Listening to the Word

Ecclesiastes 1-3; Psalms 45; Ephesians 2 “So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” Ecclesiastes 2:17 “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus…For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:6, 10 Solomon’s quest for purpose and meaning in life focused on knowing and doing. He missed the essential quality of being. Although God appeared to Solomon several times in dreams, Solomon didn’t make a relationship with God a priority like his father David. He didn’t find his identity in being loved by God as a son. Rather than finding the joy of God’s throne room, Solomon built his own. Rather than finding the joy of God’s workmanship in his life, Solomon embarked on his own great works. We can be tempted to also search for meaning and purpose in our careers, accomplish...

Proverbs 30-31; Psalms 33; Ephesians 1 “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.” Psalm 33:18-22 In the tests of life, where are we looking for help? Where do our eyes turn? David looked up and focused his hope on the Lord. He cultivated a life of worship and prayer so that the presence of the Lord became his confidence. As David looked to the Lord he found God’s eyes were on him. God’s eyes are on those who fear him, who reverence his name, and who trust in his unfailing love in their lives. Are we placing our trust in our government, employment, education, or influence with others, to save us? Where and to whom are we looking today? Will we look to the Lord in worship and surre...

Proverbs 28-29; Psalms 60; Romans 16   “Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” Romans 16:19, 20 To be innocent of what is evil is not to be naïve; but rather, it is to be separated from evil by choice. To be wise about what is good is to choose the good. We are to think about “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure…” (Philippians 4:8). Satan is our enemy whom Christ has defeated and it is under Christ’s authority that we resist temptation, sin, and that which is evil. In Christ we can declare today that which is evil is under our feet.   Why would we stoop to entertain evil when we have been given authority to rule and reign with Christ? Jesus instructed his disciples to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16). These words were spoken to the disciples as they l...

Proverbs 25-27; Romans 15   “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 Hope is an elusive quality in our day when our health, finances, and way of life are at risk. Paul invited the Church in Rome – and us - to lift our eyes off of our circumstances and look to a more secure source of hope. For those who ask, the God of hope promises to fill us with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Rome was known for its power, glory, and honor. Yet, Rome could not give Christ-followers the hope they needed to sustain themselves. Hope is the living expectation of something promised. Hope of eternity transforms the cost of our current reality into something much smaller. Hope rooted in God’s nature and character marks the lives of those who know him. He indwells us and he is hope. “Father God, thank you for your hope. Renew and fill me with the power of your hope through the Hol...

Proverbs 22-24; Romans 14 “Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters…who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand…You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.” Romans 14:1, 4, 10 Why are we not to judge other Christ-followers on disputable matters such as political affiliation, alcohol, or denominational distinctives? Each Christ-follower is accountable to the Lord and will one day stand before his throne of judgment. When we judge others on disputable matters, we place ourselves in the position of judge. Paul used the example of servants or slaves who served another master. It would be unacceptable to judge someone else’s servant.   However, do we have the humility to realize we ourselves are servants or slaves of Christ? Without humility, we will easily fall into...

Proverbs 19-21; Romans 13 “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light…Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Romans 13:12, 14 What does it mean to clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus? How is that similar to putting on the armor of light? Jesus is the fulfillment of all the pieces of armor Paul described in his letter to the Ephesians (Ephesians 6:10-18). Jesus is our salvation (“helmet”), he is our righteousness (“breast plate”), our Truth (“belt”), and our Peace (“shoes”). He is our faith (“shroud”) and the living Word (“sword”). Clothing ourselves with Jesus Christ each morning as part of our prayer of dedication to him and by thinking through each piece of our spiritual armor is a way we consciously clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. When our thoughts are on Christ, we are less distracted by thoughts of indu...