2022-03-20
Philippians 3:13-14 NIVUK
The more someone has hurt us, the harder it is to forgive them. But we must choose forgiveness, because whatever we refuse to forgive and let go of, we carry with us like a weight. Sometimes we may even need to forgive ourselves for something we’ve done.
Whatever our particular hurt, the solution isn’t feeding it by feeling sorry for ourselves, or denying it by pretending it never happened. We have to face the hurt, then forgive and let it go, or we’ll continue to hurt ourselves. Someone once said that choosing not to forgive somebody is like eating poison and expecting the other person to die. In order to move forward, we have to let go and be at peace with the past.
Paul put many Christians to death before he met Christ. He could easily have allowed that memory to destroy him and rob him of his destiny. But he refused to let it. Instead he wrote: ‘Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 3:13-14 NIVUK). Paul hadn’t forgotten his past, but knowing that God had forgiven him, he wasn’t going to let his past hold him back.
Mark 11:25 says: ‘If you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins’ (NIV). Starting today, choose forgiveness.
Lev 24:17-22; Deut 15:7-11; Matt 5:38-48
2022-03-19
Luke 17:14 NCV
‘Ten men who had a skin disease… called to him, “Jesus! Master! Have mercy on us!” When Jesus saw the men, he said, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” As the ten men were going, they were healed. When one of them saw that he was healed, he went back to Jesus, praising God in a loud voice… Jesus said, “Weren’t ten men healed? Where are the other nine?… Then Jesus said to him, “Stand up and go on your way. You were healed because you believed” (v.12-19 NCV).
This story teaches us these three things: 1) Sometimes the answer comes quickly; other times it comes slowly, step-by-step. The Bible says, ‘As the ten men were going, they were healed.’ We don’t know which step will bring the answer, so we must keep walking in faith. Mosaic law said that before someone with leprosy could be welcomed back into society, the priest must pronounce them ‘clean’. But Jesus saw the change in these men before it ever took place; that’s because He has the power to make it happen.
2) We mustn’t give up because others reject us. The men were social outcasts, and they expected Jesus to treat them like everyone else did. But when you draw close to God, He will draw close to you (see James 4:8). Are you struggling with an issue that has caused others to shun you or cast you aside? Jesus won’t do that. He said, ‘Whoever comes to me I will never drive away’ (John 6:37 NIV).
3) Always remember to thank and praise God. Only one of the ten men passed the gratitude test. When we realise how much God appreciates our thanks, we’ll never let a day go by without praising and worshipping Him.
Job 8-10; Luke 18:18-30; Ps 116:1-11; Pro 8:8-9
2022-03-18
Proverbs 4:23 CEV
When it comes to everyday life, we have a choice: we can walk according to the unchanging principles of God’s Word; or we can be ruled by our constantly changing feelings. When we live by God’s Word, we have stability. When we live by our feelings, it’s like riding a roller coaster; one day we’re up, the next day we’re down.
God wants to bring us into emotional maturity, but we have to cooperate with Him. That calls for a daily act of will; choosing to do things His way rather than our own. And once it becomes a habit, we’ll discover that life is more enjoyable when we do it God’s way. We should try not to let every emotion dictate the direction of our day or decide our responses.
‘Carefully guard your thoughts because they are the source of true life’ (v.23 CEV). It can often be our thinking that influences our feelings. That’s why Paul wrote, ‘Capture every thought and make it…obey Christ’ (2 Corinthians 10:5 NCV). In other words, if a thought doesn’t line up with God’s Word, we mustn’t give it a voice or let it influence us.
‘We walk by faith, not by sight’ (2 Corinthians 5:7 KJV). As Christians, we won’t always feel God’s presence. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to two of His disciples on the Emmaus road, but they didn’t recognise Him because they were preoccupied with the way they were feeling. So how did He lift them out of their negative emotions? He ‘began to explain everything that had been written about himself in the Scriptures (Luke 24:27 NCV). So today, let’s resolve to be led only by God and His Word.
