2022-02-28
2 Corinthians 12:15 NLT
Helping people brings great fulfillment. When you spend your day serving others, you can lay your head down at night and sleep soundly. And even if you have spent much of your life chasing selfish gain, it’s not too late to have a change of heart. Even Charles Dickens’ Scrooge discovered you can turn your life around and make a difference for others.
That’s what Alfred Nobel did. He was shocked when he saw his obituary in a newspaper. (His brother had died, and the editor mistakenly named Alfred instead in an uncomplimentary statement, because the explosives his company produced and profited from had killed many people.) So, Nobel vowed to spend the rest of his life promoting peace and acknowledging contributions to humanity. That’s how the Nobel Prizes came into being!
When you get outside of yourself and make a contribution to others, you really begin to live. Unselfishness is its own reward; it’s not dependent on the response of others. This is the principle by which the apostle Paul lived: “I will gladly spend myself and all I have for you, even though it seems that the more I love you, the less you love me” (v. 15 NLT).
When you see a four-year-old, you expect selfishness. But when you see it in a forty-year-old, it’s not very attractive, is it? Of all the qualities you can pursue, unselfishness seems to make the biggest difference toward cultivating other virtues. Yes, it goes against the grain of human nature. But if you can learn to think unselfishly and become a giver, it becomes easier to develop other virtues, such as gratitude, love, respect, patience, and discipline.
Soul food: Exo 7-9; Luke 12:13-21; Ps 61; Pro 6:16-19
2022-02-27
Ephesians 5:16 NAS
The life of John Wesley is a great example of the scriptural principle “making the most of your time.” He averaged three sermons a day for fifty-four years, preaching a total of more than 44,000 times in his life. In doing this he traveled by horseback and carriage more than 200,000 miles – about 5,000 miles a year.
Even for a very productive man, that would seem to be a full-time effort. Still, Wesley found time to write and edit. His published works include a four-volume commentary on the entire Bible, a five-volume work on natural philosophy, a four-volume work on church history, and a dictionary of the English language. He also wrote histories of England and Rome; grammars on the Hebrew, Latin, Greek, French, and English languages; three works on medicine; six volumes of church music; and seven volumes of sermons; and he edited a library of fifty volumes known as the “Christian Library.” Each day he rose at 4 a.m. and didn’t go to bed until 10 p.m., allowing only brief periods for meals. Yet he declared, “I have more hours of private retirement than any man in England.”
Our days are like identical suitcases – all the same size. But some pack more into them than others. These are purpose-driven, goal-oriented people – unlike the man whose tombstone read, “When it came time to die, I discovered I had not lived.” So heed this Scripture: “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity” (vv. 15-16 NIV).
Soul food: Ruth 1:3-18; John 6:41-69
2022-02-26
Jeremiah 31:18 KJV
The Bible tells us: “Isaac’s servants dug…a well…But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, ‘The water is ours.’ So…they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also….And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called it…Rehoboth, because he said, ‘For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land'” (Genesis 26:19-22 NKJV).
What a great example of practicing forgiveness. During a drought, Isaac dug wells and his enemies moved in and claimed them. It wasn’t fair, but instead of retaliating, he moved on and dug new wells – and God blessed him greatly. The truth is this: God will fill the emptiness in your life when you forgive those who have hurt you.
Let’s face it; as long as we share this planet with other imperfect human beings, they will hurt us. There is no way to avoid it. And when the hurt goes deep, it can be hard to forgive. Does that mean you should go around pretending that nothing is wrong, and denying how you feel? No, the first step toward healing is acknowledging your feelings. And Jesus gives us the second step: “Pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:28 NIV).
When you do that, something unexpected happens. Your heart softens and you start to see the offender through God’s eyes instead of your own raw emotions. “But I don’t want to forgive them!” you say. Then here is step three. Acknowledge your unwillingness to forgive and ask God to make you willing. Pray, “Turn thou me, and I shall be turned.”
