2025-12-27
Romans 11:29 AMPC
If you’re questioning your calling, author Diane Paddison identifies two thought patterns that may be sabotaging your thinking.
(1) It’s all about you. Your calling isn’t about self-fulfillment; it’s about submission to God’s will for your life. Many people experience satisfaction from exercising their God-given gifts. But it’s a result of being in God’s will, not the goal. To discern God’s will, you must develop your relationship with Him through prayer and Bible study. You must also develop relationships with peers and mentors who will pray for you and speak truth into your life.
(2) If it’s uncomfortable, it can’t be your calling. Knowing what you’re meant to be doing is often just the start of a long, demanding journey. Some of the most successful people in history endured overwhelming failure in pursuit of their paths. Moses’ calling didn’t seem all that wonderful to him. His response? “Who am I that I should go?” He questioned God, but God responded, “I will be with you.” Still, Moses continued to question: “But what if they don’t believe me?” Even when God provided him with miraculous signs, they weren’t enough. He came back with, “But I’m slow of speech.”
Clearly Moses was called to a task God designed for him – and it didn’t feel good to him. Moses tried every way he knew to prove to God that He had the wrong man for the job. And when that didn’t work, he asked God to send someone else! (See Exodus 4). Can you relate? If so, keep this thought in mind: Discomfort doesn’t automatically mean you’re on the wrong path. The truth is discomfort usually precedes growth.
Soul food: 1 Cor 15-16; Matt 3:1-6; Ps 116; Prov 31:29
2025-12-26
Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV
Dr. Ernest Sachs wanted to make a difference in the world. And he did. Years ago most brain tumours were fatal. Sachs heard a surgeon predict that someday a cure would be discovered that could save all those lives, and he determined to be that surgeon. At the time, the leading expert on the anatomy of the brain was Sir Victor Horsley. Sachs received permission to study under him but felt he should prepare for the experience by studying for six months under some of the most able physicians in Germany.
Then he went to England, where for two years he assisted Dr. Horsley in long and intricate experiments on dozens of monkeys. When Sachs returned to America, he was ridiculed by the medical establishment for requesting the opportunity to treat brain tumours. For years he fought obstacles and discouragement, driven by a desire to succeed in his quest. And succeed he did! Today, largely thanks to Dr. Sachs, the majority of brain tumours can be cured. And his book Diagnosis and Treatment of Brain Tumours is considered the standard authority on the subject.
Just because something isn’t presently done doesn’t mean it can’t be done. And maybe you are the one to do it! And as a redeemed child of God, think of the advantage you have: “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” “For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6 NKJV). Use your faith, and believe God for great things.
Soul food: 1 Cor 12-14; Matt 2:13-23; Ps 139:13-24; Prov 31:28
2025-12-25
Luke 2:12 RSV
Arriving at church one Christmas morning, a pastor paused to admire the nativity scene. The figures, lovingly crafted, sat on a small stage… shepherds… wise men… animals… and in the centre, the Holy Family. Then he noticed the manger was empty; the baby Jesus was missing! After searching the church he called the associate pastor and the elders, but they knew nothing. The baby had obviously been stolen. Solemnly he reported the theft to his congregation, disappointed to think one of them might be involved. “If the baby is returned by the end of the day there’ll be no questions asked,” he said.
But the manger remained empty all day, and that afternoon, heavy-hearted and discouraged, the pastor took a walk through the wintry streets. Ahead he noticed six-year-old Tommy, bundled up against the cold, proudly dragging a bright red wagon. Knowing Tommy’s family struggled financially, the pastor was touched by their sacrifice and sped up so he could wish Tommy a merry Christmas and admire his shiny new wagon. As he approached, however, he noticed the wagon wasn’t empty – inside, wrapped and blanketed against the cold, lay the baby Jesus!
Solemnly the pastor crouched down beside Tommy. He was just a little boy, but old enough to know that stealing was wrong. The pastor made this crystal clear as the child listened; his eyes filled with what the pastor assumed were penitent tears. “But pastor,” the little boy replied, “I didn’t steal Jesus. It wasn’t like that at all. I’ve been asking Him for a red wagon for Christmas for ages – and I promised if I got one, I’d take Him on the first ride.”
