2018-07-14
1 Corinthians 15:57 NIV
What seems like a setback is often a setup for a comeback! There’s no greater illustration of this than Good Friday. On the Saturday between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, it seemed all was lost. But it’s not over until God says it’s over! The greatest spiritual victory in history was won on the heels of its seemingly greatest defeat. All was lost, but not for long. Three days after His crucifixion, Jesus walked out of His tomb. And as a redeemed child of God, that same power lives in you today. “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11 NKJV). In God’s kingdom failure is never final. Not if you believe in the resurrection! You won’t win every spiritual battle, but the war has been decisively won. The victory was sealed two thousand years ago when Jesus broke the seal of His tomb. It was the deathblow to death itself. Paul writes, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (v. 37 NKJV). Today you are more than a conqueror (in all these things) because of what Christ accomplished for you. Yes, you’ll experience setbacks. But remember this: Without a crucifixion there can be no resurrection. So when you have a setback, don’t take a step back, because God is preparing your comeback.
Soul food: 2 Sam 3:22-7:17; Luke 7:1-10; Ps 109:16-31; Prov 18:1-3
2018-07-13
Genesis 39:3 NIV
The second credential you need when it comes to getting people to listen to you is: Success. Credibility doesn’t come from knowledge alone; it comes from results. When people want to succeed, they seek advice from those who have actually accomplished something. When you’re successful, there will always be those who want to listen to you. And if you have a proven track record in an area where they want to succeed, your credibility goes through the roof. So what does it take to be a success? Many different things. Here are a few: (1) Habits. Everybody wants to succeed, but few are willing to pay the price. You don’t determine your future; you determine your habits and your habits determine your future. The secret lies in your daily routine. To succeed you must make a habit of doing what those who are unsuccessful don’t do. (2) Opportunity. A successful person makes hay from the grass that grows under the other person’s feet! They don’t restrict their efforts to the hours when the sun shines. They recognize that success takes aspiration, inspiration, and perspiration. (3) Persistence. Success means getting back up each time you fall. Scientist and inventor Louis Pasteur said, “Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity.” (4) God. Abraham Lincoln said, “I believe the will of God prevails; without Him all human reliance is vain; without the assistance of that divine being I cannot succeed; with that assistance I cannot fail.” God gave “Joseph …success in everything he did,” and He wants to do the same for you!
Soul food: 2 Sam 1:1-3:21; Luke 6:37-49; Ps 109:1-15; Prov 17:27-28
2018-07-12
Mark 12:37 NKJV
The Bible says concerning Jesus: “The common people heard Him gladly.” Why? Because His words were backed by these all-important things: His character, His conduct, and His concern for others. In short, Jesus earned the right to speak. Have you? Getting people to listen calls for: Insight. When what you say truly helps somebody, you form a connection. Benjamin Franklin, one of the most admired figures in American history and known for his homespun wisdom, had a remarkable career. Interestingly, he had little formal education. He attended school for only two years, yet he was highly respected because of his knowledge and keen insight. A voracious reader and an intellectually curious man, he became expert in a remarkable number of areas: printing and publishing, politics, civic activism, the sciences, and diplomacy. He was an innovative inventor who secured the support of France during the Revolutionary War, founded the first public library in America, served as the first president of the American Philosophical Society, and helped draft the Declaration of Independence. Biographer Walter Isaacson called Franklin “the most accomplished American of his age and the most influential in inventing the type of society America would become.” People felt a sense of connection when Franklin shared his wisdom. Here’s how this applies to you. When you love people, work hard, study, develop and share your expertise in a given area, they will learn to respect and listen to you. And when it comes to listening, you don’t get what you demand, you get what you earn.
