Inspired by the Word of God

Revived

By David Soper

The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. Psalm 19:7

The scriptures revive the soul because they are from God, the one who created the soul.  They communicate his desires and expectations for us.  They are God’s wisdom and encouragement for our lives.  They are perfect. 

Perfectly revealing God’s love to us
Perfectly able to penetrate our hearts
Perfectly powerful to transform lives
Perfectly satisfying to the human heart
Perfectly relevant to every situation
Perfectly able to revive the soul

Which brings me to the million dollar question, why aren’t we reading it, why aren’t we engaging it?  Why aren’t we feeding our souls with the Word of God?  It may seem obvious, but the longer we go without God’s Word, the more our soul needs reviving.

The body needs nourishment every day to recharge and function properly and the soul needs the Word of God every day to thrive.  It doesn’t take long for the cares of life too wear us down, break down our defenses and make us spiritually tired.  Soul fatigue happens from the daily wear and tear of life that chips away at our soul.  The Word revives us by bringing us back to God. It inspires us by helping us to see the world through his eyes and connecting us to his heart.

The longer we go without the Word of God in our lives the more our soul becomes depleted and soul fatigue leads to soul detachment.  Without even realizing it has happened, we stop caring, start playing church and start going through the motions.  Soul detachment is like being spiritually unconscious.  We become unaware of what God is doing around us, insensitive to his spirit, without passion for God, and completely deaf to his voice trying to speak to us.  More than once I was revived on the ice with smelling salts during my hockey playing days.  Like spiritual smelling salts, the Word awakens our soul from a state of apathy to a state of awareness.  It renews our passion and our sensitivity.  With the Word in our lives, we start to care again and become tuned into how God is working in the world. 

There is no way to over emphasize the importance of the Word in a Christian’s life.  If we continue to neglect the Word of God, the soul simply becomes paralyzed.  Soul paralysis is a awful state.  We become spiritually stuck, no spiritual vitality, no regard for God or his church.  Lust and the pride of life attract us.  Sin gets a foothold.  We know we need God’s Word, but we just don’t have time for it.  We try to rely on a spiritual experiences from our past to sustain us, or church attendance, or acts of service.  But the Word, the life-giving perfect instructions of God, through the work of the Holy Spirit, reaches deep into our spiritually comatose state and pulls us out.  The Word resurrects our spiritual vitality and restores our passion for Christ and His church.
 
Where are you today?   Take a minute now and examine your soul. 

The principles of this world are twisted, killing the soul. The promises of this world are empty, stealing the soul.  But…. “The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul!”

© 2012 Inspired by the Word of God. Scriptures from New Living Translation

Every Word of God

By David Soper

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.  During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:1-4

It’s hard to believe that the devil actually thought he could manipulate Jesus into interfering with the Fathers will.  There is food available to Jesus that Satan knows nothing about and Jesus will wait on that.  The serpent’s advice is poison, so Jesus will reject it.  His hope and strength is in the Father.  God has always provided and He will continue to provide.  Besides, even if food doesn’t come in the wilderness, isn’t it better to die of hunger in right relationship to God, than to satisfy it at the cost of that relationship?  There is absolutely nothing Satan can offer Jesus that is better than living the life that God has called Him to live. 

Obviously, we need bread to live, but it’s not the power of bread that ultimately supports life, it’s the kindness of God that uses bread to nourish our bodies.  Moses reminds us that when no bread was available to Israel in the wilderness, God provided an amazing form of nourishment called manna, “a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors” (Deuteronomy 8:3).  Manna was more than just a miraculous temporary source of food for Israel, it was a vivid demonstration that our life depends completely on God.

There is a truth in Matthew 4 that will revolutionize our lives if we get ahold of it.  As Jesus is rebuking the serpent, he is quoting Moses to make a point.  When God created us, he didn’t abandon us to fend for ourselves.  The Father constantly preserves the life He has created, physically and spiritually.  Our source of life is God.  God “sustains everything by the mighty power of his command” (Hebrews 1:3).  Jesus said we live by ‘every word that comes from the mouth of God’.  Every word means every word.  From the word of God that causes the sun to rise in the morning and the crops to grow, to the revealed word of the scriptures that feeds our soul with divine truth. 

