Listening to the Word

Nehemiah 9-10; Acts 2   “This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” Acts 2:23, 24 The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is not just historical fact; it was prophesied hundreds of years prior to occurring. The death and resurrection of Jesus occurred because of God’s “set purpose and foreknowledge,” as well as the evil intent of wicked men. Is this the only event in history that God foreknew and man’s willful sin engaged? In the pain and unforeseen events of our lives we can be confident that God is sovereign. What the enemy means for evil, God will use and is using for our good and his glory. We, too, can face death with confidence and courage because we know Jesus has defeated death. Death will not keep its hold on any followers of Je...

Nehemiah 7-8; Acts 1   “…’This day is sacred to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’…the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.” Nehemiah 8:9, 10, 17 There is great joy in knowing and obeying God’s Word to us. When we align our heart and our spirit with God’s Word and Spirit, our fellowship with the Lord is renewed. This inner joy and peace cannot be found any other way or in any other place. Some are looking for this joy by accumulating possessions, exotic vacations, new adventurers, new romantic relationships, and many other fleeting distractions. Joy is experienced in our heart as we turn fully toward the Lord, listen to his Word, and live in obedience to what we hear....

Nehemiah 5-6; Psalms 146; Luke 24   “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save…Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them – the Lord, who remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry.” Psalm 146:3, 5-7 Why is it easier to rely on “princes,” people with wealth, power, or skill, rather than the Lord? As Jacob discovered, God is faithful to his promises. God upholds, he provides, he delivers, and he redeems. The one who made heaven and earth is worthy of our trust and full dependence. When we find our help in the Lord, we, too, are able to testify to God’s faithfulness, presence, and covenant love. We are “blessed” because it is God’s nature to bless. We are blessed to be a blessing to others and to call them to also replace their reliance on “princes” with reliance on the living God, Maker of heaven and earth. In wh...

Nehemiah 3-4; Luke 23   “Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with the swords, spears and bows…’The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!’” Nehemiah 4:13, 19, 20 Nehemiah faced extensive challenges in his wall-rebuilding mission. Various sections of the wall were not being strengthened at the same pace as other parts of the wall. There were low points, exposed places, and the workers were widely separated from each other. Defending this building project from a hostile attack was challenging! When we consider that Jesus is building his Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it, we, too, are in a challenging building project!   Where are our “exposed places” and our “lo points;” and in what ways are we feeling “widely separated”? The so...

Nehemiah 1-2; Psalms 133; Luke 22 “’But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.’” Luke 22:26, 27 Jesus is among us as one who serves. His Last Supper with his disciples included a demonstration of humility they would never forget as recorded in John 13. The Lord of all, knowing he had come from the Father and was returning to the Father, used the power of the Spirit indwelling him to love his disciples to the end. Despite a dispute about who was the greatest among them (Luke 22:24), or perhaps because of that dispute, Jesus got up from the table and washed their feet. Jesus’ statement that someone among the disciples would betray him caused them to outdo one another in protestations of loyalty and that led to declarations of greatness in terms o...

Ezra 9-10; Psalms 131; Luke 21   “My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, both now and forevermore.” Psalm 131 Within our soul we carry heavy weights of concerns, fears, and questions. We can be distracted from within even when we appear calm to those around us. The invitation of the Lord is to still and quiet our soul. Just as Christ commanded the waves to be still, we, too, have authority over fear, pride, jealousy, and lust, in Jesus’ name. These ‘noisy voices’ and others like them must obey the name of Jesus. There is a quiet peace in surrender and trust to which Jesus is inviting us. Will we release our concerns to him and invite the peaceful rule of his Spirit? “Lord Jesus, rule and reign over me, for your glory.”

Ezra 7- 8; Luke 20   “…He said to them, ‘Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’…’But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children; since they are children of the resurrection.’” Luke 20:25, 35, 36 We are created in the image of God, just like the coin Jesus was shown; stamped with the image of Caesar. When we give ourselves unreservedly to God, we find our identity, our value, and our worth in him. Unlike the woman who was married to seven brothers in succession and whose value came from her husband’s name and family, we belong to God when we give him our lives. We are God’s children with resurrection life indwelling us through the Holy Spirit. Knowing who gives us our value, worth, and identity means we don’t need to strive to make a name for ourselves in this world. We can live,...

