2021-07-23
Matthew 11:30 MSG
When we talk about rest, we often think about being physically tired and resting our bodies. But our minds need rest too. The Message paraphrases Jesus’ words in Matthew 11 this way: ‘I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly’ (v.28-30 MSG).
Notice the words, ‘I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.’ It’s good to know that we don’t have to worry about figuring everything out by ourselves or carrying burdens in our lives. It can actually be quite refreshing to realise that we don’t need to know everything about everything. We need to get comfortable saying, ‘I don’t know the answer to this problem, but I’ll try not to worry about it because God’s in control, and I trust Him. I’m going to relax in Him and “live freely and lightly.”‘
We might not find it easy to hand our problems over to God and wait for Him to show us the answer. We prefer to be the one in control, and trusting another, even if it’s God, can feel daunting. But when we’re struggling, overthinking, and overburdened with cares and worries, we need a mental and emotional break. Our minds need a rest from constant problem-solving, and our emotions need to rest from being upset. Worry robs us of rest and its benefits. So whenever we find ourselves worried and anxious, let’s try to remember that we can ‘live freely and lightly’ by resting in the assurance of God’s love, provision, and guidance.
Acts 24-26; Luke 9:18-27; Ps 1; Prov 16:10-15
2021-07-22
Psalm 34:3 NKJV
Notice two things about the Lord’s Prayer. It begins with the words ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name’ (Matthew 6:9 NKJV), and ends with ‘For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen’ (v.13). God wants us to begin and end our prayers thinking of Him. It helps us to keep our focus on God and make Him our priority in life. Psalm 34:3 says: ‘Magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together.’
When we magnify an object, we enlarge it so that we can see and understand it more. When we magnify God, we do the same thing. We enlarge our awareness of Him, so we can understand Him more. This is what happens when we worship Him – we take our minds off ourselves and set them on God. We put the emphasis on Him. In The Message, Eugene Peterson paraphrases the final words of the Lord’s Prayer this way: ‘You’re in charge! You can do anything you want! You’re ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes’ (Matthew 6:13 MSG).
Speaking about Jesus Christ, Peterson paraphrases Paul’s words like this: ‘God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the centre of all this, Christ rules’ (Ephesians 1:20-23 MSG). So when we magnify the Lord, we’re saying: ‘You not only rule the universe, you rule my heart!’
Acts 22-23; Luke 9:1-17; Ps 65; Prov 16:8-9
2021-07-21
Matthew 9:36 NKJV
The Bible says, ‘A good leader motivates, doesn’t mislead, doesn’t exploit’ (Proverbs 16:10 MSG). Jesus was a good leader. He loved people, but He never used them for His own ends. He was busy, but never too busy to stop and help them. We need to be a good influence on others, and we can do that by taking the time to nurture them.
When Jesus was telling the parable of the good Samaritan, He said: ‘As he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him…bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him’ (Luke 10:33-34 NIVUK). Note the words, ‘took care of him’. At the heart of the nurturing process is a genuine care for others.
If we want to help and positively influence people, we can’t dislike them or look down on them, because they’ll sense it. We must love and respect them. People can tell when we really care and when we’re just pretending. We might wonder why it’s our responsibility to be nurturers; after all, people have their own families and friends.
But so many of the people we come into contact with every day are desperate for encouragement, and, sadly, if they don’t get it from us, there may not be anyone else who’ll give it to them. When we become nurturers in the lives of others, we have a real opportunity to influence them for good and for God.
Acts 20-21; Luke 8:40-56; Ps 14; Prov 16:6-7
2021-07-20
Revelation 12:10 NIV
The Bible says: ‘The accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down’ (v.10 NIV). Satan is the ‘accuser’ of God’s children, but sometimes we can fall into the trap of thinking badly of someone or accusing someone before we know all the facts. Having emotional and spiritual maturity means that we first seek to understand, rather than making a snap judgment and a hasty accusation.
Let’s look at the example God gave us in the garden of Eden. He could easily have said, ‘Adam and Eve, you unappreciative sinners, I should never have trusted you in my garden!’ God’s non-accusatory style in confronting Adam and Eve about their sin gives a powerful example to those of us who tend to speak before we have all the relevant information. The Bible says: ‘The LORD God called to Adam…”Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”‘ (Genesis 3:9-11 NKJV). God already knew the answers to all three questions He asked, but He gave Adam an opportunity to explain his side of the story. And in Adam’s case, he couldn’t.
But the principle still stands: asking a clarifying question and listening carefully to the response are key steps in overcoming any tendency to criticise or accuse quickly or unfairly. We need to learn to ask, and listen.
Acts 18-19; Luke 8:26-39; Ps 146; Prov 16:4-5
2021-07-19
1 Corinthians 15:58 NIVUK
One of the recurring themes in the Bible is perseverance. The apostle Paul wrote: ‘Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.’ He also wrote: ‘Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up’ (Galatians 6:9 NIV). And James wrote: ‘Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him’ (James 1:12 NIV). In 2 Timothy 4:7, Paul compares his life to a race. The dividing line between winning our race isn’t talent; it’s tenacity.
Being tenacious means this: 1) Giving it everything you have, not more than you have. Some people wrongly believe that being tenacious means giving more than they have to offer, so they get discouraged and stop pushing themselves. But being tenacious means giving 100 per cent – not more, and certainly not less.
2) Working with determination instead of waiting on destiny. Persistent people don’t rely on luck, fate, or destiny for their success. They recognise that trying times aren’t the times to stop trying.
3) Stopping when the job is finished, not when you’re tired. To succeed in what God’s tasked us with, we often have to push beyond what we think we can do. Victory isn’t declared until the last step in the race has been run. So let’s draw on God’s grace, refuse to give up, and keep going until we cross the finish line.
Acts 16-17; Luke 8:16-25; Ps 140; Prov 16:3
2021-07-18
Philippians 1:3 NIV
The ability to bring out the best in others is important for two reasons. First, we usually see in people what we expect to see. If we’re looking for things to criticise in someone, we’ll usually find them, but if we’re focusing on reasons to praise and encourage, we’ll find them instead. We need to try and see others as God sees them, look for the good in them, and then make this a habit whenever we meet people. We should apply the words of Philippians 4:8: ‘Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise’ (NLT).
Second, they generally rise to our level of expectation. Imagine how the Philippian believers felt when Paul said, ‘I thank my God every time I remember you.’ When we have faith in someone, we give them an incredible gift, maybe the best gift we can give another person. There’s an often-repeated saying: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. We can apply a similar idea to the gift of believing in someone: Give them money, and they may soon have spent it. Give them resources, and they may not use them to the best advantage. Give them help, and they may become too reliant on others or refuse to learn for themselves and end up back where they started. But demonstrate faith in them, and they can become confident, invigorated, self-reliant, and motivated to obtain the skills they need to grow.
1 Sam 21:1-6; Hosea 6:4-6; Matt 12:1-14
