2021-07-29
Genesis 24:19 NKJV
One day Abraham sent his servant Eliezer to find a wife for his son Isaac. As he was standing by a small town well, Eliezer prayed, ‘Let the woman who offers water to my camels be the one you have chosen.’ Suddenly Rebekah showed up and said, ‘I will draw water for your camels also’ (see Genesis 24:13-14).
Rebekah had no idea that Eliezer would change her life. She didn’t know that her act of kindness would open the door to great blessing. In the Old Testament times, it was customary to offer water to a stranger. It was called the law of hospitality. The Hebrews believed the words: ‘Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realising it!’ (Hebrews 13:2 NLT).
Rebekah’s giving Eliezer a drink of water was kind, but expected. But it was much more unusual to offer water for the camels. One camel can drink forty gallons, and Eliezer had ten of them. Drawing enough water from the well, one bucketful at a time, would have taken ages and been very hard work. Rebekah was generous to a stranger, seeking nothing but the joy of serving. What she didn’t know was that these camels would transport her back to Isaac, who would make her his bride, shower her with great wealth, and put her in the lineage of Christ.
In Matthew 5:41, Jesus encourages us to go the extra mile. That’s what Rebekah did, and that’s what we should also try to do – not only doing what’s expected of us, but a little bit more too.
Deut 8-10; Luke 10:1-12; Ps 78:9-16; Prov 16:25
2021-07-28
Mark 5:40 NASB
Trusting God for a miracle can be very difficult for us to do. It’s impossible to know what God is doing based on how things look on the surface, so in those times, we need our faith to carry us through. ‘Faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see’ (Hebrews 11:1 NIV). In order to stay strong, it’s important that we fill our minds with the right things: ‘the best, not the worst;…things to praise’ (Philippians 4:8 MSG).
One pastor wrote: ‘There were times Jesus didn’t allow unbelief around Him, like when He raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead. When He heard the little girl had died, Jesus told her father, “Do not be afraid…only believe” (Mark 5:36 NASB)…You can believe, or you can be afraid. You can’t do both; and people who truly believe bypass human reasoning. When Jesus dealt with the spirit of death that day, there was no room for contaminated faith. So when He went to Jairus’ house, “He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter, James and John” (v.37). He took those who believed in miracles, and when “they came to the house…and…saw…people loudly weeping…He said…’Why make a commotion…The child has not died, but is asleep.’ They began laughing at Him. But putting them all outside, He took…the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and entered the room where the child was…Taking [her] by the hand, He said…’Little girl…get up!’ Immediately the girl got up and began to walk”‘ (vv. 37-42 NASB).
Humanly speaking, a situation may look impossible, but when we ignore the doubters and people who say it can’t be done, and instead believe and trust what God says, we’ll see what amazing things He can do.
Deut 5-7; Luke 9:57-62; Ps 78:1-8; Prov 16:23-24
2021-07-27
Deuteronomy 32:29 NCV
We can’t avoid change in our lives. Without it, we can’t grow and become everything God designed us to be. Without it, we can’t leave our old natures and old habits behind and fully embrace the life that God has for us. When the people of Israel had turned away from God and refused to change their ways, He said: ‘I wish they were wise and understood this; I wish they could see what will happen to them.’ If we struggle with change, how do we become willing to change?
The first thing to do is to acknowledge and accept that many changes will happen anyway, whether we like them or not. One author wrote: ‘The only thing certain about tomorrow is that it will be different from today…It’s a different world than it was twenty years ago, and it will be different in another twenty.’ A lot of these changes are things that are out of our control, so if we’re feeling worried about them, the best thing to do is to talk to God about our fears and ask to be filled with His peace.
So what about the changes we can have some control over – the changes we can make in order to grow? The difference in who we are today and who we’ll be several years from now can depend a lot on three things: the relationships we build, the books we choose to read, and the time we spend with God. All these things can have a massive influence on our growth. The Bible says, ‘The LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding’ (Proverbs 2:6 NIV). So let’s ask God for wisdom in those three areas – our relationships, what we read, and how we spend our time.
