Words That Speak

"We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.  Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.  For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:19-21 (NIV)

As I spend time in Your Word, I am amazed by how the words speak to my current situation. Each time I read Your Word You can show me slightly different things about myself or the world around me. To read of actual people's trials and seeing how prophecies actually came true show Your faithfulness to people throughout the ages and prove that You continue to be faithful today. Thank You for Your Word. Thank You that it is alive and real and relevant. Thank You that You have provided such a wonderful resource where You can show history, demonstrate Your love, teach life lessons, and embrace the world with Your Gospel Truth to lead all people to salvation. Help me to continue to delight in Your Word the rest of my life. Amen.

This prayer, written by my wife Sandy, articulates just how important and relevant God’s Word is to us yesterday, today and tomorrow. I often find more than just words of wisdom, but God speaking directly to my heart. And those verses can speak in different ways in different times according to the situations I face in my daily life. As I read my daily devotions, it is sometimes difficult for me to take the time to really sit back and listen. God does indeed speak through the Word and we need to be quiet and listen for His voice. My grandson Jack, at age 5 was staying overnight at grandma and grandpa’s house with his twin brother Ian. As my wife prayed with them before bed, she chose to not pray the standard “Now I lay me down to sleep” prayer. After finishing the prayer, Jack piped up and said, “Grandma, if I am really quiet, I can hear Jesus talk to me.” Sandy responded that she agreed. He then said that he knew what words she would pray because Jesus told him so. Out of the mouths of babes! Perhaps we need to listen with the innocence of a child to truly hear Him.

Far too often, God’s Word is minimized by many of our mainline churches, particularly the protestant denominations such as the ELCA, UCC and Episcopal churches, as they try to fit in with the world. New doctrine is adopted while the refrain that God is telling us new things is used to justify the rebuttal of God’s Word. Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.  Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-20 (NIV) So those churches can continue to rationalize their drift away from God, but these “new” doctrines ring hollow when one truly dwells in His Word and listens for Him.

As I hear more and more of God’s people are led astray by these false gospels that sound so inviting, so loving and so enlightened, it truly saddens me. Our foremost task is to preach the Word so that all may hear and come to faith in Jesus Christ. These “new things” simply drive God’s people away from Him, as they lift up the self and minimize our Lord and Savior. Placating the desires of us sinful human beings is not the task of God’s church. These new doctrines are all about “feeling good about ourselves” and not about loving God. When we place our needs, desires and cravings as foremost in our lives, we entirely miss the point. This world, this universe, all that we are and have is a gift from God. Everything you see, feel, hear and touch was made for you by a loving God. We cannot lose track of what that means to us. We are to share the joy of our salvation with everyone in an effort to bring them to Christ. Being a disciple of Christ is not an easy task. Just ask believers who live in other parts of the world that are not simply persecuted, but place their very earthly lives in danger when they worship Him. We are truly blessed to live in a country where we can share our faith without the fear of losing our lives. The next time some “new things” are promoted by those uninspired by the Holy Spirit, take the time to dwell in His Word in order to properly examine whether it is truly inspired by God.

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you will know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and is already in the world at this time. You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are of the world. That is why they speak from the world’s perspective, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. That is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.” 1 John 4:1-6