Be Quick to Hear the Word

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

My pastor wrote this in my first Bible: “God’s Word will keep you from sin. Sin will keep you from God’s Word.” I have hidden those words in my heart all these years and have found them to be true.

The recipients of James teaching lacked wisdom and were falling into temptation and sin. So he called them back to the Word for its sanctifying power. He told them to be “quick to hear.” The idea of that is to not disregard or fight against God’s Word. Another way to say that is, receive the counsel you read in God’s Word and be willing to obey it. 

God provides all the nourishment you need for your spiritual life through His Word. Armed with His wisdom, you can stand against all spiritual adversaries. Paul agrees and told Timothy that the inspired Word “equips” the Christ follower “for every good work” [2 Timothy 3:16-17]. That’s because the Word engages you in communion with almighty God. So welcome the Word as a most valued friend.

Be quick to hear by pursuing every opportunity to learn God’s truth. The Psalmist knew the value of that. He cried out, “O how I love Thy law. It is my meditation day and night” [Psalm 119:97]. The Word touched him so deeply, he put away sin to honor it, “I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your Word” [Psalm 119:101].

Being quick to hear involves a proper attitude toward God’s Word.

I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word. Psalm 119:101

Wisdom Prevails in the Long Term

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Since Jesus is Himself, “wisdom from God” [1 Corinthians 1:30], it goes without saying that wisdom cannot fail in the long term. He is the King of kings and will have the final victory. So when our plans reflect His, they will be beneficial and bring us great reward.

That being said, divine wisdom is not always heard and does not always win out in the short term. Sure, all the enemies of God were defeated at Calvary and, so to speak, live on borrowed time. But until God’s plan is consummated in the New Heaven and New Earth [2 Peter 3:13], Satan continues to capture some of the prey he’s prowling for [1 Peter 5:8]. And even though Christ followers proclaim divine wisdom around the world, sometimes the world screams its foolishness so loud that few seem to hear it. 

Scripture does not guarantee that people will hear and obey wisdom in the short term. The truth of history reveals that foolishness and evil may gain the upper hand for a season, but any victory they achieve will be short-lived and finally silenced. 

Keep a long term perspective. There will be times when divine wisdom will bring success and blessings in this world, but remember that is no guarantee that following it will bring ease this side of glory. In fact, we may sometimes suffer for doing what God says. When that happens, remember the words of Christ Himself, that serving Him brings eternal blessings [Matthew 19:29].

Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard rather than the shout of a ruler of fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroys much good. Ecclesiastes 9:17-18

God’s Sovereign Plan for You

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Few stories in the Bible are as filled with romance, adventure, and danger as is Esther. It is the remarkable story of young, Jewish girl who was crowned Queen of Persia. Talk about a sovereign plan from God! Yes, it was His plan. He had a work for her to do, a plan that involved the highest levels of government. There is no question in my mind that she faced confusion and uncertainty as she dealt with the unfolding details of God’s plan. 

It’s how many of us feel as we live out our lives without knowing the future. Yet we keep on keeping on because of God’s sovereign call in our lives. But isn’t it true that often it’s easier to see God’s call in someone else’s life than our own? 

We can all be encouraged by Esther’s story; encouraged to trust in God’s will and purpose for our life. And, joy of joys, He doesn’t save us then abandon us to fend for ourselves. He’s with us every step of the way, continually guiding His children in the sovereign plan He has for each life. 

There is a side benefit to that. His sovereign plan not only includes what we do, but also who we are. That means that every experience in our life is a tool to mold us into the person He wants us to be. His sovereign plan involves both our character and our conduct.

As they say on cop shows, “Be on the lookout.” God is at work in your life, sometimes gently, sometimes with jarring disruptions. But He is there, working out His sovereign plan. You are not insignificant—God has designed a unique calling just for you!

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

The Heart of Integrity

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

The Psalmist described integrity as living honestly, practicing righteousness, and acknowledging truth in your heart [Psalm 15:2].

Many characters in Scripture demonstrated that kind of integrity. Take Nathanael, for example. Jesus called him an Israelite “in whom was no guile” [John 1:47]. Having no guile is to be truthful and unpretentious, another way of saying Nathanael had integrity. It would be wonderful if the Lord could say that about each of us, Amen?

Daniel is another example. His life demonstrates the power and blessings of integrity. But never forget, his integrity was tested and refined during the most difficult of circumstances. Like Daniel, we are living in a culture of compromise. We see it everywhere, and sadly, in many churches too. That’s why, as Christ followers, we must reflect the integrity of Christ. John wrote, “The one who says he remains in [Christ] should walk just as [Christ] walked” [1st John 2:6].

Israel’s King David prayed a prayer that should be on the lips and in the heart of every Christ follower. He prayed, “Keep my soul, and deliver me; let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You” [Psalm 25:20-21].

