How do we know we're listening to God? How do we know we're hearing His voice? How do we know it's not just our thoughts, or desires, or something worse. If you listen to the local Christian radio station, you'll end up thinking that God speaks through waterfalls and sunsets, through this song and that song, and maybe He does. But wouldn't it be good to know for sure.
You know where we're going.
In Malachi 2, The Lord has a serious problem with the priests. So serious that He wants to rub dung into their faces. he them to stink physically because they stink spiritually. He wants people near them to be as disgusted with them as He is. Why? Because they refuse to listen to listen. They're not taking His Word seriously. They're not reading, meditation and applying the scriptures. And even though God talks to the priests, and we don't have a priestly class any more, the point for us is clear. What you think about the Bible is (ultimately) what you think about God.
There are four consequences in our lives when we don't listen to the Bible that we see in this passage. The first, in verse 2, is simply that we will not have a heart for God if we don't listen to Him. I can't know what my wife wants, what she likes, what she needs if i never listen to her. I can't please her, i don't know her if i never hear her voice. And the same is true with God. What a shame if we feel more connected to our favourite tv characters than we do to the living God.
Secondly, in verses 8a and 9b, when we don't listen, our lives will fall short of the standard that God sets us. Narrow is the way that leads to salvation. Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees you will never see the Kingdom of God. Not in quantity, but in quality. Our righteousness must be of a different sort, it must be faith produced and joy filled. But those flames won't burn if they're not stoked by the Bible.
The end of verse 9 gives us our third warning, relevant not just to preachers. If we don't listen to the Bible then we will show partiality. Preachers will start preaching for a pay cheque not the glory of God, Christians will become yes men, rather than prophetic challengers of their friends. Because that makes sense, unless our categories of success and failure, of what matters and what is inconsequential are shattered and rebuilt by the Bible.
And lastly, when we don't listen you'll lead other people astray. if i don't listen i'll lead my wife astray. I'm like a child, not knowing how to go in and out, how can Fox Sports Live be more important than what God has to say. How can you best serve your friends, and family and co-workers and students and employers and employees? Listen to God!
Verses 5-7 gives the rewards of listening. Life and peace. Fear and awe. True instruction. Fight for time in your day to listen to God, neglect something else. Listen to the Bible.
No comments:
Post a Comment