Called and led

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TODAY’S SPECIAL: Acts 15-16; Psalm 126

TO CHEW ON: “Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia but the Spirit did not permit them… Now after he had seen the vision (of a man saying ‘Come over to Macedonia to help us’) immediately we sought to go to Macedonia concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel there.” Acts 16:6-7,10

A reader, Judy, tells of a missions trip she took to South Africa (used with her permission):

First of all God supplied the funds. In 1966 I taught school on First Nations reserves north of Souix Lookout. I bought two large paintings for $35 each from Norval Morrisseau when he visited the isolated community I was teaching in. During our years of teaching in the Arctic they hung unframed, tacked up with push pins in several homes.

Fast forward ahead to 2008 when after reading something on Becky's blog I said to Christian, Where are those paintings? I'd done some research on the Internet and realized they just may have some value. I sold one of the paintings for $6,500. Christian said immediately that I should do something very special with this unexpected windfall. I like to imagine our Lord saying on the day I bought the painting, "Do I ever have a surprise for you. It will be arriving in 42 years."

I heard about the volunteer group in South Africa, again through Becky's blog. One of her daughters had worked in an orphanage and had had a very positive experience. I wanted to teach and found a school along the east coast that seemed to be a good fit. I did make it clear that I did not want to teach computers or run an after school recreation program. They said that was fine I could just be in a classroom.

I was picked up in East London by a different volunteer group than the one I'd communicated with. I thought that was a little unusual. The next day I found out that the first group had contracted me out to a second group AND . . . . . perhaps you can guess what is coming; they wanted me to teach computers and run an after school recreational program. For a few moments to use my mother's term, I was floored. Then I thought about the lessons I'd learned in home studies the previous winter studying the life of Abraham. Don't focus on the "problem." Focus on God.

I was sure God could/would enable me to do the tasks but I also knew the desire of my heart and where my strengths lie. I had immediate assurance from Him that there would be a solution to the situation. It took a couple of days until I was at King's Playschool. That was the last name of the people who ran a rural facility out of their home. I had noticed the verse "They shall shine like stars in his crown" from the song "When He Cometh" based on Zech. 9:16, on their sign. So .. . . I knew they were believers but they didn't know I was.

When I had the opportunity I told Tracy that I was a follower of Jesus Christ, that I knew He had led me to South Africa but that I didn't know what I was supposed to do. She said she'd been praying for someone to relieve her of classroom duties while she dealt with the rest of her life. Here's what was on her plate.

Pentecostal Pastor's wife of a growing church.
Home schooling their 3 children
Running the school of 50 children and 10 employees
In the process of adopting two black babies who had been abandoned
Teaching a class

I had three glorious weeks of teaching eager 5 year olds. Most of my ideas were new for them… Both Tracy and I felt so blessed…. Who, but our loving Father, would take a woman from northern North America and team her up with a woman from Southern South Africa at exactly the right time! These kinds of experiences just light a fire under my faith which was already strong. An entire year later I still marvel at it and hope I always do.

They light a fire under my faith too! I never cease to marvel at God’s way of putting together the circumstances of our lives to work for His kingdom and our blessing if that’s our desire.

(Even as I'm preparing to repost this, a song is playing on my husband's computer, reminding me of the same truth: "In His time, in His time, He makes all things beautiful in His time")

In today’s reading Paul and Silas were shunted off the track they were on by the Holy Spirit. How that looked, I’m not sure – a feeling of uneasiness, a prophetic message? However it happened, they knew they were not to go to Asia. At Bithynia likewise “the Spirit did not permit them.” The vision to go to Macedonia, then, was most welcome. Here was clear direction .

In Philippi – one of the largest cities in Macedonia – was Lydia and a band of believers who met at the riverside regularly for worship. Can you imagine how she must have felt the morning Paul and Silas showed up and told her the story of how they got there.

Judy’s story shows us that God still works in behind-the-scenes ways. It freights these familiar verses with a new and personal relevance:

“Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:27-28

PRAYER: Dear God, please put my life in the stream of Your usefulness. Help me to hear Your Spirit’s instructions and obey them. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 126

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Are we perverting God's word?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Jeremiah 23-25; Psalm 19

TO CHEW ON: "'And the oracle of the Lord you shall mention no more. For every man's word will be his oracle, for you have perverted the words of the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God.'" Jeremiah 23:36

In his diatribe against the false prophets of Judah, Jeremiah lays bare what these prophets are all about. He accuses them of being self-appointed (Jeremiah 23:21), of prophesying lies as they interpret any old dream as a message from God (Jeremiah 23:25), of putting their words in God's mouth (Jeremiah 23:31,32), of being a burden to God instead of speaking God's burden (oracle) (Jeremiah 23:33 especially clear in the Amplified), and of perverting God's words (Jeremiah 23:36). Let's look closely at that last.