Soul food: Eph 4:17-6:24; Luke 6:27-36; Ps 79; Prov 17:24-26
2018-07-11
1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT
There’s a legend about a covey of quail that lived in a forest. The birds were happy there except for their enemy, the quail catcher. He would imitate their call, and then when they gathered together he’d throw a net over them, stuff them into his hunting basket, and carry them off to market. Finally a wise old quail said, “Brothers and sisters, I have a plan. When the quail catcher throws his net over us, we should all put our heads into a section of the net together and start flapping our wings. That way we can lift it as one and fly off with it.” The birds all agreed, and the next day they did exactly that, making a successful escape. When the quail-catcher’s wife asked him, “Where are the quail to take to market?” he replied, “When they all got together there was no stopping them!” Writing to the Corinthian church, the apostle Paul said, “Some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels” (v. 11 NLT). Then he went on to say, “Live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions…Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.” Success in any venture calls for the death of individual ego and self-interest. So when a mistake is made, refuse to place blame. Be forgiving, and don’t allow an offense to develop into bitterness. Offer praise for other team members’ strengths, and offer help in their areas of weakness. Be conscientious and dependable and stay focused on the bigger goal. When we learn to work together there’s no stopping us!
Soul food: Eph 1:1-4:16; Luke 6:17-26; Ps 137; Prov 17:22-23
2018-07-10
2 https://www.bible.com/bible/1/2CO.5.17.kjvCorinthians 5:17 KJV
Nothing in history compares to what has been accomplished by Christian missionaries. Over one hundred years ago, a writer returning from a trip around the world discovered that missions and missionaries were being bombarded with criticism in the London newspapers. So he wrote a letter to the papers defending missions. In it he said that the transformation of wild savages in the isles of the South Seas was something to behold, and that to make light of this was a heinous crime: “In a voyager, to forget these things is base ineptitude; for should he chance to be at the point of shipwreck on some unknown coast, he will most devoutly pray that the lesson of the missionary may have preceded him.” The author of that letter was none other than Charles Darwin. And after his return from his around-the-world trip he was transformed. Consider the Papuans, one of the aboriginal tribes of New Guinea. Missionaries from Holland began to work with them, and in 1860, the first fruits of the New Holland Mission were seen when a man named Nathaniel Pepper, one of the aborigines, accepted Christ. Some years later, when thousands had been converted, the Papuan school won first prize in academic competitions among the twelve hundred colonial schools in New Holland. Quite a feat! Skeptics may have built a few leprosariums, hospitals and orphanages, but by far it’s been the followers of Jesus Christ who have made the greatest impact on this world.
Soul food: 1 Sam 27-31; Luke 6:1-16; Ps 122; Prov 17:18-21
2018-07-09
Philemon 1:15-16 KJV
What finally brought about an end to slavery? The gospel of Jesus Christ. Note the small letter Paul wrote to Philemon. A runaway slave was thrown into a Roman prison along with Paul, and Paul converted him to Christ. And when the slave was released, Paul sent him back to his owner, Philemon. The custom at that time was to kill escaped slaves after they’d been recaptured. But now Philemon had also become a Christian, another convert of the apostle Paul, who instructed him to “receive him…not…as a servant, but above a servant, a brother.” And in that new brotherhood slavery found its death knell. Now, fast forward to the days of William Wilberforce, who was convicted of his sin and converted under the preaching of John Wesley. Wilberforce, a slight, hunch-backed man, became one of the most powerful members of Parliament. Consumed by the gospel and the freedom that Christ offered, Wilberforce devoted all his energies and eloquence to overthrowing the obnoxious African slave trade. And his success in abolishing it throughout the British Empire led to agitation for similar action in the United States. In fact, it was through the proclamations that thundered from pulpits throughout the northern states that abolitionist parties came into being and succeeded in destroying slavery once and for all. So it was through the church that slavery was eradicated. Jesus came “to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives” (Luke 4:18 NKJV). Are you a member of Christ’s redeemed church? If not, you can sign up today!
Soul food: 1 Sam 24-26; Luke 5:27-39; Ps 110; Prov 17:15-17
