Listening to the Word

Judges 9-10; Psalms 49; 1 Corinthians 16 “Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to his mother’s brothers in Shechem…‘Remember, I am your flesh and blood.’…They gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, and Abimelech used it to hire reckless adventurers, who became his followers. He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers…Then all the citizens of Shechem and Beth Milo gathered beside the great tree at the pillar in Shechem to crown Abimelech king.” Judges 9:1, 2, 4-6 Illegitimate authority is birthed out of rejection and resentment. It is gained through violence and requires force to be maintained. Because Abimelech’s mother was a concubine, it meant he would never share in the inheritance of Gideon’s sons. While his father conquered through obeying the Lord (with trumpets, torches, and clay jars), Abimelech murdered his brothers, and eventually murdered the citizens of Shechem. It is ironic that the temple of Baal-Berith wh...

Judges 8; Psalms 42; 1 Corinthians 15   As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Where can I go and meet with God?” Psalm 42:1,2 What we pursue in life, shapes and defines us. The Psalmist cried out to God for his presence and uses the image of a thirsty deer seeking water. God’s Spirit is water to our soul. This cry for the presence of the Lord re-orients our days and our life when we give the Spirit of God priority in our lives. The gift of God’s presence within us means we no longer have to only seek God in corporate worship at a defined location like a temple or tabernacle. Our bodies become the temple of the Lord when we offer them to God, and his Spirit fills us with the glory of the Lord’s presence. To seek the Lord’s presence, like a thirsty deer, when he already indwells us means we turn away from distractions, quiet our soul, and listen to his Word. We worship, we listen, and we obey because we w...

Judges 6-7; Psalms 52; 1 Corinthians 14   “…the Lord said to him, ‘Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.’ So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord is Peace…That same night the Lord said to him…’Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord…’” Judges 6:23-26 This is the first revelation in the scriptures of Jehovah Shalom - the Lord is Peace. The “shalom” the Lord spoke to Gideon was found in God’s presence. Rather than fear, God’s peace strengthens us and gives us the courage to obey the mission-call of God. Gideon’s first assignment from the Lord was to tear down his family altar to Baal and the Asherah pole beside it. The strength of God’s peace in Gideon was stronger than fear of reprisal from his family and the town. God’s peace is not appeasement or a concession-based lowest common denominator negotiation; God’s peace is his presence in the battle and comes thro...

Judges 4-5; Psalms 39,41; 1 Corinthians 13   “Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro; He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it. But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. Save me from all my transgressions;…You rebuke and discipline men for their sin; you consume their wealth like a month – each man is but a breath.” Psalm 39:6-8, 11 Living for wealth and building our bank account, personal worth, and equity is in vain when we ignore the values of eternity. David’s faith-declaration was that his hope was in the Lord, the same Lord who was disciplining David for his sin. Sometimes God uses our finances to get our attention and humble us. While money is temporal, living for God’s kingdom-mission is eternal. Investing in the lives of others and their salvation is eternal. Our lives are a breath in the scope of eternity and all our wealth is as vulnerable as a moth drawn to a flame. Only God can forgive sin and change our etern...

Judges 1-3; 1 Corinthians 12   “’I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their forefathers did.’…(he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience):” Judges 2:21, 22; 3:2 The Canaanites and other remaining nations in the Promised Land resisted Israel’s authority and God’s ways. These nations worshiped fertility idols like Baal with sexual immorality and spirit worship. God allowed these sources of temptation to persist to both test Israel and to teach them warfare. What about our areas of temptation? In what way is God testing our hearts to see if we, too, will follow his commands and keep to his way? In what ways are we learning spiritual warfare through our battles with the sinful nature, the ways of the world, and Satan’s forces? Do we know our authority is in Christ and hi...

Joshua 23-24; Psalms 44; 1 Corinthians 11   “’Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.’….’Now then,’ said Joshua, ‘throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.’ And the people said to Joshua, ‘We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.’” Joshua 24:14, 23, 24 Joshua knew the key to living for the Lord and serving him with all faithfulness included throwing away the idols Israel had carried with them from Egypt and Ur of the Chaldeans. The response of the people to Joshua’s covenant-challenge was to give verbal support, much like we do in our worship and response in our worship services. But what about our idols? Our verbal response to God must be combined with the removal of our idols as well. What sin-strongholds fight for our attention in our worship time, and what are we doing about them? Our possessions, enterta...

Joshua 21-22; Psalms 47; 1 Corinthians 10   “So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their forefathers, and they took possession of it and settled there; The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their forefathers. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord handed all their enemies over to them. Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.” Joshua 21:43-45 What good promises from the Lord have we received and responded to in faith? Israel’s promises required many tests on the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, some of which they passed and others they failed. Entering the Promised Land required obedience to the Lord’s battle- plans each step of the way. Enemies were confronted and giants defeated in the Lord’s power, not man’s. As we consider our journey of sanctification there are enemies of the flesh, sin-strongholds and patterns of doubt and unbelief that must be confronted. Go...