Love Christ. Be characterized by ever-increasing fidelity to biblical truth. That is the heart of true integrity.

Lord, who can dwell in Your tent? Who can live on Your holy mountain? The one who lives honestly, practices righteousness, and acknowledges the truth in his heart. Psalm 15:1-2

Never Changing

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

We live in an ever changing world. That’s why people are looking for security. Unfortunately, many seek refuge in the wrong places, like relationships, governments, bank accounts, et al. What foolishness it is to put hope in something that is not able to bear it. Relationships crumble, governments rise and fall, and a single financial crisis can wipe out all our savings. None of these, nor any created thing can provide the security we long for. There is only One who doesn’t change, who is able to provide the security we want and need.

The Psalmist often compared God to things that we think of as permanent, the heavens and the foundation of the earth, for example. But even those will pass away. God alone remains ever the same. It should be crystal clear — only the Creator can make us secure. As John Calvin wrote, we should seek stability “no where else but in God.”

God is our Rock, Scripture says, and for good reason. Rocks are strong and stable as is our God. But that is where the similarity ends. Even rocks are subject to deterioration. They can change by erosion or other natural phenomena. But God does not change. He is the only One we can trust without reservation. He is completely dependable. 

How blessed we are to know that God never changes!

Long ago You established the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; all of them will wear out like clothing. You will change them like a garment, and they will pass away. But You are the same, and Your years will never end. Psalm 102:25-27

Too Busy for A Sabbath?

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

I woke up early this morning (which is my usual habit) and for some reason, I started thinking about my Jewish friends who would begin their Shabbat celebration this evening. Ah, a day of rest! Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? I thought for a moment that I should join in the celebration, but that nasty, 4-letter “B” word reared its ugly head. You know the word, don’t you? BUSY! I’m just too busy to observe the Sabbath.

I think we often wear our busyness as a badge of honor. Ours is a 24/7—multi-tasking—always on culture. Living like that causes us to forget the clear words from God through Moses to, “Remember the Sabbath.”

Christ followers seem to have more of a problem with that than our Jewish friends. Maybe it’s because the Church has never had a uniform view of the Sabbath. With the vast number of churches today comes a vast variety of views about how we should or should not observe the Sabbath.

Since we are on the go 24/7, we have become a Sabbath-less culture and it seems to me that it has taken a huge toll. We are so active, so busy, we don’t have enough time for relationships with family and friends, let alone God. 

Here are a few things I have done, and encourage you to do, to insure a labor-less day:

• Block off Sabbath time on your calendar. I have found that if I don’t schedule for a Sabbath, it doesn’t happen. 

• Prepare joyfully. Use the six days prior to your Sabbath to clean out your eMail box, finish chores, and run errands. By the seventh day, you are ready for holy fun.

• Figure out what work is for you, then don’t do it on your Sabbath.

• Pray and play. I owe it to Eugene Peterson, author of The Message, for this one. He explained pray and play this way, “No homework, no chores, no shopping—just time with family, friends, and God.”

In his book, An Unhurried Life: Following Jesus’ Rhythms of Work and Rest, Alan Fadling wrote, “It takes trust in God’s faithfulness to choose to stop our work. When we choose soul rest, we are putting our trust in God’s work, not our own, and we then experience the gift of Sabbath.”

Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Exodus 20:8 [New Living Translation]

The Very Words of God

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

God is the ultimate source of the Bible even though He employed human language through human beings. That’s why we can have complete confidence that divine revelation never contradicts itself. When we speak of Scripture, we can confidently say that it came from God Himself. 

Paul’s statement to Timothy is arguably the most important text concerning this. He wrote, “All Scripture is given by the inspiration [breathed-out] of God” [2 Timothy 3:16]. Breathed-out is the best way to render the Greek word theopneustos. It is the most literal way to convey its meaning in English. Think about it for just a moment. Human speech requires us to exhale, to breathe out. As we breathe out, air from our lungs vibrates the vocal chords. The different frequencies produce sounds that our mouth forms into words. Since God breathed out the words of the Bible, they are His words, even though they were written down by human authors. In that sense, it’s as if God had taken a pen and written the words Himself.

Our culture considers us foolish for living by the teaching of Scripture. That’s because it sees science as rational thinking, and anyone believing in the Bible as irrational, unthinking bigots. Unfortunately, many Christ followers cave in from the cultural pressure and adopt a low view of Scripture’s divine origin. A Christ follower’s confidence in Scripture is not based on a fearful rejection of what science can legitimately prove. Rather, we conform our lives to Scripture because they are the very words of God. In other words, a Christ follower has no option but to believe and live by what “thus sayeth the Lord!”

Firm confidence in the Word of God will enable you to stand firm through all the difficulties of life. What the Bible says, the Lord says. That’s why Christ followers love, and obey the Scriptures.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God… 2 Timothy 3:16a