Listening to the Word

  Deuteronomy 7-9; Mark 15 “Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 8:2, 3 How we respond in the tests God brings into our lives reveals our heart, our level of humility, and our Source. Hunger and thirst are the most basic human needs and to be tested in these areas is rare in the developed world. God’s provision of food for Israel came from above and their water came from a rock. In the test, God didn’t meet Israel’s needs in the normal way to teach both them and us that we must be dependent on God and his Word for our life. In our tests, are we crying out to the Lord? What have our recent ...

Deuteronomy 5-6; Psalms 43; Mark 14   “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God…Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.” Deuteronomy 5:12-14, 15 Both work and Sabbath extend back to the pattern God established in Genesis 1. Work images God’s nature and provides an opportunity for creative engagement with people, problems, and processes to improve our lives. Work is not the necessary evil to endure until we enjoy Sabbath rest. Just as Sabbath rest is not an imposition of leisure on an otherwise productive life. Both are gifts from God which image his nature and design for creation. We are not slaves to work, but co-creators with God. Neither are we living for the weekend, vac...

  Deuteronomy 3-4; Psalms 36; Mark 13 “…Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” Psalm 36:7-9 No matter how wealthy we are, or what our station in life, we are created with longing to know life’s purpose and find meaning for our existence. The fountain of eternal life is found in the presence of our Creator and through the Holy Spirit. This “river of delights” brings life wherever it flows. Are we looking for life in all the wrong places? In the Father’s house is everything we need! We find protection and refuge in the shadow of the Almighty. In the light of God’s presence we see our lives, our circumstances, and what has true value, with a new light. It doesn’t matter who we are, but rather, whose we are. “Lord Jesus, you have made life possible for me and this world. Thank you.”

Deuteronomy 1-2; Mark 12   “The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah,…See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore he would give to your fathers…’” Deuteronomy 1:6, 8 The longer we stay encamped in the same place, with the same routines, and the same self-serving religious rituals, the harder it is to break camp and advance into our inheritance. We, too, can believe that our inheritance requires faith with no forward-moving mission. If nothing has changed in our lives, our experience of church, and our spiritual journey, it is probably time to ask the Lord if there is an inheritance he wants us to see and possess by risk-taking obedience. All of God’s promises require faith and obedience to possess. If Israel had stayed at Horeb, would they have possessed their inheritance? What “land”...

Numbers 34-36; Mark 11   “’Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered. ‘I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, “Go, throw yourself into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.. And when you stand praying; if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:22-25 Prayer is not a religious ritual or duty that gains God’s favor; prayer is the language in a relationship with God. Our faith is not in the eloquence or strength of a prayer, but rather, in the Person to whom we are praying and whose Word we are listening to. Our unforgiveness toward others affects God’s forgiveness of us. Why? Because God’s relationship with us is based on his grace in Christ; his children give evidence they know their Father’s love by showing that same gra...

Numbers 32-33; Mark 10     “’But at the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one Therefore, what God has joined together, let man not separate.’” Mark 10:6-9 If this is how God feels about divorce between a husband and wife, how much more does he care about the union of the bride of Christ with her Bridegroom. Christ’s prayer for the unity of the bride (John 17), relates to Paul’s analogy of the “radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:27). We are members of his body, like the “one flesh” reality of marriage; “what God has joined together, let no man separate” in the Church. How can we focus on sanctification as God’s beauty treatment of the bride of Christ and ignore our unity within the global Church? The early Church would be shocked at the way pride, sc...

  Numbers 30-31; Mark 9     “…he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.’” Mark 9:33-35 The disciples were arguing about positional authority. Jesus responded by challenging them to live with spiritual authority. The “very last”, or “servant of all”, was the lowest position in a household. Jesus’ call to “deny yourselves, take up your cross and follow me” was a call to “live dead”. The call of leadership is a call to lay down ambition and learn to follow and obey. Are we leading in the world’s way, or in God’s way? The leadership Jesus modeled confronted the powers, delivered the spiritual prisoners, and boldly invited people into a new Kingdom. If we aspire to lead in any way in Christ’s Kingdom, we, too, must live as the “servant of all”. It’s a hi...

Numbers 28-29; Mark 8 “The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. About four thousand men were present…’Be careful,’ Jesus warned them. ‘Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.’” Mark 8:8, 9, 15 Not all multiplication is life-giving. Jesus warned his disciples about the yeast, or teachings, of the Pharisees and of Herod. Religion, with its rules and self-made righteousness, is popular and multiplying. In religion, there is no need to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. We follow men and try to improve ourselves. The yeast of Herod reminds us that political leaders offer us a better life if we will follow them. This, too, is very popular until the leader proves to be human and disappoints us. Jesus is the bread of life, and when we feed on him, we are satisfied. We find that Jesus provides for our needs and so much more. When we offer our lives to Jesus, we find his life...