2025-01-30
Proverbs 22:6 NLT
The Prodigal Son eventually came back home and was restored to his place in the family. When he lost everything and ended up feeding pigs, the Bible says, “He came to himself” (Luke 15:17 NKJV). It’s hard to watch someone you love suffer, but sometimes they need to hit the bottom in order to turn around. The Prodigal’s breaking point became his turning point. “I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned'” (v. 18 NKJV). Notice his father was a good parent with a rebellious child. If that describes you, here are three pieces of sound advice:
(1) Don’t blame yourself and beat yourself up.
(2) Don’t judge your children’s weaknesses from your position of strength. The reason they cannot see is because they are spiritually blind. But God can open their eyes. Jesus said, “No man can come to me, except the Father… draw him” (John 6:44 KJV). You do the praying, and let God do the drawing.
(3) Keep your heart and your door open. When the Prodigal Son finally came to his senses, he knew where to go; back home to the father who loved him. You cannot save your children from the consequences of their actions, and you may not be able to lessen the pain they’re going through. But if you pray, keep your heart and your door open, God can bring them back. “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.” That’s a promise you can stand on today.
Soul food: Gen 1-3; Luke 7:11-23; Ps 107:23-32; Prov 3:25-26
2025-01-29
Genesis 41:51-52 NKJV
When you experience tragedy or loss, unless you get help, you can shut down emotionally and remain stuck. And when you focus on the pain of the past, you risk forfeiting the blessing God has for you in the future. If anyone had reason to give in to despair and quit, it was Joseph. Those who should have loved him resented and betrayed him. He was slandered, lied about, and falsely imprisoned. How did he survive it? Four times in Genesis 39, the Bible says, “The Lord was with Joseph.”
Having a sense of God’s presence will sustain you through things that would otherwise destroy you. Joseph knew it was in forgiving and forgetting rather than holding on to resentment that he was setting himself free and positioning himself to fulfill his divine destiny. How do we know this? Because of what he named his two sons. “Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: ‘For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.’ And the name of the second he called Ephraim: ‘For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.'”
Who enabled Joseph to forget the pain inflicted on him by his family? God! What enabled him to overcome the injustices inflicted upon him by others? A daily sense of God’s presence. And today, God’s presence will do that for you too. His promise to you is, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you… When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned… For I am the Lord your God” (Isaiah 43:2-3 NKJV).
Soul food: Ecc 9-12; Luke 7:1-10; Ps 107:17-22; Prov 3:21-24
2025-01-28
John 4:14 NKJV
The woman Jesus met at the well had been married five times. She had tried multiple relationships in an attempt to fill the void within her. But it didn’t work for her, and it won’t work for you. Neither will climbing the corporate ladder, or acquiring more and more stuff, or achieving fame.
Note what Jesus told this woman: “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again” (v. 13 NKJV). When you’re in the desert without water, there comes a point at which you start seeing mirages and believing things that are not real. And when your soul continues to be parched and dry, you start reaching for things that are not real and cannot satisfy it.
Jesus didn’t bring up this woman’s past to embarrass her. He referenced it for one reason only; to let her know that He could heal the wounds of her past and give her hope for a better future. And He did. Not only did He transform her, but she also became the first person to introduce the gospel to Samaria.
Perhaps you think you’re beyond hope and redemption. David wasn’t, and he committed adultery and covered it up with murder. Peter wasn’t, and he denied Jesus. Thomas wasn’t, even though he is still remembered as a doubter. Paul wasn’t, and he killed Christians before he became one. Your unfulfilled desires and your unquenched thirst are a plus, not a minus, if you let them drive you to the feet of Jesus. Here is His promise: “The water that I shall give… will become… a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (v. 14 NKJV).
Soul food: Ecc 5-8; Luke 6:37-49; Ps 107:10-16; Prov 3:19-20
2025-01-27
Romans 3:21 NKJV
You will go to heaven because you trusted in Christ’s righteousness, not your own. You say, “But isn’t doing the right things important?” Absolutely. Your reward in heaven will be predicated upon what you do for God here on earth. But your salvation depends on trusting in Christ’s performance, not your own. Satan knows this, and he will try to drive you back to performance-based Christian living. And when you fail, as you assuredly will, he will condemn you and tell you that you don’t measure up and, therefore, you are unworthy of God’s love and acceptance. Notice what condemnation does:
(1) It robs you of confidence before God. You are unable to claim His promises because you feel unworthy. Thirty-one times in Scripture, it says that we are “in Christ.” That’s one for every day of the month. So, each day, remind yourself that you are “in Christ,” and because He is worthy, you are accepted.
(2) It makes you irritable and unpleasant to be around. Addiction counselors describe this as being “squirrelly” or uneasy in your own skin. As a result, you begin to put out what you feel on the inside. What’s the answer?
Paul gives it to us: “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight… But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed… even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe” (vv. 20-22 NKJV).
Bottom line: Righteousness is credited to your account through faith, not works. Today you are loved and accepted “in Christ.”
Soul food: Ecc 1-4; Luke 6:27-36; Ps 107:1-9; Prov 3:13-18
2025-01-26
Daniel 3:17-18 NKJV
When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego refused to bow before Nebuchadnezzar’s ninety-foot golden god, he threatened them with a fiery furnace. Here is what they told him: “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not…we do not serve your gods” (vv. 17-18 NKJV).
When does God show up? When you say, “God is able to deliver me, but if not, I’m going to serve Him anyway.” It’s wonderful when God provides what we need. Yet, the faith that truly pleases God says, “But if not, I’m going to trust God anyway.”
Peter writes: “There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold – though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honour on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world” (1 Peter 1:6-7 NLT).
And one more thought: The Bible does not say that the three Hebrew children saw the fourth man who was with them in the fire; it says that Nebuchadnezzar did, and he described Him as “the Son of God” (Daniel 3:25 NKJV). So even when you don’t know it, your faith, your life, and testimony are impacting those around you and bringing glory to God.
Soul food: Eze 47:1-12; Rev 21:22-22:5
2025-01-25
Genesis 41:35 NKJV
Notice what Joseph told Pharaoh: “Collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years… gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up… Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine… that the land may not perish” (vv. 34-36 NKJV). There are two important lessons for us in this story.
(1) Don’t let your bad times eat up your good ones. And what is the best way to do that? By standing on the Word of God during times of discouragement and difficulty. “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6 NKJV).
(2) Don’t just enjoy your good times; glean from them the wisdom, strength, strategies, relationships, and resources that will sustain you in the bad times. Paul writes, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character” (Romans 5:3-4 NLT).
But when God blesses you, don’t just store it up – share it with others. Practice the law of reciprocity that Jesus taught: “Give, and it will be given to you… For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38 NKJV). What you cling to for selfish purposes, you will eventually lose. But when you give to bless others, God has promised to reward you both now and in eternity.
Soul food: Rom 15-16; Luke 6:17-26; Ps 104:24-35; Prov 3:11-12
