Pastor Buddy’s Blog

Journal,

Seems like I get a full days work done in the first? hours of morning time.

Yup, I’m up at 4 a.m. CJ and? I went after the paper. Must have been too early. We walked around the church a couple of times, then down to the road, back up to the church office, and just wandering around. Got to thinking. If the poor paper man saw me with my cap pulled down over my ears,? and my cane, and a huge dog at my side, he would probably have turned his car around.?

Made it home without the paper. I’ll get it later. Now it is time for my morning visitation with the King. My devotion took me to 6 a.m. Such a refreshing time with the Lord.

Is it all right if I walk you through some of my morning reading? Thanks. I’ll pick and choose? for the Scripture references. (My reading took me from 2 Chronicles 31:14 through 2 Chronicles 34:2.)

V20: “Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah; and he did what was good, right and true? before the Lord his God.”

No wonder Judaism upholds Hezekiah so highly.? This king was as close to the David kind-of-king to be found in the Scriptures. ? The Lord had this to say about David: “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.” (Acts 13:22 nasb.)

Lord, help me to have a heart like David’s heart.

Now? we come to something Hezekiah said that both Paul and John reflect on in their apostolic writings. In facing a great enemy, the king says,?

32:7: “Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria nor because of all the horde that is with him; for the one with us is greater than the one with him.”

Thus Paul: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31 nasb.)

Thus John: “You are from God, little children; because greater is He who is in you than? he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4 nasb.)

It is? important for God’s people? to understand? that the Bible we read is a? Hebrew document from Genesis to Revelation. The Scriptures contain a single flow throughout. It is about God’s redemption through Jesus Christ. This is why the apostle cautioned the Corinthian believers to make sure? their teachers never exceed what is written. (Speaking of the old that is fulfilled in the new.)

Now let’s read about a stupid man, the braggart king of Assyria.

32:15: “‘Now therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand?‘”

Guess what? All it took was one angel.

V21: “And the Lord sent an angel who destroyed every mighty warrior, commander and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned in shame to his own land. And when he had entered the temple of his god, some of his own children killed him there with the sword.”

What can I add to that? Beware world! Don’t fool with the God of the Christians.

Here is where it gets so strange. How can such a good king have such an evil son? After Hezekiah passed, he had a son named Manasseh who came to the kingship. Hear this evil report:

2 Chron. 33:2-7: “[Manasseh] did evil in the sight of the Lord … he rebuilt the high places … he also erected altars to the Baals and made Asherim … worshipped all the host of heaven … built altars in the house of the Lord … he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the Lord … He made his sons pass through the fire … he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery and dealt with the mediums and spiritists…”

Without quoting the Scripture regarding? God’s punishment on Manasseh, I thought to myself, “How horrible it is to fall into the hands of an angry God.” This king paid dearly for his idolatrous heart. He was taken captive by hooks and brought to Babylon.

Is there no hope for such a blackened heart? Here is where we must come to grips with the mercy of the Lord. Manasseh actually humbled his heart in repentance. It says, “[The Lord] was moved by his entreaty and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.” (V13)

What does this teach us? It teaches us that the mercy of the Lord can be found by the blackest of heart, that we should never count any as beyond salvation as long as they have breath in their body. It also teaches us that the Christ-rejecting Israel will one day find great mercy at the hands of the Lord. He is going to save all Israel.

Well, I hate to carry this much further. Even after repentance Manasseh had an evil son, who then had a righteous son, Josiah. One of the greatest revivals in the history of Israel took place through the lad-king Josiah. And it all revolved around finding the lost book of the Lord. (You can read about that for yourself.)

Perhaps I should add a thought. In repentance all men find mercy. It is not God’s will that any perish. But how about those who reject and mock the Lord continuously? Can there actually be a cutting off place for these kinds of people? Listen to this portion:

“Because I called and you refused, I stretched out My hand and no one paid attention; and you neglected ALL my counsel and did not want my reproof; I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes. When your dread comes like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call on Me, but I will not answer; they will seek Me diligently but they will not find Me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord.” (Proverbs 1:24-29 nasb.)

My devotion time ended with a prayer: “Thank You Lord Jesus. Thank You O my King. I want to love you like David. Let my heart be whole before You. Grant me? a voice to speak to this people before You gather me home. I ask this in Your name. Amen.”

Rested my eyes and settled down into the afterglow of the presence of the Lord. I love these moments with the King, more than life itself. How I wish all of God’s people could find the full life that is ours in Jesus. Many seem so restless and so unsure.

Then I remembered what Jesus said: “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:14 nasb.)

I don’t think the life Jesus is speaking of here is an issue of heaven. The Lord saves mightily. Salvation is His work and He needs nothing from us but a heart to receive Him. But finding the life that belongs to the cross is another matter. (Just something to think about.)

My thoughts continue on. I wondered why the Lord is giving me so many personal messages to share with individuals. I am neither a? prophet nor the son of a prophet. Then the Lord reminded me of another Scripture:

“The Lord has given me the tongue of disciples, that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.” (Isaiah 50:4 nasb. This Scripture has a direct reference to Jesus Himself. By extension it belongs to every true disciple of the Lord.)

Well, it’s time for the office. (Course that is where I’ve been for all this typing.)

Time to see who needs help from our Ask the Pastor site and otherwise. Got another precious letter from Pastor Wellington in India. (Won’t share it at this time.) Also had emails from? two different young men who have been struggling with temptations of? homosexuality. One is the son of a pastor and the other was raised in a religious setting. (They are from opposite sides of the earth.) I am glad they? feel able to open their hearts to me.

Seems that my ‘First Fruits’ studies have been helping a lot of people. Thank you Lord.

10:15 a.m. A call from Lane. They are having such a time in Hawaii. I’m happy for this because Lane will be getting in the saddle when he returns.?

I’d like to? share a nugget of gold? that I picked up from Billy Graham this morning. How I love that man. He was answering a question about divorce.? His column title was, ‘Divorce marks the death of a marriage.’

This is his statement that stood out: “And just as you may grieve over the death of someone who was close to you, you may also find yourself grieving over the death of your marriage. After all, you entered your marriage full of hopes and dreams, looking forward to years of happiness and contentment. And even when things went wrong, in the back of your mind you still may have thought your marriage could be mended. Now, all those hopes are shattered …

“But listen. God loves you, and he knows all about the pain you are experiencing. More than that, he wants to help you and give you hope for the future…”

Have any of you been through a divorce? It can be real tough. Here is something you may not know about. Did you know that God Himself became a divorcee? Just something to think about.

The Lord God has no second-hand children. If the Lord marked our failures against us, who would populate heaven? Heaven would be quite empty.

One day ask me to share a dream I had where the Lord taught me about how our sins are not being recorded. There is Scripture for this.

Don’t want to drag things out too long. Believe I’ll just sign out for now. (It is early afternoon.)

Passing love your way.

In Christ,

Buddy

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