2020-10-24
Hebrews 11:24 NIV
The life of Moses reveals four issues you must come to grips with in order to succeed in life.
First: You must know who you are. “Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.” Moses was born a Hebrew, but he was raised as an Egyptian by Pharaoh’s daughter. Even though he was being groomed to be second-in-command in Pharaoh’s kingdom, Moses knew God had called him to free his people and lead them out of Egypt. So, he had to make a choice: “What am I going to do with my life? I’m not who these people think I am.” Moses had every comfort he could wish for in the palace, and he could have stayed there.What would you have done? Moses made the right decision, but it meant spending the next eighty years of his life in the desert.
Every one of us must come to grips with our identity. We all have a deep need and desire to accept who we are. Trying to be who we’re not is a quick way to get an ulcer, because it puts us under so much pressure. Moses recognized this tension, and decided to quit pretending. It’s liberating when we stop trying to be somebody we’re not, and accept God’s plan for our life.
How would we remember Moses today if he had stayed in Pharaoh’s court? Maybe as an Egyptian mummy in some museum – or maybe not at all. But he made the hard decision, and in the light of eternity it was the best one. Learn from him!
Soul food: Hab 1-3; John 6:25-34; Ps 98; Prov 24:15-18
2020-10-23
Matthew 7:2 NIV
If you’re the one doing the judging, remember this timeless principle: What goes around comes around. Jesus said, “Do not judge…For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (vv. 1-2 NIV). It’s called the law of reciprocity, and it guarantees you will get back what you give. It’s not a threat; it’s an immutable law, just like the law of gravity.
You say, “I’m honest; I just tell it like it is. Besides, that person’s sin needs to be exposed!” It’s not about your honesty or their sin, it’s about God’s Word that forbids judging. You may be right and they may be wrong, but judging puts you in violation of Scripture. Plus it sets you up to be judged.
Question: What if the other person has already repented, confessed their sin, and received God’s forgiveness? Think about it: The worst kind of judging is judging sins God has already forgiven and forgotten (See Isaiah 43:25). When we judge others, we’re looking in the wrong direction. We’re avoiding what we don’t want to see – our own shortcomings.
Jesus said, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3 NIV). Whatever their “speck” is, it’s God’s business – not yours. Your “plank” is your business! Jesus also said, “They are blessed who show mercy to others, for God will show mercy to them” (Matthew 5:7 NCV). Instead of judging others, start investing in your own “mercy account.” You’ll need it soon enough.
Soul food: Nahum 1-3; John 6:1-24; Ps 85; Prov 24:11-14
2020-10-22
1 Corinthians 4:5 NIV
Judging others is like breathing – it comes naturally. And sometimes the worst critics are Christians who use Scripture as their weapon of choice. So if you’re the one being judged, try to remember these four things:
(1) Show humility. If you’re guilty, admit it to God, yourself, and the appropriate others. Confession brings honesty and spiritual growth (See 1 John 1:9).
(2) Know your Bible. Satan took Scriptures out of context to try to trap Jesus, but Jesus knew the context so He didn’t fall for it (See Luke 4:1-13). When the Bible is taken out of context, remember God isn’t aiming at you. And when you’re rightly judged by God’s Word, don’t despair; it doesn’t mean He’s mad at you. He loves you – just as you love your children even when they disobey, and use their actions as “teaching moments” to develop them. “The Lord disciplines the one he loves, and…chastens everyone he accepts as his son” (Hebrews 12:6 NIV).
(3) Don’t be goaded into trying to defend yourself. Judgmental people aren’t interested in facts – they just want to feel good by making you feel bad. Pick your battles wisely, and don’t waste time on the unimportant. Here’s how Paul responded to his critics: “I care very little if I am judged by you or…any human court” (1 Corinthians 4:3 NIV).
(4) Don’t volunteer for the jury. If God doesn’t find you guilty, don’t judge yourself. Follow Paul’s example: “Indeed, I do not even judge myself” (v. 3 NIV). If you’re wrong, confess it, and by God’s grace correct it. Then make up your mind to live your life free from condemnation.
