2018-03-23
Psalm 46:1-2 CEV
One day a woman was driving through the countryside when she saw a tornado approaching, so she hid behind her car and watched as it demolished a nearby house. Running over to what was now a hole in the ground, she saw a man hunkered down with his eyes closed. “Are you okay? Is there anybody down there with you?” she asked. “No,” he replied. “Just me and God having an urgent conversation!” Nothing fuels prayer like real need; in a crisis even unbelievers will pray. There are some issues in life we simply can’t resolve on our own, hence the Psalmist wrote, “When I am in trouble, I pray, knowing you…listen” (Psalm 86:7 CEV). Sometimes our prayers are simply cries for help meant for God’s ears only. When you’re out of options, your faith develops fast and emergencies become opportunities to experience God’s grace and power in a greater way. So if you’re in an S.O.S. situation today, here’s a prayer God will answer: “Father, it feels like I’m in an impossible position with no way out. Let me feel Your presence and the encouragement of Your Spirit, reminding me that with You all things are possible to those who believe. Send the answer from heaven to my earthly situation. From where I stand, things look hopeless. But You are the God who created the earth from nothing, and rolled back the Red Sea so Your children could cross over safely. You made the blind to see, the lame to walk, and the deaf to hear. Today I thank You that You’re my God, and that You are ‘always ready to help in times of trouble.'”
Soul food: Hos 6-10; Matt 26:47-56; Ps 116:12-19; Prov 8:10-13
2018-03-22
Proverbs 15:15 NLT
The story’s told of a wise old man. Every day he and his granddaughter would sit outside his gas station in rocking chairs, waiting to greet tourists as they passed through their small town. One day a tall man with the appearance of a tourist started looking around like he was checking out the area for a place to live. “So what kind of town is this anyway?” he asked. The old man replied, “Well, what kind of town are you from?” The man replied, “One where the people are critical of each other. It’s a real negative place to live.” The old man said, “You know, that’s just how this town is too.” Later, a family passing through also stopped for gas. The father stepped out and asked the old man, “Is this town a good place to live?” “Well, what about the town you’re from?” he replied. The man said, “Where I’m from everyone’s close, and always willing to lend a helping hand. I really hate to leave it.” The old man smiled and said, “You know what, that’s a lot like this town.” After the family drove off, the old man’s granddaughter looked up and asked, “Grandpa, how come you told the first man this was a terrible place to live, and when the second family asked, you told them it was a wonderful place to live?” The old man looked into her big blue eyes and said, “Sweetheart, no matter where you go, you take your attitude with you – and that’s what makes it terrible or wonderful.” Yes, life is what you make it! Which is why the Bible says, “For the happy heart, life is a continual feast.”
Soul food: Hos 1-5; Matt 26:26-46; Ps 116:1-11; Prov 8:8-9
2018-03-21
Acts 3:3 NKJV
Peter and John were willing to let the lame man at the temple gate interrupt their plans, and maybe make them late for “the hour of prayer” – which raises an important point. Is it possible to be so busy with religious activities that you don’t take time for people who are hurting? Selfishness is one of the easiest sins to commit, because when you’re busy, you’re unaware of committing it. Paul describes Jesus as “the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). It seems counterintuitive, but Jesus taught that we’re more blessed when we give than when we receive. Giving fuels us; withholding drains us. Giving requires energy, and that’s not always easy, especially in stressful situations. Motivational speaker Trudy Metzger, who had an abusive childhood, became a giver in adulthood. However, she still finds it difficult to maintain the mind-set of a giver when dealing with some of the people from her past. She admits to becoming defensive and trying to control the situation if she feels vulnerable. And when that happens, she goes from being a giver to being a taker. She writes: “While giving requires energy, I have to say that the situations where I become a taker leave me completely drained and ‘dead’ inside. To be a giver brings life – like watering a plant so that it grows – but to be a taker is like sucking the water and the nutrients from the soil, leaving both the plant and the soil depleted and useless.” Being a giver is a win-win. It helps others, plus it energizes and fills you with joy.
Soul food: 2 Kings 24-25; Matt 26:1-25; Ps 19; Prov 8:6-7
2018-03-20
Acts 3:5 NKJV
You can’t help someone until they’re ready. That calls for knowing the difference between those who are looking for solutions, and those who may just be looking for sympathy. Before the lame man at the temple gate received his healing, “he gave [Peter and John] his attention, expecting to receive something from them.” Note two important words: (1) “Attention.” Have you got the other person’s attention? Are they really hearing what you say, or are they so blinded by circumstances and emotion that they can’t see a way out, even though you’re clearly pointing them to it? (2) “Expecting.” The most effective thing you can do to help somebody is to build their faith. And that takes patience. One leader writes frankly about his problem with impatience when working with others: “Early in my career I wanted to do things as quickly as possible and move on to the next thing. If someone didn’t want to move at my speed, I breezed right past him or her. But that leadership style hindered my ability to connect with others, and my relationships suffered. The good news was that I moved fast. The bad news was that I often moved alone. Moving at the speed of another person can be exhausting. It obviously takes energy to keep up with someone who’s moving faster than we are. But isn’t it also tiring to move at a slower pace than we want to?…I find it very frustrating. It tries my patience. However, if I want to connect with people, I have to be willing to slow down and go at someone else’s pace.” And to help people, you must be willing to do the same.
Soul food: 2 Kings 21-23; Matt 25:24-46; Ps 11; Prov 8:4-5
2018-03-19
Acts 3:6 NKJV
Notice two things in this story. First: It’s important to know what you have and don’t have. “Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you.'” You must become comfortable in your own skin and confident in your calling. Paul writes: “Let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without…trying to be something we aren’t. If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face. Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it” (Romans 12:6-9 TM). Second: Learn to recognize the difference between what people want and what they truly need. Sometimes they need to be strengthened; other times they need to be stretched. Sometimes they need comfort, not correction; other times they need correction, not comfort. This lame man didn’t need a handout – he needed a hand up. And that’s what Peter gave him. “He took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength” (Acts 3:7 NKJV). So in order to help people you must love them, recognize what they need, know what you have to offer, and connect with them at the point of their need.
Soul food: 2 Kings 18:17-20:21; Matt 25:1-23; Ps 115; Prov 8:1-3
2018-03-18
Acts 3:1 NKJV
The Bible says: “Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer…And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple…to ask alms from those who entered…who, seeing Peter and John…asked for alms…Peter said, ‘Look at us.’ So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.’ And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength” (vv. 1-7 NKJV). Notice two things: (1) Miracles happen in ordinary moments. This man was probably no stranger to Peter and John; they walked past him daily. But this day was different. Peter said, “Look at us. We have the answer you need.” Supernatural faith rose up in Peter’s heart, causing him to see an opportunity to glorify God, and he seized it. (2) You must be prepared when your moment comes. You can’t give what you don’t have. You can’t tell what you don’t know. You can’t share what you don’t feel. You can’t give out of a vacuum. The fact is, nothing great is created suddenly; it takes time. Three and a half years of walking with Christ, listening to His messages, and seeing His miracles had prepared the apostles for this moment. So had the ten days they’d just spent in the upper room being filled with the Holy Spirit. So the word for you today is: To help people, you must be prepared!
Soul food: Gal 5:22; 1 Cor 13; Eph 3:14-21; John 15:1-17
