2024-04-24
Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV
The men and women who made the greatest impact on the world were those who were totally focused and sold out to their vision. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, once said, “If I had three hundred men who feared nothing but God, hated nothing but sin, and were determined to know nothing among men but Jesus Christ and Him crucified, I would set the world on fire.” Jonathan Edwards, whose ministry sparked the Great Awakening in America, made this his life’s motto: “Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I will.”
C. T. Studd, one of England’s greatest athletes, shocked the world when he gave up fame and fortune to be a missionary to China. “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him,” he explained. Missionary Jim Elliot, who died as a martyr in South America, said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
The day you were born, God had a track for you to run on. But to win, you must get rid of (1) anything that weighs you down, and (2) anything that trips you up. “Let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus” (vv. 1-2 AMPC).
Soul food: Acts 14-15; Mark 4:21-29; Ps 16; Prov 11:1-2
2024-04-23
John 15:3 KJV
God’s Word is like a prescription from your doctor. You don’t have to understand how the medication works – you just have to faithfully keep taking it. Something amazing happens when you feed regularly on God’s Word. Temptation begins to lose power, and overcoming strength begins to replace it. Each time a Scripture opens up and becomes real to you, your desire for God’s Word increases. But that means reading your Bible even when you don’t feel like it, or think you don’t have time to do it, or you don’t seem to be getting much out of it.
The Bible says: “As the rain and snow come down from heaven and stay upon the ground to water the earth, and cause the grain to grow and to produce seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry, so also is my Word… it always produces fruit. It shall accomplish all I want it to” (Isaiah 55:10-11 TLB). You don’t have to have certain sensations to know that God’s Word is working in you.
Indeed, Bible reading will keep you from sin, and sin will keep you from Bible reading. After his affair with Bathsheba, David wrote, “I have thought much about your words and stored them in my heart so that they would hold me back from sin” (Psalm 119:11 TLB). Jesus said, “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” Are you tired of living in defeat? Then bathe your mind each day in God’s Word. Let it flow over you until every vestige of sin and carnality is washed away.
Soul food: Acts 12-13; Mark 4:10-20; Ps 103:13-22; Prov 10:30-32
2024-04-22
Proverbs 19:21 NIV
They say, “The devil is in the details.” But for a redeemed child of God, He is in the details! When you set your heart on something and it doesn’t happen, it’s only human to experience disappointment. At such moments, here is what you need to keep in mind:
(1) At best, you’re always working with limited information. You may know the end result you desire, but God knows what’s best for you, and He plans accordingly. “I am God,… declaring the end from the beginning,… saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure'” (Isaiah 46:9-10 NKJV).
(2) Trying to work outside of God’s will is like attempting to dig your way through a solid wall with a fork. Instead of digging your way out of a prison, you dig your way into one when you demand to get what you want. Do you really want to carry out a plan God hasn’t ordained? Can you depend on Him to know what’s best for you? “The Lord, the God of battle, has spoken – who can change his plans? When his hand moves, who can stop him?” (Isaiah 14:27 TLB).
It’s better to be disappointed temporarily than end up with something you can’t handle. The story of Israel reads like this: “He… redeemed them from the hand of the enemy…. Then they believed His words; they sang His praise. They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel… and tested God in the desert. And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul” (Psalm 106:10, 12-15 NKJV). Trust God, and He will give you what’s best.
Soul food: Acts 10-11; Mark 4:1-9; Ps 103:1-12; Prov 10:27-29
2024-04-21
Matthew 15:14 NIV
There are plenty of good leaders around – don’t be afraid to follow them. But what about the “blind guides” that Jesus talks about? Here are some signs to help you identify and avoid them:
(1) Inflexibility. True leaders have a teachable spirit and a servant’s heart. They rejoice in your growth and aren’t threatened by your development. They won’t try to “keep you in the nest” when it’s clear that you’re ready to fly.
(2) Elitism. Look out for the “we-alone-are-right” attitude. When someone can’t acknowledge and fellowship with other members of God’s redeemed family, something’s wrong. The word exclusive is often another word for paranoid.
(3) Moneygrubbing. Here is God’s standard for leadership: “Not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve” (1 Peter 5:2 NIV). The Bible also says good leaders are “worthy of double honour” (1 Timothy 5:17 KJV), which means twice as much. But look out for those who teach that you must only sow your seed into their field, and nowhere else.
(4) Accountability. Beware of the untouchable, “I-am-God’s-anointed” types. No matter how gifted we are, we all have blind spots and need to be confronted and counseled from time to time. Solomon said, “Pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up” (Ecclesiastes 4:10 NIV). Here is what Jesus said about the religious leaders of His day: “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit” (Matthew 15:13-14 NIV). When choosing a leader, you don’t need a blind prima donna; you need one with a servant spirit.
Soul food: Gal 5:22; 2 Pet 3:3-15; Matt 5:39; 1 Sam 25:1-42
2024-04-20
James 3:2 NLT
The Bible has a lot to say about the dangers of the tongue. James devotes an entire chapter to this subject: “If we could control our tongues, we…could also control ourselves in every other way.” Now there is an aspect of self-control to consider! The Greek sage Publius said, “I have often regretted my speech, but never my silence.” And novelist William Edward Norris wrote, “If you your lips would keep from slips, five things observe with care; to whom you speak, of whom you speak, and how, and when, and where.”
King David puts it this way: “I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle” (Psalm 39:1 NASB 1995). That’s what it takes – a muzzle! David is talking about making a conscious commitment to watch what you say, and if you want to accomplish this, here are three principles you need to live by:
(1) Think first. Before you speak, pause for ten seconds and mentally preview your words. Are they accurate or exaggerated? Kind or cutting? Needless or necessary? Grateful or complaining? What you don’t say today, you won’t have to explain tomorrow.
(2) Talk less. Your chances of getting into trouble increase exponentially when you talk too much. That’s why compulsive talkers often find it hard to keep friends. Conserve your verbal energy.
(3) Start today. Already you have read enough to help bring your tongue into submission. So put that muzzle on your mouth now – and watch how it enriches your life.
Soul food: Acts 8-9; Mark 3:28-35; Ps 130; Prov 10:24-26
2024-04-19
Matthew 6:33 NLT
When you read God’s Word, you discover how He feels about you. As a result, your memories begin to heal, your self-worth is restored, and you stop trading with a devalued self-image. When that happens, you no longer believe that “anybody’s company is preferable to my own.” In a survey of supposedly happy couples, over 50 percent said they wouldn’t marry the same person again. Why? Because the answer to loneliness isn’t people; it’s purpose!
The apostle John was a prisoner on the Isle of Patmos when God showed him the glories of heaven and he wrote the book of Revelation. Paul was alone in a Roman dungeon when he wrote half the New Testament. God did some of His best work when He was alone with no one to applaud Him, so he praised Himself, saying, “It [is] very good” (Genesis 1:31 KJV). Can you do that?
It’s nice when others speak well of you, but when you can speak well of yourself, it reflects your opinion of yourself – and that’s the one you live with every day. Three cheers for those whose departure taught us how to be alone and enjoy it! Somewhere beyond loneliness, there is a contentment born of necessity. When your options close in the natural realm, you find doors opening to you in the spiritual realm. So, work on deepening your relationship with God. As you do, you will find joy, and you will also develop qualities that make you attractive to the right people. It’s why Jesus said that when you “seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously… he will give you everything you need” – including self-worth.
Soul food: Acts 6-7; Mark 3:20-27; Ps 75; Prov 10:22-23