Would we continue to live the same hectic, driven, everything-depends-on-us, lives if we really believed this truth?   Or would we rest in the peace that we live by every word that comes from the mouth of God?  Would we struggle and fight to implement our own master plan for life, or would we simply enjoy the ride as the current of God’s will moves us?  Would we open the Bible once in a while to get our devotions in, or would we devour the scriptures like our life depends on it?  (Jeremiah 15:16)

Jesus had a decision to make and so do we.

© 2012 Inspired by the Word of God. Scriptures from New Living Translation

Passion for the Word

By David Soper

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.  Hebrews 4:12

I’ll never forget the time I was driving home from Mexico and the customs officer asked me if I had any weapons in the car.  I have to admit, the question made me pretty nervous.  I quickly said, “no sir, I don’t”!  With a very serious look in his eyes he said, “Are you sure you don’t have any weapons?”  Now I was really nervous, “yes sir, I am sure”.  Then he pointed to the Bible on the seat next to me, and said, you have a sword right there!

After getting over the shock, I realized that officer was right, I did have a weapon!  The Bible is the Word of God, sharper than a two-edged sword. It is alive and powerful!  The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit, the primary offensive weapon in our struggle with the enemy of our souls (Ephesians 6:17).

The Bible is a direct line to the thoughts and will of God.  There is nothing more energizing to your relationship with God, nothing more critical to your spiritual growth, nothing that will fuel your prayer life more, nothing that will teach you to be a better husband and father, wife or mother, nothing that will make you a more effective leader, than getting into the Word of God. 

Not just reading it, I’m talking about being immersed, engaging it, meditating on it, and taking action on it.  I’m talking about having a passion for God’s word.  Psalms 19 says the scriptures are “sweeter than honey”.  Is that how you feel about the bible?  The bottom line is, if you love God, you love his word.

It is time to rekindle our passion for God’s word.  It's time to meditate on the Word, share our discoveries with others, pray for each other, and challenge each other to love God’s Word like never before!

© 2012 Inspired by the Word of God. Scriptures from New Living Translation

Following Jesus

By David Soper

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27

Sheep don’t spend a lot of time analyzing the direction that the shepherd is leading.  They just follow.  The shepherd may be leading to a new pasture.  The shepherd may be leading to a safe shelter.  The shepherd may be leading to the shearing barn.  The sheep don’t know where he’s taking them, they just follow. The sheep rely on the shepherd because the shepherd knows things the sheep don’t!

The same is true in our spiritual life.  When we follow Jesus, we aren’t sure where he’s leading, but we still follow, because he is the good shepherd.  He knows us, and he’s leading us where we need to go.

Sometimes He leads us forward:  Everything is up and to the right.  Life is good. It's like living in Lake Wobegon, "where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average." - (Garrison Keillor)  The pastures are lush and green.  When Jesus lead us forward, things are exciting!  (Matthew 4:19)  These are times when the energy just seems to flow and we feel a strong sense of accomplishment, favor, and blessing.

But sometimes He leads us sideways: Have you been through a lateral move?  It's definitely not a promotion – but it might be just what you need.  Going sideways is a time of waiting and development.  It can be a time of healing.  Lateral moves are times of obedience, nothing exciting, but character building.  Anyone can thrive on the mountain top, but what about the flat, boring, plains?

Sometimes He leads us backwards: This is a tough one because we don’t understand what He’s doing.  Why would Jesus lead us away from the place we thought we were going?  Going backwards is confusing and discouraging.  Going backwards is a test of our common sense.  We don’t want to follow.  We think –what is God asking of me?  I thought I did everything right!  Remember, Jesus is the GOOD shepherd, He never leads us backwards to jerk our chain.  There is always a reason, but we may not know it yet.  If we obey, we will find our answer.

I've heard it said that God gives us only enough light to see the very next step.  But most of us want to know what's coming up ahead.  We want to know where God is leading us, and we want to know right now!  Following the voice of Jesus takes faith in the wisdom and love of the Shepherd.  The truth is, if we knew the destination, we'd probably try to take shortcuts and just mess things up!  The journey is just as important as the destination.  And when we follow the voice of Jesus, not only will he lead us home, but we won't miss a thing that he has for us along the way.

