2022-12-29
Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV
In the words of the legendary baseball player Satchel Paige, “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.” That’s good advice! Paul bottom-lines it like this: “Focus on… Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13 NLT).
Author Ellen Vaughn writes: “Before our spiritual vitality can really flow, we must forget three things. [Today, here are two]: (1) We must forget our sins. Obviously we must remember our sins in order to confess them. But having done so, we must let them go. The fact that God forgets is like calling heaven and hearing, ‘There is no record of any offense.’ They’re expunged, as if they never existed. Satan would lure us to live in guilt and fear. He pulls us into the shadowboxes of memory in which our worst sins replay on the walls of our minds… We need to be very clear here, or we’ll miss the liberating point. It’s not as if forgiveness is real only if we experience some kind of holy amnesia. It’s not up to us. It’s up to God. And the Scriptures say that God forgets our sins (See Hebrews 8:12).
(2) We must forget our shame. Paul could have been a prime candidate for shame. He had presided over the harassment, imprisonment, torture, and murder of innocent human beings. But God’s grace is stronger than our shame. It was defanged when Jesus died and rose again. We can forget our slithering shame, for Jesus took it. He scorned it, beat it, broke it. We need not take it back.”
The word for you today is – “Do not dwell on the past… I am doing a new thing.”
Soul food: Zech 10-14; John 20:19-31; Ps 97; Prov 31:22-24
2022-12-28
Isaiah 43:19 NIV
Your life will manifest what you continually keep in front of you. Paul says, “We have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16 NIV), and creativity and vision are part of the package. A blind man asked St. Anthony, “What could be worse than losing your sight?” He replied, “Losing your vision.”
And a respected author adds, “Maybe you’re not experiencing God’s best because your vision needs to be improved. You say, ‘I have problems… I’m in debt… I’m lonely.’ Don’t let that image take root. Paint a new picture… See yourself stronger and healthier… rising higher… accomplishing your dreams… let the image of victory take hold. Get it on the inside… [Remind yourself] of these scriptural truths: ‘I can do all things through Christ’ (Philippians 4:13 KJV); ‘This is the day the Lord has made’ (Psalm 118:24 NKJV); ‘We are more than conquerors through [Christ]’ (Romans 8:37 KJV); ‘God… always causes us to triumph in Christ’ (See 2 Corinthians 2:14); ‘You bless the righteous; you surround them with your favour’ (Psalm 5:12 NIV); ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life’ (Psalm 23:6 NKJV). In Bible times wine was stored in leather wineskins, but as they aged, they lost their flexibility. New wine always required new wineskins. And just like, “You can’t pour new wine into old wineskins” (See Matthew 9:17 NKJV), God can’t give you a new vision until you change the old images and attitudes you’re carrying around in your head.
God says, “I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” He is ready to do something new in your life today. Are you ready to change your old way of thinking and make room for it?
Soul food: Zech 6-9; John 20:10-18; Ps 117; Prov 31:18-21
2022-12-27
Genesis 15:5 NLT
Vision is the God-given ability to see the invisible. Without it, “people… stumble all over themselves” (Proverbs 29:18 MSG). When God told Abraham he would be the father of many nations, he and Sarah were old and childless. Naturally speaking, it looked impossible. So God “took Abram outside and said…’ Look up… and count the stars… That’s how many descendants you will have!'” It wasn’t enough to hear what God said: Abraham needed to see it in his mind’s eye. And although the promise wasn’t fulfilled for twenty years, every night when Abraham looked up at the heavens, the stars were a constant reminder of God’s faithfulness.
Woodrow Wilson said, “No man that does not see visions will ever realise any high hope or undertake any high enterprise.” To give birth to something, you must first conceive it by seeing it through the eyes of faith and burning the image on the canvas of your mind. Jesus said, “If your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness” (Matthew 6:22-23 NAS).
Legend has it, when Michelangelo looked at a chunk of marble the owner told him was worthless, Michelangelo said, “It’s priceless to me. There is an angel locked inside, and I must set it free.” What you “see” will change the direction of your life. Like a thermostat, it dictates how high you rise or how low you fall. And the good news is, no matter how dark things look on the outside, today God can give you a fresh vision and a new future.
