Listening to the Word

Amos 7-9; Psalms 104; Titus 2   “This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land. Then I cried out, ‘Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!’ So the Lord relented. ‘This will not happen either,’ the Sovereign Lord said.” Amos 7:4-6 Amos knew the Sovereign Lord as a friend who shared his plans with him. As one who knew God, Amos had the boldness to ask God to relent in sending judgment. Why? Amos knew the love of God through his mercy in saving and calling. While God is Sovereign, he is also merciful. Amos appealed to this aspect of God’s nature and God listened to his friend Amos. God listened to Abraham as he interceded for Sodom and to Moses as he interceded for Israel. God listens to his friends today who have been purchased by the blood of Christ and boldly approach the throne of grace. “Lord God, you are sovereign and you are merciful. Heal our land ...

Amos 4-6; Psalms 86; Titus 1   “To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.” Titus 1:15, 16 Our heart births motives and thoughts which shape our actions and then our character. To the pure, all things are pure. Rather than a list of ‘do’s and don’ts’, the pure are focused on living in unbroken fellowship with God. Each day, they see God at work in their lives and the world around them. However, when our heart is corrupted, we might say we believe, but our actions and secret disobedience tell the true story. Sanctification is not just a reformation of behavior, but a transformation of the heart.   Will we ask God to replace our divided heart with a heart that is pure and seeks his face each day? It will change how we see others and the wo...

Amos 1-3; Psalms 80; 2 Timothy 4 “When a trumpet sounds in a city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it? Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared – who will not fear? The Sovereign Lord has spoken – who can but prophesy?” Amos 3:6-8 “For the time will come when men 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.” 2 Timothy 4:3 When we ignore the Word of the Lord, he sometimes roars like a lion through the circumstances of our lives. There are times when the Word of the Lord comes to us with prophetic urgency. Will we fear the Lord and obey him? Will we humble ourselves, or harden our hearts? Our temptation might be to turn the page, ignore the voice of the Spirit, or even look for a different church where ‘our needs are met’. ”Itching ears” ...

2 Kings 13-14; 2 Chronicles 25; 2 Timothy 3   “Amaziah asked the man of God, ‘But what about the hundred talents I paid for these Israelite troops?’ The man of God replied, ‘The Lord can give you much more than that.’ So Amaziah dismissed the troops who had come to him from Ephraim and sent them home...” 2 Chronicles 25:9-11 How often does money influence our willingness to obey God? King Amaziah had hired troops from Israel to help him fight the Edomites. When confronted by a man of God about relying on Israel rather than the Lord, Amaziah’s first thought was about his investment being lost. Yet the man of God replied, “The Lord can give you much more than that.” Do we believe that? Do we believe that obeying the Lord is worthwhile, even when it appears that we will pay a price financially? Do we believe God’s Word to us is useful for ‘teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness’ (2 Timothy 3:16). Do we believe that to obey God’s Word is worthwhile, even when it h...

Jonah 1-4; 2 Timothy 2   “The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.’ But Jonah ran away...Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time:…” Jonah 1:1-3; 3:1 Jonah’s story is a good illustration of the pursuing grace of God, both for Nineveh and for Jonah. Jonah ran away from the call of God because of disobedience, prejudice, and a self-centered view of God. Despite Jonah’s rebellion against the call of God, God’s pursuit of Jonah (and his discipline) provided another opportunity for Jonah to say ‘Yes” to God’s word. Listening to the Word must be followed by obedience. Jesus called his disciples to teach others to “obey everything I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:20)”. Listening or reading the Word is not enough.   If we ignore or disobey God’s Word despite being his disciples, what happens? Is God through with us? Jonah’s example reminds us that God disciplin...

Joel 1-3; 2 Timothy 1   “The word of the Lord that came to Joel son of Pethuel. Hear this, you elders;…Put on sackcloth, O priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God; for the grain offerings and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God. Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.” Joel 1:1, 2, 13, 14 Joel’s message was first to leaders. The response of leaders to the word of the Lord significantly shapes how God’s people will respond. Joel’s message was a call to repentance, to humility, and to seek the Lord. Would the elders and priests humble themselves, fast, and pray? Leaders have the responsibility to frame reality as they see it. Without urgency, there will not be repentance and surrender to the Lord. Change begins with leaders. Everything leaders are asking God to accomp...

  2 Kings 11-12; 2 Chronicles 24; 1 Timothy 6 “…who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it…People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.” 1 Timothy 6:5-7, 9 Why would anyone think that godliness is a means to financial gain? The influence of godliness can be used to either advance Christ’s kingdom, or to build our own kingdoms. The anointing of the Holy Spirit on our lives is not for sale! Peter rebuked Simon the sorcerer who wanted to buy the gifts of the Spirit because he realized the influence that the power of the Holy Spirit had in Peter’s and John’s ministry (Acts 8:18). Paul reminds us of eternity and why we won’t take any worldly wealth with us. He also reminds us of the value and freedom that inner contentment...

