2022-02-18
Psalm 119:18 NIV
The key to Bible study is to do it daily, systematically, and prayerfully. The psalmist prayed, ‘Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.’ This involves three things:
1) God will show you the truth about Himself. You’ll discover His nature, His opinions, and what He values. And you’ll discover that your heavenly Father is the best possible parent – full of love, compassion and care for every single one of His children.
2) God will show you the truth about others. You’ll begin to understand and appreciate their places in your life. You’ll also learn to recognise and anticipate their needs and the role God wants you to play in helping them. That’s because when God blesses us, we should do our best to pass that blessing on to others in some way.
3) God will show you the truth about yourself. You’ll start to grasp and appreciate how important you are to Him. Be prepared for Him to point out your problems and weaknesses. But that’s not all He’ll do. He’ll also show you the possibilities He sees in you and the plans He has for you (see Jeremiah 29:11).
So, set aside time each day to study your Bible. And spend part of it simply reading, without trying to delve into complex theological concepts. Read and absorb what God has to say, and let His Spirit speak to your heart. There’s so much to learn from His Word. Let’s make it a mission to gain every insight we can from it and get to know God and His wisdom more deeply than we’ve ever done before.
Isa 45-48; Luke 10:13-24; Ps 28; Pro 5:3-6
2022-02-17
James 3:16 NCV
If you’ve been a member of a church for any length of time, you’ll probably have seen that jealousy, trouble, selfishness, conflict, and bitterness can all show up in the family of God, just like it does everywhere else. Paul and Barnabas, a brilliant ministry team, allowed their differences over John Mark to separate them to the point where they could no longer work together. Later Paul changed his mind, but there was no going back. He appealed ‘to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News’ (Philippians 4:2-3 NLT).
Conflict can get in the way of our prayers, take our focus off lost souls, and make us ineffective in our ministry. We need to learn to respect each other’s talents, perspectives, and positions instead of envying them or belittling them. In other words, we should learn to disagree without being disagreeable.
The Bible says: ‘Where jealousy and selfishness are, there will be confusion and every kind of evil. But the wisdom that comes from God is first of all pure, then peaceful, gentle, and easy to please. This wisdom is always ready to help those who are troubled and to do good for others. It is always fair and honest. People who work for peace in a peaceful way plant a good crop of right-living.’ (James 3:16-18 NCV). When conflict arises in your church, make it your mission to sow seeds of peace.
Isa 42-44; Luke 10:1-12; Ps 5; Pro 5:1-2
2022-02-16
Proverbs 8:9 NLT
King Solomon wrote: ‘Everything I say is right, for I speak the truth and detest every kind of deception. My advice is wholesome. There is nothing devious or crooked in it. My words are plain to anyone with understanding’ (v.6-9 NLT).
We usually embellish the truth because we want these two things from our audience: their attention and their approval. But eventually, it backfires. Over time, people discover our willingness to stretch the truth, and we end up losing credibility. And once we lose that, it takes a long time to get it back – if we ever do. Using a lot of sweeping, generalising statements like ‘Everybody does it,’ or ‘They never,’ or ‘They always’ can cause people to doubt our sincerity and trustworthiness. There’s nothing wrong with saying something with enthusiasm, but we mustn’t let it slip into exaggeration. We should stick to the facts and resist the temptation to bend the truth in order to be the centre of attention.
Joseph’s brothers resented the favour of God that was on his life. So, they threw him into a pit, dipped his coat in blood, then took it back home and showed it to their ageing father. They didn’t say a word. They simply let the old man conclude that his son had been devoured by a wild beast. And what’s more, they allowed him to live with that cruel lie for years.
In Revelation 22:15, people ‘who love lies and tell lies’ are lumped together with ‘the evil people, those who do evil magic, who sin sexually, who murder, [and] who worship idols’ (NCV). That’s a good incentive for always being truthful! Today make your prayer the words of Psalm 120:2: ‘Rescue me, O Lord, from liars and from all deceitful people’ (NLT).
