Listen Carefully . . .

“For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them,’ declares the Lord.”

Be careful who you listen to because not everyone knows what they are talking about. Yes, even religious people can get it wrong. My favorite example is Peter who in one moment is credited with speaking God’s words and in the very next is the mouthpiece of Satan (See Matthew 16:13-23). That means that any of us can in one moment be speaking God’s truth and in the very next be speaking deception. Yes, Dave Samples gets it wrong sometimes!

The solution is to have an unquestionable authority that can be referred to whenever guidance is needed. God has given us that authority through His Bible. Our church's doctrinal statement, The Baptist Faith and Message, says it this way, “The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. . . . It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is . . . the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried.” (BF&M, 2000, p7). 

The Bible says of itself, “Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, The Message).

So, we have to immerse ourselves in the Word of God. Find a way to do that. This year I’m reading the “Chronological Bible” every day using my YouVersion Bible App on my Iphone. The "One Year Bible" (also found on the App) has been my go-to previously for about seventeen years. Yes, I read the Bible through EVERY year—and so can you. It doesn’t matter if you read it on paper or on your computer. You can even listen to a digital version if that’s easier for you. But we must all read the Word of God! Otherwise, we don’t know what we’re talking about, and we don’t know what we are doing!

“When you live by God’s Word, your life works.  When you live without God’s Word, life doesn’t work.” –Stormie Omartian, The Prayer That Changes Everything.

Growling the Word

"But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do." --Psalm 1:2-3 (NLT)

This is an amazing promise for those who will act on it. Delight in the law of the Lord, meditate on it day and night, and you will prosper in all that you do. Who wants to prosper in 2017? Who wants to be like a tree on a riverbank, always green and always bearing fruit? Well, count me in!

Let's focus on the two conditional elements in these verses: #1 delight on the law, and #2 meditate on the law. The law of the Lord, of course, is the entire Word of God. What does it mean to delight in it and to meditate on it?

#1 Delight: We either delight or we don't. For me, coming to the Word of God each day is like a treasure hunt. When God's Spirit reveals a truth to me, I get excited--not unlike finding hidden treasure. If I'm needing to make a decision, and I find the answer in my daily reading, I delight in it! I approach the Word that way every day. I'm looking for guidance, for wisdom, for encouragement, and for changes I need to make. As God reveals, I delight in His words of life.

#2 Meditate: This is an interesting Hebrew word--"hagah". In addition to meaning meditation or consideration, it can also mean to speak, to moan, or to growl. So to begin with, I would suggest that our time in the Word should be spent vocalizing it. You may pop into the church office one afternoon and catch me pacing the hallway, reading my scriptures out loud--even shouting on occasion. The Bible is meant to be spoken and I can tell you from experience that I get a lot more out of it when I speak it. The moaning has to do with expressions of pleasure. What I really find interesting is the idea of "growling" the Word. What is that all about? I have a dog named Gavin who can make this idea perfectly clear. When Gavin is enjoying a bone, he doesn't wish to be disturbed. He will growl if you make a move towards him because he doesn't want to lose his bone. We should take the attitude of Gavin when we are in the Word. Enjoy it and don't let anyone or anything take it away from you.

So today and throughout all of 2017, Delight in the Word, Meditate on it, and get ready to prosper.

Sixty-One

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has appointed me to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to announce that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.  He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord's favor has come, and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies.  To all who mourn in Israel, he will give beauty for ashes, joy istead of mourning, praise instead of despair.  For the Lord has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory.


They will rebuild the ancient ruins, reparing cities long ago destroyed.  They will revive them, though they have been empty for many generations.  Foreigners will be your servants.  They wll feed your flocks and plow your fields and tend your vineyards.  You will be called priests of the Lord, ministers of our God.  You will be fed with the treasures of the nations and will boast in their riches.  Instead of shame and dishonor, you will inherit a double portion of prosperity and everlasting joy.


For I, the Lord, love justice.  I hate robbery and wrongdoing.  I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering and make an everlasting covenant with them.  Their descendants will be known and honored aong the nations.  Everyone will realize that they are a people the Lord has blessed.


