2021-10-21
Isaiah 46:10 NLT
One day a businessman called his wife to say that he was bringing a foreign visitor home for dinner. His wife had three children in school and one preschooler at home, so she had a full workload. But she consented, and the meal she prepared was both delicious and graciously served. The foreign guest, an important official in Spain, had a delightful time and thanked the couple repeatedly for inviting him and treating him to a home-cooked meal and an evening of family warmth and fellowship.
Years later, friends of this family went to Spain as missionaries. But their work was brought to a standstill by government regulations. When this particular Spanish official got word that the missionaries were friends of the couple who’d hosted him in such a gracious manner, he used his influence to clear away the restrictions on their behalf. As a result, a vibrant and growing church was built in that province of Spain and people were won to Christ. Why? Because a busy wife and mother was willing to set an extra plate for a guest at her dinner table, and that guest proved to be a “kingdom connection.”
Like a wise businessman, God sets the goal, then determines the plan required to reach it. In His Word He tells us: “I am God…declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure'” (vv. 9-10 NKJV). In other words, God connects the dots.
Soul food: 1 Tim 1-3; John 5:16-30; Ps 5; Prov 24:8-9
2021-10-20
Proverbs 23:15 NLT
If you succeed in making a good living but fail to teach your children how to live “right,” your success will be empty, and you’ll end up living with regrets. The average child spends six to seven hours each day on the internet, or watching television, or interacting with their peer group. And every minute of it is creating their value system and molding them into the person they will become. So be there for them! If you have to sacrifice materially in order to develop them spiritually, it’s a trade-off you’ll always feel good about.
Dorothy Lawe Nolte wrote words that every parent should carry with them: “If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn. If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight. If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy. If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty. But, if a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient. If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence. If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate. If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice. If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith. If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself. If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world.”
Solomon, who was a father, put it this way: “My child, if your heart is wise, my own heart will rejoice!”
Soul food: Hab 1-3; John 5:1-15; Ps 15; Prov 24:7
2021-10-19
Luke 6:38 NKJV
In the late nineteenth century, a Member of Parliament went to Scotland to make an important speech. He travelled to Edinburgh by train, then took a horse-drawn carriage southward to his destination. But the roads were bad and the carriage became mired in mud. A Scottish farm boy came to the rescue of the team of horses and helped to pull the carriage loose. The Member of Parliament asked the boy how much he owed him. “Nothing,” the lad replied. “Are you sure?” the politician pressed, but the boy declined payment. “Well, is there anything I can do for you? What do you want to be when you grow up?” The boy responded, “I want to be a doctor.” The Member of Parliament offered to help the young Scot go to university, and sure enough he followed through on his pledge.
More than a half century later Winston Churchill lay dangerously ill with pneumonia; stricken while attending a wartime conference in Morocco. A new “wonder drug” was administered to him, a drug called penicillin that had been discovered by Sir Alexander Fleming. You’ve guessed it: Fleming was the young Scottish lad who came to the aid of the Member of Parliament. And the Member of Parliament was none other than Randolph Churchill, Winston Churchill’s father.
Yes, what goes around comes around. Jesus told the truth when He said, “Give, and it will be given to you.” So, when God tells you to sow a seed of kindness into the life of someone else, it’s because He has a harvest of blessing waiting for you somewhere down the road.
Soul food: Nahum 1-3; John 4:39-54; Ps 41; Prov 24:5-6
2021-10-18
Psalm 119:143 NLT
Thank God for skilled doctors who know how to diagnose illnesses and prescribe medications that bring health and healing. But here’s something for you to think about: what if many of our stress-related illnesses could be more successfully treated with meditation than medication? The psalmist wrote: “As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands. Your laws are always right; help me to understand them so I may live…Those who love your instructions have great peace” (vv. 143-144, 165 NLT).
When there’s a chemical imbalance in your body it may need to be treated with medication, an altered diet, and daily exercise. But when your soul is starved to the point of dysfunction, it needs to be treated with God’s Word. We’re not talking about skimming through a few verses and rushing out into your day. Butterflies cover a lot of ground, but only bees gather honey! Sometimes you have to stay with a particular Scripture until you extract the honey; to “live with” and “meditate” on it till it takes root and starts to grow within you (see Psalm 119:48).
It takes time to change ingrained character traits. God may work on one area of your life for several weeks, or months. New habits and ways of thinking need time to be established. You must recognize this and allow God to reveal and reinforce new truth in your life. Don’t fool yourself into thinking because you read a certain scriptural truth it will produce instant change. It must be applied daily, and that takes time and meditation.
Soul food: 2 Pet 1-3; John 4:27-38; Ps 87; Prov 24:1-4
2021-10-17
2 Chronicles 15:15 NIV
Prolonged starvation can have a profound effect on your health. You lose your ability to think clearly. Your vision gets blurry. Your strength wanes, and you stop being productive. And if you go long enough without nourishment, the chances are, you’ll end up in the hospital being fed through a tube.
Guess what? It’s the same with your spiritual life. Jesus said, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4 NIV). So knowing that, how come we don’t spend time reading the Bible? We know it’s essential to our spiritual, mental and emotional health. Yet we fail to do it or do it inconsistently. Why?
(1) Because we’re not motivated. We haven’t experienced the joy that comes from personally discovering great truths from God’s Word. We grow complacent and settle for having our spiritual food handed to us by other people. But when you get serious about studying the Bible for yourself, you’ll never again be satisfied with second-hand knowledge.
(2) Because we don’t know how. We hear a great sermon and think, “Why didn’t I see that?” Because most pastors spend hours studying the Scriptures – we don’t!
(3) Because we get lazy. Bible study requires self discipline. It takes time, effort, concentration and persistence. Most great truths don’t lie on the surface; you have to dig for them. In the Old Testament when Israel “sought God eagerly…he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.” And God will do that for you too!
Soul food: Est 4:9-5:3; Heb 4:7-16
2021-10-16
Psalm 107:9 NKJV
When you’re sick, one of the first questions a doctor asks in order to diagnose your problem is, “How’s your appetite?” That’s because when you lose your desire for food, something’s wrong in your body. And the same principle applies to your spiritual health.
One of the characteristics of the great men and women in Scripture is that they hungered for God in prayer and disciplined themselves to study and understand His Word. What made evangelist George Mueller so successful? During his lifetime he read through the Bible some two hundred times – and more than half of those were on his knees, praying over Scripture while studying it.
When you know God that well, you’ll pray specifically and get specific answers. The truth is that you were born with a God-shaped blank inside you, and nobody but God can fill it. Greater success won’t. More money won’t. Another relationship won’t. Living in a palace and being a king won’t.
That’s why King David wrote: “Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word…Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law…My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times…Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors” (Psalm 119:12-24 NIV).
The Word of God is “soul food,” so if you’ve been feeding your body and neglecting your soul – rearrange your priorities today.
Soul food: 2 Sam 22:31-24:25; John 4:13-26; Ps 32; Prov 23:29-35
