2018-07-28
Psalm 25:21 NIV
Bobby Jones is considered one of history’s greatest golfers. But more than all his victories on the golf course, he’s famous for what happened in the 1925 U.S. Open. He inadvertently touched his ball and assessed himself a one-stroke penalty, even though no one else saw him touch the ball. But he couldn’t violate his conscience. And by assessing himself that penalty, he lost the Open by that one stroke. When tournament officials tried to compliment him for his integrity, Jones simply said, “You might as well praise me for not breaking into banks. There is only one way to play this game.” Bobby Jones played by the rules. Period. And in doing so, he honored the integrity of the game. One sportswriter wrote, “In the opinion of many people, of all the great athletes, Bobby Jones came the closest to being what we call a great man.” Jones could have won the tournament, but he would have lost his integrity. And winning the U.S. Open wasn’t worth a one-stroke penalty on his integrity. That’s epic integrity! And that’s something to be celebrated. We live in a culture that celebrates talent more than integrity, but we’ve got it backwards. Talent depreciates over time. So do intellect and appearance. You will eventually lose your strength and your looks. You may even lose your mind. But you don’t have to lose your integrity. Integrity is the only thing that doesn’t depreciate over time. Nothing takes longer to build than a godly reputation. And nothing is destroyed more quickly by one stroke of sin. That’s why your integrity must be celebrated and protected above all else.
Soul food: Zeph 1-3; Luke 9:46-56; Ps 42:6-11; Prov 19:15-17
2018-07-27
Isaiah 43:18 TM
Although it’s true that we all fail, here’s something worth remembering: You can fail successfully. How? By learning from your failures and growing stronger and wiser through them. Surrendering your future to your past just means you drown in remorse and hopelessness. But if you practice “failing forward,” you can experience future success. So acknowledge your failings, see yourself cleansed by the blood of Jesus, let go of your disappointment in yourself, and get up and try again. At one point in Elijah’s life, he got so depressed that he prayed he might die: “‘I have had enough, Lord,’ he said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors'” (1 Kings 19:4 NIV). Later when he was strengthened by God’s grace, he emerged from his depression a new man with a new mission in life (See vv. 15-16 NIV). After he’d denied Christ openly, Peter was forgiven. Despite his weakness he was restored, and became the apostle who would “strengthen his fellow apostles” and build the New Testament Church (See Luke 22:31-32). It’s not a matter of how badly or how often you’ve failed – it’s a matter of what God can make you when you accept His grace, get up again, and allow Him to empower you to do better. Peter is proof that God takes us when we are weak, and speaks and acts through us in ways that bring glory to Him alone! (See 1 Corinthians 1:28). Will God sometimes correct you? Yes, He’s a good parent, but He won’t discard you. So the word for you today is – you can start again.
Soul food: 1 Tim 4-6; Luke 9:37-45; Ps 42:1-5; Prov 19:12-14
2018-07-26
Proverbs 11:3 NIV
The second quality you must exhibit in dealing with others is: Credibility. When people trust you they’ll listen to you. In the early stages of the relationship, they’ll give you the benefit of the doubt as long as your credentials are good. But in order to maintain their trust, you must demonstrate credibility [reliability, integrity, sincerity]. It’s been said that the mediocre teacher tells, the good teacher explains, but the great teacher demonstrates. Ultimately, each of us should strive to be the message. In the first six months of a relationship we focus on a person’s communication ability in order to make judgments about him or her. For example, when we have a new boss who speaks well and casts a compelling vision, we buy in. When we connect well with a new neighbor or coworker, we feel we may have a new friend. When we meet the person we end up marrying, we think everything will always be wonderful. And for most people the honeymoon is wonderful. But after the honeymoon comes the marriage! Sometimes that too is wonderful, and sometimes it’s not. What makes the difference? Credibility! Here’s how it works in relationships: During the first six months communication overrides credibility. After six months credibility overrides communication. When a person is credible, the longer the time, the better it gets. But for someone who lacks credibility, the longer the time, the worse it gets. Credibility is like money: With it, you’re solvent; without it, you’re bankrupt. The truth is: With the passage of time the way you live far outweighs the words you use.
