2020-08-17
Numbers 12:6 NKJV
If you ask God, He will give you a vision for your life – one that will enable you to see the end goal, get excited, and move progressively toward it. When parents are exhausted with potty training, poor grades, teenage tantrums and fender benders, and you remind them that it’s only a temporary season – you are practicing visionary thinking. Visions aren’t limited to pastors, politicians, business tycoons, and presidents – they are for everybody. Visionary thinking gives you a bigger perspective. It’s like enlarging a picture; it expands not only what you can see, but what you believe you are able to do. Visionary thinking calls for three things: (1) Learning. Be sure of what you know and value it – but never settle for it. Form new relationships, read new books, and learn new skills. Become a lifelong learner. (2) Listening. Seek out those who have expertise in areas where you don’t. Partner with people who can do things you can’t. Ask questions that enlarge your understanding and thinking, and then listen carefully and record what you hear. (3) Looking. It’s hard to see the picture while you’re inside the frame. There’s a world outside your own, so you must get outside of yourself and see it through the eyes of others. To meet people’s needs, you must first find out how they think. That calls for humility, getting over your personal agenda, and trying to understand the other person’s point of view. The Bible puts it this way: “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4 NKJV).
Soul food: Ruth 2-4; Luke 14:15-24; Ps 119:81-88; Prov 18:1-5
2020-08-16
1 Corinthians 9:25 TLV
Responsibility requires us to make a living and support our family. But deep down, do you feel you’ve been “called” to do something different? It was when Jesus told His disciples to leave the security of the shore and launch out into the deep, that they landed their greatest catch of fish. Here’s a modern-day story to encourage you: Jerry Richardson faced an important decision in 1961. In those days he played football for the Baltimore Colts, a job that was considered glamorous and secure. But when he was turned down for the raise he requested, he felt it was time to take a risk and do what he’d always wanted to do – start his own business. He and his family moved back to South Carolina, where an old college buddy invited him to buy into a hamburger stand. Richardson took the plunge and bought Hardee’s first franchise. He went from catching footballs to flipping hamburgers twelve hours a day. He scrubbed stoves and mopped floors. His wages? Only $417 a month. But tired and frustrated as he was, he refused to give up. He employed the same discipline he’d used on the football field to focus on making his restaurant more efficient, his employees the most friendly in town, and his prices affordable. Before long his business boomed. Eventually he went on to head up one of the largest food service companies in the United States, with $3.7 billion a year in sales. Oh, and one more thing. He also became an owner in the NFL and established the Carolina Panthers franchise, which he owned for twenty-three years.
Soul food: 2 Cor 11:21-33; 2 Cor 12:7-10; Acts 16:16-40; Acts 19:11-12
2020-08-15
Ephesians 6:7 KJV
A reporter once asked the famous American singer, Marian Anderson, to name the greatest moment in her life. She could have talked about the private concerts she gave at the White House for the Roosevelts, or her command performance for the king and queen of England. Instead, she shocked the reporter by saying, “The greatest moment in my life was the day when I was able to go home and tell my mother that she wouldn’t have to take in washing anymore.” We are all innately self-centered, thinking first about our own interests. That’s why we must be “transformed by the renewing of [our] minds” (Romans 12:2 NIV). Psychologists talk about natural behavior and learned behavior. When you’re naturally negative, you must learn to be positive. When you’re naturally fearful, you must learn to be courageous. When you’re naturally selfish, you must learn to be generous. God wants you to go through life looking for opportunities to bless others: “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10 NKJV). And you’re not just to do it to people, you’re supposed to do it through people and unto the Lord. “Not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord” (Ephesians 6:6-8 NKJV). That means what you make happen for others, the Lord will make happen for you!
Soul food: Obadiah; Ruth 1; Luke 14:1-14; Ps 119:73-80; Prov 17:27-28
2020-08-14
Nahum 1:7 NKJV
As Louisa Stead, her husband, and their young daughter were enjoying an ocean-side picnic, they noticed a young boy struggling in the surf. When Mr. Stead rushed to save him, he was pulled under the waves by the terrified boy, and they both drowned as Louisa and her daughter watched helplessly from the shore. In the days of grief that followed, Louisa began to put pen to paper, and the result was a hymn known to millions: “‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His word, just to rest upon His promise, just to know ‘Thus saith the Lord.’ I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee, precious Jesus, Saviour, friend; and I know that Thou art with me, wilt be with me to the end.” Trusting Jesus, Louisa went as a missionary to South Africa, where she served the Lord for the next twenty-five years. If you’re struggling to trust God today, stand on these Scriptures: (1) “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.” (2) “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3 NKJV). (3) “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him” (2 Samuel 22:31 NKJV). (4) “Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!” (Psalm 31:19 NKJV).
Soul food: 1 Pet 1-5; Luke 13:18-35; Ps 119:65-72; Prov 17:23-26
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
