2017-11-28
1 Thessalonians 2:13 NKJV
Spiritually speaking, you may not be as far along as you’d like to be, but thank God you’re still on the road. At one time you were a stranger to God’s grace, but now you belong to “the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). Paul writes, “You received the word…which… effectively works in you who believe.” As long as you keep reading and believing God’s Word, it will keep working in you. Plus, you mature a lot faster when you learn to relax and start living by what God’s Word says about you, not how you feel. How you see yourself affects your spiritual progress profoundly. Until your self-concept lines up with what God says about you in Scripture, you’ll keep seeing yourself as unqualified and unworthy – and that will hinder your spiritual growth. When God told Jeremiah He’d called him as a prophet to the nations, Jeremiah informed God he was too young, wasn’t a good speaker, and didn’t have enough experience, etc. How did God respond? “Before I formed you…I knew [and] approved of you” (Jeremiah 1:5 AMP). So stop worrying about being rejected when you don’t perform perfectly. The world operates like that, but not God. Plus, if you were as perfect as you’d like to be, you wouldn’t need His grace. Like Jacob’s limp, sometimes God leaves things in us to remind us how much we need Him each day. So enjoy where you are right now and stop comparing yourself with other people. Don’t worry if they are farther along than you. They went through exactly the same places to get to where they are today.
Soul food: Gen 17-19; John 12:1-11; Ps 118:19-29; Prov 31:14-17
2017-11-26
Galatians 6:9 NKJV
A high-rise construction worker slipped and fell from a scaffold forty floors up. As he was plummeting past the twentieth-floor window, a woman in an office shouted out, “How’re you doing?” The man replied, “So far, so good!” Seriously, some days spiritual growth feels like two steps forward and three steps back. It doesn’t come easily; that’s why Paul encourages us not to lose heart. Generally speaking, you don’t notice yourself getting older physically until you see an earlier photo, then it hits you. And it’s the same with spiritual growth; it’s hard to gauge how far you’ve come until you look back and see where you were before Jesus turned your life around. The Bible says, “As the Spirit… works within us, we become more…like Him” (2 Corinthians 3:18 TLB). But growing up involves growing pains! So when you get discouraged, remind yourself that you’re on a spiritual journey, you’re making progress in spite of your problems, and that the Devil will always look for ways to remind you how far you still have to go. Don’t listen to him! Jesus said, “Everything he says is a lie” (John 8:44 CEV). If you get discouraged and give up, Satan wins. The Bible says, “Capture…rebellious thoughts…teach them to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NLT). Learn to live beyond your feelings, to dig down inside to where God’s Spirit lives. And take heart: It may not always look like it, but each day you’re maturing and growing stronger in Christ. So don’t even think about quitting.
Soul food: Exo 17:1-7; John 4:1-42
2017-11-24
1 Peter 5:5 NAS
The Bible says: “Clothe yourselves with humility…for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble…humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you (vv. 5-7 NAS). Let’s break this Scripture down into four parts: (1) “Clothe yourselves with humility.” In this context the word clothe refers to a white scarf or apron that was typically worn by servants. Does that mean you have to conform to everybody’s wishes? No; if you do that everybody else may like you but you won’t like yourself. Just be who God called you to be, and be willing to serve others as the opportunity arises. (2) “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less and putting others first. (3) “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.” Throughout Scripture “the mighty hand of God” symbolizes two things: God’s hand of discipline and His hand of deliverance, and you need both. So submit to His discipline and you’ll experience His deliverance. (4) “Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” Here Peter addresses one of our core human concerns: that if we don’t look out for ourselves nobody else will. But if we really believe God “cares” for us we needn’t worry about serving our own interest. We’re free to focus on the needs of others, confident that God will spare nothing when it comes to meeting our needs.
