2018-12-18
Philippians 2:13 NIV
As you travel through life on your spiritual journey, here are two important tips to remember: (1) With God no experience is ever wasted. That includes the painful and difficult ones. We may impress people with our strengths, but we often connect with them best through our struggles. If you want to motivate someone, don’t just tell them about all you’ve accomplished, talk about the tests and trials you went through to get there. If you don’t, you may seem beyond their reach. Indeed, some of the experiences you’re reluctant to share may be the very things that will cause them to think, “If God could do that for you, then He can do it for me too.” In other words, you’ll give them hope. (2) To succeed in God’s kingdom, you must serve others. Look at Joseph. He used his talent, fame, and fortune to feed the world during a time of famine; his reward came afterward. When your goal is to meet other people’s needs you’ll always be rewarded, and you’ll always have a future. Jesus didn’t tell Peter to go out and gather a crowd together just so he’d have someone to preach to. No. He simply said, “Feed my sheep” (John 21:16). Pastor, if too many church pews are empty on Sunday morning, do more than blame the people. Ask yourself, “How’s the food? How’s the service?” As long as there’s a spiritual hunger that nobody else is satisfying, you have a future and a ministry. As you consider these two tips for travelers, pray and ask God to make them part of your life.
Soul food: Job 5-7; Luke 1:11-18; Ps 105:37-45; Ecc 7:9-12
2018-12-17
Psalm 51:15 NKJV
A grateful heart sees each day as a gift. It’s like a magnet sweeping over your day, collecting reasons to be grateful. It thanks God for the miracle of muscles that enable your eyes to read these words and your brain to process them. It thanks God for lungs that can inhale and exhale eleven thousand liters of air every day. It thanks God for a heart that will beat about three billion times in your lifetime, and for a brain that’s a veritable electric generator and supercomputer of power. It thanks God for jam on your toast and milk on your cereal. For the blanket that warms you and the joke that delights you. For the thousands of planes that didn’t crash today. For the men who didn’t cheat on their wives, and the wives who didn’t turn on their men. And the kids who in spite of unspeakable pressure to dishonor their parents, decided not to do so. Rejoicing over the good stuff is what gets you through the hard stuff. “A cheerful heart is good medicine” (Proverbs 17:22 NLT). Gratitude is an attitude you choose, not a reaction to your circumstances. “On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God…he broke it” (1 Corinthians 11:23-24 NLT). Note, the words betrayed and thanks are in the same sentence, and in the same heart. On the night Jesus was betrayed, He gave thanks. And you can do that when you know God is in control, directing your steps, and working everything out for your good.
Soul food: Job 1-4; Luke 1:1-10; Ps 105:23-36; Ecc 7:5-8
2018-12-16
Luke 9:61 NIV
When you squander or lose your money, there’s a chance you can get it back. But not when you squander or lose your time. One of the saddest stories in Scripture is found in these words: “Another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family.'” But nowhere is it recorded that he followed Jesus. And procrastination and perfectionism go hand in hand. We say, “If I can’t do it right, I won’t do it at all!” No, before you get it right you’ll probably get it wrong. In every story of success there are chapters of struggle, but they are chapters of learning and growth. A study was done at Yale University. Graduating seniors were told of the dangers of tetanus and given the opportunity to get a free inoculation at the health center. While a majority of the students were convinced they needed the shot, guess how many followed through and got the vaccine? Three percent! Another group was given the same lecture, but also given a copy of the campus map with the location of the health center circled on it. They were then asked to look at their weekly schedules and figure out when they could find time to get the shot. Guess what? Nine times as many students got inoculated. Good intentions aren’t enough. You need to make the call, or make the move. You need to set the deadline, or set the appointment. “Today” is the tomorrow you were talking about yesterday. So stop procrastinating and do it.
Soul food: Heb 11:1-6; Matt 21:18-22; Matt 8:5-13; Mark 6:1-6
2018-12-15
Philippians 4:4 NKJV
Cheryl continually complained that she didn’t make enough money, couldn’t afford the things she wanted, and therefore wasn’t going to amount to anything. Her counselor said, “You’re wasting your energy complaining, instead of using it to get ahead.” Cheryl countered, “You don’t understand. The job is the problem, not me.” The counselor said, “Your low-paying job may be a problem and your boss may demand too much, but when you’re continually upset you’re causing yourself more harm than either your boss or your job.” Cheryl asked, “What can I do?” The counselor said, “You can’t control your boss or the job, but you can control how you feel about them. Change your attitude.” Cheryl took her advice. When she stopped whining about her life, people noticed. She got a promotion, and with her new job status she was more marketable. Within several months she was transferred to a position with higher pay and a more supportive boss. Good things happen for people with a good attitude. And your attitude is something you can choose regardless of circumstances. Paul wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” Where was Paul? In prison! Who was Paul writing to? People outside the prison! Why did he repeat himself and say, “Again I will say, rejoice?” Because we forget and lapse back into negativity so quickly. True joy is an inside job that’s not subject to people or outside situations. Jesus said, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11).
Soul food: Est 5-10; John 21:1-25; Ps 18:1-29; Prov 26:24-27
2018-12-14
Proverbs 17:17 NIV
Recovery counselors use the phrase “terminally unique” because people with addictions think their problem is unique: “Others would reject me if they knew my problem. I’ve struggled with it so long that I don’t believe I’ll ever conquer it.” So they isolate, and live in despair and depression. One author writes: “So often we are inclined to keep our lives hidden. Shame and guilt prevent us from letting others know what we are living with. We think, ‘If my family and friends knew the dark cravings of my heart and my strange mental wanderings, they would push me away and exclude me from their company.’ But the opposite is true. When we dare to lift up our cup and let our friends know what is in it, they will be encouraged to lift up their cups and share with us their anxiously hidden secrets. The greatest healing often takes place when we no longer feel isolated by our shame and guilt, and discover that others often feel what we feel, think what we think, and have the fears, apprehensions, and preoccupations we have.” Don’t let pride keep you from conquering your problem. When you can muster the strength to be honest with yourself and others, you’ll find healing. Read these two Scriptures: “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” “God…comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV). The word for you today is: Reach for help.
Soul food: Est 1-4; John 20:19-31; Ps 105:8-22; Ecc 7:1-4
2018-12-13
Job 5:26 NIV
Author Norman Cousins said, “No disease is more lethal than the boredom that follows retirement.” Here’s a true story of a lady in her eighties who went to her doctor for a checkup. He asked if she stayed active. She gave him a big smile and said, “I jog about four or five miles every day.” Surprised, he told her she needed to be careful and not overdo it. “Take it easy,” he suggested. She took his words to heart and decided to slow down. She reduced her jogs to slow walks, and cut back to one or two days a week. Within a year she was dead. After hearing about her death, the doctor who’d given her such advice told a friend, “Never again will I tell a patient who’s doing so well to take it easy.” The Bible is filled with the stories of people who lived on because they had something to live for! Remember Caleb? At eighty-five he attacked the giants in the hill country, drove them out, and became a land developer (See Joshua 14). And how about Noah? He began building the ark when he was five hundred years old. And a hundred years later he helped to start the world all over again. Age means nothing unless you’re cheese! And wrinkles, gray hair, and spots on your hands mean less than nothing. As long as God chooses to leave you on this earth, don’t just exist – live! Claim the promise: “You will come to the grave in full vigor.” Keep dreaming. Accept new challenges. And don’t even think about taking it easy!
Soul food: Gen 50; Hag 1-2; John 20:1-18; Ps 105:1-7; Ecc 5:13-16