The Bible is clear about how sacred God's word is and not to be treated flippantly.
- It is not to be added to or subtracted from (Deuteronomy 4:2; Revelation 22:19).
- It is to be obeyed (Deuteronomy 12:32).
- How we observe it will have eternal consequences (Matthew 5:19).

But could we be guilty of perverting it as those Old Testament prophets were? I can think of several practices which might result in such perversion:

- Emphasizing or giving more weight to one section of the Bible over another. (An example: the Red Letter Movement.)

- Using Bible texts to prove a doctrine which isn't otherwise generally supported in scripture. (An example: Using 1 Corinthians 13:8 as a proof-text that the charismatic gifts, particularly the gift of tongues, have ceased.)

- Overlaying our Bible interpretation with systems of numbers, colours and symbols, making the plain narrative into a puzzle that only the initiated can decipher.

- Picking and choosing which parts of the Bible to obey.

Can you think of more?

I appreciate the five types of people T. Norton Sterrett suggests will properly interpret the Bible. Those with:

1. A new heart (1 Corinthians 2:14).
2. A hungry heart (1 Peter 2:2).
3. An obedient heart (Psalm 119:98-100).
4. A disciplined heart (in its persistence) (Matthew 7:7).
5. A teachable heart (Isaiah 50:4).
- T. Norton Sterrett, How To Understand Your Bible, p. 19-21, 1974 edition.

In today's atmosphere of "My truth is as good as yours," let's continue to let these attitudes guide our reading and following of the Bible.

PRAYER: Dear Holy Spirit, please be my Bible teacher (John 14:26; 16:13). Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 19

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

Become the people of God

 Jeremiah 29:11 written on stone - Salt Spring Island Pentecostal Church

Photo © 2012 by V. Nesdoly

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 24-27; Psalm 61

TO CHEW ON: "Then Moses and the priests, the Levites, spoke to all Israel, saying, 'Take heed and listen, O Israel: This day you have become the people of the Lord your God…' "- Deuteronomy 27:9.

The book of Deuteronomy is a collection of Moses' final instructions to Israel, the nation he has led for 40 years. At last they are about to enter Canaan.

We discover today that this anticipated move is not only a natural migration but very much a spiritual event. In the segment we read today he reminds the people:

- They are God's "special people" and "holy" i.e. set apart - Deuteronomy 26:18,19.

- They are to have a heart-mind-spirit connection to God. Notice the verbs used to describe how they are to seek God and His laws: observe, walk in His ways, keep, obey, write, take heed, listen.

What interests me especially in this passage is the variety of modalities God uses to help them grasp and pass on the reality of their connection to Him:

- Obey from the core of their beings: "observe with heart and soul" - Deuteronomy 26:16.

- Speak of their beliefs - "proclaimed" - Deuteronomy 26:17.

- Listen to God's affirmation of them, delivered by Moses - Deuteronomy 26:18,19.

- "Keep" these commandments, as in habitually, not just once - Deuteronomy 27:1.

- Choose and prepare physical stones, then write God's laws on them to remind them and their children of their spiritual connection to God and the spiritual basis of their land ownership - Deuteronomy 27:3,8.

I believe there are lessons for our lives from this reading;

• The things that occur in our lives have more of a spiritual component to them than we realize. A move to another home, a change in jobs etc. are spiritually significant things. Let's be sensitive to the spiritual aspects of our apparently natural circumstances.

• We can use many modalities to help us know God and live in ways that please Him: listen, speak, obey, write, display these writings where they remind us and our families of whose we are and how He wants us to live. Let's be creative in how we nourish our faith and pass it on to others.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to acknowledge and honor You through the many inputs and outputs of my being. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 61

The Bible Project VIDEO: Deuteronomy (Torah Series)



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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Do we insist too much?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 106:1-23


TO CHEW ON: "They soon forgot His works;

They did not wait for His counsel,

But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,

And tested God in the desert.

And He gave them their request,

But sent leanness into their soul." Psalm 106:13-15

One wonderful day Michael got the invitation to join. Becoming a partner in a large prestigious firm was the dream of every young accountant, and Michael was ecstatic. But when he got home and told his wife, she didn't share his enthusiasm.

"Are you sure this is the right direction for our lives?" she asked. "Let's pray about it."

Michael was annoyed. Why was she intent on bursting his bubble? Didn't she appreciate how rare such invitations were? Surely this was God's direction. After all, didn't He promise to give us the desires of our hearts?

