Listening to the Word

Deuteronomy 10-12; Mark 16 “’…To that place you must go; there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts,…There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you…And there rejoice before the Lord your God…and you are to rejoice before the Lord your God…’” Deuteronomy 12:5-7, 12, 18 The call to bring the tithes of the produce and animals from each family to the designated place of worship and sacrifice included the repeated command to rejoice before the Lord. There is joy when we give back to God in worship, tithes, and offerings what he has given us. Are we experiencing and calling one another to this kind of joy? When giving our tithes and offerings is just duty, we are missing God’s best for us. This commanded rejoicing and feasting in the presence of the Lord lasted a full week and occurred three times a year. The Lord God is still ...

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 Why does God allow testing in our lives? He is revealing our hearts, exposing our motives, true beliefs, and areas of dependence. Israel’s rebellion complaining, grumbling, fear, and idolatry were all revealed through God’s testing in the desert. God disciplines us like a father disciplines his children. If we desire to be disciples we must choose God’s redemptive purposes in discipline. Out of discipline can come humility and full dependence on the Word of the Lord. How are we viewing the tests we face in life today a...

Deuteronomy 5-6; Psalms 43; Mark 14 “If we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.” Deuteronomy 6:25 The law given at Mount Sinai was the minimum required for living according to God’s ways. Obedience to this law constituted Israel’s righteousness. We know Israel failed to keep this law, and yet added many additional laws, creating a heavy requirement no one could fulfill. As evangelicals, are we doing the same thing today? Are we trusting in our theological constructs as our righteousness? Or, are we trusting in Christ alone as our righteousness? The gift of the Holy Spirit is to empower us to live the life to which Jesus called us. Through dependency on Jesus through the Holy Spirit, we can daily surrender to the Lord and invite him to live his life through us. Right standing with God is possible only through the blood of Christ, but then makes possible. fellowship with God in all of life. This is our greatest ...

Deuteronomy 3-4; Psalms 36; Mark 13 “’Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by miraculous signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other.’” Deuteronomy 4:34, 35 When God is establishing his kingdom within another nation by drawing people to himself, he uses signs and wonders to establish his authority and saving power. Healings and deliverance from unclean spirits are common. God’s desire is that we might know the Lord is God and there is no other. God also uses testings, war, and calamity to dislodge peoples and open their hearts to a new worldview. Those on the ‘refugee highway’ are open to the living God and his mighty hand like few others. In the midst of the conflicts and shaking of nations, will...

Deuteronomy 1-2; Mark 12 “…a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything - she had to live on.’” Mark 12:42-44 Generosity that requires faith is a sacrifice of worship. Generosity calculated from the excess of our resources is obedience. Jesus pointed out the sacrifice of the poor widow because he wanted to focus on the heart, not the size of the donation. What would he say in response to our giving? Have we ever worshiped God sacrificially with our giving? How do we view our giving to God in light of this observation by Jesus? Giving out of our wealth is not criticized by Jesus; but rather, he refocuses our attention on our heart. Are we worshiping when we give? – Or are we just fulfilling our duty? “Lord Jesus, I repent for dut...

Numbers 34-36; Mark 11 “’By what authority are you doing these things?’ they asked. ‘And who gave you authority to do this?’” Mark 11:28 The question of authority is significant. By what authority are we preaching and sharing the gospel, serving the poor, and praying for healing? If our authority is only from people, we will only live within their expectations. However, if our authority is from God, we must live within his expectations. After his resurrection Jesus declared, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:18, 19) Jesus knew his authority and mission mandate came from the Father. Do we know the same? How do we respond when our authority is challenged? Knowing who sent you is essential for all ambassadors of Christ. The world needs to hear from more Christ-followers who know who they are and who sent them. “Lord Jesus, I serve as your ambassador and under your authority, for your glory.”

Numbers 32-33; Mark 10 “Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack.’ he said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me…Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!’” Mark 10:21, 24 Jesus is after our heart. Not our donations, time, talents, or relationships - our heart! When he has our heart, he has all that we are. The rich young ruler could be anyone living in the western world today. We live with unprecedented ease, comfort, entertainment, distractions, health care, and security. Jesus is an interesting spiritual leader who offers us eternal security. But, have we offered him our heart? Would we leave everything to follow him? This is normal for those responding to Christ in Muslim nations. How do we understand Jesus’ statement that it is “hard” to enter the kingdom of God? How does this statement correspond with our religion of therapeutic deism? It’s only hard to enter Christ’s kingdom when ...