

People are not dogs.  Humans are created by God in imago dei--the image of God.  The glory of God's image, however marred by humanities fall into sin, still lingers in the grand design of God's Creation!   Bear His image well.  Seek the fulfillment of a life embracing Your Creator's intent.  The One who made you knows you best.  

Do You Want to be Beautiful?

Psalm 29:1-2 Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones,Give unto the Lord glory and strength. 2 Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Revelation 22:1-5 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. 4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 5 There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

Precious Lord and Savior,

My eyes have seen incredible beauty.  I have enjoyed the natural beauty of hills and mountains for most of my life. I remember driving across the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park, Montana USA.  The mountains, cliffs, and glacier carved valleys stirred me to worship. A young fawn on wobbly feet struggling to follow its mother...  A weekday drive through the rugged landscape of the Red River Gorge... A sunset in the western horizon of the river valley of the North Fork... perhaps the most lovely valley in all of East Kentucky, my Appalachian homeland.  Thank You for natural beauty.

My granddaughter's unrestrained laughter.  My grandson's expression of delight at his first few unsteady steps.  My daughter dressed in white on her wedding day.  My wife's welcoming, loving smile when I return home from a long day.  My mother and father at prayer around family altar.  My son preaching passionately.  A group of earnest, young collegians seeking God at a revival altar.  The deeply creased face of an aged saint exalting Your name in praise and thanksgiving. Unparalleled beauty.

And then there is You!  You created beauty for our enjoyment, yet You are more radiant and beautiful than all.  William Barclay suggests that the sight of God produces perfect worship and perfect consecration (Barclay in The Revelation of John, vol. 2, 1959, p. 284).  Draw me to worship and full surrender in Your beautiful Presence right now.

But what will heaven's beauty be like?  The curse of sin will be abolished.  The corruptible will become eternally incorruptible.  The once cursed will be eternally blessed.  The infected will be made perfectly whole.  The spoiled will be made forever preserved by Your grace.  The sick will be healed. The dead will live.  Holiness shall reign. Beauty shall be the norm.  The flawed shall be perfected in You!  

Such beauty is blinding in its glory!

Make me beautiful to You.  Start that work of grace in time, and complete it in eternity.  May the beauty of Your holiness be reflected in my character today, for Your glory.

In the name of my beautiful Lord,

Amen.

Grow me in the darkness

Revelation 21:3-4 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Dear God,

I am reluctant to admit it, but I have known my share of pain, grief, and suffering.  When I read the accounts of early church fathers, saints, and martyrs for their faith, my suffering seems miniscule in comparison, but it is, nevertheless, excruciatingly real to me.  

Your omniscient observation, Your ever-seeing eye never misses a thing.  Jesus said that Triune God knows me so intimately that You number the hair on my head!  You know my experiences, my feelings, my sins, my joys, my sorrows, and Your perfect judgment of my heart's condition.  I need that today.  

I have episodes of darkness in which I plod forward.  Life in the shadows of darkness includes Satanic attacks of fear, doubt, and hopelessness.  I suppose everyone grapples with these dark muses from time to time, and some more than others, but I find myself loathing these seasons.  It seems that Your Presence, or at least my inability to discern You is muted in the darkness. 

I need You to come alongside me and make Yourself known.  Be my Light in the darkness.  Walk with me in the shadows.  Whisper to me in prayer.  Teach me through Your Word.  Cleanse me through Your Son's blood.  Empower me through Your Holy Spirit.  Humble me.  Exalt me.  Instill me with confidence in You. Grow me in the darkness. Make Your Presence real and known to me.  

Although, my sense of Your Presence is real, it seems fleeting.  Moments of intimacy are followed by seasons of walking doggedly with heavy steps.  I long not for emotional euphoria, but for sustained intimacy with You.

"God is to make His tabernacle with men for ever and ever... Life in heaven will be nothing other than life permanently in the presence of God...  The highest promise of all is intimate fellowship with God, in which we can say: 'I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine' (SS 6:3)." (William Barclay in The Revelation of John, vol. 2, 1959, p. 259-260).

But I need You now!  I am waiting in Your Presence, not to manipulate You, but to experience You. Grace me with Yourself amidst my tears.  Come alongside me with Your comforting step. Nudge my direction, my attitudes, my words, my silence.

I am Yours.  You are mine.  I love You.  Walk with me.  Cast Your Light across my path.  Be real to me today.  Be near.  My hope is in You.

Amen.

"The Lamb is the Light!"

Revelation 21:22-23 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.

God of Light and Glory,

I worship You. You created light on the first day of Creation. You place an eternal priority on light. Your Son, Jesus, declared, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" (John 8:12).

