2020-09-04
Hosea 2:15 NIV
Biblical references to valleys generally symbolize a state of hopelessness. The Valley of Achor [judgment] got its name when Achan’s family was stoned to death and Israel’s armies were defeated (See Joshua 7:25-26). Feeling hopeless is part of the human condition, and many of history’s most notable heroes experienced it. William Penn said, “There is scarcely anything around us but ruin and despair.” Lord Shaftesbury announced, “Nothing can save the British Empire from shipwreck.” Benjamin Disraeli declared, “In industry, commerce, and agriculture there is no hope.” And Lord Grey lamented, “The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see the light again in our lifetime.” There are naysayers and prophets of doom everywhere, and if you buy what they’re selling, you’ll end up convinced there’s no hope for your situation. Nothing could be further from the truth! Paul said, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope…He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23 NKJV). God can transform your “Valley of Achor [into] a door of hope.” It’s the same promise He made to His people even after they’d turned their backs on Him. He said in Isaiah 65:10, “The Achor Valley will be a resting place…for my people who search for me” (GWT). As Henry Blackaby observes: “Optimists don’t ignore the difficulties, but the knowledge of God’s presence prevents them from becoming discouraged…It’s impossible to stand in His presence and be a pessimist. If we focus on our problems they’ll seem gigantic. But as we focus on God we see our situation in perspective and are assured that all things are possible.”
Soul food: Eze 10-13; Luke 20:1-8; Ps 20; Prov 19:24-29
2020-09-03
Revelation 21:4 NKJV
Dave Dravecky pitched for the San Francisco Giants baseball team in the 1980s. In 1988 doctors discovered a tumor in his pitching arm, and in 1991 his arm had to be amputated. In his book When You Can’t Come Back, he writes about his sense of loss. “I miss doing things with my own two hands, and – of course – I really miss baseball. There’s a scene in the movie Field of Dreams where Shoeless Joe Jackson – one of the eight Chicago White Sox players banned from baseball for conspiring to lose the 1919 World Series – said, ‘Getting thrown out of baseball was like having part of me amputated. I’d wake up in the night with the smell of the baseball park in my nose and the cool of the grass on my feet. Man, I did love this game. I’d have played for food money…The sounds – the smells. I’d have played for nuthin’.” Dravecky continues, “That scene had a powerful effect on me. I missed those feelings too. The feeling of stitched seams as you cradle a new ball in your hand…the sound of a bat cracking out a base hit. I’d have played for food money. I’d have played for nuthin’.” We live in a fallen world where we lose limbs and lose loved ones. But heaven will make up for all we’ve lost. We’ll be reunited with our redeemed loved ones, and we’ll have bodies free from sickness, pain, and every form of limitation. “There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” One day you’ll live in your dream house!
Soul food: Eze 5-9; Luke 19:41-48; Ps 142; Prov 19:21-23
2020-09-02
Revelation 7:15 NKJV
When you think about your dream house, two more questions arise. How close is it to where I work? Have you ever wondered what we’ll actually do in heaven? Since heaven will be Paradise regained, read this: “God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion…over every living thing that moves on the earth'” (Genesis 1:28 NKJV). The Bible doesn’t provide specific job descriptions for what we’ll do in heaven, but the first Paradise gives us two important clues. (a) “Be fruitful and multiply.” You won’t struggle to make ends meet. You won’t live with crushed hopes and disappointments. Every dream and creative idea you have will be fulfilled. (b) “Have dominion over…every living thing that moves.” The word “dominion” means “to rule over.” So we’ll be promoted to positions of leadership and management. But here’s the difference! In Paradise Lost, God said to Adam, “Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:17 NKJV). But in Paradise Found, God said, “There shall be no more curse” (Revelation 22:3 NKJV). Gazing up at the stars one night, a little boy said to his dad, “If the wrong side of heaven is so wonderful, what must the right side be like?” So here’s the question: Are you going to heaven when you die? Are you sure? You can be. John said, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know…you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13 NKJV).
