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
2018-03-17
Galatians 2:21 MSG
While grace doesn’t give anyone a license to live as they please, the judgmentalism that comes from insisting that others live by our standards has caused untold damage. Chuck Swindoll writes: “Legalism spreads a paralyzing venom…blinds our eyes, dulls our edge and arouses pride in our heart…love is overshadowed by a mental clipboard with a long checklist requiring others to measure up…soon friendship is fractured by a judgmental attitude and a critical look. And before you conclude that you’re not guilty, observe your reaction when you meet another believer who doesn’t think, act, or dress the way you do. Even when you think you’re sophisticated enough to disguise your real feelings, they come out in the ‘stony stare’ and the ‘holier than thou’ attitude.” Jesus said, “Don’t judge others, and God won’t judge you. Don’t be hard on others, and God won’t be hard on you. Forgive others, and God will forgive you” (Luke 6:37 CEV). A judgmental Christian acts as though blowing someone else’s light out will cause their light to shine brighter. But it’s not so. Paul writes, “If a…relationship with God could come by rule-keeping…Christ died unnecessarily.” You say, “But what if someone is getting off track, or sinning intentionally?” The Bible says, “If another believer is overcome by sin…humbly help that person back onto the right path…be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself” (Galatians 6:1 NLT). When you take it upon yourself to condemn others – you are denying them the same grace you may need before the day is over.
Soul food: 2 Kings 16:1-18:16; Matt 24:29-51; Ps 26; Prov 7:26-27
2018-03-16
Psalm 40:8 NKJV
Billy Graham’s wife, Ruth, wrote: “Tonight I sit on the porch, our old German Shepherd dog lying at my feet. Thunder rumbles in the distance. As the storm nears he tears into the front yard to meet it…furiously doing battle. As it passes he returns to the porch, convinced he has driven it away. He’s a German guard dog, carefully trained in search and rescue, attack and obedience. Search and rescue in these mountains can come in handy. I can’t imagine an occasion on which I’d give the order to attack. But a well-trained dog can sense hostility or spot a weapon (even what resembles a weapon), in which case it’s a wise person who freezes in his tracks. But it’s the obedience training that gives real joy. To stop, to sit, to lie down, to go away, to search, to stay, to heel. A disobedient dog is not only a headache, he can be a liability. Obedience makes a dog a joy. Is it less so with God and His children? There are some I know who’ve been trained in attack. We will not mention their names – you may know a few – but they’re skilled at it. Then there are those trained in search and rescue. (I put the Salvation Army in this group.) And there are those who’ve been trained in obedience. I think this more than anything else must give the Lord pleasure. Simple obedience; joyful, eager, unquestioning obedience. To be able to say with the Psalmist, ‘I delight to do Your will, O my God’ would be the height of training for the Christian. For this is what gives God the greatest pleasure.”
Soul food: 2 Kings 13-15; Matt 24:3-28; Ps 24; Prov 7:24-25
