Listening to the Word

Nehemiah 1-2; Psalms 133; Luke 22 “…’O Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands…They are your servants and your people, who you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand.” Nehemiah 1:5, 10 “In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.’” Luke 22:20 Jesus emphasized the third cup of the Passover meal with his disciples, the cup of redemption. It was the same redemption that Nehemiah was appealing to as he interceded for his people and their desperate state. Even in exile, Nehemiah would have celebrated Passover with his fellow Jews in Babylon. In intercession, Nehemiah was appealing to God’s covenant-keeping nature, his promises, and his deliverance and redemption in the past. Not only did God answer Nehemiah’s prayer by enabling his people to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem, but God sent his Son to bring re...

Ezra 9-10; Psalms 131; Luke 21 “’Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.’…Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives, and all the people came early in the morning to hear him at the temple.” Luke 21:33, 37 Jesus taught words we are hearing and repeating 2000 years later. The words of Jesus will never pass away. Where did he receive these words? We know he is the Word, present in the beginning, full of life and light. Yet, Jesus was also a man - a man who became tired and needed sleep. Jesus went to the Mount of Olives each evening because he loved time alone with his Father. Jesus’ words and the work that flowed from them came from what he heard and saw in the presence of his Father. His words won’t pass away because they come from the Father. Are we listening to the Word so we, too, have something to share with others? “Lord Jesus, the Word: thank you for speaking life-gi...

Ezra 7- 8; Luke 20   “There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions…and he answered our prayer.” Ezra 8:21, 23 In an age of complicated travel with health restrictions and danger to well-being, Ezra’s example of humbling himself and his travelling companions before the Lord is a great example of where our confidence should come from. Ezra’s party was carrying tons of gold, silver, and sacred items which made them targets for robbery on their four-month long, overland journey from Babylon to Jerusalem. Instead of the king’s soldiers and horsemen protecting them, Ezra and his party humbled themselves before the Lord of heaven and earth. Where are we looking for protection and confidence as we, too, seek to follow the Lord in mission? We can allow fear to rule our choices and future, or we can choose to place our lives in the hands of God and live with ob...

Esther 9-10; Luke 19 “So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’…’Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’” Luke 19:13, 17 Do we believe that our Creator God gave us life, health, and all we have? If we do, then we also must recognize that we are stewards of God’s time, talents, and treasure. We, too, have received the word, ”Put this money to work, until I come back.” Are the money, time, and talent we have received being “put to work” for the good of the King and his kingdom? More importantly, have we taken responsibility for the resources we’ve been entrusted with, or have we buried this topic? Responsibility requires faith and decision-making. Too often we place ourselves in bondage to creditors, rather than putting our resources to work. The reward for good stewardship of God’s resources is even more responsibility. T...

Esther 3-8; Luke 18 “But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’” Luke 18:16, 17 “Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” These words are so shocking we need to repeat them out loud to really hear them. Salvation is not an intellectual response to a presentation of the gospel. To explain how we enter the kingdom of God, Jesus pointed to the faith, humility, and trust of little children who receive a gift. No one deserves to enter Christ’s kingdom. There is no room for bargaining with God. Children receive a gift, believe, and follow. Is that our experience of coming to Jesus? Or, are we still living religious lives in our own kingdom, or someone else’s? Knowing and following the King marks every person in Christ’s kin...

Esther 1-2; Psalms 150; Luke 17 “’…If your brother sins against you rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times come back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.’ The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ He replied, ‘If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.’” Luke 17:3-6 Why did the apostles ask Jesus to increase their faith when he called them to extend forgiveness repeatedly to their brother or sister? It is in our closest relationships where we often lack faith that behaviors, character, and habits can change. Jesus calls his disciples to acknowledge when they have been sinned against and rebuke the offender. Then consistently and without judgment forgive them. By contending for clear and open communication while we extend forgiveness, we are placing our faith in God’s grace both in our lives and in those we are...