Listening to the Word

  Isaiah 1-3; Titus 3   “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen…Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1:15-17 Prayer as a ritual, disconnected from a relationship of discipleship to God and his ways, is an empty practice. God’s eyes are on how we live our lives, not on how we dress for church. The call to stop doing wrong by ignoring the plight of the oppressed, the fatherless, and the widow is impossible to ignore if we value the actual presence of God in our lives and in our corporate expressions of church. This holistic understanding of discipleship was at the heart of Jesus ministry and teachings about the kingdom of God. There is no “pass” for historic covenant people like Jews and Christians. We are all called to live with and for justice for the most

  Amos 7-9; Psalms 104; Titus 2   “’The days are coming,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘when I will send a famine through the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Men will stagger from sea to sea…searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.’” Amos 8:11, 12 Following God’s judgment on the idolatry and self-indulgence of Israel, he restored a remnant back to the land, but they suffered through four hundred years of prophetic silence. This was a famine of hearing the words of the Lord until a man wearing camel’s hair clothes and living in the wilderness began proclaiming, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight paths for him.” God’s judgment on his people included withholding his prophetic word because they refused to obey his last words to them. The remnant of Israel still had the scrolls of Moses, the Psalms, and the prophetic writings, but they had no prophetic words from the Lord. Are we listening to an

  Amos 4-6; Psalms 86; Titus 1   “Woe to you who are complacent in Zion, and to you who feel secure on Mount Samaria, you notable men of the foremost nation, to whom the people of Israel come…You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph…your feasting and lounging will end.” Amos 6:1, 6, 7 When our reference point for the state of our lives is the opinions of others towards us, or the comfort of our lives, we can become spiritually complacent. This false security does not take into account God’s perspective, the one who holds our very lives in his hands. The spiritual leaders of Israel had influence, but not insight. They refused to listen to the word of the Lord from a simple shepherd named Amos. Leaders who no longer grieve over the sins of God’s people have lost their spiritual sensitivity. Eventually our feasting and lounging will end. God is calling for spiritual awakening and revival, and it always begins with leaders humb

Amos 1-3; Psalms 80; 2 Timothy 4   “For the time will come when men [people] will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2 Timothy 4:3, 4 What happens when the truth of God’s Word confronts our sinful desires? We either repent and submit to the truth, who is Jesus, or we look for someone who will say what we want them to say. Much of the non-Western, first generation Church around the world has been influenced by the prosperity gospel exported through Western media. The promise of wealth, health, and power to vulnerable, poor, and marginalized people is almost irresistible. The consumer church model in the West similarly caters to people’s needs. When we center church on the Living Word of Truth, named Jesus, we avoid centering our teaching on what we want to hear. “Lord Jesus, you are T

2 Kings 13-14; 2 Chronicles 25; 2 Timothy 3 “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud…lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.” 2 Timothy 3:1, 2, 4, 5 Paul’s list of qualities that people express in the last days could have been written in our day. Why is it important that the list includes a “form of godliness”? Is the gospel of self-improvement and success a threat to the self-centered life? When the definition of godliness includes enabling greed, pride, and pleasure, we are not experiencing the true gospel of Jesus Christ. The power of Christ’s gospel comes in its call to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. If those words aren’t familiar to us, and all we are looking for is the substitution of atonement of Christ, we, too, could be living without the power of the Holy Spirit to transform our

Jonah 1-4; 2 Timothy 2   “Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him…’What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord!’” Jonah 1:15, 16; 2: 9 In the storms of life, many have made vows to the Lord. When God gets our attention, we grow in the fear of the Lord.   However, do we “make good” on what we vowed to the Lord? When our health improves, the danger passes, or our finances become stable, do we “make good” on what we vowed to the Lord? Jonah resolved to proclaim, “Salvation comes from the Lord.” He made good on that vow and 120,000 people were saved because they repented of their sin. Some of us have vowed to live on mission with greater boldness and share the salvation we have experienced with those around us. Are we making good on that vow? “Lord Jesus, you are salvation. I choose to live on mission with you, for your glory.”

