Listening with Purpose..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 Listening with Purpose

Dr. Charles Stanley

1 Samuel 3:1-10

Yesterday we learned about hearing the Word with eagerness and attentiveness. Now, let’s think about approaching the Bible purposefully, expectantly, and prayerfully.

Christians study the Scriptures not just individually but also corporately to learn more about God and His ways. Underlying this simple concept is a big challenge. To gather biblical knowledge with purpose means determining in our heart to obey what we hear (Ps. 119:33). And to do so expectantly means we believe that the Lord is going to speak specifically to us (Ps. 25:4). Sermons, Sunday school lessons, and quiet times on our own are all things to be anticipated. God uses these to build us up, strengthen us, or offer us comfort—He certainly makes listening to Him worthwhile. And obedience is the only proper response to this kind of personal attention.

Approaching the reading of Scripture prayerfully prepares our hearts to listen well and ushers in an attitude of purpose and expectancy. Today’s passage tells the story of young Samuel’s first encounter with God. The priest Eli gives the boy valuable advice—that when the Lord calls, he should say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening” (v. 9). Pray those simple words with conviction before you open your Bible, and you will hear God more clearly.

If you want to experience God working in your life, come to Scripture with a prayerful, expectant, purpose-filled attitude. The mourner will be comforted. The weary will gain strength. Those convicted of their sin will repent and know peace. All will sense joy. Recognize what a gift God’s Word is.

Light in the Darkness..... Craig Denison

 Light in the Darkness

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

In response to knowing the heart of God we are called to share the wonders of his invisible nature with a world in desperate need of him. God has chosen to use us to reveal himself. He’s filled us with the Spirit and empowered us to proclaim the good news of salvation and restored relationship with our Creator. May you discover this week that you were made to share God’s heart. And may you find joy and passion in God’s longing to use you in powerful and unique ways.

Scripture:

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

Devotional:    

Jesus’ teaching on salt and light in the Sermon on the Mount is one of my favorite passages of Scripture related to sharing the heart of God with the world around us. In Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus taught:

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

One of the most powerful aspects of this passage is how Jesus begins by speaking identity over us. God doesn’t tell us to go get some salt and share it. He says we are salt. He doesn’t tell us to go get a light and shine it. He says we are a light. Sharing God’s heart is a part of who we are. As believers we’ve been redeemed—washed clean—that we might proclaim the excellencies of our Savior by living in line with our new identity.

The world is a dark place. It is without hope. It’s filled with the blind leading the blind and the needy seeking fulfillment from the needy. Our only hope is Jesus. The one, true Guide is the Holy Spirit.

We are called to a lifestyle of expelling the darkness around us with the powerful proclamation of God’s heart to love, provide for, and redeem all those who would simply say yes to him. We are called to respond to Jesus’ call and cease putting a basket over the light he’s placed within us.

We don’t have to be apologetic for the hope we have. We don’t have to fear the opinion of man. We can love relentlessly, offer grace unexpectedly, and sacrifice ourselves so that others might see a glimpse of God’s heart. “Let your light shine before others” today. Don’t cover up who you are in Christ. Seek to reveal God’s heart in all you do. And watch as the world around you is drawn to the light of God’s unconditional love revealed through your life.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount. Renew your mind to who you are in Christ.

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16

2. In what ways are you covering up your light? In what ways are you living in fear or according to the ways of the world? Take time to engage in confession and receive God’s forgiveness and love.

3. Receive courage from God to live in accordance with your new identity as salt and light. Ask God how you can be light in the darkness today. Ask him for specific ways you can reveal the hope you have in Jesus to others. Journal his response.

Oftentimes we see the things of God as a part of our life. As soon as God starts trying to change the way we live day-to-day, we put a wall up over our hearts so we don’t have to change. But to sequester God is to value this life over eternity. To care more about the world’s opinion of us than who God says we are is to try and make God a servant of the world and its systems. God is the Creator. He alone is King. And he alone knows best as our loving Father. To section off your life and allow God only into parts is to live foolishly. Crown God as King over every part of you. Choose to live as salt and light. And experience life where God is allowed to manifest himself, bless you in every way he can, and use your life to change the world for the better. May your day today be filled with all the fullness of God. 

Extended Reading: Matthew 5

God Rebuilds From the Rubble..... ALEXANDRA HOOVER

 God Rebuilds From the Rubble 

ALEXANDRA HOOVER

“The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem; he gathers Israel’s exiled people. He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.” Psalm 147:2-3 (CSB)

“It’s all too much,” I told a dear friend as we talked over a video call. “How can God take this mess and mend it? How are we supposed to endure so much pain at once? How are we going to rebuild from this?”

