Listening to the Word

 Proverbs 16-18; Romans 12   “Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse…Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody…Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath…’If your enemy is hungry, feed him;’…Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:14, 17, 19-21 Peace-making in the way of Jesus is very difficult unless we first offer our lives to God as living sacrifices. Once we realize we belong to God, then the sorting of ultimate justice is no longer in our hands. Jesus purchased our forgiveness with his blood, and Jesus now becomes our standard of how to bless those who persecute us. We are not to take revenge, but rather to feed our enemies and actively overcome evil with good. Peace-making in our families, work place, community, and nation, involves skills, but more importantly, character that is shaped by Christ. What practical steps of peace-making is Christ inviting us to follow tod

 Proverbs 13-15; Romans 11   “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger…The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life…a patient man calms a quarrel.” Proverbs 15:1, 4, 18 Words that promote healing in homes, communities, and nations have never been more in need than today. In the heat of conflict and tension, our character is tested and what is hidden in our heart comes out in our words. In those moments, mature Christ-followers, filled with the Spirit, turn away wrath. Their words bring healing and calm a quarrel. Peace-making is hard work and is sourced in a heart at peace with God and others. Are our words promoting healing and peace this day? “Lord Jesus, your Spirit is full of peace. I invite you to love and speak through me today, for your glory.”

 Proverbs 10-12; Romans 10   “One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” Proverbs 11:24, 25 Generosity changes the state of our heart, our home, and even our meetings. In an atmosphere of generosity there is encouragement, blessing, and love. When we believe that all we have belongs to the Lord, we are generous because he is generous with us. Generosity is in the nature of God, reflected in creation around us, reflected in his love and grace toward us, and reflected in his preparation of heaven for us. Are we generous like our heavenly Father? When we are generous with our hospitality we welcome people into the generous love we ourselves have experienced in God and they are refreshed by that love. Generosity and hospitality are marks of God’s people transformed by his love. “Father God, thank you for your incredible generosity toward me. I pray now for your g

 Proverbs 7-9; Romans 9   “For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” Romans 9:15, 16 To experience God’s mercy in our lives is an amazing gift. God’s grace is not dependent on human desire or effort. There is no room for comparisons with others or attempts to justify or critique God’s mercy and grace. Our response can only be gratitude and humility. God is more merciful than any human will ever be. His grace saves, heals, delivers, and transforms. Instead of attempting to earn God’s love, we are invited to stop and express gratitude for the many ways we have experienced God’s compassion, mercy, love, and grace in our lives. Worship is a normal response for those who know our merciful God. “Lord God, thank you for your kindness, mercy, grace, and love toward me. I am overwhelmed, for your glory.”

 Proverbs 4-6; Romans 8   “My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;…Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet…” Proverbs 4:20, 21, 25, 26 Our eyes direct where our body travels. Walking within the context of light or of darkness has a huge impact on the capacity of our eyes to see where we are going. God’s Word is like a lamp for our feet, lighting our way if we invite his revelation into our heart and are guided by it. Even living in the light of the knowledge of God requires constant vigilance that we not shift our gaze to the lusts of this world and the temptations of our sinful nature. Are we walking in the light and guarding our eyes from the distractions of sin that would lure us to the right and the left? Will we offer our eyes to the Lord this day? “Jesus, take my eyes and guide them, for your glory.”

 Proverbs 1-3; Romans 7   “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” Proverbs 3:11, 12 Many people today have not grown up in families that practiced loving discipline. They are surprised to read that God disciplines those he loves, and it hurts. Instead of thanking God for his discipline and repenting for their sin, they resent God’s rebuke and despise the Lord’s discipline. They blame God, rather than thanking him. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11 that our unwillingness to examine ourselves before we take communion is the reason some are sick and others are asleep. Those who live in covenant with God are loved too much by God for him to not discipline. Will we thank him today for his loving discipline in our lives? “Lord Jesus, thank you that you learned obedience by what you suffered. I pray for grace to learn the same way, for your glory.”

