2026-08-16
Luke 17:21 NKJV
In one sense, the kingdom of God is future, eternal, and heavenly. When Christ returns to set up His kingdom on earth, the prophecy will be fulfilled: “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Revelation 11:15 NKJV). What a glorious day that will be for all of God’s redeemed children. But until then, Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you.” That means as a born-again believer living in this world, you’re called to demonstrate what it means to live under the rule of the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Winston Churchill famously quipped: “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried.” All human government is flawed and ultimately destined to fail because it’s made up of flawed human beings. So as citizens of the kingdom of God, we are called to be “light” that illuminates darkness and dispels ignorance, and “salt” that flavours, cleanses, heals, and enriches the lives of those we come in contact with (see Matthew 5:13-14).
We are called to practice the principles of God’s kingdom in the marketplace of life. Whether you work in education, transportation, medicine, politics, agriculture, IT, sales, manufacturing, etc., you are called to demonstrate the benefits of living under the rule of Christ and by the guidance of His indwelling Holy Spirit. “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord.” When Christ returns, that promise will be totally fulfilled. Until then, Jesus said, “Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13 KJV).
Soul food: Exo 15:26; Ps 103:1-5; 1 Pet 2:24
2026-08-15
1 Chronicles 29:14 NKJV
Many of the heroes in the Bible were wealthy individuals. “Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold” (Genesis 13:2 NKJV). King David “died in a good old age, full of days and riches and honour” (1 Chronicles 29:28 NKJV). Barnabas, a wealthy landowner, made possible the expansion of the early church when he sold a piece of real estate and gave the money to the apostles (see Acts 4:36-37). There is nothing wrong with wealth in and of itself. The things that matter are:
(1) How you get it. “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord” (James 5:1, 4 NKJV). The God who records and rewards also observes how you do business.
(2) How you give it. David said, “All things come from You, and of Your own [hand] we have given You.” So, when God speaks to you to give, try to remember these two things: (a) He is asking for a portion of what already belongs to Him. You don’t own it; you manage it for Him. (b) You always reap what you sow. “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7 NKJV). And in God’s economy, you reap more than you sow. If you plant a single grain of corn, you reap a cornstalk with hundreds of grains like itself. So give and God will give back to you.
Soul food: 2 Chr 19-21; Mark 6:14-29; Ps 119:73-80; Pro 21:14-16
2026-08-14
Isaiah 6:8 NKJV
One of the greatest disasters of history took place in 1271. That year, Niccolo and Matteo Polo, the father and uncle of Marco Polo, visited Kublai Khan, who was considered the world ruler – with authority over all China, India, and the entire East. Kublai Khan was attracted to the story of Christianity as Niccolo and Matteo told it to him. He said to them, “You shall go to your high priest and tell him on my behalf to send me a hundred men skilled in your religion and I shall be baptized. And when I am baptized, all my barons and great men will be baptized and their subjects will receive baptism, too. And so there will be more Christians here than there are in your parts of the world.”
But amazingly, nothing was done in response to what Kublai Khan requested. Only after thirty years was a handful of missionaries sent. Too few, too late! Christian leaders in the West apparently didn’t have the vision to see the East won to Christ. The mind boggles at the possible ways the world might be different today if thirteenth-century China, India, and the other areas of Asia had become Christian. Now it’s up to us!
You say, “What can I do? I’m only one person.” You can do three things: (1) “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:38 NKJV). (2) Give, so that the unsaved can be reached with the gospel (see 2 Corinthians 9:7). (3) If God calls you, go! “Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.'”
Soul food: 2 Chr 16-18; Mark 6:1-13; Ps 119:65-72; Pro 21:10-13
2026-08-13
Psalm 62:5 KJV
We all have expectations of others. Many times, we may not be totally aware of our expectations, or we don’t express them or will not acknowledge that they are unrealistic. Therefore, they can cause us a great deal of frustration. Failed expectations will always create stress if we allow them. Unfortunately, some of the most harmful expectations are the ones we have of ourselves. “I should be able to raise three children, have dinner on the table each night, work ten-hour days, and look perfect when my husband walks through the door.”
Make a list of your key expectations beginning with the most important people in your life, and list your key expectations of each person. Try to be objective in whether they are realistic. Understand the origin or core reason for an expectation. Have you shared these expectations? If not, why not? Do you fear rejection? What is the worst that could happen? Are you willing to negotiate some of your expectations? To preserve your peace, there may be instances in which you may have to eliminate certain expectations.
The psalmist wrote: “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.” That means you may have to expect less from people and more from God. Don’t set yourself up to be frustrated. Bring your expectations before God for a valuation. Let Him weed out the unrealistic ones and give you the courage to express the ones that need to be communicated. Trust God to influence the hearts of those involved so your expectations don’t become a source of stress for you or them.
Soul food: 2 Chr 12-15; Mark 5:31-43; Ps 119:57-64; Pro 21:7-9
2026-08-12
2 Peter 3:18 NKJV
How can you grow spiritually? By doing these five things:
(1) Rediscover the Bible. You will never grow spiritually without soaking your mind in Scripture. When Jesus told the devil, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4 NKJV), He was quoting a verse from Deuteronomy that He’d memorized. If Jesus needed the Scriptures, you do too.
(2) Restart your prayer life. Charles Spurgeon said, “As well could you expect a plant to grow without air and water as to expect your heart to grow without prayer and faith.” When you venture into the realm of the impossible and start praying for God to move supernaturally in your life, you will begin to see miracles.
(3) Reconnect with God’s people. “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together… but encouraging one another” (Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV).
(4) Resist your sinful habits. “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT). Always choose God’s “way out.”
(5) Invest in others. God has a place for you to serve and people for you to invest in. Make a quality decision that you are not going to just sit in church and soak up one more sermon; instead, begin to act on what you have learned.
Soul food: 2 Chr 8-11; Mark 5:21-30; Ps 119:49-56; Pro 21:4-6
2026-08-11
Romans 12:21 NKJV
During the Korean War, a South Korean civilian was arrested by the communists and ordered to be shot. When the young communist leader learned that the prisoner in his charge was the head of an orphanage caring for young children, he decided to spare him. Instead, he ordered the execution of the man’s son. The nineteen-year-old son was shot in the presence of his father. After the war, the young communist leader was captured by United Nations forces and condemned to death.
But before the sentence could be carried out, the Christian whose son had been killed pleaded for the life of the killer. He argued that the communist had been young when he ordered the execution, and that he really didn’t know what he was doing. “Give him to me,” the man requested, “and I will train him.” Unusual though it was, the United Nations forces granted his request, and the father took the murderer of his son into his own home and took care of him. The Bible says, “Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8 NKJV). And by being exposed to the love of God, that young communist leader became a Christian and eventually went on to become the pastor of a church.
Have you been hurt, betrayed, or treated unfairly? Instead of retaliating in anger, handle it scripturally: “Never pay back evil with more evil… Never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, ‘I will take revenge; I will pay them back,’ says the Lord… Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good” (Romans 12:17, 19, 21 NLT).
Soul food: 2 Chr 5-7; Mark 5:11-20; Ps 119:41-48; Pro 21:1-3