Scripture Reading: John 10:22-30

© 2011 Inspired by the Word of God. Scriptures from New Living Translation

More Than Acts of Kindness

By David Soper

‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:39

We can’t force ourselves to love anyone, but we can invite God’s love to transform our hearts so that we are able to show His love to anyone we encounter, whether a complete stranger or someone we see every day. 

God empowers us to love others by giving us the Holy Spirit ‘who fills our hearts with His love’. (Romans 5:5).  When Christ makes His home in our hearts we can truly love beyond ourselves.  (Ephesians 3:17)  What seems to be an impossible commandment (love your neighbor as yourself), becomes the genuine desire of our hearts and a fundamental part of who we are.

To love your neighbor as yourself does not mean to love them instead of yourself. That is unhealthy and disfunctional.  When we love our neighbor instead of ourselves, we end up spiritually and emotionally drained, with nothing left to give to anyone, including God. On the opposite end of the spectrum, some of us avoid getting involved in other’s lives because we fear we will have to give too much of ourselves, or get too emotionally invested.  Neither perspective is biblical or God-honoring.

Jesus said to love our neighbors as ourselves.  That means to love others with the same focus and energy that we lavish on ourselves!  To love our neighbor as our self means to care enough to notice when they have a need, and care enough to do something about it.

In the course of our normal lives there are opportunities every day to show the love of Christ.  But how many of them do we really see?  Or worse yet, how many do we see, but ignore?  To love our neighbor as our self involves intentionality.  We must actively look for the opportunities that God brings into our life.  If you want to see them, God will show you.

Jesus said that love is the mark of a disciple (John 13:34).  When you see someone in need, do you respond with compassion, or are you bothered by the inconvenience?   If you truly love God, does it show in your love for others?  I’m not just talking about acts of kindness.  We can do good deeds and acts of kindness all day and still not love anyone!  Helping others makes us feel good, and that’s great.  But love takes it to the next level.  In God’s eyes, to love means to deeply care about the person and serve them.

Sometime today, we will have the opportunity to love.  The question is, how will we respond?  Will we ignore it, or will we really love with the love of Christ?

Scripture Reading: Matthew 22:34-40

 © 2011 Inspired by the Word of God. Scriptures from New Living Translation

Knowing the Voice of Jesus

By David Soper

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27

Every voice is unique.  Small differences in the size and shape of our vocal cavities give each of us a unique voice that is easily recognized by those who know us.  When my wife calls me she doesn’t need to say, “Hi David, this is Connie, your wife, speaking”.   She simple say’s hi! (Or where in the world are you, and what time will you be home?!)  When I hear her voice, I don’t have to wonder who it is!

The voice of Jesus is recognized by those who know him.  We naturally recognize the voices of people who we spend time with, and we recognize the voice of Jesus because we spend time with him. 

Saul didn’t know Jesus, so he didn't recognize his voice “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Acts 9:5  Mary Magdalene did know Jesus, and knew his voice -Teacher!  (John 20:16)

Jesus isn’t physically with us now – so how do we hear His voice?  Through God’s word and prayer!  When we become a Christian, the Holy Spirit dwells in us and He gives us discernment – like spiritual ears - to hear His voice through the Word, and apply the scriptures to our situation.  We know the voice of Jesus when he is speaking to us.  But you have to be in His Word.  Just like the human voice - If you don’t know the person, you won’t recognize their voice.  If you have to wonder if it’s Jesus speaking to you, it’s probably not!

His sheep recognize His voice, but are we actually listening to Him?  Jesus said, ‘my sheep listen to my voice’.   What is listening?  Listening is more than hearing, it is also focusing, paying attention, and understanding.  If someone say’s – ‘you’re not listening to me’, does that mean you didn’t hear them speaking?  (If the answer is yes, you are in big trouble already!)  Of course you heard them, but it was just noise, you didn’t focus enough to understand and absorb what they said.

Luke 8:18 “So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.”

When Jesus speaks, we need to listen.  If we love him, we will listen to him.  But it's not always easy hear the voice of Jesus over the crowd.  There are so many voices competing for our attention. There is a lot of noise in our life - politics, media, TV, sports – even family. We can’t listen to everyone, so who are we listening to?

