2024-11-26
Philippians 3:14 NKJV
In his booklet Cross The Line, Sam Parker writes: “With everything, there’s a line. On one side of the line is a greater chance to make good things happen (better results, better relationships, more opportunities). This is where you will find all those people you admire. On the other side of the line, there is less of a chance. And with each line, you have a choice. You want to cross the line or you don’t. You want that better chance at making good things happen (meaningful things) or you set off with the lesser chance. Your choice.
Then there will be those times when in the short run it will seem like you can’t cross the line (no matter what you do). But then, those misses (those hurdles) in the short run will sometimes help you over the line in the long run (in a way you couldn’t have seen). They will serve as lessons, giving you more depth to your experience – making you stronger and better prepared for the bigger and more important challenges you’ll face in the future.
But you won’t know that at the time. At the time, you will just see that line. And it might seem like a wall. But it really is just a line (a line you want to cross). And it’s yours to cross, but you have to decide (make that choice).”
Paul chose to cross that line: “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Note the word “upward.” It’s a climb. It calls for total commitment. But in the end, it’s worth it!
Soul food: Gen 10-12; John 13:1-17; Ps 95; Prov 30:29-33
2024-11-25
John 10:11 NKJV
Jesus told of a shepherd with a hundred sheep. When one of them was lost, he left the other ninety-nine in the fold and searched until he found the one lost sheep. Then he put it on his shoulders and rejoiced as he brought it home. Good shepherds don’t care about some of the flock, or most of the flock, but all of the flock. That becomes most evident when one sheep gets lost.
The story is told of a little girl who wandered off into the woods and got lost. As darkness fell, fear clutched her heart. She shrieked and cried until, worn out, she laid down and went to sleep. Her father, his voice husky from shouting her name, had been looking for her for many hours when he found her lying in a grassy area. Crying out to her, he rushed to her side. The little girl woke up, leapt into his arms, hugged him, and said, “Daddy, I’m so happy I found you!” That’s our story.
But we don’t find Jesus; He finds us. And He finds us – because He is constantly looking for us. Jesus ended His parable in these words: “I tell you… there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” (Luke 15:7 NIV). Every time one lost person is found, heaven celebrates. “You mean I matter that much to the Lord?” Yes. Just as the shepherd left ninety-nine sheep to search for the one that was lost, Jesus loves you and died to save you. So, come to Him today.
Soul food: Gen 7-9; John 12:37-50; Ps 102:18-28; Prov 30:24-28
2024-11-24
Luke 10:36 NKJV
Jesus told the story of the Jewish traveler who was robbed, beaten, and left to die on the Jericho road. Two Jews, both in the ministry, walked past him without helping. Then a Samaritan rescued him. No race of people was more hated by the Jewish people than the Samaritans. They were openly cursed in the synagogue and were barred from temple worship.
What this Samaritan does is nothing less than incredible. He utilizes all his resources – personal clothing, oil, wine, his time, animal, money, and energy – to attend to this Jewish man in the best way possible. Then he risks his life by taking the wounded man to lodging in a Jewish area. On top of it all, he pays the innkeeper for the man’s food and room for many days and promises to return and pay for anything more the man owes. This was crucial because anyone who could not pay their bill could be sold as a slave by the innkeepers so that they could receive full payment for a debt.
Jesus ends His story in these words: “Which of these three do you think was neighbour to him who fell among the thieves?” No law will ever cause you to be a good neighbour, but the love of Christ will. You see, a neighbour is not identified by color or creed; a neighbour is identified by the nearest need. So, here is a prayer for you to pray: “Lord, give me the courage to recognize and help a neighbour in need.” That’s a prayer He will answer!
Soul food: Luke 1:26-56; Luke 2:1-52; Luke 8:19-21
2024-11-23
Isaiah 55:9 NKJV
Your internal picture of God decides how you see everything else. The majority of our troubles are not circumstantial; they are perceptual. We can trace our biggest problems back to an insufficient understanding of who God is. God says, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
A best-selling author informs us: “Astronomers have spied galaxies 12.3 billion light-years from earth. To put that distance into perspective, consider the fact that light traveling at 186,000 miles per second only takes eight minutes to travel the 93 million miles between the sun and planet earth. Sunlight is only eight minutes old. But light from the farthest galaxy takes 12.3 billion light-years to get here. That distance is virtually incomprehensible. And God says that is about the distance between His thoughts and our thoughts. Your best thought about God on your best day falls 12.3 billion light-years short of how great and how good God really is… Maybe it’s time to stop placing four-dimensional limits on God. Maybe it’s time to stop putting God in a box the size of your cerebral cortex. It’s time to stop creating God in your image and let Him create you in His.”
The more we grow, the bigger God should become. And the bigger God becomes, the smaller our troubles will become. The hymnist, Oscar C. Eliason wrote: “Got any rivers you think are uncrossable? Got any mountains you can’t tunnel Through? God specializes in things thought impossible. He can do just what none other can do.”
Soul food: Gen 4-6; John 12:20-36; Ps 102:12-17; Prov 30:21-23
2024-11-22
Psalm 139:16 NLT
Way before God set earth’s foundations, He had you in mind. He thought of all you could conceivably need. Mind-boggling, isn’t it? A respected author writes: “God planned for every contingency you might ever encounter, before the beginning of time… It is impossible for finite minds to comprehend the sovereignty of God, but let me put it in chess terms.
In 1997 a team of IBM engineers designed and developed Deep Blue, the computer that outmaneuvered chess grand master Garry Kasparov. Deep Blue was equipped with thirty-two processing engines that could calculate 200 million chess moves per second… I have a tough time with the fifty-fifty stuff. True or false. Right or left. Chocolate or vanilla. I can’t even imagine contemplating 200 million contingencies in a split second.
[That’s] laughable compared to the Omniscient One who took every contingency into consideration before a nanosecond had even ticked off the clock of time. Think of your life as a game of chess. You are the pawn and God is the Grand Master. You have no idea what your next move should be, but God already has the next 200 million moves planned out.”
God says, “I make known the end from the beginning” (Isa 46:10 NIV). Are you grappling with knowing God’s will for your life? Here is the simple truth: God wants you to arrive where He wants you to go more than you want to arrive where God wants you to go. And if you keep in step with the Spirit, God will make certain you arrive where He wants you to go.
Soul food: Gen 1-3; John 12:12-19; Ps 102:1-11; Prov 30:18-20
2024-11-21
Proverbs 4:18 NKJV
When it comes to growth, you never “arrive.” It’s not a place you reach; it’s a pathway you walk. “The path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.”
A pastor writes: “Many people learn only from the school of hard knocks. Difficult experiences teach them lessons ‘the hard way,’ and they change – sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. The lessons are random and difficult. It’s much better to plan your growth intentionally. You decide where you need or want to grow, you choose what you will learn, and you follow through with discipline going at the pace you set. Think about what it is that you want to do. Whom do you want to be? Make a list of things that will help you reach that goal and be that person. Is there something on that list you can do now? Today? Do it. Whether you feel prompted to or not, now is the time to start growing… You will never get much done unless you go ahead and do it before you are ready.
If you’re not already intentionally growing, you need to get started today. If you don’t, you may reach some goals, which you can celebrate, but you will eventually plateau. But once you start growing intentionally, you can keep growing and keep asking, ‘What’s next?’ When you start working actively toward your goal, you will find that the door of personal growth opens a crack. Through that crack, you’ll begin to see more growth opportunities everywhere. Your world begins to open up. You accomplish more. You learn more. Other opportunities begin to present themselves.”
Soul food: Ecc 9-12; John 12:1-11; Ps 76; Prov 30:15-17
