2021-02-24
Proverbs 24:6 NLT
Solomon wrote, ‘The wise are mightier than the strong and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger. So don’t go to war without wise guidance; victory depends on having many advisers’ (Proverbs 24:5-6 NLT). You might not personally be responsible for sending armies into war, but chances are that we all have something going on that we have to have a ‘battle plan’ for. These verses are our reminder that we shouldn’t try to take anything on alone. God has built us to work together.
Think about 1 Corinthians, where Paul explains how we all have different strengths and gifts, how we all fit together to make something wonderful, like parts of the human body fitting together to make the whole. He finishes his analogy by saying, ‘you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.’ (1 Corinthians 12:27 NIV). No single one of us has every skill that we need to accomplish the tasks in front of us. We are each a part, not the whole body. It’s natural and right that we need to look to other people for ideas and input to be truly successful. But we need to make sure that we listen properly when others present their ideas to us.
Romans 12:16 tells us to ‘live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!’ (NLT). It can be so damaging to our relationships with others if we dismiss their ideas or input without showing consideration. On the other hand, when we show respect for someone’s ideas, it can be the start of an equal, productive, collaborative relationship.
Gen 20-23; Matt 18:1-9; Ps 53; Prov 6:9-11
2021-02-23
Romans 9:1 AMP
Paul wrote: ‘My conscience testifies with me [enlightened and prompted] by the Holy Spirit.’ When the Holy Spirit speaks to your conscience, two things happen. 1) He illuminates your heart with the truth. 2) He prompts you about what to do, because some things might be ‘right’ for others but ‘wrong’ for you. God has a particular plan for each of us and He doesn’t want us to be negatively influenced or to stray away from His path, so it’s important to follow His guidance.
Here are some Scriptures to think about when it comes to keeping our consciences clear: ‘I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and all people’ (Acts 24:16 NLT). ‘Keeping your faith [leaning completely on God with absolute trust and confidence in His guidance] and having a good conscience; for some [people] have rejected [their moral compass] and have made a shipwreck of their faith’ (1 Timothy 1:19 AMP). ‘They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience’ (1 Timothy 3:9 NIV). ‘Keep praying for us, for we are convinced that we have a good conscience, seeking to conduct ourselves honourably [that is, with moral courage and personal integrity] in all things’ (Hebrews 13:18 AMP). ‘The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a genuine faith’ (1 Timothy 1:5 NLT).
As redeemed children of God, if we sin wilfully and don’t repent, we lose your sense of peace and joy. So let’s make the effort to keep our consciences clear and allow ourselves to be influenced by God.
Gen 17-19; Matt 17:14-27; Ps 40:9-17; Prov 6:6-8
2021-02-22
Psalm 30:5 NCV
Pain is an inevitable part of life and growth, and sometimes it can be beneficial. Let’s take a look at why it can be helpful:
1) It can let us know there’s something wrong that needs to be put right.
2) It makes us acknowledge there’s a problem.
3) It encourages us to seek help to put things right.
4) It makes us willing to accept treatment that we might find uncomfortable so we can be made whole again.
It sounds strange, but the more we dread and resist any pain we’re feeling, the more its effect on us increases, and the stronger it becomes. When we’re being treated for something that’s physically painful, a doctor will often tell us to ‘breathe’ and ‘relax’. The more we fight the pain, the more we’ll be hurt. This can apply to emotional pain too. If we try to ignore how we’re feeling and pretend we’re okay, the hurt just builds up inside us and wears us down.
When we experience pain, whether it’s emotional or physical, we shouldn’t try to ignore, hide, or fight it. We need to walk through it and allow it to accomplish its purpose. The Bible says: ‘When troubles…come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy…when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing’ (James 1:2-4 NLT).
Painful experiences can bring all kinds of opportunities for learning, developing our character, and growing our trust in God. So when pain comes our way, let’s take a breath, relax, and walk through it with God by our side.
Gen 13-16; Matt 17:1-13; Ps 40:1-8; Prov 6:1-5
2021-02-21
Philippians 3:13-14 AMP
We all have things in our past that play on our minds. The past is often filled with hurts others have done to us, mistakes that got us into trouble, and things we’re so ashamed of we wouldn’t dare talk openly about them. But what can we do about it? We can’t change what’s happened, so the alternatives are: focus on it, or let it go and move forwards.
Focusing on the past means we take our eyes off God and His plan, and we stop moving into the future and the blessings He’s got for us. So we need to choose to move forwards. If we need forgiveness for anything in our past, we should ask God for it, receive it by faith, learn from our mistakes, and try to do better next time. Paul wrote: ‘One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus’ (vv.13-14 AMP).
Before Paul met Christ, he imprisoned and executed Christians and shut down churches. But after, Paul had only one goal: ‘reaching forward to what lies ahead’. He refused to let his past mistakes prevent him from receiving God’s future.
When we fail, we can make things worse by obsessing over it and wallowing in guilt instead of taking hold of the forgiveness God offers to us. There’s nothing we can do about past sins and mistakes except to ask God for forgiveness, receive it, let the past go, and move forwards. We have to let go of yesterday’s mistakes in order to grasp today’s blessings and enjoy the life God intended for us.
1 Sam 3:1-11; Acts 9:1-9
2021-02-20
2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT
God hasn’t made prayer difficult or complicated. Prayer is actually really simple. The truth is, we probably pray more often than we realise. The trouble is, we don’t always recognise when we’re praying, because we can get the wrong idea about it. We might have been taught that prayer needs a specific place or environment like a church, or a certain posture like kneeling with head bowed and eyes closed, or a particular form of words like ‘Thee’ and ‘Thou’, or that we must stick to certain religious rituals when we pray. These things aren’t necessarily wrong, but we don’t need to do them for God to listen to us.
Prayer is simply talking to Him, in a way that feels comfortable and natural to us, then being still and allowing Him to talk to us. We can pray anytime, anywhere, about anything, silently or aloud, just by directing our thoughts towards Him.
Paul wrote, ‘We fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.’ Imagine that all of God’s blessings and benefits are stored in a giant warehouse in the invisible realm; things like forgiveness, strength, wisdom, guidance, favour, and resources. Through prayer we enter God’s warehouse of blessings, and by faith we receive them and bring them back into our lives. Jesus said, ‘If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted’ (John 15:7 NLT).
So whatever you need today, pray and ask God for it, believing that He will give it to you.
Gen 10-12; Matt 16:13-28; Ps 36; Prov 5:21-23
2021-02-19
Ephesians 2:8 AMP
To understand how God sees you, try thinking of these two things:
1) A five-pound note. It’s just a little piece of thin plastic, but it’s more valuable than another piece of plastic the same size because it carries with it the promise of the bank and government that’s issued it. You can crumple it up, step on it, cut it into pieces and tape it back together again, and its value doesn’t change.
2) A diamond. If you dropped a diamond in the mud, it would still be a diamond. It might be dirty, and in order to truly appreciate its beauty, you would have to clean it up and restore its original lustre, but it doesn’t lose its value.
Just like the five-pound note and the diamond, your value in God’s eyes as His redeemed child doesn’t change or decrease when you mess up, get stepped on by others, or crushed and broken by life and circumstances. That’s because your true worth isn’t determined by your own efforts but by the price Jesus paid for you on the cross. At that moment, all your sins (past, present and future) were laid on Him. And when you accept Him as your Saviour, all His righteousness is transferred to you. His blood cleanses you, and you carry God’s promise of love and salvation. You don’t have to earn it or strive for it. It’s a gift: ‘This [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God.’
Gen 7-9; Matt 16:1-12; Ps 33:13-22; Prov 5:15-20
