2017-12-13
Genesis 6:9 NKJV
What went through Noah’s mind when God told him to build a boat in the middle of dry land? Nobody had ever done it before. Yet the Bible says, “Noah did everything just as God commanded him” (v. 22 NIV). How did he do it? Answer: “Noah walked with God.” Walking takes place step by step. The trouble is, we want God to reveal the second step before we take the first step of faith. But until we take the first step, He won’t reveal the next step. We’ve got to be obedient to the measure of revelation He has given us, if we want more of it. That’s why we get stuck spiritually. We only want to follow Christ to the point of precedence – the place where we have been before – but no farther. We’re afraid of doing what we’ve never done before because it’s unfamiliar territory. So we leave unclaimed the new gifts, new anointings, and new dreams God wants to give us. You’ve got to push past the fear of the unknown. You’ve got to do something different. The African impala can jump ten feet high and thirty feet long, yet it can be contained in a small enclosure with four-foot-high walls. Why? Because it will not jump if it cannot see where it’s going to land. We have the same problem, don’t we? We want a money-back guarantee before we take a leap of faith, but that eliminates faith from the equation. We are called to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). So the word for you today is: Do what God has told you.
Soul food: Gen 50; Hag 1-2; John 19:1-17; Ps 18:1-29; Prov 26:24-27
2017-12-12
Hebrews 11:7 NIV
Noah built the ark because God commanded it. It’s what he was called to do in life. Sawing planks and hammering nails for him was an act of obedience. And when everything was said and done, it was the longest act of obedience recorded in Scripture. From start to finish, Noah’s one act of obedience took 43,800 days! And with each daily act of obedience, he glorified God. No matter what tool you use in your trade – a hammer, a keyboard, a mop, a football, a spreadsheet, a microphone, an espresso machine – using it is an act of obedience. It’s the mechanism whereby you worship God. It’s the way you do what you’re supposed to do. The Bible says, “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17 NIV). Stop putting yourself down and thinking what you do is not important. Remember the old proverb, “For want of a nail”? It goes like this: “For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the message was lost. For want of a message the battle was lost. For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.” In God’s eyes, small acts of obedience are big things. When you joyfully do little things like they are big things, then God will do big things like they are little things. That’s how His kingdom advances. So the word for you today is: Do what God has told you.
Soul food: Gen 47-49; John 18:25-40; Ps 105:8-22; Ecc 7:1-4
2017-12-11
Genesis 6:22 NIV
Noah’s ark measured 300 cubits in length, 50 cubits in width, and 30 cubits in height. A cubit is the equivalent of 17.5 inches. That means the ark was the length of one and a half football fields. The internal volume of the ark was 1,518,750 cubic feet – the equivalent of 569 train boxcars. If the average animal was the size of a sheep, it had capacity for 125,000 animals. To put that into perspective, there are 2,000 animals from 400 different species at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. That means you could fit sixty National Zoos on board Noah’s ark. And since it was the first boat ever built, it’s not like it came with an instruction manual. It was back-breaking work that required blood, sweat, and tears. And it took an incredible amount of faith to build the ark. Who builds a boat in the desert? Who hammers away for 120 years on something they might not even need? Who banks their entire future on something that has never happened before? According to Jewish tradition, Noah didn’t just start building the ark. He planted trees first. After they were fully grown, he cut down the trees, sawed them into planks, and built the boat. And here’s an interesting piece of information: Not until the late nineteenth century did a ship that size get constructed again. Yet that design ratio is still considered the golden mean for stability during storms at sea. Noah’s act of obedience literally changed the world. And obedience will change your world too, so do what God has told you.
