2024-06-23
Psalm 56:3 NIV
If you live long enough, life will bring you bad news. It may be the loss of a loved one, your health, your income, your marriage, your reputation, etc. The psalmist wrote, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” When bad times come, you need to hold on to everything you know about who God is. You must remind yourself that He is loving, caring, and worthy of your complete trust. Sometimes God will give you the answer; other times He will give you the assurance of His presence. In changing times, you must lay hold of the unchanging character of God. As the hymn says, “When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.”
Does that mean denying your feelings and emotions? No. David said, “I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles” (Psalm 142:2 NLT). God is not asking you to deny the pain, the loss, and the reality of your circumstances. Even Jesus offered up prayers with “fervent cries and tears” (Hebrews 5:7 NIV). If you don’t pour out your heart before God, you risk hardening your heart toward Him. Saint Augustine said, “For they are very deep in the deep, who do not even cry from the deep.” It’s when you hit the bottom and turn to God that you discover He is there. It’s by being shaken to the core that you develop an unshakable faith in God. When that happens, you can stand on His Word which says, “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go” (Genesis 28:15 NIV).
Soul food: Matt 5:5; Num 12:1-15; Ps 37:1-11; Phil 2:5-11
2024-06-22
Matthew 4:7 NLT
Satan will use half-truths to trap you. He took Jesus to “the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, “He will order his angels to protect you.” ‘…Jesus responded, ‘The Scriptures also say, “You must not test the Lord your God”‘” (vv. 5-7 NLT). Satan will tell you, “Your spouse doesn’t understand you or meet your needs, you’re lonely, go ahead and have that affair. God will understand and forgive you.” God may forgive you, but the Bible also says, “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7 KJV).
When Satan comes calling, you had better know what the Word of God actually says – not just selected snippets. Paul writes, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching… in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16 NIV). We like to handpick Scriptures that suit our lifestyle and facilitate our wants. But when the Enemy manipulates God’s Word and uses it against you, you need to be able to say, “The Scriptures also say.” In other words, you need to know what else God has to say.
The Bible says Satan “will speak against the Most High… oppress his holy people and try to change… times and… laws” (Daniel 7:25 NIV). He knows God’s Word is a “double-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12 NCV), but he will still try to engage you in a sword fight! Don’t let him bamboozle you with distortions and half-truths! Get into God’s Word, get God’s Word into you, and tell Satan, “Get thee behind me” (Matthew 16:23 KJV).
Soul food: 2 Cor 1-4; Luke 1:67-80; Ps 139:13-24; Prov 15:31-33
2024-06-21
Isaiah 5:4 NLT
Author Brennan Manning tells the story of how he got the name “Brennan.” Growing up, his best friend was Ray. The two of them did everything together: bought a car together as teenagers, dated together, went to school together, and so forth. They even enlisted in the army together, went to boot camp together, and fought on the front lines together. One night, sitting in a foxhole, Brennan was reminiscing about the old days in Brooklyn while his friend Ray listened and ate a chocolate bar. Suddenly a grenade landed in the foxhole. Ray smiled at Brennan, dropped his chocolate, and threw himself on the live grenade. It exploded, killing Ray, but Brennan’s life was spared. Later Brennan was ordained as a priest, and at that time it was customary to take the name of a saint. He thought of his friend, Ray Brennan, and chose the name “Brennan.”
Years later, he visited Ray’s mother in Brooklyn. They were sitting up late one night drinking tea when Brennan asked her, “Do you think Ray loved me?” Mrs. Brennan got up off the couch, shook her finger in his face, and shouted, “What more could he have done for you?” Brennan says that right then he experienced an epiphany. He imagined himself standing before the cross of Jesus wondering, “Does God really love me?” And Jesus’ mother pointing to her son, saying, “What more could He have done for you?” When Jesus said, “It is finished,” the price of your salvation was paid in full. The question is – will you accept Him today as your Saviour and Lord?
