2019-09-25
2 Corinthians 11:28 NIV
Preachers prepare sermons, teachers plan lessons, accountants crunch numbers, and mechanics fix engines. But there’s no institution of higher learning that can fully prepare you for the pressures of leadership. That only comes through on-the-job training. Paul lists the pressures of leadership along with being whipped, beaten, stoned, betrayed, and shipwrecked. It’s why over half of all pastors leave the ministry in less than ten years. As author Zig Ziglar said, “It’s lonely at the top.” If you’re a leader in any area of life – and most of us are whether we realize it or not – the buck not only stops at your door, but you can’t move it with a bulldozer. As a leader you will hear little when things go according to plan, but when they don’t go well, watch out. Leaders draw criticism as surely as a picnic draws flies. Influencing others always comes at a price. A leader will pay the cost in time, thought, and trust. The installments look like daily risk taking, visionary thinking, diligent working, and problem solving. But the biggest cost is dealing with people, especially those who may wear the same uniform but aren’t on the same team. Paul refers to it this way: “In danger from false brothers” (v. 26 NIV). If this is what you are experiencing today, here’s what God said to Moses: “Stand near me…As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand” (Exodus 33:21-22 NLT). What’s the answer to the pressures of leadership? A consciousness of God’s presence in your life.
Soul food: 1 Sam 18:1-20:29; Matt 27:45-56; Ps 68:19-35; Prov 22:6
2019-09-24
Philippians 3:8-9 MSG
Before you discover your God-given purpose in life, you’ll often experience a series of adversities that cause you to relinquish what’s temporal and grasp what’s eternal. For Paul it meant the loss of every earthly possession. For others it can mean the heat of battle in a divorce court. When the person you thought was “everything” walks away, suddenly you’re stripped down to what you had before. Look at Job; his home was a shambles, his marriage seemed a joke, and his children were dead. That’s when he discovered you can be stripped of the temporal, but not the eternal; stripped of your wealth, friends, and fame, but not of your character and your faith in God – those things survive the strippings of life. The Bible says, “Then Job…fell down upon the ground, and worshipped” (Job 1:20). True worship is born in the fire of sacrifice. When you can lay upon the altar something you thought you had to have because you realize it was God’s all along – that’s worship. Look at Abraham’s altar. God didn’t want the slain body of Isaac; He wanted to know if there was anything Abraham loved more than Him. That’s it – reaching the place where you can pray: “Lord, here are my grudges and unforgiveness, my need to impress, my time, talent and treasure, anything I’m wrapped up in that hinders me from being completely Yours. You’ll never have to take these things from me, for I gladly give You all it takes to be what You want me to be.” Can you pray that prayer today? It’s not easy, but it’ll change your life.
Soul food: 1 Sam 16-17; Matt 27:32-44; Ps 68:1-18; Prov 22:1-5
2019-09-23
Job 8:21 NIV
Sometimes when your heart has been broken, the healing comes first and the answers come later. But when you think about it, wouldn’t you rather walk with God in the darkness than walk alone in the light? It’s doubtful Job ever fully comprehended all the losses he experienced in life or why. But there came a time when he was able to look back and say with confidence, “He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.” And that’s God’s promise to you too! Theologian E. Stanley Jones said, “Anything less than God will let you down.” For every predicament you face in life, God has sufficient grace to carry you through. For every need, He has a supply. For every problem, He has an answer. For every hurt, He has a cure. After recalling everything God had brought him through, Jeremiah concluded, “There is nothing too hard for You” (Jeremiah 32:17 NKJV). God looks for opportunities to show you what He can do on your behalf when you put your trust in Him. David said, “According to Your mercy remember me” (Psalm 25:7 NKJV). Aren’t you glad God’s goodness and mercy are based on His character and not yours? Corrie ten Boom said, “If you want to be depressed, look within. If you want to be defeated, look back. If you want to be distracted, look around. But if you want to be delivered, look up.” So the word for you today is: By God’s grace, you will get through this.