2 Kings 10; 2 Chronicles 22-23; 1 Timothy 5 “’Know then, that not a word the Lord has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail. The Lord has done what he promised through his servant Elijah.’” 2 Kings 10:10 “The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.” 1 Timothy 5:24, 25 Ahab’s obvious sins of idolatry and murder reached the place of judgment, costing the lives of his entire family and associates. The word of the Lord through Elijah proved true. In our day the Lord is exposing secret sin in the lives of leaders in the Church to call us back to repentance and holiness. Without holiness we will not see the Lord. The Lord is also exposing the hidden good deeds of people as an example to others of what living with generous love looks like. The Lord’s judgments and rewards are based on truth. When we serve the Lord each day with t...

2 Kings 8-9; 2 Chronicles 21; 1 Timothy 4   “…’Get a horseman,’ Joram ordered. ‘Send him to meet them and ask, ‘Do you come in peace?’’ The horseman rode off to meet Jehu and said, ‘This is what the king says: ‘Do you come in peace?’’…‘What do you have to do with peace?’ Jehu replied. ‘Fall in behind me.’…’How can there be peace,’ Jehu replied, ‘as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?’” 2 Kings 9:17, 18, 22 Peace is an empty word when it is not an inner reality in our lives. Joram, king of Israel, and his mother Jezebel repeatedly asked Jehu if he came in peace; yet, they were at war with God. Jezebel had slaughtered hundreds of prophets of the Lord and promoted both idolatry and witchcraft. Peace with God is costly and requires a sacrifice for sin. Jesus made our peace with God possible through his violent death on a cross. Those who repent of their sin know peace with God and have the peace of God in their hearts. Those experiencing inner peace b...

2 Kings 6-7; 2 Chronicles 20; 1 Timothy 3   “…’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;… ’Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.’” 2 Chronicles 20:2-4, 21 Leaders are responsible to frame reality for those they are leading. They can ignore a crisis, or respond. Their response is significant in shaping the perspective of others. Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord and to humble himself before God. Instead of fighting the invading forces, or mustering up an army, Jehoshaphat called a prayer meeting and a fast. As they collectively humbled themselves before God, Judah heard the word of the Lord. They heard God’s perspective on their crisis.   We all hear from the enemy; but, how many of us then humble ourselves and wait to hear from God? Judah’s response was to worship and in the face of the enemy declare, “...

2 Kings 4-5; Psalms 83; 1 Timothy 2   “’…As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.’…But Elisha said to him, ‘Was not my Spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money, or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, or menservants and maidservants? 2 Kings 5:20, 26 Elisha’s attendant, Gehazi, used the influence and anointing of God on Elisha to benefit himself materially. He ran after Naaman with hopes of receiving a gift. Using money for influence and manipulation is the way of the world. Jesus calls us to not be anxious for anything, but to seek first his kingdom and all the things we need will be provided for us. Do we believe that? Or are we, like Gehazi, using manipulation to meet our own ‘wants’? It’s ironic that Gehazi said to himself “as surely as the Lord lives” and then acted as if the Lord wasn’t watching his life. Do we behave the same way? What area of provision are we...

2 Kings 1-3; Psalms 82; 1 Timothy 1   “…While the harpist was playing, the hand of the Lord came on Elisha and he said, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will fill this valley full of ditches. For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord; he will also deliver Moab over to you.” 2 Kings 3:15-18 While facing overwhelming odds in battle and the imminent death of men and animals due to thirst, the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom sought the Lord. What causes us to seek the Lord? Elisha walked with God. When the kings in their crisis approached him for counsel, Elisha had access to the presence of the Lord. Do we walk with God, or just cry out to him when in crisis? The provision of water in the desert and victory on the battlefield was an “easy thing in the eyes of the Lord”. What challenges are we facing today and how are ...

1 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 18-19; Colossians 4   “But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, ‘First seek the counsel of the Lord.’…But Jehoshaphat asked, ‘Is there not a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?’” 1 Kings 22:5, 7 “Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.” Colossians 4:12 Jehoshaphat’s leadership-decisions were guided by prayer. His first priority was to seek the counsel of the Lord. His father-in-law, Ahab, used religion to manipulate people and decisions rather than to seek the Lord’s counsel. Prayer can sometimes be the religious ‘window dressing’ in our meetings rather than our first response in discernment and decision-making. Do we believe the Lord still speaks today through his Word and Spirit? While he was in prison in Rome, Epaphras contributed to the ministry of the church in Colossae through wres...

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 by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel.) When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.” 1 Kings 21:25-27 “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” Colossians 3:5 At the urging of his wife Jezebel, Ahab sold himself to the powers of darkness. His vile practices included rituals which involved offering sacrifices to demons. When Ahab lusted after Naboth’s vineyard to use as a vegetable garden and then supported a plot to kill Naboth and steal his land, God was grieved. Greed is the same as idolatry. We might not plot to take someone else’s garden plot; but, when money becomes our god, ...

