2019-06-19
1 Timothy 6:6 NIV
When you talk about contentment, some people think you’re against progress. No. Paul is saying contentment never comes from externals! Every twelve minutes, radio and television advertisers try to convince us that contentment isn’t possible without their particular brand of product. Don’t go for it! The desire for more can be insatiable. As long as you believe more is better, you’ll never be satisfied. Why? Because you’ll never live long enough to have it all! Just think; when you get something or achieve something, do you even take the time to enjoy it, or do you gallop off to the next thing without stopping? To avoid getting old too soon and wise too late, read this Scripture: (1) “We brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it” (v. 7 NLT). When you die and people ask, “How much did they leave?” the answer will be “everything” (including a legacy of good or bad). (2) “Some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith” (v. 10 NLT). If your pursuit of material things is leaving no time for God, reexamine your priorities and start changing them while you still can. Stop thinking, “If only I had a bigger house, a more understanding spouse, a particular job, a radical makeover, a higher IQ, or the acceptance of a particular person, I’d be happy.” It doesn’t work that way. The Bible says, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).
Soul food: Jer 4-6; Mark 15:1-20; Ps 144:9-15; Prov 14:5-8
2019-06-18
1 Samuel 17:47 KJV
How you handle life depends on how big you believe God is. If He’s too small: (1) You’ll live in constant anxiety thinking everything depends on you. (2) Your outlook will be dictated by your surroundings – or worse, your critics. (3) Without the acceptance of a loving God you’ll be a slave to people’s opinions. (4) You’ll constantly crave recognition because you don’t understand that “your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:4 NAS). Author John Ortberg says that when we make the mistake of shrinking God, we “offer prayer without faith, work without passion, service without joy, and suffering without hope – which results in fear, retreat, loss of vision, and failure to persevere.” When Goliath threatened the Israelites, “they were dismayed and greatly afraid” (1 Samuel 17:11 NRS). They didn’t think their God was big enough for the job. But not David! “Let no one’s heart fail…your servant will…fight…this Philistine. The Lord…who saved me from…the lion and…bear, will [save us now]” (1 Samuel 17:32, 37 NRS). You can face anything when you know what David knew – “the battle is the Lord’s.” And He’s never lost one yet! So you don’t have to depend on your own resources. David may have felt small, but he knew his God was big enough for the job. Do you know that? Eighteenth-century Anglican clergyman John Newton said, “If the Lord be with us we have no cause for fear. His eye is upon us, His arm over us, His ear open to our prayer, His grace sufficient, [and] His promises unchangeable.” It all depends on how big your God is!
Soul food: Jer 1-3; Mark 14:66-72; Ps 144:1-8; Prov 14:1-4
2019-06-17
Ephesians 2:6 TM
In order to become an “up” person, you must do these three things: (1) Expand your concept of God. How? By reading His Word and getting to know Him better. Be like the little boy in Sunday school whose teacher asked what he was drawing. He replied, “God!” The teacher said, “But nobody knows what God’s like.” Confidently he replied, “They will when I’m finished!” What is your God like? Loving or judgmental? Distant or available? Limited or powerful? Your concept of God will determine your confidence in Him, so spend time getting to know Him. (2) Recognize Satan’s limitations. The Devil is the world’s oldest loser, a former employee of heaven who got fired because of arrogance and who is headed for destruction. And the only power he has over you is the power you give him by remaining “ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11). The Bible says, “Submit yourselves…to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). You have power over Satan – use it. (3) See yourself as God sees you. He sees you not just as you are, but as you will be. If you’ve been conditioned by past experiences to see yourself as worthless, starting now you can change your self-image by believing what God says about you in His Word. When you have His opinion, what else matters? (Read Jeremiah 29:11; Isaiah 43:1-3; Ephesians 2:6). As you work on these three things each day, you’ll become an “up” person in a “down” world.
Soul food: Hosea 11-14; Mark 14:53-65; Ps 139:13-24; Prov 13:25
2019-06-16
Judges 13:8 CEV
The following prayer was written by General Douglas MacArthur, a hero of World War II, on behalf of his son whom he loved dearly. If you’re a parent you may want to keep it handy and pray it often: “Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory. Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; a son who will know You…Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail. Build me a son whose heart will be clean, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the lessons of the past. And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength. Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, ‘I have not lived in vain.'”
Soul food: Matt 28:16-20; 2 Cor 13:14; John 1:18; John 15:18-26
2019-06-15
Psalm 18:32 NKJV
In her autobiography, singer Dolly Parton says: “My high school was small, so during graduation each of us got a chance to stand up and announce our plans for the future. ‘I’m going to junior college,’ one boy would say. ‘I’m getting married and moving to Maryville,’ a girl would follow. When my turn came I said, ‘I’m going to Nashville to become a star.’ The entire place erupted in laughter. I was stunned. Somehow, though, that laughter instilled in me an even greater determination to realize my dream. I might have crumbled under the weight of the hardships that were to come, had it not been for the response of the crowd that day. Sometimes it’s funny the way we find inspiration.” Every hero in Scripture, without exception, overcame obstacles and opposition. David writes: “They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me. For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me on my high places. For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me” (vv. 18-19, 29-30, 32, 39 NKJV).
Soul food: Hosea 6-10; Mark 14:43-52; Ps 139:7-12; Prov 13:24
2019-06-14
1 Peter 5:5 NIV
There are two kinds of humility mentioned in Scripture: (1) False humility. Paul writes, “Do not let anyone who delights in false humility…disqualify you” (Colossians 2:18 NIV). Whether it’s in your manner of dress, your speech, or your behavior, anything that draws attention to you and away from Christ is displeasing to God. (2) True humility. Truly humble people don’t take offense easily or fight back; they turn the other cheek. And yet their humility is not cowardice, for true humility requires courage. It makes you willing to take a lower place than you deserve, to keep quiet about your merits, and to bear slights, insults, and false accusations for the sake of a higher purpose. True humility doesn’t make you think less of yourself, it just makes you think of yourself less. Peter addresses the subject in these words: “God opposes the proud, but he favors the humble. So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor” (1 Peter 5:5-6 NLT). The story’s told of a guy who entered a contest to see who was the most humble. When he won, he was given a badge of merit – but then he wore it and was disqualified! Seriously, pride disqualifies you from enjoying the favor of God. That’s why you need to remind yourself regularly: “Everything I am, I owe to God; everything I have, came from God. To Him be all the glory.”
Soul food: Hosea 1-5; Mark 14:27-42; Ps 139:1-6; Prov 13:21-23
