2022-02-24
Isaiah 6:5 NIV
Before God called the prophet Isaiah to a position of leadership in the nation, He adjusted his vision. That’s because uncorrected vision can lead to skewed perspective, poor judgment, and wasted effort. Israel’s constant rebellion was putting them at risk and making them vulnerable. They needed a leader with clear vision. So, the first thing God did was give Isaiah a vision of His glory and power. Without it, he couldn’t have done the job. Without this life-changing encounter with God, he would never have been strong enough to complete his mission. And the same applies to us.
Whatever God calls us to do will require more than just a job description and a few basic skills. We’ll also need a vision of His glory and limitless power to reassure us that He’s more than ready for the challenges we’ll face along the way (see Ephesians 3:20).
The second thing God did was adjust Isaiah’s vision of himself. When our God-concept is adjusted, we’re ready for a self-concept adjustment. It has to happen in that order. If we start with step two, we’ll give up before we begin. Isaiah cried, ‘I am not pure, and I live among people who are not pure’ (Isaiah 6:5 NCV). Isaiah realised he was no better than the people he had been called to reach. Until we see ourselves realistically, honestly, and humbly, our God-given mission won’t succeed (see Romans 12:3).
The third thing God did was respond to Isaiah’s humility. An angel touched his lips with God’s purifying fire and said, ‘Your sin is taken away’ (Isaiah 6:7 NCV). God doesn’t call perfect leaders. He calls humble, honest, forgiven leaders, and crowns their efforts with success, regardless of the challenges they face.
1 Thes 1-5; Luke 11:29-44; Ps 40:9-17; Pro 6:6-8
2022-02-23
2 Corinthians 4:15 MSG
If you’re going through a difficult time right now, let Paul’s words encourage you. ‘Surrounded and battered by troubles…we’re not demoralised; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows…we’ve been spiritually terrorised, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken’ (v.8-9 MSG). Paul was talking to followers of Christ who were having a rough time.
Here’s what he told them: ‘For all [these] things are for your sake…Therefore we do not become discouraged [spiritless, disappointed, or afraid]. Though our outer self is [progressively] wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day by day. For our momentary, light distress [this passing trouble] is producing for us an eternal weight of glory’ (v.15-17 AMPC).
When we’re under pressure, our faith has an opportunity to grow. God knows exactly how much pressure to apply in order to help us grow. Sometimes He’ll let us get to 1) a place where we’re out of answers and our resources seem to be depleted, 2) a place where we’re tired of Satan stealing what we know God has promised, and 3) a place where we’re no longer willing to let other people’s opinions control us. (Remember, with God there are no hopeless situations, just people who have grown hopeless about them.)
It’s when there’s nothing more we can do that we start trusting God to do the impossible. As Paul says in verse 17, compared to the eternity and our everlasting reward in heaven, our trouble is fleeting. The challenges we’re experiencing now might actually be blessings in disguise – an opportunity to experience God’s ‘unfolding grace’ and power at work.
Isa 63-66; Luke 11:14-28; Ps 40:1-8; Pro 6:1-5
2022-02-22
2 Timothy 4:7 NKJV
The philosopher Seneca the Younger said, ‘Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.’ As we read in Scripture about the people God used to accomplish great things, we’ll discover that a lot of their time was spent preparing for what seems like a relatively brief assignment. The ego in each of us craves two things – limelight and lastingness! But with God only one thing matters: doing His will.
When we can say like Paul, ‘I have finished the race,’ we’ll know we’ve lived successfully. Whether we’re called to business, art, education, politics, medicine, or ministry, this principle is constant: opportunity comes to those who are prepared. God uses people who are willing to put in the preparation and take time to learn and grow. That means every experience we have in life has potential value.
But it’s not enough to just get prepared and ready; we must stay ready. Solomon writes, ‘Hold on to instruction…guard it well, for it is your life’ (Proverbs 4:13 NIV). To put it in a practical context, knowledge in most fields doubles about every five years. That means unless we’re prepared to keep growing and learning, we’ll end up with outdated skills that don’t match the challenges of the world we’re living in.
Think of the technology we had just a few years ago compared to what we have now. It’s constantly changing, and that means we have to constantly adapt and be open to new experiences and ways of doing things; otherwise, we’ll get left behind and struggle to pick up where we left off. So let’s look out for new opportunities and be prepared for God to tell us to move.
