2021-10-21
Isaiah 46:10 NLT
Do you remember doing dot-to-dot puzzles when you were little? The page starts with a collection of random-looking dots, but as you work through the puzzle, the picture gradually takes shape and makes sense.
God’s kingdom can sometimes seem like a dot-to-dot puzzle to us. We each have a unique part to play in it, but we can’t always see or understand where we fit in. But as God comes along and joins the dots, more and more of His plan is revealed, and we begin to see the goal He’s working towards, and get a better idea of why He’s doing things the way He is.
The difference is that when we start a dot-to-dot, we can’t make out the picture. But when God starts joining the dots, He goes into it knowing exactly what the finished picture is going to be, and moves us just where He needs us in order to make it happen. He says: ‘Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish’ (v.9-10 NLT).
From our perspective, we might not know why God’s steering us to connect with a certain person or prompting us to go a certain way. But we do need to trust Him, because only He knows all the details of how we fit in to His bigger picture. He sets the goal, then determines the route required to reach it. Each dot that He joins is a kingdom connection. So let’s try to be sensitive to His leading, and take joy in the fact that we have a unique part in His beautiful kingdom picture.
1 Tim 1-3; John 5:16-30; Ps 5; Prov 24:8-9
2021-10-20
Proverbs 23:15 NIV
As we’re growing up, we can often begin to resent our parents’ wisdom. We want to do things our own way. We think we know better than they do. And sometimes we do. But a lot of the time, our parents, or youth leaders, or tutors, do know best. They can speak into our lives from experience. And if we’ve got parents who are praying for wisdom in how to bring us up, we’ll definitely be able to learn a few things from them.
One of the things parents often want for their children is wisdom. They want us to make the right choices in life, they want us to choose good things. When Solomon was writing to his son, he said: ‘If your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad indeed.’ So how can we make sure we have a wise heart?
We can test the wisdom we receive from others by seeing if it matches with God’s Word, and we can ask God directly for His wisdom too. God’s wisdom is far greater and far more extensive than any human wisdom. The Bible says: ‘For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding’ (Proverbs 2:6 NIV).
God’s wisdom is different from human wisdom. We’re told: ‘The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere’ (James 3:17 NIV). And when we have God’s wisdom, we’re different too. We’re more assured in our steps forward, we have peace in our decisions, so let’s ask for His wisdom today.
Hab 1-3; John 5:1-15; Ps 15; Prov 24:7
2021-10-19
Hebrews 6:10 NLT
Do you ever feel like you’re unappreciated, or that others take you for granted? That you just want to hear someone say ‘Thank you’? Two simple words, but they mean such a lot. The truth is that although other people might fail to thank us, our heavenly Father appreciates everything that we do and everything that we are. We’re fulfilling His purpose every day, and as soon as we accept that, we’ll find joy and meaning in whatever we’re doing.
Other people are the receivers of our good work and deeds, but God is the reason for them. We mustn’t let someone else’s response to our actions (or lack of response) decide our levels of joy. They may not notice what we’ve done, but God does. He closely observes every day and every detail of our lives. ‘God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do.’
Paul wrote, ‘Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him’ (Colossians 3:17 NIV). Do it for Him – that’s all there is to it. There’s no need to over-complicate it. Today why not pray this prayer: ‘Lord, all that I do, I do for You. I know that You appreciate me, and You’ve blessed me in so many ways, so I will choose to praise and honour You throughout this day with my thoughts, my words and my deeds. In Jesus’ name, amen.’
Nahum 1-3; John 4:39-54; Ps 41; Prov 24:5-6
2021-10-18
Psalm 119:143 NLT
God blesses us with skilled doctors who know how to diagnose illnesses and prescribe medication that bring health and healing. But what about when it’s our souls that need healing? In those times, we should to turn to God to nourish us and bring the restoration we need. The psalmist wrote: ‘As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands. Your laws are always right; help me to understand them so I may live…Those who love your instructions have great peace’ (vv. 143-144, 165 NLT).
When there’s a chemical imbalance in our bodies, it might need to be treated with medication, an altered diet, or a lifestyle change. But when our souls are starved to the point of breaking, they need to be treated with God’s Word. We’re not talking about skimming through a few verses and rushing off into the day. Butterflies cover a lot of ground, but only bees gather honey. Sometimes we have to stay with a particular Scripture until we extract the ‘honey’; to live with and meditate on it till it takes root and starts to grow within us (see Psalm 119:48).
It takes time to change ingrained character traits. God may work on one area of our lives for several weeks, or even months. He won’t give up on us. New habits and ways of thinking need time to be established. We must recognise this and allow God to reveal and reinforce new truths. Just because we’ve read a certain scriptural truth doesn’t mean it will produce instant change. It must be applied every day, and that takes time and meditation.
2 Pet 1-3; John 4:27-38; Ps 87; Prov 24:1-4
2021-10-17
2 Chronicles 15:15 NIV
Lack of nourishment can have a big effect on health. It can cause people to lose their ability to think clearly. It can affect their vision. It saps their strength, and they stop being productive. It’s the same with our spiritual life. Jesus said, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’ (Matthew 4:4 NIV). So knowing that, how come we don’t spend time reading the Bible? We know it’s essential to our spiritual, mental and emotional health, but we fail to do it, or do it inconsistently. Why?
1) Because we’re not motivated. We haven’t experienced the joy that comes from personally discovering great truths from God’s Word. We grow complacent and settle for having our spiritual food handed to us by other people. But when we get serious about studying the Bible for ourselves, we’ll never again be satisfied with second-hand knowledge.
2) Because we don’t know how. We hear a great sermon and think, ‘Why didn’t I see that?’ Often it’s because most church leaders spend hours studying the Scriptures, and we don’t. The more we get into God’s Word, the more we can make new connections and understand what He’s saying through Scripture.
3) Because we get lazy. Bible study requires self-discipline. It takes time, effort, concentration and persistence. Most great truths don’t lie on the surface; we have to dig for them. In the Old Testament, when Israel ‘sought God eagerly…he was found by them. So the LORD gave them rest on every side.’ And God will do that for us too.
Est 4:9-5:3; Heb 4:7-16
2021-10-16
Psalm 107:9 NKJV
When our appetite changes, it can be an indication that something isn’t quite right. We need food to survive, so if we lose our appetite, we need to pay attention and seek help. And the same principle applies to our spiritual health. One of the characteristics of the great men and women in Scripture is that they hungered for God in prayer and disciplined themselves to study and understand His Word.
What made evangelist George Müller so successful? During his lifetime he read through the Bible some two hundred times – and more than half of those were on his knees, praying over Scripture while studying it. When we know God that well, we’ll pray specifically and get specific answers.
The truth is that we were all born with a God-shaped blank inside us, and nobody but God can fill it. Greater success won’t. More money won’t. Another relationship won’t. Living in a palace and being a king won’t. That’s why King David wrote: ‘LORD; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word…Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law…My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times…Your statutes are my delight; they are my counsellors’ (Psalm 119:12-24 NIVUK).
The Word of God is ‘soul food’, so if we’ve been neglecting our souls, we need to rethink our priorities and start feeding them again.
2 Sam 22:31-24:25; John 4:13-26; Ps 32; Prov 23:29-35
