Listen to God, Then

Do What He Says

October 9

To prepare God’s people for works of service …

Ephesians 4:12

It had been a rough year. Medical issues had left a seemingly insurmountable

amount of debt. Yet they trusted in the Lord’s provision. This morning’s mail

brought an unexpected bill. Molly had forgotten to include the quarterly water

bill in the budget. She prayed, asking God to meet the need. Then Molly sent

her pastor an e-mail asking if the church’s benevolence fund might cover half

the water bill; they could handle the rest.

The phone rang. It was the bank asking Molly to please come and pick up

an envelope someone had left for her.

So, grabbing her coat, she headed out. Upon arriving, she was handed a

nondescript, white envelope. Thanking the young woman, she returned to the

car to open it. To her amazement, she found two five-hundred-dollar money

orders with an unsigned note. “Molly, we know how God uses you and how

you say, ‘Listen to God, then do what He says.’ We are listening to God. Please

receive this gift and use it as you see fit.”

Molly, tears in her eyes, ran back into the bank and asked the young lady,

“Who did this?”

“I’m sorry, but they asked to remain anonymous,” the girl answered.

In her excitement, she drove to the church to share the miracle with her

pastor! Unknown to her, he had responded to her e-mail, telling her to drop by

with the bill so they could pay it. When she showed up, he assumed she was

bringing the bill.

His smile grew as Molly shared her story of how God had moved on the

hearts of His people to meet her need before it was known.

h

God wants to move us to do good works on His behalf. He’s given us Scripture

to help us understand how to hear His voice. He has also raised up others to

aide us in distinguishing between His voice and the world.

Through their instruction, His Word, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and with

persistent practice, we can learn to filter out the world’s noise.

The Father’s desire is for us to listen to His voice and then do what He says.

Prayer

“Speak, Lord. Then help me do what You say. Amen.”

 Unsuspecting Martyrs

October 8

Isaac spoke up and said … ”Father?”

Genesis 22:7

Gabriel watched in horror as the woman in front of him pulled into

oncoming traffic. He wasn’t sure whether it was a mistake or intentional. And

there wasn’t much he could do to stop it from happening. Honking his horn for

lack of another option, Gabriel prayed she wouldn’t be hit.

The first two oncoming vehicles reacted instinctively, slamming on their

brakes and swerving to miss her. Those following closely behind were faced

with snap judgments. Many responded defensively, pulling over in time to

allow the wrong-way vehicle to pass by, unharmed yet unyielding.

Gabriel watched as car after car avoided her. Then, without warning, the

woman pointed her car right at the overpass abutment and slammed into it at

somewhere around seventy miles an hour.

Paramedics responded quickly but were unable to save the woman. She had

not been wearing her seatbelt and had been ejected through the windshield.

State patrol investigators later determined the woman was mentally unstable.

They found a suicide note on the passenger seat, the distraught woman saying

she could no longer live without her children. Further investigation revealed

they had been killed in an accident seven years before. She had been driving.

h

Life can be cruel. And many suffer for reasons not of their own making.

Just like Isaac, this woman’s children did not ask for their fate. Yet trag-

edies happen, and we must do our best to deal with the loss.

But what of the unsuspecting martyr and what of those times we suffer

when we feel it isn’t fair? Jesus told us we would have trials in this world. He

did not make the statement to scare us, rather to prepare us to choose how we

will respond as we meet life’s trials in our walk with Him.

If we find ourselves walking a road full of peace and prosperity, walk in

grace. If, however, we find ourselves on a road marked with sorrow and grief,

walk in communion with God, trusting Him to go through it with you.

Prayer

“Walk with me, Lord. Help me cope with the troubles

of today. Show me how to be gracious in the good times

and to lean on You in the bad. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Redeemed

October 7

It was not with perishable things … that you were redeemed.

1 Peter 1:18

Sally had been attending services for about two months when the pastor and an

elder dropped by to visit her husband, Bob. They brought him an information

packet that included a CD of the most recent sermon. Following an extended

visit, they said good-bye, and invited for Bob to come check them out.

“Vietnam left deep scars on too many good men and women,” the elder

remarked, alluding to Bob’s comments about taking part in the fighting and his

struggles with God since then.

The following Sunday, Sally showed up alone. The pastor asked, “Do you

think Bob will come?”

