2022-03-18
Proverbs 4:23 CEV
When it comes to everyday living, you can walk according to the unchanging principles of God’s Word or by your constantly changing feelings. When you live by God’s Word, you have stability. When you live by your feelings, it’s like riding a roller coaster; one day you’re up, the next day you’re down.
God wants to bring you into emotional maturity, but you have to cooperate with Him. This calls for a daily act of your will; choosing to do things His way rather than your own. And once it becomes a habit, you discover that life is more enjoyable. Now, you don’t let everyone who knocks on your door come in and make themselves at home, so why would you let every emotion that surfaces dictate the direction of your day or decide your responses?
“Carefully guard your thoughts because they are the source of true life” (v. 23 CEV). It’s your thinking that produces your feelings, not vice versa! That’s why Paul writes, “Capture every thought and make it… obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NCV). In other words, if a thought doesn’t line up with God’s Word, don’t give it a voice or a vote. “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
This may come as a surprise, but as a Christian, you won’t always feel God’s presence. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to two of His disciples on the Emmaus road, yet they didn’t recognize Him. Why? Because they were occupied with their feelings! How did He lift them out of their negative emotions? “He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27 NKJV). Bottom line: You must be led only by God’s Word.
Soul food: Job 5-7; Luke 18:1-17; Ps 19; Pro 8:6-7
2022-03-17
Romans 12:1 CEV
Paul writes, “God is good. So… offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice… Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him” (vv. 1-2 CEV). There are two ways to understand God’s sovereignty: (a) through His initiative, and (b) through our response. In essence, Paul is saying this: (1) Resist the pressures of a world system that pulls you in the wrong direction. (2) Renew your mind every day through prayer and reading God’s Word. (3) Recognize His will for you and live accordingly.
But Paul doesn’t stop there. He writes: “Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself. Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying. Take care of… needy people… Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you… When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad. Be friendly with everyone. Don’t be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people. Don’t mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others, and do your best to live at peace with everyone” (vv. 9-18 CEV).
God’s sovereignty doesn’t release us from personal responsibility. It doesn’t mean we should lose interest in current affairs or in making informed decisions. God still expects us to strive for excellence and show concern for a lost world. Acknowledging God’s sovereignty sets you free from playing God and enables you to enjoy walking with Him.
Soul food: Job 1-4; Luke 17:20-37; Ps 11; Pro 8:4-5
2022-03-16
Luke 13:12 NKJV
This woman tried religion, but it couldn’t help her. She tried doctors, but they couldn’t cure her. And the people around her thought her problem would never be solved. Even she did! But not Jesus. His promise is: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will… [relieve and refresh your souls]” (Matthew 11:28 AMPC).
What a relief; you can give your burden to Jesus. No matter how hard life seems, relief is just a prayer away. Regardless of the obstacles standing in your way, reach out to Jesus. You may have an out-of-wedlock infant cradled in your arms, but keep pressing toward Him. You may have been abused and molested and have never been able to tell anyone, but don’t stop reaching out for Him. You don’t have to tell everyone your whole past. Just know that Jesus is calling you. He knows your past, but He is calling you anyway. He doesn’t see you as you are but as you will be when His grace has wrought a work in your life.
Mary Magdalene may have been a prostitute before she met Jesus, but she became one of His closest disciples. Matthew, who wrote the first book of the New Testament, was a despised tax collector working for the Romans when he met Jesus. But Jesus doesn’t examine your past in order to decide what He will do with your future. Saul of Tarsus, the murderer of Christians, became Paul the Apostle, author of half the New Testament. The good news is, when Jesus saves you, you no longer have a past. You only have a future.
Soul food: 2 Thes 1-3; Luke 17:11-19; Ps 115; Pro 8:1-3
2022-03-15
Luke 13:12 NKJV
We don’t know how long it took this woman to get to the front of the church when Jesus called her. Disabled people don’t move as quickly as others. There are two important lessons for you in her story.
(1) Sometimes you won’t grow and mature as fast as others because you have been struggling with a debilitating problem for a long time. What seems easy for others can be very difficult for you. But there is good news: Jesus will wait for you, and He will work with you until you overcome your problem.
(2) Your testimony will come out of the tests you have been through. And no matter what you have been through, today Jesus is calling you. He is saying, “Get up! You can approach me.” Regardless of what you have done or what kind of abuse you have suffered, He is calling you.
You may think your secret is worse than anyone else’s. Rest assured that God knows all about it. And His promise is this: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you… I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt” (Jeremiah 31:3-4 NKJV). Like a master sculptor creating something beautiful out of a crude piece of rock, God can turn your mess into a message of hope for others.
The reason Satan has attacked you is because you have something valuable to contribute. This woman’s story ends with these words: “The multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him” (Luke 13:17 NKJV). God’s plan is to have people look at your life and say, “Something has happened to you; you’re not the same person anymore!”
Soul food: Est 5-10; Luke 17:1-10; Ps 18:1-29; Pro 26:24-27
2022-03-14
Luke 13:12 NKJV
“There was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, ‘Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.’ And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God” (vv. 11-13 NKJV).
This woman couldn’t walk right because she had been bound by “a spirit of infirmity” for eighteen years. That’s a long time to struggle with something. And during that time, she had come to church and received no help. Then Jesus “called” her to the forefront. Why didn’t He just heal her in her seat? Here are two reasons:
(1) God wants us to exercise faith and act on His Word. When you live with an unsolved problem for a long time, you start thinking, “This will never change.” So, before God changes your circumstances, He changes your mind and enables you to see new possibilities. This is called “faith.” The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out]” (Hebrews 11:6 AMPC). Today God wants to see you moving toward Him.
(2) God wants us to invest in our own deliverance. When you have an investment in something, you value and protect it. That way, when Satan tries to bring the problem back, you say, “No, I don’t receive that. That’s no longer who I am. I’m a new creation in Christ.”
Soul food: Est 1-4; Luke 16:19-31; Ps 24; Pro 7:24-27
2022-03-13
John 4:23 CEV
Let’s talk about how to become a worshiper. First of all, there is no one-size-fits-all. The Bible doesn’t say you must worship God in a certain way. That’s because worship is such a powerful outpouring of our hearts toward the Lord that it can’t be limited to words or defined by a song, a shout, or silence. Jesus said, “True worshipers are… led by the Spirit… These are the ones the Father is seeking to worship him” (v. 23 CEV).
Second, God created you to worship Him. Perhaps you have never thought of this – God created us to do the one thing He can’t do for Himself – worship! John the Apostle wrote, “Thou art worthy… to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11 KJV). Nothing brings pleasure to the heart of our heavenly Father more than the love and adoration of His redeemed children.
Third, worship can be expressed by anybody, anywhere, anytime. The Samaritan woman in Scripture grew up believing that true worship must be expressed at a sacred mountain called Gerizim, whereas the Jews believed it should be practiced in the temple at Jerusalem. But Jesus said it wasn’t to be confined to church or a particular day of the week. The psalmist, in his inimitable style, puts it like this: “Servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore! From the rising of the sun to its going down the Lord’s name is to be praised” (Psalm 113:1-3 NKJV).
So, become a worshiper.
Soul food: 1 Sam 5:1-6:16; Rev 11:15-19
