2021-05-30
2 Thessalonians 3:3 NIV
Most of our worries can be summed up in two words: ‘What if?’ What if my exam results are bad…what if I can’t get into university…what if I get ill…what if I can’t get a job…the list is endless. The Bible says: ‘If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not experienced his perfect love’ (1 John 4:18 NLT).
When we focus on our worries, we lose sight of God’s perfect love and faithfulness. But we don’t have to let our worries take over. Jesus tells us, ‘Don’t let your hearts be troubled or afraid’ (John 14:27 NCV). Paul says, ‘Do not give the devil a way to defeat you’ (Ephesians 4:27 NCV). And Solomon writes: ‘Every day is hard for those who suffer, but a happy heart is like a continual feast’ (Proverbs 15:15 NCV).
Whenever we’re afraid of what lies ahead, we should stop and look back at God’s faithfulness and love. ‘Faithful and absolutely trustworthy is He who is calling you’ (1 Thessalonians 5:24 AMP). When we’re overwhelmed by worry, here are some Bible promises to stand on. ‘Praise…the LORD, who has given rest to his people…just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave’ (1 Kings 8:56 NIV).
We might think God won’t help us if we’ve failed or turned away from Him in the past. But He will, because even ‘if we are faithless, he remains faithful’ (2 Timothy 2:13 NIV). The truth is that before God saved you and made you His child, He knew of all your faults, flaws, and failures. But he’s still ‘faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.’
Exo 16:1-35; John 6:30-40
2021-05-29
Hebrews 12:1 NIV
There’s a story about a traveller who met a wise man along the road and asked him, ‘Where’s the road to success?’ The wise man didn’t speak but instead pointed to a place off in the far distance. The traveller, thrilled at the prospect of quick and easy success, rushed off in that direction. When – splat! Down he went! He limped back, bruised and stunned. Assuming he must have misinterpreted the message, he repeated his question, and again the philosopher pointed silently in the same direction. So the traveller took off once more. This time the splat was deafening. Crawling back bruised, broken, and irate, he shouted at the wise man, ‘I asked you which way is success! I followed the direction you indicated, and all I got was splattered! No more pointing – talk!’ Only then did the wise man speak. ‘Success is that way. It’s just a little beyond the splat.’
The fact is, all of us have experienced ‘the splat’ – that moment when we fall, or hit an obstacle that stops us in our tracks. There’s no way to avoid it. But it’s what we do after the splat that makes all the difference. And perseverance always wins.
The Bible says: ‘Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.’ Champion racer Rick Mears is attributed with saying: ‘To finish first, you must first finish.’ So if we fall, we need to get up again and keep going.
American educator Hamilton Holt said: ‘Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Half effort does not produce half results. It produces no results. Work, continuous work and hard work, is the only way to accomplish results that last.’ So today, let’s resolve to keep persevering, and keep going past our ‘splat’ moments.
1 Ki 18:16-20:43; Mark 12:28-44; Ps 113; Prov 12:15-17
2021-05-28
Matthew 22:39 NIVUK
Two of the most famous ‘marriage advice’ type of verses can shed some real light on how all relationships, not just the relationship between husband and wife, can work better: ‘be considerate’ (1 Peter 3:7 NIV) and ‘be worthy of respect’ (1 Timothy 3:11 NIV). In any kind of relationship, it’s about growing an environment where the relationship works to help both people become better people, and draw closer to God. And to build that kind of environment means giving a lot of encouragement and support. Not only when we feel like it, but also when we don’t feel like it.
Jesus’ commandment to ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ sums it up perfectly. It means asking God to soften our sharp edges, and provide us with the strength, patience, and opportunities to show His love to those around us. Want to work out a difficult relationship, make long-lasting friendships or even just feel loved? Make the first move.
When we’re prayerfully proactive in a relationship, and willing to drop our own petty disagreements or dislikes for the sake of blessing someone, God will add to it. That doesn’t mean we should let ourselves be walked over by someone who isn’t willing to show love back. Sometimes, there’s reason to find the way out of a relationship (and if you do feel as though you need to get out, then listen to yourself, you know your situation best), but a few steps before that, it’s worth considering if you can bless the other person in some way.
