2020-01-01
Nehemiah 8:10 NIV
When you listen to a great choir sing the Hallelujah Chorus, you realize that Handel was inspired by God. He wrote the entire Messiah in three weeks. He said the music literally “came to him” in a flurry of notes and motifs. He wrote feverishly, and as if driven by an unseen composer to put pen to paper. Yet he wrote it when his eyesight was failing, and he was facing the threat of dying in a debtors’ prison because of a mountain of outstanding bills. Most of us find it difficult to create under stress, especially when physical or financial problems are at the root of that stress. And yet Handel did. How? He credits the completion of his masterpiece to one thing: joy. He is quoted as saying that he felt as if he would “burst with joy” at what he was hearing in his mind and heart. Instead of dying, as he thought he would, he lived to see his oratorio become a cherished tradition and a popular work. And he also saw it succeed in raising vast sums of money for the poor and destitute. The Bible says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” And one of the first things Satan will attack is your joy. He knows it’s the spiritual and emotional fuel you run on. Jesus said, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11). Note the words “remain in you.” So: No matter what happens this year, keep your joy!
Soul food: Rom 13:12-14:19; John 1:1-14
2019-12-31
Deuteronomy 2:2-3 NLT
A biologist experimented with what he called “processional caterpillars.” He lined up caterpillars on the rim of a pot that held a plant so that the lead caterpillar was head-to-tail with the last caterpillar, with no break in the parade. The tiny creatures walked around the rim of the pot for a full week before they died of exhaustion and starvation. Not once did any of them break out of line and venture over to the plant to eat. Food was only inches away, but their follow-the-crowd instinct was stronger than the drive to eat and survive. The same thing happened to an entire generation of Israelites. They walked in circles in the wilderness for forty years, even though they were only eleven miles from the Promised Land. If you’re in a rut today, ask yourself these three questions: (1) Is this rut of my own making? We choose a rut because it’s comfortable and requires no risk. And getting out of it requires courage and a willingness to make table, tough choices you follow through on. (2) Who am I following? We adopt certain patterns because someone has taught them to us directly, or by example. Instead of mindlessly following the crowd, seek God’s will for your life and commit yourself to doing it. (3) Where am I going? The Bible says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). If you want to get out of the rut you’re in today, ask God to give you a vision for your life – He will! And when He does, pour yourself into it.
Soul food: 1 Thes 4:1-5; 2 Cor 5:14-21; Ps 77:11-20; Prov 9:10-12
2019-12-30
2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT
Paul writes: “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (vv. 8-10 NLT). Paul didn’t get the answer he was looking for until he quit praying and started listening. Sometimes we’re so busy telling God what He ought to do for us, that we can’t hear God telling us what He wants to do in us. If you have a stubborn problem in your life, maybe it’s time to quit talking and start listening. God taught Paul lessons at the best time he could learn them – during difficulties. So the bad news about tough times turns out to be the good news after all – that you learn more about God in the valley than you do on the mountaintop. C. S. Lewis describes how God uses pain to communicate with us: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts to us in our pains.” Before God spoke, all Paul wanted was to remove his problem. After God spoke, he realized that in his problem he had found something better and greater – supernatural strength reserved for those tough times when we realize God’s presence is greater than our problems and His purpose is greater than our pain.
Soul food: 1 Cor 16; Matt 3:7-10; Ps 75; Prov 31:31
2019-12-29
2 Corinthians 12:7 NLT
The Bible doesn’t tell us what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was, but Paul tells us why God permitted it: “To keep me from becoming proud.” Increased achievement and success can lead to increased pride and independence from God. Have you noticed that when life is going great, staying close to God is sometimes difficult? We tend to think God is so good to us because we are so good to Him. We must always guard against this. God can use anything for your good and His glory. In His wisdom and patience, He permits something we think is intended to hurt us, but He turns it around and uses it to help us. Here is what He does: He balances blessings with burdens. The psalmist said, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits” (Psalm 68:19 NKJV). If God filled your hands only with blessings, eventually you would fall over on your face. And if He continually loaded your back with burdens, you would fall on your hindquarters. So He apportions blessings and burdens so that we can stay in balance. It’s easy to get out of balance. We become so absorbed with the joys of heaven that we neglect our calling to be salt and light here on earth. We get so involved in the work of the Lord that we fail to spend time with the Lord of the work. We get so involved in church that we rob our families of the love and attention they need. So God brings us back into balance by giving us a thorn.
Soul food: Heb 11:1-6; Matt 21:18-22; Matt 8:5-13; Mark 6:1-6
2019-12-28
2 Corinthians 12:7 NLT
Bible scholars disagree as to what Paul’s “thorn” was. Some think it may have been poor eyesight, others a speech impediment, and others a physical challenge. Why doesn’t the Bible tell us? Well, if his problem was poor eyesight, then we would say, “That doesn’t help me because I have 20/20 vision.” If it was a speech impediment, those with the gift of communication wouldn’t find comfort in his words. If it was a physical challenge, those with good health would think they’re exempt. The reason the Bible doesn’t tell us may be this: No matter what your particular struggle or affliction is, the same God who gave Paul victory over his thorn will give you victory too. Who’s the person in your life you would describe as “a thorn in your side”? What’s the “thorny” situation at work you face day after day? You can have a “thorny” relationship with someone that requires extra grace, love, and prayer. That’s why Peter writes, “Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord… Jesus” (2 Peter 3:18). Each of our thorns is different because God customizes them to our need. Why? So that we will “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus.” God is more interested in our character than He is in our comfort, so when we pray for lighter burdens, He gives us stronger backs. The songwriter said: “He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater, He giveth more strength when the labors increase; To added affliction He addeth His mercy, To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.”
Soul food: 1 Cor 15; Matt 3:1-6; Ps 116; Prov 31:30
2019-12-27
Romans 5:3 NIV
Isn’t it interesting how as we get older, we tend to become more patient, even though we have less time left? Why is that? Perspective! Our problems haven’t changed that much, but our perspective has. Things that once upset us don’t anymore, because we’ve lived long enough to know “His grace is sufficient” (See 2 Corinthians 12:9). Once you realize that it’s no big deal – and most things aren’t – you can say, “Been there, done that!” Instead of fretting and complaining, which doesn’t work and steals our joy, we’ve learned to sing: “Great is Thy faithfulness, oh God my Father; There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not; As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.” Like Joseph, you can look back to times in life you thought you’d never get through, and stuff you thought you’d never survive, and say, “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20 NKJV). Yes, perspective produces patience: “We can rejoice…when we run into problems and trials, for we know…they are good for us – they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character…and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady…when that happens, we are able to hold our heads high no matter what happens and know that all is well, for we know how dearly God loves us, and we feel this warm love everywhere within us because God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love” (Romans 5:3-5 TLB). So let God develop your patience.
Soul food: 1 Cor 12-14; Matt 2:13-23; Ps 139:13-24; Prov 31:28-29
