2024-11-11
2 Chronicles 25:2 NIV
The Bible says, “Amaziah… did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly” (vv. 1-2 NIV). Contrast that with what God said about David: “I have found David… a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do” (Acts 13:22 NIV). This can be a little bewildering because when you read about David’s life, you find chapters of adultery, murder, and cover-up. He’s a disaster as a husband and inferior as a dad. But his heart is devoted to God. How do we know? Because when he makes mistakes and sins, he repents and desires to get right with God again. When David guided the return of the ark of the covenant to Israel, he danced before the Lord “with all his might” (2 Samuel 6:14). He put his whole self into it. If you wonder how that dance looked, the text reveals it involved King David “leaping and dancing before the Lord” (v. 16).
The heart, in early history, was the core of a person. It meant not only feelings, as we many times think of the heart, but the center of a person’s being, especially the will. So, wholehearted devotion to God reveals what you choose to embrace with all your energies. Amaziah lived twenty-nine years of his life finessing his commitment to God. He did what was right, but his heart was elsewhere. David, in spite of his flaws, pursued God with all his heart. So the word for you today is – strive for wholehearted devotion to God.
Soul food: Isa 63-66; John 9:13-23; Ps 115; Prov 29:7-10
2024-11-10
Psalm 37:8 AMPC
Small offenses can be forgiven easily. But when someone hurts us badly and seems to be getting away with it, forgiveness is a real challenge. Until you forgive the offense and let it go, you will constantly feel the weight of it weighing you down. One of the biggest mistakes you can make when it comes to forgiving is thinking that if your feelings don’t immediately change toward someone, you haven’t really forgiven them. No, forgiveness is a decision. It’s an act of your will. You may continue to struggle with feelings of hurt and resentment. That doesn’t invalidate your decision to forgive; it just means healing takes time. And your healing begins the moment you decide to forgive.
The Bible says, “Let all bitterness… be put away from you… And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31-32 NKJV). Once you have done your part, which is to forgive, trust God to do His part, which is to heal your emotions and restore your peace and joy. You have the power to make the decision to forgive, but only God has the power to change your feelings toward the person who hurt you. So, trust God to change your heart. Eventually, your feelings will follow and line up with your decisions.
In the meantime: “Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him; fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; fret not yourself – it tends only to evildoing” (Psalm 37:7-8 AMPC).
Soul food: Job 1; Job 2:7-10; Job 40:1-5; Job 42:7-17
2024-11-09
Matthew 13:26 NKJV
Jesus said: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner… said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn”‘” (vv. 24-30 NKJV).
Removing the weeds (ungodly) from the wheat (godly) is not our job. We must concentrate on cultivating wheat, and let God do the dividing. Why? Because the roots of both plants (lives) will have become so closely entwined that even if you could differentiate between the two, you would uproot the wheat with the weeds. You would also uproot the wheat that was planted and would mature later. Plus, some of the wheat that has not yet formed heads of grain you would confuse for weeds. Your job is to bear good fruit, and God’s job is to divide the wheat from the tares. So the word for you today is – leave the judging to God.
Soul food: Isa 58-62; John 9:1-12; Ps 15; Prov 29:4-6
2024-11-08
Hebrews 7:25 NKJV
A Christian leader writes: “The Italian violin maker Antonio Stradivari was a poor man. And yet his violins are now the most prized violins ever made because of the rich and resonant sound they produce. The unique sound of a Stradivarius cannot be duplicated. What may surprise you is that these precious instruments were not made from treasured pieces of wood; they were carved from discarded lumber. Because Stradivari couldn’t afford fine materials, he got most of his wood from the dirty harbors where he lived. He would take those waterlogged pieces of wood to his shop, clean them up, and dry them out. Then, from those trashed pieces of lumber, he would create instruments of rare beauty.
It has since been discovered that while the wood floated in those dirty harbors, microbes infiltrated the wood and ate out the centers of those cells. This left just a fibrous infrastructure of wood that created resonating chambers for the music. From wood that nobody wanted, Stradivari produced violins that now everybody wants.”
You say, “How does any of this relate to me?” Just as this violin maker transformed garbage into treasure, God can transform you into what you were actually meant to be. You say, “But you don’t know how low I have fallen or the things I’ve done. I doubt that Jesus could save and transform someone like me!” Give Him a try. Put Him to the test. You won’t be disappointed. The Bible says, “He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him.”
Soul food: Isa 53-57; John 8:42-59; Ps 123; Prov 29:1-3
2024-11-07
Psalm 33:20 AMPC
Our inner self can be trained to wait on God, even though our outer self is stressed and anxious for answers. This is not easy to do in our fast-paced society, where the spiritual discipline of waiting on the Lord is often lacking. We want everything – right now. But if we are always in a hurry, we will miss out on the close fellowship with God that takes time to develop. He will speak to our hearts if only we will be patient to listen.
After slaying the prophets of Baal, Elijah learned a valuable lesson about waiting on God. The Lord told him to go stand on a mountain. A great wind came, then an earthquake, then a fire, but the Lord was in none of these. The Bible says, “After the fire [a sound of gentle stillness and] a still, small voice” (1 Kings 19:12 AMPC). The Lord spoke in a still, small voice after the wind, the earthquake, and the fire. If Elijah had been impatient he would not have heard the Lord’s voice.
David also learned to wait on God and “meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple” (Psalm 27:4 AMPC). In order for us to pray effectively, we must choose to wait patiently and listen for His word. Waiting and listening takes the focus off us and places it on Him, who is the answer to all our needs. It is often in silence that the power of God is moving most mightily. So, allow the Holy Spirit to teach you how to wait in His presence.
Soul food: Isa 49-52; John 8:31-41; Ps 30; Prov 28:25-28
2024-11-06
John 6:9 NIV
If you feel you’re not talented enough to be used by God, read the story of the feeding of the five thousand. Actually, there were five thousand men. If you add women and children, the number could be more than twenty thousand. And the boy’s lunch was more meager than you imagine. A loaf was about the size of a mini pancake. The word for fish refers to sea creatures about the size of sardines.
But what made that little lunch a big feast is what the boy did when Jesus asked him for it. He gave it willingly. He didn’t say, “Lord, you can have one fish, but I will keep the other one. You take three loaves, and I will keep the other two.” He gave Jesus everything He asked for. Now think about the results of his act of sacrificial kindness.
(1) The original lunch didn’t fill up even a single basket, but the leftovers filled twelve baskets. This illustrates the harvest law taught in Scripture. When you give to God, you always get back more than you give (See Luke 6:38 NCV). And when you withhold, you rob yourself of His blessing. “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want” (Proverbs 11:24 ESV).
(2) By meeting the needs of others, his own needs were met. “Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted” (John 6:11 NIV). The truth is that when you give God what you have, you will be amazed what He does with it.
Soul food: Isa 45-48; John 8:21-30; Ps 86; Prov 28:21-24