Darkness surrounds me.  You shatter the darkness with the radiant Light of Your Presence.  Your Light grants me wisdom, insight, direction, knowledge, discernment, judgment, and understanding. Barclay wrote:  "Only when we see things in the light of God, do we see things as they are. Some things which seem vastly important are seen to be unimportant when seen in the light of God. Some things which seem permissible enough are seen to be dangerous when seen in the light of God. Some things which seem unbearable are seen to be a path to glory when seen in the light of God" (William Barclay in The Revelation of John, vol. 2, 1959, p. 276).

Illuminate my world with Your Light.  Help me to see accurately Your Reality, as You shine Your radiant Light into my reality.  As the angel swept John up into a vision of the New Jerusalem, sweep me up into You, where Your Light shines clearly.  

I am faced with decisions where right and wrong are difficult to discern.  Shine Your Light, Lamb of God.  

I am faced with problems that I don't know how to solve.  Shine Your Light, Lamb of God.

I am faced with interpersonal conflict and misunderstanding.  Shine Your Light, Lamb of God.

I am faced with pressing issues that seem large to me, which in light of eternity, may actually be small and insignificant.  Shine Your Light, Lamb of God.

I have lost loved ones who do not know Jesus as their Savior.  Shine Your Light, Lamb of God.

I have friends and associates who claim Christ, but are living sterile, self-centered lives.  Shine Your Light, Lamb of God.

I live in a sin-darkened world, where I long for hope and deliverance in You.  Shine Your Light, Lamb of God.

When You shine, I can see.  When You illuminate my path, I can step.  When You reveal Truth, I can believe.  

You can certainly blind with the brilliance of Your luminosity.  You expose beauty and luster with the glare of Your Light.  You glow with welcome and warmth.  You dazzle with dawn.  You delight with dusk.  You are Light.

Shine on me.  Glow in me.  Reveal through me.  Light of the World, illumine me.

In the Name of the brilliant, blazing Light--the Lamb of God,

Amen.

"Isn't she beautiful!"

Revelation 21:2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Hebrews 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things
than that of Abel.

Psalm 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:  May they prosper who love you.

Dear Father,

Your holy city, Jerusalem, has long been a battleground for power.  Situated at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa, she is at the intersection of international conflict.  Yet, from the vantage point of the Mount of Olives, her beauty glistens and sparkles under a clear Israeli sky!  Only then, have I ever had a sense of what all of the fuss is about.  From a distance, she is beautiful.

But up close?  Blood has stained her altars and her streets.  Sacrifice to deities from Baal to Allah and Jehovah have disgraced and graced her holy mountain.  Yet, your undying love for Jerusalem persists.

Today, her streets are torn with division.  Old city, new city.  Jewish, Christian, and Islamic sectors. The constant specter of death hangs in the air.  Russian threatens. Hezbollah threatens. Syria, Iraq, Egypt, and Isis threaten.

Yet the hope remains!

The persistent hope of the centuries, by Jews and Christians alike, is for a new Jerusalem. Jesus showed that hope to Saint John in the Revelation. "Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."

"Here is faith! Even when Jerusalem was obliterated, the Jews never lost confidence that God would restore it" (William Barclay in The Revelation of John, vol. 2, 1959, p. 258).  And a new, more glistening and beautiful version than ever seen before is coming.  John exclaims, "Isn't she beautiful!" Like a pure bride, "adorned for her husband," Jesus Christ--The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world--she steps out of heaven's preparation room and gracefully approaches her Bridegroom!

So, I pray for the "peace of Jerusalem today," and the hope of a New Jerusalem for tomorrow.

Shalom and Amen.

A Greater House!

Zechariah 2:1-5  Then I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2 So I said, “Where are you going?”
And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.”
3 And there was the angel who talked with me, going out; and another angel was coming out to meet him, 4 who said to him, “Run, speak to this young man, saying: ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it. 5 For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’”

Haggai 2:9 "'The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,' says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the Lord of hosts."

Dear God,

I hold these promises from Your Word as precious jewels.  I keep them very close to my heart.  Both of Your prophets, Zechariah and Haggai, are describing the restoration and rebuilding of Jerusalem and Your temple on Mount Zion.  Both are talking about worshiping You.

You have blessed these promises to me for Wesley Biblical Seminary.  Zechariah's vision of the unfortified Jerusalem and Your promise to "be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst" gave me reassurance for WBS when we sold our building where we had been located since 1999.  I sense Your promise to be our protection and indwelling Presence as we embark on an adventure of being a "Seminary without Walls!"

We are preparing to move WBS to the East Wing of our sixteen year location, but we are now renters.  I am clinging to Your promise that just as You promised Your "glory in her midst" for Jerusalem, You are the "glory in the midst" of WBS, a "vine of Your planting."  We must have Your glory resting upon us.  

