2020-09-21
3 John 1:2 NKJV
We know that God wants us to enjoy life, and be successful in taking hold of His plans for us. There’s not an area of your life that God isn’t interested in. We have to remember, though, that we can block ourselves from godly success when we’re not in tune with Him. When we seek Him, obey His instructions, and do everything in a way that honours Him, He moves alongside us in what we’re doing. In the Old Testament, He said, ‘Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do’ (Deuteronomy 29:9 NIV). And in the New Testament, Jesus said, ‘seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you’ (Matthew 6:33 NKJV). When Jesus says ‘all these things’, He’s talking about our daily needs. Those verses show us that, throughout history, our God has been taking care of people. He makes sure that we have what we need, and that we see real success. But they also remind us that we have to love Him, living out that love in the ways that He instructs us to, in order to step into the success and provision that He brings. Think about someone that you have a close, loving relationship with. You want them to be happy, to have success in the things that they are passionate about. Our relationship with God is so much stronger than that, so our heavenly Father is invested in our success, right down to the details of having clothes on our back. Live with the full knowledge of that. Focus on doing what God wants, and trust that He’ll provide you with what you need. Believe that God wants you to succeed in the life that He has planned for you.
2 Cor 1-4; Luke 22:63-71; Ps 39; Prov 21:9-13
2020-09-20
Matthew 6:33 NKJV
Some people think that God’s only interested in saving souls, making people morally pure, then taking them to Heaven. God is interested in those things, but He’s also interested in so much more. He sent His only Son so that we ‘may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance’ (John 10:10 AMP). This means that God cares deeply about everything that makes up our day-to-day, and wants our lives to be good. In Matthew 6:31-33, Jesus speaks these words to us: ‘Do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For after all these things the Gentiles [who do not serve God] seek…For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you’ (NKJV). This explains to us that God wants to provide us with everything that we need, making sure that we have enough to eat and drink, clothes to wear, and every other thing that we need to thrive. It lets us know that He’s working to take care of all of those things. What we have is given to us by God, right down to the practical, everyday things. Whatever we still need will be provided by Him. He’s not only a God of the spiritual; He’s at work in the practical too. He welcomes us to ask Him into every real-life thing, from our basic necessities, through to the bigger picture of our careers and relationships. If we seek Him and His Kingdom in our daily lives, then we’ll begin to recognise Him in every aspect.
Matt 17:1-9; John 19:25-27; Rev 1:1-11
2020-09-19
Psalm 42:2 NIV
Godliness isn’t a culture, it’s an attitude of the heart. It has little to do with how a person looks or what they own. The Bible says, ‘People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart’ (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV). Godliness is internal. A truly godly person is one whose heart is sensitive to God, who takes God and His Word seriously, and who desires more of Him. Someone who can relate to David when he cried, ‘My soul thirsts for God.’ We can be rich or poor, young or old, urban or rural, follower or leader, active or quiet, married or single – none of that matters. What matters is having a longing to know God intimately, to obey Him, and walk with Him. It’s about being dedicated and devoted to God. And out of that devotion comes a godly lifestyle. The more time we spend with God, the more we’ll begin to change and become like Him. The more we’ll want to lay aside the things we know we shouldn’t be doing, and live His way instead. The Bible tells us: ‘Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do’ (1 Peter 1:15 NIV). We become holy through our time spent with God, and by becoming self-disciplined. The Bible says: ‘Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things’ (1 Timothy 4:8 NIV). We need to ask ourselves, ‘Do I want to be godly?’ If the answer is ‘no’, we need to ask God to change our hearts and attitudes. And if the answer is ‘yes’, we need to ask God to help us desire Him above all else.
Eze 46-48; Luke 22:54-62; Ps 3; Prov 21:4-8
2020-09-18
1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV
In stressed-out days it’s hard to remember that we, just as we are, with all our weakness and tired thoughts, are enough to God. When we forget that God has said that we’re enough, it’s important to have friends who will come and remind us of that. One of the wonderful things about being in the Church is that other Christians can ‘be’ Christ to us in those moments. But while it’s great to be encouraged by others, we need to be encouraging them too. The Bible tells us to ‘encourage one another and build each other up.’ Wherever there are sporting events, there’s usually a crowd of people ready to cheer the athletes on. In Hebrews 12, we’re told that living as a Christian is like running a race. ‘So let us run the race that is before us and never give up’ (v.1 NCV). Sometimes that race can feel tough. We get tired of running and obstacles get in the way. When we see people flagging, we need to be encouraging them to not give up. But Paul not only spoke to the Thessalonians about encouraging others, he also said ‘build each other up’. We need to be helping to strengthen other people’s faith; we need to be using words that will help people rather than breaking them down. The Bible says: ‘Help others with encouraging words; don’t drag them down by finding fault’ (Romans 14:19 MSG). When we’re building others up, and they’re building us up, we’ll all have more strength to ‘run the race that is before us and never give up.’
Num 29:1-6; Rev 11:15-19; 1 Cor 15:50-58; Matt 24
2020-09-17
Jeremiah 17:9 NLT
Imagine God comes to see you, and says you can ask for anything you want and He’ll give it to you. What would you ask for? Top exam results? A new car? Or maybe you’d ask for awesome prayer times or the gift of prophecy. Well, this happened one night to Solomon in 1 Kings 3. While he was asleep, God appeared in his dream, saying ‘Ask! What shall I give you?’ (v. 5 NKJV). Solomon could’ve asked for anything – more money, more land, a closer relationship with God – but he asked for ‘an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil’ (v. 9 NKJV). What exactly is ‘an understanding heart’? In the Hebrew text, ‘understanding’ is translated from the verb ‘shama’. It can also mean ‘hearing’ or ‘listening’. Solomon’s asking for a heart that hears, a heart that listens. Being able to really listen to the people he governs, and listen to God, means that Solomon’s perfectly placed to understand the full picture and make fair judgements over his people. It’s an amazingly selfless request – it’ll help Solomon be a better person, but that’ll radiate outwards and help him meet the needs of the people he leads. Solomon understands his God-given responsibility to them, and in that moment he chooses something that’ll benefit everyone, over a nice, ‘I deserve this’ personal reward. So how can we apply this to ourselves? If we ask God for ‘an understanding heart’, it’ll help us truly listen to other people so we understand their situations and feelings. It’ll help us hear from God and discern how He wants us to act. It’ll help us meet their needs and build relationships with them.
Eze 43-45; Luke 22:39-53; Ps 19; Prov 21:3
2020-09-16
Ecclesiastes 4:6 NIV
It can be challenging to live a balanced life. We can either end up working too hard, striving for more, and becoming exhausted. Or we can rest too much, become lazy, and rely on other people. The author of Ecclesiastes highlights this problem, and believes that one handful of rest with one handful of work is the answer. Living this way means that life is balanced. ‘Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.’ To have a balanced life we must live by these two Scriptures: 1) ‘Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you’ (1 Peter 5:7 NIV). 2) ‘Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour’ (v.8 NIV). When we fail to do either of these two things, we’ve opened the door for the enemy to attack us. Too much of anything, even a good thing, is a problem. For example, work is good. But too much of it causes stress, which can result in sickness, resentment, discouragement, and the breakdown of our relationships. Food is good. But too much of it can lead to health problems. It’s good to be organised. But if we become a perfectionist we can become fearful of failing, and that can lead to stress and arguments with others. Any area of our lives that get out of balance will rob us of the joy God wants us to have. Maintaining a balanced life is one of the biggest challenges we’ll probably face, but God can help us to be able to do it.
Eze 40:10-42:20; Luke 22:24-38; Ps 24; Prov 21:1-2
