Listening to the Word

Romans 5-8   “…And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Romans 5:2-5 Christ-followers live with hope in the glory of God, fully realized when Christ returns; and hope in every circumstance because God’s grace is transforming us from glory to glory. This process of transformation fills us with hope because we are not the same people today that we were last year! Suffering when we belong to Christ is redemptive. Suffering brings a process of change in our lives as it develops perseverance, character, and hope. In our weakest moments when we cry out to God in humility, we experience his infilling love through the Holy Spirit and our hope in the reality of God’s nearness and love is renewed. What sufferi...

Romans 1-4   “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, [from faith to faith] just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” Romans 1:17 The righteousness we receive through faith in Christ for our salvation is the same righteousness we then live in. We were called in righteousness, to be righteous by faith in Christ every day. We live by faith from our first day in God’s family, through eternity. We grow from faith to faith as we daily surrender our will, disappointments, fears, and sins to the Lord. In the tests of faith, like Abraham, we, too, can trust the promises of God and be strengthened in our faith. We, too, can give glory to God by living fully persuaded that God has the power to do what he has promised. It is the tests of faith which remind us that we have room to grow. How are we responding in these tests of faith? Can we look back and justify that we, too, are going and growing from faith ...

1 Timothy 4-5; 2 Thessalonians 1-3 “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 The suffering Thessalonian church lived with the hope of Christ’s return because their circumstances caused them to long for heaven. Paul reminded them that the persecution they were suffering would ultimately be dealt with by Christ’s judgment of sin and rebellion at his second coming. Justice and mercy would triumph over idolatry and sin. Do we eagerly await the return of Christ, and do we encourage each other with these words? Or have we found heaven on earth and avoided suffering so that the return of Christ is no longer on our minds? C...

Matthew 28; 1 Thessalonians 1-3   “We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God’s fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith...” 1 Thessalonians 3:2 Paul referred to Timothy as his brother and fellow worker. Yet he was also Timothy’s spiritual father in the faith. As Paul and Timothy labored together in spreading the gospel, their relationship grew and developed. Paul’s humility in honoring Timothy as his brother-in -Christ is rooted in their common Father in heaven. When we pray, “Our Father…” we, too, acknowledge that we are part of a global, eternal, and heavenly family. We, too, are fellow workers with many others around the world who are living and sharing the gospel, strengthening and encouraging the family of God in their faith. Who are we in God’s family? Are we clear in our kingdom identity, or are we being defined by this world? “Lord Jesus, thank you for redeeming my life and inviting me into your family and kingdom, for...

Psalms 125; Matthew 26-27   “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore.” Psalm 125:1, 2 The strength of Jerusalem was the natural defense of its surrounding hills and steep valleys. These natural defenses gave the Jebusite inhabitants the confidence to mock David. When David conquered the city, he did so through the water shaft, not by breeching the walls. The Psalmist used the hills around Jerusalem to describe the Lord’s presence as a constant protection around his people. Can we thank the Lord for that truth today? Using this image, it is God’s people who are ‘Jerusalem.’ Collectively, we are the New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ, radiating in beauty and full of the glory of the Lord. Not only does God’s presence surround us, but his glory fills us, and his affections are for us. This promise is forevermore! “Lord Jesus, you are our B...

Matthew 23-25   “The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them…The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’” Matthew 25:3, 7-9 The oil of the Holy Spirit is the only way we sustain the flame of first love for God in our lives. It is this first love for God which keeps our soul awake to the promptings of the Lord throughout the day and the imminent return of Christ. Awaiting Christ’s return and living with anticipation and expectation is unusual in a generation where the Church has fallen asleep. The foolish virgins are counseled to go to the ‘oil sellers’ to buy oil, so their lamps will not go out. Those who know the fullness of the Holy Spirit are able to minister to those who need oil. Are we foolish virgins without oil, wise virgins with oil, or oil sellers with access to oil in abundan...