2021-09-27
1 Corinthians 9:22 NKJV
Paul wouldn’t give an inch about the truth of God’s Word, but he refused to be drawn in to a fight about customs, traditions, and people’s preferences. For example, some of the Corinthian Christians thought because certain meats were offered in worship to idols it was sinful to eat them. Paul didn’t handle it by standing up and declaring, ‘I’m not going to allow you to impose your unscriptural convictions on me’?
Instead, he wrote: ‘Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as…real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated. It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do. But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble’ (1 Corinthians 8:7-9 NLT). Then he said, ‘I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some’ (1 Corinthians 9:22 NLT).
God didn’t call us to win theological arguments; He called us to win people to Christ. So be gracious to people who don’t think like you, dress like you, or care about some of the things you care about. Be gracious to those whose worship style and fine points of theology are different from yours. ‘Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace’ (Ephesians 4:2-3 NLT).
1 Sam 8-10; Luke 23:26-34; Ps 54; Prov 21:18-21
2021-09-26
Psalm 25:16 NLT
David prayed: ‘Turn to me and have mercy, for I am alone and in deep distress. My problems go from bad to worse. Oh, save me from them all!…See how many enemies I have and how viciously they hate me! Protect me! Rescue my life from them! Do not let me be disgraced, for in you I take refuge. May integrity and honesty protect me, for I put my hope in you’ (v.16-21 NLT).
We all have areas where we’re weaker and more vulnerable, where our integrity is most likely to be tested, and where we’re more at risk of giving in to temptation. Here are four ways that we can protect ourselves in our most vulnerable areas:
1) By staying close to God. When we’re lonely, distancing from God doesn’t make sense. It can increases our exposure to things that could be harmful to our physical, emotional and spiritual selves, as we look to other things to find comfort. Instead, we should turn to God.
2) By coming out of hiding. If we try getting to know others and letting them get to know and care for us, we become more willing to be transparent and open, and less likely to hide away our struggles.
3) By taking the focus off ourselves. Victory comes by reaching out to those in need; by giving your time to help them, praying for them, loving and serving them.
4) By forgiving those who’ve hurt us. Isolating ourselves when we’ve been hurt just leads to bitterness. We should turn it over to God, let Him deal with the offender, and ask Him to help us forgive.
Gen 24:1-51; 2 Cor 6:14-7:1
2021-09-25
Ephesians 3:17 NLT
Plants need strong, healthy root systems to thrive. Those with weak or damaged roots can still grow, but they won’t be able to reach their full potential or withstand stresses as effectively. The good news is that the plants can be treated and the roots encouraged to grow stronger. Some plants suffer from root rot. Once the problem has been identified, the roots need to be washed clean, the bad parts cut away, and the plant is repotted in fresh soil.
And sometimes we need to do the same. Flawed roots produce flawed fruit, like feelings of inferiority, worthlessness, anger, inability to trust, and fear of intimacy. If our root system contains things like rejection, past mistakes, and painful experiences, we need to bring them out into the open and treat them. And we can do that with God’s help. ‘He will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong’ (vv. 16-17 NLT).
The assurance of God’s love can bring healing to our emotions. We no longer have to draw our security and self-worth from how others treat us or from our background. But it’s a process.
Strong roots require three things: 1) Time to grow. Becoming confident in our identity as God’s child is like breaking in new shoes. We have to walk in them until they become comfortable. 2) Protection from things that can be harmful. We need to surround ourselves with people who build us up instead of tearing us down; people ‘who share the same precious faith’ (see 2 Peter 1:1). 3) Spiritual nourishment. We need to pray and feed yourselves regularly from God’s Word (see Job 23:12).
1 Sam 4-7; Luke 23:13-25; Ps 52; Prov 21:17
2021-09-24
Hebrews 5:4 NCV
When it comes to knowing what our purpose is, we have two options. 1) Guesswork. If we only rely on our own knowledge and feelings to find our purpose, we’re likely to get it wrong somewhere. We’d probably end up choosing the purpose we think we’d like, rather than the purpose that’s actually right for us. We can’t see the whole picture.
So we need: 2) Revelation. In the Bible, we read: ‘To be a high priest is an honour, but no one chooses himself for the work. He must be called by God as Aaron was.’ We can apply a similar thought to our own calling – it’s not our choice, but God’s. And we can actually draw comfort from this, because it means that when God has called us to do a certain thing, we can be confident that He’ll provide the resources, wisdom, connections and strategy we need to fulfil it.
We can also find guidance in His Word. In the Bible, we can discover insights into why we exist, how life works, how best to live our lives, what to avoid, and what to expect in the future. There are a lot of self-help books out there, and while many of them contain good advice, none of them are God’s personal message to His children. The Message paraphrases Paul’s words: ‘God’s wisdom…goes deep into the interior of his purposes…It’s not the latest message, but more like the oldest – what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us’ (1 Corinthians 2:7 MSG).
Each one of us has been created to fulfil a certain unique purpose in life. And to discover it, we need to turn to God and His Word, not the world’s wisdom.
1 Sam 1-3; Luke 23:1-12; Ps 34; Prov 21:14-16
2021-09-23
2 Timothy 1:7 NLT
The Bible says, ‘God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.’ Dealing with fear begins with understanding that fear is a ‘spirit’, and it doesn’t come from God. Each time we realise that, we’re less likely to give in to it. So, what has God given us in place of fear?
Three things: 1) Power. We’re not simply talking about self-help techniques and stress management. This is something much deeper. It’s a settled and unshakeable conviction that goes down to the core of our being, that all things that concern us are in the hands of a loving God who has only the best in mind for us. He works for our good, and we can rest secure and confident in His power.
2) Love. The Bible says, ‘Perfect love casts out fear’ (1 John 4:18 NKJV). It’s only when we realise that we’re loved unconditionally by God, who never changes His mind about us, that we learn to love and accept ourselves, and then be able to love and accept others. Imagine the effect that would have on any fears of people, fear of rejection, and fear of criticism that we have. This kind of love is more than a ‘feel-good’ emotion; it’s a life-changing force.
3) A mind focused on Christ. The Message paraphrases Paul’s words: ‘We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ’ (2 Corinthians 10:5 MSG). Let’s take hold of those three things that God has given us, and use them to break down our fears.
Song of Sol 5-8; Luke 22:63-71; Ps 39; Prov 21:9-13
2021-09-22
1 John 4:18 NKJV
The Bible says: ‘There is no fear in love…perfect love casts out fear.’ When we’re frightened, a loving, comforting presence can push that fear away. Nobody is immune to fear, and every one of us needs a secure base that we can run to. And we have one in God.
When we’re afraid, our body activates its sympathetic nervous system and triggers a fight-or-flight response. Our heart races, our breathing becomes faster and shallower and our muscles tense up. In those times, we need to run to our non-anxious presence: God our comforter, protector and parent. And as we are held, reassured and loved by Him, the parasympathetic system takes over. Our heart rate slows, our breathing becomes deep and even, our muscles relax and blood flows back to our brain. In essence, a voice inside us says, ‘It’s okay to carry on.’ ‘Perfect love casts out fear’ in the spiritual realm as well as the physical realm.
In Psalm 91 we read: ‘I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust”…He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart’ (v.2-4 NIV). His strength is great enough to withstand and protect us from any attack of the enemy, but He’s gentle with us. He’s our place of safety and security, and we can run to Him any time. With a God who is tender enough to love and comfort us, but also strong enough to be our rock and our fortress, we can face what life throws at us and grow stronger as a result.
Song of Sol 1-4; Luke 22:54-62; Ps 3; Prov 21:4-8