 1 Kings 10-11; 2 Chronicles 9; Romans 6   “Then the Lord raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite…And God raised up against Solomon another adversary, Rezon son of Eliada…Rezon was Israel’s adversary as long as Solomon lived, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad…” 1 Kings 11:14, 23, 25 Solomon might have been inclined to blame Satan for raising up Hadad and Rezon against him; however, both of these adversaries were raised up by God. Recognizing the potential for this same pattern, Solomon’s father David refused to strike Shimei when Shimei cursed him on the day he fled Jerusalem (2 Samuel 16:11, 12). God sometimes uses opposition to discipline us, refine our character, and get our attention. Rather than fighting opposition, a wiser approach is by full surrender to the Lord, seeking his counsel and deliverance. Solomon compromised with foreign wives and their gods, so God used opposition to get Solomon’s attention. It’s God’s kindness that leads us to repentance. “Lor

 1 Kings 9; 2 Chronicles 8; Psalms. 136; Romans 5 “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us…” Romans 5:3-5 Our sufferings are one of the ways God gets our attention. We are humbled and we become aware again of how dependent we are on God for all things. Sufferings are also a means to grow in hope. We receive a living hope for our eternity with God through our faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross for us. However, this living hope is made real in the process of God redeeming our sufferings to produce in us perseverance, character, and hope. It’s in our struggles and pain that our hope in God is clarified and made real. How is God redeeming our sufferings for his glory in our lives today? “Lord Jesus, thank you for transforming my sufferings into new hope today, for your glory.”

 2 Chronicles 6-7; Psalms. 135; Romans 4   “When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it…they worshipped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, ‘He is good; his love endures forever.’” 2 Chronicles 7:1-4 At the dedication of the temple, worshipers witnessed fire from heaven consume the sacrifices on the altar. The glory of God was above the temple and within it. The people’s response was to bow face down on the ground chanting, “He is good; his love endures forever”. This amazing response of gratitude for God’s goodness and love in the midst of his power and holiness is the unique characteristic of all who know him personally. We are drawn to love and trust God; yet, despite his awesome power, there are those who only seek his love, and avoid his power and Holy fire. Jesus came to baptize us

 1 Kings 8; 2 Chronicles 5; Psalms. 99; Romans 3 “’As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your name – for they will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm – when he comes and prays toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel…’” 1 Kings 8:41-43 Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the temple included a plea that God would listen to the prayers of foreigners who were seeking God’s favor. The court of the Gentiles at the temple was set aside for these pilgrims and God-seekers. Acts 8 gives us the story of the Ethiopian royal court official who came to the temple in Jerusalem to pray and learn about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Ethiopian left Israel, baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit, so that his body became a temp

   1 Kings 7; 2 Chronicles 4; Psalms. 98; Romans 2   “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things…do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? Romans 2:1, 4 In view of our own sin, we have no right to pass judgment on others. Religion is good at defining systems of self-righteousness where merit attempts to counter-weigh our sin. The Gospel clearly opposes religious systems of self-righteousness. The mercy of God, expressed in his kindness to us, declares that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. The implication being that we are all helpless in sin before God, and are in need of being rescued. Let us respond to our sin and that of others with humility, pointing each other to Jesus and to repentance through God’s grace. “Lord Jesus, th

1 Kings 6; 2 Chronicles 3; Psalms. 97; Romans 1     “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God - ” Romans 1:1 Paul’s first call was to serve Jesus Christ. He understood that he was serving Christ before he was serving others. Before his calling as an apostle, Paul understood he was a servant of Christ. To serve Christ is to be attentive to Christ’s wishes, needs, and desires first. Does that describe how we see ourselves? Somehow we get the order confused and believe the Gospel is about God serving us. We build ministries where gifting and calling come before servanthood. Renewal of first love for Christ begins with laying down our distractions and other loves to serve Jesus. This was Paul’s life message and it can be ours as well. “Lord Jesus, my desire is to serve you today in all I do. I choose to listen and obey, for your glory.”

