2022-07-15
1 Peter 2:23 NIV
When someone disappoints or upsets you, what do you do? Pull out your big guns and react? Do you say, “You make me so mad!” When you say that, you’re admitting someone else is controlling your emotions. You’re acknowledging you have given that person the power to determine your feelings and reactions. No one can take control from you – you give it away the moment you start reacting! The Bible says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21 NIV). To retaliate is to react. But to forgive is to act. It’s saying, “I choose the way I respond.”
Do other people control your emotional state? Do you let them raise your happiness level or plunge you into worry, fear, or anger? “Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city” (Proverbs 16:32 NLT). The person who can control their moods and reactions is stronger than a walled city. But a person who cannot control their own spirit is defenseless, like a city with no walls around it. That person has no defense; they are at the mercy of whatever anyone wants to do to them. Strength is found in gentleness, and gentleness has the ability to handle hurt without retaliating; it can absorb the blow without needing to strike back. Jesus called it “turning the other cheek” (See Matthew 5:39).
You say, “That’s not easy to do.” No, it’s not; sometimes it’s almost impossible. You say, “To respond that way is not natural.” You’re right, it is supernatural; it is the fruit of the Spirit (See Galatians 5:22-23). You need God’s power to live this way.
Soul food: Jer 51-52; Matt 26:14-25; Ps 118:1-9; Prov 15:27-30
2022-07-14
Proverbs 1:33 AMPC
Think about the major decisions we make over our lifetime: choosing a mate, deciding where to live, and what career to pursue. Looking back, can you say you have consistently made the wisest choices?
As Jennifer Winquist writes, “We make choices based on what feels best, what’s easiest… fastest… makes our kids happy… shuts up the boss… stops our problem for the moment… We buy wants instead of saving for necessities. We marry Mr. Right-Now instead of waiting for Mr. Right. We get a job instead of an education. We eat a bag of chips instead of a bag of carrots… We don’t plan to fail, but unless we plan to win by making wise choices, we can end up getting the short end of the stick… Wise choices aren’t usually quick fixes, selfish, or short-term; they involve planning, hard work, sacrifice, and resilience. But the rewards are huge.”
James says, “If… you lack wisdom… ask… God… and it shall be given” (James 1:5 KJV). The world spends billions of dollars seeking wisdom, but as God’s children, we have the wisdom of the Creator of the universe at our disposal. Furthermore, when you develop the patience and maturity to make the wise choice instead of the easy one, you never have to live in “fear or dread” of the outcome.
John Mason says growing in wisdom means fearing God, pleasing Him, hearing from Him, looking to Him, choosing His way, staying humble before Him, taking His advice, receiving His correction, maintaining a prayer connection with Him, and knowing His Son personally (See Psalm 111:10; Ecclesiastes 2:26; Proverbs 2:6; 3:13; 8:10-11; 11:2; 13:10; 29:15; Ephesians 1:16-17; 1 Corinthians 1:30). So… how are you doing with that so far?
Soul food: Jer 49-50; Matt 26:1-13; Ps 109:16-31; Prov 15:23-26
2022-07-13
2 Timothy 4:2 CEV
Paul describes our generation: “People won’t listen to good teaching. Instead, they will look for teachers who will please them by telling them only what they are itching to hear” (v. 3 CEV). Popular thinking says, “Tickle my ears, but don’t step on my toes!”
Sadly, we have also lived to see many Christians get caught up in political correctness. Political correctness dictates we should avoid saying anything that offends others, especially when it comes to God’s Word. Count on it: Christ’s virgin birth, His miraculous power, His sinless life, His death, burial, resurrection, soon return, and the truth that salvation comes only through Him will offend some people. The mention of a hell for unbelievers, a heaven for believers, the absolute authority of Scripture, biblical mandates concerning sex, marriage, parenting, and the sanctity of human life are guaranteed to bring a backlash from the politically correct.
