Listen and Obey

"Now Elijah...said to Ahab, 'As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the nest few years except at my word.'" 1 Kings 17:1

What a bold declaration Elijah made to King Ahab! On what basis did he make this prediction? He spoke for the Lord "whom I serve." The King James Version reads "before whom I stand" where the New International Version has "whom I serve." Putting the two translations together we get the full picture communicated in the original Hebrew. Elijah stood before the Lord as a servant listening for His voice and ready to obey His command. When the Master spoke the servant went from His presence to obey. The Lord gave Elijah this message to deliver to Ahab and, at risk of his own life, Elijah delivered the message of judgment obediently.

This is a good picture of what our own relationship to the Lord should be. We stand before Him as His servants with ears attentive to His Word and then we go from His presence to obey what He has said, no matter the cost. When we open our Bibles we take the posture of a servant ready to hear the Master. When we close our Bibles we take the position of a servant ready to obey the Master.

Father, may I learn to be more attentive to Your word and then obedient like Elijah. Give me ears to hear, a heart to believe, and hands to obey.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

Slow Learner?

But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. - Hebrews 5:14

The writer of Hebrews labels the recipients of his letter slow learners (v.11). He tells them that they should be teachers by now (v.12). Reading his remarks leads me to ask myself the following questions, and I would invite you to ask yourself these same questions.

• How much do I depend on others to teach me the Word of God? Am I too reliant on others to feed me spiritually?
• Am I studying God's Word for myself?
• Is my faith immature? Do I have to relearn the same simple lessons of faith over and over again?
• What have I done to train myself to distinguish good from evil?
  

Father, examining myself with these questions reveals that I am weak and undisciplined. I know that you desire me to be mature, "lacking nothing." I need your grace to overcome my shortcomings and to grow into the person you desire me to be. Lead me to grow in faith, knowledge and obedience.

By His grace,
Matt

Fully Committed

"...Asa's heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life." 1 Kings 16:14

Asa was a breath of fresh air for Judah. Following two kings who were not committed to the Lord Asa came walking in the footsteps of his great, great grandfather David. He turned away from the idolatry of his father and and grandfather and worshiped the Lord and obeyed His commands as David had done.

Every generation must make it's own choice about worshiping and following the Lord. We can neither coast on the devotion of our parents nor use their unfaithfulness as an excuse. We must choose for ourselves to follow after the Lord with our whole heart.

Father, I have chosen to follow You and pray that it may be said of me that I was fully committed to the LORD all my life.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

PAYING ATTENTION

We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. Hebrews 2:1

There is something about the start of school in the fall (much like the start of the calendar year) that prompts me to evaluate how I’m living life. Specifically, I review my spiritual progress—or lack thereof—and seek to strengthen my connection with Christ. I often find that I have become distracted (sort of a spiritual attention deficit disorder—is that SADD?) by some activities and attitudes that I could do without.

If I paid more careful attention to the things God has taught me, this periodic course correction would not be needed so often.

If this exercise will help you, I hope you will also seek a renewed focus on God’s will for your life. A little course correction keeps our tendency to drift in check.

Father, help me to keep my attention on You so that I will not drift away from what brings You glory. Renew my focus in any area of life where distraction is a problem. Help me to retain and put into practice the principles I’m learning from You.

Grace to you,
JIM

Foolish Love

"Now King Solomon loved many foreign women....The LORD had clearly instructed his people not to intermarry with those nations, because the women they married would lead them to worship their gods. Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway." 1 Kings 11:1, 2 NLT

For all of Solomon's wisdom he was terribly foolish when it came to women. He let women rule his heart rather than God. In spite of the Lord's clear command "Solomon insisted on loving them (pagan women) anyway." They drug his heart away from God and brought division to his kingdom. What a fool!

Is there anything about which God's word is clear but you are insistently holding on to anyway? Our loves may be different but we can be just as foolish and stubborn in our sin as Solomon. Solomon gained little and lost much by holding on to his sin. What will you gain by holding on to yours? What will you lose?

Father, search my heart and make me aware of any "loves" that I am stubbornly holding on to in spite of the clear warning of your word. Give me a heart responsive and wholly devoted to you.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

PROMISES

The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy. 1 Kings 4:20

God’s people enjoyed great prosperity and peace during the reign of King Solomon. This was a high point in Jewish history and, as a result, the nation flourished—especially in population growth and in geo-political influence. However, even though King Solomon is known for his wisdom, it is God who deserves all the recognition and honor for the success of His people.

God is the one who promised Abraham that his descendants would be “as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore” (Genesis 22:17). And while this promise has more spiritual implications than physical ones, it is clear that God was fulfilling His promise during King Solomon’s reign.

God always keeps His word. It is impossible for Him to fail.

Father, thank You for keeping Your word and for showing us time after time in scripture how You keep Your promises. Help us to trust You, knowing that You still keep Your word and that nothing is too difficult for You.

Grace to You,
JIM

Fatihful without Fail

"If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself." 2 Timothy 2:13

The Lord Jesus may disown us if we disown Him (v.12) but if we are faithless He cannot return the favor. Faithlessness is not in the character of Jesus. As "God does not lie" (Titus 1:2) so Jesus is not faithless. He will always be faithful to His character--He is unchanging. He will always be faithful to His promises--He is unfailing. He will always be faithful to His purposes--He is unstoppable. We may falter and fail but when we look to Him we will find Him ever faithful.

Lord Jesus, I rejoice in your unfailing faithfulness and pray that You may so fully live in me that I may reflect your faithfulness.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark