"Word of God Speak"

February 21, 2014 (Numbers 8, 9; Acts 28) 

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux: 

Scripture: “Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe.” Acts 28:24 NLT

Observation: Paul finally made it to Rome. He called together the local Jewish leaders to get acquainted with them and to proclaim to them that the hope of Israel, The Messiah, had already come. Paul explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus using the scriptures. Some were persuaded, while others simply did not believe. After they argued back and forth Paul left them with this final word, “The Holy Spirit was right when He said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet, ‘Go and say to this people: When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes, so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.”

Application: If your heart was hardened, would you know it? Do you think the Jewish leaders knew they were rejecting the God they claimed to serve? Do we reject the God we claim to serve by rejecting His truth also? Any of us, so easily, could find ourselves in the same position as the Jewish leaders. Too many times we trust and believe what we already have our minds made up to believe and we miss the simple truth when it’s presented to us. There are so many different opinions of what scripture says (denominations) floating around. So many different opinions of what God wants, and what God expects. So how are we to know which one is the truth? How are we to safe guard our heart and ensure it does not become hardened? The answer is really very simple. We must turn back to the scripture and forsake the understanding of men. We must open up the Holy Bible and put down the New York Times best seller. We must trust the Holy Spirit to teach us and stop trying to learn of Him in some easier way. We simply must obey God’s plan and heed His instruction. There is no other way, He is the Way.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this day. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that have provided for, and protected me. Thank You for Your Word that is alive and feeds my soul. Soften my hardened heart and restore the joy of my salvation. Restore my desire to be in Your presence. Help me to see, hear, and understand Your simple truth when it’s presented to me. In Jesus name, Amen!

December 23, 2013 (John 15, 16, 17, 18)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one; as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.” John 17:20-21 NLT

Observation: What a joy and blessing to know Jesus has prayed for us! The Son of God, The Messiah, The Creator of all things prayed to the Father on our behalf. Not only for His disciples that was with Him that day, but for all that ever come to believe in Christ through their message. He has called us out from among the world and set us apart for His service and His glory. He prayed God would keep us safe from the evil one as we travel through this world below. He asked God to teach us His word and to make us holy by His truth. He prayed that we would all be one. Just as Jesus was in the Father, and the Father was in Jesus, Christ prayed that we also would be in unity with them so that the world would believe God sent Him. The level of unity we display with others is a reflective display of the unity we have with Jesus and the Father.

Application: The prayer Jesus prayed for all who would ever come to know Him was central in theme throughout its entirety. Unity. Christ Himself was one with the Father, The Father was in Christ and Christ was in the Father. Christ prayed His followers would experience the same level of love and commitment toward one another as Jesus had experienced with the Father. Jesus always unified His followers as He separated them from the world. He drew them out of the world and its corrupt religious systems and brought them together as a family fitly formed with unity. Christ did not pray for us to be in unity with all things, nor all people. He specifically prayed we would be in unity together with the Father and The Son. He prayed we would be made holy by His word, He asked God to teach us His word because His word is truth.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for Your word. Thank You for the prayer that Jesus prayed for me. Help me understand the responsibility I’ve been given to be in unity with Christ and with my fellow brothers and sisters. Use me as a vessel that honors You Lord and help me proclaim the truth of Your word which results in holiness. In Jesus name, Amen!

December 22, 2013 (John 12, 13, 14)

From The Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in Him.” John 12:37 NLT

Observation: For over three years Jesus had been from town to town performing many miracles. Blinded eyes were opened, the lame were made to walk, water was turned into the best wine, storms that raged were silenced and stilled, and water was even walked on. Not to mention the thousands that were fed on the countryside with just a few loafs of bread and a couple of small fish. What about all the people that had been healed of various diseases? How could this very religious nation witness all of these wonderful acts of love and then desire to kill the Messiah they had been told to look for? Their hearts were hard and they could not understand, and their eyes were blind and they could not see.

