2025-04-06
Genesis 37:25 NKJV
If Abraham and Sarah had been willing to wait a little longer, Isaac would have been born and the promise of God fulfilled. But they became impatient, and as a result, Ishmael was born. One of the names given to God in Scripture is “Redeemer,” because He can redeem our mistakes and turn them into learning experiences; He can turn the mess you make into the miracle you need.
It took three generations, but God turned the mess Abraham made into the miracle of deliverance Joseph needed. Joseph’s destiny was to be ruler of Egypt and save his family and the world in time of famine. But because his brothers resented him, they sold him as a slave to “a company of Ishmaelites.” These were the descendants of Ishmael, who was born to Abraham and Hagar, Sarah’s maid. And where were these Ishmaelites going? To Egypt! “Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt… so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt” (vv. 25, 28 NKJV).
It’s not over until God says it’s over. He can turn the mess you made in the past into a miracle you need in the future. And that miracle will not only bless you, but others too. And perhaps those others will be in your own family, just as in the case of Joseph.
Soul food: 2 Ki 5:1-27; Matt 6:19-34; Acts 5:1-11
2025-04-05
Matthew 1:5 NKJV
Humanly speaking, the chances of a Gentile like Ruth marrying a wealthy Jew like Boaz were less than zero, because the law of Moses forbade it. “An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the Lord; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the Lord forever” (Deuteronomy 23:3 NKJV). If ever a door looked shut, locked, and bolted, it was this one. But when people and circumstances rule, God overrules. His résumé reads: “He who has the key… He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens” (Revelation 3:7 NKJV).
God, not people, holds the key to your future. Jesus said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27 NKJV). From this unusual combination of Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, accepted and rejected, would come Jesus the Redeemer of the world. The record reads, “Boaz begot Obed by Ruth.”
So, the word for you today is: the best is yet to come. Your walk with Christ can produce fruit that blesses your children and your grandchildren for generations to come. Live in the present and enjoy every day God gives you, but always keep the long view in mind. It’s not just about what God wants to do for you, but what He wants to do through you that will bless others. God told Abraham, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing… And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2-3 NKJV). Claim that promise!
Soul food: Lev 21:1-23:25; Luke 21-25-28; Ps 50:1-15; Prov 10:3
2025-04-04
1 Corinthians 16:1 NIV
When a recession hit Jerusalem, Paul asked the believers at Corinth to give offerings to meet this need: “Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem” (vv. 1-3 NIV).
A healthy church will always have two things: in-reach and outreach. It will endeavor to meet both the spiritual and material needs of people. In the Old Testament, God told His people, “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren… you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother “(Deuteronomy 15:7 NKJV).
When you have a true encounter with Christ, you will have a heart for hurting people. “Then Zacchaeus… said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house'” (Luke 19:8-9 NKJV).
When it comes to giving to God, the Bible sets the baseline at 10 percent (See Malachi 3:10). Beyond that, you should be guided by your love for God: “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7 NKJV).
Soul food: Lev 18-20; Luke 21:12-24; Ps 25:16-22; Prov 10:2
2025-04-03
Deuteronomy 16:17 NKJV
When it comes to giving, here are two important truths the Bible teaches us about money:
(1) God does not expect us all to give the same amount. “Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you” (v. 17 NKJV). Paul writes, “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have” (2 Corinthians 8:12 NIV).
(2) God will ask you to make sacrifices to fulfill His kingdom purposes in the earth. In order to reverse the judgment of God that had come upon the people, King David was instructed to “go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite” (2 Samuel 24:18 NKJV). When Araunah saw David coming, he offered him the land free of charge. But David said: “‘No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.’ So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel” (vv. 24-25 NKJV).
God does not ask us to give equally, He asks us to sacrifice equally. And here is the good news: On the other side of every sacrifice God asks you to make for Him, there awaits you His blessings and His rewards.
Soul food: Lev 15-17; Luke 21:8-11; Ps 25:8-15; Prov 10:1
2025-04-02
Job 1:21 NKJV
Here is what Job said about his great wealth: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there.” Job understood that we all enter life with our hands empty, and we all exit life with our hands empty. The only thing we can take with us when we go is what we have sent ahead.
Jesus talks about this: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV).
When Jesus referred to treasure, His audience would have understood that He was referring to clothing, food, or money. Rich people wore the best clothes, but moths could tear holes in them. Rich people ate the best food, but rats and worms could consume it. Rich people owned silver and gold, but since there were no banks, they stored their money in their houses. But because houses were made of clay, thieves could conveniently reach through the wall and rob it. What Jesus was saying was “Don’t put your treasure where it can be damaged, decayed, or done away with.”
A pastor writes: “Jesus doesn’t want your money. It’s already his. Jesus wants your heart. But since your heart always follows your money, he wants you to surrender your money, your wealth, your stuff to him.” When you do that, you’re investing in eternity instead of time.
Soul food: Lev 13:38-14:57; Luke 21:1-7; Ps 25:1-7; Prov 9:17-18
2025-03-31
Haggai 2:8 NKJV
God owns everything. If you doubt that, read these Scriptures: “‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts.” “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1 NKJV). “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father” (James 1:17 NKJV). “Both riches and honour come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all” (1 Chronicles 29:12 NKJV).
What do these Scriptures mean? They mean that the bank account, the stock portfolio, or the title deed to the property may be held in your name, but God owns it all. You say, “Then what am I?” You are the administrator of God’s estate, and the executor of His will. Can an administrator do as he or she chooses with someone’s estate? No, they are required to manage it on behalf of someone else. Can the executor do as he or she chooses with someone’s last will and testament? No, they are required to follow the instructions given in that will.
And if you want to know the terms of God’s will for your life, they’re found in His Word. And the more God entrusts to you, the more He requires of you. Jesus said, “Everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more” (Luke 12:48 NKJV).
Soul food: Lev 8-10; Luke 20:34-40; Ps 72:12-20; Prov 9:7-9
