2021-03-31
James 1:2 MSG
It takes a long time and an incredible amount of pressure to turn a worthless piece of carbon into a valuable diamond. That’s why James writes: “Consider it a sheer gift…when tests and challenges come at you from all sides…under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way” (vv. 2-4 MSG).
Once you grasp that scriptural truth, whenever your life is interrupted by problems or circumstances you didn’t anticipate, you’ll begin to see God’s hand at work in all of it. The truth is that you’re either in a trial right now, just coming out of one, or heading toward the next one. James talks about “various trials” (v. 2 NAS); they come in every conceivable variety. Like the letters you get in your mailbox, some are addressed simply to “The Occupant.”
Will Rogers once read a newspaper headline that said, “Innocent Bystander Shot in New York.” He quipped, “How about that? All you have to do to get shot in New York is be innocent and stand by!” That’s how it is with life’s trials. Just stand by – and you’ll get hit. But the fact remains that it takes adversity to produce spiritual maturity. It can’t come any other way. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NIV). Jesus was an overcomer, and because He lives in you today, you can be an overcomer too.
Soul food: 2 Thes 1-3; Matt 26:30-46; Ps 6; Prov 8:32-33
2021-03-30
Job 23:10 NIV
Job lost his family and his fortune in a single day. Yet, looking back he wrote, “When he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” It takes much more heat to produce gold than it does to produce tin. So which of the two do you want to be? To enjoy the blessing God has in mind for you, you’ve got to pass life’s tests.
In the early days of television programming, schedules were routinely interrupted by a thirty-second test of “The Emergency Broadcast System.” And those tests are a lot like the ones that come into our lives – unscheduled…unwelcome…and they always seem to come at the worst possible time. But unlike television test patterns, life’s tests don’t last for thirty seconds then go away. No, they can last for weeks, years, and in some cases, for a lifetime. And the reason why may never be completely clear to you.
However, there’s an aspect of the test you can control – how you respond to it. The truth is, tests are an invaluable, integral, and indispensable part of your spiritual growth. Without them you’ll never grow and mature as much as you need to. And it’s how you handle your “tests” that decides your “testimony.”
Paul writes: “Every detail works to your advantage and to God’s glory: more and more grace…more and more praise! So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside…not a day goes by without his unfolding grace” (2 Corinthians 4:15-16 MSG). Bottom line: you’re “graced” for this test.
Soul food: Est 5-10; Matt 26:1-17; Ps 18:1-29; Prov 26:24-27
2021-03-29
John 15:3 KJV
Your new nature is programmed to want to obey God in much the same way a calculator is programmed to compute numbers. When you put in the right information, you get the right response. And when you feed your new nature with God’s Word, it’s designed to give you the right response. That’s why Satan tries to keep you so busy doing other things that you don’t spend time reading your Bible. His goal is to keep you weak and ineffective.
Paul writes, “We all…beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV). A mirror is simply a reflector. And the more time you spend in God’s Word, the more you begin to reflect His likeness. But it won’t happen by just grabbing a verse here and there or skimming through a passage. No, it calls for renewing your mind every day with God’s Word, to the extent that the Holy Spirit connects with your spirit and produces a Christlike lifestyle.
Jesus said: “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me” (John 15:3-4). When food dries on a plate, that plate needs to “abide” in some hot, soapy water so that all the junk can be removed. That’s why you need to soak your mind in God’s Word. It removes not only gross sin, but hardened, baked-on, stubborn attitudes that keep you from growing in grace.
Soul food: Est 1-4; Matt 25:41-46; Ps 69:19-36; Prov 8:30-31
2021-03-28
James 1:22 NIV
James writes: “Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has…gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law…and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does” (vv. 22-25 NAS).
In this Scripture the word man comes from the Greek word for male. Why is that significant? Because there’s a difference in how men and women use a mirror. Men generally glance in it just long enough to get the basics done; whereas, women are usually so intent on knowing how they look that they carry a mirror in their purse and check their looks regularly throughout the day.
But don’t miss the point. It’s not about the difference in how men and women utilize mirrors. No, it’s about the difference between spending a few hurried moments in the Scripture before rushing out into your day, instead of meditating on it until it renews your mind and shapes your character into the likeness of Jesus.
As you read the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit holds a mirror up in front of you so that you can make whatever adjustments are necessary. Note the words, “Whoever looks intently…and continues in it…will be blessed” (v. 25 NIV). It’s a two-way street. To walk in God’s blessing, you need to take care of the “doing,” and He will take care of the “blessing.”
Soul food: Ps 118:19-29; Matt 21:1-16
2021-03-27
Job 22:21 NIV
Today we don’t just have regular stress, we’ve got cyber stress. Emails multiply like rabbits. Turn your cell phone off for even a couple of hours, and when you turn it back on, it has gained ten pounds from the influx of recent voice mails. Then we have hyper stress. Go to the grocery store and see how much small talk you get from the cashier whose speed and efficiency is being tracked by computer as he or she electronically scans your groceries, calls out your total, and digitally sweeps you out the door.
In a five-year study of three thousand salaried and hourly employees, 88 percent said they work “very hard.” Sixty-eight percent said they worked “very fast.” Sixty percent said they “still don’t get all their work done.” And 71 percent said they felt “used up.” Even ministers aren’t immune. Almost half eventually resign, and when asked why, 80 percent cited the negative effect of pastoral ministry on their family lives.
So what’s the solution to our stress? Peace! And where can you find peace? The Bible tells us, “Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.”
Here’s how it works: When you know that God loves and accepts you unconditionally, it sets you free to do the same for yourself. As a result, you’re no longer driven by a need for acceptance, acquisition, and achievement. Yes, when you live by the principles clearly laid down in the Bible, you can have peace and prosperity!
Soul food: Exo 12:1-14; Matt 26:17-29; 1 Cor 11:20-34; Ps 49
2021-03-26
Matthew 26:31 NKJV
On the night before His death, Jesus made this announcement: “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the…flock will be scattered.’ But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee” (vv. 31-32 NKJV). Think about it! If the disciples who had spent three-and-a-half years walking and talking with Jesus, hearing His messages and seeing His miracles could stumble, then any of us can. “All of you will…stumble.”
But the promise was lost on Peter. “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble” (v. 33 NKJV). This was not one of Peter’s finer moments. “Even if all…” Arrogant. “I will never be made to stumble.” Self-sufficient. Peter’s trust was in Peter’s strength. Yet Peter’s strength would peter out.
Jesus knew it: “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:31-32 NKJV). Satan would attack and test Peter. But Satan would never claim him. Why? Because Peter was strong? No – because Jesus was. “I have prayed for you.”
And here’s a wonderful truth – Jesus prays for you too: “Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name…I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me” (John 17:11, 20 NLT). Will God answer Christ’s prayer on your behalf? What do you think? Of course He will!
Soul food: Job 40-42; Matt 25:31-40; Ps 69:1-18; Prov 8:27-29
