2021-01-01
Deuteronomy 11:12 NKJV
As we begin a New Year, let’s reflect on this Scripture: ‘The land which you go to…is not like the land…from which you have come…the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord…are always on it, from the beginning…to the very end of the year’ (v.10-12 NKJV).
For the next few days, let’s take a closer look at these verses and discover how they can help us look forward to the New Year that lies ahead. ‘The land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come.’ For the Israelites, Egypt was a place of stress, sorrow, and struggle. But Canaan, the land they were heading for, was a place of God-given success, self-worth, and spiritual growth.
Jeremiah said: ‘Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” The LORD is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him’ (Lamentations 3:21-25 NLT).
This year doesn’t have to be like last year. We don’t have to dread what lies ahead, because we can put our trust in God, who loves us and has a plan of goodness for each of us. This year, let’s intentionally seek God and experience His love, mercy, faithfulness and goodness in our lives like never before.
Rom 13:12-14:19; John 1:1-14
2020-12-31
Psalm 55:22 NIV
When someone we love is facing a problem, we’ll often try to help them. And if we can’t help them, we carry round our failure like a burden. But there are times when we need to let go, and let God deal with them. Letting go doesn’t mean we stop caring; it just means we’ve recognised that we can’t always fix things for them. Letting go isn’t about cutting ourselves off; it’s about realising we can’t control everything.
Sometimes we need to take a step back and let others learn from the consequences of their actions. That doesn’t mean we should blame or try to change the other person – we need the wisdom to understand that only God can change their hearts. It’s ‘caring about’, instead of ‘caretaking’. It’s being supportive without trying to fix them, and instead of judging, allowing them to be human, with flaws just like we have. Letting go means that instead of trying to control every possible outcome, we allow others to affect their own outcomes.
Sometimes we can become overprotective when we care about someone and want the best for them; but there are times when we need to let people face reality. Psalm 55:22 says: ‘Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you.’
Letting go doesn’t mean that we should stop having anything to do with the person; instead, we’re handing over the worry and the responsibility to God, who knows exactly what to do and what that person needs. We can be supportive, listen to them, and be there for them, but let God carry their burdens and worries. He already knows the answer to them.
2 Cor 5:14-21; Phil 3:8-14; Ps 77:11-20; Prov 9:10-12
2020-12-30
Genesis 35:15 NLT
What should we do when we’re discouraged and afraid we’ve lost our way? That’s the question Jacob was facing. Here’s the answer he got when he turned his heart towards God: ‘”Go up to Bethel…build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.” So Jacob said to his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone”‘ (vv. 1-3 NIV).
Bethel means ‘the place where God dwells’. So Jacob went back to the place where he had met God, where he had received a vision of his future, and where he had first experienced the joy of living in a relationship with the Lord.
When we’ve messed up and don’t know where to turn, let’s go back to Bethel, to where we first met God. We don’t have to go back to a physical place, but we need to think back to those first joyful moments when we accepted God into our lives, and remember why we believe and trust Him. Do what the Scripture says: ‘In view of God’s mercy…offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will’ (Romans 12:1-2 NIV).
2 Cor 6:14-7:1; Matt 3:1-10; Ps 116; Prov 31:30-31
2020-12-29
Numbers 13:32 NLT
Discouragement caused the Israelites to doubt God’s promise, give up their dream, and die in the wilderness. And ironically, they were only a few days away from the Promised Land. How did it happen? After spending forty days in Canaan, a land of such fruitfulness that it took two men to carry one cluster of grapes, ten out of twelve spies came back saying, ‘We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are! So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites’ (vv. 31-32 NLT). So how did God deal with the spies who had spread such discouragement? ‘The ten men…who incited rebellion against the LORD with their bad report – were struck dead with a plague…only Joshua and Caleb remained alive’ (Numbers 14:36-38 NLT).
We need to ask ourselves whether we are sometimes tempted to spread discouragement. When we see others facing negative circumstances, do we express doubts about their ability to succeed? Can we listen to someone’s plans without making disheartening remarks? Even if we can’t quite envision their dreams, we can still agree to stand in faith with them for God’s perfect will to be done in their life.
As we saw in yesterday’s reading, everyone needs a little encouragement from time to time. So let’s make a conscious effort to speak sincere words of affirmation, support, and inspiration to those within our circles of influence. And when we encounter a discourager, we mustn’t let them derail us. We should remind ourselves, and them, that God is ‘able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think’ (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV). Because He can.
Mal 3-4; Matt 2:16-23; Ps 139:13-24; Prov 31:28-29
2020-12-28
Romans 12:6, 8 NIV
Did you know that there’s such a thing as ‘the gift of encouragement’? The Bible says, ‘We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is…to encourage, then give encouragement.’ And we don’t have to be talented or have a high IQ to demonstrate this gift. Every day we meet people in need of encouragement. They may not show it on the surface, but underneath they’re struggling to keep their head above water. Some of them are at the point of despair, and our words can lift them. Even a smile can do it. Job said, ‘When they were discouraged, I smiled at them. My look of approval was precious to them’ (Job 29:24 NLT). Solomon said, ‘Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad’ (Proverbs 12:25 NKJV).
We mustn’t assume that people who seem successful and happy don’t need encouragement, because we don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. David was a best-selling author whose psalms are still read around the world. He was Israel’s most popular king. His victories in battle are the envy of every military strategist. But he had days when he felt so low and in despair that he wasn’t sure he could carry on: ‘I am on the verge of collapse, facing constant pain’ (Psalm 38:17 NLT).
It doesn’t matter what our past or present successes are, how much money or power we have, or what our social status is, everyone needs encouragement. And that’s good, because when we have the gift of encouragement, we’ll never be without opportunities to use it. So today let’s be sensitive to God’s leading, and when He prompts us to encourage someone, let’s do it.
Mal 1-2; Matt 2:9-15; Ps 139:1-12; Prov 31:25-27
2020-12-27
Matthew 22:39 NLT
We know we’re supposed to love others, but we might struggle to love ourselves, especially if there are mistakes and things in our past that we’re not proud of. But we should try to love ourselves, because we can only give love to others from the source of our own self-esteem. When God saves us, He positions us ‘in Christ’. From that moment on, He views us as being righteous. Not because of our ‘own righteousness…but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God’ (Philippians 3:9 NKJV).
For some of us, when we were growing up, our parents might have given the impression that if we were good enough, they would love and accept us. As a result, we might think God feels the same way. But He doesn’t. We could never be good enough to earn God’s love, so instead He clothes us in Christ’s righteousness and says, ‘I love you unconditionally in spite of all your faults.’ Now we have a true basis for loving ourselves. If God loves us, then we are worthy of loving. That means we can love ourselves.
If we wrestle with insecurity, guilt, self-doubt, and self-loathing, eventually it will manifest itself in our relationships. But God’s love gives us a mental image of ourselves that enables and empowers us to give and receive love from others. The truth is, if you had been the only sinner who ever lived, Christ would have died for you. And when we accept and cling on to that truth, we’ll start to love ourselves and reach out towards our God-given potential.
Ps 103:8-18; John 3:16-18; Acts 2:38-41