1 Ki 16:1-18:15; Mark 12:13-27; Ps 108; Prov 12:14
2021-05-27
Luke 4:18 NCV
Michelangelo’s masterpiece David is in a gallery in Florence, Italy. Thousands of tourists wait for hours every day to get a glimpse. But many of them never notice the series of unfinished sculptures that line the corridor on the way to David. Their forms are identifiable – a hand here, a torso there. The statues were intended to adorn the tomb of Pope Julius ll, but they were never finished. It’s almost as if these sculptures are trying to break free and become what they were intended to be, but they are stuck in stone. Michelangelo called them captives.
We can sometimes go through times of feeling like captives. We can’t seem to break free from habitual sins that hold us back. We know who we want to be, what we want to do, and where we want to go, but we can’t seem to make any progress in getting there. But no matter how long we’ve been stuck, God wants to finish what He started in our lives.
Jesus said His mission was to set captives free (see Luke 4:18). We often tend to think of that statement in legalistic terms, as if salvation is a ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ card. But it’s much more than that. Maybe we should start to think of that statement in artistic terms. Salvation also comes to release the person we were destined to be before sin distorted the image of God in us. We’re held captive by our imperfections and insecurities, our guilt and anxieties. But Jesus died to set us free from all of that. And He doesn’t just set us free from who we were, He sets us free to become who we were meant to be.
1 Ki 14-15; Mark 12:1-12; Ps 101; Prov 12:12-13
2021-05-26
John 17:4 NIV
Joseph’s brothers despised his dream, so they threw him into a pit. Jesus’ family didn’t understand His calling; one time they actually thought He was mad. But when He reached the end of His life, He could say, ‘I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.’ If we wait for everybody to understand and agree with us, we’ll never do what God called us to do.
Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the Methodists were holding a denominational convention. One leader stood up and shared his vision for both the church and society as a whole. He told his fellow ministers how he believed that one day men would fly from place to place instead of riding horses. But his idea was too outlandish for many in the audience to handle. One man, Bishop Wright, stood up and furiously protested: ‘Heresy! Flight is reserved for the angels!’ He went on to say that if God had intended man to fly, He would have bestowed him with wings. Clearly the bishop was unable to envision what the speaker was predicting. When he finished his protest, he collected his two sons, Orville and Wilbur, and left the auditorium. Several years later, on 17 December 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright did what their father had declared impossible; they made the first powered flight.
Many people prefer the comforts of the past to the risks of the future, and we’ll always meet with opposition when we try to do something new and innovative. If we need the support and approval of others before we start, we’ll never do what God called us to do.
1 Ki 12-13; Mark 11:27-33; Ps 128; Prov 12:10-11
2021-05-25
Matthew 6:7 NASB
When it comes to prayer, Jesus knew that we tend to complicate things, so He gave us this advice: ‘When you are praying, do not use thoughtless repetition…for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him’ (vv. 7-8). By using the words ‘thoughtless repetition’, He’s teaching us that prayer doesn’t have to be long, loud, or laboured. And because He said ‘your Father knows what you need before you ask Him,’ He’s inviting you to find a scriptural promise that corresponds to your need.
Author Charles Swindoll, who uses his driving time to pray, wrote this: ‘Often I speak to God out loud. Sometimes I sing to Him. Occasionally the entire prayer will be in my mind. Each time I commit myself to prayer, I notice that God becomes my focus rather than some personal struggle. I’m relieved of worry. I’m able to release anything concerning me so that I can become altogether lost in the majesty of His presence and the joy of ministry. When I arrive, I’m excited to do as God pleases. I find myself refreshed, relieved, and ready. My mind is focused. My heart is prepared. My emotions are clear, and whatever was troubling me when I began that drive no longer concerns me. Prayer has made that possible. Now I wish I could say I use every commute every day for time in prayer. But like many people, I often forget. My mind will be spinning from one problem to the next and rather than pray, I churn. At times I’ll be so anxious it doesn’t occur to me that I should quit worrying and commence praying.’
When we’re praying, let’s keep it simple and frequent.
1 Ki 10-11; Mark 11:12-26; Ps 45; Prov 12:7-9