1 Kings 4-5; 2 Chronicles 2; Psalms. 101; 2 Thessalonians 3   “I will be careful to lead a blameless life…I will walk in my house with blameless heart. I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me. Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with evil.” Psalm 101:2-4 Our homes are the first place where our faith is on display and either authenticated or discredited. David was determined not to approve of anything vile. He wasn’t tempted with TV or internet programming; yet, we know David was tempted to abuse his power to take what wasn’t his and hurt another man’s family. Perversion is being celebrated in our culture and debated in our homes. Like David, we have a choice to resist what God calls sin, or bring it into our homes. Our choices will affect the faith of the next generation and their walk with God. “Lord Jesus, be glorified in our home.”

1 Kings 3; 2 Chronicles 1; Psalms. 78; 2 Thessalonians 2 “…we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way…” 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 Prophecies about the return of Jesus have been used by many over the past two thousand years to manipulate and control people by fear. Paul warns about this strategy of the enemy and the various ways in which he can communicate with us. Those who know the Lord personally are not moved by fear- based manipulation. They trust the Lord as their Shepherd and ‘they shall not want’. They trust that a home is being prepared for them and one day the bridegroom will take them home with him. They trust that their lives, their every breath, and their eternity are in the hands of the Lord and nothing can take them out of those hands. “Lord God, thank you for your promised return and more importantly,

1 Kings 2; 1 Chronicles 29; Psalms. 95; 2 Thessalonians 1   “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah…’They shall never enter my rest.’” Psalm 95:6-8, 11 It is in worship, surrender, and submission that we learn to follow the voice of our Shepherd. To enter into his care, we must release our cares to him. We feed in his pasture under his provision. His voice calls us to not harden our hearts by murmuring and complaining about what we don’t have, rather than expressing gratitude for what we do have. Living with gratitude, worship, and surrender as daily disciplines brings rest to our soul and peace to our being. This is God’s invitation to his people, “Come,   bow down…” “Lord God, you are worthy of my worship. I surrender all to you this day. Thank you for rest, for your glory.”  

  1 Kings 1; 1 Chronicles 28; Psalms. 91; 1 Thessalonians 5   “So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet…put Solomon on King David’s mule and escorted him to Gihon. Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon. Then…they shouted, ’Long live King Solomon!’” 1 Kings 1:38, 39 Solomon was anointed king at the Gihon spring, the lowest point of the city of David. Why was he not anointed at the palace, or at the tabernacle which was the highest point of the city? God was calling Solomon to humbly acknowledge that it was the living water of God’s Spirit which would enable him to govern with wisdom. Authority in Christ’s kingdom is a sacred trust for which we are stewards. It is not a title or position we strive for or demand. Humility marks the lives of Christ’s leaders who are anointed at ‘Gihon’. “Lord Jesus, I repent for pride and choose to be humble. I desperately need your Spirit and enabling power to serve in your authority, for your glory.”

 1 Chronicles 25-27; 1 Thessalonians 4   “Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.” 1 Thessalonians 4:9 Love is the clearest and simplest evidence that we have experienced spiritual rebirth in Christ. Jesus said we would know his disciples from the imposters by our fruit. God is love and those who experience his love are transformed by it. The Holy Spirit pours the love of God into our lives so we never need to run out (Romans 5:5). When we struggle to forgive and love each other, it is the Holy Spirit who convicts us and teaches us how to love. How are our love lessons from God progressing? It’s love that Jesus emphasized as he left his disciples and it is still his primary lesson today. “Lord Jesus, renew your love in me today, for your glory.”

