2023-11-09
Psalm 19:8 NLT
The marquee outside a little country church read: “Jesus said…” That’s it – nothing else! Obviously the custodian was interrupted before finishing the job, leaving the incomplete message for passing drivers to fill in the blank. Doubtless, some would drive by giving it little thought. The more biblically minded might search their memory for the right answer. Some might think the custodian missed an opportunity to proclaim words that can transform lives. Jesus said, “Every word I’ve spoken to you is a Spirit-word and so it is life-making” (John 6:63 MSG). The words of people can inform us, but only the words of God can transform us.
David understood the awesome benefits of God’s Word. In Psalm 19:7-11 NLT, he tells us it’s essential for these:
(1) “Reviving the soul.” God’s Word is inexhaustible, but we’re not! We wear down with time and effort, and need restoration and revitalizing.
(2) “Making wise the simple.” God’s Word gives you insights for crucial, everyday decision-making. A high IQ isn’t required; the Bible is for regular and ordinary people. David said, “I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, because I have observed Your precepts” (Psalm 119:99-100 NAS 1995).
(3) “Bringing joy to the heart” (Psalm 19:8 NLT). Happiness is dependent on having the right people and circumstances in your life. But “joy” is different; it’s an inside job that comes from living by the principles of Scripture.
(4) “Giving insight for living.” When you have a problem in your personal life, homelife, or working life, God’s Word offers you “insight for living.” It’s your handbook for life!
Soul food: 1 John 3:11-5:21; John 8:12-20; Ps 15; Prov 25:21-22
2023-11-08
Amos 3:3 NKJV
If you want to know how the person you’re marrying will look twenty-five years from now, look at their parents and you will get a clue. Regular exercise and good diet will only take you so far, then Mother Nature and Father Time begin to take their toll. The truth is that looks may bring you together, but only commitment and a shared faith will keep you together!
The Bible says, “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15 NLT).
That doesn’t mean the two of you must hold identical views on every issue and practice your faith in similar ways. But you need the same values and views regarding the fundamentals of your faith – how you view God, the role of the church, and personal practices. “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?”
Faith is that indescribable strength, that secret weapon of the soul that allows us to persevere even when the facts seem damning and the truth unbearable. It’s what keeps us going when we’re not sure we can continue. It’s the light that leads us out of the darkness, and the map that guides our way. Without faith we would probably pull over to the side of the road, give up, and watch everyone else pass us by. But when we trust in the Lord and believe that He will guide us, there is almost nothing we cannot withstand and walk through together.
Soul food: 1 John 1:1-3:10; John 8:1-11; Ps 123; Prov 25:18-20
2023-11-07
Matthew 19:5 NKJV
Letting go of our children is one of the toughest phases of parenting. Erma Bombeck compared it to flying a kite.
“Mom and dad run down the road hoping to catch a breeze. Eventually, and with much effort, they manage to hoist the kite a few feet in the air. Just when they think it is safely underway, great danger looms. It dives toward electrical lines and twirls perilously near the trees. It is a scary moment. Then, unexpectedly, a gust of wind catches the kite and carries it upward. Mom and dad begin feeding line as rapidly as they can. The kite then becomes difficult to hold. Parents reach the end of their line and begin to wonder what to do next. The little craft demands more freedom. It rises higher and higher. Dad stands on tiptoe to accommodate the tug. It is now grasped tenuously between his index finger and thumb, held upward toward the sky. Then comes the moment of release. The string slips through his fingers, and the kite soars majestically into God’s beautiful sky. The kite is now a mere pinpoint of color in the sky. The parents are proud of what they have done – but sad to realize that their job is finished. It was a labor of love. But where did the years go?”
Parenting is an exhilarating and terrifying experience, and one that was ordained from the beginning. With the ultimate release, your task as a parent is finished. The kite is free, and so, for the first time in twenty years or so, are you. What’s next? Ask God; He has a plan for your life.