Still, Michael agreed to delay making the decision for some time. And then this five-year-old Christian read his Bible with antennae up.

One day he came across 2 Corinthians 6:14-15—the place where Paul warns Christians about yoking themselves unequally with non-believers. Surely that was just meant for marriage. It didn't apply to his potential partnership, did it? Yet he couldn't shake the feeling that that verse applied to his situation too.

A big reason for joining was increased earnings. "But think of how much money I'll have to give to Your work," he reminded God. God showed him Psalm 106:14-15.

On the other hand, he noticed verse after verse that promised good things to those who took God's counsel seriously: Proverbs 16:7, 2 Chronicles 26:5, Psalm 1:1-6, Psalm 119:65, Psalm 37:23, Ephesians 1:3.

Finally at a special gathering of the partners, to which perspective new members and their wives were also invited, Michael and his wife came face to face with a concerning issue. That night, Michael decided to turn down the invitation to join the firm.

He subsequently set up his own accounting firm and tells how difficult and yet splendid those early years were. Though the couple at first struggled financially, Michael had many opportunities to share his faith. He was never sorry that he turned his back on that coveted partnership. Today, retired from accounting he is a leader in his local church.

Which brings me to the probing question: Am I insisting on certain things I want that, if I persist, God will give me, along with spiritual leanness? Or do I listen and walk with God, trusting His love and wisdom in everything through which He takes me?

PRAYER: Dear God, I want to be a person who remembers Your actions in my life and who takes Your counsel, no matter how it goes against popular wisdom. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Would Jesus call your words satanic?

"Get thee behind Me, Satan" - by James Tissot

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 16:21-28

TO CHEW ON: "Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, 'Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to you!' But He turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind Me Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God but the things of men.'" Matthew 16:22,23


What a shock Peter must have felt when Jesus called him "Satan" and described his words as an offense (trap). Perhaps he thought, But Jesus, I was only trying to encourage You and draw You from these pessimistic thoughts about death.

Jesus, however, recognized the oily tone, the sneaky lie in Peter's words. (Compare what Peter said to what the serpent said to Eve way back: "'You shall not surely die…'" - Genesis 3:4.) Jesus scolded him for being unmindful of the things of God while mindful of the things of men. What are those things?

A word the Bible uses for the "things of men" is "carnal." Some things that characterize the carnal mind are:

• Preoccupation with this life - Psalm 49:11.

• Unwillingness to acknowledge God or bow to Him - Romans 1:28; 8:7.

• Living by our intellect alone - Ephesians 4:17.

• Pursuing different forms of spirituality - Colossians 2:18.

• Allowing the outlook of the world to taint and sully our thoughts and consciences - Titus 1:15.

• In Peter's case here it was denying the necessity of Jesus' death and resurrection—a temptation to abort God's plan of salvation.

Jesus told Peter he should be mindful of the "things of God." What are those things? They include:

• Preoccupying ourselves with God's word—what it says and how we can live it out - Joshua 1:8; Psalm 119:99.

• Recognizing and being thankful for God's "lovingkindness" - Psalm 48:9.

• Viewing ourselves realistically and through eyes of faith - Romans 12:3.

• Taking our thoughts in hand; directing them along routes of what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, virtuous, praiseworthy - Philippians 4:8.

• For Peter the things of God in this situation would have been to hear what Jesus was saying, and grasp the necessity of God's big plan and Jesus' role in it. With these insights he might have been better prepared for what was coming.

As I compare my thoughts and words with the two lists, I see that I often have a carnal, Satan-influenced mindset. Oh to recognize the difference and avoid these traps of thought that too often exit my mouth in words!


PRAYER: Dear God, please show me today where I am living by the "things of men." Help me to steer my focus toward the "things of God." Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The spiritually alert parent

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Genesis 37:1-20

TO CHEW ON: “And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.” Genesis 37:11

Jacob made more than one mistake as a parent. A glaring one was to show preference for Joseph over his other sons. It caused envy and jealousy among the siblings.

Joseph’s brash boasting about his dreams didn’t help. When he told his brothers about their wheat sheaves bowing down to his, they came to hate him. After a second dream, which he told his brothers and his father, even his doting dad rebuked him. But then Jacob did something right. He “…kept the matter in mind.”

This reminds me of Mary, mother of Jesus and her reaction to the unusual happenings around Jesus’ birth when she “Kept all these things and pondered them in her heart” - Luke 2:19.  Again when she saw his obvious giftedness in understanding and expressing spiritual truths at twelve, she “kept all these things in her heart” - Luke 2:51.

