2022-12-23
Isaiah 61:1 MSG
At this time of year, it’s tempting to buy into the myth that everybody else is enjoying a picture-perfect Christmas. The truth is, there are thousands out there whose lives have been forever altered by death, divorce, sickness, and financial problems.
Tammy Hanson Maltby writes: “It was December 20. There was no hint of Christmas around our house… Most years, our tree was up the day after Thanksgiving… Christmas music… and luscious aromas filled the air… Our house had been Christmas central. Not this year… My 20-year marriage had just dissolved… My budget was stretched… and my spirit was strained even further. Some days I could barely manage to get out of bed… All four of my kids were home on Christmas break. And there was still no tree. ‘This is really depressing,’ I heard one of them grumble, and my heart broke again. ‘I’ll get a tree tomorrow,’ I repeated. Even I didn’t believe my words. That evening… I heard voices… in the… basement… There, near the piano, stood the scruffy little artificial conifer… I’d bought… years before, and I used it to hang [the kids’] school ornaments… creations that just didn’t look right on my majestic, fragrant, decorated, upstairs tree… The kids had… set it up, draped it with lights, and hung their childhood ornaments… It was still scruffy, but it was beautiful… I was happy… And overcome with gratitude that they had gotten together to make it happen for me.”
If you’re having a tough Christmas, don’t beat yourself up. Remember, you can get through anything for one day (See Deuteronomy 33:25). Jesus understands. He came to “heal the heartbroken,” so turn to Him this Christmas and ask Him to restore your peace and joy.
Soul food: Micah 5-7; John 19:17-30; Ps 47; Prov 31:6-9
2022-12-22
2 Corinthians 9:15 CEV
One afternoon a little girl stood outside Pete Richardson’s antique shop studying the treasures in the window. Then she went in and asked to see a string of blue beads. When Pete set them on the counter, she said: “They’re perfect. Will you gift wrap them, please? They’re for my sister. She takes care of me. This will be our first Christmas since Mom died, and I’ve been looking for the perfect present.” “How much do you have?” asked Pete cautiously. Pouring a stack of coins on the counter, she said, “I emptied my bank.” Pete picked up the necklace, the price tag visible to him and not her. “What’s your name?” he asked, walking into the back room. “Jean Grace,” she replied. Pete returned with a beautifully wrapped package, and the little girl thanked him and left.
On Christmas Eve when the last customer had left and he was locking up, a young woman rushed into the store and handed him a familiar package. “Do you remember who you sold this to?” she asked. “A girl called Jean bought them for her big sister,” he replied. “How much are they worth?” she inquired. “The price,” Pete replied, “is always confidential between the seller and his customer.” Her sister asked, “But how could she pay for them?” Carefully rewrapping the present, Pete handed it back to her and said, “She paid the biggest price anyone can ever pay. She gave everything she had.”
When “God sent forth his Son” (Galatians 4:4 KJV) to redeem us, He gave everything He had. “Thank God for his gift that is too wonderful for words!”
Soul food: Micah 1-4; John 19:1-16; Ps 12; Prov 31:1-5
2022-12-21
Ephesians 6:12 GW
In his classic book, War on the Saints, Jessie Penn-Lewis writes, “The chief condition… for the working of evil spirits in human beings, apart from sin, is passivity.” That’s why the apostle Peter urges us, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NLT). Have you ever seen a hungry lion devour its prey? That’s a picture of what Satan is out to do to you. And he will use things like pleasure, power, pressures, possessions, passions, and people to do it. Paul tells us to be on guard “so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:11 NLT).
How can you defend yourself? Neil Anderson says, “Our defense against direct attacks by the evil one is to speak aloud God’s truth.” Why speak aloud to Satan? Because God knows the thoughts and intents of your heart – Satan doesn’t (See Jeremiah 17:9-10 and Psalm 139:1, 23-24). When you’re in Satan’s crosshairs, remember James 4:7: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Take these two powerful steps: First, talk to God before engaging the Enemy. “Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee” (Psalm 50:15 KJV). Second, talk to the Enemy. And keep it short and authoritative! “Satan, in the irresistible name of Jesus, cease all activity against me now. Leave and don’t return!” Will he obey? You have submitted and resisted – he has no option.