1 Kings 17-19; Colossians 2   “…He gave him to his mother and said, ‘Look your son is alive!’ Then the woman said to Elijah, ‘Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth!’…’Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.’” 1 Kings 17:23, 24; 18:37 Why did God allow the death of the widow of Zarepheth’s son? Why did God allow a famine and no rain in Israel for three years? In these experiences of Elijah, God was turning the hearts of people to him and even back to him. The widow of Zarepheth could only think of sin as the cause of her son’s death. God’s heart toward her was full of mercy and forgiveness. Zarepheth was the birthplace of Jezebel and centre of Baal worship. In that very place God was turning hearts toward himself. The dramatic fire from heaven which consumed the soaked sacrifice at Carmel reminds us of the tongues of fire on the heads...

1 Kings 16; 2 Chronicles 15-16; Colossians 1 “…the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that which you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world, this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.” Colossians 1:5, 6 The gospel Paul proclaimed was focused on the faith, love, and hope found in knowing Jesus Christ. This fruit of the Spirit is evident anywhere and at any time people have responded to the gospel and given their lives to Jesus. If we don’t see the evidence of faith, love, and hope in the lives of people who confess they follow Jesus, we have to ask whether they have truly experienced conversion or are merely cultural Christians. When the DNA of the gospel is clear, the same fruit Paul witnessed two thousand years ago is evident in gospel-transformed lives today. Are we growing ...

1 Kings 15; 2 Chronicles 13-14; Philippians 4 “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.” Philippians 4:2, 3 Paul called two women who were leaders in the Philippian church “to agree with each other in the Lord”. His call to be “like-minded…Do[ing] nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit” was written for a particular conflict in leadership that he was addressing in his letter (Philippians 2:2, 3). This generous, faithful, persecuted church had conflict, not unlike our own churches today. How are we working to resolve conflict in our own contexts? Paul’s call is to be of one mind in the Lord, not the same mind as each other. If we will humble ourselves before the Lord and each other, the Lord will give us grace to see our conflict from h...

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 want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:10, 11 Rehoboam turned his back on temple worship and seeking the presence of the Lord, and he almost lost everything. After experiencing the humiliation of the king of Egypt looting Jerusalem and all of Solomon’s treasure, Rehoboam humbled himself before God. When we fail to set a daily pattern of seeking the Lord, we will seek wealth, affirmation, and security in other things. What we think about and spend our money and time on, become our gods. Paul’s focus was on Christ - knowing, imitating and pleasing the Lord, Jesus Christ. This was the daily focus and passion of Paul’s life and it can be ours as well. “Lord Jesus, you are my focus...

1 Kings 12; 2 Chronicles 10-11; Philippians 2 “…but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others…And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by and became obedient to death – even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:3, 4, 8 Jesus is our example of humility. He is our leader and the head of the body of Christ. Humility is an essential attitude for unity, the experience of being like-minded in spirit and purpose. If we pursue unity of spirit and purpose with others through negotiating away our differences or focusing on a common denominator, but ignore our heart-attitude of humility, we will not succeed. Humility is expressed in considering or valuing others above or better than ourselves. In humility, we look to and anticipate the interests of others. Humility is expressed in obedience and a willingness to die-to-self, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. This humility is radic...

Song 5-8; Philippians 1   “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,” Philippians 1:9, 10 What influence should love have on our discernment and capacity to make good decisions? Paul’s prayer for the Philippian church was that they would grow in their capacity and experience of God’s love (agape). This would shape both their discernment and their character. Motives lie hidden in the depths of our heart. It is to this deeper, hidden place that Paul was praying in order for the church to be transformed by God’s love. It is our motives which deeply impact our decisions and ultimately our character. God is love. His motives toward us are always guided by love. As we learn to know God in greater intimacy, we will become more like him. Inviting God to fill us with his love each day will affect how we view others as well as the way ...

Song 1-4; Ephesians 6   “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would Christ…Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.” Ephesians 6:5, 7, 8 Paul used the example of slavery to describe how we are to respond to Christ’s authority in our lives. Do we see Jesus as our owner and boss? Yes, he is our Saviour and Good Shepherd; but, is he also our boss? The attitudes Paul calls for are respect, fear (healthy reverence), sincerity of heart, and wholehearted devotion. For this kind of relationship with Jesus we need to be daily processing our lives with him. We need to be in his presence, listening to his Word. Our obedience to all that he has commanded us to do and to be will be rewarded. Who’s our boss and can others notice? “Lord Jesus, you are my boss and my friend. Your love has transformed me, for ...

Ecclesiastes 10-12; Psalms 94; Ephesians 5   “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” Ephesians 5:3 In an age of self-indulgence where we are conditioned to believe we deserve a treat, a toy, a pleasure, or even an indiscretion, Paul’s call to avoid even a hint of impurity or greed sounds prophetic. In the aftermath of the Spanish flu global pandemic, the “roaring 20’s” were marked by excess and self-indulgence. Are we currently in that kind of season? How is the Church living any differently? Are we defining ourselves as “God’s holy people”, set apart for his pleasure? When we experience and find our pleasure in the Lord, we find joy, peace, love, and fulfillment in ways that strengthen our lives rather than destroy them. What choices must we make today to guard our heart from even a hint of sinful indulgences? “Lord Jesus, you are my great reward. In you I have fo...