2022-09-30
Psalm 51:10 NKJV
A Christian author writes: “Sometimes people are afraid that if they don’t change fast enough, God will get impatient with them. They don’t generally use these words, but they wonder, ‘How much sin can there be in my life before I need to start worrying? Is there a level of sin that is acceptable for a Christian, and if you go beyond it, you’re in danger – like with the level of mercury in Lake Michigan? Is there a limit to impurity, such as the Food and Drug Administration has? Is the standard high like that for homogenised milk, or is it like the standard of purity required for hot dogs, with lots of room for junk? Is it possible to be a Christian and just never grow?’
The issue is not whether God will get tired of forgiving our sins. Forgiving is always the right response to sincere repentance. God is not worried that He might be taken advantage of.” The danger isn’t that God won’t respond to our honest repentance. The danger is that we might become so trapped in the dangerous thoughts sin inevitably produces that we become callous, complacent, and simply unable to repent!
It’s because of this that sin must be taken seriously. Missionary Frank Laubach preached the gospel to a tribe that had a lengthy history of bloodshed. The chief was so moved, he repented and accepted Christ on the spot. Then he turned to Laubach in appreciation and said, “This is wonderful! Who do you want me to kill for you?” That was his beginning point. Only God knows what everyone’s beginning point is. What’s yours?
Soul food: 1 Sam 1-3; Mark 15:33-47; Ps 68:1-18; Prov 22:1-5
2022-09-29
Romans 2:4 NAS
When you find yourself on the wrong road, repentance allows you to make a U-turn and head back in the right direction. What a blessing. Now, repenting doesn’t increase God’s desire to be with you; it just increases your capacity to be with Him. Sometimes we think we need to repent because God is mad at us and needs time to cool off. Or we think of repenting as a way of punishing ourselves so that God will be less severe with us. That’s not repentance, that’s low self-esteem! Low self-esteem causes you to believe that you have so little worth that your response doesn’t matter.
With repentance, however, you understand that because you’re worth so much to God, your response is important. Paul says, “The kindness of God leads you to repentance.” When you love God, your greatest concern isn’t that God will hurt you, but that your actions will hurt Him. When David murdered Uriah after having slept with his wife, he went a year without repenting. He had to force his mind not to think about it. What a miserable way to live. In his penitential prayer, he said, “My sin is always before me” (Psalm 51:3 NIV). Then he cried, “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow… Create in me a pure heart, O God… Restore to me the joy of your salvation” (vv. 7, 10, 12 NIV). As a result, God forgave him and wiped his slate clean, and David went on to become Israel’s greatest king. You see, repentance isn’t merely for God’s benefit – it’s for yours!
Soul food: Song of Sol 5-8; Mark 15:21-32; Ps 91; Prov 21:28-31
2022-09-28
Proverbs 17:17 AMPC
Wherever you live and whatever your profession, “butcher, baker, or candlestick maker,” you will have to deal with these three kinds of people:
(1) The critic. Let’s face it, most people are comfortable with the status quo. They not only fear change but will often attack it. So if you dare to be different, prepare to sail through some rough seas. The apostle Paul’s critics referred to him as a madman, a fool, and a babbler. So why would you expect the same crowd to treat you any better?
(2) The cautious. These people won’t point an accusing finger, but neither will they extend a helping hand. When you get into trouble, they will distance themselves from you, fearing they may be tainted by your perceived liabilities. Basically, they will wait to see if you make it through the tunnel and come out the other side. Then they will wait to see who else accepts you and if you can be of benefit to them. Then they may reconnect with you. These people are users. They are not bad; they’re just self-serving. So love them, but don’t lean on them.
(3) The committed. “A friend loves at all times, and is born, as is a brother, for adversity.” Even when they hear the worst about you, the committed still believe the best about you. They value you for your strengths and show grace in handling your weaknesses. These people are priceless because they will love you “at all times.” So when God puts such a person into your life, protect and nurture your relationship with them.
