2020-08-29
Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV
In order to negotiate well, it helps to understand what’s happening on both sides of the table. People seldom buy a product for the reason you want to sell it. If you show more interest in making a profit than meeting their need, you’ll fail. So here are a few things to keep in mind when negotiating with someone: (1) The right attitude. Nobody likes being taken for granted, coerced, and pressured. (2) The cost involved for others. There’s a world of difference between negotiating with someone who has so much money that whatever the cost they can afford it, and someone who is sacrificing because they really need your product. If you want a long-term customer rather than a short-term sale, practice the Golden Rule: “Whatever you want others to do for you, do for them” (See Matthew 7:12). (3) The proper timing. Solomon tells us there’s “a time to gain, and a time to lose” (Ecclesiastes 3:6 NKJV). Whether you’re asking for a raise or trying to sell a product to a customer, timing is all-important. When someone is hungry, lonely, angry, tired, stressed, or in a crisis, you risk losing out, whereas if you’d waited for the right time, chances are you’d have won. Does God really care about stuff like that? Yes. “God cares about honesty in the workplace; your business is his business” (Proverbs 16:11 MSG). As a follower of Christ, you want both sides to walk away feeling they were treated fairly.
Soul food: Lam 3:40-5:22; Luke 18:31-43; Ps 84; Prov 19:11
2020-08-28
Luke 18:40 NLT
Is there room in your schedule for interruptions? One author writes: “Jesus stopped when people needed help. He saw interruptions as opportunities to show God’s love. Woe to those who are so busy saving the world that they ignore the perceived interruptions of those in need. Like the Good Samaritan, we should be ready to stop for someone who’s hurting. ‘Whoever…sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart…how does the love of God abide in him?’ (1 John 3:17 NKJV). When Jesus acted out of love, people recognized ‘God…at work among them’ (Luke 7:16 MSG).” Chuck Swindoll writes: “The One who said, ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10) must hurt when He witnesses our frantic, compulsive, agitated motions. In place of a quiet, responsive spirit, we offer Him an inner washing machine – churning with anxiety…activity…resentment and impatience. But you can change. Here’s how. Admit it. Acknowledge that you’re too busy and something must be done – NOW. I did that recently, and through tears my family and I cleared some bridges the thorns had overgrown. Stop it. Starting today, refuse every activity that isn’t absolutely necessary. Sound ruthless? So is the clock. So is your health…Quit feeling so important. They’ll find somebody else to sit on the committee…or they’ll wise up and adopt a better plan. Maintain it. It is easy to start fast and fade quickly. Paul told the Galatians, ‘You were running…well. Who…held you back from following the truth? It certainly isn’t God…he is the one who called you to freedom’ (Galatians 5:7-8 NLT). Share it. Once you start gleaning the benefits from reordering your priorities…tell other ‘activity-addicts.’ They’d love to stop – if they only knew how.”
Soul food: Lam 1:1-3:39; Luke 18:18-30; Ps 119:169-176; Prov 19:9-10
2020-08-27
James 4:3 NIV
When you pray for the salvation of a loved one, you never have to wonder if it’s God’s will. His will is clearly spelled out in Scripture: “God…wants all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4 NIV). However, when it comes to praying for things that aren’t clearly promised in Scripture, you should say, “If it be Thy will.” Why? Because the Bible says, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives.” Sometimes we have a hard time accepting this truth because we’re convinced our petitions are justified. But unless your heart is pure toward God and your will is lined up with His, your motives for asking can be tainted by self-interest. John says: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears – whatever we ask – we know…we have what we ask of him” (1 John 5:14-15 NIV). When you pray for something you’re not sure is in keeping with the mind of God, you should pray, “If it be Thy will.” This doesn’t mean you’re weak in faith when you say, “Lord, I want this thing – if it’s Your will, fits in with Your plan, is Your best for me, and it’s in Your timing.” Paul says, “We can see and understand only a little about God now” (1 Corinthians 13:12 TLB). We see only a partial picture, but God has complete knowledge of the situation from beginning to end. So pray in faith, and trust God for the right results.