Scripture Reading: John 10:22-30

© 2011 Inspired by the Word of God. Scriptures from New Living Translation

God Wants Your Love

By David Soper

 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment."  Matthew 22:37-38

The most essential, God-honoring thing that we can do as a disciple of Jesus Christ is to love God and love others with complete devotion.  It is more important than morality, more fundamental than doctrine, more valuable than personal sacrifice, more critical than knowledge, even more God-pleasing than faith!  Loving God is more important than all of our 'Christian' causes.

On the surface you may look like a super Christian, but without love, you are just posing.   (1 Corinthians 13:2)  Without love, our spiritual activities are nothing more than self gratifying exercises that will ultimately leave us empty and disillusioned.  We can do lots of good things without love, but being a disciple of Christ is not one of them.

For those who know God, our love for God is a natural response to His love for us.  We are like the woman who washed Jesus feet with her tears and expensive perfume.  When we experience the love and forgiveness of Christ, we can't help but loving God. (Luke 7:47)  (Do you remember that incredible feeling when you first believed?) But the love we have for God is more than an emotional feeling of gratitude.  It is evidence of our salvation, evidence that something has changed deep inside us.  The bible says if you know God, you will love him, for God is love. (1 John 4:8)

Before Christ, our allegiance was to ourselves.  Oswald Chambers said, “the nature of sin is the self-realization that leads me to say, ‘I am my own god’”.  When we begin to really love God, it comes from knowing and embracing the truth that He is God and we are not!  Our primary allegiance shifts from ourselves to God!

• To love the Lord God with all your HEART is to guard your heart from the passions trying to take over God's place in your life, and to find your treasure only in Him. (and HE will give you the desires of your heart - Psalm 37:4)
  
• To love the Lord God with all your SOUL is to stop striving for your significance through work and titles, and embrace that your purpose and meaning comes from God. 
• To love the Lord God with all your MIND is to filter out the noise that is competing for your attention, and allow yourself to be amazed and intellectually consumed by God’s infinitely complex creation and the depths of His Word.  That well will never run dry.
  

God wants to be the main thing in our life!  He wants our affections, our emotions, and our intellect.  That is why loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind is the first and greatest commandment!

 Scripture Reading: Matthew 22:34-40

 © 2011 Inspired by the Word of God. Scriptures from New Living Translation

Just Not Jesus Material

 by David Soper

Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. Luke 5:27

Levi knew what it would mean to follow Jesus.  He had been watching Jesus. He knew Jesus was a righteous man, admired by the people, a powerful rabbi who healed the sick and performed miracles.  He knew Jesus reputation and what Jesus stood for.  But how could Jesus have anything to do with him?  Levi was just not Jesus material.  He was a greedy, corrupt government official who got rich by extorting money from his own people!  He was so despised by his fellow Jews that he, and his kind, were not even allowed into the Synagogue (according to history).  There was no chance that Jesus would want someone like him.

But something shocking happened – Jesus called Levi to be His disciple.  The scripture says, “So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him”.  Wow!  What just happened here?  What happened is that the love of Christ invaded the heart of a broken and spiritually hungry man, and filled his soul in a way that nothing and no one else ever had. 

In our way of thinking, Jesus had it backwards.  Shouldn’t he be looking for a solid, upright, religious type to be his disciple?  But we’re the ones who have it backwards.  The call to follow Jesus is not for those who think they have their act together.  The call to follow Jesus is for those who know they are spiritually bankrupt, and recognize the real thing when they see it.

Spiritual pride will lead us to religion, but not to Jesus Christ.  No one can be a disciple of Jesus without genuine spiritual humility before God and man.  Jesus said, “I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” Luke 5:32  Jesus came down really hard on the religious leaders, but the truth is, it had nothing to do with their pious zeal.  They simply could not tolerate being called sinners.  There is no greater or more deceptive sin than spiritual pride and this is what Jesus condemned.  It is the sin that caused Satan to fall and the sin that separated us from God.