Soul food: Exo 4-6; Luke 12:1-12; Ps 58; Pro 6:12-15
2022-02-25
Romans 12:19 NLT
Long after you think you have forgiven someone, you can still be harboring hard feelings. Some indicators that you still have work to do are these: You keep thinking about the person who hurt you and become resentful. You avoid them. You rehearse the incident mentally and in conversation. You take every opportunity to remind them of what they did. Do you know what you’re doing? Justifying an unforgiving attitude!
There are two things God won’t share. (1) The praise that’s due Him. “I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise” (Isaiah 42:8 NLT). (2) The right to “settle the score.” Paul writes: “Never take revenge…The Scriptures say, ‘I will take revenge; I will pay them back,’ says the Lord. Instead, ‘If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.’ Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good” (Romans 12:19-21 NLT).
So forgive, hand the situation over to God, and trust Him to work it out! When “people insulted Christ…he did not insult them in return…He let God…who judges rightly, take care of him” (1 Peter 2:23 NCV). Resentment chains you to the offender, and you end up as a hostage. Dwelling on something your parents or spouse did, or how an associate took credit for your work, or what someone may or may not have said about you, makes you – not them – miserable. You walk around stewing, and they don’t even know you’re upset. Don’t give anyone that kind of control over your life. Forgive – and move on!
Soul food: Exo 1-3; Luke 11:45-54; Ps 53; Pro 6:9-11
2022-02-24
Isaiah 6:5 NIV
Before God called the prophet Isaiah to a position of leadership in the nation, He adjusted his vision. Uncorrected vision leads to skewed perspective, poor judgment, and wasted effort. Israel’s constant rebellion was putting them in jeopardy with God, and they needed a leader with clear vision. So, the first thing God did was give Isaiah a vision of His glory and power. Without it, he could not have done the job. Without this life-changing encounter with God, he would never have been strong enough to complete his mission.
And the same applies to you. Whatever God calls you to do will require more than a job description and some basic skills. You will need a vision of His glory and limitless power to reassure you He is more than adequate for the challenge! (See Ephesians 3:20.)
The second thing God did was adjust Isaiah’s vision of himself. Once your God-concept is adjusted, you’re ready for a self-concept adjustment – and not before! If you start with step two, you will quit before you begin. Isaiah cried, “I am not pure, and I live among people who are not pure” (Isaiah 6:5 NCV). Isaiah realized he was no better than the people he had been called to reach.
Until you see yourself realistically, honestly, and humbly in relation to God and others, your mission won’t succeed. (See Romans 12:3.) The third thing God did was respond to Isaiah’s humility. An angel touched his lips with God’s purifying fire and said, “Your sin is taken away” (Isa 6:7 NCV).
God doesn’t call perfect leaders. He calls humble, honest, forgiven leaders, and crowns their efforts with success, regardless of the odds.
Soul food: 1 Thes 1-5; Luke 11:29-44; Ps 40:9-17; Pro 6:6-8
2022-02-23
2 Corinthians 4:15 MSG
If you’re going through a difficult time right now, let Paul’s words encourage you. “Surrounded and battered by troubles…we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows…we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken” (vv. 8-9 MSG). Who was Paul talking to? Followers of Christ who were having a rough time.
Here is what he told them: “For all [these] things are [taking place] for your sake…Therefore we do not become discouraged (utterly spiritless, exhausted, and wearied out through fear). Though our outer man is [progressively] decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day after day…For…(this slight distress of the passing hour) is…producing…an everlasting weight of glory” (vv. 15-17 AMPC).
When you’re under pressure, your faith grows – and God knows exactly how much pressure to apply! He will let you get to (1) a place where you’re out of answers and your resources seem depleted, (2) a place where you’re tired of Satan stealing what you know God promised you, and (3) a place where you’re no longer willing to let other people’s opinions control you. (Remember, with God there are no hopeless situations, just people who have grown hopeless about them.)
It’s when there is nothing more you can do that you start trusting God to do the impossible. As Paul says, “This slight distress of the passing hour” (v. 17 AMPC). The crisis you’re experiencing may be a blessing in disguise; an opportunity to experience God’s “unfolding grace” and a greater degree of His power at work in your life.
Soul food: Isa 63-66; Luke 11:14-28; Ps 40:1-8; Pro 6:1-5