  Joel 1-3; 2 Timothy 1   “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God...” 2 Timothy 1:7, 8 We overcome the lies of the deceiver in our generation through the word of our testimony about the power of our Lord to transform lives, including our own. We daily yield to the Holy Spirit and ask the Lord to fill us because we desperately need the Spirit’s power, love, and strength to resist temptation. Paul called Timothy to another level of witness for the gospel which is suffering for the gospel.   In an age of pluralism will we boldly point people to Jesus and his exclusive salvation and truth claims? Will we willingly endure social rejection for our witness of Christ? The power of the Holy Spirit is available today to love, speak, and resist sin - less of us and more of him. “Lord Jesus, I yield to

2 Kings 11-12; 2 Chronicles 24; 1 Timothy 6   “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:12 “…As long as Jehoiada lived, burnt offerings were presented continually in the temple of the Lord…After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. They abandoned the temple of the Lord…” 2 Chronicles 24:14, 17, 18 Is our faith our own, or an environmental faith made convenient by the many people of faith around us? Joash was mentored and raised by Jehoiada the priest, yet he never owned his faith personally. When the scaffolding was removed, his faith collapsed. We know whether our faith is genuine when we fight for it and take hold of it, even unsupported and at personal cost. As an adult, making our faith confession in front of witnesses is one of the ways we own our faith.   Timothy made his “good confe

2 Kings 10; 2 Chronicles 22-23; 1 Timothy 5   “Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.” 1 Timothy 5:1, 2 Paul uses family as the metaphor to describe the many relationships in the Church, the Body of Christ. In a generation where so many families are broken, how do we apply the example of family relationships to the Church? At an even more basic level, how do we think of each other as family within the local church, when we have used the local church like a consumer product or dispenser of services? Do we see our local church as family? What needs to change for that perspective to shape our relationships? Who are our brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers within the church? Do respect, trust, love, purity, and faithfulness characterize our relationships with other Christ-followers? In what current relationships is the Lord inviting us to chan

  2 Kings 8-9; 2 Chronicles 21; 1 Timothy 4   “The spirit clearly says that in the later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.” 1 Timothy 4:1, 2 There is no more important capacity or discipline in the life of a disciple of Christ than to live in unbroken fellowship and communion with the Holy Spirit. This was the prayer of Jesus for his disciples. The Spirit of truth guides us into all truth, reminds us of what Jesus has said, counsels us, empowers us for mission, convicts us of sin, gifts us for ministry, bears fruit in our lives for God’s glory, and reminds us that we are deeply loved by our Father. When we deliberately and repeatedly disobey the Holy Spirit, our conscience becomes seared and we lose our sensitivity to the Spirit’s promptings and ministry. We then become vulnerable to deceiving spirits and counterfeit gifts. How

  2 Kings 6-7; 2 Chronicles 20; 1 Timothy 3 “…train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come…Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” 1 Timothy 4:7, 8, 16 The pain of physical training in a gym involves the breaking down or tearing of muscle tissue and then the rebuilding of tissue into stronger muscle mass. The aerobic training and conditioning involves similar stretching of both the muscles and blood/oxygen flow to sustain activity longer and farther. Without pain there is no gain. Why do we behave as though simply listening to good teaching is enough? What resistance training involving daily spiritual disciplines is essential to our growth in godliness as disciples of Christ? In what ways is the Lord inviting us to endure? Will we find a spiritual “workout partner” and take our tr

2 Kings 4-5; Psalms 83; 1 Timothy 2 “Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, ‘A vast army is coming against you…’ Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord…” 2 Chronicles 20:2-4 One of the key responsibilities of leaders is to define reality for those they lead. Is everything fine?   Or, are we in trouble?   Or, is this the time to stop everything we are doing and respond to the need? Jehosophat, when faced with a large invading army, resolved to inquire of the Lord. He understood this would not just be him personally inquiring of the Lord, but all of Judah would need to humble themselves before the Lord and seek his face. What would it take for us, our people, to respond to our desperate circumstances that way? Where are the leaders who resolve to inquire of the Lord? “Lord Jesus, I repent for not responding to the urgent spiritual reality around me with corporate intercession,

