2018-07-22
Ephesians 5:33 NIV
A woman went away on a long weekend retreat. Halfway through the final Monday morning session she suddenly jumped to her feet and left the room. Concerned, a friend followed her to see what had made her leave the meeting so abruptly. She found the woman hanging up a telephone in the lobby. “Is everything all right?” she asked urgently. “Oh, yes,” the woman responded sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to alarm you, but I suddenly remembered that it’s Monday morning trash day.” Her friend replied, “Trash day? Isn’t your husband at home?” “Yes,” replied the woman, “but it takes two of us to put out the trash. I can’t carry it, and he can’t remember it!” The secret of a good marriage lies in learning how to live and work together. And here are ten suggestions to help you accomplish that goal: (1) Agree to pray together daily. (2) Find something good to say about each other every day. (3) Don’t forget to snuggle. (4) Think of yourselves as a team – not just a couple. (5) Respect your differences. (6) Eat at least one meal together each day. (7) Submit your disagreements to God. (8) Develop a strong sense of humor. (9) Identify “your special place,” and “your special song.” (10) Reminisce together. Ironically, the number one reason given for divorce today is “incompatibility.” Well, guess what? You are supposed to be different! When two people with different gifts decide to love one another and listen to one another, their differences can become a source of strength rather than a source of weakness. Marriage: It takes two!
Soul food: Matt 5:9v; Rom 12:17-21; James 3:17-18; Matt 26:51-52
2018-07-21
2 Timothy 1:10 NLT
It’s no surprise that God has a heart for hurting parents. After all, God Himself is a father. What parental emotion has He not felt? Are you separated from your child? So was God. Is someone mistreating your child? They mocked and bullied His. Is someone taking advantage of your child? He, the Son of God, was set up by false testimony and betrayed by a greedy follower. Are you forced to watch while your child suffers? God watched His Son on the cross. Do you find yourself wanting to spare your child from all the hurt in the world? God did. But because of His great love for us, “He did not spare his own Son but gave him for us all. So with Jesus, God will surely give us all things” (Romans 8:32 NCV). Note the words “all things.” There’s nothing God can’t do in answer to prayer! Perhaps you’ve prayed but your child has died. No pain compares to that of losing a child. Maybe you’ve said, “Jesus resurrected Jairus’ child, why didn’t He save mine?” God understands your question. He buried a child too. And He hates death more than you do. That’s why He “broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality.” For those who trust Christ, death is nothing more than a transition to heaven. Your child may not be in your arms today, but your child is safely in His. After losing his son at birth, David looked forward with hope and said, “I shall go to him” (2 Samuel 12:23 NKJV). And so will you.
Soul food: 2 Sam 22:31-24:25; Luke 8:26-39; Ps 140; Prov 18:21-22
2018-07-20
Luke 8:55-56 NKJV
You can do your very best for your children, and still stand where Jairus stood. You can love them, protect them, and pray for them, and still find yourself in an emergency ward at midnight or a drug rehab clinic on visitors’ Sunday choosing between two voices: despair and belief. Who would have faulted Jairus for giving up? When he first went to Jesus, his daughter was critically ill but still alive. Then while he was talking to Jesus, word arrived: “Your daughter is dead” (v. 49 NLT). In that moment Jesus looked at Jairus and said, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be healed” (v. 50 NLT). Whether stopping the child’s sickness in its tracks, or raising her from the dead, Jesus was the answer to Jairus’ problem. And He is the answer to your family problem too. Notice two things Jesus did: (1) He dismissed those who mourned, but had no faith (See Luke 8:51). Be careful who you let get close to you, especially in times of crisis. (2) He united the parents in faith. “When Jesus went to the house, he let only Peter, John, James, and the girl’s father and mother go inside with him” (v. 51 NCV). At that point He “took her by the hand and called, saying, ‘Little girl, arise.’ Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately…And her parents were astonished” (vv. 54-56 NKJV). When you pray and put your faith in Christ, He can do things in your family that will amaze you!
