2018-09-20
Deuteronomy 28:2 NIV
In a survey hundreds of people were asked, “What’s the best thing that’s happened to you in the last five years?” Amazingly, many answered, “Nothing.” God’s Word promises us daily bread, daily benefits, and daily blessings, yet these people couldn’t even think of one good thing that happened to them in half a decade! What a sad way to live! Author John Mason observes: “We typically see things not as they are, but as we are. By how we position ourselves, we’ll see the evidence of God everywhere or nowhere. Too often our minds are locked on one track. We’re looking for red, so we overlook blue; we’re thinking tomorrow and God’s saying now. We’re looking everywhere, and the answer is under our nose. When a person is positioned correctly, he’s ready to receive all God has for him.” The Bible says, “All these blessings will come upon you…if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and…in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed…You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated…They will come at you from one direction but flee…in seven…The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity…The Lord will make you the head, not the tail” (vv. 2-13 NIV). Notice the words, “if you obey the Lord.” God’s love is guaranteed and unconditional. But His blessings require cooperation on your part. So today, walk in obedience.
Soul food: Lev 16; Lev 23:26-32; Heb 9:1-14; Heb 13:11-16
2018-09-19
Matthew 18:14 NIV
Philip Bray founded an Atlanta street ministry called SafeHouse Outreach. He writes: “One day a little boy made a hand gesture at me, the kind male prostitutes make. So I stopped my car and lectured him, thinking he didn’t understand. But he said, ‘I’m just taking care of business. I live here in Cabbagetown, and my brother taught me the trade.’ I asked, ‘What’s your name? How old are you?’ He replied, ‘Billy Bob, and I’m eight.’ In shock, I said, ‘Surely you wouldn’t have many customers?’ He said, ‘The younger you are the more money you get. I make two hundred a trick; my thirteen-year-old brother only gets twenty dollars because he has AIDS.’ I pleaded with him to let me help him start a new life, but he said, ‘I can’t. I’m my family’s ticket out of the ghetto.’ For weeks I kept trying to reach him. Then one day the police found his mutilated body in a dumpster, murdered by one of his customers. In street ministry not every story has a happy ending. Sometimes the pain and despair is just too much.” Then Philip adds, “But there’s hope! Jesus died for the Billy Bobs of this world, just like he died for the Billy Grahams. That’s why I’m out here working in the streets.” Jesus said, “Your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.” That means you are called to leave your comfort zone and reach out to a hurting world with the love of Jesus!
Soul food: Mic 1-4; Luke 22:24-38; Ps 78:65-72; Prov 24:11-14
2018-09-18
2 Corinthians 4:18 TM
We enjoy the blessings of change, but not the process of change. We’re creatures of habit. We form our habits, and our habits form us. Then we start to see things exclusively from our own perspective. And when that happens – we stagnate. The truth is, without change there is no growth. When you have the right attitude every experience – positive and negative – becomes an opportunity for progress. Think about it: Trees need more than sunshine to produce fruit. Rainy seasons are productive seasons too, and they always precede the harvest. You don’t have to like rain, you just have to understand its purpose and benefits. The Bible says that every day “the Lord…makes us more and more like him…we are changed into his glorious image” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT). But to become like Jesus you must follow wherever He leads. That means following Him through the wilderness of temptation, the pain of rejection, the forfeiting your reputation, the surrendering your will, and being ready to go to the place of crucifixion where you die to all forms of self-centred living. Following Jesus may mean being in a different location tomorrow than you are today. Once you grasp this principle, you’ll stop fearing and resisting the changes taking place in your life and start seeing God at work in them. Paul says: “Even though on the outside it…looks like things are falling apart…on the inside…God is making new life…The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 TM).