Esther 9-10; Luke 19   “So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’…The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’ ‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’” Luke 19:13, 16, 18 Christ’s parable is a call to risk our ‘mina’s, our time, talents, and treasure, for the sake of Christ’s kingdom-mission to make disciples of nations. Without risk-taking obedience there is no reward. When we invest what Jesus has already given us into his kingdom, the faith required brings glory to God. The reward for growing God’s investment in our lives far exceeds our expectations. The servant who returned with a ten-times return on investment was put in charge of ten cities! What if our current life of faith and risk-taking obedience in the kingdom of God was only the job interview for the eternal assignment which is com...

Esther 3-8; Luke 18   “…Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day…When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish…When he [the king] saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.” Esther 4:16; 5:2 Esther’s position was vulnerable as a queen replacing a former queen, as a woman, and as a Jewess. Her life was on the line. Knowing it was God who authored her life and rise to the royal court, Esther called for prayer and fasting before the King of kings. It was the invisible hand of God moving her into position, giving her favor, and delivering both her life and the lives of the Jewish community. In Christ, we, too, have been seated in heavenly places. We, too, have access to the throne of grace in all our tests and trials. All authority comes from God and even when it is abused, we must honor...

Esther 1-2; Psalms 150; Luke 17   “’So watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day and seven times comes back to you and says,” I repent,” forgive him.’ The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’” Luke 17:3-5 It requires courage and faith to rebuke a brother or sister in Christ when they sin, and in particular when they sin against us. How do we respond when we have been hurt? We easily withdraw rather than engage in courageous conversations. When the hurtful behavior is a pattern, Jesus still calls us to forgive. Confronting sinful behaviors in our own lives requires courage, humility, and grace. However, that process of sanctification gives us faith to believe God can also transform the lives of others in the body of Christ. Courageous conversations set us and others free from bitterness, unforgiveness, and anger. While forgiveness is costly, unforgiveness is even costlier. Which relatio...

Ezra 5-6; Psalms 138; Luke 16   “When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted…Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever – do not abandon the works of your hands.” Psalm 138:3, 7, 8 There is no better place to be than fully surrendered in the hands of God. In the midst of trouble and spiritual warfare, it is the hand of God that shields, protects, and saves us. “We are God’s workmanship created in Christ to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). God has given each of us assignments to accomplish his purpose for our lives as part of his mission to reconcile all things in heaven and on earth to himself through Christ. God will fulfill his purpose for us. In the midst of testing, trials, and temptations, we can find confidence and boldness in the ...

Zechariah 13-14; Psalms 147; Luke 15   “On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity…. On that day, the living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea [Mediterranean]…” Zechariah 13:1; 14:8   This living water will both cleanse and bring life wherever it flows. This river of the Spirit of God was seen both by Ezekiel and by John in his Revelation. This river is flowing today through the lives of those who are filled with the Spirit of God as Jesus promised in John 7:37-39 and will be flowing as a physical fulfillment of this Word at the second coming of Christ. Once we have found and experienced this cleansing, purifying fountain of living water, we must invite others to experience and taste this water. Jesus opened this fountain at the birth of the Church at Pentecost, and it is flowing through our lives to the nations. With Isaiah we say “Com...

Zechariah 10-12; Psalms 126; Luke 14   “’And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple…In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciples.’” Luke 14:27, 33 Following Jesus on our terms will not transform our lives or the lives of others. When we carry our cross, we are daily prepared to die to the life of self. We are quick to repent of sin, to prefer others, to risk rejection for the gospel, and to generously share what we have with others. When we give everything to Christ and fully surrender our will to him, we live as dead. We live dead to the life of self and alive to Christ. While the cost of offering our lives to Christ is high, the cost of not doing so is higher. To not live as Christ’s disciple is to serve self, sin, and live as captive to desires, temptations, and the worries of this life. Instead of the living hope of eternal life with Christ, we face separation from our Creator. We cannot reduce the co...