2022-01-25
1 Corinthians 4:7 NIV
We won’t find success in our similarity to others, but in our differences. Instead of comparing ourselves to somebody else and competing with them or pushing ourselves to be just like them, we should try to discover our God-given differences, the things that make us unique. That’s where we’ll really excel.
Paul wrote, ‘God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly’ (Romans 12:6-8 NLT).
God doesn’t tell us we have to be brilliant at everything, but He does want us to run with the particular set of skills He’s given us and discover where they’ll take us. When God blesses us with a dream, it’ll be fulfilled because we performed with excellence day after day. And we can’t be consistently and reliably excellent if we’re working outside our God-given strengths. It’ll take every bit of skill we have to achieve the dreams He’s given us, and following our talents will give us the best chance to be consistently good at what we do.
God hasn’t made us to be copies. Each one of us is an original, with a completely unique makeup of strengths. We might already know what some of them are, and there might be others that we haven’t discovered yet. So let’s keep building on the strengths we have, and enjoy the journey of discovery with God!
Ecc 1-4; Luke 5:27-39; Ps 100; Pro 3:7-8
2022-01-24
John 4:14 NCV
Sometimes we need to let a relationship go. Letting go of someone doesn’t mean we’ve stopped loving them; it just means the relationship isn’t the right one for us. How should we handle it?
1) A gradual separation is sometimes the best way forward. There are relationships we need to get out of for our own good, but that doesn’t always mean we have to be suddenly and completely cut off from the other person. (However, if you’re in a relationship that makes you feel at risk or in danger, it’s best to seek help and often to get out of it as quickly as possible. Don’t put yourself at risk.) Dissolving a relationship is stressful, so we need to try and end it graciously. A good place to start might be to agree on a phone call or an email a couple of times a week.
2) Don’t keep going back. We might try to be kind and keep going back, doubting and re-evaluating our decision to end the relationship in its current form. Often people will come back to entice us by suggesting we were wrong the first time round. That’s why we must resolve any doubts before we make the decision. If we find ourselves in a pattern of going back to old, unhealthy relationships, it might be that we’re trying to fill an emptiness in our heart that only God can fill.
When Jesus met the woman at the well, she had been through five failed marriages and was living with man number six. He told her: ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty. The water I give will become a spring of water gushing up inside that person, giving eternal life’ (John 4:13-14 NCV).
Gen 50; Haggai 1-2; Luke 5:12-26; Ps 96; Pro 3:5-6
2022-01-23
Proverbs 13:20 NLT
Not everyone who starts out with us is capable of going where God wants to take us. Sometimes they don’t have the emotional capacity needed. Other times their vision is different from ours. So how can we know when it’s time to exit a friendship or another type of relationship?
One way to check is whether it makes us feel drained. If it does, we may need to take a step back from it. This calls for setting clear boundaries. Draining ourselves emotionally and physically to make someone else feel needed might sound noble and self-sacrificing, but it’s not what God’s called us to do. He doesn’t want us to end up spent and burnt out, because when we get to that point, we don’t have enough energy left to reach our own God-given goal in life. If we feel a relationship isn’t going too well, we should pause, take a look, and also take it to God.
Sometimes certain aspects of a relationship need to be ended, while other areas can be kept. We might have friendships that work in one area but not in another. Seeing a relationship in sections and closing the door on the sections that God says are not for us to deal with can help save an important relationship. We might have shared interests that need to be kept going, while other things need to be removed before we’re completely burnt out by them. For example, we might have a great relationship with someone in classes or at work, but things fall down when we’re involved in each other’s personal life. It’s possible to remove a section and still have a lot left to enjoy. It takes work, communication, and prayer, but it’s often worth it.
Ezek 47:1-12; Rev 21:22-22:5
2022-01-22
Amos 3:3 NLT
Having the right relationships can help us to soar in life, but the wrong relationships can hold us back. Here are three guidelines to help us discern which relationships are good and which are not:
1) When a relationship isn’t working, we need to acknowledge it. There are times when we have to cut our losses and accept the fact that sometimes our efforts aren’t enough and we can’t help everyone. Releasing someone doesn’t mean they’ll never improve; it just means that God is more qualified to help them than we are.
2) There’s a difference between helping someone and carrying them. This is especially true if we’re dealing with someone who always turns to us for help and tries to make us feel guilty if we’re ‘not there’ for them. Our constant help and availability might actually be preventing them from growing. Sometimes we need to step back and let them learn to walk on their own.
3) We mustn’t allow fear of criticism to stop us doing what’s right. Not everyone will be pleased with us all the time. There are always going to be people who disagree with us or who don’t like what we say. The truth can hurt, but it’s still the truth. There are times when we have to be honest and accept the consequences and disapproval. (It’s important that we check with God if it’s the right time to say something, and ask for wisdom in how to say it with gentleness and sensitivity.) The only way to avoid criticism is to say what people want to hear, which often mean we’re not honest. If someone pressures us to always agree with them, it might be a good idea to ask God if it’s a relationship we should step back from.
Gen 47-49; Luke 5:1-11; Ps 91; Pro 3:3-4
2022-01-21
Hebrews 10:38 NCV
In Genesis 19, we read about the destruction of the sinful towns Sodom and Gomorrah. God decided to completely flatten the towns for their wickedness, but He allowed Lot and his family to escape, with the instruction, ‘”Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!”…But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt’ (Genesis 19:17, 26 NLT). Instead of looking ahead to the place of safety, she looked back to her old life.
God says, ‘Those who are right with me will live by faith. But if thy turn back with fear, I will not be pleased with them.’ In Hebrews 11 we find a list of ordinary people who refused to turn back, even when times were bad. ‘If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them’ (Hebrews 11:15-16 NLT).
Satan will use every trick in the book to get us off track in our walk with God. As we go further with God, Satan will try to discourage us by whispering that we’re not good enough. He’ll remind us of all our faults and failures, and try to persuade us that our old life was better. But we mustn’t listen to him. Instead, we should be more determined than ever to stay focused on God, and refuse to look back to anything He’s told us to leave behind. He has something much better ahead.
Gen 44-46; Luke 4:31-44; Ps 89:38-52; Pro 3:1-2
2022-01-20
Proverbs 14:17 NIV
When a person loses his or her temper, one of the expressions used to describe their reaction is ‘flying off the handle’. The phrase refers to the head of a hammer coming loose from the handle as you try to use it. And several not-so-good things happen as a result.
1) The hammer becomes useless. Our message may be an important one, but the way we deliver it can make the difference in whether or not it gets the results we want. In other words, when people don’t take us seriously, we don’t get the outcome we hoped for.
2) The hammer head does damage. By flying out of control, it’s likely to damage anything in its path. Words spoken in anger cause wounds, and sometimes those wounds can last a lifetime. James’ words are paraphrased: ‘Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger’ (James 1:19-20 MSG).
3) Repairing both the hammer and the damage might take a long time. In some cases, the damage is so severe that it just can’t be done. Here are some Scriptures to keep in mind before we vent. ‘A quick-tempered person does foolish things.’ ‘Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret – it leads only to evil’ (Psalm 37:8 NIV). ‘A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offence’ (Proverbs 19:11 NIVUK). ‘Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools’ (Ecclesiastes 7:9 NIV).
So today, and every day, let’s try to avoid hurting others unnecessarily and keep our tempers under control.
Gen 42-43; Luke 4:14-30; Ps 89:15-37; Pro 2:21-22
