Listening to the Word

 Ezekiel 12-14; Revelations 5   “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! Your prophets, O Israel, are like jackals among ruins. You have not gone up to the breaks in the wall to repair it for the house of Israel so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the Lord.” Ezekiel 13:3-5 When leaders follow their own spirit rather than the Holy Spirit, they operate out of their own natural skills and instincts rather than the gifts and leading of the Spirit. Those they lead and influence would then be following men, not the Lord. Leadership becomes a popularity contest, and vision becomes manipulation. God calls this approach to leadership in his kingdom, foolish. The Sovereign Lord is looking for leaders who are willing to repair the spiritual walls in the lives of his people and the community of faith. The Lord’s desire is that the walls of faith and salvation in our lives would stand firm on the day of

Ezekiel 8-11; Revelations 4   “’You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.’” Revelation 4:11 Our worship of God is rooted in his role as our Creator. Any other theory of origins leads to the worship of mankind and his wisdom. Every aspect of creation is an expression of the will of God. Each of us is alive and self-aware in our being because God willed to give us life. This foundational truth gives us our value as persons and our purpose in life. We exist to give God glory and honor and acknowledge his power in our lives and in the world around us. The humility of this worldview gives great value to others, also created in the image of God, and to all of creation that express God’s creative design and beauty. Will we worship our Creator for all his good gifts to us and join the hosts of heaven today? “Lord God, you alone are worthy, for your glory."

Ezekiel 4-7; Revelations 3   “’The King will mourn, the prince will be clothed with despair, and the hands of the people of the land will tremble. I will deal with them according to their conduct, and by their own standards I will judge them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’” Ezekiel 7:27 “’Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline, so be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock…’” Revelation 3:19, 20 Those whom God loves, he rebukes and disciplines. Do we believe that? Has the grace of God in Christ become a license to excuse sinful habits, wrongly believing that once God opens the door of salvation to us, we no longer need to open the door of our hearts to him? The Laodician Church was wealthy and confident of their salvation, as were the inhabitants of Jerusalem when Ezekiel prophesied to them. God’s message to both groups was to repent, because he judged their conduct and not their beliefs. If what we believe doesn’t lead to humility and lifelong sanct

Ezekiel 1-3; Revelations 2   “…There the hand of the Lord was upon him…The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord upon me…The hand of the Lord was upon me there, and he said to me, ‘Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you.’” Ezekiel 1:3; 3:14, 22 Ezekiel’s call to serve as God’s messenger to the Israelites was only possible because the hand of the Lord was upon him. When the hand of the Lord is on our lives we have the empowerment and the words to accomplish the mission the Lord has called us on. No earthly authority, title, salary, or education is enough to accomplish the Lord’s assignments for us; only the hand of the Lord will carry us through. Are we aware of the hand of the Lord on our lives? Are we spending on other resources rather than relying on the strong hand of the Lord? “Lord Jesus, I submit myself under your mighty hand, that in due time you will lift me up,

Jeremiah 52; Revelations 1; Psalms 143, 144   “and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father -   to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 1:5, 6 John’s revelation of the reality of Christ’s current authority as the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth totally changed how he viewed his imprisonment on the island of Patmos. John understood God’s hand and authority was building his kingdom in the hearts of people liberated by the blood of Christ in the midst of the kingdoms of this world. The Church was the temple of God and Christ-followers were priests who served our Father God. This glorious eternal reality changes how we face the earthly powers and authorities of this world. We, too, can live with peace, boldness, and confidence kn

Jeremiah 50-51; 3 John “You are my war club, my weapon for battle – with you I shatter nations, with you I destroy kingdoms, with you I shatter horse and rider…” Jeremiah 51:20, 21 Jeremiah was a weapon in the hand of the Lord as he proclaimed the Word of the Lord. We wrestle, or fight, not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12). Our battle is against the thoughts and ideas, which oppose the kingdom of God through the world, the sinful nature, and the devil. Jeremiah’s words were spoken to both Israel and its enemies. Like Joshua, who fell prostrate before the commander of the army of the Lord (Joshua 5:13-15), God doesn’t take sides in our earthly conflicts. God’s kingdom mission is to reconcile all things to himself through Christ. The proclamation of the Gospel of peace is a battle which has cost many servants of the Lord their lives. Do we clearly understand the nature of this spiritual battle and our part in it? “Lord Jesus, your Word and S

Jeremiah 37-39; Psalms 79; 2 John “…I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” 2 John 5, 6 The simple message of the apostle John was to love one another through obeying Christ’s commands. This ethic of love expressed in a community of Christ-followers who are living each day with Jesus in his mission is to be the focus and practice of our lives. The challenges of false doctrine and false brothers in the Church, which John was addressing in his letter, can all be dealt with and discerned if we live with love in a community that follows Jesus in life. The Church is more than a set of beliefs and doctrines, it is a community of loving Christ-followers who live the ethics of Jesus and express the culture of the kingdom of heaven here on earth. Does that describe us? “Lord Jesus, we love because you first loved us, for your glory.”

