2017-10-11
2 Timothy 1:7 NIV
The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). So don’t get involved in anything that doesn’t require you to use your faith. The key to momentum is always having something to look forward to and believe God for. You either venture, or you vegetate. Jesus deliberately sent His disciples into a storm. Why? To develop their faith, and show them that with Him on board you can get through anything! God will keep exposing you to difficult situations because He knows it’s the only way your faith will grow. Nineteenth-century American preacher and abolitionist Phillips Brooks wrote, “Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your power, pray for power equal to your tasks.” You don’t tap into God’s resources until you attempt something that seems humanly impossible. That’s when you discover: “I can do everything God asks me to do with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power” (Philippians 4:13 TLB). All progress involves risk. In baseball you can’t steal second base while your foot’s still on first base. And progress involves overcoming fear. One day when David was tending his sheep, “there came a lion” (1 Samuel 17:34). But in God’s strength he defeated it – plus a bear, and later a giant called Goliath. That lion was just an opportunity in disguise. If David had wavered or run away, he’d have missed his chance to become king of Israel. So when a lion of fear comes into your life, recognize it for what it is: an opportunity from God to rise up in faith and conquer it.
Soul food: Exo 19-21; John 2:1-11; Ps 89:1-14; Prov 26:17-19
2017-10-10
Proverbs 27:6 CEV
Here are two “superglue” qualities that can permanently cement any friendship: honesty and loyalty. The Bible says, “You can trust a friend who corrects you, but kisses from an enemy are nothing but lies.” A real friend may upset you by telling you the truth, but he or she will tell you the truth nonetheless. They may not always tell you what you want to hear, but if they truly love you, they’ll tell you what you need to hear. In the short run it may hurt, but in the long run it will help you. When you want to measure a relationship to determine whether it qualifies as a genuine friendship, here are two questions you should ask the other person: (1) Can I trust you enough to be totally honest with me? (2) Can I trust you enough to be totally honest with you? Only a true friendship expects and can survive such mutual honesty. The other quality involved in keeping a friend is loyalty. “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24 NKJV). The word stick refers to how skin sticks to the bone. It’s a poignant picture of just how closely knit one friend should be to another. Loyalty is the one thing a person should never have to question about his or her friend. A true friend will always be your defense attorney before he or she becomes your judge. There’s no such thing as “a fair-weather friend.” You don’t need friends in fair weather; you need them when the weather gets nasty. A fair-weather friend is no friend at all.
Soul food: Exo 16-18; John 1:43-51; Ps 110; Prov 26:13-16
2017-10-09
Proverbs 13:20 NIV
The story’s told of a farmer who was being pestered every day by a flock of crows in his cornfield. Deciding he’d had enough, he loaded his shotgun and crawled unseen along the fence-row, determined to blow those pesky crows out of the sky. Turns out this farmer had a very sociable parrot that indiscriminately made friends with everybody, and seeing the flock of crows he flew over and joined them in an effort to be friendly. The farmer saw the crows but didn’t see his parrot, so he took careful aim, fired, then jumped up and ran over to see how many crows he had shot. Lo and behold, there was his parrot lying on the ground with a broken wing and a chipped beak, but still alive. The farmer tenderly picked him up and brought him home, where his children ran out to meet him. Seeing the injured parrot, they tearfully asked, “Daddy, what happened?” But before he could answer, the parrot spoke up: “That’s what you get for hanging out with the wrong crowd.” You can never be at the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing, if you’re with the wrong crowd. And as a parent, you need to teach this to your children. Monitor their Internet use, and warn them about predators who deliberately prowl online looking for “friends.” You say, “But I can’t even turn on a computer!” If you love your child, you’ll learn! Web-based horror stories of children being hurt and led astray are multiplying daily. If this sounds strong and urgent – that’s because it is!
Soul food: Exo 13-15; John 1:29-42; Ps 23; Prov 26:10-12
2017-10-08
Proverbs 18:24 NKJV
In order to have a good friend, you must first try to be a good friend. An unknown poet wrote, “I went out to find a friend, but could not find one there; I went out to be a friend, and friends were everywhere.” Friendship doesn’t require having a dynamic personality. Even shy, quiet, and reserved individuals can learn to be friendly. It’s next to impossible to have no friends, if you yourself are friendly. And the opposite is also true. Psychologists asked a group of college students to jot down the initials of the people they disliked most. Some of the students could think of only one person, while others listed as many as fourteen. But an interesting fact that came out of the research was that those who disliked the largest number of people, were themselves the most widely disliked. You’ll find that the more likeable you are, the more likely you are to like other people and be liked by them. So here are five ways to make friends: (1) Maintain eye contact. When you talk to people, look them in the eye. (2) Smile! It takes seventy-two muscles to frown, only fourteen to smile – and a smile warms hearts and encourages conversation. (3) Call people by their names. Strangers are just that, strange, but a friend is known. (4) Talk to others about their favorite topic – themselves. (5) Find an occasion to give a word of encouragement, a compliment, or show an act of kindness. When you find a person with these five traits, you’ve found someone who has a reputation for being friendly.
Soul food: Exo 17:8-16; 2 Cor 1:3-7
2017-10-07
Proverbs 18:24 NAS
With few exceptions, your success in life depends on your ability to establish and maintain relationships with the right people. According to a report by the American Management Association the overwhelming consensus of two hundred managers who participated in a survey, was that the most important skill of an executive is his or her ability to get along with people. They rated this ability as more vital than intelligence, decisiveness, knowledge, or job skills. Quite frankly, none of us makes very many true friends in life – at least, we better not! Solomon warns, “A man of too many friends comes to ruin.” Friendship requires time, energy, sacrifice, and investing yourself. And not every so-called friend will prove to be one, as Jeremiah warned King Zedekiah: “They misled you and overcame you – those trusted friends of yours. Your feet are sunk in the mud; your friends have deserted you” (Jeremiah 38:22 NIV). The wrong friend will betray you, as Judas proved with Jesus. So here’s a good rule of thumb: “Be friendly to everyone, but don’t have everyone as a friend.” Solomon said, “The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray” (Proverbs 12:26 NLT). Charles Spurgeon said, “A man is known by the company he shuns, as well as the company he keeps.” The Hebrew word for “choose” is tur, and in the Old Testament it refers to a man like a surveyor who searches out land. So if you’re wise, you’ll explore and evaluate your friendships before you enter into them. You say, “But I’m lonely.” As George Washington said, “It is better to be alone than in bad company.”
Soul food: Exo 10-12; John 1:14-28; Ps 131; Prov 26:7-9
2017-10-06
Psalm 40:1 NIV
Anything that’s built well is put together slowly and carefully. Impatience is a sign of immaturity; children can’t wait for anything. Try to understand this: Your impatience won’t move God faster. He works according to His own timetable. Paul writes, “We know that all things work…according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 KJV). Just because the door hasn’t yet opened doesn’t mean that God has changed His mind. The timing may not be right for Him to get maximum glory, and you to get maximum benefit. So what should you do while you’re waiting? Two things: (1) Pray for God’s will. And don’t permit things to come into your life that are contrary to it, especially hurry and worry. Know how to allocate your time, your energy, and your money, including whom you should and shouldn’t spend time with. God says, “I make known the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10 NIV). Before God starts anything, He has a clear picture of the end goal, and He ordains the steps that lead you to it. (2) While you’re waiting – rejoice. “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vine, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:17 NIV). Start thanking God today for what He’s already done, and for what He’s going to do in the future on your behalf. Because He will – He absolutely will come through for you.
Soul food: Exo 7-9; John 1:1-13; Ps 29; Prov 26:4-6
