2019-02-21
Acts 3:6 NIV
The Bible says, “Peter said, ‘Look at us…Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong” (vv. 4-7 NIV). Peter did three things you must do if you want to help people: (1) Get their attention. Peter told this incapacitated man, “Look at us” (v. 4 NIV). Hurting people are often so distracted by their pain, their past experiences, and their future fears, that in order to get through to them you must first get their attention. Why? Because faith must be focused if it’s to be effective. (2) Introduce them to the name that’s greater than their problem. That name is “Jesus,” and it’s greater than every sickness and situation. Rehab centers confirm that a relatively small percentage of people stay free from their addiction. That’s the bad news. Now here’s the good news: The name of Jesus is stronger than every addiction! “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Philippians 2:10). So introduce those who are hurting to Jesus! (3) Give them a hand up. As Peter pulled the man up, “immediately [his] feet and ankle bones received strength” (Acts 3:7). Because he’d been in the same condition for thirty-eight years, he needed help to get up. And there are people around you who need help to get up too. They need someone to pull them out of their despair and get them to Jesus, and God can use you to be that someone.
Soul food: Gen 50; Hag 1-2; Luke 11:14-28; Ps 40:1-8; Prov 6:1-5
2019-02-20
Numbers 13:33 NLT
Ten of Israel’s twelve spies returned from the Promised Land saying, “We…saw giants …we felt like grasshoppers.” The other two, Joshua and Caleb, saw the same giants but believed that with God’s help they could be conquered: “Let us go up at once and possess it…for we are well able” (v. 30 TLB). That’s the language of a winner! Understand this: God has a plan for your life, but you’ll never fulfill it until you come into agreement with His Word. “But I have so many problems. How could God use someone like me?” you ask. Paul said, “I don’t mean to say that I have already…reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me” (Philippians 3:12 NLT). When God uses imperfect people, it makes us realize that He alone is our source, our strength, our strategy, and the secret to our success. The Bible says, “The foolish thing [that has its source in] God is wiser than men, and the weak thing [that springs] from God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:25 AMPC). You have a God-ordained destiny, and no excuse for not fulfilling it. You can’t use weakness as a defense, for God says, “My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). You can’t use your past as an excuse, for God says, “Old things are passed away…all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). How God sees you isn’t the problem; it’s how you see yourself that keeps you from succeeding! So ask God to give you a new understanding of how He sees you – loved, righteous, blessed, and favored!
Soul food: Gen 47-49; Luke 11:1-13; Ps 36; Prov 5:21-23
2019-02-19
Luke 17:17 NKJV
Let’s read how Jesus healed these ten lepers, and see what we can learn: (1) They seized the moment. “They lifted up their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!'” (v. 13 NKJV). Desperate people pray desperate prayers. Who cares about propriety and outward appearances when you’re dying? These men realized that Jesus was “passing through” (See v. 11), and the worst thing that could happen was for Him to pass them by. So they seized the moment and cried out to Him. And you can do that too, because nobody can hear you like God (See Psalm 118:5). (2) They had to walk it out. Their healing wasn’t immediate; it was a step-by-step process. “And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed” (Luke 17:14 NKJV). Often that’s the way it works. And it’s not just one step, but a commitment to plow through the obstacles and fears until you get to your miracle. But it’s worth the effort, and you appreciate your deliverance more when you have to walk it out day by day depending on God. (3) Only one out of the ten returned to give thanks. That’s why Jesus asked, “Where are the nine?” Were they too busy? Or too self-absorbed? Or just forgetful? Notice what Jesus said to the one who came back: “Thy faith hath made thee whole” (v. 19). Physical healing is often accomplished through medicine, but you become “whole” in body, mind, and soul by spending time worshiping the Lord and getting to know Him.
Soul food: Gen 47-49; Luke 11:1-13; Ps 36; Prov 5:21-23
2019-02-18
Hebrews 13:2 NLT
One day Debby Gass was driving through Nevada when her sports car ran out of gas. A young woman, alone in a small car, on a desert highway with no one around – it had all the elements that cause us to be afraid. Soon a big tractor-trailer pulled up and a six-foot-tall driver got out and asked, “Can I help you, lady?” When she explained her predicament, he told her to lock her car and come with him to a service station a few miles up the interstate. What to do! The voice of God within Debby, a voice she’d learned to trust, whispered, “It’s okay. Go with him.” As they drove together the man told her he’d been in prison, met Christ, and his life had been radically changed. He showed her pictures of his wife and family. When they returned to her car he poured a can of gas into her tank, said goodbye, and left. Then it happened! Just as Debby turned her car around to leave – on a highway with a clear view for miles in either direction – the truck was nowhere to be seen. Just like that, a forty-ton tractor-trailer and its driver disappeared! The Bible says, “Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” Debby is convinced God sent an angel to help her that day. What do you think? Many of us have similar stories, yet we don’t share them. Maybe it’s fear of criticism. Or maybe it’s not until later that we realize we had, in fact, been visited by an angel!
Soul food: Gen 44-46; Luke 10:38-42; Ps 33:13-22; Prov 5:15-20
2019-02-17
Psalm 30:5 NKJV
God is with us during our “nighttime experiences.” Think about it; you’ve been knocked down, but by God’s grace you’ve gotten back up. No matter how dark the night, you’ve lived to see the morning. Times change and relationships change, but God is always the same. He’s the one who brought you through every difficulty in the past, and He promises to be with you every day of the future. Note the words “joy comes.” That means you will rise again and rejoice again. Your drive to survive comes from a well that’s already within you, and the Lord is the One who fills that well. Let it flow! You don’t have to make it flow, just let it flow. Sixteenth-century English clergyman and historian Dr. Thomas Fuller said, “If it were not for hope, the heart would break.” No matter what you’re going through right now, don’t give up until you see the morning. It’s at the end of every dark night and every broken promise – and it always comes. After every setback, betrayal, and denial – morning will surely break. Let nothing keep you from believing that! God will dry your tears and you’ll awake with a new song. One of the greatest promises in Scripture is this: “His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion…therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him” (Lamentations 3:22-25). Yesterday ended last night. It’s a new day, so make up your mind to enjoy it!
Soul food: Gen 42-43; Luke 10:25-37; Ps 33:1-12; Prov 5:7-14
2019-02-16
Luke 9:23 NLT
Let’s consider: (1) Commitment at work. In the past, employers valued their workers and workers valued their employers. But today’s workplace has become increasingly adversarial, with workers resenting their bosses and doing the bare minimum, while bosses are often demanding and take their employees for granted. God’s way calls for mutual commitment. “Don’t just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily…with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you’re really serving God” (Ephesians 6:6-7 TM). If you are an employer, take note who you represent – God. (2) Commitment at church. Many folks have a casual, cafeteria-style approach to church: They pick what they like and leave what they don’t. Jesus said, “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18 NIV). And membership in it calls for a covenant relationship between believers: one in which we agree to encourage, nurture, protect, cherish, pray for each other, and fulfill our mission together (See 1 Corinthians 12:12-31). (3) Commitment to Christ. Jesus made a radical commitment to us through His birth, life, suffering, crucifixion, and death, and He asks us to commit radically to Him. “Then he said to the crowd, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.'” That means you no longer follow your own wishes or will, but follow the Lord, His wishes and His will. That’s radical commitment, and it’s what God expects from you.
Soul food: Exo 20:3; Acts 14:1-18; 1 Sam 5:1-5
