2019-07-16
Exodus 18:23 NLT
A good general knows it’s a mistake to try and fight on too many fronts at once; that when you’re “spread out too thin” you’re vulnerable! And the same is true in life. To avoid undue stress, you must refuse to let every little thing upset you. In other words, choose your battles wisely. Don’t make mountains out of molehills. Before you devote time, energy, and emotion to an issue, ask yourself how important it is, and how much of your time, effort, and energy is appropriate. Try to discern what really matters and focus on those things. Learn the difference between major matters and minor matters. Moses was becoming exhausted because he personally handled every problem, dispute, and crisis that arose among the Israelites. Perhaps he thought he had to do so, since he was the leader of the nation. But his father-in-law said to him, in essence, “You take care of the big things and leave the small stuff to someone else.” He went on to say, “‘If you follow this advice…you will be able to endure the pressures’…Moses listened to his father-in-law’s advice and followed his suggestions” (vv. 23-24 NLT). Stop and think about it: Your life already has plenty of stress and strain, so why add more if you can avoid it? When you’re tempted to take on a “battle,” step back and decide if it’s worth it and what it will require from you. Don’t go to war when there are no spoils.
Soul food: Acts 16-17; Matt 10:1-10; Ps 140; Prov 16:3
2019-07-15
Psalm 127:3 NKJV
When someone loves you enough to leave you an inheritance, you should treasure it and treat it in a way that honors them. The Bible says that your children are a “heritage” from the Lord. So here’s a prayer for them: “Lord, I cannot begin to tell You how blessed and grateful I am for my children. I recognize each of them as a beautiful gift from You. You have given them to me to love and care for, to enjoy and celebrate, to delight in and raise so that they may come to know You as the greatest heritage of all. Thank You that no one, not even me, can ever be as good to them as You are. Because You have given me the privilege and responsibility of bringing them to You, teach me the importance of lifting them up before You each day in prayer. Keep them in the center of Your love and designed purpose. Bless them with the knowledge of who You are. Help them to put their trust in You and stay on the path of life You have for them. Enable them to recognize the gifts and the calling that You have put in them, and to follow Your leading as You develop them and use them for Your glory. Make Your face shine upon them, Your grace be with them, and Your love abound in them. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.” Are your children serving the Lord? If not, stand on this Bible promise: “‘There is hope in your future,’ says the Lord, ‘that your children shall come back to their own border [the principles they were taught]'” (Jeremiah 31:17 NKJV).
Soul food: Acts 14-15; Matt 9:27-38; Ps 133; Prov 16:2
2019-07-14
Isaiah 30:21 NKJV
Jesus understood God’s strategic plan for His life – the redemption of humankind – and lived each day of His life in the light of it. At the end of His life He could pray, “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4 NKJV). Strategic planning is critical to success in any undertaking. And as a redeemed child of God, your strategy should come from God, otherwise pressures and people can take you in the wrong direction. Jesus could easily have gotten sidetracked by the demands of the crowd and the misguided thinking of His disciples. How did He avoid that? By nights spent in prayer, and predawn meetings with His Father seeking guidance. Jesus lived by this principle: “The Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does…I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will” (John 5:19, 30 NLT). When seeking a plan for your life, the first book you should read is the Bible. Don’t adopt someone else’s plan unless God told you to do the same thing, or you’ll end up frustrated. You ask, “You mean God has a strategy and a plan for my life and that He will reveal it to me?” Yes. “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it.'”
Soul food: 1 Sam 21:1-6; Hosea 6:4-6; Matt 12:1-14
2019-07-13
John 21:20 NLT
The Bible says, “Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved – the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, ‘Lord, who will betray you?’ Peter asked Jesus, ‘What about him, Lord?’ Jesus replied, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.’ So the rumor spread among the community of believers that this disciple wouldn’t die. But that isn’t what Jesus said at all. He only said, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?'” (vv. 20-23 NLT). When Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?” he was referring to the apostle John, who enjoyed an especially close relationship with Christ. And Jesus said, “Get your eyes off John and keep them on Me. Follow Me and you can have a close relationship with Me too.” People will disappoint you, just as you will disappoint them. But Jesus will never disappoint you if you keep your eyes on Him and follow Him. Even with the best of intentions people will give you poor advice, and you will give them poor advice. But Jesus won’t. He doesn’t merely know the way, He says, “I am the way” (John 14:6 NKJV). He says, “He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12 NKJV). So the word for you today is about one of the most fundamental principles in Christian living: Get your eyes off people and keep them on Jesus.
Soul food: Acts 12-13; Matt 9:14-26; Ps 123; Prov 16:1
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
