2020-10-06
Ecclesiastes 11:4 NIV
Should you risk investing, or wait for a “lucky break” that could make you rich overnight? Solomon answers, “Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return” (v. 1 NIV). That means invest prayerfully and wisely, and be patient because it may take “many days” before you’ll get a return.
The get-rich-quick mentality isn’t scriptural. “Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land” (v. 2 NIV). So invest, but diversify; allow for market fluctuations. This is a play-it-wise approach, not a play-it-safe one.
Be faith-driven instead of fear-driven. Fear allows the unpredictable to determine your actions. Godly wisdom, plus faith, is the key to investing. Waiting for “the ideal time” will keep you paralyzed. Success isn’t in the absence of challenges, it’s having the wisdom to manage them and keep moving forward.
The Bible says, “Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.” If you let the odds immobilize you, you’ll never sow – which means you’ll never reap.
The bottom line is this: Life is full of unknowns, and just “as you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb…you cannot understand the work of God” (v. 5 NIV). You don’t have to know it all or be able to predict the outcome. Just seek God, then act on the wisdom He gives you (See James 1:5). You don’t have to understand how He’s going to work on your behalf – you only need to believe He will!
Soul food: 1 Sam 18:1-20:29; John 1:1-13; Ps 92; Prov 22:24-25
2020-10-05
Philippians 2:16 NKJV
You must give up short-term gratification for long-term fulfillment. Paul bottom-lines his life and ministry in this verse: “That I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”
Nothing is more important in life than the choices you make. The Bible says, “Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom” (Genesis 13:12 NLT), and for a while he prospered. But in the end, everything he worked for went up in smoke. Next we read: “The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: ‘Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are – northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you'” (vv. 14-15 NKJV). Lot chose the wrong direction and lost. Abraham chose the right direction and won.
Choices! Choices! Choices! When it comes to choosing, make a habit of asking yourself, “How will this choice affect my character, my sense of self-respect, and my confidence when I approach God in prayer? How will it affect my influence and respect with other people? How will it affect my family, and those who are following in my footsteps?”
The Bible gives us the answer: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT).
Soul food: 1 Sam 16-17; Luke 24:45-53; Ps 63; Prov 22:17-23
2020-10-04
Hebrews 12:1 NKJV
Here are two more things you need to know:
(1) The wrong people will hurt you. There are two groups of people you should never be influenced by. The first is composed of VNP people: Very Needy People, Very Negative People, and Very Needling People. The second contains VDP people: Very Draining People, Very Doubting People, and Very Distracting People. Love them and help them any way you can, but never be influenced or led by them. Encourage them, but when they start to pull you down instead of lifting you up, disconnect graciously and turn them over to God.
(2) The right people will help you. When God has a job to be done, He calls a man or woman to do it. But He seldom calls them alone. He calls others to stand with them and support them. That means your willingness to reach for help isn’t a sign of weakness, but strength. Paul spent an entire chapter in the New Testament acknowledging the people who helped him fulfill his vision. Here’s what he said to the Philippians: “Every time I think of you, I give thanks…Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now” (Philippians 1:3-5 NLT).
If you’re wise, you’ll acknowledge the things God hasn’t gifted you to do, delegate them to qualified people, and work from your core strengths. That takes humility on your part, but in the long run it pays great dividends!
Soul food: Est 4:9-5:3; Heb 4:7-16
2020-10-03
Galatians 5:7 NKJV
You must take responsibility for your life instead of blaming others. In the Garden of Eden when God asked Adam why he had eaten from the tree, he blamed his wife: “‘The woman whom You gave…me…gave me of the tree, and I ate'” (Genesis 3:12 NKJV). Then we read, “The Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me'” (v. 13 NKJV). Eve blamed the Devil.
So did God accept their excuses? No. He said to Adam: “‘Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and…eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, “You shall not eat of it:” Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you'” (vv. 17-18 NKJV).
Then God told Eve, “‘I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you'” (v. 16 NKJV).
When those words were spoken, Adam and Eve were banished from Paradise.
“Since God is all-knowing,” you ask, “how come He got angry with Adam and Eve?” Because neither one would take responsibility for their actions! When you sin, God will readily forgive you (See Nehemiah 9:17). What He won’t accept, however, is obfuscating, rationalizing, justifying, excusing, and blaming. His Word says, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13 NKJV).
So if you want to move forward, you must take responsibility for your life!
Soul food: 1 Sam 14-15; Luke 24:36-44; Ps 51; Prov 22:12-16
2020-10-02
2 Timothy 4:7 NKJV
Not everyone who starts the race finishes it. Paul writes: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things…they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run…not with uncertainty…I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself…become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NKJV).
Paul isn’t talking about his salvation here; that was a settled issue. He’s talking about his heavenly reward, and these particular words should make you stop and think: “Lest…I myself…become disqualified.”
Here are some things that will cause you to stumble on your journey:
(1) Failure to read God’s Word and pray every day.
(2) Saying no to God when He deals with you about a specific area in your life.
(3) Moral failure stemming from wrong habits and relationships.
(4) Allowing doubt and fear to cripple you.
(5) Wasting time on frivolous pursuits instead of focusing on the “one thing” God has called you to do.
(6) Succeeding in your career and failing at home.
(7) Not sowing your treasure, talent, and time into God’s kingdom, resulting in a lack of resources to fulfill His will for your life.
The list could go on ad infinitum. Make this your prayer today: “Search me, O God, and know my heart…see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24 NKJV). That’s the kind of prayer God loves to answer!
Soul food: Lev 23:33-44; Zech 14:16-21; John 7:1-40
2020-10-01
Hebrews 11:8 NKJV
The Bible tells us, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” For the next few days let’s look at some things you should expect on your life’s journey.
(1) Opportunities and opposition. Paul wrote, “A great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Corinthians 16:9 NKJV). Indeed, if you don’t encounter obstacles and opposition, you should pray and ask God if you’re on the right track. The size of your God-given assignment usually determines the magnitude of the attack. But here’s the good news: Attack is a sign of respect. It means the Enemy considers you a high-value target and a threat to his plans.
(2) Setbacks meant to derail you. “A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again” (Proverbs 24:16 NKJV). Who is Solomon describing? “A righteous man.” How often does he fall and get back up? “Seven times.” Failing doesn’t make you a failure; giving up does, not learning from it does, refusing to change your methods does, refusing to take advice does, refusing to try again does! If sin caused you to stumble, repent and renounce it, then get back on track. If you fell because you’re trying something new and unfamiliar, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, draw on God’s grace, resolve to do better, and keep moving forward. To quote Dr. John Maxwell: “Fail early, fail often – and always fail forward!”
Soul food: 1 Sam 11-13; Luke 24:25-35; Ps 60; Prov 22:7-11