Soul food: Zech 1-5; John 20:1-9; Ps 113; Prov 31:14-17
2022-12-26
Proverbs 11:24 NKJV
Not all poverty is financial; there is a spiritual poverty that comes from not reaching out to others. Pastor Allen White says, “Sometimes it makes sense to keep your group small, but the following reasons don’t count: (1) ‘We value closeness.’ Too much closeness can cause your group to become ingrown. The motto changes to ‘Us four and no more’ or ‘We seven going to heaven.’ What was once so great becomes the death of the group. Members move away, schedules conflict, the group begins to decline around the two-year mark, and it’s harder to recruit new members. There is too much history going on.
(2) ‘Outsiders might upset our rhythm.’ People get comfortable with familiar patterns. They sit in the same place and make the same inside jokes, but a comfort zone can quickly become a rut. New people don’t ‘get’ the jokes, they don’t know the routine, and what’s worse, they sit in your spot!
(3) ‘Confidentiality.’ It is paramount because ‘loose lips sink ships.’ When new members join, review the ground rules. The conversation might go like this: ‘Since several new folks have joined, let’s take a minute to review the ground rules. We value confidentiality, and anything said here needs to stay here.’ If they agree, you’re good to go.
(4) ‘If we get too big, we’ll have to divide.’ When it comes to the ideal group size, eight to twelve seems to work well. But numbers aren’t nearly as important as what’s happening inside the group. When numbers go up, personal care sometimes goes down.”
Bottom line: Keep your group healthy.
Soul food: 2 Tim 1-4; John 19:31-42; Ps 128; Prov 31:10-13
2022-12-25
2 Corinthians 9:15 NKJV
Paul says that the gift God gave each of us that first Christmas is “indescribable.” The Living Bible says it’s “too wonderful for words.” Consider this: Isaiah says, “Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given” (Isaiah 9:6 KJV). Jesus was both God and man. As a child He was born, but as the Son of God He could only be given, because He always existed. So He is the perfect solution to our sin problem because He understands both the claims of divinity and the struggles of humanity.
Today let’s examine this “indescribable gift.” First, He is our “daysman!” Job said, “Neither is there any daysman [umpire, mediator, or middleman] betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both” (Job 9:33 KJV). “Daysman” is an old English word for someone who was more than just an umpire; they could actually join the game and bring both sides together. So when you mess up, Jesus keeps one hand on you and the other on God so that the connection is never broken. “Indescribable”!
Second, He is our intercessor! The Bible says, “He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25 NIV). If you had to remember and confess all the sins of omission and commission you commit each day, you would never sleep; you would live on your knees. But Christ’s death covers all the wrong you have done (commission), and His life covers all the good you have left undone (omission). So, He is fully qualified to represent you before the throne of God. There is only one word that fits such a Christmas gift: “indescribable.”
Soul food: Isa 11:1-10; Luke 2:1-20
2022-12-24
Matthew 2:11 AMPC
The Bible tells us: “When Jesus was born in Bethlehem… [astrologers] from the east came… asking, ‘Where is He… born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east… and have come to worship Him.’… and behold, the star… went before them until it… stood over the place where the young Child was… And on going into the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then opening their treasure bags, they presented to him gifts – gold… frankincense and myrrh” (vv. 1-2, 9, 11 AMPC).
One Bible teacher says: “We all remember the Christmas story: how… Wise Men came from the east following a star which led them to the Holy Child, how they came in and worshiped Him, laying before Him precious gifts… Mary and Joseph didn’t go out seeking gifts. Although they were forced to spend the night in a cold, dark stable, they didn’t send out messages asking for gifts. But because they were in the middle of God’s will, He sent them Wise Men… on camels, loaded down with provisions… If we are in the will of God, He will… bring our provision to us. We don’t have to try to chase it down; it will seek us out. We don’t have to try to make things happen; God will bring them to us… The camels will come for each of us if we will stay in the will of God. The only way we can expect this kind of provision is by being faithful… where God has placed us… When we begin to believe this, we are free to cast our care upon Him. We don’t have to stay up all night fretting and worrying.”
Soul food: Isa 9:1-7; Micah 5:2-5a