Soul food: 2 Pet 1-3; John 5:31-47; Ps 126; Prov 24:10
2020-10-21
Proverbs 2:6 NKJV
What are the people in your life telling you? Are they increasing your self-doubt or strengthening your faith? Just because people tell you something doesn’t make it so. In 1492 the people surrounding Columbus thought the earth was flat. The “experts” examined his travel plans and said his idea was impossible. But Columbus didn’t fall off the end of the earth as they predicted – instead, he discovered America!
Along the same lines, Thomas Edison tried to persuade Henry Ford to abandon his fledgling idea of a motorcar because he was convinced it would never work. He told Ford, “Come work for me and do something worthwhile.” Although Edison was a great inventor, it sounds like he was only positive about what he could do and rather pessimistic about what others could do. So the next time you get in your car to go somewhere, be glad Ford didn’t share Edison’s negative outlook about automobiles. Don’t let someone else’s limited thinking limit you.
Negativity is contagious; you have to pay attention if you don’t want to catch it! Even if you’re the only positive person in your family, be the one with an optimistic outlook in every situation. What we call “common knowledge” often is commonly wrong! “The Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
Have the people who are telling you “it can’t be done” factored God into the equation? If not, pay no attention. Instead of listening to people who increase your doubts, listen to the people to whom God has given wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.
Soul food: 2 Sam 22:31-24:25; John 5:16-30; Ps 5; Prov 24:8-9
2020-10-20
Colossians 3:23 NASB
You will know that your job is your “calling” when you do what you love, and love what you do.
Philanthropist and industrialist Andrew Carnegie said: “The average person puts only 25 percent of their energy and ability into their work. The world takes off its hat to those who put in more than 50 percent, and stands on its head for those few and far-between souls who devote 100 percent.”
Thomas Edison loved work. In his latter years he established Menlo Park, the world’s first factory for making nothing but inventions. It was a forerunner to the private research laboratories now maintained by so many large companies. At Menlo Park Edison promised to turn out “a minor invention every ten days, and a big thing every six months or so.” At one point he was working on forty-seven things at once. Other inventors may have been richer, but no inventor has ever been more enthusiastic or successful.
When you believe that what you do makes a difference, you have a different feeling about what you do. When you believe your job has worth in God’s eyes, you’re no longer vulnerable to the critics or dependent upon the cheerleaders.
Paul said, “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me” (Acts 20:24 NIV). One of the last prayers Jesus prayed was “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4 NIV). If you are serious about pleasing God, make that your prayer too.
Soul food: 2 Sam 20:1-22:30; John 5:1-15; Ps 15; Prov 24:7
2020-10-19
1 Timothy 4:13 NKJV
What you read and study is what you become. When you carry the right books with you, you maintain a continuous flow of truth and information into your heart and mind.
(1) Reading discourages unproductive conversation. You should always be ready to share your faith and minister to the needs of others. But have you ever sat beside someone who couldn’t stop talking? Many times people who love to talk don’t require anything significant to energize them. They talk just to avoid silence; when you keep a book handy, it solves that problem.
(2) Keep a list of books you want to read each month. This prevents unwise selections in moments of boredom, temptation, or fatigue. At the beginning of each year, select fifty-two books you’d like to read by the end of the year – one per week. Reading twenty pages a day will take you through a 140-page book every week.
(3) Carry books when you travel. When you’re away from the busyness of your daily schedule, you can withdraw into your own private world: You can dream, focus, and plan.
In mentoring Timothy, Paul wrote: “Give attention to reading…Do not neglect the gift that is in you…Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all” (vv. 13-15 NKJV).
The first book you should read is your Bible – and it’s also the one you should read most. But read other books too, because God is the source of all true wisdom and knowledge. To quote Solomon: “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7 NKJV).
Soul food: 2 Sam 17:14-19:43; John 4:39-54; Ps 41; Prov 24:5-6
