2020-08-22
1 Corinthians 12:5 ESV
Theodore Roosevelt said that ‘comparison is the thief of joy.’ He was absolutely right. One of the biggest mistakes is to compare ourselves to others, especially when it comes to work that God placed us to do. We can’t compare our calling to someone else’s. 1 Corinthians 12:6-11 explains that ‘there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone… For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills’ (ESV). God calls each of us to do different things, in different places, at different times. The need around us determines what we do and who God needs each of us to be. 1 Corinthians 12 continues: ‘For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose’ (v.12-18 ESV). We have to take hold of our own, unique place in the body of God’s Church.
Judg 12-15; Luke 16:19-31; Ps 119:121-128; Prov 18:13-20
2020-08-21
Luke 17:3 NCV
Sometimes we need to confront people if their behaviour is negatively affecting us. Jesus said, ‘If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them.’ But that doesn’t give us the right to vent our anger or jump in straight away without thinking. Jesus also said, ‘Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying “I repent,” you must forgive them’ (v. 4 NCV). If we do confront someone, we also need to respect their choice if they decide not to continue their relationship with us. Their rejection of our friendship doesn’t mean we’re less important or inferior in some way. However, if we find we’re often being rejected and we don’t know why, it might be a good idea to try to find the reason by asking someone we trust to give their honest opinion of our own behaviour. The Bible says: ‘Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy’ (Proverbs 27:6 NLT). It’s hard to listen to criticism, but it can be the first step towards improving ourselves. We should try not to be defensive or offended by what they say. A true friend will want us to be the best we can be, so even if the things they say are difficult to hear, we can know that their words come from a heart that wants to help us grow. It’s also important that we take what they’ve said to God and ask Him for wisdom to know how to deal with their feedback, and what changes we might need to make. By being willing and open to change, we can turn rejection into something positive that helps us grow.
Judg 9:34-11:40; Luke 16:1-18; Ps 119:113-120; Prov 20:25; Ecc 5:4-6
2020-08-20
Proverbs 31:18 NCV
Even when we make big mistakes, or repeat the same one several times, it doesn’t change God’s mind about us. ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. I will build you up again, and you…will be rebuilt’ (Jeremiah 31:3-4 NIV). God will correct us when we need it, but we mustn’t confuse His correction with rejection. ‘The Lord disciplines the one he loves’ (Hebrews 12:6 NIV). God disciplines us because he loves us so much that He wants to help us reach our highest potential. God doesn’t reject us, so we shouldn’t let others put us down because of our past mistakes. We don’t have to boast, exaggerate, or pretend to be someone we’re not to make ourselves seem better in other people’s eyes. We can be real and authentic because we’re secure in God’s love. If we feel that we always have to please everyone, our self-worth will always be at their mercy. But God already sees us all as equal, so we don’t need to strive for approval from others. In Proverbs 31, there’s a description of a virtuous woman. Verse 18 says: ‘She knows that what she makes is good’ (NCV). She wasn’t full of pride, she was just confident in who God had made her to be, the skills He had blessed her with, and the assignment He had given her to fulfil. Her confidence came from within, not from the approval of others. When we’re feeling rejected or unappreciated by other people, let’s try to keep in mind that God created each of us for a unique purpose, and that we already have His approval and love.
Judg 7:1-9:33; Luke 15:11-32; Ps 119:105-112; Prov 18:10-12
2020-08-19
Psalm 139:14 NIV
In order to escape the fear of rejection, we have to wholeheartedly believe that God designed every part of us, and gave us a unique assignment. Putting ourselves down may seem humble, but it causes us to reject God’s design and plan, and settle for something less. So today, let’s declare with the psalmist: ‘Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvellous – how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God’ (vv. 14-17 NLT). Maybe we think we’re ‘less than’ because we’ve been criticised by family or friends, maybe we’ve been bullied at school, maybe we’ve felt condemned by a well-meaning but insensitive church leader. Whatever the circumstances, remember that Satan is the ‘father of lies’ (John 8:44 NLT), and he can use someone to lie about our worth and our potential. His goal is to stop us achieving things for God’s kingdom, and one of the ways he’ll try is to make us believe that we’re not worthy or not capable of fulfilling God’s plan. We need to stand strong on God’s promises and reject Satan’s lies. Psalm 139:14 says: ‘I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well’ (NIV). God took care over creating each one of us, so we can be sure He cares for us and values us more than we could imagine.
Judg 4-6; Luke 15:1-10; Ps 119:97-104; Prov 18:9
2020-08-18
Isaiah 43:4 NIVUK
Jesus experienced rejection. The Bible says: ‘He came to his own people, and even they rejected him’ (John 1:11 NLT). But instead of letting their rejection hurt Him, He moved on to where people happily received Him. And He told His disciples, ‘If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave’ (Matthew 10:14 NLT). When we’re rejected, it can make us believe the fear that we’re inadequate in some way, or not good enough. And we’re especially vulnerable when we’re rejected by someone whose opinion we value. The problem is that when we start to act on that fear by lowering our opinion of ourselves, others can pick up on that and may begin to think of us as low value. When we don’t set boundaries, or express preferences, or set any other limitations on how we’ll allow others to treat us, they’ll assume we don’t mind how they behave towards us. So let’s look at Jesus’ example: even though He was rejected, He never responded in a way that encouraged that rejection to carry on. He didn’t stay where He wasn’t wanted; He went to where He was welcomed. He went to where people recognised and received Him, His purpose, and His power. He knew he had God’s full acceptance, so He understood His value and didn’t fear others’ rejection. And we have God’s full acceptance too. ‘You are precious and honoured in my sight, and…I love you.’ The first step to overcoming rejection is to keep God’s opinion of you in your mind at all times.
Judg 1-3; Luke 14:25-35; Ps 119:89-96; Prov 18:6-8
2020-08-17
Numbers 12:6 ESV
The word vision has lots of meanings. Physical sight aside, there are two meanings to learn from today. We can connect vision with messages from God, as in Acts 2:17, where we’re told ‘your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams’ (NIV). Visions are sent from God to share truth and important words that He wants His people to know. We also come across the idea of vision when we think of plans for the future. We often think of our long-term goals in that way, calling them visions for our lives, or careers, or families. Both types of vision are important, and both are from God. Words from Him, and plans for our lives both require His perspective. In Jeremiah 29:11, God says ‘”I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”‘ (NIV). If we truly want to step into the life that God has ready for us, we’ll need to dig deep into what He wants to say to us, and what His plan is for our future. In order to live like this, we have to put everything that we have into our relationship with God. James 4:8 says ‘draw near to God and He will draw near to you’ (NKJV). It’s only when we’re close to Him that our hearts and minds become clear enough for us to receive any kind of vision from Him. Let’s commit ourselves to welcoming the Holy Spirit into our minds, pressing as close to our Father as we can, so that we may ‘see visions’ and ‘dream dreams’ for our lives.
Ruth 2-4; Luke 14:15-24; Ps 119:81-88; Prov 18:1-5
