2021-06-11
Proverbs 14:29 CEV
It’s never okay to explode and lose our temper with anyone God has asked us to care for, whether that’s a friend who needs encouragement, someone we supervise at work, someone we mentor, a partner, or a child. The Bible says, ‘Don’t get so angry that you sin. Don’t go to bed angry and don’t give the devil a chance’ (Ephesians 4:26-27 CEV). Satan would like nothing better than to gain entry into our lives, and every time we fly into a rage, we lose ground to him. That’s why the Scriptures say, ‘It’s smart to be patient, but it’s stupid to lose your temper.’
The key to managing anger lies in finding healthy ways to express it so that it doesn’t end up hurting more than helping. It’s important to share our feelings, but we must always do it in the right way. Ultimately it’s not about who’s right and who’s wrong, or who can shout the loudest. It’s about finding the solution that’s best for everyone.
Nobody can be everything we want them to be and live up to our expectations all the time. It’s impossible to have a truly loving and caring relationship with anyone without learning to accept human weakness. Instead of dwelling on someone else’s mistakes, shortcomings, or weaknesses, we should focus on working together to find a solution, and encouraging the other person more than criticising them. In 1 Corinthians 13, we read that ‘love is patient, love is kind’ (v.4 NIV). Let’s try to keep that in mind through all our interactions with others, and be beacons of God’s love for them.
2 Ki 13-15; Mark 15:21-32; Ps 143; Prov 13:9-10
2021-06-10
Luke 11:17 NIV
Today, let’s think about harmony at church. In Luke 11:17, we read: ‘Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall’ (NIV). Division and disagreement in church can come from all different directions – some may not like the worship style or a particular sermon. Some may disagree with the way the church leaders are running things or a change they’ve made. It might even come down to something as trivial as the colour the walls are to be painted.
Satan loves to step in to a small disagreement and turn it into a big issue that causes real division and damage. So we need to be aware of how we handle disagreements and differences of opinion, and make sure our motive is to find the best way forward for our church rather than just getting our own way and what we want.
In Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church, he wrote: ‘There are quarrels among you. This is what I mean: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another says, “I follow Apollos”, another says, “I follow Peter”, and another says, “I follow Christ.” Christ has been divided up into different groups! Did Paul die on the cross for you? No! Were you baptised in the name of Paul? No! I thank God I did not baptise any of you except Crispus and Gaius so that now no one can say you were baptised in my name…Christ did not send me to baptise people but to preach the Good News’ (1 Corinthians 1:11-16 NCV).
Whenever we’re facing disunity in our church, we should keep our focus on Christ, and try to remind others that we’re working towards the same goal – sharing the good news of God’s love and gift of salvation with the world.
2 Ki 10-12; Mark 15:1-20; Ps 132:11-18; Prov 13:7-8
2021-06-09
Ephesians 4:2 CEV
For the next few days, let’s think about how we can be better at living in harmony with others. First, let’s look at harmony within our homes and families. Any time we find it easier to talk to outsiders than to our own family, we should use that as a warning that something might be broken, and urgently needs fixing. There are times when it’s not appropriate to talk to our family about something, or God’s put someone outside of our family to support us through a particular issue; but He designed families to be a support system, and a safety net to catch us when we fall, so if we find we’re always turning to others, we need to ask for His guidance to help restore His original design. (However, if your family is putting you at risk or you feel unsafe with them, make sure you tell someone you trust and get help.)
God’s Word gives us the tools for creating harmony within our home: ‘Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other. Try your best to let God’s Spirit keep your hearts united. Do this by living at peace’ (vv. 2-3 CEV). There are four important words in these verses: ‘humble’, ‘gentle’, ‘patiently’, and ‘united’. Without those essential ingredients, it won’t work!
One thing we can start doing immediately is to pray for every member of our families. We won’t always agree with them, but with God’s help we can learn to value, love, and respect each other. Every family has its ups and downs, but inviting God into our homes and families each day can bring a sense of peace, love and unity that completely changes the atmosphere.