Joshua 18-20; 1 Corinthians 9 “…Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” 1 Corinthians 9:24, 25 The crown Paul is referring to was a woven garland, or wreath, made of leaves, twigs, and flowers. This victory-garland was awarded to the victor in the games. The crown symbolized the community’s conference of honor; but, the flowers would quickly fade and the crown itself would not last very long. In the race of faith, tests, or challenges, come through relationships, finances, spiritual warfare, and the resistance of our sinful natures. Those who overcome through continually yielding to Christ’s strength and by learning to stand in their authority in Christ will receive the crown of life, glory, and righteousness in Christ. Theses crowns will last forever. As disciples of Christ, we are always in strict training and the race is long...

Joshua 15-17; 1 Corinthians 8 “And Caleb said, ‘I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.’ Othniel, son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage.” Joshua 15:16, 17 Caleb faced giants in his old age and wisely inspired the next generation to engage in battle. Othniel rose to Caleb’s challenge and went on to lead Israel for the next forty years.   When was the last time we challenged the next generation to engage in significant opportunities for Christ’s mission? Who are the ‘Othniel’s’ in our life who are open to giving themselves to a costly mission with the potential for significant reward? Caleb valued courage in the life of whoever would marry his daughter. How are we praying for our children’s future life-partners? What qualities are we asking God for in the lives of our children and their life-partners? Our legacy of faith will outlive us as we connect our story to God’s mission. ...

Joshua 12-14; 1 Corinthians 7 “I brought him back a report according to my convictions, but my brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear. I, however, followed the Lord my God whole-heartedly.” Reference? When the stakes are big, the cost is great and our friends have a very different perspective on a direction, or strategy, do we speak to them from our convictions, or from fear? Fear causes the hearts of those we serve and lead to “melt”; fear is the enemy of faith.   However, how do we know if our convictions or the application of them into strategy is rash or misguided or poor timing? If we can’t trust the community of faith to discern well with us, who can we trust? Caleb’s convictions came from wholehearted faith in God’s promises to deliver Israel from her enemies and give them an inheritance. His eyes were on the Lord, not the giants. He also had the support of Joshua who also saw reality through eyes of faith. What is shaping our convictions? ...

Joshua 9-11; 1 Corinthians 6   “Then Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said, ‘Why did you deceive us by saying, “We live a long way from you,” while actually you live near us.’...we feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this.’” Joshua 9:22, 24 When is deception justified? The Gibeonites felt deception was understandable because their lives were threatened. Do Christ-followers believe the same thing? Do we justify lying when we, too, are threatened? Jesus gives us his life as an example of how to respond to opposition and eventually to mortal danger. Jesus is the truth and he proclaimed that the truth would set people free. The truth also cost Jesus his life. What is our integrity in ministry, family, and the community worth to us? What price would we be willing to pay to stand for the truth of the Gospel? When we give place to fear, deception can easily be justified. Jesus came to set us free and give us life. Choosing Christ’s life meant denying our own live...

Joshua 7-8; Psalms 69; 1 Corinthians 5   “You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.” Joshua 8:2 God’s explicit command not to take any of the plunder from Jericho was disobeyed by Achan. It cost the lives of his family and thirty-six warriors. As Israel repented, God restored his presence and also released Joshua from the “no plunder” requirement when attacking Ai.’ Why this change in expectation? Once we realize God and his presence is the treasure in our lives, God is free to bless us with the things that otherwise would have become our idols. Jesus said, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). He also said, “The Kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field” (Matthew 13:44). It is the Lord God who is our treasure and he is worth the full surrender of our lives. Where is our treasure today? Who is our treasure? A...

Joshua 3-6; 1 Corinthians 4   “Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.” 1 Corinthians 4:16, 17 Our life reflects our beliefs, values, and spiritual DNA which we transmit to those we disciple and lead. Paul had many spiritual children in the family of God. The consistency of his life and words significantly influenced his authority in laying apostolic foundations in the churches he planted. When Paul sent Timothy or another disciple to deliver a church letter, he was also sending a reminder of his spiritual DNA.   What spiritual DNA are we reproducing in the next generation? Are our words and our life congruent and consistent? When discipline-issues emerge in our lives and in the Church, does anyone love us enough to confront us and call us to repentance? This church-culture of ...

Joshua 1-2; Psalms 37; 1 Corinthians 3   “…As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.” Joshua 1:5, 6 “Wait for the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land;…” Psalm 37:34 One of the key functions of leaders in God’s kingdom is to equip God’s people to possess their kingdom inheritance by faith. Like Joshua and David, God asks us to be strong and courageous “in the Lord” because we, too, are in a spiritual battle. It is God’s presence in our lives which gives us strength and courage. Stewarding the gift of the presence, or anointing, of God in our lives is a leader’s first priority. Everything depends on this! Waiting on the Lord was David’s hallmark, even if it meant that fifteen years after he was anointed by Samuel, David still had not inherited the land or the leadership position.   Will we, t...

