2025-08-22
2 Timothy 4:7 KJV
Before he was put to death for his faith, Paul wrote: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day” (vv. 7-8).
Up until the moment he was executed, Paul kept writing truths that would change the world. He could say, “I have finished my course,” but never once did he say, “I quit!” Did he have reasons to quit? Sure, he had been persecuted by his enemies and deserted by his friends. What kept him going? The vision that burned in his heart (See Acts 26:19). As long as you have a vision, you will never be “old.” To overcome the fear of aging, you must do these:
(1) Maintain an attitude of faith and expectation. As long as you believe your best days are ahead of you – they are!
(2) Instead of obsessing about the good old days, seek ways to make new memories. For example, try celebrating the holidays in different ways, in different places, and with different people. If you want what you don’t have, then you must start doing what you haven’t done yet.
(3) Get your financial house in order. “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children” (Proverbs 13:22 NKJV). And the greatest legacy you can leave is not money; it’s love, faithfulness, integrity, and an example of godly living.
As a redeemed child of God, when you die, you go to a better place – but your goal should be to leave the world a better place.
Soul food: Amos 5:18-9:15; Matt 20:29-34; Ps 119:145-160; Pro 19:1-2
2025-08-21
Mark 14:8 NKJV
“A woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil… and poured it on His head. But there were some who were indignant… and said, ‘Why was this fragrant oil wasted? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.’ And they criticized her sharply. But Jesus said, ‘Let her alone… She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her'” (vv. 3-6, 8-9 NKJV).
Notice two things Jesus said about this woman.
(1) “She has done what she could” (v. 8 NKJV). This is a rebuke to the pride in each of us, which thinks if we can’t do something great that will be noticed and celebrated by others, we won’t do anything at all. Mother Teresa is attributed with saying, “We cannot all do great things, but we can all do small things with great love.”
(2) “What this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her” (v. 9 NKJV). Two thousand years later, we’re still talking about her legacy. What was it? Kindness!
And you don’t have to be educated, sophisticated, or rich to do it. Bill Borden turned his back on a family fortune and ministered to students at Yale, orphans, widows, and alcoholics on the streets. Before he died, he wrote, “No reserves, no retreats, no regrets.” No reserves: Hold nothing back. No retreats: Never turn back. No regrets: Serve God – and others – and your reward in heaven is assured (See 2 Timothy 4:6-8).
Soul food: Amos 1:1-5:17; Matt 20:17-28; Ps 119:137-144; Pro 18:22-24
2025-08-20
1 Corinthians 12:31 NKJV
The value of anything is determined by its function. What problem does it solve? What need does it meet? Sand is a good example. At the beach, sand is free. But if you want to build a playground, that same sand has to be bagged and transported, so it costs more; hence its value goes up. Now what was once free on the beach costs twenty-five dollars a bag. Once this same sand is glued to a piece of paper, making it sandpaper, its value increases again. Now it’s about five dollars for a sheet. The value has gone up with an alteration in its purpose.
An author further explains this: “Now, sand is silicon dioxide. When sand is taken, heated, and processed, it becomes an intricate part of a computer chip that is now worth five hundred dollars. So what was once free on the beach now has value because it is in a bag, because it is glued to a piece of paper, or because it is in a computer chip that you can hardly afford. The sand is the same, but it has found increased value in a greater purpose.”
After writing at length about the various jobs to be done and gifts to be exercised in the church, Paul writes, “Earnestly desire the best gifts.” Why? So you can bring the most benefit and do the greatest good. Paul writes to the believers in Rome, “I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord” (Romans 1:11 NLT). Don’t settle for less; seek God for more – you won’t be disappointed.
Soul food: Lam 3:40-5:22; Matt 20:1-16; Ps 119:129-136; Pro 18:21
2025-08-19
1 Peter 3:8 NKJV
Put yourself in the other person’s shoes and try to see things from their point of view. That’s one of the great keys to working with clients, pleasing customers, sustaining a marriage, raising children, pastoring people, helping those who are less fortunate, etc. Live by this Scripture: “All of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tender-hearted, be courteous.” Try to look beyond yourself, your own pursuits, and your own world.
When you decide to reflect upon an issue from every possible angle, (a) look at it in light of another person’s history, (b) find out the interests and concerns of others, and (c) lay aside your own plan and try to see what others see. That’s a powerful thing because it means you are truly connecting with them.
If you join in any kind of group or team activity, you know how vital it is that each person sees the whole picture and not just their own part. Anytime a person doesn’t recognize how their work fits in with that of their teammates, then the whole team suffers. The better a team member grasps the big picture, the greater their potential to work with the team.
Getting along with people and working with them requires effort: getting to know their needs, their goals, their hurts, and their struggles. That’s what Jesus does with us. The Bible says that He can “sympathize with our weaknesses” (Hebrews 4:15 NKJV). To follow in His footsteps, you must endeavour to do that with others.
Soul food: Lam 1:1-3:39; Matt 19:15-30; Ps 119:121-128; Pro 18:13-20
2025-08-18
Exodus 4:12 NLT
You don’t have to be a great orator; you just have to deliver the message. You don’t have to emulate any other speaker; you just have to decide to be the best “you” possible. So:
(1) Forget about messing up. The chances are that you will know more about your topic than 90 percent of the audience. If you stumble, so what? It signals to the audience that you’re human – just as they are. People often connect better with your vulnerability than your strength. Besides, they’re rooting for you, and they want you to succeed.
(2) Focus on imparting value to the audience rather than trying to impress them. The only question that matters is, what did the audience take away from it? John Ford, an American film director, put it this way: “You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart.”
(3) Practice! Practice! Practice! By first sharing your message with the person in the mirror, you will get to see and hear what others do, and you can add enhancements and make corrections accordingly.
(4) When it comes to sharing God’s Word, prepare your message as though everything depends on you, and present it as though everything depends on God – because it does! Paul knew he was not a great orator, yet his words are still changing lives two thousand years later: “My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5 NKJV).
Soul food: Gal 4-6; Matt 19:1-14; Ps 119:113-120; Pro 18:10-12
2025-08-17
John 16:24 KJV
Have you been praying, and God hasn’t yet answered? Let’s look at some keys.
(1) Maybe you’re expecting a lot from God but not much from yourself. Perhaps He is asking you to work harder by utilizing the ingenuity He has given you. Remember, God’s promises are never an excuse for laziness. Elijah was in a devastating drought when God said, “Go to the brook Cherith. I will send ravens to feed you” (See 1 Kings 17:1-4). Elijah could have replied, “Lord, I’m exhausted! Can’t you send them here?” Instead, “he… did according to the word of the Lord” (v. 5 NKJV). Ask God if there is something you should be doing, and when He tells you – do it.
(2) Perhaps your prayers are not explicit enough. Doesn’t God already know what we need? Yes, but He wants to hear it from you. “You don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it” (James 4:2 NLT). God wants us to persist in prayer: “Ask and keep on asking… seek and keep on seeking… knock and keep on knocking” (Luke 11:9 AMPC).
(3) We fail to realize that God wants to meet our needs – in His time. “But what if my problem gets worse?” you ask. Don’t worry; it will never be too big for God to resolve! From time to time, He waits in order to do something even greater. Lazarus was sick unto death, but Jesus didn’t respond immediately. He waited so He could raise him from the dead (See John 11:1-6, 43-44). We’re inclined to think our request is God’s best answer to our need, even though His Word assures us, “No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11 KJV).
Soul food: Gen 6:9-8:4; Matt 24:37-51