 1 Chronicles 22-24; 1 Thessalonians 3   “…in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 3:7, 8 What makes us “really live” life to its fullest? Is it when our feet are up and we’ve left our cares behind? For Paul, it was when his spiritual children were doing well in their faith. Despite persecution for the Gospel, these new Christ-followers were standing firm. Because of this, Paul said “now we really live”. What is the focus of our life? Not what should it be, but what is it? Paul’s life was focused on sharing and living the gospel so that new Christ-followers would be established in Churches where previously no Church existed. That focus consumed Paul’s life and also was where he found life. The hidden truth is that we find life in its fullest when we give our lives to causes bigger than ourselves. The value of this life is eternal. Have we discovered how to r

2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21; Psalms. 30; 1 Thessalonians 2   “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.” Psalm 30:11, 12 Who or what can move us from wailing to dancing, from sackcloth to joy, from silence to singing? Where are we processing our pain and regrets? Is it working? David found relief and freedom in processing death, failure, and pain in the presence of the Lord. Time spent in the presence of God anchored David’s life and was his reference point no matter what challenges he was facing. It was David’s spiritual sensitivity which freed him to wail over sin and its consequences, and also to find forgiveness and the joy of redemption. How healthy are we? Are we capable of feeling deep pain and sorrow and also joy and celebration? God has given us our emotions as a gift, and he invites us to share them with him. “Lord God, heal my emotions

2 Samuel 21-23; 1 Thessalonians 1 “…our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.” 1 Thessalonians 1:5, 6 How are we communicating the Gospel? Paul pointed to his ministry in Thessalonica as more than just words. He reminded the Thessalonians of a Spirit-filled Gospel, an incarnational Gospel, a costly Gospel, and a joyful Gospel. I love the balance in this full Gospel expression. Paul arrived in Thessalonica from a Philippian jail cell and a severe beating. With blood on his clothes, Paul joyfully preached of Jesus raised from the dead. The Holy Spirit anointed Paul’s words and confirmed them through the Scriptures and with signs of the power of God. The Thessalonians could see Paul’s courage and willingness to endure suffering for the

  2 Samuel 19-20; Psalms. 55; Matthew 28 “’…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…’” Matthew 28:19 Christ’s call to baptize new disciples in, or “into”, the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is at the heart of his mission through us. The act of baptism signifies our death to the life of self and sin and our resurrection into new life in Christ. However, it’s more than Christ. This new life is into the fullness of who the Father is, who the Son is, and who the Spirit is. We are invited to know and commune with God in all his fullness so that his nature becomes our nature and transforms us. Baptism is not a rite of passage or another badge in a list of spiritual achievements. Rather, baptism is immersion into communion with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This is a Trinitarian Missiology we’ve been commanded to follow and in so doing, to be transformed. “Lord Jesus, lead me this

 2 Samuel 18; Psalms. 56; Matthew 27 “Now Absalom happened to meet David’s men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s hair got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.” 2 Samuel 18:9 Absalom was riding on a mule through a dense forest. It was during a military battle that would determine the future of Israel. What was he thinking? He was probably thinking about his image as a conquering hero among his followers. The hair which he so carefully cultivated and which won him much recognition, proved his undoing. His mule, which signified status, was ill-suited for travelling in battle and through a dense forest. Absalom was better suited to politics than battle. The qualities which are our strengths in one context can be our weakness in another context. Absalom’s father David knew when to take off Saul’s armor and fight with a sling. His son Absalom never had to fight a bear or a

 2 Samuel 17; Psalms. 71; Matthew 26 “But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure.” Psalm 71:14, 15 David knew God’s righteousness and saving power through his experience of the Holy Spirit and God’s frequent acts of protection and provision. Salvation was a very real and practical word in David’s life. He told stories of God’s righteousness and salvation because they had changed his life. What do we talk about? Through Jesus Christ, we have been given God’s righteousness, or right standing with God, so we, like David, can have a relationship with God. We, too, have been saved from the penalty for our sins, and daily saved from spiritual attacks and calamities, many of which we are often unaware. Although we are unaware of the measure and eternal impact of God’s salvation and his gift of righteousness to us, we can testify to the hope we have found in kno