The call to follow Jesus is much more than an invitation to follow Jesus from a safe distance and casually observe him.  Jesus didn’t say to Levi, “Follow me and you might learn a few things”.  Jesus called Levi to follow him AND be his disciple.  To be his disciple is a radical, life-changing decision.  To be his disciple is to completely open your heart to His desires for your life.  To be his disciple is to walk with Jesus every day, listening, learning, and allowing the Holy Spirit to change you to into His likeness!

Discipleship demands that we grow spiritually - it does not allow us to stay in our sin.  Real disciples will grow and become more like Jesus.  Just look at Levi. He became Matthew, one of the twelve and a completely different man.  But I’ll bet that Mathew never forgot who he used to be.  Spiritual maturity produces an increased awareness of our own sinfulness.  To be fully aware of our own sinfulness is to be fully aware of the grace, love and mercy of God that calls us to follow him, and changes us to be more like him!

Scripture Reading: Luke 5:27-32

 © 2011 Inspired by the Word of God. Scriptures from New Living Translation

Corporate Prayer of Confession

Lord, If we say that we have no sin, then we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

So we confess our sins!

Almighty God, We confess that we have sinned against you in our thoughts, in our words, and our actions.

We have not loved you with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

We confess that we have sinned against you as a community and as a nation.

Lord, we have set up idols in our hearts and in the hearts of our families.

Lord, forgive us!

Deepen our sorrow for the wrong we have done, and the good that we have left undone.

God, break our hearts!

Lord, you are full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger, there is always forgiveness with you!

So forgive us merciful Father, and free us from our sin. 

We cry out to you!

Lord, we need you, we love you. 

Please restore to us the joy of your salvation;

bind up the things that are broken in our lives and in our land,

strengthen our hearts to follow you and serve you,

and show us your power once again!

In Jesus Name, Amen! 

DJS

Light at the End of the Tunnel

By David Soper

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."  John 8:12

There are few things more frightening than total darkness.  In high school, my summer job was giving guided tours of an old copper mine.  Near the end of the tour, a half mile or so into the mine tunnel, I would stop and give a demonstration of total darkness.  The moment I turned off the lights you could feel the black darkness surround you.  It is an intense feeling that literally takes your breath away.  All of your senses are immediately on high alert, and even though we were not in any danger, the darkness itself was frightening.  Before people would begin to panic (usually), I would turn the light back on and instantly the mood would change.  Everyone was relieved to be back in the light.

The presence of light, no matter the source, is a comforting thing.  Light reveals our surroundings.  Light reveals beauty, light also reveals pitfalls and dangers.  Light, even a small amount, penetrates the darkness so that we can find our way to safety or feel the comfort of knowing what is around us.  It is no wonder that Jesus said, "I am the light of the world."  Just as light illuminates things in the natural realm, Jesus illuminates things in the spiritual realm.  He is the light that reveals the true nature of our spiritual surroundings.  He reveals things in us that are difficult to see, like the intentions of our heart.  Jesus is a light that cuts through spiritual darkness to expose things that could do us harm.  Jesus is a light that comforts us when we are afraid, and guides us when we are looking for direction.

We understand this, but do we believe it?  Are we really walking in His light?  Just because we know Jesus is the light, it doesn’t mean we have His light in our life. Verse 12 says "if we follow him", we will have the light. All Christians experience the darkness of discouragement at times.  You may be in a place so dark right now it seems there is no way out.  But you don’t need to walk in that darkness (v12).  There is a light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not a train, the light is Jesus Christ.

It seems insane, but sometimes we get comfortable with darkness.  We don’t want the light to expose our deep struggles or failings.  I’ll never forget the day Connie and I went to help a friend who was having some serious problems.  All of her windows were covered and she was sitting in darkness, physically and spiritually.  The darkness had become comfortable and familiar to her.  As we opened the curtains the atmosphere instantly changed.  The light flooded into the room and with it came a sense of hope that she had a way out of her situation.

The light of Jesus is a guide for our life, but we have to trust it.  There are times when something He clearly revealed to us starts to get cloudy and we question it.  We begin stumbling around in the dark wondering if God really showed us that.  Never doubt in the dark what God showed you in the light!  The light that leads to life will not lead you down the wrong path.  Trust His light and follow it for life.

Scripture Reading: John 8:12-20

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© 2010 David Soper, Inspired by the Word of God. All rights reserved. Scripture from New Living Translation