Listen or Reject P.2

Almost every Sunday I have the weighty privilege of speaking God’s word to his people.  Jesus says, “He who listens to you listens to me.” WHAT!? Seriously? Seriously.  I feel the weight of that and it can feel crushing at times. To speak on God’s behalf has more significance than I can fathom, deserve, or want. However, it’s not just me who bears that weight.

Speaking for God is my responsibility and if you follow Jesus it is yours as well.  You may never preach a sermon in front of a church, but you are called to speak every day of his good news to those you meet.  If, and when, you realize that you will also feel the weightiness of our calling, it matters. It matters more than we realize.

What frees me to get up there on Sundays is that my responsibility ends there.  I speak for God and I want to do that well.  So, I prepare well and I do my best to share well. However, I can’t make people listen to what I say.  This devotional is another offering that I speak on God’s behalf. I worked hard at it. I can’t, though, determine how you will respond.  You can read about your calling to prepare and speak well on God’s behalf and never do it.  You can reject my words, but it is not me you are rejecting. WHAT!? Seriously? Seriously.

The response of listening or rejecting a word from God is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit and the person receiving it.  We can trust the Holy Spirit to work to apply God’s truth to those we speak to him for. That is my confidence every Sunday as I preach. It is your confidence too, as you share the gospel.  The responsibility to receive the message is on the one who hears it.  Amazingly, we like our first parents, can grieve, resist, and reject God’s word to us.  This too is a weighty thing and often we do not realize it.  We seldom realize that if we listen and respond in faith, we listen to God and receive more of the life he wants for us.  We usually don't see that when we reject God’s word to us, we reject God and the life he wants for us. As you can see, both speaking and listening are weighty.

I hope you are listening well to Jesus as we together study Luke 10 and its message.  I hope you have listened well and by now realize that we all as Christians are SENT to speak on God’s behalf.  I hope you feel the weight of that and prepare well.  I hope you also find the freedom to speak boldly and release the responsibility to the Spirit and the person who receives it.  I know it increases my freedom and boldness, and by God’s grace it has set many who listened free.  Weighty? Yes! Amazing? YES!! We are SENT and get to be part of setting people free! WHAT!? Seriously? Seriously.

KEY THOUGHT

Although we have the weighty responsibility to share and show the gospel of Jesus, we are not responsible for how people respond to it.

PRAYER

Lord, I know you have called me to show and share your good news. It is a wonderful and weighty responsibility. May you empower me by your Spirit to do so with joy and courage. As I do so, I will release the results to you in how those around me respond to it. In Jesus name, Amen.

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