2 Ki 7-9; Mark 14:66-72; Ps 132:1-10; Prov 13:4-6
2021-06-08
Revelation 12:10 NIV
There’s a story about a man who would play a trick on new employees in his office. He would approach them and whisper, ‘They know what you did,’ then walk away smiling. First, the person would look bewildered. Then they’d get anxious and wonder, ‘What have I done?’ Then they’d think, ‘What do they know?’ and ‘What are they saying about me?’ Even the most innocent person has a tendency to conceal wrongdoing and protect themselves, so the new employee would spend the day full of anxiety.
That’s exactly how Satan works – he whispers aspersions and accusations. But the good news is that ‘the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony’ (v.10-11 NIV).
There’s a strategy we can use for silencing the voice of Satan the accuser: remind him that the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed us from all sin. Just as Jesus defeated Satan in the wilderness, we can defeat him every time by standing on the truth of God’s Word. It’s not God who makes us feel condemned. He wants us to know we’re loved, forgiven, and fully accepted.
Paul wrote, ‘Who can accuse the people God has chosen? No one, because God is the One who makes them right. Who can say God’s people are guilty? No one, because Christ Jesus died, but he was also raised from the dead, and now he is on God’s right side, appealing to God for us’ (Romans 8:33-34 NCV). With God’s love, we can stand against all of Satan’s accusations.
2 Ki 4:18-6:33; Mark 14:53-65; Ps 48; Prov 13:2-3
2021-06-07
2 Corinthians 3:18 NCV
Comfort zones feel like good places to be. We’re often reluctant to leave them. But we’ll never reach our full potential and become what God wants us to be if we resist change and insist on staying as we are. There are two kinds of change.
1) The change we must personally make. Astronaut James Irwin said: ‘You might think going to the moon was the most scientific project ever, but they literally threw us in the direction of the moon. We had to adjust our course every ten minutes, and landed only fifty feet inside of the five hundred-mile radius of our target.’
Every correction in the right direction, no matter how small, was essential to success. Let’s face it, we generally dislike changing things – it can be uncomfortable or unpleasant – so we try to resist or postpone it as long as possible. But in the end it’s the only thing that brings growth. The Bible says, ‘Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honoured’ (Proverbs 13:18 NIVUK). Change isn’t easy for us – it’ll take a conscious decision and effort to make whatever corrections are needed to keep us in the right track.
2) The change only God can make. His goal for our lives is to develop in us the character qualities of Jesus. But that can’t be done through our own effort – we need to draw on God’s power each day. His Word says: ‘We all show the Lord’s glory, and we are being changed to be like him. The change in us brings ever greater glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.’
2 Ki 1:1-4:17; Mark 14:43-52; Ps 1; Prov 13:1
2021-06-06
1 Peter 2:21 CEV
Richard C. Halverson, who was chaplain of the United States Senate, said: ‘Want to be a winner? Compete against yourself, not somebody else…Outrunning your rival doesn’t mean you ran your best race. You can win over another and still not fulfil your potential…To be your best, you must compete with yourself. It’s life’s biggest contest. A loser is a winner – however many his losses – if he conquers himself. A winner is a loser – however many his victories – if he loses the battle with himself. Alexander the Great conquered the world, and cursed his own lack of self-control. Victory over others may in fact be the very thing that contributes to the winner’s failure to conquer self. Winning makes him proud, arrogant, independent, thoughtless – and sometimes cruel. To put it another way, it isn’t what happens to you that makes the difference, but how you handle it.’
We’re each running our own race, following a unique path laid out for us by God. Our purpose is different from everyone else’s, so there’s no need to feel pressured to compete with others. We may think we look good and are doing well compared to other people, but God’s plan is to help us become more Christlike in character. ‘This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind…Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and…how to do it, step-by-step. He never did one thing wrong, not once said anything amiss. They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right’ (vv. 2:21-23 MSG).
2 Ki 5:1-14; John 5:1-15
