2025-07-02
Colossians 3:13 NIV
It’s impossible to love anyone fully and at the same time resent someone else. You cannot give total love when your heart is divided. And a bitter heart is a divided heart. You may be thinking, “My spouse is a wonderful person, but I just can’t love him.” Look beneath the surface. You may still be reacting to your past and harbouring resentment against someone who hurt you. That’s keeping you from loving your spouse. And it’s not fair to them.
Many people have justified cause for their anger. It’s said that one out of every three women and one out of every seven men will be abused during their lifetime. But you must let go of the past to get on with the present. To begin loving people, you must close the door on the past. And that cannot happen without forgiveness! So, forgive those who have hurt you – for your own sake, not because they deserve it. Do it so your heart can be whole again. The people from your past cannot hurt you unless you allow them to hurt you by holding resentment against them.
Anytime you resent someone, you give them a piece of your heart, a piece of your attention, a piece of your mind. Do you want that person to have that? No? Then take it back by forgiving. Instead of rehearsing the hurt over and over, release it. And you can’t be selective in what you forgive: “I will forgive that, but I won’t forgive this.” The Bible says, “Forgive… if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (v. 13 NIV).
Soul food: Jer 45-48; Matt 6:9-18; Ps 110; Pro 15:8-9
2025-07-01
Luke 5:4 KJV
After Peter had fished all night and caught nothing, Jesus said, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets.” After explaining to Jesus that the fish weren’t biting, Peter said, “Nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net” (v. 5). Notice an important detail here. When Jesus said, “Let down your nets,” Peter replied, “I will let down the net.” Apparently, Jesus had a bigger catch in mind than Peter! In fact, that night they caught so many fish their net broke because they couldn’t handle them.
When you think small, you prepare accordingly. Scripture describes God as “Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV). As a child of God, you have within you the power to go beyond what you have already accomplished and do more than you ever dreamed possible.
What’s the problem? It’s this: You can have the right amount of power but lack preparation! To handle the pressures that accompany success, you must be prepared; otherwise, success can be your undoing. God says He is prepared to open the windows of heaven and pour out blessings so great, you won’t have room enough to handle them (See Malachi 3:10).
The question is, are you preparing yourself for greater blessing or simply settling for the status quo? You say you want success on the job. So, are you sharpening your skills, intensifying your work ethic, and developing new ways of doing things? Are you teachable and open to working with others? In other words, are you preparing yourself?
Soul food: Jer 41-44; Matt 5:38-6:8; Ps 102:18-28; Pro 15:4-7
2025-06-30
Philippians 2:14 KJV
Paul writes: “Do all things without murmurings and disputings: that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world” (vv. 14-15). What was the attitude that Paul zeroed in on? Murmuring! What was the solution? He shared it with the Thessalonian believers: “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV). Instead of looking for things to gripe about, look for things to be grateful about because they’re all around you. If murmuring comes to you as easily as breathing, here are a few areas you need to pay attention to:
(1) Don’t take on more than you can handle. Say yes to requests for personal favours only when you want to or feel led by God. This will stop you from becoming overworked and resentful toward the responsibilities dumped on you by others.
(2) Limit your time around negative people. “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits'” (1 Corinthians 15:33 NKJV). Don’t get infected!
(3) Focus on other people’s needs. “With goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord” (Ephesians 6:7-8 NKJV). What you make happen for others, God will make happen for you.
In addition to these three strategies for overcoming grumpiness, pray: “Father, deliver me from grumpiness. Reveal the root cause of it and give me courage to take the actions necessary to keep it out of my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Soul food: Jer 36:27-40:16; Matt 5:21-37; Ps 102:12-17; Prov 15:3
2025-06-29
1 Corinthians 10:10 KJV
If you don’t think God takes murmuring seriously, read this: “Don’t murmur against God and his dealings with you, as some of them did, for that is why God sent his Angel to destroy them. All these things happened to them as examples – as object lessons to us – to warn us against doing the same things” (vv. 10-11 TLB). Not only do murmuring and complaining hinder your prayers from being answered, but they also affect your health and the happiness of those around you. So:
(1) Pray before entering your day. Receive God’s help first thing. Don’t wait until you’re overwhelmed with problems. Ask Him to permeate you with His peace and joy and enable you to respond His way during the entire day. “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10 KJV).