Where does God expect us to stand in such a culture? On the truth! Jesus often offended His hearers, including those who claimed to be His disciples (See John 6:66). Recognising that young Timothy would face rejection and ridicule from some of his hearers, Paul told him, “Preach God’s message. Do it willingly, even if it isn’t the popular thing to do. You must correct people and point out their sins.” We’re not called to be popular; we’re told, “Be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere” (Acts 1:8 NLT). God’s Word will aggravate some and liberate others – so be it! (See John 8:32.)
You must never be arrogant or offensive, but you must always stand up for the truth of God’s Word.
Soul food: Jer 45-48; Matt 25:31-46; Ps 109:1-15; Prov 15:22
2022-07-12
Acts 24:16 NLT
It’s been said that our conscience was given to us after the fall of mankind in the garden of Eden. In other words, our desire to know the difference between good and evil was granted through the mechanism God placed within us known as a conscience. So we must not ignore its promptings, silence its voice, or allow it to become calloused, because it’s a built-in warning system that protects us from danger and harm. That means you shouldn’t be troubled when your conscience bothers you; you should be troubled when it doesn’t. Here are ten principles for keeping your conscience clear:
(1) Always pay attention to the inner nudging that makes you stop and question your decisions.
(2) Think of your conscience as a God-given filter that helps keep your heart pure.
(3) Examine your motives in all “giving” situations.
(4) If you think you may have hurt someone’s feelings, ask for forgiveness.
(5) Invite God to examine your heart and reveal changes that need to be made in your attitudes and actions.
(6) To the best of your ability, don’t knowingly involve yourself in compromising situations.
(7) Consider others first, and honor them with your words and actions.
(8) Remember that your conscience is your moral compass.
(9) Establish ethical guidelines in all your business dealings.
(10) When a thought leaves you feeling unsettled, take time to pray and talk about it with someone you trust.
The word for you today is – always maintain a clear conscience before God.
Soul food: Jer 41-44; Matt 25:14-30; Ps 79; Prov 15:18-21
2022-07-11
Proverbs 6:6 NLT
“Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber” (vv. 6-11 NLT).
The winter season of your life is coming, and you need to be prepared for it. Eighty-five out of one hundred Americans end up with less than $1,000 cash in savings by the time they’re sixty-five. That’s one-third of what residents in Germany save, and one-tenth of what people in Japan save. Any fool can spend money, but it takes a wise person to save some as well. After sitting at his calculator for about three hours and not saying a word, a guy looked up and said to his wife, “Honey, if we continue to save at our present rate, by the time I retire, we’re going to owe $700,000.”
The key to getting ahead in life financially is to spend less, save more, and avoid getting ripped off. Instead of saying, “I’m going to start saving someday,” start giving God 10 percent, saving 10 percent, and living off the rest. And one more thought: The word disciple and word discipline sound alike – because they are alike. When you discipline yourself financially, you’re practicing true discipleship, and God will bless you for it.
Soul food: Jer 36:27-40:16; Matt 25:1-13; Ps 137; Prov 15:15-17
2022-07-10
Isaiah 58:7 MSG
Max Lucado writes: “Ours is the wealthiest generation of Christians ever. We are bright, educated, and experienced. We can travel around the world in twenty-four hours or send a message in a millisecond. We have the most sophisticated research and medicines at the tips of our fingers. We have ample resources. A mere 2 percent of the world’s grain harvest would be enough, if shared, to erase the problems of hunger and malnutrition around the world. There is enough food on the planet to offer every person twenty-five hundred calories of sustenance a day. We have enough food to feed the hungry… When your grandchildren discover you lived during a day in which 1.75 billion people were poor and 1 billion were hungry, how will they judge your response?” More importantly, what will God say?
When the Israelites complained that God wouldn’t answer their prayer, He told them: “What I’m interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families. Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once… Then when you pray, God will answer. You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’… If you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, your lives will begin to glow in the darkness… I will always show you where to go. I’ll give you a full life” (vv. 7-11 MSG).
So instead of focusing on your own needs, focus on the needs of others. That’s a key to answered prayer.
Soul food: Num 9:15-23; Exo 24:15; Matt 17:1-8
