Listening to the Word

John, 9-11   “…’I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’” John 11:25, 26 Knowing Jesus and trusting him for our forgiveness of sin gives us access to the Tree of Life which is eternal. Martha and Mary experienced the power of the resurrection in their family, which transformed how they faced death. This same hope in the resurrection power of God has transformed how countless millions of Christ-followers have faced death ever since.   Do we believe the same resurrection power in our lives? Is our hope in Christ, or what this world has to offer? Jesus is the resurrection and the life. His presence in our lives gives eternal life to our spirit, even while our physical body is aging and will eventually die. Knowing this truth means we need to share this hope with those around us so they, too, may believe. “Lord Jesus, you are the resurrection and the life and...

John 7-8   “…’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. If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own…If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” John 7:15-17; 8:31, 32 Jesus was educated in the school of the Holy Spirit - ‘listen and obey.’ When we also choose to fully surrender our lives to the will of the Father and be daily filled with his Spirit, we, too, become disciples of the Father who follow in the way of Jesus. When we study in classrooms, we learn from teachers. When we are being discipled in all of life by the Spirit of God, we are learning from the Lord. Both forms of training are important, but the school of the Spirit is essential. Are we taking the time each day to listen and obey? Is our ongoing training coming from the words ...

John 5-6 “’I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.’” John 6:51 Jesus redeemed us from the curse of sin and restored our access to the Tree of Life. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, and we are invited to daily ‘feed’ on his life which is eternal. This world has no other lasting source of life. Entertainment, pleasure, wealth, and power all fade away. Those who feed on Christ, find fulfillment at the core of their being. This is food that satisfies in this season of celebrating the birth of Christ with much gift-giving. Are we sharing the gift of Jesus with those who don’t know him in our families and among our friends? Jesus is the only person who will exceed our expectations once we give him our life! “Lord Jesus, you are living bread, living water, and the only one who satisfies me. Thank you! …for your glory.”

John 2-4   “’My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, “Four months more and then the harvest?” ‘I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages; even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.’” John 4:34-36 The Samaritan woman at the well was ready to respond to the Gospel. Jesus’ spiritual eyes were open to her need and thirst for living water. When Jesus instructed his disciples to ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers into the field, he was calling them into the same work and will of God that he himself was focused on. By commanding them to ‘Go,’ Jesus was declaring himself to be the ‘Lord of the harvest’. The Holy Spirit is the evangelist, but there are many jobs we are called to in the sowing, watering, and reaping process of people coming to faith in Christ. Our cooperation with the Holy Spir...

2 Peter 1-3; John 1   “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance…Bear in mind that the Lord’s patience means salvation…” 2 Peter 3:9, 15 God’s patience and kindness with us is evident every day in his provision, protection, and forgiveness. Jesus came full of grace and truth to bring salvation to anyone who would receive his gospel and recognize the consequences of sin is death. Repentance requires a work of God’s grace in our lives where we recognize our need of God. God’s patience in pointing us in that direction and giving us challenges which expose our need for him help us extend that same patience toward others who have yet to surrender their lives to Christ. As we pray today for those we know have yet to experience salvation, let us thank God for his patience and kindness toward us in Christ. “Lord Jesus, thank you for your patience toward me, for your glor...

1 Peter 1-5   “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24 Jesus carried the sin of the world on the cross and died in atonement for that sin, our sin. He is now the Tree of Life, offering eternal life to all who put their faith in him. The leaves of that tree in Revelation 22:2 are for the healing of the nations. By Christ’s wounds we have been healed. For leaves to become good medicine, they must be crushed. Jesus was crushed for our iniquities and “the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). The suffering for the gospel in the lives of Christ-followers was normal in the first several centuries. Jesus’ life is expressed in and through our suffering. We are to ‘arm ourselves with the same attitude’ as Christ, who knew there was a cost to bring salvation to the world. Our lives, like leaves, must also be pressed if w...

James 1-5 “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” James 3:17, 18 God’s wisdom is peace-loving and those who walk with this wisdom sow seeds of peace. When we love something, we invest time and effort toward that goal or direction. We take time to make peace. James said this reflects God’s wisdom in our lives. Like God’s discipline in our lives, pursuing God’s peace in our relationships and community requires perseverance and humility. The result of sowing seeds of peace is a harvest of righteousness, or right standing, before God. We are known as sons and daughters of our Father in heaven when we sow peace by loving our enemies. There are many other definitions of wisdom in the world, but God’s wisdom is transformational in real life, so we look more like him. “Lord Jesus, you embodied wisdom and peace-maki...

