Listening to the God who speaks
By Rev. Dr. Richard Howell
Have you stumbled in your walk with the Lord? Do you find yourself repeating the same mistakes over and over again? Are you discouraged? Do you experience a loss of self-esteem? Have you concluded that victorious Christian life is not for you? Then remember, that into the condition of human weakness, Jesus, the Word of God, pitched his tent and revealed his glory. John writes, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only son, full of grace and truth, John 1:14.”
The glory of Jesus is revealed in the signs he performed, for example in turning water into wine (2:11), in his being lifted up on the cross (19:35), and in the Easter resurrection (20:24–29). The divine nature of Jesus, the Word is seen in his activity in creation (1:1–5), revelation (1:5, 9–12, 18) and redemption (1:12–14, 16–17); in all these God expresses himself through the Word. God must be understood as the one who speaks and reveals himself. Are you listening?
If you have received Jesus, he has given you authority to become God’s child. We are not children of God by nature, for we all have a sinful nature, but become his children by his grace. To become a child of God is wholly the work of God’s Spirit and not of human initiative. Believers in Christ are called children of God.
Are you aware that you are a child of God? This gives you your identity. It’s one thing to dislike certain shades, sounds, shapes or sensations. But when you reject aspects of your self, you greatly damage the spiritual core of your being that literally keeps you alive. Rejecting yourself causes enormous pain. And in the same way that you would favour and protect a physical wound, you find yourself avoiding anything that might aggravate the pain of self-rejection in any way. You make it more difficult for yourself to meet people. You limit your ability to open yourself with others, hear criticism, ask for help, or solve problems.
To avoid more judgements and self-rejections, you erect barriers of defence. Perhaps you blame and get angry, or bury yourself in perfectionist work. You may brag or make excuses or sometimes even turn to alcohol or drugs.
You can trade your sorrows and pain for the joy of the Lord. Remember you are the object of God’s love (3:16). The God who created you is faithful and good and his love endures forever. He is committed to an everlasting relationship with women and men and the world.
No matter what your life has been like, He still loves you. This unconditional love of God is expressed throughout the Scriptures. Peter denied being one of the disciples and pretended to be a stranger at a crucial hour, but Jesus still did not reject him. David committed adultery and murder, but God still loved him. One can go on.
A minister was retiring after many years of service and had just delivered his last sermon from the pulpit. One of the faithful members stopped to greet him outside the door and observed: “Do you know what is the most important thing you said in all these years?” Curious over the remark he inquired what it was. “You told us we cannot do anything to get God to stop loving us!” was the quiet reply. Yes, the most important thing that a believer can cherish in his heart is that his heavenly Father never stops loving him.
The Word of Jesus illumines the existence of every human being. He can be your light this Christmas, if you reach out to him and believe his Word. Are you listening to the God who speaks? |
