2025-07-17
Mark 1:35 TLB
To grow spiritually, you must get alone with God. When you come into His presence, you should have these attitudes:
(1) Anticipation. Expect to give and get from your time together. Make it a time of intimacy. It’s impossible to have a love affair in a public place; intimacy calls for being alone with the one you love. The Bible speaks about Christ as the groom and us as His bride (See 2 Corinthians 11:2). Think of the anticipation and excitement shared in such moments.
(2) Reverence. Don’t rush into God’s presence. Prepare your heart by being still before Him and letting the quietness clear away the thoughts of the world. Remind yourself who you’re meeting with – God! The One who is “worthy… to receive glory and honour” (Revelation 4:11 NIV).
(3) Alertness. Go to bed early so you will be in good shape to meet with God in the morning. He deserves your full attention. Give Him the best part of your day – when you’re the freshest. Follow Christ’s example: “The next morning [Jesus] was up long before daybreak and went out alone into the wilderness to pray.” Hudson Taylor astutely observed that you don’t tune up the instruments after the concert is over, you tune them before you start.
(4) Willingness. It’s crucial that you don’t come to your quiet time to decide what you will or won’t do, but with the purpose of doing anything and everything God wants you to do. John says, “We will receive… whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him” (1 John 3:22 NLT). When you get alone with God, make up your mind to do whatever He says.
Soul food: Acts 20-21; Matt 10:21-31; Ps 14; Pro 16:6-7
2025-07-16
John 2:17 NLT
Try to imagine the fire in the eyes of Jesus and the flex of His muscles as He turns over the tables of the money changers in the temple. And He does it while wielding a whip He made Himself. “Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: ‘Passion for God’s house will consume me.'” Jesus was the wisest and kindest person who ever lived. Additionally, He was the most passionate. And those who follow Him ought to be the most passionate people on earth.
The word enthusiasm comes from two Greek words: en and theos, meaning “in God.” And the more you get into God, the more passion you develop about the things of God. “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4 NKJV). Yes, you’re supposed to crucify your carnal desires daily. But God doesn’t do away with your capacity for desire; He sanctifies and redirects it. When you “delight yourself also in the Lord,” you get a “desire transplant.”
C. S. Lewis said, “We are half-hearted creatures fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us.” A pastor adds: “Sin is a waste of energy… And it’s a double waste. After you waste your energy on things like lust and pride and anger, then you must waste even more energy on things like guilt and shame and regret. Nothing is more de-energizing than sin, but by the same token, nothing is more reenergizing than obedience. It’s pure energy.”
Soul food: Acts 18-19; Matt 10:11-20; Ps 146; Pro 16:4-5
2025-07-15
James 3:14 CEV
The Bible says, “People are slaves to whatever has mastered them” (2 Peter 2:19 NIV). And that’s especially true of jealousy. Chuck Swindoll writes: “Jealousy and envy are often used interchangeably, but there’s a difference. Envy begins with empty hands; it mourns what it doesn’t have… Jealousy begins with full hands; it’s threatened by the pain of losing what you have to someone else despite your efforts to hold on to it… This was Cain’s sin. He was jealous of Abel. He resented God’s acceptance of his brother, and not until Abel’s blood poured over Cain’s cruel hands did jealousy subside. Solomon might well have written the epitaph for Abel’s tombstone: ‘Jealousy is [cruel] as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire’ (Song of Solomon 8:6 ESV).
Anyone who has experienced deliverance from this hellish giant knows too well how jealousy can decimate a friendship, dissolve a romance, destroy a marriage, shoot tension through the ranks of professionals, nullify unity on a team, ruin a church, separate preachers, foster competition among the choir, bring bitterness and finger-pointing among talented instrumentalists and capable singers. Jealousy questions motives and deplores another’s success.”
The Bible says, “If your heart is full of… jealousy… don’t… cover up the truth.” Instead, determine that by the grace of God, you’re going to break free from its control. Swindoll adds: “I lived many years obeying its commands. It was gross agony. Finally, I realized I didn’t have to live in darkness. I slew the giant and crawled out… and the releasing sunlight of freedom captured my heart. The air was so fresh and clean. Oh, the difference it has made! It’s utter delight. Ask my wife.”