Soul food: Neh 11-13; John 18:25-40; Ps 67; Prov 30:29-33
2022-12-20
Romans 12:19 CEV
When someone has hurt or betrayed you, it goes against your grain to resist the instinct for revenge – especially when there is an opportunity to settle the old score and your friends urge you to capitalise on it. They tell you, “It’s only right and fair.”
Before you decide, consider the story in 1 Samuel 24. King Saul, consumed by jealousy, took every opportunity to try and destroy his God-ordained successor, David. Driven by a desire to eliminate him, Saul took three thousand soldiers to find him and kill him. By divine appointment, Saul stopped to rest in a large cave where David and his men were hiding. David’s men said, “Now is a perfect opportunity to kill him and take the throne.” Instead, David just cut off a corner of Saul’s robe and showed it to Saul later as evidence he had spared the king’s life.
David’s men probably considered his strategy ludicrous, but David lived by a different code – God’s Word! He told his men, “Don’t kill him. For who can remain innocent after attacking the Lord’s anointed one?” (1 Samuel 26:9 NLT). And God hasn’t changed His mind. The Bible says don’t take revenge. That’s God’s territory – stay out of it! (See Romans 12:17-21.)
So what should you do? Be prepared to act contrary to your instincts! The Bible says, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink… overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:20-21 NIV). Will that change your enemy? Maybe, and maybe not. But it will change your attitude, and God will bless you for it.
Soul food: Neh 8-10; John 18:12-24; Ps 57; Prov 30:24-28
2022-12-19
Romans 8:32 GNT
Do you like to collect Bible promises for challenging times? When your collection seems inadequate, do you add to it, thinking, “I just haven’t found the right promise yet?” Claiming the promise without understanding the all-sufficiency of the Promiser can disappoint you. Since there is no lack in God, He is all you need. And He is all you will ever need! The Bible says, He can do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20 NIV).
Seeking relief during a difficult time in life, author Hannah Whitall Smith visited a respected Bible teacher, hoping to find an answer. After listening attentively, the teacher told her, “Yes, all you say may be very true, but then, in spite of it all, there is God.” Frustrated, Hannah responded, “Surely you did not understand how very serious… my difficulties are.” “Oh yes, I did, but then, as I tell you, there is God.” Several disappointing visits later, after hearing the same response, “There is God,” the light dawned. She realised she had received the answer she needed; God alone was enough for all her needs!
She writes: “The all-sufficiency of God ought to be… [to us], as the all-sufficiency of a good mother is to [her] child… [Her] presence and… love… make all fears… disappear. [She doesn’t need] to make any promises and…explanations, [she alone] is all that the child needs.”
All God’s blessings come in one package – Himself! Paul reminds you, “Everything belongs to you, [because] you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God” (1 Corinthians 3:22-23 CEV). You will get what you need because you are His redeemed child.
Soul food: Neh 5-7; John 18:1-11; Ps 105:37-45; Prov 30:20-23
2022-12-18
Psalm 62:8 NKJV
Life can feel overwhelming when you’re responsible for mortgage and rent payments, medical bills, clothes for the family, escalating food and fuel expenses, college fees, plus the reality of preparing for your retirement! And the pressure is even greater if you’re underemployed or unemployed. Where can you turn?
Surrounded by enemies, David turned to God: “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation… I shall not be moved” (vv. 5-6 KJV). Where does your “expectation” lie? In the hope for an improved economy or job market? Or the promise of better times to come? David’s hope was more certain: He expected the answer to be found in the unchanging character and faithfulness of God.
When anxiety arises, we sometimes resort to our OMGWI list – “Oh my God, what if?” We focus on our fears, feel inadequate, and give in to despair. Being aware of your needs is being responsible but being overwhelmed by them is evidence you’re looking to the wrong source for answers.
George MacDonald said, “We look upon God as our last and feeblest resource. We only go to Him when we have nowhere else to go. And then we learn that the storms of life have driven us, not upon the rocks, but into the desired haven.” Remember David? “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.” By Himself, plus nothing, God is your adequate source. Since He gave us His Son, you have all the evidence you need that He will also “freely give us all things” (Romans 8:32 GNT).
Soul food: Ps 103:8-18; John 3:16-18; Acts 2:38-41
