Listening to the Word

Deuteronomy 13-15; Galatians 1 “Paul, an apostle - sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead - and all the brothers with me…If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:1, 10 Paul’s clarity of calling, received by revelation from Jesus Christ, shaped his understanding of the gospel and his freedom in ministry. Paul was not beholden to any organization or person. He wasn’t controlled by a salary, job description, or even local governing board. Yet, wherever he went, Paul lived in mutual submission to the elders in Jerusalem and local leaders in the church. His inner submission to Christ meant that Paul viewed himself as the servant of all. He became “all things to all people,” so that he could win them for Christ (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). Are we free to receive gospel-assignments from the Lord? Are we pleasing Jesus Christ first, and serving others to influence them for the gospel of Christ...

Deuteronomy 10-12; Mark 16   “’But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’’…When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons…When they had heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.” Mark 16:7, 9, 11 The angel at the empty tomb spoke to Mary Magdalene and the other women asking them to announce the resurrection to the disciples. They were to travel to Galilee where Jesus would meet with them. The disciples didn’t believe the women. We, too, might be able to identify with them in their struggle to believe. Mary and the women excitedly shared the good news and were the first to do so yet were faced with doubt and disbelief from the other disciples. We might be able to identify with them in that rejection based on our gender, background, or message we are carrying. Jesus chose to first reveal ...

Deuteronomy 7-9; Mark 15   “Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna…to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 8:2, 3 Our hunger for relationship with God comes from him and can only be satisfied by the Lord. Israel’s desert experience taught them dependence on the Lord in a very practical way, every day. Manna represented the life that God alone could give them. Jesus quoted this text in resisting Satan’s temptation in the wilderness: ”man does not live on bread alone” followed by: “but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” Jesus listened to his Father every day and obeyed the assignments, not just the moral laws that his Father gave to him.   Are listening t...

Deuteronomy 5-6; Psalms 43; Mark 14   “Go near and listen to all that the Lord our God says. Then tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you. We will listen and obey. ‘…I have heard what this people said to you. Everything they said was good. Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!’” Deuteronomy 5:27-29 From Moses until Jesus Christ, God’s relationship with his people was mediated by the Levites as priests. The commandments required Israel to listen and obey, and that would be their righteousness (Deuteronomy 6:25). It would be in relationship with God that Israel would learn to fear the Lord and obey him. They were to be holy as God was holy. We know that was a very difficult requirement. Jesus came to bring fulfillment to God’s plan to save and redeem his people and bring them into intimate communion with himself. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit the Church was birthed. ...

Deuteronomy 3-4; Psalms 36; Mark 13   “…How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men [people] find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” Psalm 36:7-9 David found everything he needed in the presence of the Lord. Unfailing love, refuge, protection, provision, pleasure, life, and revelation are all found in the presence of the Lord. Why are we looking for those things in all the wrong places? The river of “delights” is the Hebrew word for “Eden,” the same word as the Garden the Lord planted as a home for Adam and Eve. God is the source of pleasure! It is his idea. He is the source of life in all its fullness. In God’s presence we experience peace as his light illuminates us from the inside out. Through Jesus Christ, we are invited into the Lord’s presence. So few people value and pursue the Lord’s presence li...

Deuteronomy 1-2; Mark 12   “Then I said to you, ‘You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.’ Then all of you came to me and said, ‘Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.’ The idea seemed good to me...” Deuteronomy 1:20-23 Not all ideas come from the Lord. The “good idea” to send spies into the land came from the fear of the people, not from wisdom. Moses affirmed the idea and gave operational authority to it. The bad report brought back by ten of the twelve spies led to rebellion, grumbling, and God’s judgment. What ideas or plans are we carrying that are similarly birthed in fear rather than faith? The Lord continually calls us away from fear and discouragement for a reason. We...