2024-07-05
Romans 5:1 NIV
God will give you three kinds of peace.
(1) Spiritual peace. “Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” That’s the foundation, the bottom line. You must have peace with God before you can have any other kind of peace. Jesus said, “I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give” (John 14:27 NLT). Why? Because His peace has the hallmark of heaven on it.
(2) Relational peace. Paul writes, “As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18 NIV). Relational peace decreases conflict. You know from experience that relationships can be an origin of tension. For the majority of us, our greatest problems are people problems: interacting well with our boss, family, or relatives. We consistently have to deal with competition, conflict, and criticism. And these things can steal our peace.
(3) Emotional peace. “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since… you were called to peace” (Colossians 3:15 NIV). The Greek word for “rule” means “to umpire.” What is an umpire’s role? He maintains peace. He ensures the game is played in a smooth and disciplined way. And God will provide you with an internal umpire who will keep you at peace when everything around you appears chaotic. Here is a great Bible promise: “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” (Isaiah 26:3 NLT). Do you need peace today? Turn to God; you won’t be disappointed.
Soul food: 1 Sam 16-17; Luke 4:31-44; Ps 102:1-11; Prov 17:4-6
2024-07-04
Romans 12:2 NIV
How do we renew our minds? One pastor writes: “The way to upgrade your mind is to download Scripture. Doctors… of the National Institute of Mental Health did a fascinating study asking subjects to perform a simple motor task – a finger-tapping exercise. As subjects tapped, the doctors conducted an MRI to identify what part of the brain was being activated. The subjects then practiced the finger-tapping exercise daily for four weeks. At the end of the four-week period, the brain scan was repeated. In each instance, it revealed that the area of the brain involved in the task had expanded. That simple task – a finger-tapping exercise – literally recruited new nerve cells and rewired neuronal connections. When we read Scripture, we are recruiting new nerve cells and rewiring neuronal connections. In a sense, we are downloading a new operating system that reconfigures the mind. We stop thinking human thoughts and start thinking God thoughts.”
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5 NKJV). How do we fulfill that command? Paul tells us how: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Colossians 3:16 NKJV). Whether through preaching, teaching, reading, or singing, our brains are rewired in alignment with God’s Word, and we develop the mind of Christ. We think His thoughts. As a result, we end up doing His will instead of being led by our own will. So, keep renewing your mind with God’s Word.
Soul food: 1 Sam 14-15; Luke 4:14-30; Ps 98; Prov 17:1-3
2024-07-03
Ephesians 6:12 NKJV
Before doing battle with Syria, Joab told his brother, “If [they] are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you” (1 Chronicles 19:12 NKJV). If one was overwhelmed, the other could step in and help. Spiritual warfare is different, however. We’re not wrestling with “flesh and blood, but against principalities… powers… rulers of the darkness… [and] spiritual hosts of wickedness.” And wrestling is a one-on-one struggle that means getting up close and personal, going toe-to-toe with your opponent.
When David faced Goliath, the giant was so sure of himself that he announced to all Israel, “If he kills me… we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves!” (1 Samuel 17:9 NLT). Think about the long-term implications of this. If Goliath prevailed, God’s people would spend their lives serving the enemy! The stakes were incredibly high for Israel – and they are for you too.
Satan is out to defeat you, and if you wrestle according to the rules of the flesh, you will lose. Just like professional wrestlers have rules they must abide by, there are fail-safe spiritual rules designed to work for you. Paul says, “The weapons of our warfare are not physical… but they are mighty before God for the overthrow… of strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4 AMPC). The only hope you have of defeating Satan lies in prayer, Christian fellowship, God’s Word, the name of Jesus, and the blood of Jesus. These five things top the list of powerful weapons given you to defeat the Enemy. So use them today!
Soul food: 1 Sam 11-13; Luke 4:1-13; Ps 95; Prov 16:31-33
2024-07-02
Ruth 3:4 NKJV
As a Moabitess, the law said Ruth was unqualified to mix with Jews. “An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 23:3 NKJV). But when God has a plan for your life, He steps in and says, “I have called you by your name; you are Mine… you were precious in My sight… I will give men for you, and people for your life” (Isaiah 43:1, 4 NKJV).
When Boaz began showering Ruth with kindness, she knelt before him saying, “Why have I found favour in your eyes…?” (Ruth 2:10 NKJV). Notice how Boaz answered: “It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done” (v. 11 NKJV). Aware that Ruth has become the object of Boaz’s affection, Naomi instructs her: “He is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do” (Ruth 3:2-4 NKJV).
She started at his feet and ended up by his side. “Do not make yourself known.” Don’t push, don’t try to impress God with your performance, just stay at His feet and He will raise you up to His side. “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6 NKJV).
Soul food: 1 Sam 8-10; Luke 3:21-38; Ps 64; Prov 16:27-30
2024-07-01
Genesis 19:17 NLT
Before God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, He sent angels to warn Lot and his family to get out of town: “‘Run for your lives!’ [one warned.] ‘And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!’…But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt” (vv. 17, 26 NLT). By looking back, Lot’s wife disobeyed a direct instruction from God. As a result, she died – stuck in the past. There are three important lessons here for you.
(1) “Don’t… stop anywhere in the valley!” We all go through valley experiences in life, but we must not get stuck in them or set up residence in them.
(2) “And don’t look back.” The reason the windshield in your car is larger than the rearview mirror is because you’re supposed to spend most of your time looking through that one, and only periodically glancing in the other in order to make corrections so that you can continue to move forward safely and reach your destination. Getting the idea?
(3) “Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!” When someone hurts you, you have two choices: take the high road or the low road. When you take the low road and retaliate, something within you begins to die spiritually. But when you take the high road, you grow stronger, wiser, and more mature. When you get stuck in the past, it’s always at the expense of the future. Always! God has better days and better things in store for you. So forgive, forget, and move forward.
Soul food: 1 Sam 4-7; Luke 3:11-20; Ps 59:9-17; Prov 16:23-26
2024-06-30
Proverbs 29:18 KJV
A pastor writes: “The second law of thermodynamics states this physical truth: If left to their own devices, everything in the universe moves toward disorder and decay. Cars rust. Food rots… It’s also called the law of entropy. And the only way to prevent entropy is to introduce an outside energy source to counteract it. The technical term for this is negentropy. And the refrigerator is a good example. You plug it into an electrical outlet, and it produces cold air that keeps food from rotting. If the refrigerator gets disconnected from its energy source, entropy will take over again. And things will get smelly.
Isn’t that what happens when we get disconnected from God? Life moves toward decay and disorder. So how do we overcome our entropic tendencies?… [Solomon answers,] ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish.’ If sin is entropy, then investing our energies in a God-sized vision is negentropy. The word perish comes from the Hebrew word para, and ‘entropy’ is a fair translation.”
Perhaps many church problems don’t come from an abundance of sin but rather from a lack of vision? We’re not suggesting that there aren’t sin problems or that those problems don’t need to be dealt with. But in too many instances, there isn’t enough vision to keep churches busy. Our vision isn’t big enough to demand all our energies, so we focus on petty problems to keep us busy. The same is true on a personal level. If we had a larger vision of what God wanted to accomplish in us and through us, our problems would diminish because we are consumed by a cause greater than ourselves.
Soul food: Matt 5:6; Isa 55:1-7; Ps 63:1-5; John 4:1-34