Soul food: Gal 4-6; Luke 18:1-17; Ps 119:161-168; Prov 19:3-8
2020-08-26
1 Corinthians 13:8 NKJV
The words of a popular song go, “I love you for a hundred thousand reasons, but most of all I love you ’cause you’re you.” There’s great truth in that song, particularly when it comes to children. A Christian psychologist writes: “When the birth of a first child is imminent, the parents pray that he will be normal – that is, average. But from that moment on, average will not be good enough for them. Their child must excel. He must succeed. He must triumph. He must be the first of his age to walk or talk or ride a tricycle. He must earn a stunning report card and amaze his teachers with his wit and wisdom. He must star in little league, and later be quarterback or senior class president. His sister must be the cheerleader or soloist or the homecoming queen. Throughout the formative years, some parents give their children the same message day after day: ‘We’re counting on you to do something fantastic. Don’t disappoint us.’ Unfortunately, exceptional children are just that – exceptions. Seldom does a five-year-old memorize the King James Bible, or play chess blindfolded, or compose symphonies. The vast majority of our children are not dazzlingly brilliant. They’re just plain kids, with an oversized need to be loved and accepted as they are. Most parents have average kids. To expect more sets the stage for considerable disappointment for parents, and puts unrealistic pressure on the younger generation.” Now let’s recall the song: “Most of all I love you ’cause you’re you.” If you take that message to heart, one day your children will rise up and call you “blessed” (See Proverbs 31:28).
Soul food: Gal 1-3; Luke 17:20-37; Ps 119:145-160; Prov 19:1-2
2020-08-25
1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT
God is crystal clear on this issue: We are all called to be thanks-givers. Who? You! When? In all circumstances! Why? Because it’s God’s will for you! Whatever else you may be confused about concerning God’s will, this part is clear. It’s not a suggestion – it’s a commandment. And since there are more commands in Scripture about thanksgiving than anything else, God evidently enjoys receiving thanks. The psalmist said, “I will praise the name of God with a song; and…magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock” (Psalm 69:30-31 KJV). Why does God need to remind us to give thanks? For the same reason you remind your child to do it – it’s considerate, and until it becomes habitual, we forget! David, a man after God’s own heart, prodded his often-forgetful soul into thanksgiving: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2 KJV). When you feel ungrateful, stop and read David’s “benefit list” in your Bible – it will fire up your attitude of gratitude. Even when circumstances don’t look good, God can turn them around for your benefit. In all things He deserves your thanks. Even at his lowest point in the belly of a whale, Jonah recognized the need to thank God, and “out of the belly of hell cried…I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving” (Jonah 2:2, 9 KJV). So make a habit of “giving thanks always for all things unto God” (Ephesians 5:20 KJV). In other words, develop an attitude of gratitude.
Soul food: Judg 19:16-21:25; Luke 17:11-19; Ps 119:137-144; Prov 18:22-24
2020-08-24
2 Timothy 2:22 NLT
The Bible sets the scene for us: “‘You’re the one I was looking for! I came out to find you, and here you are! My bed is spread with…coloured sheets of Egyptian linen…Come, let’s drink our fill of love until morning. Let’s enjoy each other’s caresses, for my husband is not home. He’s away on a long trip…and won’t return until later this month’…and enticed him with her flattery. He followed her at once, like an ox going to the slaughter…like a stag caught in a trap, awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart…like a bird flying into a snare, little knowing it would cost him his life” (Proverbs 7:15-23 NLT). Let’s modernize the setting. The bed could be a water bed or the back seat of a car. The linens could be plush carpet in front of a fireplace. The spices could be beer and pizza accompanied by soft background music. Today we call such liaisons “friends with benefits.” It means each has all the benefits of sexual intimacy without a shred of commitment or concern for the other person’s well-being. And experts can document a growing mountain of evidence that it always ends the same way: with guilt, depression, and devastated lives. Solomon pleads: “Listen to me, my sons…pay attention to my words. Don’t let your hearts stray away toward her. Don’t wander down her wayward path. For she has been the ruin of many; many men have been her victims. Her house is the road to the grave. Her bedroom is the den of death” (vv. 24-27 NLT). In other words: Remove yourself from harm’s way before you get in over your head!
Soul food: Judg 16:1-19:15; Luke 17:1-10; Ps 119:129-136; Prov 18:21