Soul food: Acts 16-17; Matt 10:1-10; Ps 140; Pro 16:3
2025-07-14
Romans 15:4 NIV
There is a cute story about a girl who left home and went away to college. After her first semester, she emailed her mother, saying, “I think it’s time I brought you up to date on what’s going on in my life. Shortly after I arrived at college, I got bored with dormitory life and stole fifty dollars from my roommate’s purse. With the money, I rented a motorcycle, which I crashed into a telephone pole a few blocks from the dorm. I broke my leg in the accident and am unable to attend classes, so I’m coming home to live with you and dad.”
After hitting “send,” she immediately sent a second email: “Mom, I was only joking. I didn’t steal any money, or rent a motorcycle, or hit a telephone pole, or break my leg. And I won’t be coming home to live with you and dad either. However, I am getting a D in mathematics and an F in literature, and I wanted you to keep my grades in proper perspective!”
Seriously, having a biblical perspective on life’s challenges can lift you out of discouragement and despair. Paul said, “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures… we might have hope.” For every problem you face in life, God’s Word has a principle to be practiced or a promise to be claimed. So, the way to overcome discouragement is to get into God’s Word and get it into you.
Soul food: Acts 14-15; Matt 9:27-38; Ps 133; Pro 16:2
2025-07-13
James 2:26 NIV
Could it be that the negative perception people have of the church stems from the negative energy we project? And could it be that our negative energy stems from our negative view of righteousness? We falsely view righteousness as doing nothing wrong: “Don’t do this. Don’t do that. And you’re okay.” The problem with that approach is you can do nothing wrong and still not do the right thing; the thing God is calling you to do. Righteousness means more than doing nothing wrong. Do you really think God’s ultimate dream for us is doing nothing wrong? You love it when your children make a difficult decision not to do something wrong. But the thing that brings you greater joy is seeing them develop their gifts and maximize their potential. And that’s what God wants for each of us.
The Bible teaches two kinds of sin: the sin of commission, which is doing something you shouldn’t have done, and the sin of omission, which is all the things we could and should have done to advance God’s kingdom but didn’t do. A pastor writes: “In God’s economy, breaking even is a total loss. Isn’t that the lesson of the parable of the talents? The servant with one talent broke even… [and] Jesus called him a ‘wicked and lazy servant’ (Matthew 25:26 NKJV). The greatest risk is taking no risks… Righteousness is using all our God-given gifts to their full God-given potential. Love doesn’t play it safe; it takes risks. Love doesn’t make excuses; it takes responsibility. Love doesn’t see problems; it seizes opportunities to step up and step in.”
Soul food: 1 Sam 21:1-6; Hosea 6:4-6; Matt 12:1-14
2025-07-11
Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV
Your life’s purpose is connected to a specific time and season. In other words, it will have a beginning and an ending. Some of God’s purposes can be fulfilled in a short time, while others take a lifetime. You won’t always be able to do what you’re doing today, or at least to the extent you’re doing it now. The Bible teaches, “As your days, so shall your strength be” (Deuteronomy 33:25 NKJV). That’s why some of the world’s best sports players transition into coaching.
Three important observations:
(1) You must understand and maximize the season you’re in right now.
(2) When one season ends, you must transition graciously into the next.
(3) You must learn to enjoy whatever season you’re in.
Here is an interesting phenomenon: Elijah passed his mantle of power to Elisha, but nowhere do we read that Elisha passed it on to anyone else. But when Paul passed his mantle on to Timothy, it didn’t end there. Paul told him, “The things… you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit…to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2 NKJV).
Instead of lamenting that he had run out of time, Paul rejoiced in knowing that God had helped him to fulfil his assignment. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown” (2 Timothy 4:7-8 NKJV). The truth is, God only gives you grace for the season you’re in. And when a season ends, and it’s time to transition, the grace lifts. So, pay attention and know when to move on!
Soul food: Acts 12-13; Matt 9:14-26; Ps 123; Pro 16:1
