2019-07-12
Exodus 33:14 NKJV
Is life overwhelming you? You’re not alone. Moses, one of the greatest leaders in history, got so stressed out with the responsibilities he was carrying that he wanted to die. You say, “Surely that wasn’t God’s will for him.” You’re right. But it’s not enough to know God’s will, you’ve got to do things God’s way. Moses was working from early morning until late at night, six days a week, with no vacations and no time off. He was eating on the run, planning appointments, meeting deadlines, and seeing everybody who wanted to see him. And the people close to Moses were either too busy to notice, or too needy themselves to care that he was suffering from burnout. But his father-in-law Jethro noticed it and said, “The thing that thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear away…this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone” (Exodus 18:17-18). Fortunately, Moses found the answer. And it was in two parts: (1) Delegate the work to qualified people and trust them to do it. The essence of good leadership is not about trying to do everything yourself, but getting it done through others. Or as nineteenth-century evangelist D. L. Moody said, “Instead of trying to do the work of ten people, get ten people to do the work.” (2) Draw on God’s strength rather than your own. God told Moses, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” The word “rest” means “inner peace, well-being, security, and confidence.” And God’s will is for you to live that way.
Soul food: Acts 10-11; Matt 9:1-13; Ps 118:19-29; Prov 15:33
2019-07-11
2 Corinthians 10:12 NLT
Jesus said: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men – extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other” (Luke 18:10-14 NKJV). Whereas the Pharisee thought of himself as the best-dressed man in town, God saw his garments of self-righteousness as “filthy rags” and rejected him (See Isaiah 64:6). An unknown poet wrote: “I dreamed death came the other night and heaven’s gates swung wide. With kindly grace an angel ushered me inside. And there to my astonishment stood folks I’d known on earth; some I’d judged and labelled as unfit or of little worth. Indignant words rose to my lips but never were set free; for every face showed stunned surprise – no one expected me!” We are all saved by grace, not works (See Titus 3:5). We don’t get into heaven based on our performance, but on Christ’s performance on the cross. That being true, don’t try to lift yourself up by putting someone else down. Don’t assume that you have the right to judge their character, heart motives, or spirituality. When you do that, the Bible says you are “not wise.”
Soul food: Acts 8-9; Matt 8:28-34; Ps 118:10-18; Prov 15:31-32
2019-07-10
Hebrews 12:1 NLT
Glenn Cunningham was born on a Kansas farm and educated in a one-room schoolhouse. He and his brother were responsible for keeping the school’s fire going. One morning as the boys poured kerosene on the live coals to get the fire started before school, the stove blew sky-high. Glenn rushed toward the door, then realized his brother had fallen and wasn’t moving. He went back to help, suffering terrible burns in the process. In the end his brother died and Glenn was hospitalized with severe burns on his legs. The tragedy seemed to mark an end to his dream of running track. Still, he was determined to walk again – which the doctors said wouldn’t happen, but he did. Then he began to run. Through many periods of discouragement and disappointment he kept running and getting faster. He mastered the mile. Eventually he set his sights on the international record for his distance and broke it! Then he went on to set a new world record. What kept him running? He said it was thinking about his brother. When you feel discouraged and want to quit, think about Jesus: “Let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all…he endured…then you won’t become weary and give up” (vv. 1-3 NLT).
Soul food: Acts 6-7; Matt 8:18-27; Ps 118:1-9; Prov 15:27-30
2019-07-09
Mark 8:34 NIV
God is a desire-creating, desire-satisfying God. Birds want to fly because God created them to do it. Dolphins want to swim because God created them with an instinct to swim. God doesn’t plant wrong desires in us. When Adam first saw Eve, he discovered he had a strong desire for her. Where did that desire come from? God. God actually delights in fulfilling your desires. Now, some of your desires get distorted by sin and need to be cleansed, purified, and retrained. This is what Jesus refers to when He says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” We must say no to desires that would keep us from living in the flow of God’s Spirit. We must always be ready to sacrifice a lesser desire for the sake of living a greater life. On the other hand, nothing makes a human being more vulnerable to temptation than a joyless life. If God removed all your desires you wouldn’t be human. A slab of cement doesn’t have to worry about weeds growing on it, but it will also never be a garden. God’s plan is that every time we experience an authentic desire – a God-implanted desire – we come to understand more deeply what a good God He is. We learn how He has wired us and what He wants us to do in life, and as a result we find ourselves loving Him more and more. That’s why the Bible says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8 NKJV).
Soul food: Acts 3:11-5:42; Matt 8:10-17; Ps 109:16-31; Prov 15:23-26
2019-07-08
Psalm 34:8 NKJV
When the Bible tells you what you ought to do, you can take it in two different ways: the ought of obligation or the ought of opportunity. The first kind refers to your duty. You ought to pay your taxes, you ought to keep your dog on a leash, you ought to take your driver’s test. The second kind gives you life. You ought to take a break, you ought to see the world, you ought to taste this cake. The “oughts” of Jesus’ message are mainly the oughts of opportunity. And as you become more aware of this, you may start feeling guilty because your desire for God doesn’t run deep enough. The problem is, you can’t make yourself desire God more by simply telling yourself you should. But He is so gracious and patient in wanting you to want Him, that He is willing to work with this kind of honesty. That’s why His Word says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.” The word “taste” is an invitation from a confident chef. You don’t have to commit to eating the whole enchilada; just try a taste and if you don’t like it you can skip the rest. The chef is convinced if he can just get you to take that first bite, you’re going to want the whole thing. The truth is that the more you read God’s Word and pray, the more rewarding it becomes and the more you are drawn to it. Yes, it begins as a discipline. But when you stick with it, it becomes a delight.
Soul food: Acts 1:1-3:10; Matt 8:1-9; Ps 109:1-15; Prov 15:22
2019-07-07
Psalm 100:2 NKJV
To grow in your relationship with God, you must move from the “should” to the “want to” category. The most basic assessment we have for any experience or event is what psychologist Jonathan Haidt calls our “like-o-meter.” Your like-o-meter was running the day you were born. For example, taste receptors in babies are pretty well developed, so their like-o-meter usually involves what goes into their mouths: “I like it – gotta have more,” or “I hate it – get it out of here.” As you continue to grow, everything in life registers on your like-o-meter without your even having to think about it. Every sound you hear, every conversation you’re part of, every bite you eat, rates positively or negatively on your scale. And people also register on your like-o-meter. During the briefest conversations you’ll find yourself drawn toward certain people. Something within you says, “I like this person. I’m enjoying this conversation.” It’s always going on. So here’s a question to consider: Do you like God? That may sound like a strange question, but if you don’t like spending time with Him, you won’t do it. And you need to be honest about it, because you can’t pull the wool over God’s eyes. In Scripture the Christian life is compared to a twenty-six-mile marathon. At mile marker twenty-three it doesn’t matter whether you think you should finish, you’ll only do it because you want to. In other words, your “want-to” keeps you going when your “should” finds it easier to quit. The Psalmist said, “Serve the Lord with gladness” because nothing else will enable you to go the distance.
Soul food: Ruth 1:3-18; John 6:41-69
