2018-06-04
2 Timothy 3:16 TM
Paul wrote to Timothy: “Unscrupulous con men will continue to exploit the faith. They’re as deceived as the people they lead astray. As long as they’re out there, things can only get worse. But don’t let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers – why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother’s milk! There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another – showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us” (vv. 13-17 TM). Here’s why you should read your Bible: (1) So you won’t be led astray. God will never say something to you through another person, or your own thoughts, that does not line up with what He’s clearly revealed in His Word. That’s why you need to know the Scriptures. (2) To know you’re truly saved. The apostle John writes: “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know…you have eternal life, and…continue to believe in the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13 NKJV). (3) To identify your calling and equip you. Paul says, “Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us” (2 Timothy 3:17 TM). The Bible is your guidebook for living the Christian life, so read it every day!
Soul food: Amos 5:18-9:15; Mark 13:24-37; Ps 117; Prov 14:9-12
2018-06-03
Mark 2:4 NIV
Mary Engelbreit always wanted to illustrate children’s books, but a school guidance counselor told her, “You can’t do that. Be practical. Get a degree and teach.” Mary started working at an art shop, learned all about the business, and got to know artists who made a living doing what they loved. Bolstered by the support of her parents, she told herself, “You can become an artist. If you can imagine it, you can achieve it.” By refusing to let obstacles on the conventional path to success hold her back, Engelbreit became a nationally recognized artist and launched her own magazine. Proust said, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” Learn to think outside the box, and remember, inspiration comes with perspiration! Expect problems, and don’t let them weaken your resolve. Four men who couldn’t get their paralyzed friend to Jesus because of the crowd “made an opening in the roof…lowered the mat the …man was lying on.” Jesus saw faith in action, and rewarded it by healing the man. You can find a way around almost anything when you give legs to your prayers and persevere. Rebecca Barlow Jordan says: “True creativity doesn’t stop at the stage of inspiration. Many wannabes have tried and failed, because they failed to overcome the hindrances. The true artist sees the completed picture by faith. All of us are artists, and God has work for us to do. [He] encourages us to enjoy the fruits of our labor. But the true blessing comes not just in knowing we’ve overcome…[it’s] when creativity validates its divine origin and brings honor to God.”
Soul food: Gal 5:23; Prov 16:32; 2 Pet 1:5-8; Heb 11:23-27
2018-06-02
Daniel 3:1 NIV
It’s safe to say that anyone who builds a ninety-foot-tall statue to themselves is probably compensating for something. This statue was the epitome of pride. We all have a little Nebuchadnezzar in us. We’d never build a ninety-foot-tall statue of ourselves, but we get upset when people don’t bow to our wishes. We’d never throw someone into a fiery furnace, but our anger heats up when we don’t get our own way. We seek worship in more subtle ways. We exaggerate on our résumé, put down others behind their back, and tell white lies to hide the gray areas of our lives. If you don’t find your identity and security in what Christ has accomplished for you on the cross, you’ll hide your insecurities behind your hypocrisy. You’ll try to fight your own battles, create your own opportunities, and establish your own reputation. Two Scriptures define the fall of King Saul: (1) “Then Saul built an altar to the Lord” (1 Samuel 14:35 NLT). (2) “Saul…set up a monument to himself” (1 Samuel 15:12 NLT). And Samuel saw right through the smoke screen: “Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel?” (1 Samuel 15:17 NLT). You know who builds monuments to themselves? Those who think little of themselves! And the more insecure a person is, the more monuments they need to build. There’s a fine line between “Thy kingdom come” and “My kingdom come.” If you cross that line, your relationship with God is self-serving. You aren’t serving Him, you are using Him. You aren’t building altars to God; you’re building monuments to yourself. And that’s idolatry.
Soul food: Amos 1:1-5:17; Mark 13:12-23; Ps 82; Prov 14:5-8
2018-06-01
Daniel 2:49 NIV
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew if they refused to bow down to the ninety-foot-tall statue of King Nebuchadnezzar, they would be executed. But they made a defining decision to stand up for what was right, rather than bow down to what was wrong. Most of us could have come up with a dozen rationalizations: “I’m bowing down on the outside, but I’m standing up on the inside,” or “I’ll ask for forgiveness right after I get back up,” or “What good am I to God if I’m dead?” But it’s our rationalizations that often annul His revelations. When we compromise our integrity, we don’t leave room for divine intervention. When we take matters into our own hands, we take God out of the equation. When we try to manipulate a situation, we miss out on the miracle. If Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had compromised their integrity and bowed to the statue, they may still have been delivered from the fiery furnace – but it would have been by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, not God. And it would have been from, not through. They would have forfeited their testimony by failing the test. And while they would have saved their lives, they would have sacrificed their integrity. It was their integrity that triggered the miracle. It was their integrity that allowed God to show up and show off. Their integrity paid off: “Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon” (Daniel 3:30 NIV). Bottom line: When you do the right thing, God will do the right thing by you!
Soul food: Lam 3:40-5:22; Mark 13:1-11; Ps 113; Prov 14:1-4
2018-05-31
Acts 27:20 NIV
There are times when God seems inaccessible. When you pray, you feel abandoned in your present circumstances. And not just abandoned, but terrified and even hopeless. Paul understood that feeling. He’d longed for an opportunity to preach in Rome, and was on his way there when a hurricane destroyed his ship. Paul not only foresaw the loss of the ship, its crew and cargo, but “our own lives also” (v. 10 NIV). He tried to warn the crew of the impending tragedy, but his words were disregarded by those in charge. In short, Paul and 276 others were placed in a life-threatening position by the willful disregard of others, and there was nothing he could do about it. Feeling a sense of despair, he and his believing companions declared, “We finally gave up all hope of being saved!” Then after fourteen days lost at sea – when the hurricane was fiercest – God sent an angel. “Do not be afraid, Paul…God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you” (v. 24 NIV). When it looked like Paul’s consuming desire to preach in Rome would be thwarted, God faithfully piloted them through the storm to the exact destination He’d planned for them. Paul would go to Rome and declare God’s Word before Caesar! Are you caught in a storm? Whatever trial you’re facing today, know this one thing: You can trust God to carry you through it. He determines “the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10), so you will come out of this stronger and wiser.
Soul food: Lam 1:1-3:39; Mark 12:28-44; Ps 108; Prov 13:24-25
2018-05-30
Hebrews 6:1 NLT
We all get the same 168 hours in our week. But if the only time you devote to your spiritual growth is the time you spend in church on Sunday morning, you’ll never move beyond spiritual infancy. Think about it. An infant can’t feed itself; it chooses candy over carrots; it constantly falls down and has to be picked up; it keeps wandering off and getting into trouble; it’s basically self-centered and needs to be disciplined and trained. Are you getting the picture? The new birth is exciting, but it’s supposed to be your launching pad, not your crib. The Bible says, “Let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding.” Note the words “Let us.” That means it’s up to you! At some point you’ve got to say to yourself, “Starting today I’m going to do what it takes to grow up spiritually and discover God’s plan for my life.” One day at the end of World War I, General Louis Lyautey asked his gardener to plant a particular type of tree on his estate. The gardener informed him that the tree, being unusually slow to grow, would take nearly a century to reach maturity. “In that case,” the general replied, “there’s no time to lose. Plant it this afternoon!” Here’s a fail-safe plan for growing into spiritual maturity: “They delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do” (Psalm 1:2-3 NLT).
Soul food: Gal 4-6; Mark 12:13-27; Ps 101; Prov 13:20-23
