2020-03-20
Isaiah 26:3 NLT
The secret to “perfect peace” lies in this Scripture: “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” It’s not your circumstances, but how you think about them that robs you of peace. Focusing on your circumstances just causes more anxiety, because circumstances constantly change and often spin out of your control. However, God never changes, and nothing ever spins out of His control. Peace and worry are mutually exclusive. Worry throttles your confidence, chokes your perspective, and suffocates your spirit. It robs you of the peace that comes from knowing the God who can handle anything, and through whom all things are possible. The reason we worry so much is because we engage in exactly the opposite behavior to that which brings peace. Worry is like a “no-confidence” vote in God. You may not intend it that way, but every time you give in to worry, in essence, you’re saying: “I don’t believe God can or will handle this for me. I’m not sure I can trust Him in this matter, so I’ll just have to carry this burden and take care of the problem myself.” God is either the object of your trust or just a part-time helper you call on when you can’t handle things on your own. It’s reminiscent of the elephant and the mouse that walked over a bridge. When they got to the other side, the mouse said, “Man, we really shook that bridge!” When you begin to see God as playing the major role and you the minor one, you’ll begin to find the peace which has eluded you for so long.
Soul food: Job 8-10; Matt 24:15-25; Ps 116:12-19; Prov 8:10-13
2020-03-19
Jeremiah 23:16 NKJV
Eugene G. Grace, president of Bethlehem Steel Corporation from 1916 to 1945 said: “Thousands of engineers can design bridges, calculate strains and stresses, and draw up specifications for machines. But a great engineer is the man who can tell you whether the bridge or the machine should be built at all, where it should be built, and when.” Asking why before how forces you to think about your core motivations and the source of your vision. There is much talk these days about “purpose.” And that’s a good thing, because a life of purpose is more rewarding than a life of popularity or power. But your purpose must come from God. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; they speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord.'” When God is the source of your vision, He will resource it. That’s why the most important question you can ask is not, “What’s the best way to do this?” but, “Why am I doing it at all?” Ultimately God will make the final ruling on what you have given your life for. “Each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work…endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss” (1 Corinthians 3:13-15 NKJV). Poet C.T. Studd wrote: “Only one life, ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.”
Soul food: Job 5-7; Matt 24:1-14; Ps 116:1-11; Prov 8:8-9
2020-03-18
Isaiah 50:4 NIV
Isaiah writes: “The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.” Let’s face it; if you told a person everything you thought, you would hurt them or they would leave you. There are private parts of you. Maturity means you don’t have to say everything you think. Indeed, much of what you think hasn’t been thoroughly thought through! That’s why you need to pray and ask God for “a well-instructed tongue.” Read these three Scriptures carefully: “Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin” (Proverbs 13:3 NIV). “Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity” (Proverbs 21:23 NIV). “Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless” (James 1:26 NIV). There are two occasions in particular when your tongue can get you into trouble: (1) When you’re angry. Emotional outbursts usually result in harmful comments you don’t mean and will regret later. (2) When you’re tired. Exhaustion lowers your guard, and at such times thoughtless comments can slip out. Always wait until your judgment is clear and you can think things out before you speak. Paul said, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:6 NIV). What does salt do? It flavours, preserves, cleanses, and heals. And that’s how your words should be.
Soul food: Job 1-4; Matt 23:23-39; Ps 19; Prov 8:6-7
2020-03-17
Luke 4:16 NLT
When someone takes a sabbatical, it’s because they need time to rest and recharge their batteries. God took a sabbatical: “On the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day” (Genesis 2:2). Now, the Bible says that God “neither slumbers nor sleeps” (See Psalm 121:4). So if He took a day off in the week, you need one too! Not long ago most families went to church on Sunday morning, came home and ate lunch together, and spent the afternoon resting and enjoying one another. Now we huff and puff seven days a week, hurtling down the road toward burnout or even an early demise. Scientists say that our bodies are genetically wired to require one day out of every seven for physical, emotional, and spiritual restoration in order to perform at our highest potential. When Truett Cathy opened his first restaurant in 1946, The Dwarf House, he established the tradition of closing on Sundays. Back then that was an accepted practice, but now it’s extremely unusual, especially for a restaurant chain with hundreds of outlets in malls. But Cathy, a committed Christian, never wavered. And rather than costing him, it paid huge dividends. He built one of the most popular and profitable food chains in the USA – Chick-fil-A. God knows that the fastest way to burn out is to try and burn the candle at both ends. That’s why the Bible says, “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work (Exodus 20:10 NKJV). Every week you need a one-day sabbatical, so take it!
Soul food: 1 Thes 1-5; Matt 23:13-22; Ps 11; Prov 8:4-5
2020-03-16
Isaiah 11:2 NLT
Isaiah said of Jesus: “Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot – yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word” (vv. 1-4 NLT). You say, “That’s nice, but how does it influence my life?” More than you may think! When Jesus Christ sits on the throne as Ruler of your life, the Spirit that rested on Him will rest upon you too! With that in mind, go back and reread the words in italics slowly and thoughtfully. If you see evidence of them in your life, nurture them with prayer and water them with the Word of God. And if you don’t see any evidence, get down on your knees and pray, “Father, make me more like Jesus.” Before you buy a car, the salesperson usually lets you test-drive a demo. Chances are if you like it, you will buy the car. We are each called to be a “demo” for Jesus. This is no small matter! Why? Because in the final analysis, your words, attitudes, actions, and reactions either drive people away from Christ or attract them to Him.
Soul food: Gen 50; Haggai 1-2; Matt 23:1-12; Ps 115; Prov 8:1-3
2020-03-15
Hebrews 12:1 NKJV
On a recent radio broadcast, Dennis Rainey talked about Double Eagle II, the first hot air balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The men piloting the magnificent craft caught an air corridor that carried them all the way across the Atlantic. But when they were just off the coast of Ireland, they flew into heavy cloud cover and ice began to form on the balloon’s outer shell. They lost altitude, dropping from twenty thousand to ten thousand feet in a matter of hours. They did everything they could to save the balloon. They threw out video cameras, food rations, and even a glider with which they had planned to land. At about four thousand feet they transmitted their location and then threw the radio overboard. Finally, at three thousand feet they broke through into sunlight. The ice came off in sheets, and the great balloon soared all the way into France. The Bible says that in order to run and win your life’s race, you must “lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares.” And it’s a lot easier to identify the sin you need to drop than the weight you need to drop. Why? Because often the weight is legitimate, and includes responsibilities, pressures, obligations, schedules, and entanglements. Today you need to stop and take an inventory of what you’re carrying. You need to face each thing squarely and ask yourself, “Did God give me this to carry, did someone else give it to me, or did I decide on my own to pick it up?” Whatever is weighing you down today – lay it aside!
Soul food: Matt 5:4; Isa 51:1-16; Ps 30; 2 Cor 1:3-7
