Ephesians 4:1 Chapter 4 1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called,

Years ago, God temporarily allowed me to have such physical ailments that I could do nothing but lie in bed. At first I felt frustrated, but eventually I began to realize His plan for this trial. Life had become too busy for me to hear something the Lord needed to tell me. He certainly managed to get my attention by stilling my physical body!

After leading us to salvation, God still has work to do in our life. If we listen carefully, we’ll be able to hear our Father directing us in three ways.

First, the Lord calls us to sanctification. This means being set apart by Him and for Him. Through His Spirit, He continually reminds us to use His power and resources so we can obey and live righteously.

Second, He calls us to service. The Lord has planned good works for us to accomplish (Eph. 2:10), and He gives us abilities, time, and resources for that purpose.

Third, He calls us to accountability. Romans 14:12 12 So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God. teaches that one day we all will give an account of how we used the resources God gave us to glorify Him. This report will be based on the truth we’ve heard and the opportunities that were available. So we should be sure to listen daily as our heavenly Father reminds us to utilize it all for His glory.

Has life become so hectic that God’s voice is inaudible? Foster your own ability to listen by spending time in the Word and waiting for answers when you pray. And teach your children to tune in so they can hear God, too. What a shame it would be to tackle life without guidance from above.

Bible in One Year: 1 Chronicles 16-18 Chapter 16 1 And they brought in the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before God. 2 And when David had made an end of offering the burnt-offering and the peace-offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Jehovah. 3 And he dealt to every one of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a portion `of flesh', and a cake of raisins. 4 And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of Jehovah, and to celebrate and to thank and praise Jehovah, the God of Israel: 5 Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, with psalteries and with harps; and Asaph with cymbals, sounding aloud; 6 and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually, before the ark of the covenant of God. 7 Then on that day did David first ordain to give thanks unto Jehovah, by the hand of Asaph and his brethren. 8 O give thanks unto Jehovah, call upon his name; Make known his doings among the peoples. 9 Sing unto him, sing praises unto him; Talk ye of all his marvellous works. 10 Glory ye in his holy name; Let the heart of them rejoice that seek Jehovah. 11 Seek ye Jehovah and his strength; Seek his face evermore. 12 Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, His wonders, and the judgments of his mouth, 13 O ye seed of Israel his servant, Ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones. 14 He is Jehovah our God; His judgments are in all the earth. 15 Remember his covenant for ever, The word which he commanded to a thousand generations, 16 `The covenant' which he made with Abraham, And his oath unto Isaac, 17 And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a statute, To Israel for an everlasting covenant, 18 Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, The lot of your inheritance; 19 When ye were but a few men in number, Yea, very few, and sojourners in it; 20 And they went about from nation to nation, And from one kingdom to another people. 21 He suffered no man to do them wrong; Yea, he reproved kings for their sakes, 22 `Saying', Touch not mine anointed ones, And do my prophets no harm. 23 Sing unto Jehovah, all the earth; Show forth his salvation from day to day. 24 Declare his glory among the nations, His marvellous works among all the peoples. 25 For great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised: He also is to be feared above all gods. 26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols: But Jehovah made the heavens. 27 Honor and majesty are before him: Strength and gladness are in his place. 28 Ascribe unto Jehovah, ye kindreds of the peoples, Ascribe unto Jehovah glory and strength; 29 Ascribe unto Jehovah the glory due unto his name: Bring an offering, and come before him: Worship Jehovah in holy array. 30 Tremble before him, all the earth: The world also is established that it cannot be moved. 31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; And let them say among the nations, Jehovah reigneth. 32 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; Let the field exult, and all that is therein; 33 Then shall the trees of the wood sing for joy before Jehovah; For he cometh to judge the earth. 34 O give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good; For his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever. 35 And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, And gather us together and deliver us from the nations, To give thanks unto thy holy name, And to triumph in thy praise. 36 Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, From everlasting even to everlasting. And all the people said, Amen, and praised Jehovah. 37 So he left there, before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, Asaph and his brethren, to minister before the ark continually, as every day's work required; 38 and Obed-edom with their brethren, threescore and eight; Obed-edom also the son of Jeduthun and Hosah to be doorkeepers; 39 and Zadok the priest, and his brethren the priests, before the tabernacle of Jehovah in the high place that was at Gibeon, 40 to offer burnt-offerings unto Jehovah upon the altar of burnt-offering continually morning and evening, even according to all that is written in the law of Jehovah, which he commanded unto Israel; 41 and with them Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest that were chosen, who were mentioned by name, to give thanks to Jehovah, because his lovingkindness `endureth' for ever; 42 and with them Heman and Jeduthun `with' trumpets and cymbals for those that should sound aloud, and `with' instruments for the songs of God; and the sons of Jeduthun to be at the gate. 43 And all the people departed every man to his house: and David returned to bless his house. Chapter 17 1 And it came to pass, when David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Jehovah `dwelleth' under curtains. 