2020-07-07
Joel 2:28 NLT
World champion boxer George Foreman was raised in a Christian home, and eventually he came back to his roots – but not before he tried the world of gangs, drugs, and violence. Recognizing not only his physical prowess, but also his potential, a friend suggested he join a local gym to work out his aggression in a more constructive way. That led to his becoming a world heavyweight champion boxer, and making millions of dollars. But the career of a world champion boxer is relatively short, and eventually Foreman, aging and overweight, reached the place where the only fights he could get paid just a few thousand dollars. He desperately needed to lose weight and get back in shape. A friend introduced him to a healthy diet, and part of his new eating regimen involved using a little grill. One day Foreman’s wife suggested that instead of simply using the grill for himself, he should put his name on it and others would buy it. And they did! Over 100 million George Foreman grills have been sold, and people are still buying them. Think about it. George Foreman made more money with his little grill than he made as a prizefighter. The Bible says that when the Holy Spirit empowers them, “your old men will dream dreams.” So regardless of your age, it’s not too late for you. Just get down on your knees today and pray, “Lord, all that I have and all that I am, I give fully to You. Use me as You see fit.” And when He answers, be prepared for Him to take you in a whole new direction.
Soul food: Jer 31-32; Luke 5:27-39; Ps 122; Prov 15:10-14
2020-07-06
Deuteronomy 8:18 NLT
The famous inventor Samuel Morse dreamed of one day becoming a great painter. He even traveled to Paris in the pursuit of his dream. Years before, his preacher father, Jedediah Morse, had counseled him, using the words of the Earl of Chesterfield: “Attend to one thing at a time. The steady, undissipated attention to one object is the sure mark of a superior genius.” As a result, Morse threw himself into painting. But after a series of setbacks, he finally abandoned it. The crushing moment came when he lost the appointment to paint a historic mural at the capital in Washington, D.C., and he gave up painting entirely. Writing about Samuel Morse in his book The Greater Journey, historian David McCullough says: “He must attend to one thing at a time, his father had preached. The ‘one thing’ henceforth would be his telegraph…Had he not stopped painting when he did, no successful electromagnetic telegraph would have happened when it did, or at least not a Morse electromagnetic telegraph.” Relatively late in his career, Samuel Morse gave up painting to focus on inventing the telegraph, and, eventually, a language called Morse code that transformed how the world communicates. The Bible says, “The Lord your God… is the one who gives you power to be successful.” And here’s the good news – there’s no age limit with God! He can give you success at the beginning, in the middle, or at the very end of your life. But in order to grasp the thing at which you will succeed, you must be willing to let go of the thing at which you have failed.
Soul food: Jer 28-30; Luke 5:12-26; Ps 110; Prov 15:8-9
2020-07-05
Deuteronomy 11:2 GNT
When you listen to people who have had near-death experiences, they’ll tell you things worth remembering: “Life is fragile and precious. I’ve decided to spend less time at work and more with my wife and family. I have a new compassion for people, more understanding and sympathy. I’ve come to know the Lord in a deeper and richer way than I ever thought possible.” Instead of asking, “Why, Lord?” they asked, “What do You want me to learn from this experience?” It’s not that we are slow learners, we’re just quick forgetters. That’s why God told His people, “Remember today what you have learned about the Lord through your experiences with Him.” So instead of asking God to improve your circumstances, ask Him to use your circumstances to improve you. Life is a required course, so you might as well do your best to pass it. God is at work in your life, whether you know it or not. “He takes no pleasure in making life hard, in throwing roadblocks in the way” (Lamentations 3:33 MSG). God does not delight in your sufferings, but He delights in your development. “God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until it is finished” (Philippians 1:6 NCV). He will not fail. Why? Because He cannot fail! He will “work in us what is pleasing to him” (Hebrews 13:21 NIV). Every challenge, large or small, is equipping you for the future God has in mind for you.
