2020-08-13
Mark 3:10 NKJV
Jesus healed a woman who had suffered twelve years from a condition society discreetly referred to as “an issue of blood.” And medical science had no cure. Observe how her miracle took place. She pressed through the crowd, “touched the hem of His garment” (Matthew 9:20 NKJV), and immediately she was healed. As a result, people started talking about it and a trend began. Four chapters later we read that they “brought to Him all who were sick…that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well” (Matthew 14:35-36 NKJV). If you are battling affliction or addiction today, press through and touch Jesus. Keep praying and believing His Word. Be tenacious! There’s a difference between the facts and the truth. The fact may be that your prognosis is not good. But the truth is, “the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise [them] up” (James 5:15 NKJV). You say, “I know people who prayed for healing and didn’t get it.” Yes, and if they were trusting Christ as their Saviour, then they received the ultimate healing: “to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Philippians 1:23 NKJV). When it’s our time to go, we all die of something. But until then, God’s Word tells us that the same back that carried the cross to take away our sins, bore stripes that take away our sickness. “He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by…the prophet, saying: ‘He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses'” (Matthew 8:16-17 NKJV).
Soul food: Deut 32:29-34:12; Luke 13:1-17; Ps 119:57-64; Prov 17:22
2020-08-12
Luke 9:62 NIV
If you’re wise, you’ll do four things: (1) Focus on the road ahead. By looking in the rearview mirror instead of at what’s ahead, you’ll miss the next turn and end up in a ditch. Focus on the fact that you survived, and that you’ve learned from your experience. God kept you around for a reason; find it and pour your life into it. (2) Stop looking for easy answers. Visit any bookstore and you’ll find shelves lined with titles promising ten easy steps to financial achievement, five trouble-free keys to success, or twelve simple strategies for health, wealth, and fulfillment in life. Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. Life is hard, and deep inside we know all those simplistic approaches don’t work. But the fact that your life is difficult doesn’t mean you’re on the wrong path. As the old country preacher said, “If you don’t come face to face with the Devil sometimes, you must be going in the same direction he is.” (3) Stay on your path – not everybody will go with you. Some of your closest friends are people who will never change, and they don’t like those who do. Your decision to change doesn’t mean they will do the same. Nevertheless, you must be committed to growing, expanding your knowledge and experience, and moving to the next level in life. (4) Believe in yourself – God does! When someone tells you you’ll never amount to anything, smile and keep going. God alone knows your potential, and if you’re willing to trust Him and work hard, He’ll help you to fulfill it. In the final analysis, success is an argument your enemies and critics can’t refute.
Soul food: Deut 30:1-32:28; Luke 12:49-59; Ps 119:49-56; Prov 17:18-21
2020-08-11
Philippians 3:13-14 NIV
The greater the offense, the harder it is to forgive – but you must. Because whatever you refuse to forgive and let go of, you carry with you. And it will be like an albatross around your neck. Has someone abused you, cheated on you, lied about you, fired you, or otherwise mistreated you? Have you failed yourself? Are you asking, “How can I get beyond my past mistakes and become successful again?” Whatever your particular hurt, the solution isn’t feeding it or denying it. You have to forgive and let it go, or you will continue to hurt yourself. Someone said that choosing not to forgive somebody is like eating poison and expecting the other person to die. In order to move forward, you have to “let go” and be at peace with the past. Paul could easily have allowed the memory of the Christians he put to death before meeting Christ to destroy him and rob him of his destiny. But he refused to do it. Instead he wrote: “Dear brothers [and sisters], I am still not all that I should be but I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us” (vv.13-14 TLB). And here’s one more Scripture: “If you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:25 NIV). So the word for you today is – “Forgive and move on.”
Soul food: Deut 28-29; Luke 12:35-48; Ps 119:41-48; Prov 17:17
2020-08-10
Ephesians 2:8 NKJV
In a sense there were two prodigal sons, and both grew up in a religious culture that praised rule keepers and punished rule breakers. Notice how this chapter begins: “All the tax collectors and sinners drew near to Him…And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, ‘This Man receives sinners…So He spoke this parable to them” (Luke 15:1-3 NKJV). Here Jesus is talking to two different groups: (1) Rule breakers like the Prodigal Son, who know it’s only through God’s grace that we are saved. (2) Rule keepers like the older brother, who think they can earn or contribute to salvation by doing good works. And that makes rule keepers judgmental toward rule breakers. The older brother refused to attend his brother’s homecoming party. Why? Listen: “Father, unlike him, I have served you and kept your commandments. This is not right or fair” (See Luke 15:29). Sound familiar? Here’s what the father told him: “Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours” (v. 31 NKJV). Observe the word “son.” Jesus was teaching that we’re saved by “relationship,” not “rule keeping.” The older brother thought his father’s acceptance depended on his performance. Yes, there’s a place in God’s kingdom for performance. Your rewards in heaven are based upon your performance on earth. But your redemption depends on Christ’s performance only: “By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV). Yes, God will challenge, chastise, and cleanse you in order to change you into the person He wants you to be. But you are saved by grace alone.
Soul food: Deut 25-27; Luke 12:22-34; Ps 119:33-40; Prov 17:16
2020-08-09
Matthew 5:39 NCV
Jesus said, “If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other…also.” In Jesus’ day, society was built around shame and honour. The left hand was considered unclean; it was not to be used for eating – or for hitting. So a blow to the right cheek would be done with the backhand. It was a way to publicly insult someone. A backhanded slap was something done only to a social inferior, such as a slave or a child. So when someone insults you, what should you do? Everyone expects one of two responses: retaliation or cowering. Jesus is saying, “Your safety and your honour are in the hands of your heavenly Father.” So now we get creative. One possibility is that we could turn the other cheek. Our enemy can’t backhand our left cheek. Either he has to fight you as an equal, which he doesn’t want to do, or he has to find a nonviolent way to resolve the conflict. So, who do you get insulted by? “Slaps” often take the form of barbs, digs, and “backhanded” comments. Someone demeans your idea at work. Someone accuses you falsely at home. A relative says something judgmental about you. What is your first instinct – retaliation, fear, or both? With the Holy Spirit helping you, there’s a new possibility. Don’t run and hide. Don’t strike back. Confront the other person with honesty and strength. Be creative, patient, and active. Lovingly work toward reconciliation. It is the reason the Bible calls the Christian life a “high calling” (Philippians 3:14 KJV). So, the next time someone upsets you, “Take the high road!”
Soul food: Ruth 2:5-12; Ruth 3:1-6; Ruth 4:9-17
2020-08-08
Romans 12:19 NIV
Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you…If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other…also” (Matthew 5:38-39 NIV). Though the “eye for an eye” statement sounds harsh to us, it was actually an enormous step forward in the ancient legal world, where powerful people could kill you for a slight injury. This law limited retribution by teaching proportional justice. But it still leaves us with a problem. Instinct says if someone hurts you, you hurt them back – and the pain you experience always seems worse than the pain you cause the other person. In an experiment, a group of subjects was paired up, and each person received pressure against their finger. Then they were told to exert the same amount of pressure on the other person’s finger. When it was their turn, they always inflicted more pain than they received. Always. The result is an eye “plus-a-little-something-extra” for an eye. You say, “But this person hurt me and they should pay for it.” How much should they pay? God alone is capable of answering that question fairly! And His Word says: “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:19-21 NIV).
Soul food: Deut 22-24; Luke 12:13-21; Ps 119:25-32; Prov 17:11-15
