2019-11-30
1 Peter 4:10 NIV
Guess which big company felt like “choking on its own candies” after it elected not to feature one of its products in the 1982 blockbuster film E.T.? If you said M&M’s, you’d be right! How did it happen? Turns out the Mars candy bar company executives decided nothing could be gained from allowing their M&M’s candies to be used in what some of them considered “a silly movie.” Consequently, the little boy Elliott wound up luring the loveable alien E.T. with Hershey’s Reese’s Pieces. That one scene drew millions of customers world-wide into candy stores in quest of Reese’s Pieces! Thanks to this movie mega-hit, Hershey’s sales shot up 65 percent! It’s interesting that the Mars executives who said “No” probably lived in big houses, drove big cars, and earned big salaries! Yep, doubt and fear stalk the rich as well as the poor; you’ll find nay-sayers at the top and bottom of the corporate ladder. Do you recall these words from the famous poem by John Greenleaf Whittier: “For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, ‘It might have been'”? Think of all the times opportunity knocked and nobody answered. Are you standing before a door of opportunity today? Are you afraid to walk through it? Don’t be. God is with you. His Word says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” When God gives you a gift He gives you the grace and grit to use it. So step out in faith, “commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed” (Proverbs 16:3 NLT).
Soul food: Josh 14-15; John 15:18-27; Ps 65; Prov 28:17-20
2019-11-29
Matthew 25:23 NIV
In 1975 a low-level Hewlett Packard engineer called Steve Wozniak, whom nobody had ever heard of, shared a dream with his pal, Steve Jobs. It was about building and selling an easy-to-use personal computer to the masses around the world. The pair worked round the clock to create their compact PC. But when they offered it to Hewlett Packard, one of the world’s great companies, the powers-that-be failed to see its incredible potential and gave it the thumbs down. So Wozniak and Jobs went off on their own and founded a little company called Apple Computers – and revolutionized the computer industry! There’s no shortage of people who will tell you, “It can’t be done” or “It won’t work.” There’s a name for those people: “dream killers” – and if you listen to them you’ll give up before you even begin. Behind every major accomplishment you’ll find ordinary people with dreams, who are willing to take responsibility and risks. They are the people who enjoy the rewards! Jesus wrapped up one of His parables with these words: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” In spite of your failures, your struggles, and your limitations, if you’re willing to disregard the naysayers, step out in faith, and use the gifts God has given you, He will see to it that you succeed.
Soul food: Josh 11-13; John 15:5-17; Ps 14; Prov 28:13-16
2019-11-28
Habakkuk 2:3 NKJV
One missionary evangelist writes: “There are times and seasons in God’s will. And we can easily become frustrated if we don’t understand that just as there are times and seasons in nature, there are also times and seasons in the process of fulfilling God’s will for our lives. Years ago a group of senior missionaries came together to discuss life principles they’d discovered…their purpose was to share this wealth of experience with succeeding generations…They’d all encountered common stages of transition in their ministries, and collectively they identified a five-step cyclical process God had taken them through.” Bottom line: Timing is all-important! When executives at Decca Records told the Beatles, “Groups with guitars are on the way out,” they signed up with EMI – and the rest is history! Don’t miss the lesson here. Each of us has been placed on earth as a caretaker of God’s business. And that’s true whether you are a judge or a janitor. You’ve been given an allotment of life and charged with the responsibility of taking care of it, investing it, increasing it, and presenting it back to God. Simply saying, “I was afraid of failing,” or “I was worried about being criticized,” or “I didn’t think I was good enough,” won’t work. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Excuses always replace progress.” God will accept your trials and errors, but He won’t accept your excuses for not having tried. So pray, accept responsibility, and step out in faith. You may fail many times on your way to success, but if you keep trying and trusting God, you’ll eventually succeed.
Soul food: Josh 8:30-10:43; John 14:26-15:4; Ps 146; Prov 28:9-12
2019-11-27
Psalm 32:8 NKJV
Why are you still here? When Jesus saved you, why didn’t He simply take you to heaven to be with Him? Because He’s not only interested in your final destination; He wants to do a work in you and through you on the way to it. We get impatient when it comes to God’s will for our lives. We just want to get there! But a great deal of time usually elapses between when God calls us and when we’ve fulfilled His will for our lives. And until we accept that, we’re not ready to go anywhere! We need to understand that the journey is an important process. It matters to God what you become on the way to where you’re going. And following Him in obedience through many unknowns, trials, and difficulties is an integral and indispensable part of your preparation. God uses the journey to teach you faith, refine your character, and equip you for greater challenges that lie ahead. In fact, if you’re in the process of seeking God’s will right now, you’re already fulfilling part of it in your life. God said, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go.” Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because you don’t know all you’d like to, you’re not making progress. Something is happening right now. Your faith is being stretched, your patience is being developed, your doubts are being confronted and conquered, and your relationship with God is growing deeper. He always prepares us in advance for what He has planned ahead for us. Yes, the struggle is uncomfortable – but it’s a necessary part of the process.
Soul food: Josh 5:1-8:29; John 14:15-25; Ps 118:19-29; Prov 28:5-8
2019-11-26
Jeremiah 45:3 NLT
Some of the people we admire in Scripture experienced times when they felt “worn out,” yet unable to rest. Jeremiah said, ‘”I am overwhelmed with trouble! Haven’t I had enough pain already? And now the Lord has added more! I am worn out from sighing and can find no rest'” (v. 3 NLT). The psalmist put it this way: “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13 NKJV). Then he goes on to say: “I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me. Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings!” (Psalm 61:2-4 NLT). If you’re feeling overwhelmed today, take a minute to pray this prayer: “Lord, it feels like the weight of the world is on my shoulders and I know this isn’t Your will. Teach me to cast my worries and concerns on You, knowing that You have promised to take care of me (See 1 Peter 5:7). Give me courage to change the things I can, grace to accept the things I can’t, and wisdom to know the difference. Never let me become so busy that I forsake my quiet time with You. Teach me to be still and know that You’re my God (See Psalm 46:10). Thank You for being my refuge; a very present help in this time of trouble (See Psalm 46:1). In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.”
Soul food: Josh 1-4; John 14:1-14; Ps 118:10-18; Prov 28:1-4
2019-11-25
Psalm 37:34 TLV
In farming, there’s a time for sowing, a time for growing, and a time for reaping. It’s the same in God’s kingdom. One missionary tells of hearing a group of seasoned leaders discussing their shared experiences from which a fascinating five-stage process emerged. Stage 1: The birth of the vision. Initially each of them was given a vision by the Holy Spirit, accompanied by an excitement and abiding awareness that it was from God. Stage 2: The preparation. This is the stage where dreams are often aborted because we don’t want to do the necessary preparation. When God gives you a vision, there must be some action on your part or it will never amount to anything more than a passing daydream. Stage 3: The wilderness and the struggle. One of our biggest misconceptions is that if something is really from God, there’ll be no struggle involved. That’s a myth! You can almost guarantee a significant amount of struggle will be required. This stage is the proving ground of our faithfulness, and there’s no substitute. Stage 4: The realization of the vision. This is where we finally get to enjoy the fruits of our diligent preparation and God’s faithfulness. Stage 5: New beginnings and vision. These leaders all found themselves challenged again with fresh vision from the Holy Spirit. As a result, they concluded that their lives had been a continual cycle of ever-expanding vision, and as God entrusted them with more, it would take even greater amounts of preparation and the intensity of the battle would increase. Now you understand the stages of your vision!
Soul food: 3 John; Jude; John 13:31-38; Ps 118:1-9; Prov 27:23-27