Soul food: Gen 44-46; John 18:1-24; Ps 105:1-7; Ecc 5:13-16
2017-12-10
Zechariah 4:6 NLT
Zerubbabel was called to rebuild the temple. It was a huge undertaking, so God told him, “It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord…’Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way” (vv. 6-7 NLT). When God calls you, you need to know: (1) You may have to walk alone. When God uses you, people often assume you’re strong and don’t need anything. They don’t realize you’re just a regular person who’s half scared to death at times, and who’s more amazed by your success than they are. And when nobody stands with you or ministers to you, you become vulnerable to discouragement. (2) You need God’s help or you’re in trouble. Samson discovered this: “He awoke from his sleep and thought, ‘I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.’ But he did not know that the Lord had left him. Then the Philistines seized him” (Judges 16:20-21 NIV). God stepped back and let Samson see that it was the Lord doing it, and not himself. So you must live with a sense of dependence on God. (3) It’s God’s power, not yours, that makes the difference. If you’re waiting for God to give you exceptional equipment before you decide to get into the fight, you’re not going to experience victory. God’s “strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). The way you know you’re truly anointed is when God takes substandard equipment and performs supernatural feats. And that only happens when you say, “Lord, I don’t see how You could do this through me, but I’m trusting You to.” That’s when He gets involved!
Soul food: 1 Kings 17:17-24; Mark 5:21-43; John 11:1-45
2017-12-09
Matthew 23:5 NKJV
Here’s a working definition of the word hypocrisy: “to be seen by men.” Jesus had a no-tolerance policy when it came to hypocrisy. Why? Because He knew it turns people against God. Instead, He taught: (1) Expect no credit for your good deeds. None. If no one notices, you aren’t disappointed. If someone does, you give the credit to God. Stop and ask yourself this question: “If no one knew of the good I do, would I still do it?” If not, you’re doing it “to be seen” by people. (2) Give your financial gifts in secret. Money stirs the phony within us. We like to be seen earning it. And we like to be seen giving it. So Jesus said, “When you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matthew 6:3 NLT). (3) Don’t fake your spirituality. When you go to church, don’t select a seat just to be seen, or sing just to be heard. If you raise your hands in worship, raise holy ones, not showy ones. When you talk, don’t doctor your vocabulary with trendy religious terms. Nothing nauseates more than a fake “Praise the Lord,” or a shallow “Hallelujah,” or an insincere “Glory be to God.” Ever watch children in a playground shouting, “Watch me!” That’s acceptable because they’re still immature, but it’s not acceptable in God’s kingdom. Silence the trumpets. Cancel the parade. Enough with the name-dropping. If accolades come, politely deflect them before you believe them. Slay the desire to be noticed. Stir the desire to serve God. In other words, don’t be a hypocrite!
Soul food: Gen 42-43; John 17:1-26; Ps 95; Ecc 5:10-12
2017-12-08
Proverbs 14:23 NIV
In the book of Proverbs, Solomon uses the word sluggard no less than seventeen times. A sluggard isn’t a person who would work but can’t find a job; a sluggard is a person who could work but won’t. The story is told of a fellow who applied for assistance at the welfare office. The official asked, “Why do you need financial aid?” He replied, “Because I’m having trouble with my eyes.” The official asked, “What’s the nature of your eye trouble?” The man replied, “I just can’t see myself going to work every day.” And every sluggard has eye trouble. Or it doesn’t bother him as long as somebody else is doing the work. President Theodore Roosevelt was right when he said: “Extend pity to no man because he has to work. If he’s worth his salt, he’ll work. I envy the man who has work worth doing, and does it well…far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” Somehow we’ve lost the spirit, if not the letter of President Roosevelt’s thinking. Ask any employer and they will tell you that someone who’ll work, work hard, do the job right, and finish the task, is getting harder to find. God’s not against leisure. A worker who’s rested and refreshed will be a better worker. Solomon’s contrast in the book of Proverbs is between labour and laziness. Parent, one of the best things you can do for your children is to pass on to them a strong work ethic, and set them up to succeed in life.
Soul food: Gen 40-41; John 16:16-33; Ps 148:7-14; Ecc 5:4-6
