2022-03-02
James 5:17 CEV
Right after his greatest victory, Elijah became so depressed that he reach his breaking point and asked God to take his life (see 1 Kings 9:4). He had just called down fire from heaven on Mount Carmel, when he went from exhilaration to exhaustion. And it happened very quickly. We forget that even when we’re successful and love what we do, it can be physically, mentally, and emotionally draining. Exhaustion made Elijah lose perspective. He had just defeated 850 false prophets (see 1 Kings 18:19), and now he was running from one woman: Jezebel.
We can often find that exhaustion takes the place of faith. It can distort our thinking and make us forget God’s power and His promises. Mental fatigue combined with physical exhaustion is a draining combination that can bring hopelessness and create the illusion that we have no options.
Fear made Elijah isolate himself. Leaving his servant in Beersheba, he went into the wilderness and told God, ‘I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me’ (1 Kings 19:10 NIV). When we’ve reached our breaking point, it isn’t the time to isolate ourselves. It’s a time when we need to reach out for God and the people who love us and can help us get back up. Even Paul needed help. After writing, ‘[In] Macedonia, we…found trouble all around us…fighting on the outside and fear on the inside,’ he added, ‘But God, who comforts those who are troubled, comforted us when Titus came’ (2 Corinthians 7:5-6 NCV).
When we’re approaching our breaking point, let’s try and remember to reach out to our encouragers, and most importantly, to God.
Exo 13-15; Luke 12:35-48; Ps 66:13-20; Pro 6:23-25
2022-03-01
Jeremiah 44:16 NKJV
Sadly, some of the people in authority might use their power wrongly and prove themselves unworthy of the position they’ve been given. But that doesn’t give us an excuse to be defiant towards every authority figure we face. Even though Jesus’ ministry was marked by demonstrations of supernatural power, He still taught people that submitting to the governing authorities in Rome was the right thing to do. ‘Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and give to God the things that are God’s’ (Luke 20:25 NCV).
Whether we’re overlooked and ignored, working for an incompetent boss, or feel we’ve been treated unfairly, respecting authority is still God’s will for us. And when we obey His will, He works on our behalf. If we tend to be defiant towards authority, it’s a good idea to try and work out the root cause.
Here are some possible sources: 1) Mistreatment or being hurt in the past. 2) Disrespect for someone in authority who wasn’t equipped for the task. 3) Pride because our skills haven’t been recognised and rewarded as we think they should. 4) Unfair behaviour from those in authority. 5) A tactic to test the honesty, care, or concern of the people in authority over us.
The Bible says: ‘Anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted’ (Romans 13:2 NLT). If you’re holding on to an attitude of defiance, today pray: ‘Father, I’m sorry for having a lack of respect towards the people You’ve placed in authority. Remind me that their authority is from You, and when I resist it, I’m resisting You. Help me to accept those in authority and to pray for them. Amen.’
Exo 10-12; Luke 12:22-34; Ps 66:1-12; Pro 6:20-22
2022-02-28
Hebrews 13:17 NCV
If we want to be in a position of authority and leadership one day, we have to first learn to respect authority. If we don’t, we won’t really understand what it means to be a follower, and we’ll have no credibility with the people we’re leading because we wouldn’t do what we’re expecting of them. Films, books and TV has a tendency to glamorise rebels and turn them into heroes.
Occasionally in real life, it can take a rebellious attitude to be the catalyst for a much-needed change to happen. But it’s not a strategy we should use regularly for everything in life. Constantly fighting against those in authority (especially if the reason for our defiance is just because the person has authority) can lead to all kinds of problems. The Bible has a lot to say about respecting those in authority. Here are some examples:
1) ‘Children, obey your parents as the Lord wants, because this is the right thing to do. “Honour your father and mother.” This is the first command that has a promise with it – “Then everything will be well with you, and you will have a long life on the earth”‘ (Ephesians 6:1-3 NCV).
2) ‘Obey your leaders and act under their authority. They are watching over you, because they are responsible for your souls.’
3) ‘The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted’ (Romans 13:1-2 NIV).
4) ‘I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people – for kings and all those in authority…This is good, and pleases our Saviour’ (1 Timothy 2:1-3 NIVUK).
