2020-01-16
2 Corinthians 6:14 NIV
An ox and a donkey each have a tail, two eyes, and four legs. But if you harness them together, they won’t get along or work well together. Actually, they will pull in different directions. That’s because God made them with very different natures and attributes! With that picture in your mind, here’s some advice on dating you’d be wise to heed. Looks soon fade, so choose someone who has other, less obvious attributes. For example: (1) Consider their manners and how they treat the waiter at the restaurant. (2) What type of interests do they have? (3) Do they share your spiritual values and beliefs? (4) Do they show genuine interest in what you have to say? (5) How do they treat people they’re not trying to impress? Once the newness of the initial attraction wears off, there must be something more, or the relationship is doomed. And make sure you’re the chooser, and not the chosen. Think about what you really want, and don’t entrust your heart to someone without first ascertaining their suitability. The only way to do that is to ask questions and develop X-ray vision so you can learn to read their motives through their mannerisms. If you’re going to make an informed decision about sharing your life with this person, and share the most intimate, vulnerable parts of yourself literally and figuratively, you must open your eyes, along with all your senses, and really see the other person. Stop. Look. Listen. Pray. That’s the Bible’s formula for making a wise decision when it comes to choosing a mate for life.
Soul food: Exo 22-24; Matt 7:15-29; Ps 79; Prov 2:9-10
2020-01-15
Psalm 127:3 NLT
Children aren’t bargaining chips to secure attention. Reasons like, “I want someone to love me,” or “I agreed to have children because my partner wanted them” are immature at best and a recipe for disaster at worst. If you are considering having children, it is vitally important to take time to ask yourself if you are emotionally, financially, and spiritually ready for the job. Becoming a parent means taking on the immense task of being responsible for another human being – for the rest of your life! You can’t exchange them, or return them, or divorce them when things don’t go well. It’s a lifetime commitment, and you must accept this reality without pretending otherwise. Don’t go starry-eyed over the babies you see in strollers at the mall. Don’t deceive yourself about parenthood, and think you’ll just “grow into it” after the baby arrives. You will be on call around the clock for the next twenty years or so! Make sure you’re ready for the leap of faith required to love someone more powerfully than ever before. You owe it to them, and to yourself. So approach parenthood with prayer, consideration, deliberation, and most of all, a sense of humor before you take that leap. One wrong decision on your part can sentence your entire family to a lifetime of heartbreak. And it can be avoided by praying, and waiting a little while longer to do things right! If you’re not ready to lead a totally different lifestyle for the next few decades, slow down. Babies who have babies leave our communities on life support and our marriages on respirators. Think about it and talk to God about it.
Soul food: Exo 19-21; Matt 7:1-14; Ps 74:12-23; Prov 2:7-8
2020-01-14
Psalm 34:1 NIV
You can praise God too little, but you can never praise Him too much. David writes, “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised” (Psalm 113:3). “Seven times a day do I praise thee” (Psalm 119:164). “His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” When you are overwhelmed by circumstances, the last thing you feel like doing is praising God. But it’s the first thing you should do, because praise gets your attention off yourself and onto God’s miraculous power. Jehoshaphat faced an army he had no hope of defeating. But when he started to praise God, his enemies destroyed each other while he looked on in amazement. When Paul and Silas praised God in prison, their chains broke and the doors opened. It’s normal to focus on the problem and forget to praise God, but praise solves problems. Peter writes: “The trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7). Start to acknowledge the power of praise and choose to exalt God regardless of how you feel. Praise brings you into God’s presence and positions you for His favour and blessing. You say, “But I don’t understand how praise works.” Think about it like this: You don’t have to understand aerodynamics in order to fly. You just get on the plane and the pilot takes you where you need to go. It’s the same when you praise God – just do it and you’ll get results.
Soul food: Exo 16-18; Matt 6:19-34; Ps 74:1-11; Prov 2:6
2020-01-13
Psalm 32:5 NLT
When God forgave David for adultery and murder, he wrote: “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said…’I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone” (vv. 1-5 NLT). Unconfessed, unforgiven sin will make you miserable. But after you’ve acknowledged it and received God’s forgiveness, you shouldn’t continue to feel miserable. So why do we feel miserable? Many times it’s because of how we were raised. We grew up hearing words like, “I hope you feel bad about what you’ve done!” or “Shame on you!” And if our offense was great, like wrecking the family car, we may even have been put on probation! In other words, we’re programmed for long-term guilt. The good news is, God’s forgiveness doesn’t work that way. The moment that brings conviction and confession of sin also brings cleansing of sin, and leads to restored confidence before God. Don’t let Satan keep condemning you. Refuse to walk around feeling guilty and ashamed. Today say with the psalmist, “You forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” Now go out and live freely, confidently, and with joy!
Soul food: Exo 13-15; Matt 6:9-18; Ps 71:17-24; Prov 2:3-5
2020-01-12
Jude 24 MSG
Pick friends who respect your values; otherwise, you will end up under pressure to compromise your convictions to maintain their friendship. That’s too high a price to pay! Joseph said no to the sexual advances of his boss’s wife, and there’s a lesson for you in his story. There are people in the workplace who will push every button and probe every weakness you have, in order to bring you down to their level. And if they succeed, they’ll attack you rather than appreciate you. What should you do? Turn to God for help! “[He] will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV). When someone seeks to compromise your character, God promises to “make a way of escape” so you don’t have to succumb to temptation. Even if your decision results in you being penalized, alienated, or terminated, ask God for courage to do the right thing. His promise to you is: “Them that honour me I will honour” (1 Samuel 2:30). Remember, it’s better to be alone and walk with God than give in to temptation, violate His Word, and compromise your convictions by “going along to get along.” When you stand tall and do the right thing, you bring honor and glory to God. Jude writes, “To him who can keep you on your feet, standing tall…God, our only Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Master, be glory, majesty, strength…now, and to the end of all time” (Jude 24-25 MSG).
Soul food: Isa 61; Heb 12:2; Isa 35:3-10
2020-01-11
Proverbs 29:11 AMP
Anger is like fire: When it’s kept under control, it can bring warmth and comfort. But when it’s out of control, it can destroy everything in its path. The Bible says, “A…fool always loses his temper and displays his anger, but a wise man [uses self-control and] holds it back.” You can express anger verbally or through silence. When you use silence as a weapon to hurt someone, you’re resorting to emotional manipulation and indulging in childish immaturity. When you were a child and someone refused to do what you wanted, do you remember saying, “I’m not talking to you anymore”? That may be acceptable behavior for a child, but not those who are called to be spiritually mature. If you’re given to frequent outbursts of temper, here are some Scriptures you’d do well to take to heart: (1) “Better…one with self-control than one who takes a city” (Proverbs 16:32 NIV). (2) “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense” (Proverbs 19:11 NIV). (3) “Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools” (Ecclesiastes 7:9 NIV). (4) “Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness…God desires” (James 1:19-20 NIV). (5) “Get rid of all bitterness, rage…anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31-32 NIV). So ask God to help you get your anger under control.
Soul food: Exo 10-12; Matt 6:1-8; Ps 71:1-16; Prov 2:1-2
