2019-02-03
Galatians 6:2 NIV
Everyone you meet is hiding something, and it’s not because they’re deceptive. It’s because some wounds are too personal to talk about. When you receive a harsh word from your husband, the pain can be too deep to discuss. Or when your husband hears acid words from you, he’s crushed inside but can’t show it. So you both go off to lick your wounds, and try to avoid comments and questions from others. Is that where you are today – struggling with something too difficult to talk about? If so, remember other people are doing the same! Often their anger is a symptom of their hurt, and their seeming aloofness is just hiding their fear of being known and perhaps rejected. Jesus saw the best in people, and He went out of His way to be gracious to them and lift their burdens. Do you remember how He treated the woman caught in the act of adultery? (See John 8:1-11). He lifted her up, because with Him every weed is a potential rose! Remind yourself that others are going through things they’re not discussing with you. They’re crying tears you don’t see and feeling isolated in ways you can’t imagine. So instead of adding to their burden, try to ease it. You may be the only healer that crosses their path today. And when you help lift their burden – God will lift yours. The Bible says, “Whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:8). Today, ask God to make you a burden bearer.
Soul food: Exo 16:1-35; John 6:30-40
2019-02-02
Proverbs 30:8 NLT
When you think about it, you can be rich in one of two ways: either in how much you have, or in how little you want. Much of the recent debt crisis has been caused by our failure to be satisfied with enough. In a brilliant section of Proverbs penned by the mysterious Agur, we find this prayer: “O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name'” (vv. 7-9 NLT). Having read that, always try to observe these six rules when it comes to borrowing. Debt is wrong: (1) When it’s beyond your ability to repay it on a timely basis. (2) When it prevents you from giving God what’s rightfully His. (3) When the burden of debt is so heavy that you can’t save for the future. (4) When it’s used to pay for the luxuries of life. (5) When you put others at risk by having them cosign a note (See Proverbs 6:1-6). (6) When it puts your marriage under financial pressure. Financial expert Larry Burkett said credit is the motivating factor for perhaps 80 percent of all divorces. That’s not to say being rich guarantees you’ll never have family problems. It’s simply saying that putting money first and your family second can make you nothing more than a wealthy failure. So before you borrow, pray and ask God for wisdom.
Soul food: Gen 7-9; Luke 7:36-50; Ps 111; Prov 3:29-30
2019-02-01
1 Thessalonians 4:18 TM
In the movie Heaven Is for Real, Colton Burpo was only four years old when he survived an emergency appendectomy. Over the next few months, he talked of his visit to heaven. He described exactly what his parents were doing during the surgery, and told stories of people he had met in heaven – people he had never met on earth or been told about. He told his mother, “You had a baby die in your tummy, didn’t you?” His parents had never mentioned the miscarriage; he was too young to process it. His mother asked, “Who told you I had a baby die in my tummy?” He replied, “She did, Mommy. She said she died in your tummy.” Then he added, “It’s okay, Mommy. She’s okay. God adopted her.” His mother said, “Don’t you mean Jesus adopted her?” He replied, “No, Mommy, His dad did!” His mother’s eyes lit up and she asked, “What was her name? What was the little girl’s name?” Four-year-old Colton said, “She doesn’t have a name. You guys didn’t name her.” And he had one more memory. He shared it before he went out to play: “Yeah, she said she can’t wait for you and Daddy to get to heaven.” And right now someone in heaven is saying the same thing about you, looking forward to the day when God’s family is back together. And shouldn’t we be doing the same? The Bible says, “Then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words.”
Soul food: Gen 4-6; Luke 7:24-35; Ps 107:33-43; Prov 3:27-28
2019-01-31
Proverbs 22:7 NLT
Albert Einstein believed the Rule of 72 (the compounding of interest) was a more important discovery than his theory of relativity. Here’s the rule: Divide 72 by the interest rate of your savings to discover the number of years in which your savings will double. For instance, one thousand dollars saved at 6 percent annual interest becomes two thousand dollars in twelve years. But credit card issuers also know the Rule of 72. For example, if you make a one-thousand-dollar purchase on your credit card at 18 percent interest and don’t pay it off, that balance becomes two thousand dollars in just four years. Instead of earning you money, your one thousand dollars is earning huge profits for the credit card company. The Bible says, “Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender.” Have you any idea how many marriages are in trouble, or how many people are on medication because they’re drowning in debt? God doesn’t want you to live that way. When God made the world, He established this rule: “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest…shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22 NKJV). If you want a harvest when you need it, you must sow – even when you don’t feel like it. When you sow a single tomato seed you’ll get back many more in return – it’s only a matter of time. So reduce your debt and be a good steward of the funds God has entrusted to you. Then you can stand on this promise: “My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
Soul food: Gen 1-3; Luke 7:11-23; Ps 107:23-32; Prov 3:25-26
2019-01-30
Revelation 22:4-5 NKJV
In order to know how a story ends, you must read the last chapter. And in Revelation chapter 22, the final chapter of the Bible, we read about two glorious prospects that will be enjoyed by every redeemed child of God. Let’s look at them: (1) “They shall see His face.” One of the greatest joys of heaven will be seeing the faces of our departed loved ones and spending eternity with them. But thrilling though that may be, it will not compare with the joy of seeing the face of Jesus, the One we love most. The songwriter said, “Face to face with Christ my Savior, face to face what will it be. When with rapture I behold Him, Jesus Christ who died for me.” And that’s not all; read this: “Beloved, now we are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2 NKJV). We will see Him, we will be like Him, and we will be with Him forever. How wonderful! (2) “And they shall reign forever and ever.” Just as the test you took in school qualified you to graduate and go out and make a living, the tests and trials of this life are qualifying you to graduate and reign with Christ in the next life. Keep your eyes on the prize. This life is the short story; the next life is the big story – seeing Jesus face to face, and reigning with Him forever.
Soul food: Ecc 9-12; Luke 7:1-10; Ps 107:17-22; Prov 3:21-24
2019-01-29
Mark 4:9 MSG
Studies show we forget 50 percent of what we hear immediately, 80 percent within a day, and 97 percent within a week. So what’s the solution? When you listen, make understanding your goal, not just remembering facts. Great learners are great listeners; that’s why they always have a flow of fresh ideas. The truth is, you’ll never know how close you are to a breakthrough or a blessing until you learn to listen. Be honest. How often have you said you’re going to spend more time listening to the people in your life who matter? Start doing it, because if you don’t show up for life’s “special moments,” before you know it there will be none left to show up for. The people who really listen to us become the most important people in our lives. If you want to be one of them, you must do three things: (1) Look directly at the speaker. Don’t belittle someone by catching up on work, talking on the phone, or tweeting and texting while they’re talking. Focus on them! (2) Don’t interrupt. When you do that, people think you don’t place much value on what they’re saying. Or that you’re trying to impress them with how much you know. Or you’re too excited by what you have to add to the conversation to let them finish. (3) Suspend your judgment. Wait to hear the whole story before you respond. If you don’t, chances are you’ll miss the most important things the speaker has to say. Can you think of anyone you haven’t been listening to lately? The good news is it’s not too late to become a good listener.
Soul food: Ecc 5-8; Luke 6:37-49; Ps 107:10-16; Prov 3:19-20
