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
2018-12-12
Habakkuk 2:3 NLT
Has God promised you something and humanly speaking you see no way it can come to pass? Are you having a hard time waiting? Read this Scripture: “If it seems slow…wait patiently, for it will surely take place.” God does things on schedule, and your appointment is still on His calendar. Be assured that nothing the Enemy does can preempt the plan of God for your life. When He gives you a promise, it’s like a seed. First it must fall into the fertile soil of faith and be given time to grow. Then it must be watered regularly through prayer and the Word of God. It won’t come to pass because you push and try to manipulate: “[It’s]…not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord” (Zechariah 4:6). If God has promised you something, stand on His Word and remind yourself, “My life can’t end before this comes to pass.” The story of Joseph’s life could be summed up in this Scripture: “Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him” (Psalm 105:19 NKJV). Why test something? To reveal its strength; to see if it holds up or falls apart under pressure. What has God promised you? Do you believe Him? How strong is your faith? If it’s weak, God will put you back into the school of faith so you can learn the lessons, pass the tests, and graduate. “Without faith it is impossible to please [God], for he who comes to God must believe that He is…a rewarder” (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV). The word for you today is: Keep believing God, and it will happen.
Soul food: Gen 47-49; John 19:25-42; Ps 150; Ecc 5:10-12
2018-12-11
Psalm 19:1 TLB
Whether you look at the universe through a telescope or a microscope, you discover that God is the great designer. Let’s look at three of the things He designed: (1) Temperature. The sun’s surface is 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and we’re 93 million miles away from it – just the right distance. If the earth’s temperature was 50 degrees hotter or colder all life would cease. Think about it: Why wasn’t the earth placed twice as far away, or twice as close? (2) Rotation. We rotate 365 times a year as we pass around the sun. Suppose we only rotated 36 times? Well, our days and nights would be ten times as long. We’d be terribly hot on one side, unbearably cold on the other, and life as we know it would cease. (3) Air. Oxygen constitutes 21 percent of our atmosphere: the precise balance of air we need to breathe. Why not 50 percent? Because the first time somebody lit a match we’d all be toast! So ask yourself, is the 21 percent by accident or design? And if there’s a design then it follows that there must be a designer. And there is. Would you like to know Him? You can. At creation He revealed His great power, but at the cross He revealed His great love (John 3:16). Through Jesus His Son you can know the great designer personally and receive the gift of eternal life. If you don’t, you’ll enter a lost eternity. Any chance you’ll be an exception? None! The people in heaven will be those who got there by choice, not chance.
Soul food: Gen 44-46; John 19:1-24; Ps 148:7-14; Ecc 5:4-6