“I don’t know. Maybe someday. But not today,” she said with deep sadness.

“Don’t give up,” the pastor encouraged.

Halfway through praise and worship, Bob walked through the door. And

that very day, he gave his life to Christ!

There was a church picnic that afternoon right across the street from Bob

and Sally’s home. Midway through the picnic, Bob appeared from the house

and approached the pastor. “I wasn’t going to come today,” he began. “As a

matter of fact, I turned around three times. But I wanted to see if you were as

good in person as you were on the CD,” he said sheepishly. Growing serious,

he reached in his pocket and stretched his closed hand toward the pastor. “I

want you to have this. I was going to use it. But I don’t need it anymore.” And

with that, he dropped a nine-millimeter bullet with his name written on it into

the pastor’s hand.

Since that day, Bob has grown to know the One Who saved him with His

redeeming power.

h

Nothing of intrinsic value could have redeemed us. The price sin required was

Jesus’ blood.

Some believe they’ve done too much, committed too heinous a crime to be

of any use to God. But no matter where we’ve been or what we’ve done, Jesus’

blood is sufficient to cover that sin.

God wants us to know our worthiness has nothing to do with salvation

through His Son. He just calls us to come and be redeemed.

Prayer

“Lord, I feel unworthy. But Your Word says if I

accept Your Son, You will redeem me anyway. Forgive

me, Lord. I want to be redeemed. Amen.”

 Just One Thing

October 6

But one thing I do.

Philippians 3:13b

Byron had asked Shane to run for a seat on city council. “Look, Shane, I under-

stand your reluctance, but think about it.”

“I hear what you’re saying. I’m just not sure I agree. There’ll be many

opposed to my holding political office if they find out about my past. You know

campaigns are anything but private, and the other camp will surely dredge it

up.”

Shane wasn’t afraid of being found out; he just didn’t want to drag his fam-

ily through an unnecessary mudslinging contest.

Sixteen years ago, he’d been arrested for possession of marijuana and

cocaine and had done a short stint in the county jail. He’d gotten clean and

stayed that way. Yet he knew society could be a cruel reminder.

But Byron had witnessed the change in Shane and appreciated how he

approached life today. “At least discuss it with Carol and see how she feels.”

That evening, Shane posed the question to his wife. “What would you

think about me running for the vacant city council seat next November?”

“I think you will be a good councilman,” she said with finality and a twin-

kle in her eye. She understood his concern; she just wasn’t going to let it dictate

their lives. If it came up, so be it. It was what he did, not who he was.

Shane was sworn in on a windy and cold January evening and would faith-

fully serve the City of Grayson, being reelected to six consecutive terms.

h

We all have pasts and have fallen short of the mark. Too many of us let those

mistakes define who we are today. If our personal sin were laid bare for all to

see, we would cease throwing stones of incrimination, and we would judge less

critically.

Paul was aware of his shortcomings to the point of listing many of them

in the hope that others would understand the importance of not allowing past

mistakes to affect present performance. So I emphasize his words for you:

“Forgetting what is behind, and straining forward, I press on!” Do just that one

thing; press on!

Prayer

“Forgive my mistakes, Lord. Help me not allow what I’ve done

in the past dictate who I am in You. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 The Mantle

October 5

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do

for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double por-

tion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.

2 Kings 2:9

From the mezzanine, they watched the crowd filtering in. The well-known

evangelist placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder. He spoke softly, yet pas-

sionately, “Each one of these people here tonight has needs, son.” Pointing, he

asked, “Do you see that man in the red shirt, son?” 

“Yes, sir,” the boy of eleven

answered. “How about the lady with the blue coat?” “Yes, sir. I see her,” came

his reply. 

“And how about the girl with the ponytails, there in the second row?”

“I see her, sir.” 

Then this man of God spoke with an even deeper passion. “Ask

God to show you what they need. Ask Him to show you their hearts, son!”

He paused a moment and then continued, “I always survey the crowd before

speaking. Then I ask God to speak through me what they need to hear.” 

The boy looked up, awed that this man had taken time out of his busy schedule to

share his heart with him. 

The evangelist had found out this boy felt God’s call to become a pastor. He understood the importance of nurturing the vision. In those few moments, he did for this young man what no one else could. He passed on the mantle.

h

God bestows His mantle upon those He calls. This godly man understood

the privilege he’d been given. He remembered his father doing this very thing

with him when he had answered God’s call to the ministry. 