Exo 7-9; Luke 12:13-21; Ps 61; Pro 6:16-19
2022-02-27
Ephesians 5:16 NASB
The life of John Wesley is a great example of the scriptural principle ‘making the most of your time’. During his lifetime, he wrote, edited and published a huge amount of work. Among other things, he produced a four-volume commentary on the entire Bible, a five-volume work on natural philosophy, a four-volume work on church history, and a dictionary of the English language. He also wrote histories of England and Rome; books about the languages of Hebrew, Latin, Greek, French, and English; three works on medicine; six volumes of church music; and seven volumes of sermons; and he edited a library of fifty volumes known as the ‘Christian Library’.
Even for a very productive person, that sounds like a full-time effort. But he still made time for God and ministry. He averaged three sermons a day for fifty-four years and preached over 44,000 times in his life. His work meant that he travelled more than 200,000 miles – that’s about 5,000 miles a year. Wesley packed so much into each day!
Today, we have instant communication, travelling is much faster and easier, plus countless other things designed to make everyday tasks quicker and more convenient. Surely we can spare a few minutes for God! When we feel Him urging us to spend time with Him or to do something for His kingdom, let’s remember John Wesley’s example and willingly give our time to God. ‘Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity’ (v.15-16 NIV).
Ruth 1:3-18; John 6:41-69
2022-02-26
Jeremiah 31:18 KJV
The Bible tells us: ‘Isaac’s servants dug…a well…But the herdsmen of Gerar quarrelled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So…they dug another well, and they quarrelled over that one also….And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called it…Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land”‘ (Genesis 26:19-22 NKJV). It’s a great example of forgiveness in action. During a drought, Isaac dug wells and his enemies moved in and claimed them. It wasn’t fair, but instead of retaliating, he moved on and dug new wells, and God blessed him greatly.
When we refuse to forgive those who’ve hurt us, we’re left feeling incomplete and empty. But when we choose forgiveness, God fills the emptiness we feel. As long as we share this planet with other imperfect human beings, we won’t avoid being hurt. There’s no way to avoid it. When the hurt goes deep, it can be really hard to forgive. That doesn’t mean we should go around pretending that nothing’s wrong and denying how we really feel.
The first step towards healing is acknowledging our feelings. And Jesus gives us the second step: ‘Pray for those who mistreat you’ (Luke 6:28 NIV). When we do that, something unexpected happens. Our hearts soften and we start to see the other person through God’s eyes instead of through the (often misleading) lens of our own raw emotions. But what if we don’t actually want to forgive them? Then here’s step three. We need to acknowledge our unwillingness to forgive and ask God to make us willing. Pray, ‘Turn thou me, and I shall be turned.’
Exo 4-6; Luke 12:1-12; Ps 58; Pro 6:12-15
2022-02-25
Romans 12:19 NLT
Long after we think we’ve forgiven someone, we can still be harbouring hard feelings. Some indicators that we still have work to do are these: 1) We keep thinking about the people who’ve hurt us and become resentful. 2) We avoid them. 3) We rehearse the incident mentally, replaying it in our minds, and bring it up in conversation. 4) We take every opportunity to remind the people who’ve hurt us of what they did. What we’re actually doing is trying to justify our unforgiving attitude.
There are two things God won’t share. 1) The praise that’s due to Him. ‘I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise’ (Isaiah 42:8 NLT). 2) The right to ‘settle the score’. Paul wrote: ‘Never take revenge…The Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads. Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good’ (Romans 12:19-21 NLT). So forgive, hand the situation over to God, and trust Him to work it out.
When ‘people insulted Christ…he did not insult them in return…He let God…who judges rightly, take care of him’ (1 Peter 2:23 NCV). Resentment chains us, and we end up as a hostage to unforgiveness. Dwelling on something that someone did to us, or how someone took credit for our work, or what someone has said about us, makes us – not them – miserable. We walk around angry, and they don’t even know we’re upset. Let’s resolve not to allow anyone to have that kind of control over us. Instead, forgive, leave the situation with God, and move on.
Exo 1-3; Luke 11:45-54; Ps 53; Pro 6:9-11