I am overwhelmed wtih joy in the Lord my God!  For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness.  I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels.  The Sovereign Lord will show his justice to the nations of the world.  Everyone will praise him!  His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring, filled with young plants springing up everywhere.


--Isaiah 61

Quiet Time: August 16, 2009

I find myself in a season of my life when I am needing to hear from God more than ever. I have deeply offended a person who means a great deal to me. My time with the Father this morning was centered on this person, my choices--both good and bad, and the steps forward that I should be taking.

From Judges I read, "For the Lord took pity on his people, who were burdened by oppression and suffering" (Judges 2:18). Simply put, God is a God who shows mercy to those who are broken. I am encouraged that my God does not throw us away but that he embraces us in our weakness and sorrow.

My prayer began this morning with a prayer for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. I have asked that God would remove anything that is offensive to Him and that I would be made holy by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will guide me into all truth and will also convict me of all faults. The Spirit will reveal to me each step that I am to take. May I today be saturated with the Holy Spirit.

Luke's Gospel reveals the story of when Jesus sent his disciples into Jerusalem to prepare for the Passover. They are told to follow the man with a pitcher of water and that, "He will take you upstairs to a large room that is alread set up" (Luke 22:12). I am encouraged that God already has a plan for me. I simply need to follow His direction to the room that is already set up.

My second prayer is the prayer of petition--praying for myself. I am asking God to bless me: Body, Labor, Emotions, Social Relationships, and Spiritual growth.

God gave me this promise from Psalm 92: "But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted into the Lord's own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green" (Psalm 92:12-14). It's always encouraging to know that God is not through with me. He will cause me to flourish, to produce fruit, and to remain vital. And though I am not "Godly" in my actions--I stand declared "Godly" through the actions of Christ on the cross.

My third prayer is the prayer of intercession and, of course, I spent the entire time praying for the person that I have offended. I have a large rock in my office that represents the judgement that I might be tempted to throw at myself or others. I carried that rock around with me this morning as I prayed and I wept for my friend. I prayed that I might feel their pain and that I might be able to pray for their healing through the passion of that pain.

I finished my time with the Father with a time of thanksgiving. I am thanking God for the pain and I am thanking God for the restoration that will occur. I am thanking God for His promises and I am thanking God for his love.

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening" (Psalm 92:1-2).

Psalm 91

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

This I declare of the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I am trusting him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from the fatal plague. He will shield you with his wings. he will shelter you with his feathers. his faithful promises are your armor and protection.

Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor fear the dangers of the day, nor dread the plague that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. But you will see it with your eyes; you will see how the wicked are punished. If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your dwelling. For he orders his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you with their hands to keep you from striking your foot on a stone. You will trample down lions and poisonous snakes; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

The Lord says, "I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue them and honor them. I will satisfy them with a long life and give them my salvation."

Psalm 91 (NLT)

Let There Be Land...

"And God said, 'Let the waters beneath the sky be gathered into one place so dry ground may appear.' And so it was. God named the dry ground 'land' and the water 'seas.' And God saw that it was good. Then God said, 'Let the land burst forth with every sort of grass and seed- bearing plant. And let there be trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. The seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees form which they came" (Genesis 1:9-11, NLT).

This third day of creation (my Wednesday) is about the creation of land and the plants and trees that it produces. Jesus himself uses "land" as a metaphor for the human heart. Let's go with that idea today. Jesus tells a story in Luke 8:4-11 in which a farmer sows seed. This seed falls on land that is in a variety of conditions. Some is hard, some is filled with thorns, some is shallow, and some is good. Of course, only the land that is good ultimately produces a crop. Jesus lets us in on the secret meaning of the story when he says, "But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by perservering produce a crop" (Luke 8:15, NIV). The land is the human heart and the seed is the Word of God. My aim today is to have a "noble and good heart" in which the seed of the Word may be planted and then grow. It's not my aim to make it grow--only God can do that. Jesus says in another place that a man scatters seed on the ground and then, "Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain--first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head" (Mark 4:26-29, NIV). As I go throughout my day, I want to be aware of the condition of my heart and to be quick to allow the hard, dry, and dusty places to become broken up and then watered by the Holy Spirit's living water. May may life then become a bumper crop in the midst of the world's famine.