Happy Harvest🍁 Friends!
It's November, can you believe it? It's a time when people are filled with gratitude and generosity. So, I am curious, what are you grateful for? Let me know in the comments below.
I am thankful for the word of God that I can read it openly without fear of reprisal. I would be remiss to overlook that this isn't the case for everyone. There are still many places where saints are dying for their faith in Jesus; it's sobering and true. Therefore, we begin November with a sobering portion of Scripture from the prophet Amos, which reminds us to live as wise to avoid becoming spiritually anemic.
Beloved, we are to embrace what God has entrusted to us and cherish it because of its great worth. It is the Gospel received through Christ Jesus by His blood. Friends now is the time to launch out into the deep and let our nets down for a catch. What I mean is for us to draw closer to Jesus and develop intimacy with Him through prayer, worship, and His word, for we walk in perilous times. It remains crucial for our hearts to be pliable in the hands of our Father, so His word would grow deep, powerfully transforming us so that we would be image bearers emitting the very fragrance of Christ within a broken world.
Throughout November, at TheOneThing1, we are taking a deep dive into the word of God, looking at its importance in our lives. I hope each post will cause you to delight in the word and draw nearer to our Lord Jesus.
Scripture Meditation|
“Look, the days are coming — this is the declaration of the Lord God — when I will send a famine through the land: not a famine of bread or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and roam from north to east, seeking the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.” Amos 8v11-12.
Abba Father, as we seek Christ in the word, open our hearts to receive all you have for us. Our delight is in You. And as the psalmists says, open our eyes to see the wonders hidden in the Scriptures. Amen🙏🏾.
Let's go...
Beloved, when Amos penned these words, the Lord had sent prophet after prophet to speak to the people, yet they did not respond. Unfortunately, their non-response to the word of God eventually brought judgment. The scripture should cause all who read to pause and consider the season we live in and take inventory of our lives. As believers, we are not appointed judgment (John 3v18), but the word of the prophet still holds a valuable revelation for us, and this is what we are looking at today. The preciousness of what God has entrusted to us; Himself through His word.
Garrisoning A Heart of Understanding
We begin with these words penned by the prophet Amos as a reminder of the importance of not only hearing the word of God but doing the word of God, and friends' connection begins in our hearts. When we come to the word of God, we are coming to see and hear from Him first and foremost. Sometimes, when we come to the word of God, it's because we are walking through a difficult season to get a word, and friends, it's the best place to come for wisdom.
But remember, the Bible is our Abba Father's photo album of His Son. As we come to the word, we are coming to have a revelation of Him and as we see Him in all of His beauty. As we have a revelation of Him, we are given the ability to see our situations clearly. We also believe Him, what He says, including our identity and authority in Him.
So let's come to the word with hearts of expectation, prepared through prayer, looking to see Jesus in all His splendor. This way, we are ready to receive the abundant feast He has prepared at His table.
“As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”” Matthew 13v23.
Natural Hearing Verses Biblical Hearing
In the case of our verse from Amos, the issue here wasn't that the word of the Lord was not available; instead, the people were dull of hearing; therefore, the word was not received, resulting in spiritual anemia. The epistles written through the apostles remind us of the necessity of remaining steadfast in the teachings of Christ so that we would be able to stand firm in the faith, especially in the last days. We cannot neglect to listen to preaching and teaching, then immerse ourselves in the word for ourselves.
Remember, Biblical hearing is different from the human idea of hearing. The definition of the word hear is "the act or power to take sound through the ear" in the natural sense. Biblical hearing is more closely aligned with our natural definition of listening, giving attention to sound, taking notice, and acting on what is heard. In this text, the word hearing is לִשְׁמֹ֔עַ (liš·mō·a‘), meaning to hear, listen to, and obey. The act of obedience is attached to biblical hearing; therefore, hearing the word of the LORD is given with the corresponding action.
Beloved, there is an exchange that happens when we come to the word of God. We hear Him. As His word enters our minds, it also becomes seed in our hearts and works within us, transforming our lives by faith. In this manner, we say yes to the Spirit's leading and can work heartily for the Lord. Let's never forget we've been entrusted by God our Father to understand the rich truths from Heaven.
“And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” Matthew 13v11-12.
We are they who it has been granted to see the fullness of the LORD. He has set the table before us as a perpetual feast. May we eat of His bounty and bear fruit for His glory. Remember, we are blessed!
“But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.” Matthew 13v16.
Entrusted With The Word of God
For some, the Bible represents words written on a page, and they are incapable of seeing or hearing Him. Friends, our desire is for everyone to come into the knowledge of Christ. As His ambassadors, the words of Amos brings us to the point of prayer, for hearts to be softened, eyes and ears open, and salvation to permeate the atmosphere because of our position in Christ. We have influence with God so let’s use it because we know He hears us.
Beloved, as children of God, we know Him and are found in Him. As we read scripture, we seek His face, expecting that time in His word is communion with Him. We come to love Him because of His love for us. For us, the word of Amos reminds us not to take our privilege for granted, knowing life and all it holds belong to the LORD. Our ability to hear and read the word of the LORD is an immense blessing; access to Abba and the ability to respond to His call is a sheer gift of His grace.
The prophet’s message beckons us to encourage one another to continue to wholly follow Jesus, feed on Jesus, and hear Jesus because, friends, it’s all about Jesus.
He desires for us and others to know Him intimately, to be transformed by Him completely, and to do life with Him relationally. There is no better time to respond to His invitation to yield every aspect of our lives to Him than the present. Let's keep oil in our lamps, eager about our Father's business, for our Lord Jesus, is coming soon.
Until Next Time continue to cling tightly to that which you've been entrusted and meditate on the word of Christ.
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