Soul food: Isa 9:1-7; Matt 2:1-12; Micah 5:2-5a
2025-12-24
John 1:14 NIV
Here’s a great story from Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. It’s about a recovering alcoholic called Jim. It was his first Christmas alone, and when a young family sat down beside him in the pew he couldn’t handle it. As he was leaving the church he met Pastor Thomas Tedwell, who asked where he was going. “Out for a drink,” he replied. Tedwell said, “You can’t. Where’s your sponsor?” “On vacation,” replied Jim. “I came here tonight looking for a word of hope and ended up sitting beside this happy family. And if I had my life together, I’d be here with mine.”
As the pastor walked to the pulpit he prayed, “God, give me a word of hope for Jim.” Then after welcoming the congregation, he said, “I’ve an unusual request. If anyone here is a friend of Bill W’s, and if you are – you’ll know it, please meet me in the vestry. (Bill Wilson, better known as Bill W., cofounded Alcoholics Anonymous). Immediately people from all over the church began to respond. As Dr. Tedwell observed, “While I was busy preaching about the Incarnation, the Word was becoming flesh before my eyes!”
This Christmas some of the people around you are hurting; they’ve lost hope. So, “Let the word become flesh.” Lift the fallen, encourage the despairing, and minister to the sick, the lonely, and the forgotten. Jesus said, “When you did it to these my brothers you were doing it to me!” (Matthew 25:40 TLB) Instead of keeping to yourself this year, reach out to someone. Go ahead – it’ll be your best Christmas ever!
Soul food: 1 Cor 10-11; Matt 1:18-25; Ps 139:1-12; Prov 31:25-27
2025-12-23
Ephesians 2:4-6 NKJV
For many years Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse pastored Philadelphia’s Tenth Presbyterian Church. One Sunday morning a twelve-year-old boy in the balcony was transfixed after hearing him speak about the length and breadth and depth of God’s amazing grace. Barnhouse closed his sermon by summarizing many of the great promises from Scripture in one impressive sentence: “Our sins are forgiven, forgotten, cleansed, pardoned… covered… blotted out as a thick cloud, removed as far as the east is from the west… cast behind God’s back.” At the end of the service when Barnhouse went to the back to greet people, the boy approached him, tugged at his sleeve, and said, “Good sermon, Doc! We’re sure sittin’ pretty, aren’t we?”
That glorious phrase “in Christ” speaks to the redemptive miracle God performed for us through his Son (See Romans 8:1; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 15:22; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:6-13). The word “in” assures us that just as our natural birth positioned us in Adam, our forefather, at the new birth God deliberately and precisely positions us in Jesus, our Redeemer.
Think about it: “God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses… raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-6 NKJV). Note that we’re seated together in heavenly places in Christ, not beside Him. And it gets even better! We’re seated there so closely identified with Jesus that we’re inseparably and eternally one with Him! Now if that’s not sitting pretty, tell us what is!
Soul food: 1 Cor 7-9; Matt 1:17; Ps 97; Prov 31:22-24
2025-12-22
Ephesians 2:10 NLT
Psychologists say our self-worth is based upon what we believe the most important people in our lives think of us. For children, that would likely be their parents. For adults, that could be a spouse, a boss, a friend, or mentor. The problem is that people disappoint us. They can do things that bring us heartache and pain.
The key to really knowing and sustaining a true sense of self-worth is to let your heavenly Father be the most important person in your life. Form your sense of value on what He says about you. When you make mistakes, some people may criticize and make you feel overcome with guilt. But God says, “I have mercy for every mistake. Get up and go again. Your future is brighter than your past” (See vv. 4-10 NLT).
The Bible says that you are “God’s masterpiece.” A masterpiece is not mass-produced or created on an assembly line. It’s not average. It’s unique. It’s original. It’s custom made. It’s one of a kind. That’s how God sees you. And that’s how He wants you to begin seeing yourself. The psalmist put it this way: “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. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!” (Psalm 139:16-18 NLT).
Soul food: 1 Cor 4-6; Matt 1:12-16; Ps 117; Prov 31:18-21