And today, I read the promise of greater glory, from Haggai.  Haggai was longing for a new temple in the broken down city of Jerusalem.  Returning from captivity, the desolation was haunting.  You promised Haggai a temple of greater glory!

I need Your greater glory!  Wesley Biblical Seminary needs Your greater glory!  Without Your glory resting upon us, we are simply another school talking about lofty and impractical ideas.  With Your glory, hearts are being transformed and set aflame with Your holy love to evangelize lost souls, lead believers into the deeper life of Christian holiness, and make disciples in every nation.  The ideas and ideals proclaimed in our classrooms become aflame, transforming every life impacted through our mission.  

So, as we prepare to move to consolidated, freshly redecorated space in the East Wing of our building, we go in a quest for Your greater glory.  As You filled Solomon's temple with Your glory at its dedication, fill us, fill our offices, fill our classrooms.  Indwell us with Your greater glory, and grant us peace.

In the Name of the God of Glory,

Amen.

"Oh, I Just Can't Wait to be King!"

Revelation 1:4-6 "Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."

Revelation 5:9-10  “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”

Revelation 20:6 "Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years."

Exodus 19:6 "And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel."

Dear God,

I just read Your declaration that faithful believers shall be afforded kingship in Your kingdom. Everyone has an idea of what they would do with a little bit of power and authority. Even Simba, in the Lion King, sang "Oh, I just can't wait to be king!"

You promise kingship and priestly responsibility to Your faithful followers.  But it seems that they have to die for You first!  Martyrdom appears to be a prerequisite for promotion to power.  

"In Christ even the most ordinary man becomes a king.  The gift of access to God, the privilege of bring others to Jesus Christ, the gift of royalty--these are the gifts which Jesus Christ gives to His own" (William Barclay in The Revelation of John, vol. 2, 1959, p. 248).

Lord, I don't know if I have the "right stuff" to become a martyr for You.  I know that I don't have the grace to suffer persecution and die for You at this moment, but I feel You growing that kind of grace within me.  Prepare me for that moment if it ever comes.  If I know my heart and the witness of Your Holy Spirit, I have experienced a spiritual death to self.  "I am crucified with Christ" (Galatians 2:20). Surely, that awareness is the beginning of my journey into the intimacy of the fellowship of Your suffering.

Prepare me for priesthood.  Prepare me for kingship.  Prepare me to come into Your Presence in the courts of heaven, and to usher others therein.  Make me like You in my character so that I am at home in Your Presence.

I love You.  I need You.  I am utterly dependent upon You.

Amen.

Let Me Burn!

Acts 2:1-4 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Oh, God, 

Consume me with the fire of Your Holy Spirit. Let me burn for You, without burning out!

John Wesley said, “Light yourself on fire with passion and people will come from miles to watch you burn.” On another occasion he said, “Catch on fire and others will love to come watch you burn.” 

Polycarp, the second century Christian Bishop boldly proclaimed his faith in Jesus Christ. Eighty-six years I have served Christ, and He never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?"  Then he was burned at the stake.

Charles Wesley penned the hymn, My God! I Know, I Feel Thee Mine.  It is my prayer!

1

My God! I know, I feel thee mine,

And will not quit my claim

Till all I have is lost in thine,

And all renewed I am.

2

I hold thee with a trembling hand,

But will not let thee go

Till steadfastly by faith I stand,

And all thy goodness know.

3

When shall I see the welcome hour

That plants my God in me!

Spirit of health, and life, and power,

And perfect liberty!

4

Jesus, thine all-victorious love

Shed in my heart abroad!

Then shall my feet no longer rove,

Rooted and fixed in God.

5

Love only can the conquest win,

The strength of sin subdue

(Mine own unconquerable sin),

And form my soul anew.

6

Love can bow down the stubborn neck,

The stone to flesh convert;

Soften, and melt, and pierce, and break

An adamantine heart.

7

Oh, that in me the sacred fire

Might now begin to glow,

Burn up the dross of base desire,

And make the mountains flow!

8

Oh, that it now from heaven might fall,

And all my sins consume!

Come, Holy Ghost, for thee I call,

Spirit of burning, come!

9

Refining fire, go through my heart,

Illuminate my soul;

Scatter thy life through every part,

And sanctify the whole.

10

Sorrow and sin shall then expire,

While, entered into rest,

I only live my God t’admire—

My God forever blest.

11

No longer then my heart shall mourn,

While purified by grace

I only for his glory burn,

And always see his face.

12

My steadfast soul, from falling free,

Shall then no longer move;

But Christ be all the world to me,

And all my heart be love.

I offer this to You as my prayer that I might burn with the fire of the Holy One.

Amen.