2019-08-26
Romans 8:28 NLT
If you want things to work out right for you in life, you need to discover your God-ordained purpose and give yourself fully to it. The Bible says, “All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (v. 28 NKJV). The focal point of your life should be discovering and doing God’s will. What you believe about that will determine the direction you take and what you accomplish. There’s a big difference between talent and purpose. You’re called according to God’s purpose, not your talent. When you are talented but not called, you can be comfortable anywhere. That’s because talent, like justice, is blind; it sees all opportunities the same. But when you are aware of your God-given purpose and it governs your life, there are things you simply won’t do because you know they’ll derail, dilute, or defeat God’s purpose for you. Being “called according to his purpose” enables you to focus on the development of your talent only as it relates to God’s will for you. So instead of asking God to bless what you’re doing, ask Him to reveal His purpose for your life. Once you discover and fulfill that, you’ll be blessed, because His plan is already blessed! Let’s read it again: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (NLT). So have you discovered God’s purpose for your life yet? If not, get into His presence and stay there until He reveals it to you. It’s the only way you’ll ever be totally fulfilled.
Soul food: Ezek 5-9; Matt 21:12-17; Ps 119:169-176; Prov 19:9-10
2019-08-25
1 Corinthians 15:58 NKJV
It’s easy to forget that this world isn’t your home, that you’re going to spend eternity with Christ in a home specially prepared for you, and when you get to heaven you’ll be rewarded for how well you fulfilled your God-given assignment here on earth. The Bible not only teaches this, it spells out the specifics. Here are three you need to keep in mind. (1) Your greatest reward will be in heaven, not on earth. Yes, there are earthly rewards (See Mark 10:30), but God reserves His greatest blessings for the day when “each man’s work will become evident” and “he will receive a reward” (1 Corinthians 3:13-14 NAS). It’s your service now that determines your status then, so always give God your best. (2) Your reward will be based on quality, not quantity. We are impressed with size and status, but God is moved by sincerity. When He rewards you it will be based on what you did with what you had, and the “heart” you put into it. That means we all have equal opportunity when it comes to rewards. (3) Your reward may be delayed, but it will never be denied. Think about that. When you’ve done what was needed yet you were ignored and misunderstood, remember, “Your labor is not in vain.” When you’ve done the right thing but received neither credit nor acknowledgment, remember, “Your labor is not in vain.” When you’ve served, given, and sacrificed, then willingly stepped aside so God would get all the glory, remember, “Your labor is not in vain.” In the words of Jesus: “Your father, who sees everything, will reward you” (Matthew 6:4 NLT).
Soul food: 2 Ki 4:42-44; Mark 6:30-44
2019-08-24
Galatians 2:20 NKJV
A man who inherited an antique grandfather clock with a brass pendulum watched as it pushed the big heavy weight back and forth. “What a burden for a 100-year-old clock to bear,” he thought. So one day he opened the glass case and unhooked the pendulum. “Why did you remove my weight?” the clock asked. The man replied, “It was heavy and I wanted to lighten your load.” The old clock exclaimed, “What you don’t understand is, it’s the weight that keeps me going!” Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and…I now live…by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” God allows us to experience frustrations and burdens in order to develop our patience and humility and make us more dependent on Him. Unlike us, He knows “it’s the weight that keeps us going.” That’s why: “The child he loves…he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects. God is educating…training us…discipline isn’t much fun…It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later…it pays off…for the well-trained…find themselves mature in their relationship with God” (Hebrews 12:6-11 MSG). What “weight” is God using to produce the nature of Christ in you? Paul goes on to say, “Mortify…your members which are upon the earth” (Colossians 3:5). The word “mortify” comes from mortuary – a place where there’s nothing but dead, inactive bodies. In other words, instead of letting your earthly nature rule, ask the Holy Spirit to bring forth new life in you.