Hebrews 12-13; Jude   “…’My son do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves…No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:5, 6, 11 The mark of a disciple of Christ is that they submit to Christ’s authority and follow him. Christ disciplines those he loves. He uses circumstances, family, the Church, and society, to be the instruments of his discipline. More deeply, the Lord disciplines us through his Spirit within us as we experience conviction of sin and call to repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation, restitution, and restoration. The fruit of living in obedience to the inner and outer discipline of the Lord is a harvest of righteousness and peace. When we pray for a hundred-fold harvest and multiplication, we are also praying to die-to-self like a kernel of wheat, so t...

Hebrews 9-11 “” By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days. By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.” Hebrews 11:29-31 The birth of Christ includes the story of Rahab as a distant family member. Rahab’s faith in God began as she heard about the Red Sea parting and one of the world’s most powerful armies being destroyed. Our obedience to God’s Word to us, regardless of the cost, could be instrumental in someone’s decision to trust God with their difficult situation. The ripple effect of our faith-stories will echo throughout eternity. Without faith we cannot please God. The seemingly impossible obstacles of the Red Sea, the Jericho walls, and Rahab’s life of prostitution, were all overcome by faith. In what very difficult obstacle or challenge we are ...

Hebrews 5-8   “…but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” Hebrews 7:24, 25 Christ is our eternal high priest, interceding for us before the throne of God. This is a profoundly humbling thought. Those who belong to Christ have an advocate and intercessor who always lives to make intercession for them before the throne of God. This constant availability is the pattern for intercession in the Church today. Christ is equipping and calling intercessors to join him. Those who are available to the Father and his assignments, as well as available to nations and peoples to bring their needs before God. As the Father pours out his grace and Spirit upon us in response to intercession, Christ’s intercession for us is transforming our lives. Our lives are noticed, and our needs are met by the Lord Jesus who always lives to intercede for us. Will we res...

Philemon; Hebrews 1-4 “In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.” Hebrews 2:10, 11 With Jesus as our author of salvation and example of discipleship, we, too, are being made holy. This work of grace requires death to the life of self and sin, and this requires the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus suffered and showed us God’s playbook for transformation. Our capacity to absorb and grow through pain and suffering directly influences our journey in holiness. It is as we surrender our will in the midst of the relational, financial, health, and ministry pain that we cry out to Jesus, our author and perfecter of faith and salvation. His grace and his Spirit’s power are enough for us, especially in our weakness. In what way...

2 Timothy 1-4   “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth…All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16 For the Lord’s workers, the Word of God is both a weapon and a tool. The Holy Spirit, who inspired God’s Word, spoke to and through the various authors with wisdom and revelation. However, the Word of God requires correct and skillful ‘handling’ so that its intended meaning and impact is received. The life of the worker is the first place God’s Word must transform. We live under the authority of God’s Word and receive it with humility before we have the responsibility of sharing it with others. ‘What we are looking for in ministry, equipping, and truth, is found in the Word of God. Listening to the Word is a daily discipline ...

1 Timothy 5-6; Titus 1-3   “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:4-7 This trustworthy saying was probably memorized and repeated in local churches on Crete. It captures the heart of the gospel. We are saved by the kindness, love, mercy, and grace of God toward us, not by of our righteous deeds. The process of salvation is through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on us is through Jesus Christ who came to baptize us with the Holy Spirit. Those who have experienced this new birth in Christ now live with the hope of eternal life. They know they belong to God and their desire is ...

1 Timothy 1-4   “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they don’t know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.” 1 Timothy 1:5-7 Paul’s experience of God’s incredible love for him influenced all his relationships. In his discipleship of Timothy, Paul called him as a young pastor of the Church in Ephesus to command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer. Perhaps Apollos was drifting away from a doctrine of salvation by grace alone. Paul loved Timothy and the Ephesian Church too much not to rebuke them. He made clear this rebuke was not because he had a personal conflict with anyone. Do we love one another enough to confront wrong behavior or theology? Are we willing to be rebuked in love for our own growth and maturity? Discipleship in community is costly and life-transform...

