Listen to who?

I was reminded gently today while reading Acts 21 the importance, and I mean essential importance of listening to the right voice!  I will confess that it is always easier to go to another human being when I am in a bad place or need to just get something off of my chest.  Or, i go to another human being for advice or suggestions.  Please hear me on this, that in itself is not a bad thing, I think the Lord created community for those moments, but if all we ever do is run off to other human beings and never to the Lord, i think we are on very thin ice, and Acts 21 is such a valuable lesson of that.

So Paul is called to go to Jerusalem and he and his friends know what awaits him, certain death.  So they of course, want to talk him out of it.  I had a flash back of when Jesus predicted His situation and Peter tried to talk Him out of it...same thing.  So they not only try to talk Paul out of it, but they even PRAYED the journey out of his mind...i mean it was PROPHESIED over him...woa.  And I love Paul's response in v.13 - why all this weeping?  You are breaking my heart!  I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but even to die...for what?  JESUS CHRIST."  Paul is like, friends, this isn't about me...this is about the GLORY OF JESUS CHRIST.  Come on!  Thankfully they get on board with "The Lord's will be done" but do they really mean it?  Haha.

So, who are we listening too?  Again, not stating one outweighs another (well, it really does), but we need to make sure that we are seeking the face of the Lord long before we are seeking the advice of someone else.  If Paul would have listened to the voices, he would not have reacted to what he felt the Lord had called him to do in the first place?  I can't imagine that it would have ended up well for Paul if he had disobeyed the Lord in that moment!!!  And do you know what we don't see happening here, I don't see anywhere in Acts 21 of ANYONE coming up alongside Paul saying, "brother, if this is your mission and you feel it, then may the Lord bless you in this journey..."  In fact, sometimes I wonder if Barnabas would have been present in this moment, what he would have said to Paul?

I want to learn to hear His voice.  John 10 is all about the sheep recognizing the Shepherd's voice.  I have been guilty so many times of not hearing His voice because I am truthfully listening to other voices.  I want to hear His voice.  I want to be surrounded by people who care deeply for me that they long for me to hear His voice.  I want to bless people whom I deeply care about so that they learn to hear His voice.  Imagine, a community of people who are hungry to hear the voice of the Great Shepherd above all else and what kind of conversations we would have around God's purpose.  I mean, what would the conversations had looked like if everyone in Acts 21 were on board with the vision that was laid out for Paul:  Instead of talking him out of it, some might have been willing to go with him...to pray him through it...stand behind him cheering him on.  Just imagine...who are we listening too?

A Little Golden Nugget

As I was reading Nehemiah 7 in my quiet time this morning, this simple verse jumped out at me.  V.2 - "i put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani (remember, he was the one who gave a report to Nehemiah about the destruction of Jerusalem), along with Hananiah (do we really need to have that close of names here?  I mean the difference between those two are ah!) the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do."  I think that verse is powerful and here is why:

The Lord is always reminding me the power of being faithful with the little or small things.  If you are faithful with the little things, then you are seen as trustworthy in His eyes.  If we aren't faithful with small things, then why on earth would He give us more.  That is simply good wisdom.  Well, let's look at what Hanani is now in charge of:  JERUSALEM.  That is a big task.  Why does Nehemiah feel comfortable with his brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem?  Because Hanani carried out a small task in Nehemiah chapter 1, that was significant in the eyes of the Lord...which got the ball rolling for the restoration of Jerusalem.  It happens because the Lord used a moment when Hanani just simply carried out a message of truth to Nehemiah and that message created a spark that turned into a forest fire within Nehemiah.  If Hanani could carry out that small task because of its significance, then why on earth would he not be trusted to carry out being in charge of Jerusalem? 

And why Hananiah?  Integrity and feared God - integrity is really another way of saying faithful with the little, is it not?  If we can be great stewards with the very little we have, then we are trustworthy to be faithful with more.

