2021-04-24
John 12:24 NLT
Jesus said, ‘Unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels.’ It’s been estimated that one kernel of wheat will produce a stalk bearing three heads of wheat. In each head there are between 15 and 35 kernels – that means there’s close to 100 kernels per stalk. After they’re planted, these kernels will go on to produce 10,000 kernels. When those are replanted, they’ll produce a million kernels. And if you keep going, you’ll cover the whole earth with wheat!
It’s amazing how quickly a small thing can multiply. And it’s the same with us – we can achieve so much when we commit our lives to Christ and start where we are. D.L. Moody once said, ‘The world has yet to see what God can do through a man who is yielded to him.’ He decided to simply start where he was, and ended up impacting the world for Christ.
When Peter, James, and John met Jesus, their goal in life was to make a living. Then Jesus invited them to follow Him and make a difference. And today He’s inviting each one of us to do the same thing. He’s inviting us to find a need that no one is meeting and allow Him to use us to meet it. He’s asking us to find a cause greater than self-interest, (in other words, His cause) and pour our lives into it.
When Jesus asked the disciples to leave their jobs and their security, He was turning their world upside down. But when they said yes to Him, they became so successful that their enemies accused them of ‘turning the world upside down’ (take a look at Acts 17:6). Today, let’s allow God to use us and turn the word upside down for Him.
Num 1-2; Mark 4:13-25; Ps 144:1-8; Prov 10:19-21
2021-04-23
Isaiah 41:10 NIV
There are a million resources out there telling us what we’d need to change to make our lives perfect. There are articles, books, podcasts, self-help seminars, and countless other sources of information that are just raring to improve us. Sometimes we take their advice, and we’re enthusiastic about changing ourselves for about a week. Then the inspiration fades and everything goes back to normal.
The truth is, we have very little power to change ourselves. God has more than enough power though, and he’s willing to share it with us. The word ‘power’ occurs fifty-seven times in the New Testament. The most important instance of power is Jesus’ resurrection (see Luke 24). About that, Paul wrote: ‘ I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead’ (Philippians 3:10 NLT). He also wrote: ‘ I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honour’ (Ephesians 1:19-20 NLT).
Both times there, Paul uses the Greek work for power, dunamis. From there we get the words ‘dynamite’, an explosive force, and ‘dynamo’, a source of constant power. In God, we’re offered both of those things. He gives us the instant, landscape-changing dynamite power to make a change in the first instance. He then sustains us with dynamic power to keep the change up for good. Deep, lasting change can only come through these types of godly power. The most amazing thing is that to see that kind of change, all we need to do is ask Him!
Jam 3-5; Mark 4:1-12; Ps 7:10-17; Prov 10:17-18
2021-04-22
Deuteronomy 29:29 NIV
There are so many things about life, and about God, that we may not understand. When things are unclear, it can be worthwhile focusing on something certain. One thing that we can be sure of, as people who love and respect God, is this: God is good, always. Romans 8:28 tells us: ‘We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him’ (NIV), and Psalm 103:17 says that His ‘love for those who respect him continues forever’ (NCV).
With all of that in mind, we do have to acknowledge that there are still things that may not make sense to us. God doesn’t always give us the full picture immediately, for our own good. Deuteronomy 29:29 reads: ‘The secret things belong to the LORD…but the things revealed belong to us’ (NIV). God reveals what we need to know, and what’s good for us. Sometimes, He doesn’t reveal something to us for reasons that become clear later on. Other times, we’re not ever sure why something hasn’t been revealed. In those times, it’s important to remember our earlier truth. God is good, always. There is always a good reason for what He reveals, and what He doesn’t.
The context is bigger than we are. His plan is bigger than we are. Sometimes, we have no way to see the ways that things tie in here on earth. But we can guarantee that whatever God is doing, He’s doing it all for your very best.
Jam 1-2; Mark 3:20-35; Ps 7:1-9; Prov 10:16
2021-04-21
2 Corinthians 5:10 KJV
John 3:16 tells us the ‘Good News’ of Christianity in a clear, simple way: ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life’ (ESV). We know that Jesus gave His life to repair our relationship with God, so that we can live with Him forever. No matter what we do, our relationship with God covers us and gives us that ‘eternal life’. But that doesn’t mean that we should do whatever we can get away with and assume that God will fix it.
In 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, Paul writes that ‘our goal is to please him. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body’ (NLT). So we know that what we do does matter.
How, then, does that sit alongside Jesus saving us unconditionally? The Bible says, ‘No one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have – Jesus Christ’ (1 Corinthians 3:11 NLT). This reminds us that it really does come back to Jesus. Nothing can change the foundational truth that He has saved our relationship with God. Verses 12 to 15 go on to explain: ‘Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials – gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames’ (NLT).
God’s forgiveness is the foundation that won’t change, but He does care what we build on top of it.
Dan 11-12; Mark 3:7-19; Ps 16; Prov 10:15
2021-04-20
Colossians 4:6 NKJV
In Watchman Nee’s book The Normal Christian Worker, he devotes a whole chapter to our words, and how we communicate with others. He says ‘Because of unrestrained speech, the usefulness of many Christian workers is seriously curtailed. Instead of being powerful instruments in the Lord’s service, their ministry makes little impact on account of the constant leakage of power through their careless talk.’
This reminder that we can hurt the impact of our efforts for God by talking carelessly is a stark one, and it really is that serious. As Proverbs 18:21 tells us, ‘the tongue has the power of life and death’ (NIV). It can be so easy to be careless with our words, to speak without thinking. We can also betray ourselves with our tone, our gestures, and our facial expressions. We have to remember, though, that all of those things can dramatically change that way that people see us and, by extension, the way they see God.
It’s time for us to echo David’s prayer in Psalm 141:3-4 ‘Take control of what I say, O LORD, and guard my lips. Don’t let me drift towards evil’ (NLT). Those verses are worth memorising and repeating when we feel our words veering towards negativity.
It’s also very worthwhile to check our attitude. Our words are fuelled by our thoughts, and our speech can’t run out of control unless our mind goes there first. That’s really where we need God to step in. We need His help to challenge our thoughts. Each time we find our mind or speech drifting towards negativity, we should stop ourselves and pray and pray to God for ‘the renewing of [our] mind’ that we read about in Romans 12:2 (NIV).
Dan 8-10; Mark 3:1-6; Ps 103:13-22; Prov 10:14
2021-04-19
1 Chronicles 29:14 NKJV
Whether we have it or we don’t, money can feel like a very awkward subject. It’s not considered polite conversation. But 16 of Jesus’ 38 parables deal with money and possessions. God isn’t afraid to talk about it, and when we look into it, neither are His people.
After raising the money to build the temple, David prayed this prayer: ‘Both riches and honour come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You’ (vv. 12-14 NKJV).
Not only was David unafraid to publicly acknowledge that the people of Israel had given their riches to God, he reminds us there that all of our money and possessions come from God in the first place. Once we acknowledge that, it can feel easier to have the necessary conversations about money. We’re no longer talking about something that is ours, or that is even any reflection of us. We’re talking about something that belongs to God, and is simply ours to steward. Those conversations may just break some of the taboos surrounding money, and we might in turn find it easier to be generous with what God has temporarily given to us.
Dan 5-7; Mark 2:23-28; Ps 103:1-12; Prov 10:13
