THE LORD SPOKE (May 20)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: I Kings 12-13

Are you open to the Lord's leading you? True enough, we pray and ask Him to do so, but how do you recognize His leading? If He does give direction, do you hear it and follow through? Notice, from this chapter, how that might happen and what it might include. By the way, notice also that the main subject of this chapter is simply called "the man of God". We're not given his name. In fact, he's called "the man of God" a total of 19x in this one chapter!

The other thing to notice here is the emphasis on "the word of the Lord". That phrase appears 11x in this small portion. Here we can see that one has two choices regarding God's word. You can follow it (e.g. I Ki. 13:9,17) or you can defy it (I Ki. 13:21,26). There is no middle ground. You can't pick and choose, nor can you just "sorta follow it". It's either/or. And, independent of what you do, it WILL come to pass (I Ki. 13:26)! Take a look at what it can tell you in terms of God's leading in your life:

1. It can give you direction (I Ki. 13:1). In this case, it was geographical (from Judah to Bethel, I Ki. 13:1), ethnic/cultural (from one tribal area to another), political (from the southern kingdom and Rehoboam to the northern kingdom and Jeroboam), and ministerial ("he cried out against the altar").
2. It can give you strength for today and hope for the future (I Ki. 13:2 = a specific promise, but Josiah came nearly 300 years later!).
3. It can grant you permission to do something or it can constitute a prohibition (I Ki. 13:8,17).
4. It can give you discernment (I Ki. 13:26 - "warned him").

Watch out! It can be counterfeited. Not all who say they have a word from the Lord really do. Some are liars (I Ki. 13:18-19). In this chapter the man of God had a clear word from the Lord personally and he knew it ("I cannot turn back...nor can I eat...in this place" - I Ki. 13:16) but he chose to go against it ("he returned...and ate" - I Ki. 13:19). How sad, and how terrible the results.

So, once again, how can I determine the Lord's direction for me? First and foremost, it is through Scripture (but be careful to practice proper interpretation). There are also two secondary indicators: through the Spirit's leading (but be careful that it is the Spirit's and not some other spirit) and through spiritual counselors (but be careful that it is true counsel from God). In both cases, you must go back to Scripture to evaluate if these are God's direction for you. Don't forget: the Lord spoke! So go search the Scriptures for what He says.


New Testament: I Corinthians 7

There’s a right way to live and there’s a wrong way to live (I Cor. 7:35). Most of this chapter is dedicated to married life and several principles of right living stand out:

1. Divorce is wrong. From the beginning it was not God’s desire and, in fact He hates it (Mal. 2:16). Whether or not there are any just causes is debated among biblical scholars but this principle rings clear in all of scripture - divorce is not the right solution to anything!
2. It’s not good to remain single. There may be some unique situations in which God calls an individual to celibacy but that’s just what they are - unique situations. God’s pattern and desire since the beginning was for one man and one woman to life together permanently. Anything else is either not normal or is sin.
3. Virginity is expected. It is the norm not a surprising exception. Again, it has always been God’s pattern. Failing to maintain His standard has brought untold grief and brokenness. Something is permanently shattered when it is violated.
4. Husbands and wives have distinctive roles and responsibilities within the marriage contract. Neither is free to live selfishly. Submission is a two-way street. While the Bible has much to say about the wife’s submissive role, the husband also has a demanding “marital duty” to fulfill (I Cor. 7:3) and that involves the care and nurture of his wife.
5. For a marriage to work, God must be in it. Because of something called “common grace” it’s possible for non-believers to experience some of the joys of marriage but they will never experience the complete joy that God intended if He is left out. On the other hand, being a Christian is no guarantee that your marriage will be perfect. There are rules that must be followed for that to happen.

You must “live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord” (I Cor. 7:35). Whatever distance there might be between two individuals is shortened as they draw nearer to God. If they are both walking with the Lord, there can’t be any large distance between them!