2024-02-11
1 Corinthians 3:9 KJV
The Bible says we must love, honour, and work together. So, why don’t we do it? Ego! We like to think we can do everything ourselves – but that’s not reality! There are no supermen or superwomen. So, the question isn’t whether or not you can do everything on your own; it’s how soon are you going to realize you can’t? Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie declared, “It marks a big step in your development when you come to realize that other people can help you do a better job than you could do alone.”
After training His disciples for ministry, Jesus sent them out in twos; there were no solo acts! Why? For many reasons: to prevent one another from straying off the path, to hold each other accountable, to encourage one another when the going got tough, to offset a weakness with a corresponding strength. We each have “blind spots” and we need someone with 20/20 vision in those areas to help us see things the right way.
As recorded in Exodus 17, when Moses held up his hands (symbolizing reaching for God’s help), Israel’s armies prevailed against the Amalekites. But when Moses got tired and lowered his hands, the battle went against Israel. What was the solution? “When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone… put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up – one on one side, one on the other – so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army” (Exodus 17:12-13 NIV). A couple of questions to think about: Who is holding up your hands? Whose hands are you holding up?
Soul food: Exo 20:13; Gen 4:8-16; Prov 18:21; Matt 5:21-22
2024-02-10
Proverbs 23:7 NKJV
What separates the best from the rest? Have you ever given that some thought? What separates a gold medalist from a silver medalist in the Olympics? What separates a successful entrepreneur from someone who doesn’t make it? What makes it possible for one person to flourish after a debilitating accident while someone else gives up and dies?
It’s attitude! The Bible says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Your attitude can be your greatest asset or your greatest liability. It makes you or breaks you. It lifts you up or drags you down. The right attitude may not let you do everything, but it will help you to do anything better than you would when your attitude is wrong.
The happiest people in life don’t undoubtedly have the best of everything; they simply try to make the best of everything. They’re like a person in a remote village who daily goes to the well for water and says, “Every time I come to this well, I come away with my bucket full,” instead of saying, “I can’t believe I have to keep coming back to this well every day to fill up my bucket!”
Your attitude has a profound influence on your approach to life. Ask a surgeon if a patient’s attitude matters when he or she is trying to save that person’s life in an emergency room. Ask a teacher if a student’s attitude has an impact before they take a test. Jesus said, “According to your faith be it unto you” (Matthew 9:29 KJV). Like a magnet, faith draws on the strength which God offers.
Soul food: Num 32:25-33:56; Matt 12:38-50; Ps 134; Prov 4:5-13
2024-02-09
Psalm 126:2 NLT
To move from failure to success, you must do these: (1) Learn to laugh at yourself. No matter what you lose or how often you lose, never lose your sense of humor. When you take your mistakes too seriously, everything becomes a life-or-death issue. The psalmist wrote: “When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, ‘What amazing things the Lord has done for them.’ Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy! Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert. Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy” (vv. 1-5 NLT). You may not be able to laugh about your mistakes, but you can learn to laugh in them! Note the phrase “when the Lord brought back.” God can bring you back!
Tim Masters says, “Failure is the productive part of success. It provides the road you don’t have to travel again, the mountain you don’t have to climb again, and the valley you don’t have to cross again.” When we’re making mistakes, they may not feel like “the kiss of Jesus,” which was Mother Teresa’s phrase for failures that drive us to God. But if we maintain the right attitude, they can lead us to do what we should be doing.
(2) Learn from your mistakes. Successful restaurateur Wolfgang Puck said, “I have learned more from the one restaurant that didn’t work than from all the ones that were successes.” Isn’t that usually the way it is? You don’t lose – you learn!
Soul food: Num 30:1-32:24; Matt 12:22-37; Ps 125; Prov 4:3-4
2024-02-08
Psalm 3:2 NKJV
A Christian leader writes: “Oliver Goldsmith was born the son of a poor preacher in Ireland in the 1700s. Growing up, he wasn’t a great student. In fact, his schoolmaster labeled him a ‘stupid blockhead.’ He did manage to earn a college degree, but he finished at the bottom of his class. He was unsure of what he wanted to do. At first he tried to become a preacher, but it didn’t suit him… Next he tried law but failed at it. He then settled on medicine, but he was an indifferent doctor,… not passionate about his profession. He was able to hold several posts only temporarily. Goldsmith lived in poverty, was often ill, and once even had to pawn his clothes to buy food.
It looked like he would never find his way. But then he discovered an interest and aptitude for writing and translating. At first, he worked as a Fleet Street reviewer and writer. But then he began to write works that came out of his own interests. He secured his reputation as a novelist with The Vicar of Wakefield, a poet with “The Deserted Village,” and a playwright with She Stoops to Conquer.”
Goldsmith’s story sounds a lot like the psalmist David’s – and maybe yours too: “Many are they who say of me, ‘There is no help for him in God.’ But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head” (vv. 2-3 NKJV). You may be down today, but God will lift you up if you turn to Him for guidance and cooperate with His plan for your life.
Soul food: Num 27-29; Matt 12:15-21; Ps 67; Prov 4:1-2
2024-02-07
Proverbs 6:2 NKJV
A noted psychiatrist remarked that two of the saddest words in human vocabulary are “if only.” He believes people who get trapped by their failures spend their lives saying, “If only I had tried harder… if only I had been kinder to my kids… if only I had been more truthful… if only… ” The way to change that mindset is to change your vocabulary by substituting the words “next time.” “Next time I will try harder… next time I will be kinder to my kids… next time I will be more truthful.”
The Bible says, “You are snared by the words of your mouth.” And a snare is a trap. Have you ever seen an animal caught in a trap, struggling to be free? Your words can do that. And they don’t just affect you, they affect others. Maybe you think we’re making too big a deal out of this.
If you do – read on: “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit” (Proverbs 15:4 NKJV). “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21 NKJV). Jesus said, “Whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says” (Mark 11:23 NKJV).
What do these Scriptures have in common? They confirm that our words breathe life (or death) into everything! So instead of defeatist talk, speak victory over your situation. Instead of speaking failure, start speaking success. When you do, God will honour the fruit of your lips.
Soul food: Num 25-26; Matt 12:1-14; Ps 120; Prov 3:33-35
2024-02-06
Hebrews 11:34 NIV
The writer of Hebrews said: “I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets… whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies” (vv. 32-34 NIV). Some of the biggest success stories in Scripture are about people who struggled with weaknesses and character flaws. They were mired in seeming failure and defeat, yet by God’s grace they overcame the obstacles and odds stacked against them. The overriding theme of the Bible is resurrection – getting back up again!
Here is the question: If you can’t avoid failure, and you’re not supposed to give in to it or let it color your thinking, how do you handle it? First, change your attitude. Cartoon character Homer Simpson summarized the attitude of many of us when he said, “Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is – never try.” Suffice it to say, Homer is a classic underachiever! In another episode, he quips, “Trying is the first step toward failure.” The bottom line is, Homer never tries, so like many real people, he stays stuck.
The people who succeed in life have faith and tenacity. They refuse to quit; they have decided not to let failure defeat them. Note the words “whose weakness was turned to strength.” You may start out weak, but by God’s grace, you can become strong. You can rise from the ashes of failure, achieve your goals, and live the life God intends. How do we know? Because God’s Word says so!
Soul food: Num 22-24; Matt 11:20-30; Ps 108; Prov 3:31-32
