2020-03-26
Psalm 139:16 TLB
Iyanla Vanzant said, “Everything that happens to you is a reflection of what you believe about yourself. We can’t…draw to ourselves more than we think we are worth.” That means how we see ourselves determines the kind of relationships we establish. Many of us harbor a low sense of self-esteem. We deem everyone else as being more important than ourselves and think meeting their needs is more important than meeting our own needs. We compare ourselves and allow others to determine who we are, and become dependent on their approval to prop up our identity. But it’s a slap in the face to God to look at another person and say, “I wish I were like them.” God made you for His own purpose, that you might reflect a unique aspect of His glory. As believers in Christ, we’ve been given a new identity as children of God. We weren’t created to live dependently on any other person. Rather, God is restoring us to the image of His Son and making us whole (See 2 Corinthians 3:18). In Him we don’t ever need to be afraid to be who we really are. It’s time to develop a true opinion of yourself based on the truth that God made you exactly, precisely, intricately, wondrously, and uniquely you – a one-of-a-kind creation for which there’s no comparison. The psalmist wrote: “You…scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe…How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly!” (Psalm 139:16-18 TLB).
Soul food: Job 24-28; Matt 25:31-46; Ps 38:13-22; Prov 8:24-26
2020-03-25
James 1:15 NKJV
When God says no to sin, He’s not being demanding – He’s being protective. The Bible explains the dangers and subtleties of sin this way: “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren” (vv. 14-16 NKJV). Today some folks are advocating the idea of legalizing certain drugs, such as marijuana, for recreational use. But the idea has already been tried, and it failed disastrously. In the late 1980s, the Swiss set aside city property in Zurich, where addicts could legally shoot up and where free needles were provided, hoping to slow the spread of AIDS. The area of Platzspitz became known as “Needle Park.” So how did the experiment work out? Almost overnight the number of drug users visiting the park soared from 200 to 20,000. Ten thousand “consumption events” occurred per day, as users from all over Switzerland came to get in on the fun. They soon outnumbered the local population. The death rate went through the roof, as health officials sought to resuscitate as many as fifty overdose cases per day. And the crime rate, instead of decreasing, went through the roof too. City officials finally called off the experiment and closed the park. Almost immediately the crime rate dropped to its former levels, and the program ended in total failure. When God says to you, “Don’t go there,” it’s because He loves you and wants only the best for you. So be wise, listen to Him, and don’t go there!
Soul food: Job 21-23; Matt 25:14-30; Ps 38:1-12; Prov 8:22-23
2020-03-24
Romans 4:5 NIV
There are only two ways you can become “righteous.” The first is through trying, and the second is through trusting. When you try to earn God’s approval by your performance, you can never rest because you can never really be sure you’ve done enough to please Him. But when you place your trust in Christ’s finished work on the cross, the Bible says you enter into God’s “rest” (See Hebrews 4:3). Paul writes, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation (something that didn’t exist before) has come. The old (appetites and actions) has gone, the new (appetites and actions) are here” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV). You don’t have to struggle to be seen as righteous in God’s eyes. The moment you placed your trust in Jesus, God made you “the righteousness of God [in Christ]” (v. 21 NIV). Why did He do it that way? Because any righteousness you could achieve through good works and keeping rules falls so far short of what He requires that He sees it as “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). So God credited His righteousness to you (See 2 Corinthians 5:18). Paul writes: “David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight…whose record the Lord has cleared of sin” (Romans 4:6-8 NLT). Hymnist Edward Mote wrote these words: “Dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.” Rejoice! That’s how God sees you – made righteous by faith!
Soul food: Job 18-20; Matt 25:1-13; Ps 55:12-23; Prov 8:19-21
2020-03-23
2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV
Here’s an amazing and life-changing truth. The God who made His sinless Son to “be sin” takes unrighteous people like us and makes them “righteous.” How does it happen? By works? No, by faith! “People are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners” (Romans 4:5 NLT). This righteousness isn’t about behaving the right way – it’s about believing the right way. You can’t become righteous in God’s eyes through human effort or keeping the law. You become righteous only through faith in Christ, and trusting in His finished work on the cross. You say, “But I feel so guilty when I sin.” And you should; it’s a good deterrent! But Christ took away all your sins; therefore He took away all your guilt. So what are you feeling? Inner conflict! Your regenerated spirit lives in your unregenerated body, and it reacts the same way your natural body reacts to something harmful. Sin feels foreign to the new you, and when you indulge in it, the pleasure is brief and the aftermath is bad. In essence, your spiritual boundaries have been violated, and your regenerated spirit is telling you that you can’t indulge in sin anymore. That’s not who you are! The old you could have indulged in sin and enjoyed it, but the new you can’t, because you are “a new creation in Christ” (See 2 Corinthians 5:17). So rejoice! Today God sees you as “righteous,” therefore you can approach Him at any time with complete confidence (See Ephesians 3:12).
Soul food: Job 15-17; Matt 24:36-51; Ps 55:1-11; Prov 8:17-18
2020-03-22
Ephesians 4:32 NIV
Here’s a story every parent needs to read and remember. “One day my husband and I got into an argument and ended up yelling at each other. I retreated to the porch and sat with my head in my hands, crying. Our two-year-old overheard the argument. ‘I love you, Mom,’ she said, as she sat beside me and put her arms around me. ‘I love you, too,’ I said. She rested her head on my shoulder, hugging me hard. ‘I wish you could love my daddy too,’ she said. Talk about ripping your heart out! ‘But I do love your daddy. We just had a disagreement.’ At that, my daughter smiled, got up, and walked away. ‘Where are you going?’ I asked her. She replied, ‘I’m going to tell Daddy you love him!'” If you expose your children to your anger, make sure that they’re around when you extend grace and forgiveness to each other. Teach them how to deal with the issue, without attacking the person. Let them know that a difference of opinion can lead to a decision that makes things better for everyone. And that you can be wrong on an issue and still be respected and loved. Often that means teaching them what you yourself were never taught. If that’s the case, learn from the mistakes your parents made and pass that knowledge on to your children. Forgive when you’re hurt, and don’t take your resentments to bed (See Ephesians 4:26). Jesus said you must forgive so “that your Father…in heaven may forgive you” (Mark 11:25). Remember, parent, your children are watching you!
Soul food: Matt 5:5; Num 12:1-15; Ps 37:1-11; Phil 2:5-11
2020-03-21
2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV
As you read this devotional, always remember that the power doesn’t lie in the writer’s thoughts or comments, but in the written Word of God. Paul tells us, “All Scripture is God-breathed.” It’s impregnated with divine seeds of life, and those seeds will spring to life within you, producing the fruit of the Spirit, and “delivering on” the promises of God. View this devotional as a gateway rather than a goal. See it as the little book that whets your appetite for the Big Book! When you read each day’s devotion, have your Bible beside you and turn to the Scriptures that are referenced. As you deposit the Word of God within you every day, wonderful things will begin to happen in your life. The psalmist writes: “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do” (Psalm 1:1-3 NLT). Note the words “they prosper in all they do.” As you renew your mind with Scripture, your faith will grow, your outlook will be altered, and every area of your life will start to change for the better. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Soul food: Job 11-14; Matt 24:26-35; Ps 13; Prov 8:14-16