Soul food: Eze 1-4; Luke 19:28-40; Ps 111; Prov 19:18-20
2020-09-01
Revelation 7:9 NKJV
When it comes to moving into your dream house, here’s another important question: What kind of people live in the neighborhood? Describing the joys of heaven, John the Revelator wrote: “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb [who is Jesus]!'” (vv. 9-10 NKJV). Author Max Lucado tells the story of his friend Joy, who was a Sunday school teacher and had a timid nine-year-old girl named Barbara in her class. She was an underprivileged child from an impoverished area of town, and Lucado writes: “Barbara’s difficult home life had left her afraid and insecure. For the weeks that my friend was teaching the class, Barbara never spoke. Never. While the other children talked, she sat. While the others sang, she was silent. While the others giggled, she was quiet. Always present. Always listening. Always speechless. Until the day Joy gave a class on heaven. Joy talked about seeing God. She talked about tearless eyes and deathless lives. Barbara was fascinated. She couldn’t release Joy from her stare. She listened with hunger. Then she raised her hand. ‘Mrs. Joy?’ Joy was stunned. Barbara had never before asked a question. ‘Yes, Barbara.’ Nine-year-old-Barbara asked, ‘Is heaven for girls like me?'” The answer is yes! Heaven was made for Barbara – and for you.
Soul food: Amos 5:18-9:15; Luke 19:11-27; Ps 103:13-22; Prov 19:17
2020-08-31
2 Corinthians 5:1 NIV
Few things in life compare to the excitement of moving into your dream house. But if you’re a redeemed child of God, here’s the score: No matter how beautiful your dream house on earth may be, it’s nothing compared to the one you will have in eter¬nity. That’s why Jesus said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2 NKJV). When it comes to the house we want to live in, certain questions arise. First, what’s the price? Answer: More than you could ever afford! In order to redeem you and take you to heaven, God gave “his only begotten Son” (John 3:16 KJV). Nobody in heaven will ever say, “Look what Jesus and I accomplished.” That would make you a co-redeemer with Christ. It would be an insult to the cross. You’d be guilty of a level of pride that would make it impossible for you to live there. Hymnist Horatius Bonar wrote, “Upon a life I have not lived, upon a death I did not die; Another’s life; another’s death, I stake my whole eternity.” The Bible speaks of “laboring” and “working” for God, but don’t get it mixed up. You don’t work to be saved; you work because you are saved. You don’t labor for your redemption; you labor for your reward. That’s so “God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us” (Ephesians 2:7 NLT).
Soul food: Amos 1:1-5:17; Luke 19:1-10; Ps 103:1-12; Prov 19:12-16
2020-08-30
1 Chronicles 29:12 NKJV
To negotiate well, you should do these three things: (1) Talk to God before you talk to others. Involve Him in all your decisions. The Bible says, “Both riches and honour come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.” “Also, every man to whom God has given riches and possessions, and the power to enjoy them and to accept his appointed lot and to rejoice in his toil – this is the gift of God [to him]” (Ecclesiastes 5:19 AMPC). If God can negotiate the price of our salvation at the cross, don’t you think He’s qualified to help you negotiate successfully in business? (2) Think long-term. When someone feels “burned” in their business dealings with you, you may make a sale but you’ll lose a repeat customer. Billionaire Sam Walton said he rarely invested in a company because of where it would be in eighteen months. Instead he invested in companies that would still be successful ten years down the road. You may be irreplaceable today – but you won’t always be. And if you pressure your boss for a raise by threatening to quit, your short-term gain may result in long-term loss. (3) Don’t be pressured into anything. Run from the salesperson who insists, “This is the last day of this sale!” Generally speaking, when you return a month later they’ll still deal! In many instances they need your purchase more than you need their product. Your opinion deserves to be heard and respected. Just make sure it’s at the right time, in the right atmosphere, and with the right attitude.
Soul food: Dan 1:1-20; Dan 6:1-28
