John

King

Let's face it, we live in a highly competitive world. Whether it's business, recreation, church, or even the family dinner table, competition seems to rule our lives. I make more money than you. My team is better than yours. Our church gave more to missions and has more members than theirs. I have more food on my plate than you do, and can eat more than you can.

We live with a never-ending push to succeed and win. Of course, this leads us to constantly compare ourselves with others to see how we measure up. How am I doing compared to those around me? If we aren't winning, if we aren't out in front, then we are just another in a crowd of faceless losers. The expression in the sports world that sums up this perspective says, "Second place is first loser."

Sounds rather beastly, doesn't it? "First loser." Unless we make it to the top, success has eluded us and satisfaction turns to disappointment. We have been trained to feel this way – it is how this world works. Need an example? Next time you have a chance to watch or participate in a sport or game where there are many contestants pay close attention to the awards given at the end. The Olympics Games is a great example. At the end of every event the gold, silver, and bronze medals are given out. Obviously, the happiest person on the podium is the one with the gold, the one who won. Years of work and sacrifice have paid off and a dream has come true.

Typically, do you know who the next happiest person is? It's the one with the bronze. Only three medals are given out, and they realize that, after all that time and effort, they came pretty close to going home with nothing. Not that they didn't want to win, but there is a sense of relief in having received something for their work.

The saddest person is the one in second. They look up to the winner and reflect on just how close they came to their dream, yet still lost. You can usually see it written all over their face. They put on a fake smile that says, "Yay. I got the ... silver." Their sense of worth diminishes because they couldn't measure up. Never mind that among 6 billion+ people on the planet there is only one other "better person" out there. They are still the first loser among a host of losers.

We have to train ourselves to think differently because the kingdom of God doesn't work that way. In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul writes about his experiences and motivations in working out the calling the Lord had given him;

"Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize." (1 Corinthians 9:24-25 NLT)

Notice it says "we" do it for an eternal prize. We can all win! We can all go to heaven because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross.

However, just getting to heaven isn't the whole point. In his follow-up letter to the Corinthian church, Paul wrote this:

"For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body." (2 Corinthians 5:10)

We may be in the race to get to heaven, but we are all running our own course. The Lord has a special individualized track for each of us. I'm not running your race, and you aren't running mine. I won't be judged for you, and you won't be judged for me, or anyone else for that matter. The Lord doesn't measure us against others. Winning not only means making it to heaven. Winning means making the Father proud. Winning means walking out our faith daily. Winning has nothing to do with how we measure up against others, it means how well we measured up against God's plan for us.

As Paul said, RUN TO WIN! Live for Jesus the way only you can. Because getting to heaven is just the beginning. God has a whole lot more for us than just that.

Copyright 2012 John P. King. Used by permission.

"The dullest pencil ... remembers better than the sharpest mind." My co-worker, and friend, Ted Cramer, says that all the time, and it is very true. We all like to think we can remember whatever it is we are supposed to remember without having to write it down. If we are honest with ourselves, we know better than that.

I have made enough trips to the grocery store at this point in my life to know that if I go, I better write down everything I need to pick up. Having a written list saves the embarrassment of needing to call my wife before I get in the checkout line to make sure I got everything, because I know I missed something (I hate that). Having a list is also the only absolutely, positively, 100% way to be sure I won't have to make a second trip (I really hate that). And so, I write things down because my "forgetter" works a whole lot better than my "rememberer" does.

There are so many people out there who remember so much better than I do. It makes me praise the Lord that much more for the way He understands me. You see, the Lord has provided the Bible just for me! He knows there is no way I will remember everything He wants me to know. Not only that, but He wants to be sure that when I relay His truths to someone else, I will have something to reference just to be sure I say it right (Ever played telephone? Yeah, I don't want to do that with God's great message of love). And so the Lord used in the neighborhood of 40 different people and took approximately 1,600 years to put it all together. Then He put it in the hands of various men and women over the last 1900 years to make sure it finally came to me. THANK YOU LORD!

My sarcasm is showing, isn't it? Sorry. I just find it amazing that people question the need for and validity of the Bible. They say things like:

"If God wants to tell me something, He can just tell me."
"The Bible is an old book with nothing new for today."
"The Bible? Really? If God is God couldn't He come up with a better way of communicating to man than a book?"

Not only does the Lord understand me, He understands all of us. The Father has a lot of great things to tell us. He knows the best way to get His message to us is to write it down. Glimpses of this understanding can be seen in the Bible. The Lord Himself wrote the replacement 10 commandments for the ones Moses shattered (Exodus 34:1). He then went on to tell Moses to write down the words of the covenant that He was making with Israel (Exodus 34:27).

In looking forward to the days when Israel would ask for a king, the Lord gave instructions in Deuteronomy just for the king.

"When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy for himself this body of instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. He must keep that copy with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the Lord his God by obeying all the terms of these instructions and decrees." Deuteronomy 17:18-19 (NLT)

The king needed his own copy of the law. He had to read it daily and remind himself of who he was before God and to be sure that he obeyed the Lord. Without daily reflection on the Word of God, the king would easily stray from God's path for his life and rule.

