2022-12-11
Colossians 3:12 NIV
When you get up in the morning, you must not only clothe yourself physically but spiritually and emotionally too. You must ask yourself, “What sort of attitude am I going to wear today? Will I be controlling or cooperative? Positive or negative? Complimentary or critical? Selfish or serving?” You say, “But when I’m kind, people take advantage of me.” Yes, sometimes that will happen. But that’s the difference between taking the low road or the high road. Which do you want to walk on?
Despite the risks, here are two reasons to be kind:
(1) “Because of [God’s] kindness you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:8 TLB). Grace and kindness go together. Always! Poet Robert Burns said that the kind heart most resembles God.
(2) Because you want people to be kind to you and treat you right. Jesus said, “Do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12 NIV). If you are rude, people are going to be rude to you. But if you are kind, most people will desire to respond the same way. “Be kind and honest and you will live a long life; others will respect you and treat you fairly” (Proverbs 21:21 GNT).
And here is another reason to be kind: “Your own soul is nourished when you are kind; it is destroyed when you are cruel” (Proverbs 11:17 TLB). So when you are kind to others, you are really doing yourself a favour. Let’s read it again: “As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12 NIV).
Now go out and try living that way for one whole day.
Soul food: Lev 27:30-33; Num 31:48-54; 1 Cor 16:1-3
2022-12-10
Philippians 4:19 NKJV
God promised to supply your need, not your greed. When you get into debt by buying things you shouldn’t, don’t expect Him to bail you out. No responsible parent would do that, and God is a responsible parent. He gives you choices, and He points out consequences. He told Adam and Eve not to eat the forbidden fruit. Then Satan came along and said, “God doesn’t really mean it, you can do what you want and be okay.”
Sound familiar? Advertisers do the same thing. One furniture company offers a house full of furniture with no monthly payments for two years. Question: If you can’t afford it now, how will you pay for it two years from now? It’s time for you to get out of debt, not deeper in. And the Bible tells you how:
(1) Don’t be greedy for the things of this life, “for greed is a form of idolatry” (See Colossians 3:5 GNT). Instead of craving things you don’t need, enjoy the things you have.
(2) If you’re not tithing, start now! You will be switching from the world’s faltering economy to God’s fail-safe economy. When you tithe, He promises to protect your interests and bless you. “There shall not be room enough to receive” (See Malachi 3:8-12).
(3) Before you go shopping, try praying. Ask God about what you “need,” then wait for Him to respond.
(4) Start giving away some of what you have. “It is possible to give away and become richer… [and] to hold on too tightly and lose everything… the liberal man shall be made rich!” (Proverbs 11:24-25 TLB). Obey God. Be patient and watch what happens.
Soul food: Josh 14-15; John 15:5-17; Ps 148:1-6; Prov 29:11-15
2022-12-09
Romans 12:3 NKJV
You can’t sit back and do nothing, believing that God will do everything for you. You have a part to play. Paul says God gives each of us “a measure of faith.” Jude says you develop spiritually by “building [yourself] up on your most holy faith” (Jude v. 20 NIV). Faith under attack is just faith under construction. It’s in the battles of life that you discover whether you have nurtured faith or neglected faith.
In Bible times, a Roman soldier’s shield protected him from head to toe. It was made of iron and upholstered with thick layers of fabric, and he saturated it in water when he went into battle. Consequently, the flaming arrows of the enemy fizzled out on contact. Now you understand what Paul meant: “Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16 NIV). Satan’s arrows can’t penetrate your heart when it’s pure, saturated in Scripture, and fortified by faith.
That’s why Jesus told Peter, “Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail” (Luke 22:31-32 NKJV). It’s your faith that’s under attack! It’s your faith that needs to be fed! It’s your faith that sustains you in life’s battles!
Jesus told us to “have faith in God” (Mark 11:22 KJV). Note, Jesus didn’t tell you to have faith in something bigger than yourself. No, He said to have faith in God. It’s the time you spend with God in prayer and the Scriptures that strengthens your faith to win life’s battles.
