2019-10-19
Isaiah 40:29 TLB
Sports Illustrated magazine says, “Stress fractures begin when the shocks and strains of playing game after game create tiny cracks in outer layers of bone. When those cracks become large enough to cause severe pain, they are known as ‘stress fractures.'” If you’ve ever had a stress-fractured mind, you can relate. It eats at you by day and keeps you awake at night. And when you try to “medicate” it with alcohol, or drugs, or an affair, or overeating, or a hyperactive lifestyle, it gets worse. What should you do? (1) Change your focus. “Come to me…and I will give you rest…Let me teach you…and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29 NLT). “He gives power to the tired and worn out, and strength to the weak…they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:29-31 TLB). Instead of struggling alone with the burden, share it with the burden-bearer and let Him strengthen you. (2) Lighten up! “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine” (Proverbs 17:22). Don’t make such a big deal out of everything! Lighten up and laugh more, especially at yourself! Do you even remember the last time you enjoyed a good laugh? Accept your imperfections. Let some stuff go. Stop trying to be Wonder Woman or Superman. Get away for some fun. Yes, you need fun too! Cancel some of your not-so-important meetings. If you want things to change, you will have to change them. Today talk to God; He knows how to heal stress fractures.
Soul food: 1 Tim 4-6; John 5:31-47; Ps 126; Prov 24:10
2019-10-18
Proverbs 2:10 NLT
One Friday morning an eager young Stanford University student stood before Louis Janin, a well-known mining engineer. He was seeking employment. Janin informed him, “All I need right now is a stenographer.” The young man said eagerly, “Fine, I’ll take the job.” Then he added, “But I can’t come back until Tuesday.” Janin agreed, and the next Tuesday the young man reported for work as scheduled. Janin asked him, “Why is it that you couldn’t come back before Tuesday?” The young man replied, “Because I had to rent a typewriter and learn how to use it.” The young typist was Herbert Hoover, whose can-do attitude eventually led him through the doors of the White House to become one of America’s presidents. By taking shortcuts – you risk shortchanging your future. Your unwillingness to learn today will leave you unprepared for tomorrow’s opportunities. No skill you learn will ever be lost. Gleaning knowledge and learning new skills builds confidence and sharpens your mind. Successful people have one thing in common: They never quit learning! Furthermore, God calls prepared people, so prepare yourself. The Bible says: “Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver…Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy” (Proverbs 2:2-10 NLT).
Soul food: 1 Tim 1-3; John 5:16-30; Ps 5; Prov 24:8-9
2019-10-17
Ephesians 5:19 NKJV
The truths of God’s Word have been passed down from generation to generation through preaching, teaching, and publishing. But they have also been passed down through hymns of worship we sing in church. When you sing them, you’re proclaiming the truth of God’s Word and simultaneously ingesting it. You grow spiritually through the Word you hear, the Word you study, the Word you speak, and yes, the Word you sing. Paul writes, “Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (vv. 18-19 NKJV). Jesus didn’t just preach the Word, He sang it too: “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives” (Matthew 26:30). Why does the Bible place such emphasis on speaking God’s Word? Because when you read God’s Word aloud you ingest it in two ways – through the eye-gate and the ear-gate. And the same thing happens when you sing God’s Word. The readers of God’s Word shouldn’t look down on the singers of God’s Word, and the singers shouldn’t feel spiritually inferior to the readers. The important thing is to get into God’s Word and get God’s Word into you. Some of us do that best through a sermon, others through personal Bible study, and others through songs that proclaim the life-changing truths of His Word. So, when you worship, you’re taking in God’s Word.
Soul food: Hab 1-3; John 5:1-15; Ps 15; Prov 24:7
2019-10-16
Proverbs 13:4 NLT
Charlie “Tremendous” Jones tells the story of a man who dreamed he’d inherited a million dollars. In the dream he tried to take a shower, but the shower wouldn’t work. He tried to shave, but his shaver wouldn’t shave. He tried to make breakfast, but the coffee wouldn’t perk and the toaster wouldn’t toast. He went to get a newspaper, but the newspaper box was empty. He went to catch the bus to work, but the bus didn’t come. Finally, after waiting an hour, he asked somebody, “What’s going on here?” They replied, “Haven’t you heard? Everybody has inherited a million dollars and nobody’s working anymore.” Suddenly the man woke up, discovered that it was all a dream, and said, “Thank God!” So he went and had a tremendous shower, a tremendous shave, a tremendous cup of coffee, and a tremendous piece of toast while he was reading a tremendous newspaper. Finally he caught a tremendous bus to a tremendous job! Thank God today for the job He has given you, and put your very best into it. Your position and paycheck would most likely have been a dream-come-true for some of your ancestors. You may not be called to “the ministry” per se, but if your job affords you the privilege of being a solution to somebody’s problem and offers you the dignity of making a difference in life, be grateful. Imagine what your life would be like without it! “Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.”
Soul food: Nahum 1-3; John 4:39-54; Ps 41; Prov 24:5-6
2019-10-15
Ephesians 4:15 NIV
Before you confront someone over an issue, stop and examine your motives. Is your goal to help or humiliate them? Jesus was in the business of lifting and restoring people, and you should be in that business too. Ask yourself, would you approach things differently if you weren’t so personally involved? Are you confronting this person to make yourself look better? Cutting someone else down in order to lift yourself up is the lowest form of ego gratification. Poet Kahlil Gibran said, “To belittle, you have to be little.” Don’t do it! It’s a sign of insecurity. Remember Nehemiah’s response to those who tried to discourage him from rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls? “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?” (Nehemiah 6:3). Don’t allow your critics to break your stride. Don’t give more credence to the sentiments of a critic than you would to the encouragement of a friend. Before you put somebody else’s life under the microscope, stop and examine your own. Are you grappling with the same issue, or one just as bad? Have you succeeded where you’re accusing somebody else of failing? In other words, have you earned the right to be heard? Paul writes, “Speaking the truth in love we will grow…in every respect.” Could it be that the situation you’re dealing with right now is an opportunity to measure your own maturity and make it a spiritual growth experience?
Soul food: 2 Pet 1-3; John 4:27-38; Ps 87; Prov 24:1-4
2019-10-14
Psalm 30:5 NIV
It’s hard when you work all day then come home to an empty house and sleep with your arms wrapped around a pillow, wishing you had someone to hold. No amount of makeup can hide that kind of loneliness. It’s the pain of having so much to share and nobody to share it with. But God knows your plight, and He cares. It’s why He made Eve for Adam, found Boaz for Ruth, and Rebekah for Isaac. It’s why His Word deals with real-life issues like sexual frustration, loneliness, failure, and lack of self-worth. Natural voids and thirsts exist within all of us, and how we fill them determines our ability to survive and find happiness. If you’re struggling on your own to face the challenges of life, you need to know that you’re not alone! “The God of all comfort” is with you (2 Corinthians 1:3). No one understands like Jesus. His family rejected Him, His disciples forsook Him, and the world crucified Him. That’s why the Bible says He’s “touched with the feeling of our infirmities” and was “in all points tempted as we are” (Hebrews 4:15 NKJV). He knows when you feel like nothing you do is ever good enough. He knows that as well as being a parent, you’re a person. He knows, He understands, and He invites you to come to Him. The season you’re in right now won’t last forever. A new one is coming, with new energy, new relationships, new experiences, and new joy. Until then remember: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Your joy will return!
Soul food: Lev 23:33-44; John 7:1-40; Zech 14:16-21; Heb 11:8-16