The prophet Habakkuk received one of the most famous "write it" directives. In his own frustration and brokenness, he challenged God with some very serious questions about judgment and righteousness. Habakkuk waits for God's answer and the Lord begins with this phrase:

"Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others." Habakkuk 2:2 (NLT)

God wanted the answers to Habakkuk's questions to be disseminated to everyone. How do you do that? WRITE IT DOWN! Write it down in plain language so that it can be taken to everyone.

These are just a few examples of times when God told someone directly to "write it down." Of course, the Bible as a whole is God's inspired message to all mankind. Like the kings of old, we all need our own copy to read on a daily basis. The Bible shares God's plans, dreams, and directions for our lives. We need to know and have the plain message of the love of God so we can run with it. Read it. Re-read it. Re-re-read it. Fall in love with the wonderful text on those sacred pages. And as you find verses and passages that speak to you, write them down and carry them with you. Because the dullest pencil…

Copyright © 2012 John P. King. Used by permission.

Let's face it, whether you "celebrate" Halloween or not, this time of year everyone's attention tends towards the spooky, creepy, and downright scary. I've heard some people say they like a good scare every now and then. Not so with me. I can do just fine without having the stuffing scared out of me, thank you very much.

I love the fact that the Bible tells us that the "joy of the Lord is our strength." Nehemiah 8:10 (NASB) Jesus is called the "Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6 (NASB) 1 John 4:8 says, "... for God is love." In fact, John went on to write, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love." If we have given our lives to God, if we have found reconciliation with Him through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, then we have nothing to fear from God. We have no fear of punishment, but the great expectation of living in the love of God which will drive fear from us.

Yet, with this in mind, I see an interesting story in Genesis 15. This is a powerful chapter telling a key part of the story of Abram/Abraham. The chapter begins with the Lord telling Abram "Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great." Again, we see the Lord's encouragement to not fear. In his heartbreak, Abram pours out his soul reminding the Lord of the promise to give Abram an heir. A promise as yet unfulfilled as Abram and his wife, Sarah, continue to grow old.

God renews His promise to Abram, telling him that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky. Genesis 15:6 says, "Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness." Abram's simple faith and belief in the Lord is the kind of thing John was talking about: the wonderful loving relationship with the Lord that drives out fear.

The Lord goes on to instruct Abram to prepare a sacrifice. The offering on Abram's part and acceptance of the offering on God's part would be the ratifying moment of a great covenant between Abram and God. The Lord would forever be the God of Abram and his descendants, and Abram and his descendants would forever be God's people. In this powerful moment, this ratifying and recognizing of this great covenant of friendship, grace, and love, an interesting thing happens; "Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him." Gen 15:12 (NASB)

God Himself showed up to validate the covenant, and with Him came … terror? It reminds me of the scene where Isaiah received his call (Isaiah 6). The wonderful, glorious, loving, living God shows up and the first thing out of Isaiah's mouth is, "Woe is me, for I am ruined." Isaiah 6:5 (NASB)  When John, yes the "There is no fear in love ..." John, sees Jesus in Revelation 1, he confesses, as he writes, that he fell at Jesus' feet "like a dead man." Revelation 1:17 (NASB). What does Jesus do? He reaches out to the one who was known as the "one who Jesus loved," touches him on the shoulder and says, "Do not be afraid." Revelation 1:17 (NASB)

So what can we make of all this? Certainly, God does not want us to be "afraid" of Him. He does not want us to cower as if any moment He could squash us into jelly. However, we should never take for granted His Godhood. He is powerful. He is mighty. Stars fall from His fingertips. He creates worlds with the words from His mouth. He alone holds all of life in His hands. Should we not respect that? Should we not expect that if He shows up, we will react the same way these three wonderful men of God did? It makes me reflect on the phrase "a good scare." I think I would like to have one after all. A Good Scare, and all that it implies.

I don’t know about you, but for me, waiting is tough! I hate to wait. Why is waiting so hard? Because waiting implies that we do not have control over our circumstances or the timing of events in our lives. We like to think that we own our destiny, yet if we are honest, we would admit that we can barely see beyond today.

We might have plans and dreams, but really, today, are we where we thought we would be five, 10, or 15 years ago? So who is to say where we will be in the future? Only God knows that. In my experience, He usually remains rather silent about disclosing what is to come. He allows us to walk day by day, and sometimes those days seem to drag on. Whether we really want to do something or even feel we have no direction whatsoever, the times and seasons of our lives can become unbearable.

Can become unbearable if we let them. Psalm 27 is a wonderful Psalm that can help us through those difficult, unexplainable times. In this passage, David expresses angst over his adversaries, but he also lets the deep cry of his heart come out. It is a cry that is centered on his desire to simply be with God.

“One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek; That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.” (Psalm 27:4 NASB)

More than anything, David wanted to be with the Lord. Verses 8 and 9 continue the thought:

“When you said, ‘Seek my face,’ my heart said to You, ‘Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.’ Do not hide your face from me, Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not abandon me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation!” (Psalm 27:8-9) 

The Lord had given David the challenge – “Seek my face.” David understood the challenge and knew that sometimes, seeking God’s face is easier said than done. Why? Because, as was mentioned earlier, our plans and dreams don’t always turn out as we expected. Sometimes it seems God plays a game of hide-and-seek. Finding Him is not as simple as it may seem. It takes work to find God.

