2023-06-08
Genesis 2:24 NLT
These days many divorces are based on grounds of incompatibility. For example, the husband says, “We have nothing in common.” Or the wife says, “We’re as different as chalk and cheese.” Of course you are! If you were exactly the same, one of you would be unnecessary! The very reason you need each other is because you’re different! One likes coffee; the other, tea. One goes to bed early; the other is a night owl. One is quiet; the other is an extrovert. Can this cause friction? Absolutely! That’s where love, kindness, and patience come into the picture.
The real issue isn’t your differences – it’s making those God-given differences work for you instead of against you. The sad fact is that we have lost our understanding of how to make our differences dovetail and complement one another. The day you start looking for what God is trying to teach you through your mate, you stop griping and start growing.
Maybe in your heart of hearts you’re thinking, “But I don’t believe God gave me my mate.” Maybe not, but if you let Him, He will teach you how to love and learn from him or her anyway. As a couple, there are no problems stemming from your differences that can’t be solved by applying a healthy dose of God’s grace and following the guidelines He established for building a happy relationship. But you have to build it. And it takes work. Two imperfect people don’t make one perfect marriage. But two imperfect people committed to loving one another and following God’s guidelines can come as close to Eden’s bliss as it gets this side of heaven.
Soul food: Rev 5-9; Matt 15:29-39; Ps 16; Prov 13:1
2023-06-07
Genesis 2:22 NIV
Before God gave Adam a wife, he gave him a calling. Then He explained to Adam that he would need help to fulfill that calling; he would never reach his maximum potential on his own because he was incomplete. Adam didn’t realize that until God revealed it to him. And how did He reveal it? Once Adam started naming the animals in the garden, he was in a position to see that each of them had a partner. Every creature had another creature just like him or her, whereas Adam didn’t.
Notice: God didn’t give Adam a wife until he generated in him the realization that he needed one. We value something or someone once we realize how vital they are. One of the most common complaints counselors hear is that one of the partners in a marriage feels unneeded. But when God joins you, and you understand how each of you contributes to the relationship, you both feel needed. The first thing in Scripture God declared “not good” (v. 18 NIV) was that Adam was alone. Note the word “fashioned” (v. 22 NAS), which means to design intricately and build carefully.
God gave Adam a partner specifically designed to carry out the instruction He had previously given him – namely, to “rule” (Genesis 1:28 NIV). He gave Eve to Adam so he would have someone to collaborate with in achieving the purpose he had been created for. Eve wasn’t taken from Adam’s head to be above him, or from his feet to be beneath him. She was created from one of his ribs, a protected place close to his heart. That way they could work side by side to fulfill their purpose. Bottom line: You need each other.
Soul food: Rev 1-4; Matt 15:15-28; Ps 129; Prov 12:27-28
2023-06-06
Luke 22:60 NAS
The Bible says: “While he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, ‘Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly” (vv. 60-62 NAS).
Before God entrusts you with a great assignment, He will permit Satan to test you. Why? To reveal your weaknesses and strengthen you in those areas. God will allow you to fail in a smaller sphere to keep you from messing up in a larger one, hurting not only yourself but others too. One of the wonders of the Christian life is that Jesus can take rubble and build something beautiful out of it. Peter promised never to deny Jesus, but by the time the rooster crowed, he had already done it three times. Repeated failure!
Can you relate? You said you wouldn’t lose your temper, but you did. Cock-a-doodle-doo! You said you wouldn’t give in to temptation, but you did. Cock-a-doodle-doo! When does a rooster crow? Early in the morning. Good news! That means the rooster announces the beginning of a brand new day. After his worst night of failure, the sun came up for Peter. And it will come up for you too.
By God’s grace you can start your life over any day you choose to. Today you can repent of your sin and go on to do great things for the Lord. Peter ended up winning multitudes to Christ and leading the church. So no matter how badly you have failed, God will forgive you, restore you, and redirect your steps.
