2022-05-11
Matthew 25:21 NKJV
In Scripture, to be faithful means to be steady, stable, dependable, and consistent. Do those attributes describe you? They should, because faithfulness pays big dividends with God. “A faithful man will abound with blessings” (Proverbs 28:20 NKJV). Jesus said, “Many are called, but few chosen” (Matthew 20:16 NKJV). Why is that? Because talent may open the door and get you the job, but character and faithfulness will keep you there.
When it comes to faithfulness, God will test you in two ways: (1) Your faithfulness in someone else’s vision. “If you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?” (Luke 16:12 NKJV). If you’re critical, caustic, complaining, competitive, or constantly comparing yourself with others, you will be disqualified for what God has in mind for you. Faithfulness calls for serving with love and humility.
(2) Your faithfulness in small things. “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things… For to everyone who has, more will be given… but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away'” (Matthew 25:23, 29 NKJV). God wants to know He can trust you. You prove that by how well you serve others and by your faithfulness in small things. These are proven biblical principles that don’t just work in spiritual matters, but in everyday life.
So today, take a few moments to prayerfully ask yourself the question, “Am I faithful?” When you are, God will bless you.
Soul food: Num 16-18; Matt 8:1-17; Ps 44:1-8; Pro 11:9
2022-05-10
Philippians 3:14 KJV
Paul writes: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect [mature], be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you” (vv. 14-15). Paul describes the Christian as a marksman. In Paul’s day, the mark would have been hit by an arrow, but in our day, the mark could also be hit at a firing range.
If you have ever fired at a target, you know this: (1) Your aim must be unbroken by distractions. When you have the bull’s-eye in your crosshairs, something as insignificant as taking a breath at the wrong moment can make you miss the mark. So what is Paul saying? Simply this: “Forget what’s behind you and around you and stay focused on winning the prize.” He is not referring to your salvation. Jesus already purchased that and gives it to you freely by grace. No, he is talking about fulfilling your God-given destiny and obtaining the reward that waits beyond it.
(2) Your bullet has to have the right amount of powder. Otherwise, it will start dropping off before it hits the mark. Are you getting the idea? Your powder is your power! And where does your power come from? The Holy Spirit! Jesus said: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem [at home], and in all Judea and Samaria [on the job and in your relationships], and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8 NKJV).
So the word for you today is – aim for the mark.
Soul food: Num 14-15; Matt 7:15-29; Ps 37:32-40; Pro 11:7-8
2022-05-09
Hebrews 11:21 NKJV
The Bible says, “By faith Jacob, when he was dying… worshiped, leaning on… his staff.” Picture this: Each time Jacob had an experience with God, he took a knife and cut a ring around his staff as a reminder of what happened. The rings started at the bottom and worked their way to the top. One would surely have symbolized the night he wrestled with God and his name was changed to “Israel… a prince… with God” (Genesis 32:28 KJV). Another would have represented the night God showed him a vision of a ladder extending into heaven with angels on it. In short, Jacob’s staff represented a lifetime of experiences with God. So, it’s not surprising that he died worshiping God – and leaning on his staff!
Now consider the story of the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4. Her son suddenly became ill and died, so Elisha sent his servant Gehazi ahead with his staff to let the woman know he was coming. But when Gehazi placed the prophet’s staff on the dead boy, nothing happened. Only when Elisha himself came was the child restored (See 2 Kings 4:32-35).
The fact is, you can’t lean on anyone’s staff but your own! You can’t stand on anyone else’s experience with God but yours. When it’s time to face life’s challenges – including death – you can only lean on the faith you have developed during your personal walk with God. That’s why it’s essential to be faithful and consistent in your spiritual journey. By leaning on his staff when he was dying, Jacob, in essence, declared, “The God who preserved, protected, and prospered me thus far will take me the rest of the way.” What blessed assurance!
Soul food: Num 11-13; Matt 7:1-14; Ps 37:25-31; Pro 11:5-6
2022-05-08
2 Chronicles 25:2 NIV
The enemy of passion is indifference. You go through the motions, but your focus is broken by other things. It’s not that you have said no to God; it’s that you haven’t said a resounding yes!
In the Old Testament account, King Amaziah “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly.” Think about it: At what point does the passion leave a marriage? It doesn’t happen overnight. It happens when you neglect and take each other for granted. Maybe you think your lack of zeal is no big deal. Think again! Jeremiah warns about “a curse on anyone who is lax (negligent, slack, slipshod) in doing the Lord’s work!” (Jeremiah 48:10 NIV).
You say, “How does it happen?” The Bible tells us, “This people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes” (Acts 28:27 NIV). The word “calloused” depicts a steady buildup of hard, dead skin on the soles of your feet until you can’t walk right or without pain.
Note what Jesus told the first and last two churches in Revelation: (1) “I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first” (Revelation 2:4-5 NIV). (2) “I know your deeds… you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm… I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16 NIV).
With that in mind, the word for you today is – be passionate about it!
Soul food: Jonah 1:10-2:10; Matt 12:38-42
2022-05-07
Psalm 39:3 CEV
David wrote, “I felt a fire burning inside, and the more I thought, the more it burned, until at last I said: ‘Please, Lord, show me my future'” (vv. 3-4 CEV). Passion is like fire; unless you feed it and stoke it, it will die.
Question: On a scale of one to ten, how wholehearted are you about serving the Lord? Before you answer, think about these Scriptures: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart… all your soul and… all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5 NIV). “Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart” (Psalm 119:2 NIV). “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5 NIV). “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13 NIV). “Fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you” (2 Timothy 1:6 NIV). “‘Return home and tell how much God has done for you.’ So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him” (Luke 8:39 NIV). “Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church” (1 Corinthians 14:12 NIV). “To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me” (Colossians 1:29 NIV). “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14 NIV).
All these Scriptures can be reduced to one sentence: Be passionate about what God has called you to do.
Soul food: Num 8-10; Matt 6:19-34; Ps 37:16-24; Pro 11:4
2022-05-06
1 Timothy 4:15 NKJV
“Elisha said: ‘Pick up the arrows and hit the ground with them.’ Jehoash grabbed the arrows… hit the ground three times, then stopped. Elisha became angry at the king and exclaimed, ‘If you had struck it five or six times, you would completely wipe out the Syrians. Now you will defeat them only three times'” (2 Kings 13:18-19 CEV).
Elisha had given Jehoash, the king of Israel, a plan from God for not only defeating his enemy but eliminating them permanently as a future threat. But the plan depended on two important things. First, being fully obedient. Second, being passionate. Jehoash passed the first test but failed the second. He was obedient to what the man of God told him to do, but he didn’t go far enough, and he didn’t put his heart and soul into it. In short, he settled for less than God had planned for him.
Maybe he was tired or distracted… maybe he didn’t listen carefully to the prophet’s instructions… maybe he thought “token obedience” would be as effective as wholehearted obedience. The Bible doesn’t tell us. But this much we do know: He forfeited God’s best because he wasn’t passionate enough.
Don’t miss the lesson here. It’s not enough just to say, “I’ve obeyed the Lord.” You must obey Him wholeheartedly; otherwise, you can end up compromising your future and failing to experience the fullness of what He has in mind for you. Paul bottom-lines it to Timothy in these words: “Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them.” In other words, when God tells you to do something, be passionate (zealous and enthusiastic) about it.
Soul food: Num 7; Matt 6:1-18; Ps 37:8-15; Pro 11:3