She was kind and offered a listening ear. These questions are often difficult to answer, but she listened and prayed.

My father-in-law unexpectedly passed away. Our hearts shattered as our family was thrown into a spiral of grief and turmoil. It’s in rubbles again, I thought.

So many of the last few years had been spent rebuilding from the rubble of the past. I was still picking up the shattered pieces of broken relationships, wrestling with bouts of anxiety and wading through family troubles. When I attempted to catch my breath, relief slipped through my fingers every time I thought I had a grasp on it.

As I sat in my mother-in-law's office after the call with my friend, still feeling disoriented, I wondered where God was in the middle of this. Soon, I would need to make funeral arrangements — all while tending to my littles, caring for my grieving husband, working and writing a seminary paper.

When life comes tumbling down, it can be challenging to see God’s hand in the middle of it. We think of the rubble as a sign of God’s inactivity. We equate pain with His lack of care, but God deeply cares for His family. (Matthew 10:29-31) His promise enables us to move from brokenness into healing. It allows the eyes of our hearts to see Him rebuilding amid the ruin.

As I prayed and sought comfort in this trying season, Psalm 147:2-3 came to mind, which reminds us of this Truth: “The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem; he gathers Israel’s exiled people. He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.”

“The LORD rebuilds.” These words gave me hope. The writer of Psalm 147 offers us a look at God’s faithful hand by taking us back to a time when God’s people had become captives, exiles in Babylon. For 70 years, they waited and looked for God’s movement to save them. Seventy years of broken hearts grieved by their circumstances. Sometimes we can feel so much like the Israelites surely did — unseen, forgotten, abandoned.

However, true to God’s promise, deliverance came through Cyrus, king of Persia. He conquered Babylon and proclaimed: “The LORD, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build him a temple at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up, and may the LORD his God be with him” (2 Chronicles 36:23, CSB).

I can only imagine the comfort this brought the Israelites in Babylon! God was faithful, and Israel witnessed it. God rescued them from exile, and they would enjoy worshipping Him in His rebuilt temple.

He gave comfort and rescue not only to the nation of Israel but also to each individual, as Jesus does with us today, the bride of Christ — through His life, death and resurrection. Jesus is eager to comfort and soothe our emotional and physical wounds.

After my father-in-law’s death, I learned rebuilding takes time, and during rebuilding, we sometimes have difficulty seeing God’s hand. It is not that God is unable to move on our behalf but that we are unable to see it when He does. Psalm 147:2-3 reset my gaze to the kindness and faithfulness of God, how He works in the rubble to rebuild — what a gift.

Our life will have many troubles. We will encounter circumstances and seasons that will leave us wounded and brokenhearted. But God, in His lovingkindness, mends our hearts even when we cannot see it — rebuilding from the rubble and ruin, piece by piece. The discomfort may run deep, but God’s comfort runs deeper. We can bring our wounds to Him, and He will tenderly bind them. He is faithful to rebuild.

Father, thank You for rebuilding from the rubble for our good and Your glory. Thank You that no circumstance is too far gone for You to bring about healing where it’s desperately needed. Thank You for building us up when all we feel like doing is tumbling down. Help us to see Your hand and heart of grace rebuilding the shattered pieces of our souls. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
1 Peter 5:10, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, wil

The Purpose of the Old Testament Scapegoat..... by Jennifer Waddle

 The Purpose of the Old Testament Scapegoat

by Jennifer Waddle

Today's Bible Verse: Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness. - Leviticus 16:21-22

I first heard of the Old Testament scapegoat about ten years ago when my pastor taught about the Jewish day of atonement. Once a year, the priest would make atonement for the children of Israel by confessing the sins of the people and symbolically putting them on the head of a sacrificial goat. The goat would then be sent into the wilderness never to return. Jewish tradition even says that the goat was led to high, rocky places where it would face certain death. After all, they didn’t want the goat wandering back into town, along with all of their sins!

Praise the Lord, there is no longer a need for a scapegoat. Jesus bore the weight of every sin on His shoulders. It wasn’t a symbolic act, but rather a literal bearing of sin and shame for the entire world. Christ’s death on the cross and His resurrection established the final and complete sacrifice.

“Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Hebrews 10:8-10

There is no more waiting for a yearly ceremony to cleanse us. There is no guesswork when it comes to our sanctification. We have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. And the sins He bore, once and for all, will not “wander back into town.” For He has removed them as far as the east is from the west.