Soul food: 1 Kings 21-22; Matt 15:1-14; Ps 124; Prov 12:26
2023-06-05
Luke 22:32 NAS
God wants you to do His will, but you’ll never reach the place of spiritual maturity in which you’re “Satan-free.” You can overcome him, but you can’t eliminate him. Look at Peter. He had only one gear: overdrive. He was always in the middle of everything that was going on, but he wasn’t always on top of things. The man who ended up leading the church, first denied being a disciple of Jesus.
Pretty shocking, eh? But nothing about us surprises God. He doesn’t call you and say, “I hope you’re the right person.” No; Jesus told Peter, “Satan has demanded… to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail” (vv. 31-32 NAS). Isn’t that an amazing revelation? Even when you don’t know how to pray for yourself, Jesus is praying for you. “He ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25 KJV).
Jesus told Peter, “When… you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32 NAS). Out of the mess you’re in today can come a ministry to others. Not only can God turn your life around, He can use you to turn the lives of others around too. And one more thing: God isn’t apt to think you’re worth “sifting” if you aren’t doing something right in the first place. Sifting is a method of purifying, of straining out the debris and refining what remains. That means there had to be something worth salvaging in you at the outset. Today God is calling you. Don’t waste another moment; surrender your life to Him.
Soul food: 1 Kings 18:16-20:43; Matt 14:22-36; Ps 116; Prov 12:25
2023-06-04
Jeremiah 1:5 KJV
The word “sanctified” means “to be set apart for the exclusive use of.” The word “ordained” means “ordered according to a plan.” Here are two things you need to know: God doesn’t waste anything He created, and He doesn’t waste anything He can use.
Before you were saved, God permitted experiences, both good and bad, that were equipping you for what He had in mind. That includes who your parents were, the places they came from, where you were educated, the number of years you spent in school, the jobs you held, and the training you received. It also includes things God put inside you at the time of your birth, even though some of those things may have seemed to work against you while you were growing up.
Do you hold on to ideas like a pit bull? God can use that. Do you enjoy poring through books and research? God can use that. Are you quick to confront, excited to run right at the enemy? God can use that.
Today you may feel like you’re in the wrong place, doing the wrong things, with the wrong people. You may be wondering how you’re going to dig yourself out of the hole or turn your life around. And truthfully, the answer may be that you can’t. But God can! He makes miracles out of mistakes. So, give Him the things in your life that aren’t so good, the things you’re not proud of, and say, “Lord, here they are. I wish my life was different, but it’s not. I wish I could change it, but I can’t.” Then let God go to work.
Soul food: John 5:1-15; Isa 54:9-17
2023-06-03
Romans 1:1 NKJV
God reached into a part of Paul’s background that had been formed before he became a Christian, and He found some very useful things there. And they weren’t all spiritual things. They were also academic and cultural. Even though Paul seemed unqualified because of his monumental hatred for Christians, his background actually qualified him in a unique way. As a former Pharisee, he understood the Scriptures and the mindset of those who would oppose him. And his former spiritual blindness gave him compassion for the lost. God used both the good and the bad experiences in Paul’s life. And He can do the same for you too!
Think about it: When God looked for a man to be an early leader in His church, to write down the theology of His church, to debate religious leaders who argued against His church, to advance the cause of Christ in academic and social arenas, to carry the message all the way from the lowest person on the street to the throne of Caesar, God found a man who already had the necessary qualifications – and that man was Paul.
Here is how God works: First He seeks you out, then He prepares you, then He positions you, then He empowers you to do what He knows you can do most effectively. And God’s call is the only thing that will make you completely happy, although you don’t always know that in advance. So, is God calling you? Is He preparing you? Is He positioning you? Is He empowering you? Your highest level of joy and fulfillment in life will come when you surrender to Him and say yes.
Soul food: 1 Kings 16:1-18:15; Matt 14:13-21; Ps 121; Prov 12:23-24
