2018-03-11
Psalm 51:6 NKJV
The Bible says, ‘…Nor was any deceit in [Christ’s] mouth’ (Isaiah 53:9 NIV). And if God has His way with us, none will be found in ours either. God doesn’t seek to minimise our deception, but to eliminate it altogether. He is blunt about dishonesty. ‘No one who is dishonest will live in my house…’ (Psalms 101:7 NCV). Paul lists the types of people who will not inherit the kingdom of God – those who sin sexually, worship idols, get drunk, rob people, and – lie about others (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). ‘You mean my fibbing and flattering stir the same heavenly anger as adultery and aggravated assault?’ Apparently so. God views fudging on income tax in the same way as He views kneeling before idols. ‘The Lord hates those who tell lies but is pleased with those who keep their promises’ (Proverbs 12:22 NCV). Why the tough stance? Because dishonesty is absolutely contrary to the character of God (Hebrews 6:18). It’s not that God won’t lie, or has chosen not to lie, but that He cannot lie. A dog can’t fly, a bird can’t bark, and God can’t lie. When He makes a covenant, He keeps it. When He makes a statement, He means it. When He proclaims the truth, we can believe it. Even, ‘If we are not faithful, [God] remains faithful, because He cannot be false to Himself’ (2 Timothy 2:13 GNT). With God, the truth is not a gray area, it’s black and white. So if you’re serious about walking with Him and pleasing Him, you must commit to ‘the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.’
Soul food: Exo 20:17; 2 Kings 5:1-27; Ecc 5:10; Luke 12:13-34
2018-03-10
Acts 6:4 NKJV
In Disciplines of a Godly Man, pastor and author R. Kent Hughes says: “Jay Sidlow Baxter once shared a page from his own personal diary with a group of pastors who had inquired about the discipline of prayer. He began telling how…he entered the ministry determined he would be a real man of prayer. However, it wasn’t long before his increasing responsibilities, administrative duties, and the subtle subterfuges of pastoral life began to crowd prayer out. Moreover, he began to get used to it, making excuses for himself. Then one morning it all came to a head as he stood over his work-strewn desk and looked at his watch. The voice of the Spirit was calling him to pray. At the same time another velvety voice was telling him to be practical and get his letters answered, and that he ought to face the fact that he wasn’t one of the ‘spiritual sort’ – only a few people could be like that. ‘That last remark,’ says Baxter, ‘hurt like a dagger blade. I couldn’t bear to think it was true.’ He was horrified by his ability to rationalize away the very ground of his ministerial vitality and power.” Understand this: Minutes invested in prayer will give you a greater return than hours spent in ceaseless activity. The New Testament apostles understood that. As the church grew bigger and they became busier, they made a life-changing decision: “We will give ourselves continually to prayer and…the word.” As a result the church grew and multiplied. So make prayer a priority!
Soul food: 2 Kings 1:1-4:17; Matt 22:15-33; Ps 106:24-48; Prov 7:3-5
2018-03-09
2 Samuel 24:24 NLT
Instead of trusting God for victory over his enemies, David decided of his own volition to count the number of troops in his army to see how strong he was. God considered it “a slap in the face,” and a plague hit Israel that wiped out seventy thousand people. In order to stop the plague, David was told: “Build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite” (v.18 NLT). When Araunah realized what was happening, he offered his threshing floor and oxen to David free of charge. But David said: “‘No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.’ So David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen. David built an altar there to the Lord and sacrificed the burnt offerings and peace offerings. And the Lord answered his prayer…and the plague on Israel was stopped” (vv. 24-25 NLT). The old Anglo-Saxon word for worship is worth-ship, which is the act of ascribing worth or value to a person or object. What’s the point? It’s this: When it comes to serving God, if it doesn’t cost – it doesn’t count! God knows we can’t all give the same amount. But what He’s asking for isn’t equal giving, but equal sacrifice! The Bible says, “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything” (Proverbs 3:9 NLT). So whether you’re worshiping, serving, or giving, make sure you’re giving God your best.