Deuteronomy 32-34; 1 Corinthians 2   “Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him…” Deuteronomy 34:9 “This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.” 1 Corinthians 2:13 There is a big difference between human wisdom and spiritual wisdom and we often must choose which type of wisdom we will listen to. Joshua was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses laid hands on him and conferred the anointing of God’s Spirit onto Joshua. This spiritual blessing was given to the Church at Pentecost and now millions across the world walk with Spirit-anointed wisdom as they commune with and listen to the Spirit of God. The spirit of wisdom begins with the fear, or reverence, and awe of God. Spiritual wisdom loves holiness, humility, unity, and the Gospel. God’s wisdom is not a function of how old we are or ...

  Deuteronomy 30-31; Psalms 40; 1 Corinthians 1 “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel – not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.   For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:17, 18 Paul was clear that Jesus had sent him with a mandate to preach the Gospel, rather than just baptize converts. The earlier controversy in John’s baptismal ministry was whether those baptized by John would follow Jesus. This same personality conflict emerged in Corinth with the ministry of Paul and Apollos. Paul’s preaching of the Gospel was not with words of human wisdom, but with demonstrations of the Spirit’s power which illustrated the power of the cross. The Gospel calls us to die to our life of sin and self and be filled with the new life of the Spirit. When the Gospel is reduced to a baptism event, rather than a new life to live...

Deuteronomy 28-29; Galatians 6 “Brothers [and sisters], if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him [that person] gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:1, 2 How we deal with sin, both in our own lives and in the lives of others, reveals much about our understanding of the Gospel. Restoration of relationship with God and others must be central to how we approach sin. Notice that Paul said “if someone is caught in a sin”, not “if someone repents of a sin”. The law of Christ took the “royal law” of loving one’s neighbor like themselves, to another level. Christ’s new commandment (John 13:34) was to “Love one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another”. Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, all central to the Gospel, become our new standard of how we ,too, carry each other’s burdens to the cross of Christ and surrender them there. Love ...

Deuteronomy 25-27; Galatians 5   “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” Galatians 5:24-26 The only way we can live dead-to-self and alive in Christ is through the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit. We have been crucified with Christ when by faith we repented of our sin and received Christ’s forgiveness and sacrifice on our behalf. The passions and desires of our sinful nature no longer control us, if we yield to the indwelling Holy Spirit. To live by the Spirit is to daily humble ourselves in listening to and obeying the Spirit’s promptings, conviction, and encouragement. It’s not enough to know the Spirit at conversion; we must daily keep in step with the Spirit. The alternative is self-centered living marked by conceit, envy, and constant comparisons with others. Social media feeds this kin...

Deuteronomy 22-24; Galatians 4   “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!” Galatians 4:19, 20 To bear a child is an incredible miracle and it is no different than bearing spiritual children through the work of the Gospel. The process from first hearing the gospel message to fully surrendering our lives to Christ can take months or even years. The process of repenting and responding to the conviction of the Holy Spirit is painful. The intercession required for someone to be born again can be painful, like the pains of childbirth. This costly process gives spiritual parents a sense of responsibility for the healthy growth and development of their spiritual children. For Paul, the influence of the “Judaizers” was a threat to the health of a young Church. Have we birthed spiritual children? Have we invested in the development and cared about t...

Deuteronomy 19-21; Galatians 3   “…set aside for yourselves three cities centrally located in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess…so that anyone who kills a man may flee there…That man may flee to one of these cities and save his life…Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in your land,…” Deuteronomy 19:2, 3, 5, 10 God instituted cities of refuge so that innocent blood would not be shed in the Promised Land. Anyone who killed the life of another could flee to these Levitical cities and receive a fair trial. God’s desire was that his people be known for their mercy, not their revenge. “It is mine to avenge; I will repay” [says the Lord] (Deuteronomy 32:35). Cities of refuge provided protection from the “avenger of blood”, which is what Jesus ultimately has done for us by paying the death sentence for our sin. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…” (Galatians 3:13). Are we living and sharing this gospel of mercy as people o...

Deuteronomy 16-18; Psalms 38; Galatians 2   “When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells…Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord…The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so.” Deuteronomy 18:9-12, 14 The Western culture’s fascination with the spirit realm and witchcraft, fed by the entertainment industry, is opening the door to practices which are detestable to the Lord God. When the culture of the Kingdom of heaven has limited impact on the cultures of the nations, we know we need revival and spiritual awakening! Who our culture listens to, shapes our values. God’s children are not permitted to read horoscopes, consul...

Deuteronomy 13-15; Galatians 1   “…you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none…If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs…then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land...” Deuteronomy 15:6-8, 10, 11 Debt is bondage: Generosity is freedom. This was the simple principle God taught his people as they prepared to leave their journey as refugees and enter the Promised Land. The foundation of this principle is the nature of God himself. God gave Israel their land and sovereignly removed the nations who formerly dwelled there, judging their wickedness. Israel’s wealth came from God through the Egyptians and the Canaanites. Do we recognize that our wealth and capacity to earn an ...