2022-07-09
Malachi 3:10 NIV
Gangaram Mahes became known in New York as the “Serial Eater.” This immigrant from Guyana loves elegant dining but doesn’t have the money to pay for it. Instead of denying his appetite, he merely walks into a fine restaurant, orders the best meal on the menu, the finest liquors, and the costliest desserts. He then eats and drinks to his heart’s content, and, when the tab arrives, he simply tells the waiter that he isn’t able to pay the bill. The police then arrive and arrest him, and he receives at least a few days of free meals in jail.
Guess what: Our churches are full of people who drink the milk of God’s blessing, eat the steak of God’s kindness, savor the dessert of God’s love – and don’t even “tip” Him 10 percent. Don’t be one of them! When you give God the first 10 percent of your income, a divine dynamic comes into play. God blesses the 90 percent you have left, and it goes much further than your 100 percent without His blessing.
Does that mean God will give you back more money than you gave Him? Not necessarily, but He does promise to bless you more than you have ever dreamed possible. It may be with good health, or favour with your boss, or guidance for your life, or protection for you and your loved ones. God says: “‘Bring the whole tithe… Test me in this… see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.'”
Go ahead; take the tithe test.
Soul food: Jer 33:1-36:26; Matt 24:36-51; Ps 122; Prov 15:10-14
2022-07-08
James 5:16 CEV
A genuine apology can help heal and restore a strained or broken relationship. But as Dr. Gary Chapman tells us, it doesn’t end there. Observe these: (1) Saying “I’m sorry” isn’t enough! It’s a good and necessary start, but it’s not a good finish. For example, “I’m sorry you took it that way” isn’t an apology; it’s a covert attack! You need to specifically confess what you’re remorseful about. “I’m so sorry that what I said insulted you” acknowledges what you did and affirms the wounded person.
(2) Take full responsibility for your behaviour. Without that, there is no healing or reconciliation. “I was wrong to speak to you like that” is honest, humble, concrete, and responsible. It helps the injured party see your apology as genuine. Genuineness diminishes anger and encourages others to trust and accept your words.
(3) Offer to make amends where possible. Ask, “Is there anything I can do to make things better?” Putting yourself on the line to do everything you can do makes your apology heartfelt and sincere. James puts it like this: “Tell each other what you have done. Then… pray for one another and be healed.”
(4) Ask for forgiveness – don’t take it for granted. “Will you please forgive me for what I did?” You need to say it and the other person needs to hear it before healing and restoration can start. When you ask for forgiveness and it’s been granted, you have “signed on the dotted line” together. You’re recording your mutual commitment to move beyond the hurt and work toward a healthier relationship.
Soul food: Jer 31-32; Matt 24:26-35; Ps 110; Prov 15:8-9
2022-07-07
Proverbs 23:16 NIV
Never underestimate the power of a spoken word. For every word in Adolf Hitler’s book Mein Kampf, 125 people perished in World War II. Only one man in American history ever resigned from the presidency: Richard Nixon. Have you ever considered what brought Mr. Nixon down? Traditional thinking says it was the tapes of his private conversations. But it wasn’t the tapes, it was his tongue. It wasn’t the tapes but what he said on the tapes that determined his demise.
The words tongue, mouth, lips, and words are mentioned in the book of Proverbs almost 150 times; roughly five times in each of the thirty-one chapters. The fact that so much importance is placed on our words tells us we had better take care of what comes out of our mouths.
Stop and consider this: In a period of fifty years, the average person says enough words to create twelve thousand volumes of three hundred pages each. If that’s the average, think about the libraries you’re filling and the legacy you’re leaving behind. And sadly, some of the words you speak will never be forgotten! The poet wrote, “If your lips would keep from slips, five things observe with care: To whom you speak, of whom you speak, and how, and when, and where.”
Solomon wanted his children to grow up with a heart of wisdom, so he said, “My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad indeed; my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right” (vv. 15-16 NIV). So today, control your tongue.
