2020-07-23
Genesis 2:8 NIV
God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He wanted them to be there, and to thrive there. And we too will thrive when we’re where God wants us to be. Jonah decided not to go to Nineveh and preach because he didn’t like the people who lived there. Helping them was the last thing he wanted to do, so he decided to run from his God-given assignment in Nineveh. As a result he ran into a storm, caused misery and loss for everyone on board the ship, and hit rock bottom before he finally got to where God wanted him to go. Sometimes it can be challenging to work out where we’re supposed to be. But God will guide us to the right place. We just need to be open to Him leading us. God told Adam to ‘be fruitful and increase in number’ (Genesis 1:28 NIV). But that didn’t happen without Adam having to put some work in. The Bible tells us: ‘The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it’ (Genesis 2:15 NIV). When we get to the right place, we shouldn’t expect our assignment to necessarily be easy or think we’ll become successful straight away. It might feel really tough, and that can make us doubt whether we really heard God’s call. We might feel totally unequipped to do what we’ve been called to. We might feel like we’re not the right person. But when we’re in the right place, doing what God wants, we’ll be given the grace and strength to handle it.
Acts 14-15; Luke 9:18-27; Ps 1; Prov 16:10-15
2020-07-22
1 John 5:4 NIV
Sometimes our problems can feel overwhelming. We might have problems coming at us from all sides, or we might have one huge issue that we’re struggling to deal with. But we don’t need to lose hope. We might feel overwhelmed and crushed by our issues, but God says that we’re ‘more than conquerors’ (Romans 8:37 NIV). When we’re going through trials and troubles, we can know that they’re making us stronger in our faith. The Bible says that we can ‘glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope’ (Romans 5:3-4 NIV). When we’re thinking about overcoming and developing into something greater, it can be useful to think about caterpillars. A caterpillar develops into a butterfly by overcoming the cocoon. It might be easier for the caterpillar to stay in the comfort of the cocoon, but the price of freedom, flight, and discovery, is struggle, development, and breakthrough. There is no other way. Jesus allowed His disciples to experience the storm on the Sea of Galilee to teach them to trust Him in every situation of life. Soon He’d be leaving them, so He used different experiences to equip them for the future. And He trains and equips us for our futures too. So when we’re trying to overcome an issue or problem we’re facing, we need to stop complaining about what we’re facing and stop repeatedly asking God to take it away. Instead we need to try and see it as preparation for the things He’s called us to do. Jesus said: ‘In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33 NIV). So let’s refuse to lose hope and instead put our trust in the One who’s already overcome.
Acts 12-13; Luke 9:1-17; Ps 65; Prov 16:8-9
2020-07-21
Job 42:10 NLT
Judah faced huge destruction after the people had continually been disobedient to God. Joel wrote that ‘What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten’ (Joel 1:4 NIV). Sometimes it can feel like things in our lives have been destroyed too. It can feel like locusts have devoured our hope, our success, our joy, and our relationships. But even when everything seems like a mess, and there doesn’t seem to be any way forward, there is hope. Later in the book of Joel, God says: ‘I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten…my great army that I sent among you’ (Joel 2:25 NIV). Other translations use the words ‘restore’ (ESV) or ‘give you back’ (NLT) instead of ‘repay’. God’s promising to bring goodness back to Judah again. He’s promising to restore all that was lost and destroyed. And He can bring restoration to our lives too. In the Bible, we read about a man called Job who faced immense loss. He lost his health, his wealth, and his family. But, in the last chapter of the book of Job it says, ‘The Lord restored his fortunes…The Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning’ (Job 42:10-12 NLT). Not only was Job’s life restored, but He was blessed even more. If we’re feeling like we’re broken and that our life is a mess, let’s put our trust in the One who can restore us. And let’s have hope that we’ll see God’s blessing more than we ever have before.
