2018-01-17
Hebrews 11:32 NKJV
Samson and Samuel are mentioned in the same Scripture, but there are big differences between them. You ask, “Why should I be interested?” Because as a Christian, you are like them. Each had a miraculous birth, so they’re a picture of those who’ve been born again and called to serve God. Paul writes, “These things happened to them as examples, and they were written down for our admonition…Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:11-12 NKJV). Difference one: Finances. Samson was greedy and manipulating, whereas Samuel practiced integrity. One day Samson bet thirty Philistine princes that they couldn’t solve his riddle, saying, “If you cannot explain it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing” (Judges 14:13 NKJV). Quite a wardrobe, eh? Samson’s emphasis was “you shall give me.” He’s an example of Christians in business who discredit the cause of Christ by unethical practices, and those in ministry who twist the Scriptures and resort to emotional manipulation to raise money. The world is watching, so let’s heed the Scripture: “Provide things honest in the sight of all men” (Romans 12:17 KJV). Samuel was totally different. After forty years of his exemplary leadership, the people paid this tribute to him: “You have not cheated or oppressed us” (1 Samuel 12:4 NKJV). When others can say that about you, you did it right! Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21 KJV). The condition of your heart is revealed in how you handle finances.
Soul food: Phil 1-4; Matt 8:1-9; Ps 79; Prov 2:9-10
2018-01-16
Exodus 24:4 NKJV
One of the secrets of Moses’ great success in life was this: He spent time each day with God, and he wrote down what God told him. And you should do that too. Here’s why. Writing (a) clarifies your thoughts; (b) gives you a permanent record you can refer back to; (c) allows you to measure your progress. We only remember what we take time to record. One of the best known American missionaries was Jim Elliot, who became a martyr for Christ in 1956 in Ecuador. He kept a spiritual journal, and it makes interesting reading: “My devotional reading pattern was broken. I have never restored it…prayer as a single man was difficult…now it’s too hard to get out of bed in the morning…I’ve made resolutions on this score before now, but not followed them up.” Such writings become a mirror that reflects your true spiritual condition – a condition it’s easy to forget unless it’s staring you in the face each day. Elliot, like all of us, struggled with the spiritual disciplines. But unlike most of us, he kept a written record of his spiritual defeats as well as his spiritual victories. Keeping such a journal will force you to reflect on your heart’s true condition, record your progress, regain your lost momentum, reject your bad habits, reinforce your good habits, and help you to reach your spiritual goals. Do you know any other discipline that offers such benefits? No? Then start a journal of your spiritual journey today.
Soul food: Lev 26-27; Matt 7:15-29; Ps 74:12-23; Prov 2:7-8
2018-01-15
Proverbs 3:9 NKJV
Solomon writes: “Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine” (vv. 9-10 NKJV). The people who heard these words lived off their land and their livestock. Whenever they reaped a harvest or birthed new cattle, they’d take the first sheaf or the firstborn calf to the temple and offer it to the Lord. These were called “firstfruits.” By doing this they acknowledged that “everything I have comes from God, and belongs to God. And everything I’ll need for the future depends upon God’s goodness to me.” There’s not a more important money management principle you’ll ever hear than this: Give God your “firstfruits,” not your leftovers! Businessman Arthur DeMoss was a spiritual giant and benefactor who gave millions to God’s work and left behind a foundation to carry on his legacy. Mr. DeMoss said that to be successful you should give God the first dime out of every dollar, the first hour out of every day, and the first day out of every week. And that’s a formula for success in life that can’t be improved on. You ask, “Does that mean God won’t love me if I don’t tithe?” No; you can’t do anything to earn God’s love, but you must do certain things to walk in His blessing each day. And one of them is giving Him the first tenth of your income. When you do that, agriculturally speaking, “Your barns will be filled with plenty.”