Jeremiah 33-34; Psalms 74; 1 John 5   “’This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it – the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’” Jeremiah 33:2, 3 The Creator of all things invites us to call out to him so he can reveal great, unsearchable things we do not know. That is an amazing invitation from God. Yet, what follows is a revelation again of the destruction of Jerusalem followed by a promise of restoration and the return of Israel to their land. When God invites us to call out to him for revelation, it is not always what we expect or even want to hear. Yet, if we will respond to God in relationship and call out to him, he will involve us in his kingdom mission plans. When was the last time we called out to God for his sake, rather than for our needs or agenda? Have we understood his promises for our nation? Do we know what our part is in his kingdom mission? “Lor

Jeremiah 31-32; 1 John 4   “Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ‘I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I am about to hand this city over to the Babylonians…’’This is what the Lord says: As I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them.’”   Jeremiah 32:26-28, 42 How big is our God? Have we reduced God to a personal sin-management solution, or do we recognize and cooperate with the God of all mankind who said, “Is anything too hard for me?” God’s sovereign hand and plan include the destiny of nations to both discipline and to bless. We cannot manipulate God into becoming our spiritual vending machine. Nothing is too hard for God. He can choose to completely destroy Jerusalem and then later rebuild and restore that city again. We are witnesses in our day of the fulfillment of that promise over the scope of millennium. Can we not trust God for ea

Jeremiah 28-30; 1 John 3 These promises of God which have given such comfort to his people over the ages were written to a community of discouraged refugees in Babylon. Some of the spiritual leaders among the refugees were prophesying lies which appealed to people’s hopes for an immediate return to Jerusalem. God’s promise was for his presence in the midst of their suffering and for their return to Jerusalem after seventy years. Yet, we know how challenging their return and rebuilding process were in the times of Ezra and Nehemiah.   When God’s sovereign plans and timing are different than our hopes and dreams, do we, too, manipulate scripture and God’s promises to fit our wants and needs? In our current circumstances, will we surrender all to the Lord and seek him with all our heart knowing he is good? “Father God, you hold my life in your hands. I surrender all to you and trust your kingdom plans and will to be done, for your glory.”

Jeremiah 21, 24, 27; Psalms 118; 1 John 2 “…This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:5, 6 John’s answer to discerning false believers in the Church was to point to how they lived their lives, not to the beliefs they claimed to hold. Becoming a Christ-follower, or disciple of Jesus, is a way of life that others can see. We live in Christ and Christ lives in us and through us so that we walk as Jesus did. The early Church was known as people of the Way. The Way, or the path of Jesus, is our standard all over the world and in every age. Jesus is our leader, our example, our source, our testimony - the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Do people see Jesus or glimpses of Jesus when they see us live? “Lord Jesus, live through me, for your glory.”

Jeremiah 48-49; Ps 67; 1 John 1 “The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.” 1 John 1:2 The Gospel is not primarily a solution to a sin problem; it is an invitation to life. This life is full of peace and joy now, and this life is eternal. This life is found in a relationship with Jesus, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, three in One. The world is marketing life in a bottle, in a new possession, or a romantic relationship. John the apostle is testifying to the reality of eternal life through Jesus Christ now. Will we invite Jesus to live his life through us and in us now through the person of the Holy Spirit? Will we ask Jesus to reveal the Father to us so we, too, can have fellowship with him? Life is found in a relationship with God that never ends. “Lord Jesus, thank you for filling me with life, for your glory.”

 Jeremiah 45-47; Psalms 105; John 21   “He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy; he gave them the lands of the nations, and they fell heir to what others had toiled for – that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws. Praise the Lord.” Psalm 105:43-45 The story of God’s deliverance of Israel out of Egypt and their possession of the Promised Land is challenging for our modern, rights-oriented minds to understand. Yet, it is the same story as when European settlers came to North America and took First Nations territory, as well as countless other examples throughout history and around the world. In the new covenant in Christ, our inheritance is now in the kingdom of God and the spread of his kingdom to every nation, language, and culture. Yet, this mission-oriented inheritance is offensive to many modern thinkers in pluralistic societies. Without the humility of accepting God’s ways and truth, we create our own morality and our own inheritanc

Jeremiah 26, 35, 36; John 20 “…Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’…Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’” John 20:19, 21-23 The presence of Jesus brings peace! We are sent like Jesus into the world with the presence of peace and a message of peace. The breath, or wind, of God is the Holy Spirit who indwells us with peace. With the power of the Holy Spirit, we can forgive others and love our enemies. This very practical demonstration of peace transforms lives and communities. Have we experienced the breath of Jesus in our lives through the person of the Holy Spirit? We will know the Holy Spirit indwells us through the presence of deep inner peace and the love to graciously walk in forgiveness. Living this mission in the conflicts of our world wi

