Listening to the Word

Habakkuk 1-3; John 8 “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” Habakkuk 3:17-19 In the midst of war, pestilence, and plague where do we turn for hope and perspective? Habakkuk found joy in the Lord, not in his circumstances, vacations, possessions, and recent purchases; but, joy in the Lord our Savior. Why? Because the sovereign Lord was Habakkuk’s strength and he can be our strength as well.   Our strength does not come through our retirement investments, health plans, or group of friends; our strength comes through our relationship with the Lord. Joy, worship, and gratitude in the midst of very challenging circumstances are weapons of battle. We cho...

2 Kings 23; 2 Chronicles 35; John 7   “Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, ‘Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.” John 7:28, 29 Jesus’ truth-claims and authority-claims were unprecedented. He was either delusional, or he was God. Yet this same conviction about being “sent” has marked disciples of Christ who live on mission with him.   Sure, “you know me and you know where I am from”; but, do you know the One who sent me?   Without clarity and conviction about our call, ministry is just another religious job focused on pleasing people. However, knowing who is sending us each day changes our work as Christ’s ambassadors in the marketplace, in the classroom, in our community or across the globe. Apostles or missionaries (sent ones) are defined more by who sent them than by what they are doing. Either the whole churc...

2 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 34; John 6 “Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you…Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.’” John 6:53, 56 This radical call to eat Jesus’ body and drink his blood makes more sense after the final supper with his disciples. Jesus repurposed the Passover cup and said, “This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). We understand the communion elements to be representations of Christ’s body and blood and a reminder of our covenant with him.   However, are we regularly taking communion? We will never be worthy of this sacrifice by Jesus for us. To take communion is to be reminded and renewed in our love and life in Jesus. Neglecting communion affects our heart’s communion with Jesus. Remaining, or abiding in Christ is the key to fruit-bearing in our spiritual life.   When wa...

Nahum 1-3; John 5 “Jesus gave them this answer: ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does…How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?” John 5:19, 20, 44 Jesus promised his disciples that both he and the Father would come and live inside of his disciples by the indwelling Spirit and be at ‘home’ with them (John 14:23). Why? So that we would live the life Jesus lived, in union with his Father.  We, too, can now through the Spirit learn to obey the Father by doing what our Father is doing. Few desire to live in this way of surrender and obedience to the will of the Father. Instead, we benchmark our discipleship against the behavior of other disciples and seek the praise of one another. We can win the favor of the Church and be out of st...

2 Kings 21; 2 Chronicles 33; John 4 “In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.” 2 Chronicles 33:12, 13 No one would wish distress, hardship, or pain on someone; yet, this painful discipline was God’s grace in Manasseh’s life. His capture by the Assyrians who put a hook in his nose was a particularly humiliating outcome of Manasseh’s rebellion against the Lord. After all his demonic worship, including human sacrifice, Manasseh “humbled himself greatly” before God. How has the Lord disciplined us in his love for us? How have we responded? This event of humiliating discipline was the turning point in Manasseh’s life. As we intercede in prayer for our prodigals and unsaved family and friends, are we aware of the lengths the Lord will go...

Isaiah 65-66; Psalms 62; John 3 “’Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Sprit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.’” John 3:6-8 Jesus’ call that Nicodemus (and anyone interested in a relationship with God) be born again is both very simple and very profound. A new birth signifies a new identity, a new family, and a new Father. Spirit gives birth to spirit. God’s Spirit conceives spiritual life in those who become born again. This living Word grows within us and becomes ‘full term’ when we are willing to fully surrender (die) to our old life and enter a new life of the Spirit. The evidence of being born again (like the wind) is in our new thoughts, attitudes and behavior which come from the Spirit. We see the new life expressed like fruit on a tree. By our fruit, the reality...