David closes the Psalm with great encouragement:

“I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:13)

There was a firmly rooted conviction in David’s heart – no matter how tough, bizarre, or long the days seemed, he knew he was going to see the goodness of God in his life. Holding fast to this truth allowed him to endure and, quite literally, changed the rules of the game from “hide and seek” to “wait and seek.” David goes on to say:

“Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14)

If we believe that God has good things for us, we will be willing to wait for them. Courage will give us the strength to wait for God while we seek him. Sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it? Just like in the real game of hide and seek, everyone wants to be found. Those in the best hiding places will eventually reveal themselves if the seeker is patient. If by faith we seek God by waiting for Him, He will inevitably come to us.

~

Scripture is quoted from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

The Wizard of Oz ranks at the top of the list of some of the most beloved films in American cinema. In case you forgot how the story goes, each of the main characters wanted the Wizard to help them by giving them something they felt they lacked. The person I want to focus on, the Tin Man, wanted a heart.

The Wizard informs the Tin Man, much to his surprise, that he already had a heart. His good deeds were evidence of his heart. In fact, the Wizard says that the Tin Man’s good deeds were just as good, if not better than the good deeds of the “good-deed doers” of the world (that would be humanitarians for our tongue-tied friend). What the Tin Man really needs is a Testimonial. That’s when the Wizard presents the Tin Man with the heart-shaped watch and fob. Now comes the Wizard’s error. Upon presenting the testimonial the Wizard says, “A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.”

On its face, this sounds pretty good because, let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to be loved? But when you really think about it, you realize that the Wizard’s statement is one of the biggest loads of hooey ever pronounced. Even Hitler and Osama bin Laden had people who loved them, and they were two of the most vicious and malevolent men who ever lived. They brought violence and death to anyone who didn’t fit their mold and vision of humanity. They were, and are, beloved by millions. Others might say they got the due and just results of their hatred.

The question remains, should a heart be judged by how much it is loved by others, or by how much it loves others?

Jesus put it this way in the Gospel of Luke:

“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Luke 6:35-36 (NIV)

The Bible also says that we know what love is because God has first loved us and that we are supposed to share that love with others (1 John 4:19-20). In Romans 5:8, the point of God’s love for even the wicked is reiterated when it says:

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (NIV)

So then, real love is about giving, not receiving. We must take that first step to reach out to that person who is our enemy, who does not love us, and show them genuine concern and compassion without expecting anything in return. Stop waiting to be loved and go out and love someone. Indeed, as the Wizard said himself, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!” He has no idea what he is talking about.

Today, we celebrate a wonderful holiday – Ascension Day. What? You aren’t celebrating? Why is that? Why do we neglect to recognize this spectacular day? Let me suggest one reason we don’t recognize the significance and importance of this day: we haven’t truly taken the time to grasp its full impact.

When we think of Jesus, we tend to envision any of the countless paintings or people who played Him in a movie. However, that is not who is on the throne right now. On this day, the risen Jesus, who met Mary at the tomb, who walked the road to Emmaus with two of His followers, who let Thomas touch his hands and side, and who cooked breakfast for His disciples on a beach, has become the ascended Jesus – glorified with the beauty of His holiness and enthroned in the splendor of His majesty. The glimpse seen on the mount of Transfiguration is now the full state of Jesus’ being as we see Him in Revelation;

“And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance.” (Revelation 1:13-16 NLT)

Jesus is re-crowned! The prayer he prayed on his last night before going to the cross has become completely fulfilled because of this day:

“Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.” (John 17:5) 

Can you imagine the processional as Jesus traveled the streets of Heaven, returning to the throne He left 33 years earlier? Angelic choirs singing Psalm 24:

“Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter. Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty; the Lord, invincible in battle. Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter. Who is the King of glory? The Lord of Heaven’s armies – he is the King of glory.” (Psalm 24:7-10) 

All those who had passed into the Bosom of Abraham were now allowed into heaven itself because of redemption’s fulfillment – Abraham and Sarah, David, Samuel, Ruth, Jeremiah, Esther, Noah, John the Baptist, the thief who had hung with Him in death – now lining the roadways celebrating the full triumph and return of the Savior King to His rightful place – the throne of Heaven.

“These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and have Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:19b-23 NASB)

Jesus is KING! He has ascended and is enthroned. Great glory, splendor, majesty, and goodness emanate from Him – it is who He is. EVERYTHING is under His rule and authority. Grasp the impact. We can know that whatever is going on in our lives, Jesus has power over it. Difficulties, trials, temptations, heartbreaks, illnesses, persecutions ... whatever name it goes by, Jesus’ name is greater. The Bible encourages us to bring these problems to our King:

“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Hebrews 4:16)

So hail the once and future King! For He has ascended on this day with victory and bids us come.

~

Scripture, unless otherwise noted, is quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture, as noted, is quoted from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. 

Copyright © John P. King. Used by permission.