Jeremiah 23, 25; John 19   “I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds.” Jeremiah 23:21, 22 Where God’s servants receive their words will determine whether those words produce good fruit in the lives of those who hear them or not. Jeremiah was entrusted with painful words of correction, discipline, and judgment for Israel and the nations, yet his fellow prophets were announcing dreams and visions of peace and prosperity. God’s question to those supposed spokesmen was ‘where did you get your words?’ Had they stood in God’s council and heard his voice, their words would have aligned with those given to Jeremiah. From whom are we getting our words each Sunday? Are we communicating what people want to hear, or the Word of the Lord? Are people we serve and l

 2 Kings 24; Jeremiah 22; Psalms 112; John 18   “Jesus said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.’” John 18:36 Jesus pointed to physical violence as a difference between the kingdoms of this world and his kingdom When the Church has employed violence to advance its interests, it has forgotten which kingdom it belongs to. On a more personal level, when we use violent words, actions, or intentions in our relationships, we, too, have forgotten whose kingdom we are a part of. The violence which entertains us and which now fills our newscast has made us calloused to its presence. Jesus invites his followers to a better way, the way of love and peace. That better way cost Jesus his life and it will cost us our lives as well. However, Jesus promised when we lose our lives, we actually find abundant life. Renouncing violence begins with denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and follow

Jeremiah 18-20; Psalms 93; John 17   “’…I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one.’” John 17:20-22 Jesus lived for the glory of his Father; his prayer for us is that we will live the same way. Our unity as Christ-followers is possible because Jesus has given us access to the presence of the Father and his glory. It is before the throne of God that we are unified as the Body of Christ. In loving one another we are expressing the love Jesus has for the Father and the Holy Spirit. In expressing this loving unity we bear witness to the transforming power of God in the world and authenticate Christ’s Gospel. Jesus is praying for our unity through our embrace of his glory, setting aside lesser things. Are we living in this vision Christ

 Jeremiah 16-17; Psalms 96; John 16 “’I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.’” John 16:33 Jesus is preparing his disciples for the grief of his arrest, torture, and death. When Jesus prepares us in advance for difficult test’s we know he has a plan and a purpose for them in our lives and his kingdom mission. The prophetic nature of God prepares us for what is to come, so we can be overcomers in the test. Remaining in Christ, with his Word remaining in us, fills us with peace. Trouble is a normal part of living for God in a sin-sick world. But knowing God’s Word and his presence gives us the courage to overcome through the victory that Christ has already won for us. “Lord Jesus, thank you for your peace in the battle and for your victory over the world, for your glory.”

Jeremiah 13-15; John 15 “’When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord Almighty.’” Jeremiah 15:16 “’If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.’” John 15:7, 8 There is a direct connection between fruitfulness in Christ’s kingdom and consuming his Word. When we listen to the Word and obey it, we are remaining in full dependence on Christ. Jeremiah’s testimony was of God’s Word to him producing joy and delight in his life once he ‘ate’ the words. To eat God’s Word, we must chew on it, meditate on it, digest it, and receive its nutrients. This vital dependence on Jesus, the living Word, is how we remain in Christ and bear much fruit. What are we eating today, and is it satisfying us? “Lord Jesus, thank you for speaking this day and feeding my soul with your Word, for your glory.”

 Jeremiah 10-12; John 14   “…the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:26, 27 The peace that Jesus offers us is peace within, in the person of the Holy Spirit. The peace the world offers is the negotiated absence of conflict. Without the inner peace of God’s presence, we can still live in fear and with troubled thoughts despite the absence of physical conflict around us. Christ’s offer of peace changes our inner reality so that we become a blessing to others, even in situations of conflict. The reality of the Holy Spirit’s peace-filled presence guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and transcends understanding. Are we experiencing Christ’s peace, or just the world’s? “Lord Jesus, thank you for your peace-filled presence in m

Jeremiah 7-9; John 13 “Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name and say, ‘We are safe’…They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.” Jeremiah 7:9, 10; 8:11 It is the responsibility of leaders to help define reality for those they lead. God’s leaders in Israel were prophets and priests who facilitated the (temple’s) people’s worship and sacrificial observances. When these leaders no longer defined reality as God was viewing it, but treated sin lightly and used ‘peace’ as a Band-Aid, God became angry. Using our worship service attendance as a bargaining chip with God will not work. Using ‘peace’ as a calming tool when sin must be exposed and rooted out, also grieves God. Leaders called by God must find their reference points to define reality both in listening to God and tho

