2021-01-16
Romans 12:6 NKJV
The Bible teaches that God gives each of us certain gifts, and the grace to use them. And when we are not operating in our area of giftedness, we struggle. We need to keep that in mind when we see a great achiever, or become a great achiever ourselves. Paul spoke five languages and wrote half the New Testament, but he constantly struggled with what he refers to as a “thorn in the flesh.” When he prayed and asked God to remove it, God said no. “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV). So we need grace in the areas of our gifting, and grace for the areas in which we’re not gifted at all.
The story’s told of a man who went to hear a great speaker, and ended up seated beside the speaker’s wife. During the speech, the man noticed that the great speaker had monogrammed socks. Intrigued by this, he looked closer and saw that instead of the usual two or three initials were the letters “TGIF.” When the speech was over he complimented the speaker, then turned to the speaker’s wife and said, “How come your husband’s socks say, “TGIF: Thank Goodness It’s Friday?” She replied, “Oh, that’s not what those letters mean; the monograms are there to help him get dressed. They stand for Toes Go In First.”
As long as you live you will soar in some areas and struggle in others. And you will find that God’s grace is sufficient for any challenge you face. And that’s the word for you today.
Soul food: Exo 36-38; Matt 8:1-9; Ps 81; Prov 2:11-15
2021-01-15
Matthew 6:34 TLB
The story’s told of a clock that spent a great deal of time worrying about its future, reasoning that it had to tick twice each second. “How much ticking might that be?” the clock thought. So it began to calculate that it would tick 120 times each minute, which is 7,200 times each hour. That meant in a twenty-four-hour day it would have to tick 172,800 times, and 63,072,000 times every year. By this time the clock began to get overwhelmed and sweat profusely. Finally, it calculated that in a ten-year period it would have to tick 630,720,000 times – and at that point the clock collapsed with a nervous breakdown.
Psychologists reckon that about 95 percent of all we worry about never happens. What about the other 5 percent? Four out of five times things turn out better than we anticipated, including a lot of outright blessings! In the end, only 1 percent of all the bad we think might happen actually does, and of this it’s rarely as bad as we feared. That’s why Jesus said, “Don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.”
The apostle Peter gives us the right perspective to live by in these words: “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully” (1 Peter 5:7 AMPC). So the word for you today is – don’t obsess over the future.
Soul food: Exo 33-35; Matt 7:15-29; Ps 79; Prov 2:9-10
2021-01-14
Psalm 100:4 NKJV
One Sunday a plainly dressed, scholarly-looking man went to a church in the Netherlands and took a seat near the pulpit. A few minutes later, a lady approached the pew. Seeing a stranger sitting in it, she curtly advised him that this was “her seat.” He graciously apologized, and moved to one of the pews in the back of the church reserved for the poor. There, he joined in the service and left afterward without further incident.
When the service was over, one of the woman’s friends asked her if she knew who it was she had ordered out of her pew. “No,” the woman replied casually, “only some stranger, I suppose.” She was shocked to learn from her friend that the stranger was King Oscar of Sweden, who was in the country visiting their queen.
There’s a lesson here for you. Whether you go to a big church or a small one, Jesus the head of the church, said, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew18:20 NKJV). That means, Jesus, the King of Kings, will be present. You must recognize His presence, worship Him, and make Him your central focus. Otherwise, you might as well join a social club or just stay home.
The psalmist gives us the protocol for church: “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations” (Psalm 100:4-5 NKJV).
Soul food: Exo 30-32; Matt 7:1-14; Ps 74:12-23; Prov 2:7-8
2021-01-13
Matthew 5:37 NLT
Good negotiators understand that talking too much is a sign of insecurity and weakness. Sometimes the most potent word in any language is a simple yes or no, without further explanation or elaboration. Most decisions eventually come to that point. In order to do that, you must be able to answer these three questions:
(1) Is this decision mine alone to make? If you are the sole decision maker or the final decision maker, don’t hesitate and don’t vacillate, make the decision. And before you do, stand on this Scripture: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James1:5 NKJV).
(2) What will happen if I put off making this decision? In most cases, things will either get better or worse for one or more party. So weigh your decision carefully, realizing that it is likely to lean in favour of the heavier weight of the argument, then decide. At this point, stand on the Scripture: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV).
(3) Does every decision have a moral and spiritual dimension? When you compromise your convictions or character for popularity or profit, you end up morally and spiritually bankrupt. So hold to your values, base your decisions on them, and stand on this Scripture: “A good man [and woman] obtains favour from the Lord” (Proverbs12:2 NKJV).
Soul food: Exo 28-29; Matt 6:19-34; Ps 74:1-11; Prov 2:6
2021-01-12
Acts 20:24 NLT
To live your best life you need two things – purpose and persistence. And if you ask Him, God will help you develop them.
(1) Let’s look at purpose. On the historic monument commemorating the life of author Jack London, who wrote the classic White Fang, are these words: “I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather my spark burn out in a brilliant blaze than that it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of a man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.” To make a difference in this world you must discover your God-given assignment, and commit yourself to it 100 percent. Paul did that. “My life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”
(2) Let’s look at persistence. It took Sir Winston Churchill three years to get through the eighth grade because he had trouble learning English. Yet his speeches during World War II inspired and galvanized Britain to fight and win in the face of overwhelming odds. When he was asked to give the commencement address at Oxford University, he delivered the shortest speech on record – just six words. “Never give up! Never give up!! And those words are the essence of purpose and persistence.
Soul food: Exo 25-27; Matt 6:9-18; Ps 71:17-24; Prov 2:3-5
2021-01-11
Romans 1:12 NCV
Next time you take a walk in the woods stop and think about what is taking place right under your feet. As the roots of the trees connect with each other they form a support system. One has access to water, another to nutrients, and another to sunlight. No single tree has it all, but together they can grow, thrive, and withstand the storms of life. “Then we will grow in every way to be more like Christ, the head of the body. Christ holds it together and makes all of its parts work perfectly, as it grows and becomes strong because of love” (Ephesians 4:15-16 CEV). Some of us independent types have difficulty with this concept. We want to fly solo until we crash, and then we realize our need for:
(1) Encouragement. Even Paul needed cheering on: “Everyone in Asia has turned against me, especially Phygelus and Hermogenes. I pray that the Lord will be kind to the family of Onesiphorus. He often cheered me up and wasn’t ashamed of me when I was put in jail. Then after he arrived in Rome, he searched everywhere until he found me” (2 Timothy1:15-17 CEV).
(2) Sympathy. “Be sympathetic” (Colossians 3:12 GWT). We all need to be understood and have our feelings validated. But sometimes we are in such a hurry to “fix” people we don’t have time to sympathize with them.
(3) Grace. “Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (v. 13 NLT). What motivates us to extend grace to others? God’s grace to us! Remember, you will never be asked to extend more grace to someone than God has already extended to you.
Soul food: Exo 22-24; Matt 6:1-8; Ps 71:1-16; Prov 2:1-2
