2020-09-18
Hebrews 11:6 NKJV
We usually think of faith in terms of getting answers to our prayers and receiving from God the things that He alone can provide. And that’s okay. But there’s a more important reason for building up your faith. Faith is about pleasing God! “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” What pleases God? Your faith! What displeases God? Your lack of faith! In the past, Christians sometimes described praying passionately as “storming the gates of heaven.” It was a sincere sentiment, but it wasn’t completely accurate. The battle isn’t between you and heaven! You have a red-carpet welcome to approach God at any time. “Let us…come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16 NKJV). If there’s a battle, it’s between you and the forces of hell (See Ephesians 6:12-18). Why are our prayers sometimes not effective? The Bible says, “The word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it” (Hebrews 4:2 NKJV). Yes, God is moved by your needs, but He responds to your faith. That is why nothing is more important than building up your faith. And how do you do that? “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17 NKJV). It works like this: Get into God’s Word, get God’s Word into you, pray, and things will begin to change for the better in your life.
Soul food: Num 29:1-6; Rev 11:15-19; 1 Cor 15:50-58; Matt 24
2020-09-17
Jeremiah 17:9 NLT
We all know well-intentioned people, who, when you ask them to do something, you’re not sure they will follow through. As nice as they are, they’re unreliable. Your feelings are like that; much of the time you can’t count on them because they’re not attuned to what’s best for you. They’re more interested in having their own way. For example, our feelings can get us excited about going shopping when we don’t have the money to spend. They entice us to eat cheesecake when we’re trying to avoid extra calories. They lead us to stay up late at night working or watching TV, when we know we need to get up early the next day. In short, our feelings are fickle. They change like the wind. Yet it’s amazing how much power we give them in our lives. As believers, we have something wiser and more dependable to rely on than our feelings, and that’s the Word of God. When we feel strongly about something, it’s not always easy to determine whether or not we’re in agreement with God about it. Jeremiah tells us, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows…it? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives” (vv. 9-10 NLT). And He does it through His Word, which “is sharper than any two-edged sword…exposing…sifting…analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 AMPC). Here’s the score: If you’re truly interested in rising above your feelings, you’ll let the Word of God be the determining factor in all your decisions.
Soul food: Eze 43-45; Luke 22:39-53; Ps 19; Prov 21:3
2020-09-16
James 3:2 NKJV
Striving to do better is a good thing, but try to have realistic expectations. Everything in life isn’t black or white; there are gray areas and some “in-betweens.” Everything can’t be perfect all the time, and everything isn’t horrible all the time. Deciding to skip a meeting or social event because you’re running five minutes late or have a blemish on your face, or cancelling an entire trip because a flight is delayed, or feeling like a terrible human being over one innocent mistake, is sometimes referred to as “polarizing.” This leads to frustration and negativity. To maintain your joy in life, you must accept that you won’t be perfect all the time, and neither will the people or things around you. When you expect perfection from life, you tend to expect the same from other people. And that kind of unrealistic thinking not only meets with a great deal of disappointment when your expectations aren’t met, it puts unbearable pressure on the people you care about and can eventually destroy those relationships. Why not give people a break and stop demanding something from them that they have no ability to give you? The apostle James said we all stumble, fall, and offend in many things. So if we all make mistakes – and we do – learn to accept that it’s just part of the human experience, and relax! Question: In what specific ways do you need to be more accepting of the “imperfect areas” in your own life, or in the way someone else’s imperfect areas affect you? And before you answer, think about this: “Love is patient, love is kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4 NIV).
Soul food: Eze 40:10-42:20; Luke 22:24-38; Ps 24; Prov 21:1-2
2020-09-15
1 Corinthians 12:18 NIV
Do you feel like joining a different church where people are “more like you”? A team of missionaries to Kenya were being driven across the plains to their destination by a Masai tribal escort. En route their attention became riveted on the herds of wildebeests and zebras migrating together. Their escort explained why two massive herds of such different species would travel together. He said that while wildebeests have poor eyesight, they have a keen sense of smell, whereas zebras have good eyesight and a poor sense of smell. So together they were less vulnerable to attack because their differences compensated for their weaknesses. Paul writes, “If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?” (v. 17 NIV). That reminds you of those zebras and wildebeests, doesn’t it? When we join a club, we usually choose to be with people who are more or less like us. But membership in Christ’s body throws us together with people who are as different from us as a hand is from a nose. And while those differences can rub you the wrong way at times, they are differences God designed to benefit you. Zebras and wildebeests don’t have to like each other, but their survival and success depend on getting along together. Your spiritual growth doesn’t depend on agreeing with everybody, but it does depend on loving them enough to live together agreeably!
Soul food: Eze 37:1-40:9; Luke 22:14-23; Ps 78:65-72; Prov 20:26-30
2020-09-14
1 Corinthians 12:25 CEV
When it comes to finding a church home, your options are unlimited. Traditional, contemporary, you name it – you can probably find it! But your individual place in the body of Christ is another matter entirely; that’s not determined by you, but by God. The Bible says, “By one Spirit we are all baptized into one body” (v. 13 NKJV). When you accept Jesus as your Saviour you become a member of His redeemed family and a “miracle of placement” takes place in you. It isn’t a choice you get to make; it’s God’s choice – and it determines your spiritual identity. Paul says: “Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body…The old labels we…used to identify ourselves – labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free – are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive” (v. 13 MSG). That means anybody anywhere in the world who names Jesus as their Saviour and Lord is more connected to you than your hand is to your wrist. And you have a role to play in relation to each and every one of them. God not only placed you in His body, He determined your unique role when He arranged “the parts…just as he wanted them to be” (v. 18 NIV). He also gave you certain “gifts,” and He expects you to use them to fulfill His purposes (See Romans 12:6-8). When you ask God to show you your gifts, He will. And when He does, you must take every opportunity to use them for His glory.
Soul food: Eze 34-36; Luke 22:1-13; Ps 78:56-64; Prov 20:25
2020-09-13
Proverbs 22:6 AMPC
The Bible says, “Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it.” The truth of the matter is that while certain universal principles apply to all children, no two are alike, and it’s a mistake to treat them as if they were. In fact, here are two of the most common blunders you can make as a parent: (1) Trying to mold your child into what you used to be. Just because you were a star football player in college doesn’t mean your son will want to follow in your footsteps. And just because you made straight A’s in school doesn’t necessarily mean your children are capable of a 4.0 grade point average. While you should never tolerate or reward laziness, you need to accept that not all children are equally gifted athletically or intellectually. (2) Trying to make them into what you want them to be. Don’t try to relive your life through your kids. You had your chance, and just because you didn’t make the grade as a professional athlete doesn’t mean you should force your son or daughter in that direction. The Bible says, “Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent],” not necessarily the way you would go, or want him or her to go. There are three hallmarks of healthy self-esteem you should continually strive to teach your children: (1) Know who you are; (2) Like who you are; (3) Be who you are.
Soul food: Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1-44; John 12:1-8
