Hearing Waves
“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in the deceitful scheming.”
I often read the stories of the kings of Judah and Israel in the books of Kings and Chronicles with a sense of disbelief. I shake my head as king after king makes foolish mistakes. They inevitably walk away from God, and experience God’s punishment. I think to myself, “How did they not see that coming?” Consistently, one of the main ingredients in their downfall is that they valued the voice of men above the voice of God.
Take Joash for example (2 Kings 11, 12, 2 Chronicles 24). “Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years.” During his reign, the priest Jehoiada counseled him and “Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest.” (2 Chr. 24:2) But, when Jehoiada died Joash listened to the officials of Judah and “(t)hey abandoned the temple of the Lord, the God of their fathers and worshiped Asherah poles and idols.” (2 Chr. 24:17)
Joash never seems to have grown up. His hearing was oriented to men and that left him rootless. When he had a good influence, he was good. When he had a bad influence, he was bad.
If you’re feeling tossed around by “every wind of teaching” then it’s time to put down roots. Be oriented to Jesus who gives our lives stability. This is something you must do if you want to experience peace.
How do we do we put down roots? We do that by desiring to grow in Christlikeness. Then our growth is nurtured by hearing and obeying Jesus. The sun for this growth is the bible, the word of God; the rain is the Holy Spirit and a community of believers who share our desire to “become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph 4:13)
Take steps to enter the peace of Jesus today.
Action:
Has God spoken to you? Take a moment to reflect on what God wants you to do. Turn it into an “I will” action and share it with someone. For instance:
- Find a bible reading plan and tell someone that you are going to start reading your bible (daily, weekly). Ask them to pray for you.
Prayer:
Jesus please transform my desires within me so I can grow in you.
Most of the time we respond to questions from below with answers from below. The result is often more confusion.
