ARE YOU LISTENING TO WHAT THE LORD IS TEACHING YOU?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.” 
(John 13:13)

MEDITATION:
The disciple Peter understood that although Jesus was Lord, 
He was also his Teacher.
What a comforting thought to know that as we worship the Lord, He teaches us.
How does He teach us?

We are taught through the reading and meditating of His Word.
We are taught through communicating with Him through prayer.
We are taught through our circumstances 
(some enjoyable and others not so much).
During difficult times 
we can often learn much more than we do when we are experiencing good times.

It is important for us to remember that the Lord will never teach us, 
or lead us in anything that is contrary to God’s Word.
We have heard people say things like, 
“The Lord led me to do this”, 
or “The Lord spoke to me and told me to do this”.
There are times when “this” appears to align with God’s Word, 
but there are also times when “this” is in contradiction to God’s Word.

We could cite many examples, but here are just a couple.
Someone might say, “The Lord brought this person into my life”,
but the relationship of the two is outside the boundaries established by God.

Someone might say, “The Lord told me to buy this vacation home”,
but this home away from home reduces the time they spend in God’s home.
And, in order to ‘make ends meet’, 
they rob God by keeping His tithes for themselves.

Our all-knowing Lord would not encourage anything that would cause us 
to live in sin, or to reduce the time we spend with Him and other believers,
and certainly not to become thieves of what belongs to Him.

What causes some people 
to justify doing what they want to do by saying it is the Lord’s Will?
It’s fairly obvious that they want to what they want to do 
and they try to convince themselves that they have His seal of approval.

Additionally, they have not spent enough time 
reading and meditating on His Word.
Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures 
or the power of God. (Matthew 22:29)
Some will read the Bible with the intent 
of finding a scripture they can take out of context in order 
to make it appear they have the Lord’s guidance or approval.
God’s Word is intended to teach us how to move closer Him, 
and not a list of ‘escape clauses’ to be used for doing things 
that move us in the other direction.

MEDITATION:
Do you read God’s Word to find scripture 
that indicates His approval and confirmation of your will, 
or to listen to His instructions for doing His Will? 
God wants you to enjoy experiencing His love; 
reading His Word with the right attitude and intention is one way to do that. 
Satan wants you to be familiar with just enough of the scriptures to misuse them.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word, which has survived 
for so many years. Help me to set aside time each day to not 
only read the Bible, but to also meditate on what You are saying 
to me, and especially when Your Will is in opposition to my will. 
Show me the things You want me to do in order to enjoy a close
fellowship with You and to contribute to Your earthly ministry. 
Thank You Lord for not only saving me, but also for assuring me 
that You will continue teaching me as I live out my life on earth.”

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