2024-08-28
1 Corinthians 1:27 NKJV
Answer: Because the only kind of people God has to work with are weak people! Moses’ relationship with God is described in these remarkable words: “The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Exodus 33:11 NKJV). So, was Moses perfect? Far from it. He spent the first forty years of his life as a prince in Pharaoh’s palace, and the next forty years as a shepherd living in the wilderness. The Bible speaks about the strains in his marriage and his times of stress and despair.
In The Ten Commandments movie, Moses is played by actor Charlton Heston, who was tall, handsome, and articulate. But Moses was actually a weak, bashful stammerer who couldn’t put two words together without verbally tripping over himself, much less speak in the courts of the most feared dictator on earth. The Bible refers to the Israelites as a “congregation” which made Moses a pastor. And no pastor had more trouble with a congregation than he did.
You say, “Why bring up Moses’ shortcomings?” To encourage you! To let you know that your flaws don’t disqualify you and your limitations don’t limit what God can do through you. Paul writes: “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty… that no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Corinthians 1:26-27, 29 NKJV).
Soul food: 2 Chr 29-31; Luke 17:20-37; Ps 119:137-144; Prov 22:11-13
2024-08-27
Psalm 91:1 NKJV
During World War II, Britain built air-raid shelters. Often there were several on the same street. A pastor tells of standing in one when bombs were falling all around. Turning to a man beside him, he asked, “How come this shelter is always crowded, and the others are empty?” He replied, “Pastor, we all know that you’re a man of God. And if He is going to save anybody, He will probably save you. That’s why we are in this shelter.”
Reflecting on it later, the pastor said, “Many of those people didn’t attend church, and the name of Jesus was a swear word in their vocabulary. They wanted His protection, but not His lordship.” Refuse to live that way! Commit your life to God and enjoy His protective care twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year, for your entire life.
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.’ Surely He shall deliver you…He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge…You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you” (Psalm 91:1-7 NKJV).
Soul food: 2 Chr 25-28; Luke 17:11-19; Ps 119:129-136; Prov 22:8-10
2024-08-26
Luke 10:40 NIV
Mary and Martha were similar in that they both loved Jesus. But the difference showed up when He visited their home. “Martha opened her home to him… Mary… sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’ ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed… Mary has chosen what is better'” (vv. 38-42 NIV).
Jesus didn’t say that what Martha was doing was not good. He said that what Mary was doing was better. What was Mary doing? Sitting at His feet, listening to His words, loving and adoring Him.
There is a lesson here, particularly for those involved in church work and ministry. Don’t get so involved in the work of the Lord that you fail to get involved with the Lord of the work. E. M. Bounds said, “To be much alone with God is the secret of knowing Him and of influence with Him.” Question: If you are not being influenced by God, who or what is influencing you? People? Pressures? Circumstances? If Jesus had come for dinner, He may well have commended Martha and told Mary to get busy in the kitchen. But His priority, before going to the cross, was to spend time with those He loved. Here is a thought that will change your attitude toward prayer: Jesus wants to spend time with you!
Soul food: 2 Chr 22-24; Luke 17:1-10; Ps 119:121-128; Prov 22:4-7
2024-08-25
Job 22:27 NKJV
When God makes a promise to us, we have every right to expect Him to keep it. And when we make God a promise, He has every right to expect us to keep it. “You will make your prayer to Him, He will hear you, and you will pay your vows. You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you; so light will shine on your ways” (vv. 27-28 NKJV). This Scripture could be your doorway to blessing and a key to the breakthrough you have been praying for.
Go back and revisit the promises you have made to God. Why? Because He wants you to feel confident toward Him. “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John 3:21-22 NKJV). No more excuses. Accept responsibility for what you are and what you can become.
Dare to pray: “Disturb me, Lord, when my dreams come true, only because I dreamed too small. Disturb me when I arrive safely, only because I sailed too close to the shore. Disturb me when the things I have gained cause me to lose my thirst for more of you. Disturb me when I have acquired success, only to lose my desire for excellence. Disturb me when I give up too soon and settle too far short of the goals you have set for my life” (Author Unknown).
In order to go forward, you may have to go back and make things right between you and the Lord. If so, do it!
Soul food: John 10:1-18; Rev 7:13-17; Ps 23; Luke 15:1-7
2024-08-24
Isaiah 43:19 NKJV
Don’t allow the pain of your past to blur your vision and steal the blessing God has in store for you in the future. God says, “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing” (vv. 18-19 NKJV). If you have been wounded by old relationships, God has new ones waiting for you. “The Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons'” (1 Samuel 16:1 NKJV).
Grieving your losses is healthy. But when you get stuck in the past, it’s always at the expense of the future. There comes a time when you must stop talking about what cannot be changed. Plus, if you keep treating your friends to a history lesson, you will lose them, because your words are creating a climate that’s uncomfortable for them to be in. God’s solution to pain is purpose. God’s solution to old wounds is a commitment to walk in love.
C. M. Parkes said, “Grief is… the price we pay for love.” Those we love most can hurt us most. “Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him… ‘seventy times seven'” (Matthew 18:21-22 NKJV). To recover your peace and joy, you must forgive and keep on forgiving until the past loses its hold on you. When that happens, it’s a new day for you!
Soul food: 2 Chr 19-21; Luke 16:19-31; Ps 119:113-120; Prov 22:1-3
2024-08-23
Acts 9:10 NIV
Why did God use Ananias to lead Saul of Tarsus to Christ? Because he was the right man, in the right place, at the right time, with the right message, and the right attitude. “In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, ‘Ananias!’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ he answered. The Lord told him, ‘Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying…Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, ‘Brother Saul'” (vv. 10-11, 17 NIV).
So here is the question: If God needed you to do something for Him, would you be ready? Would you be willing? This was not an easy assignment because Saul was notorious for imprisoning Christians and putting them to death. But when God told Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles” (v. 15 NIV), he trusted God and went. Note the words “placing his hands on Saul, he said, ‘Brother Saul.'”
Ananias had every right to fear Saul and even resent him. Yet he called him “brother.” Ananias acknowledged an old foe as now being part of God’s redeemed family. And you must learn to do that too. When God calls someone His child, you must love them, accept them, and treat them as your brother or sister in Christ. So, let’s go back to the question: If God needed you to do something for Him today, would you be ready? You can be. And you need to be.
Soul food: 2 Chr 16-18; Luke 16:1-18; Ps 119:105-112; Prov 21:28-31