Soul food: Jer 28-30; Matt 24:15-25; Ps 102:18-28; Prov 15:4-7
2022-07-06
Psalm 34:11 CEV
Your children will grow up fast, and before you know it, your window of opportunity will close at supersonic speed. What they want from you now is as much time and attention as they can get, and there will come a time when they won’t want it. Here is an eye-opening poem entitled “To My Grown-Up Son” by Alice Chase. You might want to take a deep breath before you read it.
“My hands were busy through the day. I didn’t have much time to play the little games you asked me to. I didn’t have much time for you. I’d wash your clothes, I’d sew and cook, but when you’d bring your picture book and ask me, please, to share your fun, I’d say, ‘A little later, son.’ I’d tuck you in all safe at night, and hear your prayers, turn out the light, then tiptoe safely to the door. I’d wish I’d stayed a minute more. For life is short, and years rush past, a little boy grows up so fast. No longer is he at your side, his precious secrets to confide. The picture books are put away, there are no children’s games to play, no good night kiss, no prayers to hear. That all belongs to yesteryear. My hands once busy, now lie still, the days are long and hard to fill. I wish I might go back and do the little things you asked me to.”
When Joseph brought his sons to visit his father, Jacob, the old man said, “Bring them to me so I may bless them” (Genesis 48:9 NIV). Mom, Dad, get involved before your window of opportunity closes.
Soul food: Jer 25-27; Matt 24:1-14; Ps 102:12-17; Prov 15:3
2022-07-05
Revelation 2:29 NKJV
It’s not enough to simply listen to a sermon, you must try to hear what God is saying to you. You can hear something totally different from what the person sitting beside you in church hears. Why? Because God is personalising the message to you. The Bible is called “the living Word” (See Hebrews 4:12) because certain Scriptures suddenly come to life and take root within you. Sometimes you will hear what nobody else hears. You may even miss several of the sermon points and still come home with the answer you need. Paul says, “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17 KJV). When you can say, “I get it, it’s mine,” the faith that comes by hearing is doing its special work within you.
Before Israel went into battle, the prophets would consult God to be sure He was leading them. That’s because God honors faith only when it’s based on what He promised. So what you should fight for is what God has promised! Remember, you can’t say God failed you if He didn’t promise it to you in the first place. And you shouldn’t get upset when your own misguided desires make you reach for what He gave to somebody else. The old-timers used to sing, “Every promise in the book is mine, every chapter, every verse, every line,” and that’s true inasmuch as God loves us all equally. But there are specific promises He wants to fulfill in your life because your calling is different from others. That’s why you must always seek God for clarity and confirmation.
Soul food: Jer 22-24; Matt 23:23-39; Ps 102:1-11; Prov 14:35-15:2
2022-07-04
Matthew 17:20 NKJV
Paul writes, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for” (Hebrews 11:1 NKJV). Observe the words “now faith.” Thank God for the faith of our fathers, but to move the mountain that stands in your way, you need “now faith.” Jesus said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move… and it will move'” (Matthew 17:20 NKJV). Your grandmother’s faith may have moved her mountain, but it’s going to take your own faith to move “this mountain.” We all have mountains in our lives, and God is willing to move them. So what’s the problem?
Doubt! Other people’s opinions! Failure to understand God’s Word! Even though Jesus gave His disciples power to heal the sick, they were rendered helpless by a demon-possessed boy. “Why could we not cast the spirit out of him?” they asked. (See Matthew 17:19.) Notice what Jesus told them:
(1) Be willing to start small. A tiny “mustard seed” can grow into something much bigger. So start where you are and believe God for ordinary, everyday things, and when He honors your faith, thank Him and build on it.
(2) Watch what you say. “If you have faith… you will say to this mountain, ‘Move… and it will move.'” Your words release the life-giving force of God’s Word. So line up what comes out of your mouth with what’s written in Scripture.
(3) Be willing to do what’s needed. Some mountains need a little extra prayer, or in the case of this demon-possessed boy, the power that comes through fasting. The bottom line is this: When you do what God’s Word says, you will see mountains moved in your life.
Soul food: Jer 18-21; Matt 23:13-22; Ps 98; Prov 14:34