Soul food: Song of Sol 1-4; Mark 15:12-20; Ps 13; Prov 21:22-27
2022-09-27
Psalm 119:103 NIV
The fact that we now enjoy the vegetables we hated as children indicates that as we mature, we can cultivate a taste for healthy, life-giving food. And since the Bible is soul food, you can cultivate a taste for that too. Eugene Peterson writes: “Christians feed on Scripture. Holy Scripture nurtures the holy community as food nurtures the human body. Christians don’t simply learn or study or use Scripture; we assimilate it, take it into our lives in… a way that it gets metabolised into acts of love.”
Consumer research indicates the average Bible owner has nine Bibles and is looking for more. What’s wrong with this picture? The unexpressed secret is that many people find the Bible boring. This is quite a recent problem – and a serious one. Ancient Greek, the language of the New Testament, has no word for boredom. The word didn’t acquire its current meaning in English until the last few centuries. When we consider the ancient world – no television, internet, movies, and virtually no books – we’re inclined to think how boring it must have been. But the ancients weren’t bored.
We’re the generation that gets bored, because capacity to focus our attention and delight our minds in prolonged thought has been diminished by dependency on external stimuli. We have too many tempting alternatives. That’s why becoming a faithful Bible reader begins as a discipline, continues as a duty, and finally becomes a delight. “How sweet are your words… sweeter than honey to my mouth!” And that can be your experience, too, when it comes to reading God’s Word. You just need to get serious about it.
Soul food: 2 Cor 11:16-13:14; Mark 15:1-11; Ps 54; Prov 21:18-21
2022-09-26
Philippians 4:8 NIV
To instruct us about how to feed our minds, the apostle Paul writes: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”
John Ortberg writes: “The striking word in that command is whatever. Our minds are being shaped all the time, but we have great freedom to pursue minds that flourish. As a bee that can find nectar in all kinds of flowers, we are now free – even commanded – to feed our mind on noble thoughts wherever we find them. The Bible itself commands us to look beyond just the Bible to feed our minds. Let us meditate for a moment on that phrase ‘whatever is lovely.’ Think of something that is ‘lovely’ to you. A sunset. A favourite novel… The face of someone you love. Music that makes you dance. Let your mind dwell there for a moment. Give it directed mental focus. You just obeyed the Bible. That ‘counts.’ You just opened your mind a bit to the flow of the Holy Spirit… The Holy Spirit’s goal is not to get you really good at suppressing angry behaviour. It is for you to have a mind characterised by an ever-increasing flow of Spirit-guided, truth-based, life-producing thoughts and feelings. When we read about what is noble, when we see something praiseworthy, we experience what psychologist Jonathan Haidt called ‘elevation.’ We actually feel a slight expansion in our chest; we feel lighter in our bodies. Our emotions are inspired, and we want to become more excellent ourselves. That counts as obedience to Scripture. That is spiritual.”
Soul food: Num 29:1-6; Matt 24; Rev 11:15-19; 1 Cor 15:50-58
2022-09-25
Psalm 119:164 TLB
A bad attitude is like a flat tire; you won’t get anywhere until you change it. Few things in life are more important than your attitude, and here are four ways you can keep a good one:
(1) Realise your attitude needs to be constantly adjusted. Anything you don’t maintain eventually deteriorates. The stronger your natural inclination is toward doubt and negativity, the more you will have to work at it. So begin each day with an attitude check, and throughout the day, look for red flags signaling that you’re not doing so well.
(2) Pray because you will need God’s help to maintain a good attitude. The Bible says: “Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper… delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord… and he will help you” (Psalm 37:3-5 NLT).
(3) Look for what’s good, and you will find it. Mother Teresa required two things from those who worked with her in the Calcutta slums: a desire to work, and a joyful attitude. Think: If she could be joyful amongst the dying and destitute, surely you can too!
(4) Look for people with faith and spend time with them. Where are they? You will find them soaring above the doubters like eagles. If you’re having a bad day, get close and “draft” behind them the way racers do. If they’re having difficulty, you be the one to get out in front and make things easier. Seven times a day David paused to praise God. Can you imagine what that would do for your attitude?
Soul food: Eph 5:21-33; Song of Sol 2:1-7; Ps 45; Prov 5:15-19