As parents and grandparents, one of the things we want most for our offspring is that they find their purpose in life. One of the ways we do that is to watch and then keep in our minds and hearts what we see of their gifts, strengths and weaknesses, and how God is at work in them. I believe this also involves praying into and over these things as we think about how to give them direction.

In his inspiring book Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions, George Barna shares this bit of advice on how we give such direction.

“What can you do to help the youngsters with whom you have contact discover God’s purpose for their lives? As you explore their personality, spiritual gifts, passion, intellectual capacity, physical abilities, character traits and resonance with particular biblical characters and stories, funnel that knowledge toward guiding them to a clear idea of the role that has been reserved for them in God’s army. Encourage them to feel neither arrogant nor disappointed by that role. No calling is better than any other, and if it is God’s calling for them, then it is perfect for them" - George Barna, Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions, p. 66.

PRAYER: Dear Father help me to be a watcher, to observe and pray into the young lives around me and then encourage them in the dreams you have planted in them. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Leaders who lie

Hananiah confronting Jeremiah - St. Takla.org

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Jeremiah 28:1-17

TO CHEW ON: “‘As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as the one whom the LORD has truly sent.’” Jeremiah 28:9

In today’s reading, we witness a showdown between two prophets, Jeremiah and Hananiah. The drama becomes even more tense when we’re aware of its context.

Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon’s king, was gaining power. His army had already swept into Jerusalem and taken away many temple accessories. He was adding other nations to his kingdom as well. In Jeremiah 27:2, God told Jeremiah to put on “bonds and yokes” to symbolize Judah’s subservience to Babylon. And God told Jeremiah to advise the people not to resist Nebuchadnezzar, for those nations that “bring their necks under his yoke” would be able to stay in their land - Jeremiah 27:11.

There were more prophets than Jeremiah in Judah. They were obviously contradicting what Jeremiah had said, because at least four times in Jeremiah 27 God told him not to listen to these prophets (Jeremiah 27:9, 14, 16, 17).

In Jeremiah 28, then, we witness a showdown between one of the nay-saying prophets, Hananiah, and Jeremiah. Who was Hananiah?

• He was born of good prophetic stock - Jeremiah 28:1.

• He sounded like a prophet with his “Thus says the Lord” - Jeremiah 28:2,11.

• He even acted like a prophet, dramatically taking the wooden yoke God had told Jeremiah to wear from off his neck and breaking it - Jeremiah 28:10.

Jeremiah wished what Hananiah said was true: “'Amen! The LORD do so; the LORD perform your words…'" etc. - Jeremiah 28:6. But keeping in mind God’s warning to him and the tenor of prophecies delivered previously, Jeremiah expressed his doubts - Jeremiah 28:8,9.

Later God came to Jeremiah and told him that Hananiah was indeed a false prophet and to relay to him that his act of freeing Jeremiah from the wooden yoke only strengthened Nebuchadnezzar’s grip on the nation under an iron yoke. Also, because Hananiah was deluding the people, he would die within the year - Jeremiah 28:13-16

It happened - Jeremiah 28:17.

What a chilling story! What is there here for us to learn? Four things come to mind:

• Just because someone comes from a line of ministers and sounds like one doesn’t mean he’s reliable.

• It’s a modern tendency too for leaders and people in ministry to tell people what they want to hear. Modern examples: there’s no hell; God is OK with sexual perversion.

• Given time, what is true will distinguish itself from the false: “… when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the LORD has truly sent” - Jeremiah 28:9.

• In this era of the Bible and the Holy Spirit available to all believers, we need the teaching of the whole Bible, applied under the direction of the Holy Spirit to discern what is true and what is a lie.

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me not to be taken in by smooth speakers whose message is appeals to my human preferences and wishes. Please give me the discernment to recognize what is true and what is false. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Spiritual hearing

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: John 10:1-10

TO CHEW ON: “‘To him the doorkeeper opens and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him for they know his voice.’” John 10:3,4

Jesus is here setting the scene for one of His iconic “I Am” statements—actually two: “'I am the door of the sheep'” - John 10:7 and “'I am the good shepherd'” - John 10:11.

These verses speak so powerfully to me that I’ve chosen them as my 2017 verses of the year to accompany the word “Listen,” my word for the year.

Two things stand out about the shepherd-sheep relationship from them: 

1. The shepherd knows his sheep individually and intimately: “…he calls his own sheep by name.”
2. The sheep follow him because they recognize and know his voice and obviously trust him.

This is what I want above all—to hear the voice of my Shepherd, recognize that it’s Him, and that I can confidently follow. How does this happen? We find some clues as we look at other places in the Bible that talk about spiritual listening and hearing.