Acts 10-11; Luke 8:40-56; Ps 14; Prov 16:6-7
2020-07-20
Ephesians 4:2 NIV
Gentleness is one of the fruits of the Spirit (have a read of Galatians 5:22-23). It might not always come naturally to us, but the Spirit can help us to show it to all those we meet. In today’s culture, gentleness can be misinterpreted as weakness. If we respond to people in a gentle way, we can be accused of letting people walk all over us. This can especially be the case if we’re in a leadership position. The more authority we have, the more we’re expected to be assertive and in control. Unfortunately, a lot of leaders can move away from gentleness, and even from assertiveness, and they become controlling and aggressive in their communication. But the greater our authority, the more gracious our attitude towards others should be. If we’re leading others in any capacity, we need to be showing gentleness and kindness to them. We need to be leading from a place of love. Jesus is the best example of a leader we can ever have. In the Bible, He’s referred to as a lion and a lamb. He’s the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and the Lamb of God (take a look at Revelation 5:5-6). When it comes to standing for the truth, we should roar like a lion and stand up for what’s right. But when it comes to dealing with people, we should be as gentle as a lamb. Paul wrote: ‘Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.’ We’re not called to be harsh, rude, or controlling towards other people, no matter what position we’re in. Instead we need to show God’s love, kindness, and gentleness to all we meet.
Acts 8-9; Luke 8:26-39; Ps 146; Prov 16:4-5
2020-07-19
Matthew 5:10 NLT
Jesus said: ‘God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it!…For a great reward awaits you in heaven’ (vv.11-12 NLT). Endurance is really important if we’re going to live for God. So how can we endure when life gets tough? Paul writes, ‘Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong’ (1 Corinthians 16:13 NIV). Let’s break this verse down: 1) Be on your guard. The devil knows we have the potential to make a difference in God’s kingdom and he wants to stop us. In John 10, we’re told: ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy’ (v.10 NIV). So we need to protect ourselves and make sure we’re ready for his attack. 2) Stand firm in the faith. We can’t stand on our circumstances or other people’s opinions, because those things constantly change. We need to stand on the unchangeable Word of God. 3) Be courageous. When we’re facing a battle, we have a choice. We can give in to fear or be courageous. God said: ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged’ (Joshua 1:9 NIV). 4) Be strong. The enemy will always attack us in our weak areas. And his attack will usually come just when we’re about to do something amazing for God. Living for God isn’t easy; we have to rely on His strength and fight battles. God told His people that the Promised Land was theirs, but they had to fight for it. Only those who were willing to fight got to enter it. Are we willing to endure through the fight?
Heb 11:8-12; Gen 17:1-27; Gen 22:1-18; Jas 2:21-24
2020-07-18
Hebrews 12:2 NIV
James writes, ‘Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown’ (James 1:12 NIV). God calls the people who persevere ‘blessed’, but how often do we think about giving up rather than persevering? But if we give up on our relationships, our career, or our dreams, we might end up regretting it for the rest of our lives. When we choose to persevere, God can strengthen us and help us be victorious. Giving up doesn’t build character, endurance does. It develops something in us that nothing else can. We’re told that ‘suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope’ (Romans 5:3-4 ESV). Nobody knew more about endurance than Jesus. The Bible tells us that ‘He endured the cross.’ Not only did He endure the torture and crucifixion, He also endured the mocking voices of others, betrayal and abandonment from His friends, and God turning His face away from Him. When we feel like we want to give up, we need to follow Jesus’ example. In Hebrews 12, it says: ‘So let us run the race that is before us and never give up…Let us look only to Jesus, the One who began our faith and who makes it perfect…So do not get tired and stop trying’ (vv.1-3 NCV). God has blessings in store for us, promises waiting to be fulfilled, and things which will bring us joy. We can look forward to eternal life where we see God face to face. Right now things might be tough, but we have to try and see beyond our current circumstances. We need to fix our eyes on Jesus and keep going.
Acts 6-7; Luke 8:16-25; Ps 140; Prov 16:3