This was a night the young boy would never forget. He was ready to answer the call. 

God equips everyone for ministry. He provides all the skills we need for each 

situation we find ourselves in. He will never send us out to do anything we aren’t ready for.

We may feel apprehensive, but if we move forward in faith, we will find that

the Holy Spirit is right there giving us courage and strength.

Prayer

“Sometimes I’m afraid of the unknown, Lord. I’m uncomfortable

about being embarrassed. Help me put aside the fear so I

might teach others about You. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 We Must Ask

October 4

Therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you.

2 Chronicles 1:12

It had been a year since the couple had battled issues of infidelity, and he was

wondering how his younger brother and his wife were doing. On the sur-

face, everything appeared fine. But he knew that the early stages of temptation

rarely show outward signs.

“Have you spoken to Gail about how she and Jeremy are doing lately?” he

asked his wife. “They appear to be okay. I just wonder if they really are.”

“Actually, I asked her last week. She assures me things are great,” she responded.

He remembered his own battle with infidelity; it had almost ruined his

marriage in the early years. He’d given in to temptation and made a terrible mis-

take. Fortunately, his wife believed in their marriage vows in a way he would later

come to understand, and they had worked through the pain of his indiscretion.

He had become accountable back then by giving two men permission to

ask personal questions about his faithfulness and to take any measures neces-

sary to remind him of his commitment to one woman. He’d needed that help

because the enemy had visited with the temptation of desire until he gained

victory through perseverance. He thanked God once again for the commit-

ment of those two men; for without them asking, “Are you experiencing any

sexual temptation?” he would have been left alone to resist the temptation. He

prayed that God would send someone to keep his brother and sister-in-law

accountable.

h

We all face some nature of temptation; none are exempt. We need account-

ability with someone we are comfortable confiding in because self-sufficiency

in spiritual matters will eventually result in our failure to resist.

Solomon asked God for wisdom instead of wealth, riches, or honor. Because

of that, God granted his desire. He also gave him wealth, riches, and honor.

But wisdom is the key. Without it, we have no basis for understanding

with which to make sound decisions.

If someone we know has fallen to temptation in the past, the question is,

“Dare we ask him how things are today?” The answer is yes. Wisdom says we

must ask.

Prayer

“Help me be a friend that helps others avoid

temptation, Lord. And please send someone to help

guide me along the path of wisdom. Amen.”

 Enough to Send His Son

October 3

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his

Son … for our sins.

1 John 4:10

“What makes you so sure?” Jenna’s question about God loving us apart from

our performance was valid. She wanted to know why God didn’t require good

behavior a prerequisite to salvation.

“God told us through His Word, Jenna,” Shari explained, opening her

Bible and reading, ‘This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us.’”

Shari searched for the right words. “Jenna, we could never measure up to

God’s standards. His holiness requires perfection, and we aren’t perfect. Scrip-

ture says, ‘All have sinned.’ That means we needed a perfect sacrifice to save us.

That was God’s Son. God’s love is so fierce that He would rather send Jesus to

die in our place than allow us to spend eternity apart from Him.” Shari felt it

was time to ask Jenna to make a decision. “Would you like to know such love?”

“You know,” Jenna began, “I’ve watched you and Walt, and I see some-

thing.” She paused. “You have such a peace, even when things aren’t going so

great. I’d really like to know that peace in my life.”

Shari silently asked for the right words. “Jenna, God wants you to know

that peace too. All you need to do is accept His Son into your heart. You can’t

earn salvation; it’s a free gift given at a high price.” Seeing tears begin to form

in Jenna’s eyes, she pressed on. “Just ask Jesus to take over from today on. Tell

Him you know you’re a sinner in need of His sacrifice.”

Jenna bowed her head, and Jesus became her Lord and Savior.

h

There is nothing we can do to earn God’s love or approval. He showed us His

love on the cross of Calvary.

He does require a humble heart, a heart turned to Him, a heart willing to

accept His great love and not one trying to earn it.

It costs us nothing. It cost Him everything because He cared enough to

send His Son.

Prayer

“Father God, I lift my life to You in this moment

and commit it to You. Wash my sins white as snow

with Your Son’s blood. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”