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Psalm 103:12

The Perverse Generation..... Sarah Phillips

 The Perverse Generation

Sarah Phillips

"O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you and put up with you?" Luke 9:41

There is much written today about how the world has lost touch with God and morality. It's easy to view the past with rose-tinted glasses, to believe in "the good old days" or reminisce about a golden era.  We do this in the Church all the time, often pointing to one practice that, if resurrected, would surely turn this generation around.

"If only the women still wore head coverings in church… "

"If only we sang ancient hymns… "

"If only young men and women got married earlier… "

Don't read me wrong here… these issues are important. But the stark reality is, every generation has fallen short of God's glory. Every generation has sinned. Does this sound familiar?

"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers."

How often have I been tempted to mutter these words when encountering today's teenagers? But this quote is attributed to Socrates by Plato. Apparently, teens weren't doing so well in the ancient world either. The fallen nature of man has followed us through the ages, plaguing the youth and old alike. Our broken nature manifests itself in so many ways… from the darkest sins to our lack of basic manners and courtesy.

Jesus himself seemed to grow weary of the sins of his own day. I imagine the opening scripture was expressed with a mix of sadness and righteous anger.

But what is the rest of the story? Even as his sinful followers surrounded him, Jesus healed the spiritual and physical afflictions of a possessed boy. We see here that going back to the "good old days" doesn't have the power to save us. It's the person of Jesus Christ who saves. This is the miracle of Easter: The incredible mercy of a God who would be justified in staying angry forever after the golden era of Eden went terribly wrong. He hears our cries for redemption - weak though they may be - and saves us.

Is the world worse today than it was yesterday? Does it matter? God's patience and mercy for our "perverse and unbelieving generation" reveal the depths of his divine love. And those forgiven the most sins have the greatest number of reasons to rejoice.

Intersecting Faith & Life:  Have you ever felt so deeply ashamed of your sins that you thought no one could be as bad as you? Take heart. Some of the greatest saints were the worst of sinners. All sins can be forgiven when we call out to the Holy Spirit and ask for mercy. Rejoice in the second chances that come with Easter.

Further Reading

Luke 7:47

Romans 3:23

A Prayer to Help You Wait for God’s ‘Yes’...... By: Maggie Meadows Coope

 A Prayer to Help You Wait for God’s ‘Yes’

By: Maggie Meadows Cooper

“This is not the one the Lord has chosen.” - 1 Samuel 16:8

There have been so many times in my life I have sought direction from the Lord. Choosing a school, finding my husband, waiting on a job, or deciding if I should help with a ministry. And there were so many times He said "this is not the one" and closed a door. In truth, I wanted to jump ahead, make a decision, and be done with it! I made a few choices that didn't end well.

But in His grace and mercy, over time, He showed me that if I didn't wait on His yes...it wouldn't be His BEST.

In 1 Samuel 16, Samuel has been sent to anoint the next king of Israel. He is with Jesse, in front of seven of his sons. The first steps forward, but Samuel says, "This is not the one the Lord has chosen." The next steps forward but Samuel says, "Neither is this the one the Lord has chosen." This happens with five more sons, and Samuel says, "The Lord has not chosen any of these."

Now y'all, I think by the time we got to son four, I might have tried to talk the Lord into choosing him and be done with it. But Samuel didn't. He persisted and asked, "Are these all the sons you have?"

And they weren't. There. was. one. more: David.

Now, what if Samuel had stopped? What if he hadn't been obedient and patient and faithful enough to wait? What if he hadn't persisted in seeking the Lord's best? What if?

But because of his obedient heart, he did. David was brought in, and the Lord said, "This is the one; anoint him."

It took eight tries. EIGHT, y'all. And it was worth it.

Don't give in to your fears, your disappointments, your worries over tomorrow. God is faithful, y'all. He will provide. He will guide you. Seek Him. Seek him with all your heart. And rest in His arms until you hear, "This is the one."

His yes is best, my sweet friends.

Dear Jesus,

Thank you so much for always being faithful. Thank you for waiting on me, when sometimes I think I am waiting on You. Please forgive me for my impatience and unbelief at times, as I wait for Your ‘yes.’ Help me to believe you will do what you say, in your perfect timing. And help me have an obedient heart that seeks you and your will above all else. Help me not grow impatient waiting for your will. Remind my heart that your will is the best plan for my life. Spirit, help me be like Samuel, obedient, patient and faithful as I wait to hear from you.

In Your Mighty Name,

Amen.