2024-07-11
Romans 16:2 NLT
Charles Plumb was a pilot in Vietnam, and after seventy-five combat missions, his plane was demolished by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected, parachuted into enemy hands, and spent the next six years in a Communist prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on what he learned from his experience.
One day when he and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man from another table walked over and said, “You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!” Plumb said, “How in the world did you know that?” The man replied, “I packed your parachute.” Then the man grabbed his hand and said, “I guess it worked!” Plumb assured him it had: “If your chute hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t be here today.”
That night he couldn’t sleep, wondering about the man. What had he looked like in a Navy uniform? How many times had Plumb seen him without even asking, “How are you?” – or anything else – because Plumb was a fighter pilot and the other man was only a sailor. He pondered the many hours that sailor had spent in the bowels of the ship, meticulously weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands the destiny of a stranger.
As a result, Plumb routinely asks his audience an important question: “Who’s packing your parachute?” All of us have someone who provides what we need to make it through the day. Paul said Phoebe “has been helpful to many, and especially to me.” Who helps you? Today show them your appreciation.
Soul food: Eph 1:1-4:16; Luke 6:17-26; Ps 137; Prov 17:22-23
2024-07-10
Matthew 5:29 NIV
Desperate situations sometimes call for desperate measures, and severing your supply line to your flesh means getting radical. Jesus puts it like this: “If your right eye leads you astray pluck it out and throw it away… better… to lose one of your members than that your whole body should be thrown on to the rubbish-heap. Yes, if your right hand leads you astray cut it off and throw it away… better… to lose one of your members than that your whole body should go to the rubbish-heap” (vv. 29-30 PHPS). Jesus is advocating moral and spiritual surgery – and that’s radical! There is no way to argue, reason, or negotiate with sin. Whatever your personal battle – gambling, alcohol, drugs, wrong relationships, or internet porn – its purpose is to destroy you and it needs to be eradicated.
The apostle Paul was familiar with Old Testament Scripture. He knew that when faced with similar temptation, Samson fell while Joseph stood strong. That’s why he wrote to his spiritual son, Timothy, warning him about the sin that could disqualify him and keep him from winning the race: “Run from temptations that capture young people” (2 Timothy 2:22 CEV). Life in today’s environment is saturated with seductive influences, which means we can’t always eliminate the source. So Paul tells Timothy – when you can’t remove the influence, remove yourself! And furthermore, run, don’t walk. You can be free, but your carnal mind will only give you a few seconds before it decides for you. So don’t hesitate, don’t deviate, and don’t procrastinate. Do what needs to be done – and do it quickly.
Soul food: 1 Sam 27-31; Luke 6:1-16; Ps 122; Prov 17:18-21
2024-07-09
Proverbs 3:5 NKJV
The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (vv. 5-6 NKJV). God wants you to trust Him. As long as you’re struggling to figure things out on your own, you’re not trusting God and you won’t have peace. You must trust Him with your health, your money, your relationships, and your future. Everything!
God never makes a mistake. All that happens in your life fits into His plan for you – even the problems and miseries and troubles you bring on yourself. He fits everything flawlessly into His plan for you (See Romans 8:28). And all He expects from you is to trust Him instead of attempting to figure everything out – that you acknowledge He is in control. When you do this, He promises to “make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:6 NIV).
When we aim at directing our own lives, we follow arbitrary paths filled with indecisiveness: “Should I do this or that? Should I go here or over there?” And it produces stress! But as soon as you trust in the Lord, He directs your paths and makes them successful, not stressful. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds” (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV).
Note the order – prayer first, then peace. So, if you’re not praying, you’re probably worrying. And worry is a worthless emotion – a waste! So, when pressure starts accumulating, instead of panicking, start praying! Prayer is a remarkable stress reliever.
Soul food: 1 Sam 24-26; Luke 5:27-39; Ps 110; Prov 17:15-17
2024-07-08
Psalm 46:10 NIV
To have peace you must focus on God’s presence. What you choose to focus on either fuels your fears or your faith. The Bible says, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3 NIV). That verse could be reduced to one sentence: “Get your focus in order – look at me.” The psalmist says, “God is… an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1 NIV). Later in that psalm, He reminds us, “Be still, and know that I am God” (v. 10 NIV). These verses were written during the time of Hezekiah. Enemy armed forces had surrounded Jerusalem and the Israelites were tense, so they prayed this prayer! And five minutes before noon, God struck the Assyrians with a plague and 185,000 of them perished. Jerusalem was saved, and everyone was joyful.
This psalm helps us remember that God is our refuge. No matter how overwhelming the odds seem, He is always with you to help. This psalm informs us of two things about receiving God’s help in times of trouble. The first thing is to “be still.” Many of our troubles come from our inability to sit still. The second thing is to “know that I am God.”
Did you know that in the middle of a hurricane or tornado there is a quiet center referred to as an eye? Likewise, though everything is blowing apart around you, you can have a quiet center. Be still and know. When you live this way, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds” (Philippians 4:7 NIV). When you think about it, it’s the only sane way to live!
Soul food: 1 Sam 20:30-23:29; Luke 5:12-26; Ps 102:18-28; Prov 17:11-14
2024-07-07
Psalm 119:165 NIV
In order to find real peace, you must do two things:
(1) Live by the principles of God’s Word. “Great peace have those who love your law.” Peace arrives when you live in harmony with God. A new car comes with an owner’s manual. It tells you that for your car to perform well, you must do certain things at certain times. Likewise, the Bible is your owner’s manual for life. It contains guiding principles for finances, health, marriage, business, relationships, and considerably more. Just as your car drives more smoothly when you use it according to its design, so your life will go more smoothly when you live it according to God’s design.
(2) Accept God’s pardon. Guilt is the top destroyer of peace. When we feel guilty, we feel haunted by our past. That’s why we read about people who make amends for a wrong they committed thirty years earlier. They say, “I was living in hell all those years and had to get it off my chest.” The only way to have peace is to possess a clear conscience, and only God is able to give you that. “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives… transgression?… You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy” (Micah 7:18 NIV). Notice, Micah reveals God is eager – ready and waiting – to clean your slate. It’s His personality. He enjoys forgiving. He owns a big eraser. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NIV).
Soul food: Matt 5:7; Matt 18:21-35; Ps 103:8-18; Lam 3:22-24
2024-07-06
John 14:27 NIV
Jesus said His peace is a gift. That means you don’t have to work for it and you cannot earn it. You cannot psych yourself up for it, and you cannot “try really hard” to obtain it. No, it’s a gift you must accept by faith. Jesus also said that His peace is unique from what the world provides. In the last 3,500 years, the world has only been free of war for 286 of them – that’s less than 9 percent. This world’s peace doesn’t last.
Jesus told His disciples, “I give you my own peace and my gift is nothing like the peace of this world. You must not be distressed and you must not be daunted” (vv. 27-28 PHPS). He spoke those words just before He went to the cross. So, God’s peace is not regulated by circumstances – it’s an “inside job.”
Have you ever heard someone say, “I need to get away?” This is sometimes known as a geographical cure. You think if you leave where you are and go somewhere else, you will have peace. But it doesn’t work, for wherever you go, you take yourself with you. Have you ever been so tired that your body collapsed into bed but your mind wouldn’t turn off? Well, you can get away and find peace! How? Jesus gives us the solution: “You may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NLT). Where can you find peace? Jesus said, “In me!” Today, spend time with Him.
Soul food: 1 Sam 18:1-20:29; Luke 5:1-11; Ps 102:12-17; Prov 17:7-10