Soul food: Neh 11-13; Luke 22:14-23; Ps 78:56-64; Prov 24:6-10
2018-09-17
2 Corinthians 4:8 CEV
Before you quit and walk away, read the story of how Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in just fifty-two days: First, he sought God’s help. “We prayed to our God” (Nehemiah 4:9 NIV). Second, he protected his vision. “We…posted a guard day and night to meet this threat” (v. 9 NIV). Third, he refused to quit. “Should a man like me run away?…I will not” (Nehemiah 6:11 NIV). Gandhi said, “You may never know what results come from your action, but if you do nothing there will be no results.” In spite of the obstacles, the enemy, and the pressure – Nehemiah refused to give up. And God honors people with such a spirit. Paul said, “Even when we don’t know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 CEV). Thomas Edison gave the world electric light, microphones, storage batteries, sound films, phonographs, and a thousand other inventions. Here are the principles he lived by: (1) Work to obtain all the knowledge you can about what you want to achieve. (2) Fix your mind on your purpose. Persist! Seek! The trouble with most people is they quit before they start. (3) Keep searching, no matter how many times you meet with disappointment. (4) Refuse to be influenced by the fact that someone else tried the same thing and failed. (5) Stay “sold” on the idea that somewhere a solution to the problem exists, and you’ll find it.
Soul food: Neh 8-10; Luke 22:1-13; Ps 78:40-55; Prov 24:1-5
2018-09-16
1 Corinthians 4:5 AMPC
Prejudice – is pre-judging. It makes you see those who don’t endorse what you believe as enemies. You attribute commendable qualities to the circle you move in, and negative ones to those outside it. That’s not what Jesus did. He befriended and fellowshipped with sinners and societal outcasts – without compromising who He was or endorsing their lifestyle. The Bible cautions against “hasty…premature judgments,” and reminds us that “the Lord…will…bring to light…things that are […hidden]…aims, (motives and purposes) of hearts” (v. 5 AMPC). He’s the only one qualified to “discern the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 ASV). So if you’re inclined to jump “to conclusions…before all the evidence is in” (1 Corinthians 4:5 TM), here’s some food for thought: (1) Face your prejudice. List all the people you don’t count as friends, people you actually go out of your way not to have a relationship with, and start loving them “by…actions and true caring” (1 John 3:18 NCV). (2) Drop the mask. Look inside your heart and ask yourself what it is about the other person that bothers you. Are there similarities between you? Are they expressing something you’re hiding from? (3) Get to know the other person. Paul said, “I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22 NLT). Whether or not you decide to continue the relationship, you’ll discover the power of your mind to obstruct, delude, and turn something into what it’s not. Plus you’ll have a better chance of winning others to Christ, because “love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8 NKJV).
Soul food: Heb 11:23-28; Exo 3:1-22; Exo 33:7-23; Exo 34:29-35
2018-09-15
Ephesians 3:16 NIV
Until you realize the power of God that’s within you, you won’t use it. One of the greatest healing forces in the world is God’s Word, and it’s at your fingertips! For example, when you or a loved one gets sick, the Bible says, “These signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will…lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:17-18 NKJV). That’s a power-filled promise. When Jesus returned to Capernaum, the Bible says, “It was noised that he was in the house” (Mark 2:1 KJV). And before He left there, a paralyzed man got up and walked. So: If Christ lives in you, shouldn’t people feel His presence when they’re in your presence? If you’re on the church board, shouldn’t the church be blessed? Shouldn’t you be a change agent solving problems and helping the church grow? The church isn’t perfect. Nobody said it was. It’s a hospital, not an Ivy League club. But whatever is wrong with the church is man’s doing, not God’s. When God is behind even the smallest thing it becomes mighty; it must succeed because His power is absolute, unchanging, and available! It’s time to “use God’s mighty weapons…to knock down the strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4 NLT). It’s time to force the issue by telling the Devil to take his hands off everything that concerns you! Jesus said, “All power is given unto me…Go ye therefore” (Matthew 28:18-19 KJV). He has given you the power – use it!
Soul food: Neh 5-7; Luke 21:25-38; Ps 78:32-39; Prov 23:29-35
