2021-11-20
Psalm 25:8 NIV
How would you define “goodness” or “the good life?” French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau defined happiness as “a good bank account, a good cook, and a good digestion.” Some would say the good life is physical. They think it doesn’t get any better than a long soak in a hot tub, a back rub, and a drink at the pub. Others would say the good life is material. They think if you have the mansion, the Mercedes, and the money, you’re living the good life.
But goodness isn’t about feeling good, looking good, or having goods. It’s about being good and doing good. And just like we need a clock to tell time and a ruler to measure distance, we need a universal standard for determining goodness. And we have one. God! “Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.” Without a universally accepted standard for goodness, it becomes a gray area, a matter of opinion.
Hitler thought annihilating the Jewish race was “a good thing.” Suicide bombers think killing innocent human beings “is a good thing.” And such thinking can’t be countered with a simple, “That’s not good.” What’s to keep a Hitler or a suicide bomber from saying, “That’s just your opinion”?
The word “good” stems from an old English word with the same connotation as God. It literally means “to be like God.” Goodbye is the shortened phrase “God be with ye.” So, the universal standard for goodness can only be decided by one who is universally good, and that One can only be God. Think about it!
Soul food: 2 Chr 22-24; John 12:12-19; Ps 102:1-11; Prov 27:7-9
2021-11-19
John 7:24 NLT
John Wesley said, “We should be rigorous in judging ourselves and gracious in judging others.” Why did Jesus say, “Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly”? (v. 24 NLT). Because He had experienced the pain of rejection and misunderstanding. “He came unto his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:11 KJV).
The apostle James writes: “How can you claim to have faith in…Christ if you Favour some people over others…give special attention…to the rich…but…say to the poor…’Stand…there, or…sit on the floor’…Doesn’t this discrimination show…your judgments are guided by evil motives?…If you Favour some people over others, you are committing a sin” (James 2:1, 3-4, 9 NLT).
The story is told that when country singer Lonzo Green’s nephew Jimmy asked him to tune a friend’s guitar, he agreed. The problem was Jimmy’s friend was from the “wrong side of the tracks” and Jimmy’s parents wouldn’t allow him inside their house where Uncle Lonzo was visiting. So they decided to meet outside. As the kid approached, Green noticed his self-consciousness and sidewise glances at the upscale neighbourhood. Lonzo, who had experienced poverty and discrimination in his own life, tuned the boy’s old guitar, played a few songs, and taught him some chords. The young man thanked him and left with a warm memory he would carry throughout the rest of his remarkable life. Eventually that boy crossed the tracks for good with his guitar and soft, polite drawl and hesitant smile, and was never unwelcome again. That’s because the boy who wasn’t allowed in the house that day was – Elvis Presley!
Soul food: 2 Chr 19-21; John 12:1-11; Ps 76; Prov 27:4-6
2021-11-18
Genesis 32:31 NLT
Concerning Jacob, the Bible tells us: “A man came and wrestled with him until…dawn began to break…He touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. Then the man said, ‘Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’ ‘What is your name?’ the man asked. He replied, ‘Jacob.’ ‘Your name will no longer be Jacob,’ the man told him. ‘From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.’…Jacob named the place Peniel (which means ‘face of God’), for he said, ‘I have seen God face to face….The sun was rising as Jacob left Peniel, and he was limping” (vv. 24-28, 30-31 NLT).
Imagine the importance of a hip bone to a farmer like Jacob. It was something he leaned on every day, and now he was weak in an area where he had prided himself on being strong. As a result, he had to depend on God as never before. God has children like Jacob who walk with a limp, and you may be one of them. Perhaps you have experienced a painful failure, and because a limp isn’t something you can hide, people notice it. God loves to use flawed people because when they become successful, they aren’t arrogant like others who think they deserve it. They’re a little warmer, a little more willing to reach out and embrace others. They understand that without God they wouldn’t have made it. When you limp spiritually, you have to depend on God more, and that’s not a liability – it’s an asset!
Soul food: 2 Chr 16-18; John 11:38-57; Ps 81; Prov 27:1-3
2021-11-17
Philippians 1:12 NLT
Shortly before he was executed, Paul wrote: “I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear” (vv. 12-14 NLT). Later on, he wrote, “Always be full of joy” (Philippians 4:4 NLT). Paul had a PMA: a positive mental attitude. He couldn’t control his environment, but he chose an attitude that enabled him to overcome it.
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said: “Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you’re listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?” (emphasis added). When you meet people, do you tell yourself they will let you down? When you face new experiences, does a voice within you tell you you’re going to fail? A man came upon a Little League baseball game one afternoon when he was walking in the park. He stopped and asked a boy in the dugout about the score. He responded, “Eighteen to nothing – we’re behind.” The man said, “I bet you’re discouraged.” The little boy replied, “Why should I be discouraged? We haven’t been up to bat yet!”
What a difference an attitude of faith makes! The last words recorded in the Bible are these: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen” (Revelation 22:21 NKJV). Have faith – God will give you the grace to handle it!
Soul food: 2 Chr 12-15; John 11:28-37; Ps 50; Prov 26:27-28
2021-11-16
Mark 9:29 KJV
Are you facing a problem that prayer alone hasn’t yet solved? Do you have a loved one who has been taken captive by drugs, or alcohol, or some other destructive power? Try praying – and fasting. Sometimes the spiritual battle you’re in is so intense that it calls for denying the legitimate needs of your body and building up your faith through prayer and fasting so that you are able to prevail.
Jesus had told His disciples, “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also” (John 14:12 KJV), yet when the disciples were confronted with a demon-possessed boy with self-destructive tendencies, they were disappointed because they prayed and nothing happened. And when they asked Jesus why, He said to them, “This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”
When the Jewish people were threatened with annihilation, only the king could save them. So Esther said, “Gather all the Jews…and fast for me…I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king” (Esther 4:16 NKJV). As a result, Haman, who had plotted their destruction, was hanged on his own gallows, and the entire Jewish nation was saved.
There are times in life when you must say no to your physical needs so that you can focus on your spiritual ones. Fasting sharpens your focus in prayer, fortifies your faith, prepares you to meet a challenge, and brings miraculous results. Fasting is about having single-mindedness in your search for God’s help – and it brings great results.
Soul food: 2 Chr 8-11; John 11:17-27; Ps 8; Prov 26:23-26
2021-11-15
2 Corinthians 9:8 MSG
If your sense of well-being comes from any source other than God – including yourself – chances are you will always struggle with insecurity. That’s why Paul wrote: “God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so…you’re ready for anything and everything, more than…ready to do what needs to be done.” Another translation puts it this way: “God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (NIV).
As long as you’re trusting in yourself, or others, you will struggle with uncertainty and self-doubt. But once you start trusting in God – what He can do in you, with you, through you, and for you – you begin to feel differently about yourself. Insecurity destroys your self-esteem by making you feel unqualified and undeserving. And here is the worst part: often it means you can’t be taught, can’t accept honest criticism, and therefore you can’t grow. The thing you need most – good input – becomes the last thing you’re willing to accept because you’re afraid to let anyone know you’re less than perfect.
Consequently, you find it hard to confront challenges and seize the opportunities that come your way. Deep down, you feel incompetent, unaccepted, disapproved of, and rejected. In short: Insecurity is an “inside job!” With that in mind, take an honest look at your life right now. Go ahead; it’s safe, no one else is looking! The only person who will benefit from this is you. Then turn to God and say, “Lord, everything I need to succeed in life I have in you!”
Soul food: 2 Chr 5-7; John 11:1-16; Ps 83:9-18; Prov 26:17-22
