Listening to the Word

Isaiah 36,37; Psalms 76; 1 Peter 1   “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:6, 7 In the context of intense persecution under Nero’s rule, Peter answered the question of why trials, tests, and persecution afflict the lives of Christians. God allows tests to prove the genuine-ness of our faith in him and to bring glory to him through how we respond. While we value gold, God values faith. Just as gold is refined, so God uses the testing of fiery trials to purge the impurities of self, sin, and pride from our lives. When we choose what is eternal over what is temporal, our faith is strengthened. What tests is the Lord using in this season of our lives to refine our faith and bring him glory throug...

2 Kings 18,19; 2 Chronicles 32; James 5   “After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib King of Assyria came and invaded Judah…He succeeded in everything he undertook. But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart.” 2 Chronicles 32:1, 30, 31 After years of faithfully serving the Lord and experiencing success in our lives, we might be tempted to believe our success came from our own efforts and that we deserve some of the blessings we have received. King Hezekiah was invaded by Assyria despite faithfully serving God. His humble, desperate cry to the Lord and his testimony of deliverance became another opportunity to bring glory to God. However, when envoys from Babylon came to flatter him and hear his stories, Hezekiah’s pride became his undoing. He showed his visitors all his treasures. We all receive tests from the Lord to kn...

2 Chronicles 29-31; James 4   “Nevertheless, some men from Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem. Also in Judah the hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry out what the king and his officials had order, following the word of the Lord.” 2 Chronicles 30:11, 12 “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:10 Some leaders from the northern tribes of Israel humbled themselves and went to Jerusalem, the rival city to Samaria. In traveling to Jerusalem, they acknowledged that God’s word and ways were right. In Jerusalem they experienced the hand of God on his people, giving them unity of mind. We might want both the hand of God on our lives and unity with other leaders; but, unless we are willing to humble ourselves, we might not experience what we are praying for. When we humble ourselves before the Lord and repent of pride, stubbornness, and rebellion, we receive the grace of God, and we find the hand of G...

2 Kings 17; 2 Chronicles 28; Psalms 46; James 3 “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh and salt water flow from the same spring?” James 3:9-11 Why is our speech so important to God? What we say reveals our heart. Just as fresh and salt water cannot flow from the same spring, so blessing and cursing cannot come from a pure heart of wisdom. If we curse others, our heart is not yet surrendered to God and filled with his love. In the same way we evaluate the quality of the water we drink, we should be listening for what the words we hear reveal about the heart. When words are salty, the heart is not pure, and our claims to spiritual maturity are disingenuous. Will we reflect on our speech over the past week and invite the Holy Spirit to reveal our heart? The Lord invites us to give him our heart, repent for attitudes which a...

Isaiah 32-35; James 2 “Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; way to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped…” Isaiah 35:3-5 The writer of Hebrews points to Jesus as the author and perfecter of our faith. He is the healer, deliverer, and judge. In our weakness, fear, spiritual blindness, and deafness, it is Jesus who hears and saves. The dry, desert places of our lives can experience living water so that beauty and joy replace parched, hard ground. The Lord is saying to us today, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come.’ We can be freed of the strongholds of sin as we humble ourselves before God and repent. We, too, can experience renewal, new life, and the infilling of the Holy Spirit so that our lives look like a well-watered garden of beauty and fruitfulness. Jesus is the...

Isaiah 29-31; James 1 “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” Isaiah 30:18 “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised those who love him.” James 1:12 It’s hard to wait on the Lord in the midst of a test. We want to move on to the next season, rather than wait on the Lord for our deliverance. Like Israel, we, too, can be tempted to make an alliance with ‘Egypt’ to deliver us from the invading ‘Assyrians.’ Waiting on the Lord, trusting in his justice and compassion is not natural when the test lengthens and we become impatient. Yet, it is in this very situation that God develops within us perseverance to hold on to his presence, promises, and Word, and to stand firm. For those who have “stood the test” God promises a crown of life. Abundant life now and for all eternity doesn’t come in the...