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
2020-05-25
John 1:14 MSG
Jesus came into the world for two reasons. First, to give you the greatest gift of all – eternal life. Second, to let you know He cares about every detail of your life. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 NKJV). In The Message, Eugene Peterson paraphrases it: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighbourhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, generous inside and out, true from start to finish.” Roughly 20 percent of everything Jesus taught had to do with your finances, your job, and your earthly needs. He cares! And when you can’t make ends meet, the Bible says, “God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory” (Philippians 4:19 NKJV). When your business is going under, His promise is “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit” (Isaiah 48:17 NKJV). God cares about the burden you’re carrying today, so if your needs aren’t being met, reevaluate your understanding of your heavenly Father. Have you even discussed your finances with Him? How about the purchase of your home? Did you feel the inner confirmation of the Holy Spirit that the timing was right? Have you been tithing, sowing into God’s kingdom and expecting a harvest in return? Seed sown in good ground always produces a harvest, and faith is the magnet that pulls the harvest into your life. The word for you today is – God loves you and wants to bless every area of your life.
Soul food: 1 Kings 1-2; Mark 11:12-26; Ps 45; Prov 12:7-9
2020-05-24
2 Corinthians 8:9 NKJV
The Bible assures us that God isn’t poor. “‘The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,’ saith the Lord” (Haggai 2:8 KJV). “Every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10 KJV). Now ask yourself: If you were a billionaire, would you be happy seeing your children running around ragged and hungry? No? Well, neither is God! Paul writes, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9 KJV). Maybe you’ve read this Scripture and thought Paul was talking about being spiritually rich but not financially rich. Let’s read the verse in that context and see if it makes sense: “He who was spiritually rich, for our sakes became spiritually poor, that through his spiritual poverty, we might become spiritually rich.” That’s not what it says! Question: When was Jesus ever spiritually poor? No, the verse says what it means and means what it says: “That you…might become rich.” Now, the word “rich” means different things to different people. In some countries you’re considered rich if you have a roof over your head, three square meals a day, and a bicycle to ride to work. In fact, right now would be a good time to discuss the much abused and widely misunderstood Bible word “prosperity.” Prosperity simply means “having enough to do the will of God.” Does God have a will for your life? Yes. Does He want you to have enough money to fulfill His will for your life? Yes. That’s God’s plan for your life!
Soul food: John 6:1-15; John 6:25-40; 1 Cor 11:23-24