  2 Kings 1-3; Psalms 82; 1 Timothy 1   “The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.” 1 Timothy 1:14, 15 Reflecting on the depravity of our hearts apart from Christ is a healthy exercise. When we subtly believe we were fairly good people before we experienced Christ’s forgiveness and grace, perhaps we are still living in self-righteousness. Our experience of Christ’s grace/unmerited favor should so overwhelm us that we are broken, awe struck, humbled, and undone. Paul was convinced that he was the worst of sinners and unworthy of God’s grace. No one is worthy! That’s the point of grace. Have we experienced Christ’s love, faith, and grace, abundantly poured out on our lives? Or, was our salvation an intellectual decision based on our understanding of the gospel? Are we aware of how desper

1 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 18-19; Colossians 4   “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:5, 6 When we live on mission every day, regardless of our location or occupation, each conversation offers opportunities to make Christ known. Conversation that is full of grace communicates love and [Christian] values to others. When that conversation is also seasoned with salt, it avoids unclean words, disinfects sin, and preserves sound speech. Salt adds flavor in that its presence has a part in helping the inquirer and responding to the scoffer. The point of salt-seasoned speech is that we can know how to answer everyone who asks. Living on mission requires the daily empowerment and anointing of the Holy Spirit who guides our speech and gives us words of life from within. Spirit-led living is full of grace and seasoned with salt. I

  1 Kings 20-21; 2 Chronicles 17; Colossians 3   “(There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. He behaved in the vilest manner…)…Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: ‘Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.’” 1 Kings 21:25, 26, 28, 29 There are few examples of evil in leadership which surpass Ahab. He “sold himself”, or literally, gave himself over to the demonic powers operating through his wife Jezebel. Yet, when confronted by his sin and its consequences, Ahab repented and humbled himself before the Lord. The astonishing response of the Lord was mercy. Are there vile, evil thoughts, actions, or habits which we feel disqualify us from receiving God’s mercy? The story of Ahab reminds us that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace and mercy if we h

1 Kings 17-19; Colossians 2   “He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.” Colossians 2:19 Growth is a function of the body’s system responding to the direction of the head. Christ is not just the historic Head of the Church, his body, but the Living Head; providing leadership and nurture now, in real time, for those who remain in Christ. The ligaments and sinews are the relational connections within the body which enable joints to function and different parts of the body to work together. The Head of the body of Christ is calling the various parts of his body into alignment and coordinated action in mission. Are we receiving leadership direction from Christ which is strengthening our relationships and effective movement with other parts of the body of Christ? Have we lost connection with the Head? “Lord Jesus, you are my Head and leader. I invite you to more effectively connect

  1 Kings 16; 2 Chronicles 15-16; Colossians 1 “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints – the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven…” Colossians 1:3-5 At the close of Paul’s life he was writing about the most essential aspects of knowing God and living on mission with him. Although confined by chains in Rome, Paul’s intercession before the throne of God reached around the world. His prayer for this new group of Christ-followers in Colosse was for the strength of their faith, love, and hope. Their testimony as new believers was not through the size of their worship gatherings, or the beauty of their sanctuary, but rather, their qualities of living with faith, hope, and love. What are we known for by those who have not yet met us? Are we expressing what it means to have “Christ in you [us], the hope of glory” (Colos

1 Kings 15; 2 Chronicles 13-14; Philippians 4   “…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11-13 Contentment in the Lord is not a state of being that we suddenly find ourselves in; but rather, a process of learning to surrender and release our every need and our very lives to the Lord.   If we are accustomed to living with modest means, are we content living in plenty? Or, are we judgmental of those whose standard of living is higher than our own? Are we content when living with those who have much less that we do, recognizing the same Lord owns all we have? Are we open to a process of learning where our security and well-being are not found in how much or little we have, but rather, in whom we hav

  1 Kings 13-14; 2 Chronicles 12; Philippians 3   “He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord.” 2 Chronicles 12:14 “…I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me…I want to know Christ…” Philippians 3:12, 10 Rehoboam’s mother was an Ammonite and his extended family included worshipers of many gods other than Yahweh. He didn’t see his father Solomon, seeking the Lord beyond the required annual feasts and sacrifices. Rehoboam’s heart was divided until he experienced the discipline of the Lord through the invasion of Pharaoh. Sometimes it takes a crisis in our lives to remind us that it is only the living God who can satisfy our soul’s longings. The apostle Paul met Christ on the Damascus Road while on a mission to arrest and kill Christians. Paul spent the rest of his life pursuing and seeking Jesus in order to know him better. His visions from Jesus and his incredible encounters with Christ were not the high points of his life. There were s