Soul food: Lev 23:26-25:55; Matt 7:1-14; Ps 74:1-11; Prov 2:6
2018-01-14
Proverbs 10:4 NKJV
The word diligent means “to cut or sharpen.” It describes a worker who’s sharp, decisive, and keen. He or she wants to work, make a difference, and contribute to their families and to society. Life “owes” you nothing except an opportunity to succeed. And you’ll have to work for that success. One day two teens were talking when one said to the other, “I’m really worried. Dad slaves away at his job so I’ll never want for anything. He pays all my bills and sends me to college. Mom slaves every day washing, ironing, cleaning up after me, and even takes care of me when I’m sick.” Puzzled, his friend asked, “So, what’re you worried about?” He replied, “I’m worried the slaves might escape!” If you’re a parent, teach your children the virtue of diligence. And don’t just preach it – live it! You’ll know you’re succeeding when they no longer feel “entitled” to an allowance, and stop seeing you as a human ATM machine with the words “Give me!” stamped on your forehead. Your children will spend over half the waking hours of their prime adult lives working, and they need to know that it was God’s idea and not a form of punishment. Some people think work was the result of the curse in Eden, but it wasn’t. God gave Adam the job of tending the garden before sin came on the scene (See Genesis 2:15). Jesus was a carpenter (See Mark 6:3). And Paul, one of the greatest Christians in history, was a tentmaker (See Acts 18:1-3). There’s nothing dishonorable about work worth doing, and work done well.
Soul food: Exo 20:4-6; Deut 7:17-8:2; Isa 40:18-31; Col 3:5-10
2018-01-13
Proverbs 10:22 AMPC
When the famous publisher William Randolph Hearst read about a certain painting, he became very interested in acquiring it for his collection. He sent people all over the world to search for it, but they couldn’t find it anywhere. A year later, out of the blue, one of his employees came to him and told him that the painting had been found. Excited about the discovery, Hearst asked where it had been all this time. His employee said, “It was in your basement. You owned it all the time.” The problem was, Hearst had never read the ledger that had the record of everything he owned. Your Bible is a ledger filled with blessings God wants you to experience. Now, none of these blessings are greater than salvation, but it’s not the only blessing. “The blessing of the Lord – it makes [truly] rich, and He adds no sorrow with it [neither does toiling increase it].” John D. Rockefeller once said he’d exchange his fortune for a chance to go back and work as a clerk in his old Cleveland, Ohio, office. Why? Because he suffered bouts of insomnia, ulcers, and depression. The blessing of God brings success – without stress! God tells you about it in His Word. He wants you to be “rich” in your relationships, in your health, in your peace of mind, in your career, and in everything that concerns you. So get to know what God has promised you, then begin praying and believing Him for it.
Soul food: Lev 21:1-23:25; Matt 6:19-34; Ps 71:17-24; Prov 2:3-5
2018-01-12
2 Corinthians 5:16 NLT
If you tend to associate only with “your own kind,” think about this: “We have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view.” Jesus went miles out of His way to meet a Samaritan woman at a well. From a cultural and religious point of view, it was a bad move. First, she’d been divorced five times so she had a tarnished reputation. Second, she was a Gentile. And in those days a Jew couldn’t drink water drawn by Gentiles or eat their food. Jewish physicians couldn’t attend to non-Jewish patients. Jews actually referred to Gentiles as “unclean,” believing that by mixing with them they too would become unclean. But Jesus was all about including people, not excluding them: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood” (John 1:14 TM). Jesus touched lepers, loved foreigners, and spent so much time with partygoers that religious leaders called him a “lush, a friend of the riffraff” (Matthew 11:19 TM). Jesus didn’t label people; He loved them. And when you follow Him, He puts His finger on your prejudices and makes you deal with them. That’s because He wants to change the way you look at people, not seeing them as Jews or Gentiles, insiders or outsiders, liberals or conservatives, etc. “We have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view.” Today you may come across some discarded people like the woman at the well. They may have been thrown out of church, or just turned off by the church. And you’ll have a chance to label them or love them. Honor God – and love them!
Soul food: Lev 18-20; Matt 6:9-18; Ps 71:1-16; Prov 2:1-2
