2019-08-11
Matthew 16:17 MSG
Peter the apostle started out as Peter the fisherman. His father owned a fleet of fishing boats, and Peter probably thought that one day he’d end up running the family business when his dad was gone. But when the Lord has a plan for your life, He will come looking for you! Think about this fascinating interaction between Jesus and Peter: “He pressed them, ‘And how about you? Who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter said, ‘You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus came back, ‘God bless you, Simon…You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven…let you in on this…now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are'” (vv. 15-18 MSG). There’s an important lesson here. When you discover who Jesus is and what He has done for you, you discover who you are and what He has called you to do for Him. There’s a lot more to life than working forty hours a week for forty years, retiring with a gold watch, drawing a pension, and playing with your grandkids. Just as surely as your DNA differs from every other person’s on the planet, so does your individual destiny. But to understand and fulfill it, “you must be born again” (John 3:7 NKJV). Jesus said at the grave of Lazarus, “He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). And the One who raised Lazarus from the dead can bring you to life spiritually, too. Seek Him and He will also “tell you who you…really are.”
Soul food: Josh 2:1-24; Acts 9:20-30
2019-08-10
1 Peter 2:21 NIV
In the midst of his problems, Job said, “He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10 NKJV). Gold is hidden deep in the earth, and it takes hours of backbreaking work removing tons of dirt scoop by scoop to bring it to the surface. Likewise, crucifying the flesh is excruciating and time-consuming, and when you follow Jesus, you give Him “digging rights.” Satan tries to bury your treasure under memories of past sin and failure, but God keeps on digging because He’s going for the gold! Joni Eareckson Tada became a quadriplegic after a diving accident. She writes: “Often during a single day I’ll have to make twenty-six different adjustments in my wheelchair…sometimes I think I’ll drive me and my friends crazy. That’s when I…remember, ‘To this you were called because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps.’ Life’s supposed to be difficult. Jesus said in this world we would have trouble (John 16:33). And that it has been granted – that is…gifted – on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but to suffer for Him. Sometimes I don’t want that gift, but if Jesus learned obedience through the things He suffered, then I can learn from twenty-six different adjustments in my sitting position. God desires intimacy with us – but on His terms – and those terms require us to suffer as His Son suffered. So next time you get hit broadside with a bruising disappointment, God’s asking you to follow in Jesus’ steps.”
Soul food: Judg 4-6; Matt 16:1-12; Ps 119:57-64; Prov 17:22
2019-08-09
1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT
When William Carey first began considering the possibility of going to India as a pioneer missionary, his father pointed out that he possessed no academic qualifications for the job. Carey answered, “I can plod.” And he did. When he went to India this was his typical day: He arose at 5:45 a.m. to read a chapter in the Hebrew Bible and have private devotions. At 7:00 a.m. he led family prayers in Bengali, read Persian with a tutor, and a portion of Scripture in Hindustani. After breakfast he translated Sanskrit into English. At 10:00 a.m. he went to college to teach until 2:00 p.m., then translated into Bengali until dinner time. After an early supper, he translated into Sanskrit and studied the Telugu language until he preached to an English congregation at 7:30 p.m. About 9:00 p.m. he returned to translating for two hours, wrote to a friend in England, read a chapter from his Greek New Testament, and then finally went to bed. Carey is credited with doing more than anyone else in taking the message of Christ to India and establishing the church there. And he did it because he was a plodder! Here are two Scriptures plodders stand on: (1) “Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9 NKJV). (2) “My dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless” (1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT). These Scriptures could be reduced to five words: Keep plodding and you’ll succeed.
Soul food: Judg 1-3; Matt 15:29-39; Ps 119:49-56; Prov 17:18-21
2019-08-08
Hebrews 13:5 NKJV
Five times in one chapter, Genesis 39, the Bible says, “The Lord was with Joseph.” But that didn’t exempt him from jealousy and betrayal, or the advances of Potiphar’s wife, or her lies that sent him to prison. The Bible says, “They bruised his feet with fetters and placed his neck in an iron collar. Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character” (Psalm 105:18-19 NLT). Joseph didn’t know it, but he was in training for reigning. God wanted to see if he would choose trust over lust, and obedience over expedience. It’s in looking back that you realize why one of God’s names is “Redeemer.” He can redeem everything you’ve been through – the good, the bad, and the ugly. The lesson Joseph learned is this: God is with you even when there is no evidence He is. He is walking alongside you. He is working with you. He is going ahead of you to rearrange circumstances in your favor. His Word says, “‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So that we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?'” (Hebrews 13:5-6 NKJV). But sometimes in the plan of God things get worse before they get better. That’s when you must tighten your grip and lean harder on God: “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise” (Hebrews 10:35-36 NKJV).
Soul food: Ruth 1-4; Matt 15:15-28; Ps 119:41-48; Prov 17:17
2019-08-07
Psalm 42:2 NIV
What comes to mind when you think of the word godliness? Religious rules and regulations? Christians who point fingers and say, “Thou shalt not”? Little wonder so many people avoid us! Is godliness even possible in an age of interstate drivers and internet shoppers? Or do we need to return to the days of Little House on the Prairie in order to be godly? The fact is godliness isn’t a culture, it’s an attitude of the heart. It has little to do with how a person looks (although that’s hard for some of us to see beyond), or what they drive or own. It has nothing to do with our personal preferences and the standards some of us would like to impose on others. The Bible says, “[People] look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV). Godliness is an inside job. And the longer you think about it, the more convinced you become that a truly godly person is one whose heart is sensitive to God, who takes God and His Word seriously, and who desires more of Him. David cried, “My soul thirsts for God.” That’s it! You can be rich or poor, young or old, urban or rural, follower or leader, active or quiet, married or single, Democrat or Republican – none of that matters. What matters is having a longing to know God intimately, to obey Him, and walk with Him. So ask yourself, “Do I want to be godly?” And if you don’t like the answer, get down on your knees and ask God to change your heart and attitude.
Soul food: Obad; 2 John; Matt 15:1-14; Ps 119:33-40; Prov 17:16
2019-08-06
Jeremiah 32:17 NIV
God can solve any problem because He is not bound by human limitations: (1) He is not limited by time. God can do in an instant what would normally take years. “He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly” (Psalm 147:15 NIV). He can speed up the natural process of your healing; He can accelerate your harvest of blessing so that you’ll be sowing with one hand and reaping with the other (See Amos 9:13). (2) He is not limited by lack. When the Israelites left Egypt, God instructed them to borrow the silver and gold of their taskmasters. That’s because the Egyptians owed them 400 years’ back pay with interest! And when they obeyed God, He broke their chains of lack and they got back everything that had been stolen from them. Whatever Satan has taken from you, God can restore and more (Zechariah 9:12). (3) He is not limited by the Enemy. Moses told the Israelites, “The Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever” (Exodus 14:13 NKJV). How does God deal with Satan’s power? By increasing yours! “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Satan took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple, but he couldn’t push Him over – and he can’t push you over the edge either. So use God’s Word and stand up to him! (4) He is not limited by anything but doubt. He made an axe-head float, a donkey talk, and a corpse come back to life after four days, so you don’t have a problem He can’t solve. So rise up and declare, “Nothing is too hard for You.”
Soul food: 1 Pet 1-5; Matt 14:22-36; Ps 119:25-32; Prov 17:11-15
