Listening to the Word

Daniel 11-12; Luke 6   “’Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.’” Luke 6:37, 38 We could call this teaching by Jesus, the principle of reciprocity, taken to a new level. The way we treat others is the way God and others treat us. Judging, condemning, and critical attitudes don’t resemble the character of our Father. Rather, we are to forgive, give generously when asked, and live a life of bold love. When we give liberally and without the expectation of a return, God pours into our lives a “good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over”. Everything that our Father gives us, including forgiveness, grace, mercy, and love, is to be freely shared and poured out to others. This includes our enemies and tho...

Daniel 9-10; Psalms 123; Luke 5   “”…no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’” Luke 5:37, 38 What’s the focus of this parable? The focus is on making great wine! Too often this parable is interpreted as a teaching on church structures as containers or wineskins. Wineskins, by definition, are useless without wine in them. Have we forgotten the most important thing? Where is the wine, both new wine and mature wine of God’s Spirit and presence in our lives and ministries? The Lord is always doing ‘a new thing’. For those who respond with faith, God’s new thing will be incubated in prayer like new wine in new wineskins (Isaiah 42:9). Wine is not meant to be preserved forever; but rather, it is meant to be consumed. Inviting the new wine of God’s presence...

Daniel 7-8; Psalms 137; Luke 4   “’…Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened…But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’” Daniel 7:10, 26, 27 Ultimately, authority rests with the Most High. All rulers will worship and obey him. Satan is focused on usurping this worship and God’s authority in any way he can. Jesus’ resistance to Satan’s temptations in the wilderness shows us how to stand firm in the truth and authority of God’s Word in resisting these same temptations in our lives (Luke 4). Choosing to submit to Jesus Christ and live accountable to his Word and Spirit is the most important choice we can make in lif...

Daniel 5-6; Psalms 130; Luke 3   “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.” Psalm 130:5 “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar – when Pontius Pilot was governor of Judea…the word of God came to John, son of Zechariah in the desert. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism for the forgiveness of sins” Luke 3:1-3 John the Baptist was in the desert when the Word of the Lord came to him. He didn’t engage in public ministry till he had a word from the Lord. How long did John wait in the desert for the Lord to speak to him? John put his hope in God’s Word because that Word would transform lives. Our words might be educated, echoing the wisdom of past scholars, writers, and thinkers, but they lack the anointing of God unless the Spirit of God births them. God’s words are worth waiting for and are worthy of our hope and trust. God’s words don’t always come through the expected, accepted channels of leadership. John was a ...

Ezekiel 47-48; Luke 2 “…Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river…When it empties in the Sea, the water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows…Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail…Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” Ezekiel 47:6-9, 12 Wherever this river of life flows from the presence of God, it will bring life. Salty water that mingles with this river of life will become fresh again. Many living creatures will be nurtured by this living water. Fruit trees with leaves that never wither will grow and offer food and healing because of the life drawn from this river. The word ‘fresh’ used to describe the quality of water is the word ‘healed’. Just as the salty water will be healed, so will the nations who are living next to the living water. They will benef...

Ezekiel 45-46; Luke 1 “’For nothing is impossible with God.’ ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.’ Then the angel left her.” Luke 1:37, 38 God’s Word to his people, his servants, will never fail. However, we must respond to that word with humility and faith. Some doubt God’s word to them, while others sit back in fatalism waiting for God to do what he has planned. Mary did neither. She cooperated with God in faith and obedience to see his word accomplished in her life. What words have we received from the Lord? Are we responding to them with faith, or with doubt and fear? Sometimes the timelines for fulfillment of God’s Word are different from our expectations. Are we willing to wait in active faith like Abraham who for decades waited for the son of promise? Are we willing to look foolish in the eyes of the world while we wait, even while we participate in the fulfillment, like Noah? When Jesus comes again, will he find faith on the earth? Will h...