Application: The way the Jewish nation rejected Christ and treated Him can be a very important example of learning for us. The Jews were so enamored by religion that all of their service had become about them and nothing about God. The religious leaders were more concerned about their public reputation and receiving praise from the people. They enjoyed their power and were determined to hold on to it even if it meant committing murder. They secretly planned and schemed for quite some time how they could take the life of Christ. But in the end they didn’t take His life, He gave it. So many times Jesus vanished from their midst and escaped their murderous plots of opportunity. Yet their eyes were so blind and their hearts so hard they could not realize the importance of his escape. Christ knew when His time had come and He did not fight against God’s plan.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me know when my time has come, help me be willing submit to You and not fight against Your plan. Open my eyes that I can see! Soften my heart so that I can understand. Help me not miss You among all the religious activities I do. Remind me often Lord, it’s not about me, it’s all about You, in Jesus name, Amen!

December 21, 2013 (John 9, 10, 11)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.” John 10:12-13 NLT

Observation: Jesus knew all about the false teachers and false prophets. Satan always tries to distort the truth and turn it into an easy lie. Here Jesus states clearly that He is the gate for the sheep and the true sheep enter through Him and then follow His voice. Trying to enter in any other way, or trying to lead others in any other way, makes you a thief and a robber! True sheep do not listen to these false teachers because they know and follow the real voice of Christ. How do the true sheep know the real voice of Christ? They spend time listening to Him speak through His word. He is the good shepherd that lay down His life for the sheep. He did not shepherd the flock for money, but rather for love. When the wolf attacks the good shepherd will sacrifice His own life to save the sheep. A false teacher will run away when times get tough and the money runs out!

Application: Many American pastors need to study John chapter 10 in more detail. I’ve witnessed it far too many times, churches split, right after the pastor split, right after all the money was split. Ministry in America has become big business and I personally don’t believe that is what God intended ministry to be. Too many folks now days are looking for “paid” positions in some fancy large church so they can “do” full time ministry. Malarkey! If you are called of God into ministry you are in it full time! You may make tents, build houses, or even sale in the market place to support your family, but you are in ministry full time. I’m thoroughly convinced that if you stopped paying pastors, and they had to get jobs and work like the rest of us, many of them would forsake the flock and the ministry all together. This is a sad reality, yet this truth continues to unfold far too often. A good shepherd feeds his flock before he feeds from his flock. A good shepherd would give his life for his flock and would tend to them for not a dime! By the way, I’m not against pastors being paid but I have much more respect for one that works like the rest of us. And my experience with them is they are much more humble and committed.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for being a perfect example of a good shepherd. Thank You for being our provision and providing all we need according to Your riches in heaven. Help us to labor for You out of love, not for filthy lucre’s sake. Keep us unspotted from this sinful world and prepare us for Your presence, in Jesus name, Amen!

December 20, 2013 (John 7-8)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32 NLT

Observation: In John chapter 6 many of the disciples of Christ turned from Him and followed Him no more. His teaching was not easy and it demanded faithfulness. Here in chapter 8 Jesus is sharing the same message of required faithfulness to another group of Jewish believers. Jesus clearly laid out what it meant to be His disciple. It is crystal clear that to be His disciple one must not only believe in Christ’s teachings, but must submit to them and be careful to remain faithfully dedicated to them.  It is by this faithful dedication that we discover His truth. And it’s only by this careful and faithful dedication that His truth can ever truly set us free from the slavery of sin. Those who the Son sets free are free indeed.

Application: Faithfulness is a consistent theme throughout the entire Bible. From Genesis to Revelation the requirement of faithfulness is never abolished. Jesus Himself felt the need to stress the importance of faithfulness several times in His public ministry here on earth. If it was important enough for Him to mention so many times shouldn’t we consider His teaching on the subject a little more seriously? Yet in our day, a message about faithfulness preached the way Jesus taught it is often touted as “legalistic” and “religious”. Western Christians have been bamboozled with lies about how free and cheap Christianity is. It cost us nothing and nothing is required from us! But what did Jesus feel about the matter of faithfulness? What did Jesus think about being faithful? What did Jesus say about being faithful? What did Jesus do? He is our perfect example; I think it would be a great idea to faithfully follow Him!