Soul food: 1 Tim 1-3; Luke 9:28-36; Ps 1; Prov 19: 9-11
2018-07-25
Judges 7:17 NIV
On the eve of his spectacular victory over the Midianites, Gideon told his army of three hundred men, “Watch me…Follow my lead…do exactly as I do.” What would happen if you said that to the people who know you? Would you have to qualify that statement by saying, “Follow me in business, but not my family life”? Or, “Follow my professional advice, but not my personal lifestyle”? To earn respect and be worthy of following, you need two qualities that really matter. The first is conviction: Conviction is a set-in-concrete belief that you live by and refuse to compromise on. A pragmatist adjusts his or her beliefs and actions to things like the bottom line, or not making waves, or being liked and accepted. A man or woman of conviction won’t do that. Early one morning, Scottish philosopher and religious skeptic David Hume was observed hurrying to hear evangelist George Whitefield. When asked if he really believed what the great evangelist preached, Hume replied, “Certainly not! But he does, and I want to hear a man who truly believes what he says!” Author Larry Phillips said: “There’s a noticeable difference between steel and tin – especially when hit. Genuine heartfelt convictions simply come across as ‘words of steel.’ There’s a determined resolve in the tone…We need to be reminded that we can’t fake convictions! [People] will always discern the difference between words of steel and the sound of tin – no matter how hard the tin is hit!” People know the difference between your core values and your intellectual concepts. If you don’t have a deep conviction about what you’re saying, why should they?
Soul food: Hab 1-3; Luke 9:18-27; Ps 65; Prov 19:5-8
2018-07-24
Amos 5:5-6 NIV
Bethel is where Jacob had his life-changing dream, and made a vow to God. Gilgal is where the Israelites camped after God miraculously parted the Jordan River and they stepped into the Promised Land for the first time. Beersheba is where Isaac dug a well and built an altar. All three places held special significance: They were sacred landmarks in Israel’s spiritual journey. So why would God tell them not to seek Him there? The answer is simple: You won’t find God in the past. His name is not The Great I Was, it’s The Great I Am. The Psalmist said, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1 NIV). When we cling too tightly to what God did last, we often miss what God wants to do for us next. He is at work right here, right now. He is always doing something new. So go ahead and build altars and mark holy moments to the past, but the purpose of altars is to remind us of God’s faithfulness in the past so we can have faith to believe Him for the future. When we stop living out of imagination and start living out of memory, we start dying. To be fully alive is to be fully present. It mandates leaving the past in the past. That’s why Paul wrote, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14 NIV). So the word for you today is: Press on!
Soul food: Nah 1-3; Luke 9:1-17; Ps 14; Prov 19:1-4
2018-07-23
1 Kings 19:21 NIV
Elisha’s ministry begins with this Scripture: “He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people …Then he set out to follow Elijah.” He couldn’t go back to his old way of life because he had destroyed the time machine that would take him back. It was the end of Elisha the farmer, and the beginning of Elisha the prophet. It doesn’t matter whether you’re trying to lose weight, get into graduate school, write a book, start a business or a ministry, or get out of debt. The first step is always the longest step and the hardest. You can’t just take a step forward into the future; you also have to eliminate the possibility of moving backward into the past. That’s how you go after goals. That’s how you break addictions. That’s how you reconcile relationships. To begin a new chapter, you must end an old chapter. Elisha didn’t need to burn his plowing equipment to follow Elijah, but it made a statement. More specifically, it was a statement of faith. There was no turning back. Nine times out of ten, failure is resorting to Plan B when Plan A gets too risky, too costly, or too difficult. That’s why most people are living their Plan B. They haven’t burned their bridges to the past. Plan A people don’t have a Plan B. It’s Plan A or bust. They would rather crash and burn going after their God-ordained dreams, than succeed at something else. The word for you today is: Burn your bridges to the past and move forward.
Soul food: 2 Pet 1-3; Luke 8:40-56; Ps 146; Prov 18:23-24
