2017-09-02
2 Samuel 9:7 NIV
In Bible times, when a new king ascended to the throne, he usually killed or banished every member of the old king’s family. So here’s the story. Jonathan, King Saul’s son, and David, whom Saul hated, were close friends. So close, they made a covenant to protect one another with their lives. After Jonathan and Saul died in battle, Jonathan had one remaining son called Mephibosheth. So David had him brought to the palace, saying, “I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” Mephibosheth was living in Lo Debar, which means “the land of nothing…the place of no bread” (2 Samuel 9:4-5). That’s significant, because when your self-esteem is non-existent, your surroundings usually reflect it. You either give up completely, or go to the other extreme by striving to be perfect. But you don’t have to do either. The Bible says, “God, for Christ’s sake has forgiven you” (See Ephesians 4:32). Your acceptance with God isn’t based on who you are, but Whose you are! Mephibosheth was lame in both feet and couldn’t walk properly. And spiritually speaking, you couldn’t either! Yet Mephibosheth “ate at the king’s table, and he was crippled in both feet” (2 Samuel 9:13 NIV). His lame feet couldn’t be seen because they were hidden under the king’s table. And God does the same for you too! He wraps you in the righteousness of Christ and puts all your sins under the blood. That means you’re always acceptable in His sight – including this very moment.
Soul food: Josh 11-13; Mark 9:38-50; Ps 142; Prov 23:7-9
2017-09-01
James 1:4 CEV
James writes: “Be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything. If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given you…But when you ask…you must have faith…Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. If you are that kind of person, you can’t make up your mind, and you surely can’t be trusted. So don’t expect the Lord to give you anything at all” (vv. 2-8). Note three things in this Scripture: (1) Your faith grows when it’s tested. You’ll never know the strength of your anchor until you feel the blast of the storm. (2) God will give you wisdom to handle the test. Now, He won’t answer all your “whys.” So instead of questioning Him, you need to pray, “Lord, how do You want to use this trial to develop me spiritually? How can I cooperate with You to reap the maximum benefit? What changes do You desire to bring about in my life?” Those are questions God will answer. (3) You must be willing to obey. It’s possible to ask God for wisdom, then debate, stall, or mess around trying to decide whether or not to obey Him. “If you’re that kind of person…don’t expect the Lord to give you anything at all.” When God gives you His wisdom, your first response should be: “Speak, for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10 NIV).
Soul food: Josh 8:30-10:43; Mark 9:30-37; Ps 111; Prov 23:4-6
2017-08-31
Proverbs 24:17 NLT
In life you’ll make foes as well as friends. It can’t be avoided; it just comes with the territory. The issue isn’t will you make enemies, the issue is how will you treat them? Our friends bring out the best in us, and oh, how our foes bring out the worst in us! But if you are a follower of Christ, there are three things you can’t do: resent, retaliate, or rejoice when your enemy seems to get their comeuppance. The Bible says: “Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall; don’t be happy when they stumble. For the Lord will be displeased with you and will turn his anger away from them. Don’t fret because of evildoers; don’t envy the wicked. For evil people have no future; the light of the wicked will be snuffed out” (vv. 17-20 NLT). Don’t allow bitterness and resentment to destroy you. It’s better to take your medicine now than to agonize later. Never wish ill on your enemy… leave revenge to God. Revenge is God’s business, not ours. You may know what the person did to you, but God alone knows why they did it. Paul put the matter succinctly yet firmly when he said: “Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honourable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to… God. For the Scriptures say, ‘I will take revenge; I will pay them back,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:17-19 NLT). Has someone hurt you? Forgive them!
Soul food: Josh 5:1-8:29; Mark 9:14-29; Ps 103:13-22; Prov 23:1-3
2017-08-30
John 15:9 TM
When someone says, “Make yourself at home,” it means you’re welcome and accepted. And that’s what Jesus means when He says, “Make yourselves at home in my love.” You never have been and never will be loved by anyone as much as God loves you. The reason you have such a hard time grasping that concept is that you have nothing to compare His love to. Nothing could make God love you more than He does right now, and nothing could make Him love you less. The great irony is that we spend our lives trying to earn His love, when it can only be received by faith. John says: “What marvellous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it – we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to” (1 John 3:1-2 TM). You may have grown up with parents who withheld their love, or weren’t capable of expressing it. God doesn’t do that. Throughout Scripture He keeps saying, “I love you. I love you. I love you!” C. S. Lewis wrote: “God created us to be the objects of His love! Sometimes our actions make us unlovely, but we’re never unloved. And because God loves us – we have value. And nobody can take that value away. God’s love revealed at Calvary fastens itself onto flawed creatures like us, and for reasons none of us can ever quite figure out, makes us precious and valued beyond calculation. This is love beyond reason. And this is the love with which God loves us.”
Soul food: Josh 1-4; Mark 9:1-13; Ps 103:1-12; Prov 22:27-29
2017-08-29
James 5:11 CEV
Observe these six things about persistence: (1) You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. (2) The first two letters in the word goal are “go.” (3) Some people dream of doing great things; others wake up and actually do them. (4) Anybody who brags about what they’re going to do tomorrow, probably did the same thing yesterday. (5) You’ll never be what you ought to be, until you’re doing what you ought to be doing. (6) If you’re having trouble thinking outside the box, it’s time to get out of the box. When Lester Wunderman was fired from his advertising job, he felt he still had a lot to learn from the head of the agency, Max Sackheim. So the next morning he went back to his office and continued working as he always had, talking to co-workers and clients, and sitting in on meetings – all without pay. Sackheim ignored him for a month. Finally he walked up to Wunderman and said, “Okay, you win. I never saw a man who wanted a job more than he wanted money.” Well, guess what? Wunderman went on to be one of the most successful advertising men of the century. He’s credited with having invented pre-printed newspaper inserts, plus subscription cards like those used by Time-Life Books and the Columbia Record Club – ideas that produced millions of dollars in profit. Now, advertising may not be your thing, but action must be. What are you willing to do to achieve your dream? Work without pay? Refuse to quit? Success belongs to those who trust God – and stick with it.
Soul food: 3 John; Jude; Mark 8:27-38; Ps 84; Prov 22:24-26
2017-08-28
Acts 20:23 NIV
About 75 percent of believers now live in Third World countries, often in anti-Christian environments. Xu Yonghai is one of them. He worked to see the legalization of house churches in China. The government responded by locking him up for two years in an eight-by-eight-foot cell in a Beijing prison. There was no bathroom, only a pipe in a corner from which water flowed onto the concrete. “My cell was the last stop for prisoners sentenced to die,” he said. “At times there were as many as three other prisoners in the tiny damp room, awaiting their date with the executioner.” Yonghai survived through prayer, meditation, and writing. Using a bar of soap to write on the walls of his cell, he outlined the major points of a book about God. When he was finished, he committed the thoughts to memory, and upon his release he turned his prison notes into a fifty-thousand-word book entitled God the Creator. More often than not, your difficulties and hardships confirm you’re in the will of God rather than out of it! Paul writes: “I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” (vv. 23-24 NIV). Note the word grace. No matter how difficult the will of God may be, you can accomplish it by drawing each day on His limitless supply of grace.
Soul food: 2 Chr 35-36; 2 John; Mark 8:14-26; Ps 119:169-176; Prov 22:20-23
