2021-06-10
Luke 11:17 NIV
They say, “The apple never falls far from the tree,” and Jacob certainly proved that. Nearing the end of his life when he should have been preparing to bless his sons Simeon and Levi, he told them, “I…curse…you because of your…anger” (Genesis 49:7 CEV). But their behavior should have come as no surprise. The fact is, Jacob had already shaped them by his own example when he deceived his father (See Genesis 27) and his father-in-law (See Genesis 30). And his mother facilitated the deception.
Behavioral patterns are passed from generation to generation. Your attitudes and actions will either blight your children or bless them. The Word of God says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6 KJV). Your children inherit more than just your looks. They end up with the values you taught and the emotional disposition you displayed.
Don’t involve them in your marital disputes. The Bible says, “Anger rests in the bosom of fools” (Ecclesiastes 7:9 NKJV), and kids are easy targets for misdirected rage. Even when your outbursts aren’t aimed at them, they still suffer the effects. For example, your boss reprimands you at work, and because you can’t retaliate, you come home like a bear with a headache and make everybody around you walk on eggshells. Lower the decibel level! Don’t let your anger run amok. King David shone on the battlefront but struggled on the home front. Perhaps that’s why one of the last Psalms reads like this: “Help me to guard my words whenever I say something” (Psalm 141:3 CEV).
Soul food: 2 Ki 10-12; Mark 15:1-20; Ps 132:11-18; Prov 13:7-8
2021-06-09
Ephesians 4:2 CEV
Without harmony on the home front, all your career successes can feel empty. Anytime you find it easier to talk to outsiders than to your own family, something’s broken – and urgently needs fixing. God designed your family to be a support system, and a safety net to catch you when you fall. And His Word gives us the prescription for creating harmony at home: “Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other. Try your best to let God’s Spirit keep your hearts united. Do this by living at peace” (vv. 2-3 CEV).
Note four important words in this Scripture: “humble,” “gentle,” “patiently,” and “united.” Without those essential ingredients, it won’t work! So start praying for your kids instead of just laying down rules that create distance when you don’t see eye to eye. You won’t always agree, but you can learn to value, love, and respect each other.
Every family has its ups and downs – and every family tree has a few nuts! But if you bail out when things get tough, you’ll miss the harvest you could have reaped by hanging on. For example, sometimes the child that ends up blessing you the most is the one who didn’t necessarily agree with your ideas, or embrace your values, or marry the person you thought they should have. Yes, it’s upsetting, but in the long run none of that matters because family is a life-long investment.
Many of those who opt for divorce end up wishing they had hung in a little longer, and had loved a little bit more. Make sure you’re not one of them!
Soul food: 2 Ki 7-9; Mark 14:66-72; Ps 132:1-10; Prov 13:4-6
2021-06-08
Revelation 12:10 NIV
A guy who worked in an office loved to play a particular trick on new employees. He would approach them and whisper, “They know what you did,” then walk away smiling. First, the person would look bewildered. Then they would get anxious and wonder, “What have I done?” Then they would think, “Who are they?” “What do they know?” and “What are they saying about me?” And since even the most innocent have a knee-jerk tendency to conceal and protect, the new employee would walk around all day anxiety ridden.
That’s exactly how Satan works! He casts aspersions! But there’s good news: “The accuser of our brothers…who accuses them before…God day and night, has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (vv. 10-11 NIV).
There’s an unfailing strategy for silencing the voice of the accuser. What is it? Remind him that the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed you from all sin. Just as Jesus defeated Satan in the wilderness, you can defeat him every time by standing on the truth of God’s Word. It’s not God who makes you feel condemned. He wants you to know you’re loved, forgiven, and fully accepted. Paul writes, “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?…Christ…is at the right hand of God…pleading…for us” (Romans 8:33-34 AMPC).
So stop beating yourself up. Jesus came to save you and let you know that the penalty for your sin has been removed and its power over your life has been broken. God sees you today as righteous – and that’s how you need to start seeing yourself (See 2 Corinthians 5:21).
Soul food: 2 Ki 4:18-6:33; Mark 14:53-65; Ps 48; Prov 13:2-3
2021-06-07
2 Corinthians 3:18 KJV
They say a rut is just a grave with the ends kicked out. And once you get into a rut, it’s hard to get out, especially if it’s comfortable. But you’ll never become what God wants you to be, or all that you could be, as long as you resist change and insist on staying as you are. There are two kinds of change.
(1) The change you personally must make. Astronaut James Irwin said: “You might think going to the moon was the most scientific project ever, but they literally threw us in the direction of the moon. We had to adjust our course every ten minutes, and landed only fifty feet inside of the five hundred-mile radius of our target.” On that mission every change, no matter how small, was essential to success.
Let’s face it, we dislike change, so we try to resist or postpone it as long as possible. Yet in the end it’s the only thing that brings growth. The Bible says, “Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honoured” (Proverbs 13:18 NIV). Wise people are willing to change their minds, the foolish never do.
(2) The change only God can make. His goal for your life is to develop in you the character qualities of Jesus. And since that cannot be accomplished through self-effort, His Word says: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory…by the Spirit of the Lord.” What brings about change? Drawing on God’s power each day.
Soul food: 2 Ki 1:1-4:17; Mark 14:43-52; Ps 1; Prov 13:1
2021-06-06
1 Peter 2:21 CEV
Richard C. Halverson, former chaplain of the United States Senate, said: “Want to be a winner? Compete against yourself, not somebody else…. Outrunning your rival doesn’t mean you ran your best race. You can win over another and still not fulfill your potential…. To be your best, you must compete with yourself. It’s life’s biggest contest. A loser is a winner – however many his losses – if he conquers himself. A winner is a loser – however many his victories – if he loses the battle with himself. Alexander the Great conquered the world, and cursed his own lack of self-control. Victory over others may in fact be the very thing that contributes to the winner’s failure to conquer self. Winning makes him proud, arrogant, independent, thoughtless – and sometimes cruel. To put it another way, it isn’t what happens to you that makes the difference, but how you handle it. The one who stops maturing spiritually because he thinks he knows more Scripture than others or has more success in ministry, is still far from being what Christ planned for him.”
Compared to others you may look good, but God’s plan is to produce in you the character qualities of Christ. “This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind…Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and…how to do it, step-by-step. He never did one thing wrong, not once said anything amiss. They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right” (vv. 2:21-23 MSG).
Soul food: 2 Ki 5:1-14; John 5:1-15
2021-06-05
Isaiah 55:12 KJV
God reveals His will in several ways. One is by giving us a sense of “peace” that we are doing the right thing. Paul writes, “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15 NKJV). That means you should follow “the peace rule.” Again he writes, “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds” (Philippians 4:7 NKJV).
You don’t need all the answers to have peace about it. General Eisenhower was faced with the responsibility of making one of the most far-reaching decisions ever posed to a single man: changing the date of V-Day at the last moment. If he got it wrong, thousands of Allied soldiers could die. Talk about pressure! But he was the supreme commander and the only man who could make the decision. Looking back on it, he wrote: “I knew I did not have the required wisdom, and turned to God. I asked Him to give me wisdom. I yielded myself to Him, and He gave me clear guidance. He gave me insight to see what was right, and He endowed me with the courage to make my decision. And finally He gave me peace of mind in the knowledge that, having been guided by God to a decision, I could leave the results to Him.”
Are you feeling anxious because you are being called upon today to make a decision; one that will not only affect you but others too? The word for you today is – pray, trust God for guidance, ask Him for peace, act, and trust Him for the right result.
Soul food: Rev 19-22; Mark 14:27-42; Ps 129; Prov 12:27-28
