2020-05-31
Colossians 4:6 NIV
We all know that the words we say have an impact on those around us. If we’re speaking negative words, we can create a negative atmosphere around us. But if we’re speaking truth and positivity, we can encourage others. The Bible tells us to ‘encourage one another and build each other up’ (1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV). How we speak to others will determine what sort of relationship we’ll have with them. If people are always rude to us, or lie to us, we’re not likely to stay around long. And it’s the same the other way round. We need to let our conversations with others be ‘always full of grace, seasoned with salt.’ The words we speak come out of how we feel. If we’re struggling with our attitude then we’re probably not going to speak words of life to others. Jesus said: ‘A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of’ (Luke 6:45 NIV). This doesn’t just apply to our words to others. How we speak to, and about, ourselves is really important too. We need to be speaking God’s truth over ourselves. We need to encourage ourselves and show grace to ourselves when we make mistakes. The psalmist wrote: ‘May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer’ (Psalm 19:14 NIV). Are our words pleasing to God? If not, let’s ask Him to help us speak words of encouragement, grace, and truth to those around us, and to ourselves.
John 7:37-41; Exo 17:1-7; Isa 35:1-7
2020-05-30
Ecclesiastes 3:1 NCV
Friendships are very important in our lives. Friends help us through the tough times, and celebrate with us in the high points. But sometimes our friendships are just for a season. We need to ask for God’s wisdom to know which relationships we need to let go of, and which we need to fight for. When people drift away from us, we can either try and fight for the friendship, or we can let them go. People leave us because they’re not joined to us. And if they’re not joined to us, we shouldn’t try to make them stay. It doesn’t mean they’re bad people; it just means that their part in our story is over (or that our part in their story is over). We need to try and understand when a relationship is over, and graciously let people go, knowing that whatever relationships God means us to have, He’ll provide. Clinging to a relationship when its season has ended will only lead to heartbreak. After Lot left him, Abraham entered a new level of God’s blessing. When Orpah left Naomi and went back home to Moab, Ruth stayed with her, and both Naomi and Ruth were blessed by God. While the end of a friendship or relationship can be upsetting, God can bring new things into our lives and help us to have relationships with new people who can help us along the journey God’s taking us on. We should also consider that continuing the relationship once that season has ended could be holding the other person back from their own journey with God. If we’re holding on to people who don’t belong in our lives, let’s ask God to help us let them go.
1 Kings 10-11; Mark 13:1-11; Ps 82; Prov 12:18-19
2020-05-29
James 1:2 NLT
When difficulties come to us in life and in our relationships, we have a choice. We can either go down the path of despair, or the path of hope. The first path takes us from disappointment to discouragement, then to despair. We feel powerless and hopeless, and we don’t know how things will ever get better. If we’re honest, we can often find ourselves heading down that path, especially if we’ve been struggling for a long time. But in Romans 5, we find an alternative path. It says, ‘suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope’ (vv.3-4 NIV). In order to choose this path, we need to trust that God will stay with us in the hard times, and that He’ll bring something good from them. The Bible says, ‘in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose’ (Romans 8:28 NIV). Often when we can’t understand life’s circumstances, we limit our expectations of who God is and what He can do. But we must try to see Him at work in any trials that come our way. And more than that, we need to rejoice in our times of trouble. This may seem too difficult, or even an impossibility, but James writes, ‘when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing’ (vv.2-4 NLT). When we remember the amazing things God can do in and through us while we’re facing trials, it’s easier to have joy, trust in Him, and choose the path which leads to hope.
1 Kings 8-9; Mark 12:28-44; Ps 113; Prov 12:15-17
2020-05-28
Isaiah 42:3 ESV
Ever felt like your life was lying in ruins? That you’d been hurt so much your emotions were bruised and broken? That you’d made too many mistakes to ever experience God’s redemption? No matter how badly broken we may be, if we turn to God, He’ll restore us. Isaiah said, ‘A bruised reed he will not break.’ These words portray the gentleness and grace of God as He restores and makes us whole. The Bible says: ‘His anger lasts only a moment, but his kindness lasts for a lifetime’ (Psalm 30:5 NCV). Other people might walk away from us when our lives are a mess, but God doesn’t. He never abandons us. He is longing for us to hand all the pieces over to Him so that He can bring something beautiful out of them. The Prodigal Son is a great example of this (you can read the whole story in Luke 15). When the son returned home after wasting all of his inheritance money, his father welcomed him back, forgave him, and then restored him to his rightful place as son. ‘The son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet”‘ (Luke 15:21-22 NIV). Sometimes we can think our sin is too great and we’re too far gone. But with God, there’s always hope of restoration. When we confess our mistakes to Him, He promises to forgive us, and to forget our sins.
Lev 23:15-22; Acts 2:1-18
2020-05-27
Colossians 3:2 NIV
The things we’re focusing on will determine how we feel. If we’re looking at all the problems and struggles we’re facing, we’ll feel stressed and overwhelmed. If we’re focusing on the negatives, then we’ll probably feel negative. But if we’re looking at God, and fixing our minds on Him, then we’ll be able to keep going through whatever lies ahead, because we’ll see that He’s bigger than anything we’ll ever face. The Bible says: ‘Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.’ Sometimes we can get caught up with looking at our own lives, and forget that not only is God bigger, but that His plan is bigger too. We need to have a godly perspective. We should be looking for the bigger picture, rather than just focusing on our small part of it. We also need to have vision for the future. When we ask God to show us His plans and purposes for us, we’re accepting His invitation to join Him in bringing His kingdom to earth. When we have a vision of how our lives can be, and what part we can play in God’s kingdom, we have something to focus on and work towards. This helps us to keep going when things get tough. And having a vision helps us hold on to hope when nothing seems to be changing. The Bible says: ‘So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal’ (2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV). So let’s lift our eyes from what we can see around us, and look to the vision He’s given us. Let’s focus on Him, and see how our attitudes change.
1 Kings 6-7; Mark 12:1-27; Ps 101; Prov 12:12-14
2020-05-26
Philippians 2:10 NCV
If something or someone is worthy, it means that they deserve respect and praise. And Jesus is worthy of our respect and praise. It’s great when we talk to God like a friend, and share all our concerns; it’s what He wants us to do. But we also need to remember that He deserves our respect. We should be in awe of Jesus and what He has done for us. The Bible says, ‘every knee will bow to the name of Jesus – everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And everyone will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord’ (vv.10-11 NCV). Jesus is worthy of every single person on this earth bowing down to Him. The book of Revelation shows us how the heavenly creatures worship God. All day and all night they worship Him, and call Him holy. The elders fall down before God’s throne and say: ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being’ (Revelation 4:11 NIVUK). When we think about how worthy God is, are we giving Him enough of our time and praise? Do we struggle to fit a few minutes of prayer into our busy lives, and only give Him praise at church? Or are we constantly worshipping Him and declaring His holiness? The Bible says, ‘let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that openly profess his name’ (Hebrews 13:15 NIV). He is worthy of more than a few rushed moments of prayer and a quick read of a Bible verse. He is worthy of our constant praise, our devotion, and our love.
1 Kings 3-5; Mark 11:27-33; Ps 128; Prov 12:10-11
