2024-04-30
Psalm 118:24 NKJV
God wants us to appreciate the season we are in; to live in the “here and now.” Some people live only for the future. “I’ll be happy when…” Other people live in the past. Solomon addresses them: “Do not say, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ For you do not inquire wisely concerning this” (Ecclesiastes 7:10 NKJV).
The New Yorker magazine once had a cartoon in which two monks in robes and shaved heads were sitting side by side, cross legged on the floor. The younger one, with a quizzical look on his face, is facing the older one, who is saying: “Nothing happens next. This is it.” That’s exactly what it means to live in the here and now. We aren’t waiting for something else to occur, we aren’t distracted by anything around us, we aren’t trying to escape mentally to another time. We are fully alive because we are living in the moment! God may have done great things for you in the past, and you’re trusting Him to do great things in the future, but His presence, His power, His goodness, His favour, His blessing, and all that He is, can only be experienced in the here and now.
Question: “Are you living in a shell to keep from being eaten alive by the pain of life? Do you guard yourself by retreating deeper into your shell, being available only to what is pleasant, predictable, and safe?” “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Live in the “here and now.”
Soul food: Acts 24-26; Mark 5:21-30; Ps 94:1-11; Prov 11:14-15
2024-04-29
Romans 8:29 NKJV
Since God is both our Creator and our Redeemer, we are called to be “conformed to His image” in both senses. So, to become more like the Creator is to become more creative. When we apply our sanctified imagination to serve His objectives, we are doing what God does best and loves most. And our heavenly Father takes deep pride and joy in it. Just as we celebrate creativity in our kids, so God celebrates creativity in us.
Have you ever noticed how often Psalms tells us to sing a new song? The creative command is repeated no fewer than a half dozen times. The more you discover about God, the more you love Him. And the more you love Him, the more you need new ways of expressing your love. Most of us don’t classify ourselves as creative, but that’s because we narrowly define creativity. We think of it like we do a work of art, a new invention, or an entrepreneurial conception. But that’s a meager slice.
Creativity isn’t merely for artists, inventors, or entrepreneurs; it’s vital in all aspects of life. In the fullest sense, creativity is any use of the imagination. Yes, in the past we may have used our imagination for the wrong purposes. But at the new birth, your imagination is redeemed so that it can be used to glorify God. If God is infinitely creative and we are not just created in His image but called to be conformed to His image, then creativity isn’t optional. It’s a dimension of spiritual maturity.
Soul food: Acts 22-23; Mark 5:11-20; Ps 144:9-15; Prov 11:12-13
2024-04-28
Psalm 37:34 NIV
When things don’t happen as quickly as we want them to, we can become anxious, frustrated, irritable, and negative. And if you’re a “make it happen” person, you can rush ahead of God and get into trouble. “The steps of good men are directed by the Lord. He delights in each step they take” (Psalm 37:23 TLB).
Think about it: If you’re following the Lord, you can’t go faster than the One who is leading. So, just take the next step and trust Him to work things out for you. God knows what you don’t know. At best, you are working with limited knowledge. Do you believe your steps are being “directed by the Lord?” Do you believe He has a plan for your life? Do you believe He cares for you and has your best interests at heart? If you do, then stand on this Scripture: “Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep traveling steadily along his pathway and in due season he will honor you with every blessing” (Psalm 37:34 TLB). God knows what He is doing. He works according to His schedule, not ours. When will God “honor you with every blessing?” Answer: “in due season.”
Impatience is a sign of two things: (1) Immaturity. Babies cry until you pick them up, and children don’t want to wait for anything. But a wise parent knows that often the child is not ready to handle what they’re demanding. (2) Doubt and unbelief. “You need to keep on patiently doing God’s will if you want him to do for you all that he has promised” (Hebrews 10:36 TLB).
Soul food: Gal 5:22; Luke 10:25-37; Eph 4:31-32; Gen 50:15-21
2024-04-27
Psalm 119:100 NKJV
Bible expositor Eugene Peterson, author of The Message, says: “The words printed on the pages of my Bible give witness to the living and active revelation of the God of creation and salvation, the God of love who became the Word made flesh in Jesus, and I had better not forget it. If in my Bible reading I lose touch with this livingness, if I fail to listen to this living Jesus, submit to His sovereignty and respond to His love, I become arrogant in my knowing and impersonal in my behavior. An enormous amount of damage is done in the name of Christian living by bad Bible reading. Caveat lector, ‘let the reader beware.'”
It’s not enough to read God’s Word daily, you must practice its principles consistently. The psalmist writes: “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies… I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Your precepts. I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word. I have not departed from Your judgments, for You Yourself have taught me. How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:97-105 NKJV).
The Bible becomes a living word, when you decide to live according to its principles and precepts each day.
Soul food: Acts 20-21; Mark 5:1-10; Ps 144:1-8; Prov 11:10-11
2024-04-26
Genesis 1:31 NKJV
The first reaction recorded in Scripture is God’s reaction to His own creation. He stepped back at the end of each day, looked at what He had made, and said, “It’s good.” Then on the sixth day when creation was complete, He said, “It’s very good.” This is why we feel so spiritual when we watch an ocean sunset or the towering summit of a mountain.
Thomas Carlyle said, “Worship is transcendent wonder. Wonder for which there is no limit or measure; that is worship.” It’s standing in amazement of the Creator and His creation. It’s translating the beauty of creation into worship of the Creator. It’s thanking God for splendid sunrises and dazzling stars and unique snowflakes. It’s giving credit where credit is due – to the Creator. The psalmist captured it in the words: “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1 KJV). The musical group U2 captured it in the words of their hit song “Beautiful Day.” Such wonder is also an act of worship.
One pastor writes: “The sunrise is so consistent that we take it for granted, but few things are as miraculous as the celestial dance that takes place on a daily basis. The earth spins on its axis at a speed of 1,000 mph. And while [it] rotates 360 degrees on its axis every twenty-four hours, it is also hurtling through space at the unimaginable speed of 67,000 mph. You may not have any big plans for today, but you will travel 1.6 million miles in your annual lap around the sun. Quite an accomplishment!” So, take time to wonder and worship God.
Soul food: Acts 18-19; Mark 4:35-41; Ps 7:10-17; Prov 11:7-9
2024-04-25
Acts 11:26 NKJV
Did you know that the word “disciple” occurs 269 times in the New Testament, whereas the word “Christian” is found only three times? The word “Christian” was first introduced to describe who they were, disciples of Jesus Christ!
Dallas Willard uses the illustration of the automobile: “The disciple of Jesus is not the deluxe or heavy-duty model of the Christian – especially padded, textured, streamlined, and empowered for the fast lane on the straight and narrow way. He or she stands on the pages of the New Testament as the first level of basic transportation in the Kingdom of God.”
Becoming a Christian is the work of a moment; it happens when you place your trust in Christ. But becoming a disciple is the work of a lifetime; it calls for denying yourself and saying yes to the will of God every day of your life. What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? Three things:
(1) To listen to Him and learn. That calls for reading, studying, memorizing, verbalizing, and applying the truths taught in the Scriptures to your life each day.
(2) To follow Him wherever He leads. This may call for changing your plans, forfeiting some of your relationships, and giving Him access to things you would like to hold on to.
(3) To be devoted to Him. One day Jesus said to Peter, “Do you love Me more than these?” (John 21:15 NKJV). Note the word “more.” To be a disciple means to love Jesus more than anyone or anything else. And it’s the most fulfilling and rewarding life you can live!
Soul food: Acts 16-17; Mark 4:30-34; Ps 7:1-9; Prov 11:3-6
