2020-03-14
Proverbs 4:23 NIV
If we drink unclean water or breathe in chemicals from the air, the toxins can cause us to become unwell. It’s the same when we’re in toxic relationships, live toxic lifestyles, or have toxic attitudes. These things can make us spiritually and emotionally unwell. In Proverbs we’re told: ‘Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.’ God knows that the emotional and spiritual health of our hearts is vital if we’re going to follow Him and live well. If we don’t guard our hearts from toxins, we can spread toxins to others too. We don’t want toxins to be flowing out from our heart to those around us. The Bible says: ‘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). So what’s the antidote to toxicity? Firstly, we need to be filling our minds and hearts with the Word of God. We need to be dwelling on the truth, not the things of the world. Secondly, we need to be thinking about good things. The Bible says: ‘Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things’ (Philippians 4:8 NIV). We also need to be asking for wisdom and discernment about our relationships. We need to be investing in relationships which bring life. That doesn’t necessarily mean that we cut everybody else out of our lives, but we need to be wise and guarded about who we spend the most time with and who we let speak into our lives.
Gen 47-49; Matt 22:34-46; Ps 26; Prov 7:26-27
2020-03-13
Isaiah 54:2 NCV
Often we create boundaries around ourselves, and then stay inside them. These boundaries can come from our own insecurities because we believe that there are things we can’t do. Other times these boundaries come from times we’ve stepped out and failed. Fear can cause us to box ourselves in to what feels comfortable and manageable. It’s true that we’re not called to do everything. But God often calls us to think bigger. When an army sent by the king of Syria arrived to capture Elisha, Elisha’s servant panicked. He saw how big the army was. But ‘Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see”‘ (2 Kings 6:17 NIV). The servant could only see what was physically in front of him, but Elisha prayed that he would see the bigger picture. ‘Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha’ (v.17 NIV). God’s army was surrounding them. Sometimes we limit ourselves because we forget God’s with us and has the resources we need. God wants us to see past the limitations we’ve placed on ourselves and instead focus on our calling and His provision. Through the prophet Isaiah, God told the Israelites to: ‘Make your tent bigger; stretch it out and make it wider. Do not hold back.’ The Israelites were in exile at this point, and they probably thought their future didn’t look great. But God was telling them to see past the limitations they had placed on their future, and to prepare for the amazing things He was going to do. However much we’ve limited ourselves, we can choose to think bigger and expect God to do great things in and through us.
Gen 44-46; Matt 22:23-33; Ps 24; Prov 7:24-25
2020-03-12
Proverbs 23:23 NCV
When everything in our lives is going well, it’s easy to stay on the right path and do what we believe to be the right thing. However, we can easily be swayed by circumstances, people, and our own desires, to do the wrong thing. When we’re tempted or pressured, we can end up doing the very thing we said we’d definitely never do. Instead of doing what’s right, we go the opposite way. It’s not easy to stand up for the truth when everyone else is going a different way. But God wants us to go the right way. The Bible says: ‘Learn the truth and never reject it. Get wisdom, self-control, and understanding.’ We should aim to ‘never reject’ the right way. With God’s strength, we can be set apart for Him. In the Bible, we read about three men who stood up for the right thing, even when no one else did and even when there would be serious consequences for doing so. These men were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When King Nebuchadnezzar called everyone to bow down and worship him each time the music played, these three men refused to do it because they knew it was right to only worship God. Their punishment was to be thrown into a fire, but they still refused to compromise. They said: ‘Even if God does not save us, we want you, O king, to know this: We will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up’ (Daniel 3:18 NCV). God was in the fire with them, and they walked out unharmed (you can read the whole story in Daniel 3). God honours us when we decide to stand up for what’s right. Let’s be people who go the right way, no matter what.
Gen 42-43; Matt 22:15-22; Ps 135; Prov 7:21-23
2020-03-11
John 8:19 NLT
Jesus also showed the disciples love by demonstrating God’s love to them. The best way we can love someone is to point them to the One who loves them more than any other human ever could. God’s love for us is above any other experience of love we will ever have. It’s unconditional and unending. Nothing can separate us from this love. The Bible says: ‘Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Romans 8:39 NLT). Jesus always pointed people back to God. He glorified God when miracles occurred, and said that ‘the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does’ (John 5:19 NLT). He also told people that they would know God if they knew Him. ‘Since you don’t know who I am, you don’t know who my Father is. If you knew me, you would also know my Father.’ Jesus always pointed people to His Father. And we need to be pointing people to God too. How can we say we love someone if we don’t tell them that Jesus died to save them? How can we keep God’s amazing love to ourselves? The people around us need to know that there’s a God who loves them. We’re called to share the Good News, and it’s a great way of loving others. Sometimes we can tell people with words, other times they can watch our lifestyle. We need to be passionate about living in a way that leads other people to question what’s different about us. We need to let God’s love shine out of us.
Gen 40-41; Matt 22:1-14; Ps 27; Prov 7:10-20
2020-03-10
Matthew 10:1 NCV
Let’s take another look at how Jesus loved the founders of the church, His twelve disciples. He recognised their gifts. He rejoiced in their successes. He supported and encouraged them to grow to their full potential. Jesus took the time to affirm people’s identity and encouraged them to do the things they’d been created to do. For example, He said to Peter: ‘So I tell you, you are Peter. On this rock I will build my church, and the power of death will not be able to defeat it’ (Matthew 16:18 NCV). He often pushed the disciples out of their comfort zones. He sent them out to do kingdom work and gave them the authority to heal and help people. The Bible says: ‘Jesus called his twelve followers together and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and sickness.’ Jesus didn’t need their help, but He wanted to get them involved. Are we willing to love others like that? Sometimes we want to do everything ourselves because we want to remain in control. Other times, we think it would just be much quicker to sort things out ourselves rather than involve other people. But if we want to love people well, we need to encourage them and give them opportunities to develop their God-given gifts. When we truly love someone, we won’t try to hold them back or try to control them because of our insecurities. We’ll recognise their gifting, help them become everything God called them to be, release them, and celebrate their successes with them. That’s how Jesus loved, so that’s how we should love too.
Gen 37-39; Matt 21:33-46; Ps 112; Prov 7:6-9
2020-03-09
Hebrews 10:25 NIV
Another way that Jesus showed love to the disciples was by spending time with them, talking and listening. Communication is key in all of our relationships. If we don’t take the time to get to know people and really listen to what they’ve got to say, our relationships aren’t going to work out well. Jesus spent a lot of time with the disciples. They came with Him on His mission trips, they ate together, and they visited family and friends. Jesus could have done everything on His own, but He chose to invest in other people and bring them along on the journey. It’s important that we don’t isolate ourselves. The Bible reminds us that we shouldn’t be ‘giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.’ We can’t love other people God’s way if we’re avoiding spending time with them. Plus, we need to be giving people our undivided attention. We shouldn’t be on our phones in the middle of a conversation, or planning what we want to say instead of concentrating on what the other person is saying to us. When Jesus sacrificed His time to help and encourage the disciples, He was showing them that they were important to Him. If we’re going to show God’s love to those around us, we need to act in a way which shows them that they’re valued and important. But Jesus also knew when to take time away from people, and spend time with God. The Bible says: ‘Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed’ (Luke 5:16 NIV). If we’re going to love others well, we need to make sure we’re spending time alone with God so that we’re filled up with His love to share with others.
Gen 35-36; Matt 21:18-32; Ps 106:24-48; Prov 7:3-5