Soul food: Ezek 1-4; Matt 21:1-11; Ps 119:161-168; Prov 19:3-8
2019-08-23
Hebrews 11:34 NIV
Always try to be open to constructive criticism, but don’t personalize rejection. Don’t allow your opinion of yourself to be colored by the opinion of those who fail to see your best qualities and potential. Successful people all have one thing in common: they had to overcome rejection. In 1902 an aspiring young writer received a rejection letter from the poetry editor of The Atlantic Monthly. Enclosed with a sheaf of poems the twenty-eight-year-old poet had sent them was this curt note: “Our magazine has no room for your vigorous verse.” Yet he became one of the most beloved and popular American poets of all time. Who was he? Robert Frost. In 1907, the University of Bern turned down a PhD dissertation from a young physics student. Yet that student went on to change the scientific world forever. Who was he? Albert Einstein. When a sixteen-year-old student got his report card from his rhetoric teacher in school, there was a note attached that read: “A conspicuous lack of success.” But he refused to accept it. Who was he? Winston Churchill. After listing the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11:34 we read, “Whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle.” That can be your story too. David, who experienced spectacular failure in life, wrote, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped” (Psalm 28:7). The only people who can let you down are the people you lean on. So lean less on people and more on God.
Soul food: Amos 5:18-9:15; Matt 20:29-34; Ps 119:145-160; Prov 19:1-2
2019-08-22
Deuteronomy 29:9 NIV
Two men were talking and one said, “Do you know the secret of success?” The other replied, “No, what is it?” The first man said, “I can’t tell you.” His friend asked, “Why?” The first guy said, “Because it’s a secret!” Success, as God defines it, is not a secret. He repeatedly says in His Word that He wants us to be successful in life. But as our faces differ, so does God’s plan of success for each of us differ. Success is simply discovering God’s will for your life and doing it. Consider high definition television (HDTV). This technology makes possible an additional hundred lines of resolution on a screen so that the picture is virtually lifelike. The industry calls it “super clarity.” Whether you stand ten feet away or two feet away, the picture looks perfectly clear – no fuzzy lines, no distortions, no shadows. What would a successful life look like in high definition? In order to find that level of clarity, you need to dig into God’s Word and find out what He thinks about success. “Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do.” When God created man, one of the first things He told him to do was “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:22). In the book of Job we read the words, “Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would increase abundantly” (Job 8:7 NKJV). But God-ordained success comes with a caveat, and it’s non-negotiable: God will bless you – in order to make you a blessing to others.
Soul food: Amos 1:1-5:17; Matt 20:17-28; Ps 119:137-144; Prov 18:22-24
2019-08-21
Ephesians 3:10 NIV
Seventh, try to see the problem from different angles. Paul talks about “the manifold wisdom of God.” To understand the word “manifold,” think of a diamond. Each time you turn it, the light exposes a different facet of its beauty. God’s wisdom contained in the Bible is like that; it exposes different aspects and approaches to the problem. There’s a story about a woman on trial for killing her third husband. The trial attorney asked, “What happened to your first husband?” She replied, “He died of mushroom poisoning.” He then asked, “How about your second husband?” The woman replied, “He died of mushroom poisoning too.” Finally the lawyer inquired about her third husband. She replied, “He died of a brain concussion.” The attorney asked, “How come?” She replied, “Because he wouldn’t eat the mushrooms!” Seriously, most problems have many solutions, and no problem can long withstand the assault of sustained thinking. So fire up your God-given creativity, apply sustained thinking, and pull together your resources. Included in those resources are people. Who else has solved this problem? How did they do it? Often the problems that surround you aren’t nearly as crucial as the people around you. When Joseph came up with a plan that saved Egypt from famine, Pharaoh said, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word” (Genesis 41:39-40 NKJV). Bottom line: With God’s help, you can generally devise more than one way to solve the problem.
Soul food: Lam 3:40-5:22; Matt 20:1-16; Ps 119:129-136; Prov 18:21
