2024-09-02
Matthew 11:12 NLT
Peter gets unfairly criticized. He is the disciple who denied Christ three times, but he is the only one who got close enough to Jesus to get caught. He is the disciple who impulsively cut off Malchus’s ear when the lynch mob came to arrest Jesus, but he is the only one who came to Jesus’ defense. He is the disciple who sank in the Sea of Galilee, but he is the only disciple who walked on water.
It’s so easy to criticize people from the comfortable confines of the boat. Basically, there are two kinds of people: creators and criticizers – those who get out of the boat and walk on water and those who sit in the boat and criticize the water walkers. When everything is said and done, our greatest regrets will be the God-ordained risks we didn’t take.
German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, “Hell begins the day that God grants you the vision to see all that you could have done, should have done, and would have done, but did not do.” Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it.”
What do you believe God is leading you to do? What is the persistent prompting of the Holy Spirit urging you to do? Do it. Failing to take a faith-based risk is like permanently misplacing a piece from the jigsaw puzzle of your life. It leaves a disappointing hole. When we reach the end of our lives, our biggest regrets will be those missing pieces. So today, go ahead and take a faith-based risk.
Soul food: Josh 1-4; Luke 19:1-10; Ps 84; Prov 22:24-26
2024-09-01
Mark 4:39 NKJV
A pastor describes some storms in life: “You come home from work, walk into the kitchen, and find a note saying, ‘I want out of the marriage.’ A clap of thunder! You go to the doctor anticipating a normal checkup, and the lab work comes back, and you have cancer. The wind howls! You go to bed at peace, only to be interrupted by a phone call at three in the morning telling you that your father has suddenly died of a heart attack. Your ship nearly capsizes! The only predictable thing about life’s storms is their unpredictability. They sweep in when you least expect them.”
Jesus had told His disciples, “Let us cross over to the other side” (v. 35 NKJV). They should have realized that when He climbed aboard the boat, it became unsinkable. Inherent in His words was a promise of safe arrival. A difference exists between hearing a promise and believing it. Too frequently, we fail to believe that Jesus will accomplish what He has promised us.
The pastor encourages us: “In those moments, we should remind ourselves that the sun may quit shining, the wind may start blowing, and the waves may begin crashing, but Jesus never fails to keep His promises… Jesus wants you to… remember that there is no need to fear when He is near… He wants to be the Captain of your life’s ship. You may not always be aware of Jesus, but He is there just the same. For those disciples, the safest place in the world… was right there in that boat. Because safety is not the absence of problems. Safety is the presence of Jesus.”
Soul food: Phil 2:5-11; Rev 19:11-16; Acts 3:1-16; Matt 1:18-21
2024-08-31
Mark 4:35 NKJV
Growing in faith and getting to know Jesus intimately requires going through storms with Him. The disciples discovered this when Jesus said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Next, we read: “A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling” (v. 37 NKJV). Their story has a happy ending. Jesus calmed the storm, and they said in amazement, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” (v. 41 NKJV).
There are life-changing truths Jesus taught and aspects of His character that you will never understand until you have been through a storm with Him. Sometimes when storms come, we assume they are the result of something we have done wrong or that we’re not in the will of God. The disciples were in the storm due to obedience, not disobedience. They hadn’t done anything wrong; they had done something right.
Understand this: Even if you love Jesus with all your heart, you will still face storms. As the disciples discovered, the storm can come when you’re closest to Jesus. He doesn’t promise that the storm won’t strike your boat but that the storm won’t sink it. He doesn’t promise smooth sailing, but He guarantees a safe landing. You will either face life’s troubles with fear or faith. How are they different? Fear concentrates on the storm; faith concentrates on the Saviour.
It may sound surprising, but we need storms. Jesus permits us to sail into them so that we will (1) consider His promises, (2) stay calm in His presence, and (3) have confidence in His power.
Soul food: 3 John; Jude; Luke 18:31-43; Ps 119:169-176
2024-08-30
Acts 17:11 NKJV
Here is a tale of two cities: (1) Thessalonica rejected the truth. “Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures… saying, ‘This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ’ …But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar” (vv. 2-3, 5 NKJV).
(2) Berea received the truth. “Paul…went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men” (vv. 10-12 NKJV).
This is not just a tale of two cities but two mindsets. An open mindset and a closed mindset. A closed mindset says, “I believe I know all there is to know about this subject,” and an open mindset says, “I’m grateful for what I know, but I believe there is more to know.” But a word of caution! Just because a speaker says something doesn’t mean you should accept it without question. A leader who seeks to honor God won’t be offended when you question what they say. The Bereans “received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” Whose teachings were they checking out? Paul’s, the author of half the New Testament! So, the word for you today is – always be open-minded.
Soul food: 2 Chr 35-36; 2 John; Luke 18:18-30; Ps 119:161-168
2024-08-29
Proverbs 24:32 NKJV
King Solomon is considered one of the wisest men who ever lived. He wrote three books in the Bible and is quoted regularly. And he was a lifetime learner and seeker of truth. “When I saw it, I considered it well; I looked on it and received instruction.” Note the words “I considered it well.” That should be your fixed attitude in life.
God’s plan for you is to keep learning, changing, growing, and maturing until you draw your last breath. And that means always being open-minded. Consider the Pharisees. They were 100 percent committed to their belief system. They were also the best-educated people in society. Yet they resisted Jesus and the truth He shared at every turn. Why? For three very common reasons: (1) Pride: “If what Jesus says is right, that makes us wrong.” (2) Security: “If we accept what He is teaching, what will happen to our reputation and our income?” (3) Tradition: “We have believed and done things this way for generations.”
Can you see where we’re going with this line of thought? And can you see how it may apply to your life? One pastor said, “It’s good to be saved and sanctified, as long as you are not saved, sanctified, and stuck!” Spiritual growth requires two things: a hunger for truth, and the humility to acknowledge that you still have more to learn. Those are two qualities that God always honors: “The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way” (Psalm 25:9 NKJV). So always be open-minded.
Soul food: 2 Chr 32-34; Luke 18:1-17; Ps 119:145-160; Prov 22:14-16
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
