Listening to the Word

Jeremiah 52; Revelation 1; Psalms 143, 144   “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you…” Psalm 143:8 “I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the Island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus…and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword…” Revelation 1:9, 16 Jesus’ word is a sharp, double-edged sword which came out of his mouth. David put his trust in that sword and submitted his life to the authority of God’s Word. John trusted in that Word and boldly gave witness to the power and resurrection-life found in Jesus. By submitting to that double-edged sword, John was exiled to the Island of Patmos. It is an incredible privilege to listen to the Word, obey it, and share it with others. However, this Word is a sword and it will pierce and cut our lives, even as we call others to know and follow Jesus, the Living Word of God. Have we s...

Jeremiah 50-51; 3 John   “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. So when I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.” 3 John 9, 10 For many years, John the apostle was Bishop of the churches in the Ephesus region. However, even this loving apostle could not prevent leaders like Diotrephes from causing division and confusion within the church. Diotrephes loved to be first. He could have chaired the church council or elder’s team. But Diotrephes’ pride and divisiveness, along with selfish ambition, meant that John was a threat to him and his leadership. Neither John nor visiting church leaders were welcomed under Diotrephes’ leadership in Ephesus. His leadership was marked by control, fear, competition, and ambition. John pointed this out to Gaius, a wealthy le...

Jeremiah 37-39; Psalms 79; 2 John “Neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention to the words the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet. King Zedekiah, however, sent…this message: ‘Please pray to the Lord our God for us.’” Jeremiah 37:2, 3 Why do we feel we can talk to God without listening to him? King Zedekiah paid no attention to the words the Lord spoke through Jeremiah because they weren’t the words he wanted to hear. However, he wanted Jeremiah to pray to God for the deliverance of Jerusalem. Any healthy relationship requires two way communication and walking with God is no different. If we think we can spiritually manipulate God, we are fools. King Zedekiah refused to humble himself before the Lord, obey his word, and surrender to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Obeying the Lord requires that we listen to his Word, even when it hurts. “Lord God, you are faithful and I will listen and obey your Word, for your glory.”

Jeremiah 33-34; Psalms 74; 1 John 5 This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, then my covenant with David my servant – and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me – can be broken…’” Jeremiah 33:20, 21 “The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon…Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord, how foolish people have reviled your name…Have regard for your covenant…” Psalm 74:16, 18, 20 Jeremiah’s prophesy of God’s covenant-keeping nature as evidenced in creation, later became the basis for intercession by the Levites in exile. God’s Word is our best prayer book as we intercede for our lives and those we love. As we appeal to God’s nature, his promises, and his covenants, we remind ourselves that our responsibilities in those covenants are also important. We must grow in faithfulness even as our God is faithful...

Jeremiah 31-32; 1 John 4   “…God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:16-18 Are we afraid of the day of judgment? John’s word is to those who know Jesus. We don’t need to be afraid. Knowing Jesus means being filled with his love. If we don’t know the security of Jesus’ love, we have to honestly ask ourselves if we actually know Jesus or just know about him. John’s Revelation clearly outlines the day of judgment; yet, John just as clearly says those who know Jesus do not need to fear. Instead, we who know Jesus will have confidence on the day of judgment. Why? – Because we are in Christ. By faith, we have received the love and righteousness of Jesus. It is Jesus who is...

Jeremiah 28-30; 1 John 3   “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother…And this is how we know that he lives in us: we know it by the Spirit he gave us.” 1 John 3:9, 10, 24 How do we know we belong to God’s family? That is the question John is answering. Not, ‘am I saved and going to heaven’, which is the focus of some recent formulations of the gospel. John’s evidence that ‘God’s seed remains in us’ is that we no longer want to sin against God. Do we still sin? Yes, but we no longer indulge in patterns of sin because the Holy Spirit within us convicts us and draws us back into the love of God. We also know we belong to God’s family because we love our brother and sister (and our spouse) in Christ. Thi...