Now, we have to fight against the battle of being faithful with little just to get more, because we do have corrupted minds that think that way and of course, the Lord is not fooled.  So our challenge is to be faithful with the small things...PERIOD, regardless if anything else comes our way or not.  That is what moves the heart of the Lord and whatever He decides to do with that is His call anyways.

So let's be faithful with the little things today!  Thanks Hanani and HananiAH.

3x Grace!

Jesus says to Peter, before the rooster crows, you will deny me 3x.  Peter is like, what?  No!  Won't happen.  Peter denies Jesus 3x and the rooster crows...Peter is crushed.  3x

After the resurrection of Jesus, He appears to Peter and simply asks Peter, do you love me?  3x  And Peter responds with an answer 3x.  To me, it is like Jesus saying to Peter, alright, let's move on and carry out the vision that i laid out for you before I was crucified on the Cross.  All is well.  3x

Now, in Acts 10 Peter is on the roof praying and gets hungry.  Peter has a vision of some good meat and Jesus says get up, kill it and eat it.  Peter is like, wait a minute...i can't, it is against the Law.  I can't help but see Jesus smiling thinking, man, can't pull anything by this guy, but says to Peter, "do not call anything impure that God has made clean."  Listen, Jesus gets it.  Peter is obeying the Law...really is a beautiful moment.  But Jesus has fulfilled the Law and wants to provide for Peter's need at this moment, plus, there is something greater happening here for you and I!!!   But Peter is stuck, so do you know what Jesus does?  He has a conversation with Peter about this, how many times?  Look at v.16 - 3x.  Haha.  I had never caught that before and at first glance you might think ouch, boy Jesus has a way of stinging Peter when he is stubborn, but friends, I don't think that at all.  All I see is GRACE.  Peter has taught that you can't do this, but today is a new day and there is a new way because of Jesus and because Peter is stuck, the most impactful way for Peter to embrace Jesus as truth is for Jesus to speak to Peter about this...3x.  As soon as Jesus brings it up 3x, i see Peter smiling thinking I hope that there are some mashed potatoes involved with this ham that I am about to eat up.  3x Grace...which by the way, never runs out!!!

And because of that 3x Grace, the Gospel begins to be shared with the Gentiles and today, I am living under the beauty of 3x Grace.  Friends, today is a new day...Jesus has made a new way.  Enjoy Him!

P.S. i wonder if when Peter was being stubborn in his faith, if Jesus didn't just speak to him about it 3x.  That's Grace!

Wait....what?

I was simply reminded this morning while reading Ezra 1...GOD IS IN CONTROL!

So, the Israelites are in captivity to their worst enemy and God must have forgotten them altogether, right?  NEVER.  God promised them that because of their disobedience this was going to happen and yet, God promised them that after 70 years they would be delivered.  So, year 70 comes around and on the throne is King Cyrus, uggh!  We are going to be in exile even longer now, because King Cyrus is a pagan king...no way is he going to let us go free.  But listen, Cyrus sits on a throne that is made of earthly material, who is merely a man, here today and gone tomorrow.  Let's just get real honest friends...God is on the Throne AND IT is not man made and IT IS eternal!  NOT CYRUS.  In fact, Ezra 1 is so good because it reminds us that God is in control.  God "stirred the heart of Cyrus"!  Isn't that great.  Cyrus let the prisoners go free.  Cyrus covered the cost of rebuilding Jerusalem.  Cyrus was used mightily by God to bring freedom for His people...JUST AS GOD PROMISED. 

I simply wrote these thoughts down this morning:  1.  Wake up JT to the reality of who God is.  He is trustworthy!  He is good!  He is powerful!  He is love!  He is for me!  2.  Cyrus, who only "heard" about God responds to God better than I do, and I have a relationship with the Lord.  What is that?  Stop living in fear!  Stop being easily intimidated by men who are here today and gone tomorrow.  I was reminded in James where it says, "even the demons believe and shutter in fear."  They know who God is!  It is time for me to get more serious in my love and desire for Him.  Join me.  We have the awesome privilege to walk with the One who sits on the Eternal Throne who is powerful than all kingdoms combined and then some.