2 And Nathan said unto David, Do all that is in thy heart; for God is with thee. 3 And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, 4 Go and tell David my servant, Thus saith Jehovah, Thou shalt not build me a house to dwell in: 5 for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel, unto this day, but have gone from tent to tent, and from `one' tabernacle `to another'. 6 In all places wherein I have walked with all Israel, spake I a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people, saying, Why have ye not built me a house of cedar? 7 Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be prince over my people Israel: 8 and I have been with thee whithersoever thou hast gone, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee; and I will make thee a name, like unto the name of the great ones that are in the earth. 9 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the first, 10 and `as' from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel; and I will subdue all thine enemies. Moreover I tell thee that Jehovah will build thee a house. 11 And it shall come to pass, when thy days are fulfilled that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will set up thy seed after thee, who shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He shall build me a house, and I will establish his throne for ever. 13 I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee; 14 but I will settle him in my house and in my kingdom for ever; and his throne shall be established for ever. 15 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David. 16 Then David the king went in, and sat before Jehovah; and he said, Who am I, O Jehovah God, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me thus far? 17 And this was a small thing in thine eyes, O God; but thou hast spoken of thy servant's house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O Jehovah God. 18 What can David `say' yet more unto thee concerning the honor which is done to thy servant? for thou knowest thy servant. 19 O Jehovah, for thy servant's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou wrought all this greatness, to make known all `these' great things. 20 O Jehovah, there is none like thee, neither is there any God besides thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 21 And what one nation in the earth is like thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem unto himself for a people, to make thee a name by great and terrible things, in driving out nations from before thy people, whom thou redeemest out of Egypt? 22 For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people for ever; and thou, Jehovah, becamest their God. 23 And now, O Jehovah, let the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, be established for ever, and do as thou hast spoken. 24 And let thy name be established and magnified for ever, saying, Jehovah of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel: and the house of David thy servant is established before thee. 25 For thou, O my God, hast revealed to thy servant that thou wilt build him a house: therefore hath thy servant found `in his heart' to pray before thee. 26 And now, O Jehovah, thou art God, and hast promised this good thing unto thy servant: 27 and now it hath pleased thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Jehovah, hast blessed, and it is blessed for ever. Chapter 18 1 And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them, and took Gath and its towns out of the hand of the Philistines. 2 And he smote Moab; and the Moabites became servants to David, and brought tribute. 3 And David smote Hadarezer king of Zobah unto Hamath, as he went to establish his dominion by the river Euphrates. 4 And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen; and David hocked all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for a hundred chariots. 5 And when the Syrians of Damascus came to succor Hadarezer king of Zobah, David smote of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men. 6 Then David put `garrisons' in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought tribute. And Jehovah gave victory to David whithersoever he went. 7 And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadarezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 And from Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadarezer, David took very much brass, wherewith Solomon made the brazen sea, and the pillars, and the vessels of brass. 9 And when Tou king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadarezer king of Zobah, 10 he sent Hadoram his son to king David, to salute him, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadarezer and smitten him; (for Hadarezer had wars with Tou;) and `he had with him' all manner of vessels of gold and silver and brass. 11 These also did king David dedicate unto Jehovah, with the silver and the gold that he carried away from all the nations; from Edom, and from Moab, and from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek. 12 Moreover Abishai the son of Zeruiah smote of the Edomites in the Valley of Salt eighteen thousand. 13 And he put garrisons in Edom; and all the Edomites became servants to David. And Jehovah gave victory to David whithersoever he went. 14 And David reigned over all Israel; and he executed justice and righteousness unto all his people. 15 And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; 16 and Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Abimelech the son of Abiathar, were priests; and Shavsha was scribe; 17 and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and the sons of David were chief about the king.