2025-03-27
Ephesians 4:32 NKJV
In 1982, John Hinckley Jr. attempted to take the life of President Ronald Reagan by shooting him with a handgun. Reagan’s daughter, Patti, later recounted what she learned from her father when he was in hospital: “My father said he knew his physical healing was directly dependent on his ability to forgive John Hinckley… It showed me that forgiveness is the key to everything… He gave me an example of Christ-like thinking.”
Sometimes the wounds that others inflict on us are unintentional, and other times they are deliberate. But in both cases the Scriptures give us a clear standard concerning the wrongs we experience. You are to forgive those who hurt you, “even as God in Christ forgave you.” That’s a high standard, but it’s one that brings healing for our deepest wounds.
Sometimes we dispense forgiveness like a soft drink from a vending machine – mechanically, and with no feelings attached. But the Bible says two attitudes should accompany forgiveness: kindness, which is expressed in our actions, and tenderheartedness, which is expressed in our attitudes. Why? Because that’s the way God forgives us. Throughout Scripture we find emotions such as kindness, gentleness, compassion, and tenderness – in word or by action – ascribed to God. We also find examples of it in the lives of those God used to fulfill His plans and purposes. Joseph was one of them, when he forgave his brothers who betrayed him. And He calls on us to do the same. This kind of forgiveness is as much an act of the heart as it is an act of the will.
Soul food: 2 Thes 1-3; Luke 20:9-19; Ps 18:30-50; Prov 8:32-33
2025-03-26
Proverbs 19:2 NLT
If you are impulsive, you tend to lack discipline. You can be thoughtless, or insensitive to others, or driven by appetite. You may have a hard time with delayed gratification. You have a low frustration tolerance. You get bored easily. You can fly off the handle. If this describes you, here are six principles you should try to incorporate into your life:
(1) Ask counsel from wise friends before plunging forward with an idea. “The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge” (Proverbs 18:15 NKJV).
(2) Cultivate friendships with people who are not only wise but strong enough to hold you accountable. “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed” (James 5:16 KJV).
(3) Spend time praying about a potential open door before assuming that your intuition is a divine command. “He shows the proper path to those who go astray. He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way” (Psalm 25:8-9 NLT).
(4) Study and read about an area of need before you commit yourself to action. “Only simpletons believe everything they’re told! The prudent carefully consider their steps” (Proverbs 14:15 NLT).
(5) When you come to the end of a season of activity, spend some time in reflection so that you can become a wiser person before you go on to the next thing. “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty” (Proverbs 21:5 NLT).
(6) Make a commitment and stick with it, even when the next impulse, which looks so much more fun, comes along.
Soul food: Est 5-10; Luke 20:1-8; Ps 18:1-29; Prov 26:24-27
2025-03-25
1 John 4:17 NKJV
When you put your trust in Christ as your Saviour, God sees you “in Christ.” The words “in Christ” appear no less than seventy-eight times in the New Testament. When God looks at you, He doesn’t see you with all your flaws and imperfections; He sees you in Christ. And since Christ has atoned for all your sins, you are “accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6 KJV).
Having a blessed future is not contingent upon how much you strive to be perfect or how hard you work at changing yourself. It is contingent upon the person of Jesus Christ, and the fact that you are in Christ. The Bible proclaims, “As He is, so are we in this world.” You say, “But surely you only get what you deserve?” That’s true, unless you are in Christ. Then you get what He deserves! “For He made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV).
The word “righteousness” is a legal term. It means “to have right standing before God.” Vine’s An Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words defines righteousness as “that gracious gift of God to men whereby all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are brought into right relationship with God.” In other words, your right standing before God is based on Jesus’ right standing before God. You should be glad about that. Why? Because the only righteousness that measures up to God’s exacting standard of perfection is the righteousness of Christ. And since you are clothed in His righteousness, you can be confident of God’s acceptance and walk in His blessing each day.
Soul food: Est 1-4; Luke 19:45-48; Ps 69:19-36; Prov 8:30-31
2025-03-24
Isaiah 26:3 NLT
Your thoughts create your feelings, and your feelings dictate your approach to life. So by changing the way you think, you can change how you feel and how you approach life. Unlike the world, which teaches you to empty your mind to achieve peace, God’s way is to fill your mind with fresh, powerful, redeeming thoughts. “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”
It’s not just about trying to blot out bad thoughts with your willpower. If a wrong, bad, or negative thought is lodged in your mind today and you can’t seem to shake it, stop trying! That won’t erase it from your mind. That’s like cutting a weed off at ground level rather than uprooting it; it will just grow again. What you need to do is replace that wrong destructive thought with a thought that’s from God. That’s the only way to deal with wrong thoughts and begin the healing process. The apostle Paul writes: “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise… Then the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9 NLT).
Are you concerned about your health? “Fix” your mind on this Scripture: “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses” (Matthew 8:17 NKJV). Are you concerned about the future? “Fix” your mind on this promise: “And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8 NKJV).
Soul food: Job 40-42; Luke 19:37-44; Ps 69:1-18; Prov 8:27-29
2025-03-23
Hebrews 10:2 NKJV
To become a worshiper in the fullest sense requires two things. First, an understanding that God’s love toward you is not predicated on your love toward Him. The moment you accept Christ as your Saviour, God accepts you and clothes you in the righteousness of Christ; therefore, you are always worthy to approach Him.
Second, understanding that God’s love for you is not merely a theological concept, but something that is embraced with your heart and responded to through your emotions. In the act of worship, you “let yourself go,” giving yourself without reservation and abandoning yourself to Him. “Worshipers, once purified, would have had no consciousness of sins.”
When you believe that the blood of Jesus has cleansed you from all sin – past, present, and future – you become a worshiper enraptured with His love. Sinful patterns are changed, and stubborn habits are broken when you get your eyes off yourself and focus on Christ. Paul writes, “Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:18-19 NKJV). Note the words “in your heart to the Lord.”
The psalmist David writes, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8 NKJV). Note the word “taste.” Picture yourself sitting down to your favourite meal, tasting each bite and savoring each flavour. The truth of God’s love for you must not just remain in your mind; it must be experienced in your heart. When that happens, you are truly worshiping God.
Soul food: Lev 27:30-33; Num 31:48-54; 1 Cor 16:1-3; 2 Cor 9:1-15
2025-03-22
Mark 16:20 KJV
The book of Mark concludes this way: “They went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.” Understanding the will of God is not a precise science, and the most spiritually mature among us can get it wrong. But this much you can count on: God will use a combination of the Spirit and Scripture to guide you. As you open His Word and open your heart, God will speak to you. Then you have to act on it.
The way to get spiritual momentum is by praying, and then making a decision. And the harder the decision, the more momentum it can produce. The main reason most of us don’t notice God moving is because we aren’t moving. If you would like to see God move, you need to make a move! Near the end of her ministry, Mother Teresa was frequently asked by her admirers how they could make a difference with their lives the way she had with hers. She often replied with only four words: “Find your own Calcutta.”
That doesn’t mean God’s will for you is to be a missionary in a foreign land. It could be; the greater likelihood is that God is calling you to take action where you live and where you work. Before God asks you to do greater things, He will ask you to use what you have, do what you can, and serve where you are. So, what little things do you need to do now that will make you ready for the big things God wants down the road?
Soul food: Job 38-39; Luke 19:28-36; Ps 38:13-22; Prov 8:24-26
