2021-06-17
Genesis 1:26 GWT
At creation God said something interesting about us: ‘Let them rule.’ In other words, He gave us full authority for managing our lives. We serve as His agents on earth to make sure His will is done. However, we also need to watch out, because Satan will try to get us to hand control of our lives over to him, or deceive us into believing we have no power and he has it all, or encourage us to rule our lives based on our own skewed judgment and limited view.
But it’s only when we rely on God’s wisdom and walk according to His Word that we get a complete realisation of God’s plan for us. God reigns over everything, but He’s given us authority in our own spheres of influence. ‘The heavens are the heavens of the LORD, but the earth He has given to the sons of mankind’ (Psalm 115:16 NASB).
God empowers us to make right choices and decisions, and tailors His reactions to our actions. Sometimes we sit around waiting for God to act, when the truth is, He’s waiting for us to make a move. One pastor writes that God ‘has maintained a base of sovereign boundaries, a sphere He will not allow [people] to trespass on…[but] simultaneously opened up a field where we get to call the plays, leaving Him to respond accordingly.’ For example, if we want to reap bountifully, we must sow generously. If we want to be forgiven, we must forgive others. And if we want to walk in His blessings, we must walk in obedience. We’re called to ‘rule through the one man, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17 NCV).
Hosea 1-5; Luke 1:26-38; Ps 139:1-6; Prov 13:21-23
2021-06-16
2 Corinthians 9:11 NIV
Pastor Andy Stanley writes: ‘As you move forward in your relationship with God, occasionally He will test your grip on your wallet. It’s a faith thing…every so often, God will prompt you to step out of your generosity comfort zone. And if you really want to keep God in control of your finances, you need to follow. There’s a line you must be willing to cross. You must be willing to go where you can’t rely on your own financial stockpiling, but only on the Lord Himself as your provider.
I’m not talking about acting irresponsibly with your money. I’m talking about an attitude in which God’s voice is louder than the soundtrack of “what ifs” in your life. You can think of that line as the “what if” line. You’ll know you’re getting close to it when your desire to follow your generosity is met by thoughts like…What if I need the money for something else? What if I change my mind later? What if I’m just being emotional?…that line is different for everybody…
As frightening as it might feel at times, God gives us financial seed for one purpose: sowing. Unless we open our palms and let the seed fly, we will never know what fruit He might bring from it.’ The Bible says: ‘Whoever sows generously will also reap generously…God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work’ (2 Corinthians 9:6 NIV).
So let’s take that step of faith with God and cross the ‘what if’ line when He prompts us to.
2 Ki 24-25; Luke 1:11-25; Ps 73:17-28; Prov 13:20
2021-06-15
Matthew 6:32 NLT
Money worries can, and probably will, affect all of us at some time. Jesus gave this advice to a group of people who were anxious about their finances: ‘Don’t worry about these things…your heavenly Father already knows all your needs…and he will give you everything you need’ (vv. 31-33 NLT). He’ll do this for us every day too, if we live for Him and make God’s kingdom our main concern.
If you’re feeling worried about money at the moment, what’s your biggest fear? Is it not having enough money, or not having God’s blessing on your finances and how you use your money? If the fear of missing out on God’s involvement in our finances is bigger and stronger than the fear of not having enough, we’re actually in a good place, because it means we’ll be more inclined to seek God’s advice, use our money in line with His will, and sow generously into His kingdom.
The Bible talks about ‘casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you’ (1 Peter 5:7 ESV). None of us can escape financial uncertainty, and when we experience it, we long for the assurance that we’re not alone. Ironically, financial peace of mind doesn’t come from hoarding and withholding, but from giving when it doesn’t seem to make sense. That’s because in those times when we’re down to our last pound, or we don’t know how we’re going to pay the next bill, all we can do is turn to God and trust Him. And as we see Him walking beside us and working in our situation, our faith and confidence in Him to provide for us and meet our needs grows stronger each day.
2 Ki 21-23; Luke 1:1-10; Ps 73:1-16; Prov 13:17-19
2021-06-14
John 4:35 NIV
Jesus said, ‘Don’t you have a saying, “It’s still four months until harvest”?…open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.’ Someone close to you today might be in desperate need of God’s love. And the fact is, you might be the only Christian they’ll meet – or meet today. So if you don’t tell them, who will? There are five main reasons we don’t share our faith more often.
1) We think it’s a pastor’s job to do it – but Acts 8:1 says: ‘When the Holy Spirit comes to you, you will receive power. You will be my witnesses’ (NCV).
2) We aren’t certain about our own salvation – but 1 John 5:13 says: ‘I write this letter to you who believe in the Son of God so you will know you have eternal life’ (NCV).
3) We’re afraid of being rejected – but Jesus said: ‘If the world hates you, remember it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world’ (John 15:18-19 NLT).
4) We’ve never taken personal responsibility for learning how to share our faith – but 1 Peter 3:15 says: ‘If someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it’ (NLT).
5) Our love for Christ has grown cold – but Joel 2:13 says: ‘Come back to the Lord your God, because he is kind and shows mercy. He doesn’t; become angry quickly and he has great love’ (NCV).
Today, someone’s eternal destiny could rest on your willingness to share God’s love with them. That’s your God-given assignment – to tell them about Jesus.
2 Ki 18:17-20:21; Mark 16:1-20; Ps 80:12-19; Prov 13:13-16
2021-06-13
Galatians 5:17 CEV
The Bible says: ‘If you are guided by the Spirit, you won’t obey your selfish desires. The Spirit and your desires are enemies…always fighting each other and keeping you from doing what you feel you should’ (vv. 16-17 CEV). The battle between our old and our new natures is constant, so here are four keys to winning the struggle each day:
1) Be honest. Acknowledge that your flesh will always crave satisfaction in the wrong things – and it never takes a day off.
2) Be humble. Acknowledge that you’re powerless to win the battle without God’s help. By committing yourself to God, you draw on His strength in those first crucial moments of each test. And your ability to do that will grow as you practise this spiritual discipline. The closer you draw to God, the stronger you become when faced with temptation and trouble.
3) Be disciplined. This is a personal matter; no one else can do it for you. Paul writes, ‘You must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives’ (Romans 6:12 MSG). If someone else has to restrain you, it doesn’t work.
4) Be alert. As a soldier David should have known better, but Satan caught him off guard with his defences down. As a result he ended up committing adultery with Bathsheba, then having her husband put to death in an attempt to cover it up. When someone sins, we can often think ‘That wouldn’t happen to me.’ But the moment we let our guard drop, we leave ourselves vulnerable to attack, even in the areas we think we’re strongest.
So let’s make the decision to stay close to God and not allow our old natures even a foothold in our daily lives.
Gen 11:1-9; Phil 2:1-11
2021-06-12
Philippians 3:8 CEV
When we’re facing a difficult time and can’t see how we’re going to get through it, there’s one thing we must try and do: turn to God. When Job lost everything and his whole world was turned upside down, he said: ‘He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread’ (Job 23:10-12 NIV).
Paul’s life wasn’t trouble-free either: ‘I have been in danger from rivers…from bandits…from my fellow Jews…from Gentiles; in danger in the city…in the country…at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have laboured and toiled and…often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and…often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches’ (2 Corinthians 11:26-28 NIVUK).
Reading that list can make us wonder how he managed to get through it. Paul knew the secret to making it through tough times – He allowed his troubles to drive him closer to God: ‘I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong’ (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV). Let’s try to remember Job’s and Paul’s attitudes, and be inspired by them when we’re facing our own troubles.
2 Ki 16:1-18:16; Mark 15:33-47; Ps 80:1-11; Prov 13:11-12