Job 5-7; Luke 18:1-17; Ps 19; Pro 8:6-7
2022-03-17
Romans 12:1 CEV
Paul wrote, ‘God is good. So… offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice… Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him’ (v.1-2 CEV). What Paul’s saying is this: 1) Resist the pressures of a world system that tries to pull you in the wrong direction. 2) Renew your mind every day through prayer and reading God’s Word. 3) Recognise His will for you and live accordingly.
But Paul doesn’t stop there. He continues: ‘Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. Love each other as brothers and sisters and honour others more than you do yourself. Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying. Take care of… needy people… Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you… When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad. Be friendly with everyone. Don’t be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people. Don’t mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others, and do your best to live at peace with everyone’ (v.9-18 CEV).
God’s sovereignty doesn’t release us from personal responsibility. It doesn’t mean we should lose interest in the news or in making informed decisions. God still expects us to strive for excellence and show concern for a hurting world. Acknowledging God’s sovereignty sets us free from trying to do everything ourselves in our own power, and instead enables us to enjoy walking with Him.
Job 1-4; Luke 17:20-37; Ps 11; Pro 8:4-5
2022-03-16
Luke 13:12 NKJV
The woman in Luke 13 had tried religion, but it couldn’t help her. She tried doctors, but they couldn’t cure her. And the people around her thought her problem would never be solved. Even she thought that. But not Jesus. His promise is: ‘Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will…[relieve and refresh your souls]’ (Matthew 11:28 AMPC).
We can give our burdens to Jesus and receive rest. No matter how hard life seems, relief is just a prayer away. Whatever the obstacles standing in our way, we need to reach out to Jesus. Keep pressing towards Him. Never stop reaching out for Him. We don’t have to tell everyone our whole past. We only need to know that Jesus is calling us to Him. He knows every step, every moment of our past, but He calls us anyway.
He doesn’t see us as we are, but as we will be when His grace has been at work in our lives. The Samaritan woman at the well was an outcast because of her immoral life, but she was chosen to tell many more people about Jesus (see John 4:39). Matthew, who wrote the first book of the New Testament, was a despised tax collector working for the Romans when he met Jesus. But Jesus doesn’t examine our past in order to decide what He’ll do with our future. Saul of Tarsus, the murderer of Christians, became Paul the Apostle, author of half the New Testament.
Today, focus on these words: when Jesus saves you, you no longer have a past. You only have a future.
2 Thes 1-3; Luke 17:11-19; Ps 115; Pro 8:1-3
2022-03-15
Luke 13:12 NKJV
We don’t know how long it took the woman to get to the front of the church when Jesus called her. People who are hurting can’t always move as quickly as others. There are two important lessons for us in her story.
1) Sometimes we won’t grow and mature as fast as others because we’ve been struggling with a problem for a long time. Even though something seems easy for others, it can be very difficult for us. But the good news is that Jesus will wait for us, and He’ll work with us until we overcome the problem that’s holding us back.
2) Our testimonies of God’s love and power will come out of the tests we’ve been through. And no matter what we’ve been through, today Jesus is calling to us, saying, ‘I love you, and you can come to Me.’ Regardless of what we’ve done or not done, whatever we’ve suffered, He’s calling us to Him.
We might think we have the world’s worst secret, and that nobody’s got is as wrong or failed as hard as we have. But God already knows all about it, and it still doesn’t change His promise to us. He’s still saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you…I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt’ (Jeremiah 31:3-4 NKJV). Like a master sculptor creating something beautiful out of a rough piece of rock, God can turn our mess into a message of hope for others.
The reason Satan attacks us is because we have something valuable to contribute. This woman’s story ends with these words: ‘The multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him’ (Luke 13:17 NKJV). God’s plan is for people to look at our lives and say, ‘Something has happened to you. Something’s different. You’re not the same person anymore!’ The difference is Jesus.
Est 5-10; Luke 17:1-10; Ps 18:1-29; Pro 26:24-27