Soul food: Josh 11-13; John 14:26-15:4; Ps 147:12-20; Prov 29:6-10
2022-12-08
Jeremiah 31:26 NKJV
Sometimes the most “spiritual” thing you can do is get to bed earlier and wake up refreshed so you’re ready to fulfill God’s purposes for the day. When you constantly run on low battery power, it shows up in your attitudes, your relationships, your performance, and your health. That’s why the Bible talks about the importance of sleep: (1) “It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones” (Psalm 127:2 NLT). (2) “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe” (Psalm 4:8 NLT).
Sleep is an act of trust: When you go to sleep, you acknowledge that the world is in God’s hands, not yours. And it will get along very well, even if you’re not awake to control things. And when you awaken tomorrow morning, just like God giving Israel fresh manna, He will give you what you need for the day. Jeremiah said, “I awoke and looked around, and my sleep was sweet to me.”
Have you ever tried to pray when you were suffering from a sleep deficit? It’s hard to do. Before Elijah was able to spend prolonged time in prayer, the angel of the Lord made him take not one, but two long naps. Contrast that with the disciples in Gethsemane who couldn’t pray because they kept falling asleep. It’s hard to think, feel, and act like Jesus when you lack sleep. That’s why the Bible says, “God gives rest to his loved ones” (Psalm 127:2 NLT).
Soul food: Josh 8:30-10:43; John 14:15-25; Ps 147:1-11; Prov 29:1-5
2022-12-07
Psalm 118:2 NLT
Do yourself a favour – read Psalm 118!
(1) “In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me” (v. 5 NLT). What are you battling today? A destructive habit? A crippling fear? A sense of worthlessness? God wants to set you free.
(2) “The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear” (v. 6 NLT). Your future doesn’t rest in the hands of people, but God; a good God who has good plans for you.
(3) “He will help me. I will look in triumph at those who hate me” (v. 7 NLT). When people try to put you down, God will raise you up. When they withhold from you, He will supply all your needs.
(4) “I will not die; instead, I will live to tell what the Lord has done” (v. 17 NLT). We will all die someday; but you don’t have to die before your assignment is complete and you have brought glory to God.
(5) “The Lord has punished me severely, but he did not let me die” (v. 18 NLT). Is God correcting you? Rejoice; His correction is not rejection. It’s protection against future mistakes.
(6) “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it” (v. 24 NLT). Whether yesterday was a triumph or a tragedy, God is giving you a new day. Seize it. Rejoice in it!
(7) “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever” (v. 29 NLT).
You may experience days without enough money, but you will never have a day without God’s mercy. These seven Scriptures are for you, so stand on them today.
Soul food: Josh 5:1-8:29; John 14:1-14; Ps 2; Prov 28:25-28
2022-12-06
Philippians 1:3 NLT
Paul often acknowledged those who helped him. “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God… for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News” (vv. 3-5 NLT). “You Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help…No other church did this. Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness” (Philippians 4:15-17 NLT).
He writes to the believers in Thessalonica: “We can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering” (2 Thessalonians 1:3-4 NLT).
Author Barbara Glanz tells about a gentleman who remembered his eighth-grade literature teacher. He wrote to her and received this reply: “You will never know how much your letter meant. I’m 83 years old, and… living all alone. My friends are all gone. My family’s gone. I taught school 50 years and yours is the first ‘thank you’ letter I have ever gotten from a student. Sometimes I wonder what I did with my life. I will read and reread your letter until the day I die.” Ironically, she was the teacher students talked most about at class reunions, but nobody ever told her.
Showing appreciation costs so little in terms of time and money, but it can mean the world to somebody. So today, who do you need to express your appreciation to?
Soul food: Josh 1-4; John 13:31-38; Ps 130; Prov 28:21-24