Soul food: Rev 19-22; Matt 22:1-14; Ps 106:1-23; Prov 7:1-2
2018-03-08
1 Corinthians 6:20 NLT
Unless you get into better shape physically, you may go to heaven sooner than you planned. The Bible says, “Honor God with your body.” How do you do that? (1) Change your diet. Many of us eat for the wrong reasons – like stress, boredom, fatigue, anger, depression, and low self-esteem. Try to get to the root of your problem. Insufficient fruit, vegetables, and fiber, and too much fast food can wreak havoc with your health. Practice self-control. “Those who belong to Christ…have given up their old selfish feelings and…things they wanted to do” (Galatians 5:24 NCV). (2) Start exercising. The secret is to start slowly. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park your car and walk, play ball with your kids instead of watching TV. God designed your body to move, and that doesn’t mean strolling from your car to your desk every morning. Exercising three times a week for thirty minutes will reduce your blood pressure and stress, and boost your sense of well-being. Come on, get with it! (3) Go to bed earlier. Pastor Tony Jenkins consulted his doctor about his wife’s snoring. “Does it really bother you that much?” the doctor asked. “It’s not just me,” Jenkins replied. “It’s bothering the whole congregation!” Seriously, you require eight hours of shut-eye. You can probably get by on less, but do you want to just “get by”? The Psalmist said, “It is no use…to get up early and stay up late…The Lord gives sleep to those he loves” (Psalm 127:2 NCV). So turn off the TV and the computer and turn in at a reasonable hour. The word for you today is: Take better care of your body!
Soul food: Rev 15-18; Matt 21:33-46; Ps 136:13-26; Prov 6:32-35
2018-03-07
Proverbs 18:8 NKJV
The doodlebug lives at the bottom of a little cone-shaped hole that he burrows in the sand. He gets down as low as possible so he’s always looking up at everything else. When the ant comes around and gets on the side of this carefully prepared cone, the doodlebug feels a few grains of sand slide down, which signals him that “food” is up there. At that point he begins to throw dirt on his victim. What he’s trying to do is drag the ant down to his level. And that’s what we do when we gossip. We throw dirt on others, hoping to bring them down to our level. It’s why Solomon warned: “The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, and they go down into the inmost body.” The ear craves gossip like a hungry stomach craves food. Solomon goes on to give this warning: “He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips” (Proverbs 20:19 NKJV). So if you have gossipy lips or greedy ears, God says, “Don’t do it!” Here’s something you may not have considered: While you can never be known and judged by what others say about you, you can be known and judged by what you say about them. In most cases it’s illegal to steal or receive stolen goods. That’s why the apostle Paul admonished, “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses” (1 Timothy 5:19 NKJV). And one more thought: A gossip must always have an accomplice to commit the crime. So the word for you today is: Don’t receive or repeat gossip.
Soul food: Rev 10-14; Matt 21:18-32; Ps 136:1-12; Prov 6:30-31
2018-03-06
Galatians 5:16 GNT
Depend on Christ’s power to help you. “Let the Spirit direct your lives, and you will not satisfy the desires of the human nature.” The sequence in this Scripture is very important. “Let the Spirit direct your life” – that’s the first part – “and you will not satisfy the desires of the human nature.” Notice, it doesn’t say you won’t have those desires. Spirit-filled people still experience the desires of the flesh, it’s just that they won’t satisfy them. We usually get the sequence backwards. We say, “I’m not good enough to have God’s Spirit in my life. Once I get my act together, then I’m going to let the Holy Spirit control my life.” God doesn’t say, “Get your act together and then I will help you.” He says, “Let my Holy Spirit control you while you are still struggling with the problem. I will help you change.” The sequence makes all the difference. You wouldn’t say, “I’m going to get well first, then I’m going to go see the doctor.” That’s absurd! You need Christ in your life now! He has the power to help you change. You say, “But I enjoy doing what I do.” That’s because there are “pleasures of sin for a season” (Hebrews 11:25 KJV). None of us would sin if it immediately made us miserable. Don’t look for God to nullify the appeal of sin; ask Him for the power to overcome its appeal. “For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey him, and then helping you do what he wants” (Philippians 2:13 TLB). You’ll receive the desire and the power to do what’s right.
Soul food: Rev 5-9; Matt 21:1-17; Ps 77; Prov 6:29