Soul food: Gen 7-9; John 11:28-37; Ps 114; Prov 31:1-5
2017-11-23
Zechariah 4:10 NKJV
When God gave Gideon victory over the Midianites, He used an army of just three hundred to defeat an enemy that was hundreds of thousands strong (See Judges 7). That wasn’t because there weren’t more soldiers available; it was because God wanted to demonstrate His power in “the day of small things.” Jesus could have chosen any number of followers, but He handpicked twelve to reach the world with the gospel. One day He fed five thousand people with five bread rolls and two small fish from a child’s lunchbox. He compared God’s kingdom to a mustard seed – the smallest there is, yet it grows into a massive tree. He also likened His kingdom to yeast that’s barely discernible, yet it can raise an entire batch of dough. Then He went on to say, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much” (Luke 16:10 NIV). So if you’re asking God to make you bigger instead of better, you may be disappointed. All the prayers in the world won’t pressure Him into giving you what you are not ready to handle. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, “Most people would succeed in small things if they weren’t troubled with blind ambition.” Your drive to be bigger can give you ulcers, keep you awake at night, and stop you from enjoying the blessings God has already given you. Better may be harder to measure and not as glamorous, but the inner stability that comes from gradual success is more valuable and lasting. So if you’re “in the day of small things,” rejoice and be confident that God has bigger and better things in mind for you.
Soul food: Gen 4-6; John 11:17-27; Ps 150; Prov 30:29-33
2017-11-22
Proverbs 3:13 CEV
The key to success lies in doing the right thing at the right time. Theologian Tryon Edwards said, “Have a time and place for everything, and do everything in its time and place…you’ll not only accomplish more, but have far more leisure than those who are always hurrying.” If you’re tired of living with constant stress, Theology professor Dr. Howard Hendricks draws our attention to four major sources: (1) Saying yes to far too many things. Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer once said, “Much of our spiritual activity is little more than a cheap aesthetic to deaden the pain of an empty life.” All our “going and doing” fails to address our core emptiness. (2) Not stopping to recharge our batteries. We dutifully pull out our day planner and fill the spaces between activities. But let’s not fool ourselves; avoiding overlapping activities isn’t planning. As a result, we’re a stressed-out, short-tempered crowd commuting between poorly planned activities that add little to our spiritual well-being. (3) Failure to enjoy what we accomplish. “A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul” (Proverbs 13:19 NKJV). With always too much to do, we dash off to the next obligation, often without finishing the previous one or taking time to stand back and savour a job well done. No wonder we worry that our existence seems meaningless. (4) Owing more than we can repay. Next time you’re faced with a credit purchase – wait! Don’t necessarily say no. Just present your so-called “need” to God and see what He says about it. If you’re serious about developing your spiritual life, use your common sense and put these four principles to work.
Soul food: Gen 1-3; John 11:1-16; Ps 102:18-28; Prov 30:24-28
2017-11-21
1 Samuel 16:7 NLT
Pastor and author John MacArthur says: “Jesus’ exposition of the law is a devastating blow against the lie that image is everything. Secret sin is especially abhorrent because: (1) God sees the heart. In fact, if we realized He’s the only audience we’d be less inclined to write it off. It’s folly to mitigate sin by keeping it private…it’s double-folly to think you’re better than others because you sin privately…and it’s the height of folly to conceal it. ‘He who covers his sins will not prosper’ (Proverbs 28:13 NKJV). (2) Sinful thoughts originate from the same source as sinful deeds. When Jesus said hatred carries the same guilt as murder, and that lust is the essence of adultery, He wasn’t saying there’s no difference in degree…He was saying that a lustful person has no right to feel superior to a fornicator. The fact that somebody thinks such thoughts proves they’re capable of immoral acts, and someone who hates his brother already has murder lurking in his heart. (3) Hypocrisy compounds hidden sin. Why? Because it means covering it up. Jesus called hypocrisy ‘the leaven of the Pharisees’ (Luke 12:1) because it compounds itself like leaven. It sears your conscience and paves the way for other character-damaging sins…When somebody tries to tell you appearances are everything – don’t buy it! Your secret life is a litmus test of your character: ‘As he thinks within himself, so he is’ (Proverbs 23:7 NAS). If you want to know who you really are, look at your private life. Then gaze into the mirror of God’s Word and let Him disclose and correct the thoughts and intents of your heart.”
Soul food: Ecc 10-12; John 10:34-42; Ps 102:12-17; Prov 30:21-23
