2019-11-18
2 Timothy 4:7 NKJV
Did you know that over half of those who enter the ministry quit before retirement? Why? There are lots of reasons – here is one of them: They discover that great revelation comes with a “thorn.” The apostle Paul, who wrote half the New Testament, says: “To keep me from being conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NIV). Pastor, there are 168 hours in your week. The hour you spend in the pulpit on Sunday morning showcases you in the areas of your gifting and strength. So your challenge will always be to remember that it is God’s Word and God’s power, not yours, that changes lives and gets the job done. Notice what Paul said: “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh.” Paul’s thorn came in the form of “weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties.” What’s your thorn? You can only stand strong before people if you discipline yourself to spend time before God in prayer and Bible study. That’s how to stay effective and finish strong in ministry!
Soul food: 2 Chr 19-21; John 12:1-11; Ps 76; Prov 27:4-6
2019-11-17
Romans 8:6 NKJV
Paul writes, “Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit” (v. 5 NKJV). Passenger planes are designed to fly in two ways – through the skill of a pilot and the commands they receive from the control tower. To “live according to the Spirit” means obeying His promptings. You do that by going through your day with an awareness of His presence. Submit, as you feel Him tugging at your heart to take a particular course of action, even if you don’t quite understand why. You may be prompted to drop a particular conversation, turn away quickly from a certain television program, walk away from a questionable environment, or even go “by another way.” (Remember the wise men in Matthew 2:12?) Whatever it is, do it immediately. The Holy Spirit may be warning you about a temptation you’ll be unable to resist unless you obey Him there and then. Perhaps there’s someone who comes to your mind during the day, and you know he or she is going through a difficult time and could use some support. Get in touch with them. God wants to minister to that person through you, and He will bless you when you do it. The Holy Spirit may guide you to do a certain thing, or take a risk you never imagined you’d take. The wisest thing is always to submit to His plan, regardless of whether or not it makes sense to you. God knows all things, including your future, and His direction is always for your benefit.
Soul food: Josh 1; Ps 27:11-14; 2 Cor 5:6-10
2019-11-16
Psalm 39:1 NIV
The psalmist has a lot to say about the dangers of the tongue. Apparently he had to guard himself in that particular area. “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3 NIV). “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord” (Psalm 19:14 NIV). Just because a thought comes up doesn’t mean it should come out! “A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back” (Proverbs 29:11 NKJV). You say, “But I didn’t really mean it. I was just sounding off!” You may not think you meant it, but the Bible says, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34 NKJV). What’s harbored on the inside inevitably shows up on the outside. Put yourself in the other person’s place, listen to what you’re saying, and ask yourself how you’d respond. When you’re talking to someone, their acceptance doesn’t come from your heightened decibel level, but from your ability to listen, understand, care, empathize, and respond with wisdom. And if none of those things work, do what Jesus did when He stood before Pilate: “He opened not His mouth” (Acts 8:32 NKJV). Amazing! He had the power and authority to call twelve legions of angels (72,000 plus) to His defense, but He didn’t. That’s strength, not weakness! Another word to the wise: Never resort to profanity. “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” (Ephesians 4:29 NLT).
Soul food: 2 Chr 16-18; John 11:38-57; Ps 81; Prov 27:1-3
2019-11-15
2 Corinthians 12:15 NLT
The apostle Paul wrote, “I don’t want what you have – I want you…I will gladly spend myself and all I have for you, even though it seems that the more I love you, the less you love me” (vv. 14-15 NLT). Paul found his greatest fulfillment in giving, not receiving. For him, giving was its own reward. For him, being successful meant making others successful. For him, being joyful meant bringing joy to others. That’s because he didn’t look to people for his reward, but to God: “Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do” (Ephesians 6:8 NLT). The hardest thing for most of us to do is to fight our natural tendency to put ourselves first. That’s why it’s important to continually examine your motives and make sure you’re not sliding backwards into selfishness. If you want to check your motives, follow the example set by Benjamin Franklin. Every day he asked himself two questions. When he got up in the morning he would ask, “What good am I going to do today?” And before he went to bed he would ask, “What good have I done today?” If you can answer those questions with selflessness and integrity, you can keep yourself on track. Seeing those in need, and giving to meet that need, keeps your priorities and your perspective right. It increases the quality of life for both the giver and the receiver. The truth is, there is no life as empty as the self-centered life, and there is no life as centered as the self-empty life.
Soul food: 2 Chr 12-15; John 11:28-37; Ps 50; Prov 26:27-28
2019-11-14
Numbers 6:27 NLT
God’s Word is impregnated with life, wisdom, truth, power, and potential. When He created the world, He simply said, “Let there be.” Every word He speaks – contains the power to create whatever He says. Every promise He makes – contains the seeds of its own fulfillment. Those seeds have a scheduled season for fulfillment in your life, and when they’re watered with confident, faith-filled prayer, standing squarely on the Scriptures and patiently awaiting God’s timing – His Word cannot fail. Once you grasp this truth, the words “God bless you” become loaded! Speaking them releases God’s blessing into our lives. When you say, “God bless you,” God backs you up. “Whenever [you] bless…people…in my name, I myself will bless them.” So if you want to bless your loved ones, speak these words of blessing to them: “The Lord bless you and protect you…and be gracious to you…show you his favour and give you his peace” (vv. 24-26 NLT). Asking someone, “How are you?” is an expression of courtesy and care. And when you say, “Have a nice day,” you sincerely mean it. But when you say, “God bless you,” and understand the scriptural truth behind those words, God’s blessing can change that person’s life! Author Kate Nowak says: “It should be a habit, this business of blessing others…I’ve come to realize it’s one of the most powerful and practical ways for reconnecting with each other, our world and life itself…the most phenomenal way possible to lead us to happiness and success. A blessing is a sweet release from pain…an ancient key to a successful and fulfilling life.”
Soul food: 2 Chr 8-11; John 11:17-27; Ps 8; Prov 26:23-26
2019-11-13
1 Chronicles 4:9 NKJV
The name Jabez means “pain and trouble.” Can you imagine walking into a room and hearing someone say, “Here comes trouble,” or someone describing you as “a pain”? And what’s more, Jabez’ mother labelled him that way the day he was born because “she gave birth to him in pain.” But Jabez refused to wear the label or let that name define him. Instead of looking back at his past and listening to his critics, he turned to God and prayed: “‘Oh, that You would bless me…and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!’ So God granted him what he requested” (v. 10 NKJV). The label on the outside of a bottle tells you what’s on the inside. And when you let others label you, invariably they make your world too small. And once you accept the label they place on you, you start to believe that’s who you are and that you’ll never amount to anything more than that. No, only God can tell you who you are! So do what Jabez did – go directly to the source: God. He created you. He redeemed you. He calls you. He equips you. He empowers you. He rewards you. So when people try to limit you by putting labels on you, God steps in and says, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine” (Isaiah 43:1 NKJV). The truth is that God loves and accepts you, and His approval trumps everybody else’s disapproval!
Soul food: 2 Chr 5-7; John 11:1-16; Ps 83:9-18; Prov 26:17-22