Jeremiah 5-6; John 12   “’Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.’ He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.” John 12:5, 6 The motives for our words and actions matter to God. Judas betrayed Jesus and his team long before Gethsemane. His passionate and public defense of the poor was a cover for self-indulgence. It’s possible for social and mission agencies working with the poor to also focus on their own benefits rather than those they are serving. When we acknowledge our own poverty and need for God, we serve the Lord and others with motives of worship and obedience. Justice from the wrong motives will eventually be exposed. How is God inviting us to humble ourselves? Are our words and actions congruent? “Lord Jesus, I repent for thinking more about my own needs than your glory and those you have called me to serve. I cho

Jeremiah 3-4; John 11 “’…Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to blush with shame. Have you not just called to me: My Father, my friend from my youth, will you always be angry? Will your wrath continue forever? This is how you talk, but you do all the evil you can.’” Jeremiah 3:36, 4, 5 Repetitive sin habits are deceptive. What was once sin to us becomes normal and we even try to justify it. When this deception takes root in the hearts of God’s people, we see no contradiction between worshiping God as our ‘Father’ and ‘friend’ on Sunday, and then pursuing other lovers the rest of the week. God’s long-suffering and merciful heart has been broken by his people again and again. Will we cry out to God to cure us from backsliding (Jeremiah 3:22)? Taking an honest inventory of our heart’s condition and, with the help of a spiritual friend or mentor, returning to God in repentance can break the cycle of repetitive sins. Are we willing to do the work of being honest and the

 Jeremiah 1-2; John 10 “’My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me’…’Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does…the Father is in me, and I in the Father.’” John 10:27, 38 Jesus knew the voice of his Father because his Father indwelt him by the Holy Spirit. Jesus followed the daily guidance and will of his Father, rather than just responding to needs or opportunities around him. The same life of discipleship is what Jesus offers us. He promises to indwell us through the Holy Spirit so we, too, can know his voice and follow him each day. Following in daily life is the key to fruitful living as disciples of Christ. Are we listening to the still, quiet promptings of God’s Spirit within us? Are we finding our life in this walk of surrender and obedience, or are we still pursuing our own ambitions? Living on mission with Jesus requires that we listen to him. “Lord Jesus, I repent for not listening and obeying your voice as you intended. Open my heart to listen and f

  Zephaniah 1-3; John 9   “…’For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.’… Jesus said, ‘If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.’” John 9:39, 41 It requires humility to acknowledge that we are blind and cannot see our sin. The young man who was physically blind from birth had an advantage over the Pharisees in that he could claim lack of vision. Why is it so difficult to acknowledge our need for God to show us our hearts and ongoing areas of sanctification? A knowledge of God can become a point of pride and self-justification, rather than humility and ongoing dependence on the Lord. Can we see, or are we, too, able to acknowledge we are blind in many areas of our life, including our needs and the work of God? “Lord Jesus, I need you. Expose my heart and set me free from all that blinds my heart to you, for your glory.”

Habakkuk 1-3; John 8   “I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint [or when rebuked]…The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” Habakkuk 2:1; 3:19 Habakkuk’s frustration at God’s use of Babylon as an instrument of judgment against Israel can also be our story as we resist God’s discipline for sin. Habakkuk’s vantage point on top of the siege ramparts on the wall of the city gave him a certain perspective when he complained to the Lord. God revealed to Habakkuk how discipline was part of his larger, global, salvation plan, where the knowledge of God would one day cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. This much higher and broader perspective, like a deer on the heights of a mountain, is God’s invitation to us as we live on mission with him in the midst of war, conflict, and global turmoil. God’s salvation

 2 Kings 23; 2 Chronicles 35; John 7   “The Jews were amazed and asked, ‘How did this man get such learning without having studied?’ Jesus answered, ‘My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me…He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth;…’” John 7:15-18 Where do we find our inspiration and confidence in communicating God’s Word? Jesus surprised the Jews with his clear and effective teaching despite his lack of formal theological training. Training that is life-giving must include discipleship that fosters dependence on the Holy Spirit and the will of the Father in the way of Jesus. Recreating our theological camps and exporting our perspectives around the world can foster dependence on our theological perspectives and methods of training. The pride and honor of a degree certificate on our wall can replace the anointing and blessing of our heavenly Father. Jesus was clear about who had

2 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 34; John 6   “’All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.’…For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father enabled him.’” John 6:37, 64, 65 In every area of his life, Jesus lived in complete dependence on the Father’s will. He knew who would find salvation; yet, he chose Judas as a disciple because the Father instructed him as to who would form his inner team. Yet, even as one of the twelve disciples, Judas still had to choose whether he would repent and surrender his will to God. Jesus obeyed the Father, even though he knew Judas was not loyal to him. This is difficult to understand and challenges us to keep the Father’s will above even our most prudent leadership principles. Are we being drawn to Jesus by the Father’s will? “Father God, your kingdom come, your will be done in