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
2020-07-01
1 Corinthians 1:29 NIV
The story is told of a woodpecker who was pecking away on a pine tree when it was hit by a bolt of lightning and split from top to bottom. The woodpecker could hardly believe his eyes. He backed off, looked at the tree for a moment, and flew away. He came back later, leading nine other woodpeckers. Then, with a great deal of swagger and pride, he pointed to the tree and said, “There it is, gentlemen, just like I told you!” Now let’s get serious. As long as you remember to give God the credit for your success, He will keep using and blessing you. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17 NKJV). That means every good thing you enjoy today, and every good thing you’ll need tomorrow, is a “gift” from God. Paul writes, “That no flesh should glory in his presence.” There is no bragging in heaven, just praise. Why? Because you can’t brag on how you got to heaven; it is all by God’s grace. And you can’t brag on what you did for God before you got to heaven, because it was all God’s calling. He says, “I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another” (Isaiah 42:8 NKJV). Again He says, “Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him” (Isaiah 43:7 NKJV). The Lord’s Prayer ends with the words “Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory” (Matthew 6:13). For how long? “For ever and ever, Amen.”
Soul food: Jer 14-17; Luke 4:1-13; Ps 98; Prov 14:34
2020-06-30
Matthew 14:29 NIV
Matthew records, “Then Peter got…out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.” Today, ask yourself these three questions: (1) What’s my boat? It’s whatever gives you your greatest sense of security. It’s what you’re tempted to put your trust in when life gets stormy. To know what your boat is, ask yourself, “What is it that produces the most fear in me, especially when I think of leaving it behind and stepping out in faith?” (2) What’s keeping me from getting out of my boat? Fear. Fear of people, fear of failure, fear of criticism, fear of lack. In order to grow, you must go into new territory, and each time you do, you’ll experience fear. It never goes away. But each time you get out of your boat, you become a little more able to do it the next time, and you begin to realize that fear doesn’t have the power to destroy you. So when Jesus says to you, “Come,” start walking, He won’t let you drown. (3) What will I forfeit by staying in my boat? Your destiny. To achieve what you have not yet achieved, you must attempt what you have not yet attempted. Will there be risks? Yes. Baseball’s greatest hitters fail two times out of every three. But they know that if they don’t step up to the plate, they’ll never experience the joy of hitting a home run. Understand this: If you stay in your boat, you’ll eventually die there, and end up wondering what your life might have been if only you’d been willing to get out of your boat.
Soul food: Jer 10-13; Luke 3:21-38; Ps 95; Prov 14:29-33