• We discover that it may involve tuning our ears to listen, and watching and waiting. In one of his Lady Wisdom poems, Solomon, speaking as wisdom personified says, “Blessed is the man who listens to me / Watching daily at my gates, / Waiting at the posts of my doors” - Proverbs 8:34.

• It is listening to rebuke: “The ear that hears the rebukes of life / Will abide among the wise” - Proverbs 15:31.

• It is going to church with a receptive attitude: “Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools” - Ecclesiastes 5:1.

• It is recognizing that spiritual truth and wisdom may not always come from the places we expect: “Words of the wise spoken quietly should be heard / Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools” - Ecclesiastes 9:17.

• We can pray to have renewed hearing even if we’re getting on in age: “O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known” - Habakkuk 3:2.

• It involves acting on what we’ve heard—obedience for the long haul, as Jesus taught: “‘But the ones (seeds) that fell on the good ground are those who having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience’” - Luke 8:15.

• God’s words to and in us can flourish when we live with an attitude of saying less and listening more: “… let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” - James 1:19.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for Your words as recorded by the apostles, as well as all the words of the patriarchs and prophets in the Bible. May You, by Your Holy Spirit, help me to hear, understand, know how to apply, and then obey what You say to me through them. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Home from far countries

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Jeremiah 32:36-44

TO CHEW ON: "They shall be My people, and I will be their God; then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them." Jeremiah 32:38,39

Jeremiah's buying of a field at a time of any-day-now Babylonian invasion and takeover is symbolic. God spells out what it signifies:

- A time when Israel will return physically to her homeland - Jeremiah 32:37.
- A time when Israel will return spiritually to Him - Jeremiah 32:38.
- A time of peace and unity among them - Jeremiah 32:39.
- A time when they again obey God - "fear Me forever" - Jeremiah 32:39.
- A time of hope and favor - Jeremiah 32:40,41.

I relate this passage to circumstances we may want changed in our lives. Whether we long to see changes in our physical state (where we live, how poor or wealthy we are, the state of our health, the job we have), or relationships (with family, co-workers, neighbours, within the church), I would suggesst that a change in circumstance may go hand-in-hand with making a spiritual change. Indeed, the spiritual change may need to come before the physical change, as it did in Jesus' story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).

In fact, that spiritual softening, turning, and relinquishing details of our situation to Him may bring us out of that far country to a place where we again feel hope and His rejoicing over us even though nothing has changed outwardly.

PRAYER: Dear Father, when I find myself in difficult circumstances and feeling distant from You, please draw me and give me the will and way to come back to You. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Do you know His voice?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 10:1-18

TO CHEW ON: "And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice." John 10:4

"If Christians do not know when God is speaking they are in trouble at the heart of their Christian lives," says Henry Blackaby in Experiencing God (Workbook p. 90).

In our passage today Jesus compares Himself to a shepherd leading a flock. The members of His flock, He assures the disciples, know His voice.

The Bible says a lot about God's voice — hearing it, recognizing it, responding to it. If we count ourselves members of His flock, we do well to study what the Bible says about these things, to make sure we do recognize that it's His voice we're hearing. From a brief (and incomplete) study, here are some distinguishing things about God's voice:

1. He first comes to you and me as a guest. Jesus asks ("if anyone hears My voice") to be given admittance to our lives (Revelation 3:20).

2. His voice is personal

• He knows your name and my name, and what drives us (Acts 9:3-5).

• His call is our opportunity to acknowledge Him and what He is to us (John 20:16).

• Listening to His voice becomes the key to our destiny, as Saul/Paul discovered - Acts 22:14.

3. His voice speaks words of life to our death (Luke 8:52-54; John 5:25).

4. His voice speaks truth (John 18:37).

5. His voice comes with probing questions - "What do you want me to do for you?" He asked the blind men (Matthew 20:32).

6. His voice may come to us in new tones. John heard it as a trumpet and as the sound of many waters (Revelation 1:10,15).

7. It is, above all, a loved, welcome, joy-inspiring voice (Song of Songs 2:8; John 3:29). We respond to it any time we hear it, even letting it awake us from sleep (Song of Songs 5:2).

8. It is a voice that we come to recognize as reliable, trustworthy, and safe to follow (John 10:4,16,27).

I ask myself, do I know God's voice in these ways? When He speaks, do I respond with quick obedience?

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to always recognize Your voice and to be a fruitful hearer (Luke 8:15). Amen.