Deut 3-4; Luke 9:46-56; Ps 46; Prov 16:20-22
2021-07-26
Zechariah 4:10 MSG
Imagine the temple lying in ruins, and having to be rebuilt from the ground up. That’s what things were like when Zechariah shared his vision with the people of Israel. Some thought it couldn’t be done, and others thought that their particular contribution would make no difference. So Zechariah challenged them in these words: ‘Does anyone dare despise this day of small beginnings? They’ll change their tune when they see Zerubbabel setting the last stone in place!’
Sometimes we can feel like there are too many changes we need to make to our lifestyle, our relationships and our faith. It’s at that point we need to choose to rebuild. And that can feel overwhelming. Maybe we don’t know where to start, or we can’t see how such a huge task is even possible. But making changes to our lives is a process. Rebuilding takes time and patience. It’s a step-by-step thing. Even the smallest change we make in our lives is important. We may feel like we’re not advancing quickly enough, that we’re failing because we’re taking such small steps.
But God doesn’t see it like that. He takes us on a journey, and He’s gentle with us. He helps us change and rebuild things at a pace He knows we can handle. The Bible tells us that ‘he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion’ (Philippians 1:6 NIV). God doesn’t start working with us and in us, only to leave us halfway through the process; He doesn’t give up on us because we’re taking too long to change. So when we find ourselves in a place where we need to begin to rebuild, let’s remember Zechariah’s words and avoid despising the ‘day of small beginnings.’
Deut 1-2; Luke 9:37-45; Ps 42:6-11; Prov 16:17-19
2021-07-25
1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV
When Israel was choosing their next king, God said to the prophet Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or…physical stature….For the LORD does not see as man sees;…man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart’ (v. 7 NKJV). We often tend to judge people and situations based on appearance – we look at what’s on the outside and form opinions based on what we see – and lots of time we’re wrong. For 40 days, Goliath issued the same challenge to Israel: ‘Send me your best fighting man, and I’ll kill him. I’m the champion. I’m the greatest.’
Pastor Chuck Swindoll wrote: ‘Fear and worry…don’t come just once; they come morning and evening, day after day, relentlessly trying to intimidate. They come in the form of a person, a pressure…a worry…fear that hammers on your heart…day in and day out, yelling across the ravine in your own personal valley. Few things are more persistent and intimidating than our fears and worries…especially when we face them in our own strength.’
Goliath was a giant with a booming voice and lots of bravado – three traits designed to intimidate and instil fear into even the bravest heart. But God wasn’t impressed or intimidated by him. He saw who Goliath really was, and He gave David the ability to see Goliath through His eyes. From God’s perspective, Goliath was easy to defeat, and because David didn’t battle the giant in his own strength, but in God’s, he was able to defeat him.
That kind of thinking applies to every giant we encounter in life. Once we start seeing the giants in our lives from God’s perspective, they lose their power to immobilise and intimidate us. Let’s turn to God and draw on His strength whenever we’re feeling fearful.
1 Sam 5:1-6:16; Rev 11:15-19
2021-07-24
Psalm 115:12 NIV
Paul wrote: ‘The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God’ (Philippians 4:5-6 NIV). He then encourages us by saying that when we do this, the peace of God will fill our hearts and minds: ‘God’s peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:7 NCV).
The moment we begin to worry or feel anxious about something, we need to take our concern to God in prayer, release the weight of it, and totally trust Him to either show us what to do, or show us that He’ll take care of it Himself. Prayer is powerful against worry. When we’re feeling under pressure, it’s always best to pray and tell God about it rather than fretting about it. This isn’t always easy to do, but with commitment, perseverance, and God’s help, we can learn to let Him carry our worries.
Here are two things that’ll help: 1) Instead of trying to get rid of negative thoughts, which only keeps us focused on them, we should try to fill our minds with ‘the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true an honourable and right and pure and beautiful and respected’ (Philippians 4:8 NCV). 2) Take action quickly. As soon as we begin to worry, let’s try to say, ‘No, I’m not going to worry about this because it does no good,’ and give the worry to God to deal with. His Word says, ‘The LORD remembers us and will bless us.’
Acts 27-28; Luke 9:28-36; Ps 42:1-5; Prov 16:16