Soul food: 2 Sam 20:1-22:30; Luke 8:16-25; Ps 133; Prov 18:17-20
2018-07-19
Lamentations 2:19 NKJV
The story of Jairus is the story of a pleading parent and an ever-present Savior. So, “Pour out your heart…before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands toward Him for the life of your…children.” Parent, you can do this. You can be a loyal advocate and a faithful intercessor. You can bring your parenting fears to Jesus. In fact, if you don’t, you might take your fears out on your children. Fear turns some parents into prison guards who monitor every minute and check the background of every friend. They stifle growth and communicate distrust. A family with no breathing room suffocates a child. On the other hand, fear can also create permissive parents. For fear that their child will feel too confined or fenced in, they lower all boundaries. High on hugs and low on discipline, they don’t realize that appropriate discipline is an expression of love. Permissive parents or paranoid parents – how can you avoid those extremes? Pray! Jesus said so little about parenting, yet His actions speak volumes about prayer. Each time a parent prays, Christ responds. The big message in this story is: When your child is in crisis, turn to Jesus. But don’t wait for a crisis to come. When you send them off to school each day, do so with a blessing. When you tell them good night, cover them in prayer. When they’re stumped by a homework assignment they can’t handle, pray with them about it. Pray that your children will have a profound sense of their place in this world, and a heavenly place in the next one.
Soul food: 2 Sam 17:14-19:43; Luke 8:1-15; Ps 123; Prov 18:13-16
2018-07-18
Luke 8:41 NLT
Jairus enjoyed the social status of a mayor or bishop. But when your child is in a crisis, all the celebrity status in the world won’t help you. And Jairus wasn’t the only parent to run to Jesus when trouble came knocking on the door of their home. A mother stormed out of the Canaanite hills, crying, “Mercy, Master, Son of David! My daughter is cruelly afflicted by an evil spirit” (Matthew 15:22 TM). The father of a seizure-tormented boy also sought help from the disciples. When they failed to provide it, he turned to Jesus. In tears, he said, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24 NKJV). In each case Jesus responded. He never turned one away. And He won’t turn you away either! After all, your kids were His kids first. The Psalmist said, “Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift? the fruit of the womb his generous legacy?” (Psalm 127:3 TM). Next to the gift of salvation, your children are “God’s best gift” to you. And even though they are yours, they are still His. And what He owns, He protects and provides for. Like the Prodigal Son, they may have broken every one of God’s laws and broken your heart. But your prayers are what give God an invitation and an entry point back into their lives. The love of the father that drew the Prodigal back home, will bring your wayward child back too. What Jesus said to Jairus, He is saying to you today: “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith, and [he] she will be healed” (Luke 8:50 NLT).
Soul food: 2 Sam 14:21-17:13; Luke 7:36-50; Ps 118:19-29; Prov 18:10-12
2018-07-17
Psalm 139:16 NLT
The Psalmist wrote: “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God” (vv. 16-17 NLT). If you want to know God’s will for your life, pray this prayer: “Lord, You knew me completely before I was born, and You shaped me and destined me for a purpose. Give me a clear vision of all You want to do in and through my life. I desperately need to understand what the ‘hope of my calling’ (Ephesians 4:4) is, and ‘the exceeding greatness of Your power’ (Ephesians 1:19) to enable me to fulfill Your purpose (See 2 Corinthians 9:14). Show me the gifts You have put in me, and how I can develop and use them for Your glory (See Romans 12:6). Help me to think big and pray with boldness (See Ephesians 3:20). I want to be open and available for whatever You have for me, and not miss Your blessings by being unprepared to receive them. Help me not to hold on to things or relationships that are not of You. I want to do Your will with my whole heart (See Psalm 40:8). Only You know what and who is right for me. Help me to hear Your voice, and give me the grace and courage to follow Your leading when I am afraid (See John 10:4). May the desires of Your heart become the desires of my heart. Enlarge my capacity to believe that You can take what I have and multiply it beyond what I can imagine. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.”
Soul food: 2 Sam 12:1-14:20; Luke 7:24-35; Ps 118:10-18; Prov 18:7-9