Isa 58-62; Luke 11:1-13; Ps 36; Pro 5:21-23
2022-02-21
Hebrews 11:5 NCV
When we’ve experienced rejection, it can show itself in a need to isolate and withdraw or in a drive to constantly ‘prove ourselves’ (or to prove others wrong). The Bible says Enoch ‘was a man who truly pleased God’, and he did it ‘by faith’ (v.5 NCV). God sees us differently from the way our parents or peers do. Other people’s acceptance is often based on our performance, whereas God’s acceptance is based on our position.
Paul writes, ‘God made him who had no sin to be sin for us…that in him we might become the righteousness of God’ (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV). God sees us wrapped in the righteousness of Christ; and that means we’re always acceptable to and accepted by Him. That doesn’t mean we don’t need to work hard; it means working for the right reasons. Instead of striving for God’s approval, we serve Him out of gratitude.
Once we know that our identity and worth aren’t tied to the value of our possessions, the homes we live in, how much we’ll earn, or the people we mix with, it changes our motivation. Instead of being concerned about the neighbourhood we live in, we become concerned about our neighbours. Instead of focusing on how much money we make, our focus becomes how much we can do to help God’s kingdom. Instead of worrying whether we’ll ever have a fantastic job, our goal is to do every task, big or small, with excellence and integrity. In other words, we’re doing it for the right reasons.
Isa 53-57; Luke 10:38-42; Ps 33:13-22; Pro 5:15-20
2022-02-20
Ephesians 6:6 KJV
Even for a very productive person, that sounds like a full-time effort. The word ‘servant’ can have negative implications, but that’s not the intention in this Scripture. Knowing how pressures and people distract us from our God-given purpose, Paul used the strongest possible language, doulos, to remind us that we’re supposed to be absolutely committed to the will of our loving God.
Jesus loved people so much that one day He would die to redeem them, but that didn’t stop Him from saying no when He needed to. Pleasing and appeasing people to win their approval is never a good idea because it puts someone other than God in the driver’s seat of our lives.
Instead of letting Himself be side-tracked, Jesus: 1) refused to let other people’s idea of what was important keep Him from His mission; 2) recognised that doing God’s will was more important than trying to meet everybody else’s expectations; and 3) made prayer and uninterrupted time with His Father a top priority. It wasn’t always easy for Him, and it won’t be easy for us either.
Early in His ministry when word spread about His miracles, a ‘whole town gathered…and Jesus healed many’ (Mark 1:33-34 NIV). The next morning another crowd was waiting on His doorstep. And Jesus’ response this time can surprise us. ‘While it was still dark, Jesus…left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else…so I can preach there also. That is why I have come”‘ (v.35-38 NIV). Jesus was a servant to God’s will, and we must be too.
Ps 23; John 10:7-18
2022-02-19
Jeremiah 29:12 CEV
Because they disobeyed God, the Jews spent seventy years as slaves in Babylon. They lost their joy, their freedom, and their identity; all the things that make life worth living. But that wasn’t the end of their story. God hadn’t finished with them. He told them this: ‘After…seventy years, I will be kind and bring you back to Jerusalem, just as I have promised. I will bless you with a future filled with hope – a future of success, not of suffering. You will turn back to me…ask for help, and I will answer your prayers. You will worship me with all your heart, and I will be with you and accept your worship….You feel secure’ (v.10-15 CEV).
Maybe you’ve veered off course somewhere in your journey with God. We all have at some time. But when we read biblical accounts of the people God blessed and used, we’ll discover that failing isn’t unusual. Often, it’s part of the learning curve. The fact is, there is nothing in our past or present that God can’t use.
When we come into this world, none of us knows exactly what we’re supposed to do with our lives. And that’s okay. Just start where you are right now. When God puts your life back on track, He starts by giving you a sense of hope, because only God-given hope will sustain you through the rough times.
If you’re wondering whether you will ever get to where you’re supposed to be in life, go back and reread what God promised His people: ‘A future filled with hope’ (v.11 CEV). And the God who gave Israel another chance will give you one, too, when you turn to Him.
Isa 49-52; Luke 10:25-37; Ps 33:1-12; Pro 5:7-14
