2024-12-28
Psalm 119:114 MSG
What’s stopping you from having a regular quiet time with God? Maybe the very thought feels filled with “shoulds” and “ought tos”; like another item to add to the unending checklist of your life. So, you think, “Maybe later, when life slows down.” We need to shed the myths and impractical expectations the Enemy uses to prevent us from experiencing the joy of knowing Jesus and being known by Him.
David wrote: “The one thing I ask of the Lord – the thing I seek most – is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock. Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me… My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming'” (Psalm 27:4-6, 8 NLT).
When David wrote those words, there was no temple or “house of the Lord.” So, what did he mean? That God is as close to you as a prayer; that you can seek the Lord, delight in the Lord, meditate on the Lord, and talk with the Lord anywhere and anytime. The words “you’re my place of quiet retreat” mean you can withdraw from people, pressures, and problems and draw fresh strength from the Lord by communing with Him in your heart and mind. It can happen anywhere and anytime.
Soul food: Job 32-35; Luke 2:34-40; Ps 97; Ecc 11:1-3
2024-12-27
Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
Paul was totally invested in what God had called him to do. Are you? When it comes to barriers to success, we are usually our own worst enemies. Taking the steps necessary to fulfill a God-given dream will cost you. You will have to work hard. You will have to make sacrifices. You will have to keep learning, growing, and changing. Are you willing to do that? Most people aren’t.
Ask people when they will do what they want to do, and most will answer that they hope to do it “someday.” Why not now? Because you’re not ready? Perhaps you’re not. But if you wait until you are, maybe you will never do it. You only get ready by starting.
And if you’re willing to start, here are some things you can count on: First, it will be different from what you imagined. Second, it will be more difficult than you imagined. Third, it will be better than you imagined.
Mark Twain said that the two greatest days in a person’s life are the day they were born and the day they discover why they were born. If you want to discover why you were born, spend time with God. His Word says, “‘I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me'” (vv. 11-13 NLT).
Soul food: Job 29-31; Luke 2:21-33; Ps 117; Ecc 10:15-19
2024-12-26
Matthew 1:24 NKJV
There are divine purposes that must be faithfully watched over and protected, in order to be fulfilled. Joseph gives us three keys to seeing God’s promises fulfilled. The first is mercy, and the second is faith. Let’s look at the third: obedience.
“Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus” (vv. 24-25 NKJV). Joseph obeyed God when humanly speaking the circumstances didn’t make sense. He obeyed God when his mind was challenged with doubts. He obeyed God when his emotions were in an uproar. He obeyed God when it meant leaving home to live in Egypt until Herod died.
For Joseph it meant leaving behind an established trade and business, and their family and friends. It meant living in a land where he did not understand or speak the language. And he didn’t know how long they would be there: weeks? months? years? Though Egypt was a hard place to be, it was a place of obedience. And God’s promises are protected – in places of obedience.
God’s promises to us are fulfilled – in places of obedience. God reveals His will to us – in places of obedience. Miracles happen – in places of obedience. Provision comes – in places of obedience. We are safe – in places of obedience.
Are you waiting for a promise to be fulfilled? Are you looking for an answer to prayer? Use the keys of mercy, faith, and obedience.
Soul food: Job 24-28; Luke 2:8-20; Ps 113; Ecc 10:10-14
2024-12-25
Matthew 1:20 NKJV
In Joseph’s life we see three keys to experiencing the fulfillment of God’s purpose and promises in our lives. The first is mercy. Let’s look at the second: faith. “While he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit'” (v. 20 NKJV). Joseph had intended to privately divorce Mary. Then God told him the divine plan. What was Joseph’s part? To exercise faith in a most difficult set of circumstances. To trust God when the situation could not be understood or explained rationally. God showed him four things:
(1) God reminded Joseph of his identity: “Joseph, son of David.” God wants you to know who you are “in Christ” (See Ephesians 1:18-19). You have a special identity as a member of His redeemed family.
(2) God assured Joseph that he didn’t have to be afraid. What enabled Joseph to overcome his fear and move forward? Hearing from God. Having a word from the Lord to stand on. That’s what you need too (See Isaiah 30:21).
(3) God gave Joseph direction. He was to take Mary as his wife, be a father to the child, and name Him Jesus. And what’s the lesson for you? Be teachable and follow God’s instructions. It’s by faith and obedience that you will reach your God-given destiny.
(4) God assured Joseph that He was at work in the situation. When you know that, you experience peace of mind and a new perspective.
Soul food: Isa 7:14; Luke 2:1-7; Mic 5:2-5a; Isa 9:6-7
2024-12-24
Matthew 1:19 NLT
Joseph’s life of silent action gives us three keys to living in God’s promises. Today, let’s look at the first key: mercy. We are introduced to Joseph in the middle of a personal crisis. He is in love with Mary. And he believed that she loved him… until he heard she was pregnant. How should he respond? Openly shame her? Or surrender her to a public stoning as the law of Moses required? No, he chose mercy over malice and anger and revenge. The mercy of Joseph preserved the life of Mary and protected the unborn child Jesus so that He could fulfill His destiny and become our Saviour.
And this understanding, forgiving, and merciful carpenter helped to raise an understanding, forgiving, and merciful Son. A Son who would confront prejudice and hatred; who would rise above the discrimination of His culture and treat a Samaritan woman as an equal; who would release “the woman at the well” from a lifetime of failure and emptiness, and also bring hope and salvation to an entire city; who would tell a guilty woman caught in adultery and about to be stoned by a religious mob, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (John 8:11 NKJV). A Son who would accept sinners not as bad, but as lost.
One of Joseph’s other sons, James, would one day grow up to believe in Jesus and write one of the books of the Bible in which he said, “But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds” (James 3:17 NLT). Has someone hurt you? Follow the example of Joseph and show mercy.
Soul food: Job 21-23; Luke 1:67-80; Ps 128; Ecc 10:5-9
2024-12-23
Matthew 1:24 NKJV
You can search the Gospels and you won’t discover a single word spoken by Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph. But he is irreplaceable in the story of Jesus’ birth. Here is why: God used Joseph to protect and preserve the life of the Saviour.
So today, let’s look at the lesson we draw from the life of Joseph: You are responsible to protect God’s unborn purposes and promises in your life. Right now, there is a part of God’s will that is yet unknown and to be experienced in your life. A promise yet to be fulfilled. A word yet to be realized. A ministry yet to be launched. A family member yet to be saved. They are divine purposes that are presently unseen and unborn, and they must be watched over and protected so that they can come to pass.
Just as Herod ordered the death of every Hebrew baby boy under two years of age in order to eliminate Jesus, Satan will do everything he can to stop God’s plan and purpose from being accomplished in your life and in the lives of your loved ones. This will help you to understand that the battle is not over your past or your present – but over your future. What should you do?
First, be on guard. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NIV). Second, put a prayer covering over your life and your loved ones: “I looked for someone… who would… stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land” (Ezekiel 22:30 NIV).
Soul food: Job 18-20; Luke 1:57-66; Ps 47; Ecc 10:1-4
