2017-07-16
Psalm 119:59 NKJV
One of the great keys to success in life is having the right approach. But to improve your approach you need to assess where you’re starting from. This may take some time. And depending on how self-aware you are, it may even be difficult. The key is to look at yourself objectively, to separate yourself from your attitude. Your goal isn’t to condemn yourself; it’s to see yourself clearly so you can make positive changes in the way you think. When professional loggers discover a logjam, they climb a large tree near the river so they can look over the problem and find the cause. What they’re looking for is the “key log” creating the jam. Once they remove that, the river takes care of the rest. An inexperienced person could spend hours, days, even weeks moving logs around without results. The point is you don’t necessarily need to change all your thinking – just the few items that keep you from having the right approach to life. Once you do, your life will begin to flow in the right direction. Here are some questions that may help you discover the “key log” that’s holding you back. How do you feel about yourself? When do you feel the most negative about yourself? What causes you the greatest problems when dealing with others? Insecurity? Resentment? Inferiority? What negative thoughts constantly control your mind? These are important questions, for “as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). If you want to change your life for the better, ask God to make you aware of what’s impacting it for the worse.
Soul food: Num 9:15-23; Ex 24:15; Mat 17:1-8
2017-07-15
Romans 8:2 NKJV
You say, “I fall so far short of God’s standards. Will there ever come a time when my old carnal nature will stop acting up, and trying to drag me down?” There’s bad news and there’s good news. The bad news is, just as the law of gravity is always in operation, so is “the law of sin” that your fleshly nature wants to respond to. The good news is, you can access a higher law and operate in it. It’s called “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus,” and it overrides “the law of sin and death.” The law of gravity says that what goes up must come down. But when you’re in an airplane another law is in operation – the law of aerodynamics. It works like this: The plane moves at a certain speed, and the proper thrust enables it to climb out of gravity’s pull. That doesn’t mean the law of gravity is no longer the law of gravity. Getting the idea? You ask, “What is this law of the Spirit?” Good question. Here’s the answer. When you’re indwelt by the Holy Spirit and relying on His power rather than your own, which means being sensitive to His leading and obeying His commands, you’re no longer controlled by “the law of sin and death.” It’s no longer about trying harder, but leaning harder on God’s Spirit who lives within you and drawing from Him the strength to live victoriously.
Soul food: 2 Sam 14:21-17:13; Mat 26:14-25; Ps 123; Prov 18:13-16
2017-07-14
Malachi 3:16 KJV
Is it possible that when we get to heaven there’ll be a “Mothers’ Honour Roll,” listing the names of all the faithful mothers who prayed day and night on behalf of their children and grandchildren? Maybe, but this much we do know: God honours mothers who honour God! He responded to the prayers of Hannah and gave her a son who would grow up to be a prophet and lead the nation of Israel. And Paul writes concerning Timothy: “I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also” (2 Timothy 1:5 NKJV). The Bible tells us God keeps records: “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another…the Lord hearkened …and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and…thought upon his name.” John writes: “I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works” (Revelation 20:12). Susanna Wesley had nineteen children (nine died as infants), and she spent an hour every day praying for each one by name. Her prayers paid off. One of her sons, John, brought a spiritual awakening to England and founded the Methodist Church. Maybe there will be an honour roll for mothers in heaven, and maybe not. But one thing is sure – when mothers pray, God listens and lives are changed. So never stop praying for your kids, Mom.
Soul food: 2 Sam 12:1-14:20; Mat 26:1-13; Ps 118:19-29; Prov 18:10-12
2017-07-13
2 Timothy 1:5 NKJV
It’s said Timothy became an apostle when he was seventeen. He was Paul’s spiritual son, and his designated successor. And it happened because of two women: his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. Interestingly, his father and grandfather are not mentioned. So as a single parent you can raise a winning child. According to a ten-year study conducted at Harvard Medical School, there are six factors related to the eventual intellectual capacity of a child: (1) The most critical period of a child’s mental development is between eight and eighteen months old. (2) The mother is usually the most important person in the child’s environment. (3) The amount of “live” language directed to the child between twelve and eighteen months is absolutely critical. (4) Children given free access to living areas of their homes progressed much faster than those whose movements are restricted. (5) The family is the most important educational delivery system. (6) The best parents are those who excel at three key functions: They are superb designers and organizers of their children’s environments; they permit their children to interrupt them for brief thirty-second episodes during which personal comfort and information are exchanged; finally, they are firm disciplinarians while simultaneously showing great affection for their children. In other words, they love their kids, talk to them, treat them with respect, expose them to interesting things, organize their time, discipline them fairly, and raise them in strong stable families. It’s a time-honoured recipe for producing bright (and happy) children.
Soul food: 2 Sam 7:18-11:27; Mat 25:31-46; Ps 118:10-18; Prov 18:7-9
2017-07-12
James 3:16 NLT
The apostle Paul writes: “Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand” (Philippians 2:2-4 TM). Strife wreaks havoc in relationships. It often stems from an inflated ego and leads to comparing, competing, and condemning. James points that out: “Where…strife is, there is…every evil work.” So be a strife-spotter! The moment it rears its ugly head – uproot it! “Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many” (Hebrews 12:15 NLT). If you want to walk in God’s blessing today, try to live in harmony with others. Is that always easy? No, but the sooner you learn to do it, the better things will go for you. When God prompts you to “turn the other cheek,” or “take the short end of the stick,” draw on His grace and do it. Pray: “Lord, give me Your wisdom in this situation.” He will. “The wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favouritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness” (James 3:17-18 NLT). Bottom line: If you want God’s blessing on your life – avoid strife.
Soul food: 2 Sam 3:22-7:17; Mat 25:14-30; Ps 118:1-9; Prov 18:4-6
2017-07-11
James 1:4 NLT
If you’re serious about changing your life, a well-known leadership expert offers this advice: “Don’t just change enough to get away from your problems – change enough to solve them. Don’t just change your circumstances to improve your life – change yourself to improve your circumstances. Don’t do the same old things expecting different results – get different results by doing something new. Don’t see change as something hard that must be done – see it as something helpful that can be done. Don’t avoid paying the immediate price tag of change – if you do you’ll pay the ultimate price of never improving.” The Bible says, “When your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” Character building is a slow process; don’t expect it to be easy. When you try to escape life’s difficulties you short-circuit the process, delay your growth, and end up with a worse kind of pain – the useless kind that accompanies denial and avoidance. A letter was once returned to the post office and handwritten on the envelope were these words: “He’s dead.” Due to an oversight the letter was sent again to the same address. This time it was returned with a note that said – “He’s still dead!” Let’s be honest, most of us don’t like change; we do everything in our power to avoid it. We want improvement but we don’t want to pay the price that goes with it. And that’s a problem, because you’ll never become what God intends you to be by remaining what you are. It’s not enough to want change, and be open to it, you must pursue it!
Soul food: 2 Sam 1:1-3:21; Mat 25:1-13; Ps 109:16-31; Prov 18:1-3