MORE: Respond Immediately

"When God spoke to Moses, what Moses did next was crucial. After Jesus spoke to the disciples, what they did next was paramount. What you do immediately after the Spirit of God speaks to you through His Word is critical. Our problem is that when the Spirit of God speaks to us, we want to debate. Moses engaged in a long discussion with God (see Exodus 3:11-4:13), and it limited him for the rest of his life. After that discussion Moses had to speak to the people through His brother Aaron (see Exodus 4:14-16).

Regularly review what you sense God has been saying to you. If God speaks and you hear but do not respond, a time could come when you do not hear His voice. Disobedience can lead to a "famine of hearing the words of the Lord" (Amos 8:11-12). - Henry Blackaby, Experiencing God Workbook, p. 96.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Do we hear but not hear?

Pisidian Antioch - Illustrations from Thomas Lewin's Life of Paul

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Acts 13:13-35

TO CHEW ON: "'For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him'" - Acts 13:27

Here Paul is preaching in the Antioch synagogue. In his talk he tells the story of his people and God's dealings with them. He mentions their enslavement in Egypt, their wilderness wanderings, their conquest of Canaan, their rule by judges, their first kings Saul and David. That latter was to be father of Messiah. Then Paul identifies Him—Messiah—as Jesus and describes how their own rulers put Him to death.

What's chilling in the way he tells it is that these leaders should have known better. Because of their exposure to the Prophets "which are read every Sabbath" they should have recognized how Jesus fulfilled prophecies spoken in Isaiah 7:14, 11:1; Micah 5:2; Daniel 9:25; Zechariah 9:9 and elsewhere. But they didn't. What an irony when they ended up fulfilling more of those very prophecies as they condemned Jesus to death: Psalm 69:21; Isaiah 53:1-9.

We too can hear and not hear. Jesus describes such deaf hearing in His parable of the sower. He diagnoses it three ways:

• People hear but the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts - Luke 8:12.

• People hear and respond but the response is superficial. Temptation pulls up their shallow-rooted new life - Luke 8:13.

• People hear but immediately crowd out any chance that the word will germinate with other things: cares, riches, and pleasures - Luke 8:14 (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, the news, TV?).

Perhaps their closed-ear reaction is one reason Paul says one verse earlier: "Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of salvation has been sent" - Acts 13:26 (emphasis added)

We too can prove that this "word of salvation" has been sent to us by fearing God and really hearing and taking His word—about us, our sinful state, how we need a Savior, and how our life will change as we become His disciples—seriously.

PRAYER: Dear God, I don't want to be one of the people exposed to truth but unresponsive to it. Please help me to listen, hear, and 'fear.' Amen.

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

Obedience and understanding

Jesus teaching - Alexandre Bida

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 7:16-31

TO CHEW ON: " ' If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on my own authority.' " John 7:17

Controversy and confusion swirl around Jesus here. Earlier in the chapter He has refused to go to the feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem at His brothers' suggestion (to attract followers), yet later He goes on His own but secretly.

In the middle of the feast week He begins to teach openly in the temple. When He suggests that some are plotting to kill Him, they say he's crazy ("You have a demon"). But what do others later murmur amongst themselves except, " ' Is this not He whom they seek to kill?' " - John 7:25.

He must be Christ the Messiah, proved by His wisdom, some say. But He can't be Christ, say others, for we know where He comes from. Will Christ do more miracles than this, though, still others, on the verge of belief, ask.

Jesus gives a clue to His listeners about how they can have assurance that He is indeed who He claims to be and that His teachings are reliable: " ' If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.' "

Notes on this verse in my Bible explain what He means by this:

"The teachings and claims of Jesus will be accepted by those who are intent on doing God's will" - Siegfried Schatzmann, notes on John, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1456.

and

"Obeying Jesus is evidence that we love Him and are His disciples. Our obedience is vital to holy living. The Holy Spirit teaches us and gives us understanding of the Scriptures enabling us to obey the Lord.

Determine to obey the Lord. Align your will with His will" - Leslyn Musch, Truth-In-Action Through John, NSFLB p. 1483.

Jesus is saying obedience is the key to assurance and spiritual knowledge. I like how Oswald Chambers puts it:

"The golden rule for understanding spiritually is not intellect but obedience. If a man wants scientific knowledge, intellectual curiosity is his guide; but if he wants insight into what Jesus Christ teaches, he can only get it by obedience" - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, July 27 reading (emphasis added).

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please help me to live and experience the connection between obedience and spiritual understanding. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The anchored life

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 6:37-49

TO CHEW ON: "'Whoever comes to Me and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood rose, the stream beat vehemently against that house and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.'" Luke 6:47,48.


In picturesque language Jesus describes a life that is stable (Luke 6:46-48) vs. one that is unstable (Luke 6:49). Three thoughts jump out at me from this passage.

