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
2019-12-26
Isaiah 46:11 NIV
God has a plan for your life that requires certain things to happen at a particular time. And since He sees the big picture and you’re working with limited information, you must trust Him – even when you don’t see how it will all come together. God can take the loss of a relationship or a job and make it work for your good. The trouble is, while He’s doing all this, you can feel uncomfortable and downright miserable. Seven hundred and eighty-two years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Micah said that He would be born in Bethlehem (See Micah 5:2). But Mary and Joseph were living in Nazareth. So how did God solve the problem? The Roman emperor Augustus decreed that a census should be taken: “All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son” (Luke 2:3-7 NLT). Are you worried about the future? “Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep traveling steadily along his pathway and in due season he will honor you with every blessing” (Psalm 37:34 TLB). Relax: the God who arranged for His Son to be born into the right family, at the right time, in the right place, is looking out for you today.
Soul food: 1 Cor 10-11; Matt 2:1-12; Ps 139:1-12; Prov 31:25-27
2019-12-25
Galatians 4:4 NLT
God doesn’t consult us to make sure His plans line up with our timetable. God sets the schedule; sometimes we have to run to keep up, and other times we have to slow down in order to get in step with Him. Mary planned to marry Joseph, then have a child, but God had a different plan. The child had to be without inherited sin, so He needed a perfect father; therefore, the Holy Spirit was called on to do the job. Humanly speaking, the timing couldn’t have been worse. Mary became pregnant before she got married, and Joseph wasn’t the father. Besides being ostracized, the law said she could be stoned to death. How did she respond? Amazingly: “Then Mary said, ‘Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word'” (Luke 1:38 NKJV). God has a set plan, and He is always working toward it. The trouble is, we are only working with limited information, so we become impatient and upset when He doesn’t answer our prayers when we think He should, or in the way we think He should. It’s said that George Muller, evangelist and founder of the Ashley Down Orphanage in Bristol, England, once waited on the dock for a special chair to be delivered; he had a bad back and needed the chair for his ocean voyage. When departure time came and it still hadn’t arrived, his friends offered to buy him one. But Muller said, “Either God will provide or He will give me the grace to do without.” Then, just like a Hollywood ending, the chair arrived right on time! Trust God – He knows what He’s doing!
Soul food: Isa 9:1-7; Matt 1:18-25; Micah 5:2-5a
2019-12-24
Ephesians 1:7 NKJV
Today, some people are trying to remove any public mention of Christ at Christmas, while others seem bent on secularizing it completely. So let’s look at the meaning of some of the Christmas symbols. The small holly berries are thought to have originally reminded Christians of the drops of Christ’s blood caused by the crown of thorns He wore on Calvary. The evergreen trees speak of the promise of never-ending life resulting from His resurrection. The Celtic cross has a circle surrounding the intersection of the vertical and horizontal axis of the cross. Some believe it originated with St. Patrick, who, upon seeing a round symbol of the moon goddess, drew a Christian cross over it – changing a Druid symbol into a new symbol for Irish Christianity. In the same way that St. Patrick adopted a pagan circle and gave it a new meaning, so other Christians adopted the evergreen wreath and gave it a new meaning. When early Christians changed the Roman winter solstice of the rebirth of the sun (originally on December 21), to a celebration of the birth of the “Son of Righteousness,” the evergreen wreath was adopted. Instead of simply being a garland, the round Christmas wreath now speaks of the never-ending unity and fellowship we have with God through Christ. So when you hang a wreath on your door or over your fireplace this Christmas, remind yourself that nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39 NKJV).
Soul food: 1 Cor 7-9; Matt 1:17; Ps 97; Prov 31:22-24