Prayer: Dear Lord, sometimes it’s hard to understand Your teaching. Sometimes I fail because of my unbelief and unfaithfulness. Please forgive me. Help me to learn Your teaching and apply it to my life every day. Clear my mind of the lies that have been told by satan and his demons, help me focus on Christ and remain faithful to Him forevermore, in Jesus name, Amen!

December 19, 2013 (John 5-6)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “At this point many of His disciples turned away and deserted Him. Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” John 6:66-67 NLT

Observation: Jesus had just laid out some very difficult and offensive truth. He made it clear that He was the only way to the Father. It would be by faith in Him that people would have access to a right relationship with God, not through works of righteousness. He did not come to fulfill the selfish self-centered request of man-kind; He came to do His Fathers will. His Fathers will included teaching that was difficult to understand and shocking to receive. Many of His disciples turned away from His teaching because it was just too much for them to submit to. They deserted Him because the price was too high. Yet Jesus even offered “The Twelve” an opportunity to leave if they wanted, He did not force them to follow Him against their own will. True followers of Christ follow Him with sincere love and passion for Him, not out of obligation or outward compulsion.

Application: Often times the lessons Christ teaches us are hard to understand and difficult to endure. Sometimes “eating His flesh and drinking His blood” is a much more difficult task than most would like to admit. Fully surrendering and submitting to His will is no easy thing. It will take our total and complete dedication, and a passion to please Him over all else, for us to ever be successful in being His disciples. We must realize like Peter, there is no other way. Christ alone has the words of eternal life. We do not serve Him for what we can get from Him, nor for what He can do for us. We are His disciples because of who He is, not because of what He can give. It is only with this attitude and mindset that we will ever have the courage and strength to remain with Him when so many others turn away and desert Him.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this day. Thank You for the courage and desire to stay with You in the midst of a nation that is turning away from You and deserting You. Bless my family and save those that are lost. Help me be a disciple You will be well pleased with today, in Jesus name, Amen!

December 18, 2013 (John 2-4)

From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:

Scripture: “The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told Him, “They have no more wine.” “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” (John 2:3-4 NLT)

Observation: Mary was probably not asking Jesus to do a miracle; she was simply hoping that her son would help solve this major problem and find some wine. Weddings in Jesus’ day were week-long festivals. Banquets would be prepared for many guests, and the week would be spent celebrating the new life of the married couple. The whole town was invited and it was considered an insult to refuse the invitation. To accommodate many people, careful planning was needed. To run out of wine was more than just an embarrassment; it broke the strong unwritten laws of hospitality. Jesus was about to respond to a heartfelt need. Although Mary did not understand what Jesus was going to do, she trusted Him to do what was right. Those who believe in Jesus but run into situations they cannot understand must continue to trust that He will work things out in the best way.

Application: When we bring our problems to Christ, we may think we know how He should take care of them. We have the battle plan in place within our mind and we expect God to follow our directions perfectly. But often times He has a completely different plan. We must learn to submit to Him and allow Him to deal with our problems as He sees best. Too many times my zeal to “fix” the situation has gotten in the way of His plan. Surrendering my will to Him completely has proven to be the most difficult task I have ever attempted. I have felt abandoned and alone when God didn’t work the way I thought was best and often times I struggle to understand what He is doing. Yet I’m learning that each time I flip out and panic God is only reveling to me my selfish desires to have my own way. Yet when I humbly submit to His plan I experience Him respond with a heartfelt compassion that cannot be denied.

Prayer: Dear Lord, forgive me for not trusting in You like I should. Forgive me for being selfish and demanding my own way. Help me to submit to Your will and experience Your heartfelt compassion. Thank You for Your mercy and grace that You freely give to me each day. Thank You for the provision You have provided for my family. I praise You because of who You are, not just all the great things You do, in Jesus name, Amen!