Colossians 1-4   “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23, 24 Knowing who our boss is and what their expectations are can be very helpful. When salvation is reduced to a sin-management solution, we ignore our deliverance from the kingdom of darkness and into the ‘kingdom of light’ (Colossians 1:12-14). The Lord Jesus Christ rules this kingdom! We have a ‘Boss’ who gifts us and empowers us by the Holy Spirit to complete kingdom assignments. Our call is to receive Christ’s kingdom assignments in our workplace, community, home, and church contexts, and work at them with all our heart. Forgiving our co-worker, serving our spouse, loving our neighbor, sharing the gospel with our employer are all kingdom assignments. It is the Lord Christ who will evaluate our work and determine our eternal reward. Additionally, t...

Philippians 1-4 “I thank God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:3-6 What makes ‘gospel partnerships’ unique? They begin with a “good work” that God is accomplishing in us before any work through us. The gospel must be lived each day as we conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of this gospel (Philippians 1:27). Our attitude of servanthood, death-to-self, and obedience to the Father’s will should be the same as that of Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5). As we daily seek to follow Jesus in all of life, we find joy in partnering with others who are also living on mission (with Jesus). Gospel partnerships are forged and strengthened in the presence of God. It is God who brings us together for his purposes, and it is before God’s throne tha...

Ephesians 5-6; Psalms 119:1-80 “…with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” Ephesians 6:15 The words of Isaiah were running through Paul’s mind as he wrote this pastoral letter chained to a Roman soldier: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” (Isaiah 52:7). Feet that are made ready by the gospel of peace initiate reconciliation and pursue gospel conversations. We are always prepared “to give an answer to everyone who asks you [us] to give the reason for the hope that you [we] have” (1 Peter 3:15). When we live on mission each day our words easily turn to the gospel of peace with God through Christ, and peace with each other through Christ’s love and forgiveness. We proclaim the reign of Christ and his peace in the homes we enter and if there is a person of peace there, our peace rests on them. If not, it return...

Ephesians 1-4   “And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit…His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the ruler and authorities in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 2:22; 3:10 The Church is more than a building on the corner where people gather once a week for an hour to sing and listen to good preaching. The Church is God’s global reconciliation-strategy to bring together his sons and daughters from every tribe, language, and nation into one family, one body, and one temple.   In what ways are we experiencing the ‘building together’ of relationships with new immigrants, First Nations/Native Americans, Anglos, African Americans, Hispanics, and refugees into the Church? This uniting in Christ is God’s global peace plan and purpose for every local expression of the Church. As we love one another and experience reconciliation, we express the manifold wisdom of God found in t...

Romans 13-16   “For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” Romans 14:7, 8 Paul understood that his life, death, and everything in between belonged to the Lord Jesus who had saved him and called him. In our self-centered culture, focused on self-gratification and even self-centered spirituality, these are strong words. Paul had summed up the law with one rule, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Romans 13:9). He expanded this accountability to its ultimate source in God. Daily dying to self and living for God and others is the example of Christ. In what ways is the Lord inviting us to live on mission like Christ? One day we will all stand before God’s judgment seat and give an account for our lives. When our lives belong to the Lord, that day guides and motivates all we do. “Lord Jesus, live through me this day for your glory and prai...

Romans 9-12   “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ…If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.” Romans 10:17; 12:6 We require faith in Christ for our salvation. We also require faith for the gifts of the Spirit to function within us. Natural abilities and skills are different than gifts of the Spirit. Spiritual gifts like ‘forth telling’, or prophesying, require faith that the Spirit is giving us the Word needed for the setting in which it is to be given. Faith without works is dead; so also, spiritual gifts require active faith and action to strengthen, encourage, and build up the body of Christ. If the gift of prophesying functions in proportion to our faith, there are different levels of faith into which we can grow. From salvation-faith to faith in the Word of God and person of the Holy Spirit, our faith in God grows as we exercise it in obedient action. What faith-growing invitat...

Romans 5-8   “…And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Romans 5:2-5 Christ-followers live with hope in the glory of God, fully realized when Christ returns; and hope in every circumstance because God’s grace is transforming us from glory to glory. This process of transformation fills us with hope because we are not the same people today that we were last year! Suffering when we belong to Christ is redemptive. Suffering brings a process of change in our lives as it develops perseverance, character, and hope. In our weakest moments when we cry out to God in humility, we experience his infilling love through the Holy Spirit and our hope in the reality of God’s nearness and love is renewed. What sufferi...