Every Christian Needs to Have...

An Ear

Every Christian needs to have "an ear to listen like one being taught." {4} This is an attitude. An attitude which says, "If God is talking to me in the Bible, and if He is somebody worth listening to, and if He is more intelligent than I am, then I want to become more familiar with what He says to me because I am always going to learn something when I listen to Him."

There is an interesting phenomenon when it comes to learning. The more one learns, the more one realizes he still doesn't know. The more one learns, the more one realizes the need to learn more. If that is our attitude, we are in excellent company. Rabbinic Old Testament commentators and Biblical commentaries after Jesus was here all agree that in this section the Messiah is speaking. Jesus, truly a human being, subjected to the temptation to rebel against God's instructions, instead was willing and eager to listen to and do what the heavenly Father wanted.

Every Christian needs to have our ears "wakened to listen like one being taught." Why? Because by nature we are spiritually blind, dead, enemies of God and we could add "deaf." On our own we don't like to or want to hear what God has to say to us.

We need to have the LORD open our ears "morning by morning" to listen like one being taught. Dairy cows show up twice a day in exactly the same stanchion at exactly the same time for a definite purpose. Christians are to daily go to the same place, the Bible, for the purpose of feeding their souls. Why do we need to have our ears "wakened to listen like one being taught?" Because Satan is always telling us to be lazy. "Listening to God speak to you on Sunday through your pastor and through your Bible study leader is enough. You have too many other things in your busy life that need your attention. You don't have time to listen morning by morning."

Prayer: LORD Jesus, help us not to rebel at the thought of listening to You. Don't let us draw back from our relationship with you. Don't let us ever take the attitude that says," I know it all," when it comes to our faith and godliness." Waken my ear morning by morning to listen like one being taught.

A Tongue

Every Christian needs to have "an instructed tongue." {4} We communicate with our tongues. We are to transmit the message of our God to others with our tongues. Let's take one further step. Could we say the Lord has given us the ability to speak in order to be transmitters of His truth?. Maybe some of our more enjoyable hours are those spent alone with Jesus our LORD. But He has given us tongues for a reason.

Our tongues need to be "instructed." We can't be a hindrance to the truth of God. We need to know it well enough to be able to apply to properly and well. Where do we get that instruction from? Other Christians. Books on how to speak about Jesus. Where does the instruction come from according to these words before us today? From the Sovereign LORD. While other people are helpful, we must always realize that it is the LORD Himself through His Word who gives us an instructed tongue.

For what purpose does the LORD give us "an instructed tongue?" "To know the Word that sustains the weary." We are constantly running into people who are weary. Some are sick and tired of not being able to overcome a sin. Some are sick and tired of fighting against sin. Some are sick and tired because people are ridiculing them. Some are sick and tired of their problems in life. Some are sick and tired of seeing no results of their sharing Jesus with others.

I would venture to say that it is probably the most difficult thing in your life as a Christian to say the right word at the right time to sustain the weary. Sometimes after it is over, we figure out that we should have spoken the Gospel instead of the Law. Or sometimes the Law instead of the Gospel. Sometimes we realize we said the right thing at the wrong time. Sometimes we realize we said the right thing in the wrong way. Sometimes it was the right time to say something and we said it in the right way, but it turned out to be the wrong thing.

Prayer: LORD Jesus, please help me always to remind the weary that You died to wash away their sins. Please help me to always tell them that You lived and never sinned to cover them with Your holiness. Please help me always point them to an eternity with You because of Your resurrection. And then if I mess up trying to apply Your Word to their situations, they will have heard the most important things anyway. Thank You for dying on the cross to wash all the times I mess up trying to sustain the weary.

A Judge

Every Christian is constantly being judged. Some critiques are helpful. We welcome constructive criticism which helps us carry out our purpose as Christians. Critiques based on God's Word are also helpful and necessary. When a brother or sister in the faith points out a sin, it is because they love us and want us to stay connected with Jesus.

But how do we handle judgment that is wrong? Look at how Jesus handled it. On Good Friday Jesus accepted the negative judgment of those who insisted that He was a consort of the devil and blasphemer. Verse 6: I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from the mocking and spitting. Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame."

But there is another aspect to how Jesus handled the negative judgment. {8} "He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me! {9} It is the Sovereign LORD who helps me. Who is he that will condemn me? They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up." Jesus knew that the condemnation of Him was wrong. He knew that God's judgment of Him was the only important one. God's judgment of Him was "This is my Son in whom I am well pleased."

We all need to "set our face like flint." Negative judgment is going to be a part of our lives as long as we live in a sinful world. So, we might as well get used to it and decide to go ahead with the LORD's work in our lives anyway.

We also always need to remember that {8} "He who vindicates me is near." Whose judgment is most important in our lives? God's. When God the Judge looks at us, He sees no sins. They have all been washed away in the blood of Christ. When God the Judge looks at us, He sees holy people, covered with the holiness Jesus lived in our place. We need to remember that His judgment is permanent as He is, but the sources of non-Biblical negative judgment {9} "will wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up."

And then we read verse 10: "Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God." When life is dark, filled with negative judgments, and we see no light at the end of the tunnel, trust in the LORD and rely on God who has promised to give you the strength you need to keep on living your Christianity and sharing Jesus until He calls you to Himself.

Prayer: LORD Jesus, give me a face like flint so I keep on living my godliness and sharing You with others in spite of heavy negative judgments. Remind me continually that You judge me to be acceptable to You because of Your life, death and resurrection. Keep me trusting that You will keep Your promise to keep me strong. Then in your time get me out of here to Yourself.