2019-03-05
1 Corinthians 3:9 NIV
The biggest plus factor you can have on your job is the God factor. Paul writes, “We are labourers together with God.” Consider these three powerful words: “together with God.” A surgeon in a large city hospital had a habit of insisting on a few minutes alone before he performed an operation. He had an outstanding reputation, and one of the young doctors who worked with him wondered if there might be a correlation between this habit of spending time alone and the man’s success. He asked the surgeon about it and he answered, “Yes. Before each operation I ask the Great Physician to guide my hands in their work. There have been times when I didn’t know what to do next in a surgery, and then came the power to go on – power I knew came from God. I would not think of performing an operation without asking His help.” The surgeon’s words quickly spread through the hospital, then across the country. One day a father brought his daughter to the hospital, insisting that the only doctor he would allow to touch her was “the one who worked with God.” The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV). Note, it doesn’t say don’t “use” your understanding – it says don’t “lean” on it. Instead, lean on God. “Acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your steps.” If you want success on the job, this is a proven formula for achieving it.
Soul food: Exo 28-29; Luke 14:1-14; Ps 106:1-23; Prov 7:1-2
2019-03-04
Isaiah 30:21 NIV
How many times has something inside urged you to do a certain thing, but instead you allowed the voice in your head to overrule the voice in your spirit? That inner voice is your spiritual intuition, the part of you God speaks to. The Bible says, “Your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.'” John the apostle put it this way: “You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things” (1 John 2:20 NKJV). Learn to trust that “anointing” because it will tell you: (a) what you need to do; (b) when you need to act; (c) what direction to take; (d) what changes you need to make. What a gift – yet we seldom use it! Somebody said, “Too much analysis leads to paralysis.” We’re afraid we couldn’t possibly know something without thinking it through, or because it seems too obvious. We think, “That can’t be right. I couldn’t possibly do that.” We argue for our limitations, and as a result they become our limitations! Learn to recognize and trust your spiritual intuition. It’s your connection to the greatest source of wisdom in the universe – God’s wisdom. And don’t be surprised when what you hear in your spirit sounds like what you’ve thought many times but paid no attention to. The Bible says, “It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13 NIV). So next time your spiritual intuition tells you something and it lines up with Scripture, don’t be afraid to act on it!
Soul food: Exo 25-27; Luke 13:18-35; Ps 136; Prov 6:30-35
2019-03-03
Romans 12:2 AMPC
Lasting change doesn’t come through human effort, frustration, self-hatred, guilt, or beating yourself up over your failures. It comes from having your mind renewed daily by the Word of God. If you’re a consistent Bible reader, you’ll grow spiritually. As you agree with God and believe what He says in His Word, you gradually begin to change. It just happens. You start to think differently, talk differently, and act differently. But you must be patient because it’s a process that develops in stages. And you must learn to enjoy life while you’re going through the transformation process. Many of us look like we’re walking a tightrope rather than a pathway of peace. No, enjoy where you are on your way to where you’re going! Don’t waste all your “now time” trying to rush into the future. Jesus said that tomorrow will have challenges of its own (See Matthew 6:34). Perhaps you’re thinking, “If only I didn’t have this problem, I’d be happy.” What are you wrestling with? An out-of-control appetite? Resentment? Fearfulness? Maybe you’re saying, “If I could get this habit under control I’d be fine.” Just like Israel conquered the Promised Land one city at a time, you conquer your weaknesses one day at a time. Paul said, “So that I might finish my course with joy” (Acts 20:24). Paul wanted to be all that God called him to be – but he wanted to enjoy the process. So instead of getting discouraged about how far you still have to go, learn to celebrate your progress along the way.
Soul food: Exo 20:7; Lev 24:10-16; Phil 2:5-11
2019-03-02
3 John v 12 NIV
When people speak well of you, it means you have acceptance. But when the truth speaks well of you, it means you have class! Demetrius had it. Do you? Paul told Timothy, “Set an example…in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity…give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress” (1 Timothy 4:12-15 NIV). We decided to reprint these timeless words on “class” by columnist Ann Landers: “Class is just confidence dressed in humility. It keeps its word, its temper, and its friends. It has a steady eye, a steady nerve, a steady tongue, and steady habits. It’s silent when it has nothing to say, thoughtful when it judges, and is always first to make amends when it’s wrong. Class doesn’t run scared. It’s surefooted, committed, and handles whatever comes along. Class has a sense of humor. It knows that a good laugh is often the best lubricant for oiling the machinery of human relations. Class never makes excuses. It takes its lumps, learns from its mistakes, and becomes wiser. Class knows that courtesy and good manners are nothing more than a series of small sacrifices. It bespeaks an aristocracy that is not dependent on ancestors or money. A blue-blood can be totally without it, while the son of a Welsh coal miner may ooze it out of every pore. Class can walk with kings, yet still keep its virtue; talk with crowds, yet still maintain the common touch. Everyone is comfortable with a person who has class – because they are comfortable with themselves.” Today, show some “class!”
Soul food: Exo 22-24; Luke 13:1-17; Ps 77; Prov 6:29
2019-03-01
2 Corinthians 8:21 NIV
There’s a cartoon depicting some hogs feeding while the farmer is busy filling their trough up to the brim. Overhead in bold letters a sign reads, “Premium Bacon Company.” In the cartoon one hog says to the others, “Have you ever wondered why the farmer is so good to us?” Question: Do people have to wonder about your motives? They shouldn’t! The apostle Paul defines integrity like this: “In honour preferring one another” (Romans 12:10). Integrity always seeks the good of others. It believes that if something isn’t good for both sides, it’s not good for either side. Solomon warns, “Exploit the poor or glad-hand the rich – whichever, you’ll end up the poorer for it” (Proverbs 22:16 TM). If you want to test the depth of your integrity, consider these questions: How transparent are you with others? How well do you treat people from whom you have nothing to gain? Do you assume different personas depending on who you’re with? Do you put others ahead of your own personal agenda? Do you love people and use things, or love things and use people? Do you make difficult decisions even when it costs you personally? When you have something to say about somebody, do you talk to them or talk about them? Are you accountable to anybody other than yourself? These are important questions, so take time to consider them prayerfully. And remember, you may succeed momentarily because of what you know or do, but you’ll only succeed permanently because of what you are.
Soul food: Exo 19-21; Luke 12:49-59; Ps 70; Prov 6:26-28
2019-02-28
Psalm 42:5 NIV
Some of the godliest people in the Bible and in church history battled depression. Job experienced it through the back-to-back losses of his children, his wealth, and his health. Moses “spoke face to face [with God] as a man speaks to his friend” (Exodus 33:11 NKJV). Yet the pressures of leading Israel overwhelmed him to the point of despair. Elijah conquered the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, and afterwards became so depressed that he wanted to die. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers who ever lived, called depression “the black dog” that followed him all his life. Depression, in some form, will touch each of us at some point in life. Long-term depression takes longer to get over. But the longest road in the world is shorter when you take the first step, and that step is turning to God. Whether your depression is caused by the pressures of responsibility like Moses, or by losing things you love like Job, or feeling drained on the heels of a great success like Elijah, you must turn to the Great Physician and let Him make you whole. It’s what the psalmist did: “My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you” (Psalm 42:6 NIV). David doesn’t deny his emotions; he expresses them to God in prayer. “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?” (v. 11 NIV). But he doesn’t stop there. He says, “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Notice, depression lifts and hope returns when you begin to praise God and trust His goodness.
Soul food: Exo 16-18; Luke 12:35-48; Ps 66:13-20; Prov 6:23-25
