2020-05-31
Colossians 4:6 NKJV
John Grisham, author of blockbuster books that become blockbuster movies, has been called “a straight arrow making his way along a very crooked path.” His novels often depict sleazy lawyers, corrupt politicians, and trigger-happy cops – the underbelly of a world of wealth and respectability. His heroes, on the other hand, are generally the innocent or children, such as the eleven-year-old boy in The Client. Grisham said he would rather be a nice guy than resort to filling his books with sex and gore. He refuses to write anything that would offend or embarrass either his mother or his children. Contrary to what many in the publishing world might have predicted, his approach has paid off big. The Firm now has over twenty million copies in print. So far, the oldest fan to write him is ninety-six years old, the youngest ten years old. Most of his readers commend him for leaving out graphic violence, obscenities, and profanities. The Bible says, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” Note the words “seasoned with salt,” or in good taste. Jesus said: “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things…every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:34-37 NKJV). So, speak “in good taste.”
Soul food: John 7:37-41; Exo 17:1-7; Isa 35:1-7
2020-05-30
1 John 2:19 NKJV
Every relationship in your life is for a reason and a season. Your commitment to your family should be for a lifetime; other relationships may have term limits. So when someone walks away, don’t try to talk them into staying with you, loving you, calling you, caring about you, coming to see you, or staying attached to you. Your destiny is not tied to those who leave you. John writes: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” People leave you because they’re not joined to you. And if they’re not joined to you, you shouldn’t try to make them stay. That doesn’t mean they’re bad people; it just means their part in your story is over. You’ve got to know when a relationship is over, and graciously say goodbye knowing that whatever relationships God means you to have, He will provide. Stop begging them to stay – let them go! Clinging to a relationship whose season has ended will only lead to heartbreak. After Lot left him, Abraham entered a new level of God’s blessing. When Orpah left Naomi and went back home to Moab, Ruth stayed with her, and both Naomi and Ruth were blessed by God. You’ve got to know who belongs in your life and who doesn’t. If you’re holding on to someone who doesn’t belong, and who is not intended to be in your life, the word for you today is – let them go!
Soul food: 1 Kings 10-11; Mark 13:1-11; Ps 82; Prov 12:18-19
2020-05-29
James 1:2 NLT
When difficulties come to us in life and in our relationships, as they inevitably will, it’s easy to succumb to the “dominoes of despair.” First, we become disappointed with an event or relationship. Then as the trial lingers, we topple into discouragement and surrender our expectations that things will change. Finally, as we feel the impossibility of moving the object against which we lean, we succumb to the last domino of despair. We feel powerless and hopeless, and don’t know how to see our way clear. Instead of running our life’s race, it feels like we’re swimming below the surface in an ocean of Jell-O. Often when we can’t understand life’s circumstances, we limit our expectations of who God is and what He can do. We think there’s only one good outcome – the one we want! Instead, we need to trust our heavenly Father because He may have bigger and better things in mind. We must try to see Him at work in whatever trials come our way. Remember, God’s expectations are bigger than our own, and only our heavenly Father and His purposes, no matter how painful they seem at the moment, truly satisfy our souls. James writes: “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (vv. 2-4 NLT). Keep that truth uppermost in your mind today, and you won’t give in to despair.
Soul food: 1 Kings 8-9; Mark 12:28-44; Ps 113; Prov 12:15-17
2020-05-28
Isaiah 42:3 NKJV
Have you ever heard of the Great Boston Molasses Flood? On January 15, 1919, a steel vat containing 2.3 million gallons of molten molasses burst. A 30-foot-tall wave of hot syrup drowned people and horses, destroyed buildings, and crushed freight cars, wagons, and automobiles. The enormous tank, 50 feet tall and 240 feet around, had been poorly designed. Company officials had reacted to the constantly leaking cracks by repainting the tank to match the colour of the molasses; their philosophy was “out of sight, out of mind.” These officials knew the vat was dangerous but they did nothing about it. The disaster, described by one author as the “Dark Tide,” killed 21 people and injured 150 others. There are two important lessons in this story. First, pay attention to the cracks in your character; what you ignore today, you may drown in tomorrow. Second, no matter how badly broken you may be, if you turn to God, He’ll restore you. Isaiah said, “A bruised reed He will not break.” These words portray the gentleness and grace of God as He stoops to restore and make us whole. Maybe you think your sin is too great and you’re too far gone. No. God said, “I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6 NLT). “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away from him” (Hosea 14:4 NKJV). “He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us…[He] will cast all our sins into the depth of the sea” (Micah 7:18-19 NKJV). Today God will forgive and restore you.
Soul food: Lev 23:15-22; Acts 2:1-18
2020-05-27
Psalm 89:19 NIV
The psalmist says: “You spoke in a vision, to your faithful people you said…’I have found David my servant; with my sacred oil I have anointed him. My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him'” (vv. 19-21 NIV). Great vision always precedes great achievement. And God is the giver of great visions – so ask Him for one. Vision gives birth to the goal; it sparks and fuels the fire within, and moves you forward in spite of the odds and obstacles. To get a handle on the word “vision,” you must understand these things: (1) Vision comes from God. He knows what you’re capable of and what He has gifted you to do. Are you looking beyond yourself, even beyond your own lifetime, as you seek your vision? If not, you may be missing your God-given potential and His best for you. If, after seeking God for a vision, you still don’t have one, consider partnering with someone whose vision resonates within you. (2) Vision draws on your history. Vision isn’t some mystical quality that comes out of a vacuum. It grows out of your past experiences, and the history of the people around you. (3) Vision meets other people’s needs. A God-given vision goes far beyond what one person can accomplish. It includes and blesses others. If your vision doesn’t do that, it’s probably too small. (4) Vision attracts resources. Like a magnet, it draws, challenges, and unites people. It also rallies finances and other resources. The greater your vision, the more faith-filled people it will attract. And the more challenging the vision, the harder the participants will fight to achieve it.
Soul food: 1 Kings 6-7; Mark 12:1-27; Ps 101; Prov 12:12-14
2020-05-26
Philippians 2:10 NCV
During one of the crusades, Philippe Auguste, king of France, assembled all his noble knights and encouraged them to be strong in battle. On the table he placed his royal crown, bearing the inscription “To the most worthy,” and pledged it as a prize to be given to the bravest fighter. After the army went to battle and returned victorious, they encircled the table where the crown sat. Then one of the nobles stepped forward, lifted the crown, and placed it on the king’s head, saying, “Thou, O king, art the most worthy.” The Bible says, “Every knee will bow to the name of Jesus – everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And everyone will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (vv. 10-11 NCV). Note the words “every knee will bow.” In 2011, the population reference bureau estimated that 106 billion people had been born since the dawn of the human race. Guess what? Every single one of them will bow to the name of Jesus. Try to imagine all those people – over ten times the world’s population – kneeling before Christ and saying, “Thou, O king, art most worthy.” And in that moment Christ will assume His position “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion…not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:21 NAS). Then He, the author and finisher of it all, will close the book on this life and open the book on the next. That’s the beginning of the unending story that we, the redeemed of the Lord, wait for and long for.
Soul food: 1 Kings 3-5; Mark 11:27-33; Ps 128; Prov 12:10-11