Soul food: 1 Sam 14-15; Matt 27:11-31; Ps 91; Prov 21:28-31
2019-09-22
Luke 17:17 NLT
One day Jesus healed ten men of leprosy, which at the time was a death sentence because there was no known cure for it. Amazingly, only one of them remembered to come back and thank Him. What’s the story with the other nine? Were they too busy to be thankful? Surely they felt grateful, yet they didn’t take time express it. Did they just get caught up in other things and forget? Were they too cautious to be thankful? Maybe they thought their healing wouldn’t last, so they wanted to give it time before announcing it. Or maybe they were concerned that Jesus wanted something in return that they were either unwilling or unable to give. Were they too self-centered to be thankful? In some ways, the sick life was a simpler life. Now they had to get a job, take responsibility, and play a role in society. Were they too arrogant to be thankful? Maybe they thought that given enough time, they would have recovered by themselves. Plus, to be grateful is to admit to being needy. Who wants to show weakness when you have an image to protect? If this story is any indication, nine out of ten of us have a problem with gratitude – at least when it comes to expressing it. Don’t be like that. Be one of the 10 percent! In three back-to-back psalms – 105, 106, and 107 – David repeats similar words: “O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” Don’t let a day pass without remembering God’s goodness to you and thanking Him for it.
Soul food: Gen 1:1-2:3; John 1:1-18
2019-09-21
1 Corinthians 16:9 NKJV
One day the Chamber of Commerce in a small town invited a successful businessman to come and speak. The local economy was bad and they were discouraged, so his job was to motivate them. He took a large piece of white paper and made a red dot in the center of it. “What do you see?” he asked the audience. One person replied, “I see a red dot.” The speaker said, “Fine, but what else do you see?” Others chimed in, “A red dot.” The speaker asked, “Don’t you see anything else besides the dot?” The audience responded with a resounding “no!” The speaker said, “You’ve overlooked the most important thing; you’ve missed seeing the sheet of paper!” Then he went on to explain that in life we are often distracted by small, dot-like failures and experiences. They keep us from seeing the blessings and successes that are more important than the disappointments that try to monopolize our attention and drain our energy. Paul wrote, “A great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” Opportunity and obstacles – they go together like macaroni and cheese or fish and chips. Now, Paul didn’t deny the reality of the opposition he faced; he just chose to focus on the opportunity it presented. The poet wrote, “Two men looked through prison bars. One saw mud, the other stars.” What are you looking at? Are you so preoccupied with what is that you’ve lost sight of what can be? If so, you need to step back and ask God to help you see the bigger picture.
Soul food: 1 Sam 11-13; Matt 26:69-27:10; Ps 13; Prov 21:22-27
2019-09-20
Daniel 1:8 NIV
What was Daniel’s problem? What was wrong with eating the best food in the country? Most people lived on a meager diet. Daniel was going to have the opportunity to eat, literally, like a king. Why the hard line? When you dig down into the cultural realities of the situation, more seems to be at stake. A Babylonian feast was always eaten in honor of the gods. So whenever you sat down to a meal, it wasn’t just dining that you participated in, but an act of worship. This food had previously been sacrificed to a pagan god. For a Jewish teenager who took his faith in God seriously, participation would mean compromising who he was called to be. By eating their meal, he would be worshiping their god. And for Daniel, that was a bridge too far. It was about compromising his character, and that he would not do. You don’t discover your convictions when the pressure is on; you decide them in advance. It’s during the good times that you determine what you will or won’t do during the hard times. The psalmist said: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:9-11 NIV). Victorious Christian living is encapsulated in these three statements: (1) “By living according to your word.” (2) “I seek you with all my heart.” (3) “I have hidden your word in my heart.”
Soul food: 1 Sam 8-10; Matt 26:47-68; Ps 54; Prov 21:18-21