Soul food: Jas 5:16-18; 1 Kings 18; 2 Kings 2:1-12
2020-07-04
Hosea 14:4 NKJV
Halftime in the game is for rest and assessment. It’s a time to regroup – to evaluate how things have been going and decide what adjustments need to be made for the rest of the game. Often a team may look like they’re losing at halftime, but by the time the game ends they’ve turned things around and won. Until the final whistle sounds, the game is still up for grabs. And the same is true in life. If you’re still here, the game of life isn’t over for you. Your clock is still ticking. You have a life yet to live. Not only that, but the first half doesn’t have to determine the outcome of the game. Maybe you’ve made mistakes, experienced disappointments and failures. Maybe life has dealt you a harsh blow here or there. But you are still here – and as long as you are, the whistle hasn’t blown and it’s not too late for God to take you straight to the plan He has for you. You see, God looks at your future while the Enemy tries to keep you focused on your past. God says, “You can, in spite of what’s been done!” But the Enemy says, “You can’t, because of what you’ve done.” God will never define you by your past, whereas the Enemy will try to control and confine you by using it against you. Whether the good, the bad, or the ugly dominated your first half, Satan’s goal is to keep you chained there. God, on the other hand, wants you to learn from your past – not live in it.
Soul food: Jer 25-27; Luke 5:1-11; Ps 102:18-28; Prov 15:4-7
2020-07-03
1 Timothy 4:12 NLT
By the time he was eighteen, Timothy was an apostle. And it seems some folks in church thought his promotion to leadership at such an early age wasn’t a good thing. But Paul did. He told Timothy: “Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them. Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity…focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them. Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received…Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress” (vv. 11-15 NLT). Who says you’re too young to make an impact? Not God. And not history. Victor Hugo wrote his first tragedy at age fifteen. Raphael painted his masterpieces before he died at age thirty-seven. Tennyson wrote his first volume of poetry at eighteen. Paschal wrote his great works between the ages of sixteen and thirty-seven. Joan of Arc did all her work and was burned at the stake at nineteen. Romulus founded Rome at twenty. Calvin joined the Reformation at age twenty-one and wrote his famous Institutes at age twenty-seven. Alexander The Great had conquered the known world by the time he was twenty-three. Isaac Newton was twenty-four when he introduced the law of gravity. Believe in yourself, for God does. Develop your gifts, and ask God to bless them. Maximize every opportunity to the fullest, and you will make the world a better place.
Soul food: Jer 22-24; Luke 4:31-44; Ps 102:12-17; Prov 15:3
2020-07-02
Judges 11:35 NIV
For months Eric Liddell trained with his heart set on winning the 100-meter race in the 1924 Olympics. Most sportswriters predicted he would win. At the games, however, Liddell learned that the 100-meter race was scheduled to be run on a Sunday. This posed a major problem for him, because he didn’t believe he could honour God by running on the Lord’s Day. He bowed out of the race, and his fans were stunned. Some who had praised him in the past, now called him a fool. He came under intense pressure to change his mind, but he stood firm. Then a runner dropped out of the 400-meter race, which was scheduled on a weekday, and Liddell was offered the opportunity to fill the slot. This was not really “his race.” The distance was four times as long as the one he’d diligently trained for. Even so, he crossed the finish line as victor and set a new record of 47.6 seconds in the process. He earned an Olympic gold medal and made an uncompromising stand for his faith, and his story was told in the Academy Award-winning movie Chariots of Fire. But Eric Liddell has an even greater claim to fame. He went on to become a missionary in China, where he died in a P.O.W. camp in 1945. He’s like Jephthah, who said, “I have given my word to the Lord, and I cannot go back on it” (NKJV). The lesson that comes through loud and clear from this man’s life is – stand by your convictions, and God will honour you.
Soul food: Jer 18-21; Luke 4:14-30; Ps 102:1-11; Prov 14:35-15:2