(2) Get a good night’s sleep. Many metabolic and other restorative processes occur during the various stages of sleep. If you don’t get enough sleep for your system to be renewed, you will probably feel annoyed by the smallest things. David said, “I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustained me” (Psalm 3:5 NKJV).
(3) Talk to your doctor. When the people and situations around you constantly feel like “a pain in the neck” to you, it may be due to a literal pain in your neck or some other part of your body. Chemical imbalances can cause clinical depression, but the right medical help can restore your perspective. And watch your diet. Too much caffeine and sugar will adversely alter your mood and cause a spike in your insulin. Bottom line: The physical affects the mental, emotional, and spiritual!
Soul food: Ps 23; John 10:7-18
2025-06-28
Luke 8:18 NIV
Some people seem to go through life with a “closed” sign on their foreheads. Whether through fearfulness, selfishness, callousness, or busyness, they’re not open to the thoughts of others. And it can cost you dearly. Take a moment and ponder these Scriptures: “He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, but he who heeds rebuke gets understanding” (Proverbs 15:32 NKJV). “When I saw it, I considered it well; I looked on it and received instruction” (Proverbs 24:32 NKJV). “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a just man, and he will increase in learning” (Proverbs 9:9 NKJV). People who are receptive and approachable generally display three qualities.
(1) They show sensitivity toward people’s feelings. And here is something interesting: Although they themselves are emotionally steady, that doesn’t mean they expect others to always be that way. They recognize that good people sometimes have bad days, so they attune their approach to the feelings of others and adjust how they relate to them.
(2) They understand other people’s weaknesses because they’re aware of their own. Novelist Edgar Howe said, “Express a mean opinion of yourself occasionally; it will show your friends that you know how to tell the truth.” Open and receptive people are honest about their abilities – and their shortcomings.
(3) They have the ability to forgive others and to ask for forgiveness. That takes humility. Author David Augsburger wrote: “Since nothing we intend is ever faultless, nothing we attempt ever without error, and nothing we achieve without some measure of finitude and fallibility we call humanness; we are saved by forgiveness.”
So, the word for you today is – stay open and approachable.
Soul food: Jer 33:1-36:26; Matt 5:1-20; Ps 102:1-11; Prov 15:1-2
2025-06-27
Psalm 142:3 CEV
One day you may end up caring for a sick or aging loved one. And to take care of them properly, you must learn to take care of yourself. Following her parents’ deaths five weeks apart in a nursing home twelve hundred miles away, Beth Witrogen McLeod succumbed to clinical depression. “By ignoring my physical and mental health, I set myself up for a breakdown that would take two years to recover from. Despite its rewards, caregiving can be overwhelming.” David said, “Whenever I feel low, you are there to guide me.” So, if you’re a caregiver, follow this:
(1) Set boundaries. Learn to say no where you routinely say yes. There is nothing selfish about taking care of yourself so you can give the best possible care to someone else.
(2) Beware of harmful coping patterns. Misusing medication, overeating, drinking “to take the edge off.” You’re human, and it can happen!
(3) Don’t isolate. Invite some friends over who have volunteered to help. One can cook and care for your loved one while you and another friend take a walk.
(4) Ask for help. If family members aren’t pulling their weight, call a meeting and delegate responsibility. Don’t deny others the blessing that comes from “encouraging the fainthearted and helping the weak” (See 1 Thessalonians 5:14 NAS).
(5) Protect your time. It’s easy to schedule every minute with nothing left over for yourself. Don’t do it. Find something that feeds you: Read, pray, exercise, enjoy some solitude. And what’s more, schedule it, or it won’t happen!
Soul food: Jer 31-32; Matt 4:12-25; Ps 98; Prov 14:34-35