Soul food: Ezra 9-10; John 7:45-53; Ps 30; Prov 25:13-17
2023-11-06
John 19:30 NIV
One of Christ’s last declarations from the cross was, “It is finished.” That phrase comprises just one word in Greek, tetelestai, meaning “paid in full.” It was the word merchants wrote on a bill when it was canceled. It was also the word stamped on a document announcing that a prison sentence had been commuted. Jesus paid the price in full for every sin you have ever committed! “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 NIV).
The question is, if God forgets your sin the second you confess it, don’t you think you should forget it too? How long do you think about an invoice you have paid? You forget it the minute you have paid it. Similarly, since Christ has paid your bill in full, you don’t need to remember it anymore. Paul, who once described himself as “chief among sinners” (See 1 Timothy 1:15), wrote, “Forgetting what is behind… I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward” (Philippians 3:13-14 NIV).
We can short-circuit God’s power in our lives by not trusting that He has truly forgiven us or by deciding not to forgive ourselves. Why do we do that? Sometimes because of how we were raised. Our parents told us, “I forgive you,” but they constantly brought it up. Good news: Your heavenly Father is different from your earthly parents. When He forgives your sin, He expunges your record, cancels your past, can’t remember it, doesn’t talk about it, and will never bring it up again. So, today accept His forgiveness. And if you need to, forgive yourself and move on.
Soul food: Ezra 6-8; John 7:33-44; Ps 86; Prov 25:8-12
2023-11-05
Jeremiah 31:34 NLT
Have you ever watched children playing with an Etch A Sketch? If they make a mess of the picture, all they have to do is turn it over to erase it; then they can start all over again. This is how God handles the mistakes you have made; He wipes the slate clean. “I will… remember their sins no more” (v. 34 NIV). This has to be one of the most wonderful statements in the Bible – that “God forgets.”
When we admit our sins and ask God to forgive us, He cancels our past. He chooses to forget our wrongs, errors, and failures. Even if we died tonight, stood before God in heaven, and asked Him about a sin we committed yesterday, He would say, “What sin?” When you deny your sin, you deny God the joy of forgiving you. When you try to excuse your sin, God permits the consequences to become so painful that you will want to turn from it. But when you confess your sin, “he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NIV).
The Prodigal Son broke his father’s heart, squandered his inheritance, and ended in a pigpen. But his is a comeback story! His turnaround began with these words: “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself… ‘I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned”‘” (Luke 15:17-18 NLT). And what his father did for him, God will do for you today.
Soul food: Joel 2:12-32; Mark 9:2-27
2023-11-04
Colossians 2:14 NLT
Jesus “canceled the record of the charges against us… by nailing it to the cross.” The word “cancel” means to remove, to neutralize, to offset something.
Have you ever gotten most of the way through a project and wished you could start over? Suppose you were painting the den, and you stepped back and looked at the color on the sample chart. On the wall, however, it doesn’t look the same. You wish you could redo it. Many of us feel that way about life, as one author describes it: “‘I’ve made so many mistakes. I wish I could just wipe them out and start over.’ Failures, problems, bad decisions – we have all suffered from them.
But some people can’t let go of the past, and as a result, they let their past limit their present opportunities. They live in a constant state of regret, continually lamenting, ‘If only I hadn’t done that’ or ‘If only I had made these changes.’ They repeatedly second-guess themselves. And they are tormented by painful memories. ‘I blew it, and I’m going to be paying for it for the rest of my life.'”
You may choose to carry guilt, but you don’t have to! The moment you put your trust in Christ, He “cancels the record” of your past. Actually, you no longer have a past, you only have a future! You can lay down, once and for all, your heavy load of guilt, old hurts, and memories of mistakes. Jesus, “took it away by nailing it to the cross.” God has promised to “blot out your sins… and will never think of them again” (Isa 43:25 NLT). You must too!
Soul food: Ezra 3-5; John 7:25-32; Ps 96; Prov 25:1-7