1. The "sayings" Jesus says we are to HEAR, what are they? His sayings: the words we have recorded in the Bible of His life and teaching. For His hearers then they were the residue of what they remembered of His public talks. We are immensely blessed to have these sayings in permanent form in the Bible and are able to "hear" them over and over as we read, re-read, and study them.

In keeping with His word picture, Jesus compares these words to a rock—that foundation on which we can safely anchor and build our life-house.

2. To effectively anchor a life to those sayings requires more than just hearing, for the wise builder "does them."  That's  OBEDIENCE. Jesus spoke often of obedience to His words. He said:

• Obedience draws people into the relationship of God's family - Matthew 12:50.

• Obedience sharpens spiritual discernment - John 7:17.

• Obedience softens God's heart toward us and He and Jesus come to live within us - John 15:23.

• John speaks of how obedience helps set us apart for eternal life - 1 John 2:17.

3. Finally, we see that we will be TESTED: "the flood rose, the stream beat vehemently against that house..." It is in the test of the floods and swollen, swift-flowing streams of life that the integrity of our life's foundation becomes clear.

So we need to ask ourselves:

• Have we built our lives on Jesus and His sayings?

• Are we giving more than intellectual assent to these things?

We'd better get that house firmly anchored before the stormy season!

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for this clear picture of how to build my life on rock. Help me to go deep now so that I will be anchored when trouble comes. Amen. 

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New King James Version (NKJV) Used with permission. The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Sheep that hear

Jesus the Good Shepherd - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 10:7-30

TO CHEW ON: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know then, and they follow Me." John 10:27

I've thought a lot about what Jesus says here—that His sheep hear His voice. I've asked questions like, 'Is my thought God's voice or my own idea? When I make a decision on what I think is God's voice and things don't turn out as I had hoped they would, does that mean I wasn't hearing God's voice after all?'

Here are some of the things the Bible says about God's voice:

• It strikes terror into the heart of sinners (Genesis 3:8), arrests them (Acts 9:3,4), and asks for entrance (Revelation 3:20).

• Sometimes God's voice comes with power (Psalm 29:4).

• Sometimes it is glorious (Isaiah 30:30).

• And sometimes it is "still" and "small" (1 Kings 19:12).

• It can be misunderstood (John 12:28,29).

• It sifts people in relation to truth and falsehood (John 19:37).

• In our reading it assures those who hear that when they follow Jesus, they follow a good shepherd who cares about their welfare.

There's another interesting verse about the voice of God that describes how He often works in my life. Isaiah 30:21 (NIV) says: "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, 'this is the way; walk in it.'"

I'm always wanting guidance—wanting to know what the next step is before I take it. Wanting to be sure I'm following the right voice. This verse is interesting in that it implies God sometimes guides from behind: "Your ears will hear a voice behind you..."? How does that work?

There are forks in the road. Do we go right or left? This verse seems to say we make a decision, take the steps, and listen for the 'voice behind us,' willing to make adjustments if that is what He says.

I've experienced this. Sometimes I've taken on writing assignments for the simple fact that I've finished the last project and this one came along at just that time. There were no prophetic words, voices or holy thrills—not even a scripture verse on which to hang my hat. Not uncommonly I'll question whether I've made the right decision, especially when the writing gets tough or the piece gets turned down. Later, much later sometimes, I'll get confirmation that the project was a 'God thing' (it finally gets accepted, I get an email or note from someone saying it blessed them, it wins a prize, gets republished).

As far as I can see, this hearing the voice of confirmation behind us is the way we often live the life of faith. Your thoughts?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to hear and recognize Your voice today.

MORE: More about voice recognition.

Researchers have discovered that mother goats recognize the voice of their kids shortly after birth and retain that memory for at least a year. I couldn't find any research that said the kids recognized the nanny goat's voice, or  about how sheep do in this department.

Want to read more about the spiritual implications of our focus verse? Check out "The Sheep and Their Shepherd a sermon by Charles Spurgeon.

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

Spiritual dullness

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 12:12-33

TO CHEW ON: "His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him." John 12:16

What 'things' is John talking about?

They are the events that played out, with Jesus riding on a donkey into Jerusalem in fulfillment of the prophecy:
"Fear not, daughter of Zion:
Behold your king is coming.
Sitting on a donkey's colt"  - John 12:15 (alluding to Isaiah 40:9 and Zechariah 9:9).

At the time this happened, the event all by itself didn't have the big-picture significance to John that it did after Jesus was glorified. John had obviously mulled over what this all meant between its occurrence and writing it down. He had grasped how Jesus riding into Jerusalem, along with many other things, made Him the fulfillment of the ancient prophecies.