Soul food: Eze 46-48; Luke 1:57-66; Ps 139:7-12; Prov 15:28-30
2024-06-20
1 John 3:18 NLT
The word “love” isn’t just a noun, it’s a verb (an action word). And it’s not demonstrated simply by what you say but by what you do.
In a small Jewish town in Russia, there is a rabbi who reputedly doesn’t show up for several hours every Friday morning. His followers claim that during this time he goes up to heaven and talks to God. A stranger moved into town and was skeptical about all this, so he decided to check things out. He hid and watched. The rabbi got up in the morning, said his prayers, then dressed in peasant clothes. He grabbed an axe and went off into the woods and cut firewood, which he hauled to a shack on the outskirts of the village where an old woman and her sick son lived. He left them enough wood for a week, then crept back home. Having observed the rabbi’s behavior for himself, the newcomer became his disciple. Now when he hears the villagers say, “On Friday morning our rabbi ascends all the way up to heaven,” he quietly adds, “If not higher.”
You can’t earn salvation by doing good works, but if you are truly saved, your actions and attitudes will prove that you are truly a recipient of salvation. Paul wrote these two Scriptures to Titus: “In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works” (Titus 2:7 NKJV). “These things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men” (Titus 3:8 NKJV).
Soul food: Eze 43-45; Luke 1:39-56; Ps 139:1-6; Prov 15:25-27
2024-06-19
Proverbs 13:20 NLT
When you encounter someone who tries to “cut you down to size,” remind yourself they are probably trying to cut you down to their size. So, what should you do? Love them, but don’t be overly influenced by what they say. As a rule, instead of staying where you’re tolerated, go where you’re appreciated!
The Japanese bonsai tree is tiny, growing only about eighteen inches tall. To create a bonsai, a young sapling is pulled from the soil. Then the taproot and some of the feeder shoots are tied off. Thus, the growth of the bonsai tree is deliberately stunted.
By contrast, the California sequoia tree grows large. For example, the General Sherman in California’s Sequoia National Park stands 275 feet and measures 100 feet in circumference at its trunk. If felled, it would provide enough lumber to build over 30 five-room homes! The sequoia begins life as a small seed, no bigger than the bonsai seed. So, what makes the difference? The sequoia sapling is allowed to be nourished in the rich California soil and sunshine.
Now, neither the bonsai nor the sequoia has a choice in determining how large it will become – but you do! For instance, you can’t go through life blaming others – including your parents – for what they may or may not have done in the past. So, here are your options: Stay where you are and suffer, or move to a rich, fertile, nourishing environment where you can grow. Is that always easy? No. But if you believe what Jesus said – “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10 NLT) – you will be willing to do it.
Soul food: Eze 40:10-42:20; Luke 1:26-38; Ps 73:17-28; Prov 15:22-24
2024-06-18
1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV
Failure doesn’t mean you will never succeed; it just means it may take a bit longer. John Wayne coined a great line in the movie The Train Robbers. He said, “You’re going to spend the rest of your life getting up one more time than you’re knocked down, so you’d better start getting used to it.” That’s what success is – getting up one time more than you were knocked down. You have no idea how close you may be to what you want to achieve. But if you quit, you will never know – plus you guarantee that you will never get there. Author Ben Stein said, “The human spirit is never finished when it is defeated. It is finished when it surrenders.”
Time magazine conducted a survey among people who had lost their jobs. Everyone expected them to be crestfallen and disheartened, but they found them to be extremely resilient. Why? The survey showed that people who had lost jobs and found new ones were better prepared to deal with adversity than those who had been with the same company for years without ever having had to deal with unemployment.
When you have experienced failure, you’re actually in a better position to achieve success than people who have not. When you fail and fail again – and keep bouncing back and learning from your failures – you’re building character, strength, tenacity, experience, and wisdom. And people who develop these qualities are capable of sustaining their successes, unlike those for whom good things come too early and too easily. As long as you don’t give up, you’re in a good position. So the word for you today is – “Stand firm. Let nothing move you.”
Soul food: Eze 37:1-40:9; Luke 1:11-25; Ps 73:1-16; Prov 15:18-21