 2 Samuel 15-16; Psalms. 32; Matthew 25 “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit…Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.” Psalm 32:1, 2, 10 David’s painful response to Absalom’s rebellion was to remove himself from the palace and flee, not fight. His response to Shimei, the Benjamite who cursed him, was to restrain his bodyguard from retaliating (2 Samuel 16:5-14).   Why? Because David recognized that God was his defender. If this pain was from God like in an earlier season when he ran from Saul and was living in caves, then who was he (David) to fight against God? When we are faced with opposition, criticism, and attacks, our first response must be to go to God and wait on him for his counsel and direction. The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds those who trust in him. He alone can cover and forgive

2 Samuel 13-14; Matthew 24 “’Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?...But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.’” Matthew 24:45, 48, 49 The standard Jesus sets for all who serve in leadership positions in his kingdom requires faithfulness, wisdom, and stewardship. Gifting and personality will always vary from one leader to the next, but all leaders in Christ’s kingdom recognize they are stewarding relationships and trust. Jesus warns us against abusing positions of authority in his kingdom to mistreat fellow Christ-followers or to indulge our appetites. Christ calls us to be humble and to use self-control as we serve others who are under his authority. The only way this kind of leadership is possible is if we have died to self and have

 2 Samuel 11-12; Psalms. 51; Matthew 23 “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war…David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful,” 2 Samuel 11:1, 2 Why was David vulnerable to adultery that particular springtime? Instead of leading his men in battle, David indulged his own appetites and comforts because he might have reasoned that he deserved them. After years of living a hard life with his band of warriors, hadn’t he deserved a life that was soft? We are most vulnerable after our victories. Perhaps David had endured another argument with his first wife, Michal, who was the daughter of Saul. Perhaps his willful sin in pursuing Bathsheba was a way of ‘punishing’ Michal with whom he was unable to be intimate. Conflict makes us vulnerable to justify temptation in our lives as a way of getting even. In those moments, we forget that when we sin, we a

2 Samuel 10; 1 Chronicles 20; Psalms. 20; Matthew 22 “…’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37, 39 Why does Jesus remind us to love God, and not just know him? Jesus is quoting from the Ten Commandments, reminding his audience that memorizing the law and all its specific application must first engage the heart and the emotions. Love is to be the primary description of our relationship with God. Is that true for us? Love is also to be the primary description of our relationships with our neighbors. We are to be known in our communities as those who love. Is that true of us? Love trumps knowledge, devotion, reputation, and any other benchmarks we might have for our relationship with God and others. In what ways are we loving others? “Lord Jesus, I repent for not loving well. I need your Spirit to renew first love and your love within me so that I have something to share with others, for your

 2 Samuel 8-9; 1 Chronicles 18-19; Matthew 21 “David asked, ‘Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathon’s sake?...Is there no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?’” 2 Samuel 9:1, 3 David and Jonathon had made a friendship covenant which included each other’s families. David’s faithfulness to this covenant went beyond his friendship with Jonathan; it extended to his covenant with God. David welcomed the crippled Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan, to eat at the king’s table as son of the king because of his covenant with Jonathon and the kindness of God. When we’ve experienced God’s kindness, we have the capacity to share that same kindness with others. What opportunities has God placed in front of us to show kindness to others? What friendships have we enjoyed which we can now restore or strengthen? “Lord Jesus, you have been kind and merciful to me. Fill me with your love and kindness toward others this day, fo

2 Samuel 7; 1 Chronicles 17; Psalms. 2; Matthew 20   “…’You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’” Matthew 20:25-28 Humility and servanthood are the marks of leadership that looks like Jesus. In Jesus’ time, the Romans took every opportunity to remind the Jews that they were in charge. Their soldiers enforced taxation for local infrastructure and public projects by the use of force. Slaves had no rights in this society. They could be purchased and then discarded. To use slaves as the example of servanthood, which all those who aspire to leadership must embody, was and is a shocking parallel.   If this is the standard in Christ’s kingdom, who would aspire to be a leader? J