This is not the first time the disciples were dull. Repeatedly throughout the gospels we see Jesus chiding them for their lack of understanding (Matthew 15:16, 16:11; Luke 24:25; John 14:9).

What causes lack of spiritual comprehension? Could we be similarly dull? Many causes are implied in Bible verses that speak of not understanding spiritual truth:

1. An unwillingness to admit the obvious is implied about the misplaced faith of the person worshiping an idol carved out of the same block of wood used to fuel a cooking fire - Isaiah 44:19.
2. A lack of obedience and resistance to correction - Jeremiah 7:28.
3. Rebelliousness - Ezekiel 12:2.
4. Lack of spiritual discernment - Luke 12:56.
5. Lack of spiritual sensitivity - John 8:43; Hebrews 5:11.
6. Adopting the shallow worldview of those around us - Romans 3:11.
7. Unfamiliarity with the Scripture - Matthew 22:29; John 5:39.
8. Fatigue - Matthew 26:40-45.

Before we're too hard on the disciples for not understanding what seems obvious to us now, we should put ourselves in their shoes. I'm not sure I would have grasped any more than they did.

Of course we should strive for spiritual understanding now. Something that was key to the disciples' eventual comprehension of Jesus and His significance was their familiarity with the Old Testament scriptures. We have both the Old and New Testaments to help us understand our times and God working out His plan through history. Let's take advantage of these treasure stores to become spiritually sharp.

PRAYER: Dear God, please sharpen my spiritual awareness as I read the Bible and match up what it says with what I see happening around me. Amen.

MORE: The Sons of Issachar model:

An obscure verse in 2 Chronicles talks about the Sons of Issachar and describes them as having "… understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do" (2 Chronicles 12:32). We can make that our prayer too—that we will understand our times and know what to do in them.

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

A seven-word antidote for life

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Habakkuk 1:1-2:4

TO CHEW ON: "Behold the proud,

His soul is not upright in him.

But the just shall live by his faith." Habakkuk 2:4

The prophet Habakkuk lived during desperate times. Josiah's reforms had run their course in Judah. The nation had again fallen into chaotic disarray with violence, oppression of the poor and the collapse of the legal system. Add to that the rise of Babylonia (the Chaldeans) who had conquered Assyria and Egypt and was eyeing Judah's northern border, and you have a grim scenario.

Habakkuk's innate sense of justice was deeply troubled by all this. And so he dared to question God. Subheadings in my Bible make it easy to follow their conversation:

Habakkuk: God, why don't You do something? (Habakkuk 1:1-4 - my paraphrase)

God: I will use the Chaldeans. (Habakkuk 1:5-11)

Habakkuk: Why do you use wicked people? (Habakkuk 1:12-17)

(To himself: I'm all ears to hear the answer to this!) (Habakkuk 2:1).

God: Write what I tell you so that you can easily spread this message when the time is right: THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY HIS FAITH. (Habakkuk 2:2-4)

The introductory notes to Habbakkuk in my Bible explain what these words probably meant to the prophet at the time:

"For the prophet, the promise is for physical protection in time of great upheaval and war. When the predicted invasion by foreign armies becomes a reality, that righteous remnant whose God is the Lord, whose trust and dependence is in Him will be delivered and they will live." "The Book of Habakkuk" New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1223.

Of course the words "The just shall live by their faith" have echoed through history. For Paul and the writer of Hebrews they were the anchor of salvation (Hebrews 10:38).  For Martin Luther they were the catalyst for the Reformation.

The seven words God spoke to Habakkuk way back in 600 B.C. also apply to us today. Everyday living demands faith. Handling sickness, catastrophe, and financial instability demands faith. Believing that we are really right with God demands faith (Philippians 3:8,9). Doing what we hear God telling us to do demands faith (Galatians 3:5,6).

For what do you need faith today?

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to follow my vague anxieties to their sources of fear and unbelief. Help solidify my faith in Your goodness and ability to bring into my life things that are good for me. Amen.

MORE: Questioning God

I love the way Habakkuk speaks plainly to God about the things that trouble him. And God answers back. A sidebar article in my Bible suggests five keys to hearing God's voice, gleaned from Habakkuk 2:1-3.

1. Meet with God regularly in a special place of prayer: "I will stand my watch."
2. Look for God to speak to you in dreams and visions: I will "watch to see."
3. Listen for the word of the Lord: "He will say to me."
4. Keep a journal of things that God says: "Write the vision."
5. Wait for God to bring it to pass: "It will surely come."
— "Five Keys to Hearing God's Voice" by James W. Ryle, New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1225.

(From the archives)