2019-12-31
Deuteronomy 2:2-3 NLT
A biologist experimented with what he called “processional caterpillars.” He lined up caterpillars on the rim of a pot that held a plant so that the lead caterpillar was head-to-tail with the last caterpillar, with no break in the parade. The tiny creatures walked around the rim of the pot for a full week before they died of exhaustion and starvation. Not once did any of them break out of line and venture over to the plant to eat. Food was only inches away, but their follow-the-crowd instinct was stronger than the drive to eat and survive. The same thing happened to an entire generation of Israelites. They walked in circles in the wilderness for forty years, even though they were only eleven miles from the Promised Land. If you’re in a rut today, ask yourself these three questions: (1) Is this rut of my own making? We choose a rut because it’s comfortable and requires no risk. And getting out of it requires courage and a willingness to make table, tough choices you follow through on. (2) Who am I following? We adopt certain patterns because someone has taught them to us directly, or by example. Instead of mindlessly following the crowd, seek God’s will for your life and commit yourself to doing it. (3) Where am I going? The Bible says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). If you want to get out of the rut you’re in today, ask God to give you a vision for your life – He will! And when He does, pour yourself into it.
Soul food: 1 Thes 4:1-5; 2 Cor 5:14-21; Ps 77:11-20; Prov 9:10-12
2019-12-13
Jeremiah 1:5 NIV
Ask God to tell you who you are. Bookstore shelves are lined with volumes of books telling us that we can be anything we make up our minds to be. And while there’s some truth to that, it’s not the whole truth! A dog may believe it can fly, but if it tries to, it will go “splat.” A fish may believe it can bark, but it’s not going to happen. Bottom line: Dogs and fish may pray, believe, claim, confess, and try all they want, but they won’t succeed. Why? Because God will only empower you to be what He called and equipped you to be. He told Jeremiah: “‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’ ‘Alas, Sovereign Lord,’ I said, ‘I do not know how to speak; I am too young.’ But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, I am too young. You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the Lord. Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, ‘I have put my words in your mouth'” (vv. 5-9 NIV). When God equips you with one talent He doesn’t give you a five-talent assignment, and vice versa (See Matthew 25:14-15). And here’s the great thing: The one-talent person and the five-talent person will one day stand before Him and hear the commendation: “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21 NKJV).
Soul food: Micah 5-7; John 19:31-42; Ps 105:23-36; Prov 30:15-19
2019-10-30
Matthew 19:5 NIV
Parents, read this letter. “Dear Dad: Thanks for all the times you held me on your lap so I could see the ball game, and times you took me to the carnival and bought me hot dogs. I’ll always remember the day you carried me through the snow because I was so cold. You’ve been a great dad and I’ll never forget you. Suzie and I were talking the other day and wondering how you’re doing. Since we moved away we don’t get to see much of you. But one of these days we’re going to come and surprise you. Take care. I love you, your son.” Nice letter, eh? Nice, if you’ve prepared yourself for the time when you’re no longer needed to do what you’re doing today. If not, you can grow resentful toward those you sacrificed so much for and feel like you’re no longer important to them. God gave you your children on a lease, with an expiration date. Poet Kahlil Gibran said, “They come through you but not from you…You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth” (See Psalm 127:4). Parenthood isn’t about ownership, it’s about stewardship. Your first assignment is to provide love to make them secure, laws to make them wise, light to walk in, and a lifestyle to follow. Your next assignment is to prepare them to go out into the world and put into practice the things you’ve taught them. So release them, celebrate the investment you’ve made, pray for them, and ask God, “What’s next?” It’s the way God planned it.
Soul food: 1 Chr 3-5; John 8:1-20; Ps 6; Prov 25:1-7
2019-04-29
Luke 22:27 NKJV
The world reveres wealth, power, talent, and fame. And sometimes it regards service as demeaning. But Jesus used a different yardstick when He asked His disciples, “Who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves?” Then He answered the question by saying, “I am among you as the One who serves.” Paul said that Jesus “emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7 GWT). To be a servant you must first be emptied of self-centeredness, and that calls for dying to self. As Christians we like to call ourselves servants, but how do you react when you’re treated like one? In the upper room the disciples all looked for a prominent place to sit, but Jesus looked for a place to serve! And as they waited to be served, He took a basin and washed their dirty, calloused feet. Can you imagine how they felt? The world bases importance on the number of people serving you, but God is much more interested in the number of people you are serving. He honors those who minister selflessly without complaining or seeking recognition. The truth is, it takes more character to serve others than to sit around waiting to be served. So here’s the question: Are you doing more “sitting” than “serving” these days? If so, it’s time to ask God for a selfless spirit and a servant’s heart, and start looking for opportunities to serve wherever He places you. Why? Because Jesus lived to serve and His Word to you is, “A servant is not greater than his master” (John 15:20 NKJV).
Soul food: Num 14-15; Mark 3:1-6; Ps 37:1-7; Prov 11:1-2
2019-04-22
Judges 14:8 NIV
One day Samson encountered a lion and slew it. The Bible says, “Some time later, when he went back…he turned aside to look at the lion’s carcass. In it he saw…some honey. He scooped out the honey with his hands and ate as he went along” (vv. 8-9 NIV). There’s a lesson here for you. When you take time to stop and reflect, you discover “honey” in your experiences that you can eat and grow stronger and wiser. When you reflect, you are able to put things into perspective; you gain new appreciation for things you didn’t notice before. Few of us have clear perspective in the heat of the moment. Most of us who have survived a traumatic experience usually avoid similar situations at all costs. This can leave us with unresolved issues that leave us tied up in knots. Reflective thinking enables you to distance yourself from the intense emotions of an experience and see it with fresh eyes. Indeed, this process is one of the first steps to getting rid of our emotional baggage. President George Washington observed, “We ought not to look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dearly bought experience.” Each of us has been shaped by the experiences, good and bad, that we’ve had in life. What we refuse to deal with deals with us, and often in harmful ways. We “act out” of our unresolved issues. But when we bring them into the light and ask God for the grace to face them squarely, they lose their power over us.
Soul food: Num 3:1-4:33; Mark 1:1-8; Ps 144:9-15; Prov 10:22-23