Isa 38-41; Luke 9:57-62; Ps 149; Pro 4:25-27
2022-02-15
Matthew 5:13-14 NKJV
If you didn’t tell them, would the people around you realise that you’re a follower of Christ just from what they see of your actions and attitude? If you’re not sure, have an honest think about how you’d answer these questions:
1) What’s your attitude like towards people in authority, such as your parents, a tutor, a boss or team leader? Do you resent their status or respect their authority?
2) How do you treat people who are younger, not as skilled, or less experienced than you? Are you critical towards them, or do you try to encourage them?
3) How’s your timekeeping? Do you do your best to meet deadlines and arrive on time, or do you find punctuality isn’t really a priority?
4) Do you try to do everything with a spirit of excellence, or do you tend to have a ‘that’s good enough’ attitude?
The way we deal with all of these things can tell us a lot about how we’re demonstrating Christ in our everyday lives. Of course, there’s much more to it than just those things, but they are all things that people around us will take notice of, whether we’re at home, university, work or church.
Jesus said: ‘You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavours of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness?…You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colours in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill…I’ve put you…on a hilltop, on a light stand – shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God’ (Matthew 5:13-16 MSG).
Isa 34-37; Luke 9:46-56; Ps 145:14-21; Pro 4:23-24
2022-02-14
1 Samuel 20:17 NLT
The relationship between Jonathan and David in the Bible was so strong that they would make sacrifices and give things up for one another, they were completely loyal, they were willing to compromise, and they were even prepared to lay down their lives for each other if necessary. But even though theirs was such a strong and true friendship, the Bible tells us that, ‘Jonathan made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.’
We can be sure in our own minds that we care about someone, but they can only know that we love and care for them when we show them and when we tell them. The people we love can’t read our minds, so we need to demonstrate how we feel about them through our actions and words.
When a close friend leaves for another city, the parting is usually accompanied with hugs, giving gifts, and words telling how much the friend is loved and will be missed. People sitting at the bedside of a dying family member often find the most important words for that moment are those of love.
But there’s no reason for us to wait until a separation happens to show and tell how much we care about someone. We can make opportunities every day. Send a quick text. Make a phone call. Buy flowers. Bake a cake. Help clean the car. There are so many ways to say, ‘I love you.’ We shouldn’t neglect the people in our lives who really matter to us, and we shouldn’t waste an opportunity to reaffirm our love and let them know that they have our support.
Eph 5:21-33; S of S 2:1-7; Ps 45; Pro 5:15-19
2022-02-13
Hebrews 12:11 ESV
Healthy confrontation calls for putting the other person’s well-being above our own interests. Here are three things that can help us confront others in the right way: 1) Be sure. There must be a good reason to confront. And confrontation should be a rare event, not an everyday one. We shouldn’t get pleasure out of the experience. If we do, we seriously need to examine our own motives. Before confronting someone, we must answer these questions truthfully: Am I feeling superior? Am I redirecting my anger towards this person over a completely different issue? Am I putting this person down in order to feel good about myself?
2) Be specific. No matter how tactful and gracious our words might be, if we’re vague about the reason for the confrontation, we’ll never get anywhere in helping the other person to improve. We need to be sure of the reason for the confrontation, and then make it clear to the other person.
3) Be sensitive. Every situation is different, so a season of prayer should always happen before any face-to-face encounter. Otherwise, we’re setting ourselves up for problems, and the other person will sense uncertainty and uneasiness in our words. Don’t run that risk. If we haven’t taken the time to pray and get God involved, we absolutely mustn’t jump into the situation on our own. Without God’s input, we’ll leave a trail of confusion, resentment, and wounded souls.
Another important bit of advice is to make sure our words and tone of voice are adapted to the person we’re talking to. So in short, if you need to confront someone, pay close attention to timing, choose your words carefully, and most importantly, pray for guidance.
Isa 9:1-7; Luke 2:1-7; Matt 4:12-16