1 Kings 12; 2 Chronicles 10-11; Philippians 2   “…’If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.’” 1 Kings 12:7 “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant…” Philippians 2:5, 7 Leadership that wins the hearts of people must serve them. Rehoboam’s rejection of the counsel of the elders to serve Israel divided the nation and almost ended his leadership journey. New leaders are most vulnerable in the first chapter of their tenure. Who will they listen to? When our attitude is like Jesus, we, too, will realize life is not about us, but about God and his kingdom. Christ took the nature of a servant, won our salvation, and was given all authority. His path of servant- leadership is our path as well if we are citizens of his kingdom. What attitude shifts are we being invited into in our spheres of leadership? “Lord Jesus, I humble my

Song 5-8; Philippians 1 “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had and now hear that I still have.” Philippians 1:29, 30 The suffering for the gospel that the Philippian church was experiencing was granted, or gifted, to them by God. This suffering was not an indication of failure on their part, but a sign that the impact of the gospel was threatening the principalities and powers. Suffering on behalf of Christ points others to Christ and causes them to wonder at the value of Christ’s presence in our lives. We only suffer for those things we highly value. Paul’s imprisonment in Rome gave him a platform to speak to Caesar’s court and the leading officials of the empire. The glory of Rome was being opposed by a little Jewish follower of Jesus who was ready to die with love, humility, and boldness for the gospel.   Are we engaged in the struggle for the gospel, or h

  Song 1-4; Ephesians 6 “…and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” Ephesians 6:15 As we walk into situations, conversations, and opportunities, are we always ready to live the “gospel of peace” in the way of Jesus? We don’t put on the same footwear for all activities. However, for those transformed by Christ’s gospel, our feet have been custom fitted with “gospel shoes” that suit our style and size. These shoes first protect us from stumbling stones and sharp penetrating words because they remind us, we have been adopted into God’s family and we belong. We have experienced peace with God through Jesus. These “gospel shoes” also empower us to walk toward others, knowing we have been reconciled by Jesus, who is our peace. Finally, these “gospel shoes” propel us onto the mountains of business, education, government, and culture with a transformative message of peace. Are we aware that our feet have been fitted with the readiness that comes from th

  Ecclesiastes 10-12; Psalms 94; Ephesians 5   “O Lord, the God who avenges, O God who avenges, shine forth…They say, ‘The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed.’…Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches man lack knowledge?...Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord; the man you teach from your law;” Psalm 94:1, 7, 10, 12 God’s judgments are based on justice and loving kindness and can be fully trusted. When it seems evil goes unpunished, we can despair, or try to take justice into our own hands. However, those who know God fear the Lord. We willingly receive his discipline in our lives because we know we will grow in wisdom and knowledge through it. We work for justice and righteousness in our land because we recognize God disciplines nations, and we would rather live under his hand of blessing. As we pray for our lives, our families, our community, and our nation, we pray for God’s ways to be known and followed, so many others would experience the b

  Ecclesiastes 7-9; Ephesians 4   “There is one body and one Spirit…But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it…It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up…we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” Ephesians 4:4, 7, 11, 12, 15 The picture of the Body of Christ, the Church, is one of unity and diversity - one Body, one Spirit, one Head, and many different grace-filled gifts and functions. The purpose of the five-fold leadership gifts is equipping for service so that the Body becomes strong and mature in Christ. This is not a consumer church, always feeding and never contributing. This is a Body-in-training for service and assignments which contribute to building up the Body. It’s as we serve, that we grow. Christ our Head, came to serve in the power of the Holy Spirit

Ecclesiastes 4-6; Psalms 18; Ephesians 3   “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me…He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.” Psalm 18:16, 17, 19 Many of God’s servants can testify that in their moments or seasons of greatest need, they cried out to the Lord, and he drew them out of “deep waters” and brought them into a “spacious place”. When we place our lives into the hands of God, he becomes our shield, our fortress, and our deliverer. It is the sovereign hand of God on our lives which is our greatest source of confidence and strength. God allows tests, deep waters, and strong opponents to test and refine our faith. He wants to know where our confidence is placed. Often a very confining test is followed by a spacious place and our confidence in the Lord is rewarded. Where do we find ourselves on the journey of faith? “Lord