2025-02-28
Romans 1:17 NKJV
The story has been told of a mother who said to her son, “It’s time to get up and go to school.” He replied, “I’m not going to school today!” His mother said, “Why not?” He replied, “Because the children hate me, and the teachers criticize me. Why should I have to go to school and put up with that?” His mother replied, “Because you’re the principal!”
Seriously, the Christian life is a school. Paul describes each grade as going “from faith to faith.” In the school of faith, the Holy Spirit is the teacher, and the Bible is the textbook. If you study well and apply yourself, you can move up through the grades. If not, you stay in the same grade you’re in until you have learned the lessons and can pass the tests. You’re like the lady who quipped, “My favourite grade was the fifth grade. Three of the happiest years of my life were spent in that grade!”
Unless you want that to be your fate, read these words and take them to heart: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 NKJV).
If you want to know God, you will meet Him in the pages of His Word. And you will also need to stay filled with the Holy Spirit: “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory [grade to grade], just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV).
Soul food: Exo 19-21; Luke 12:49-59; Ps 70; Prov 6:26-28
2024-12-25
Matthew 1:20 NKJV
In Joseph’s life we see three keys to experiencing the fulfillment of God’s purpose and promises in our lives. The first is mercy. Let’s look at the second: faith. “While he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit'” (v. 20 NKJV). Joseph had intended to privately divorce Mary. Then God told him the divine plan. What was Joseph’s part? To exercise faith in a most difficult set of circumstances. To trust God when the situation could not be understood or explained rationally. God showed him four things:
(1) God reminded Joseph of his identity: “Joseph, son of David.” God wants you to know who you are “in Christ” (See Ephesians 1:18-19). You have a special identity as a member of His redeemed family.
(2) God assured Joseph that he didn’t have to be afraid. What enabled Joseph to overcome his fear and move forward? Hearing from God. Having a word from the Lord to stand on. That’s what you need too (See Isaiah 30:21).
(3) God gave Joseph direction. He was to take Mary as his wife, be a father to the child, and name Him Jesus. And what’s the lesson for you? Be teachable and follow God’s instructions. It’s by faith and obedience that you will reach your God-given destiny.
(4) God assured Joseph that He was at work in the situation. When you know that, you experience peace of mind and a new perspective.
Soul food: Isa 7:14; Luke 2:1-7; Mic 5:2-5a; Isa 9:6-7
2023-11-11
Hebrews 6:18 MSG
Does your situation look impossible? Are you getting ready to quit? Don’t! Emilie Batisse was seventy-nine when she was injured in a hit-and-run accident and wasn’t expected to live. When Norman Vincent Peale went to visit her, he noticed a row of brand-new poetry books that hadn’t been opened. When he asked her about them, she said, “‘I love poetry, but I haven’t read those… I’m saving them for my old age.'” Mrs. Batisse lived to read those books many times, and when she eventually died at ninety-one, she was planning a trip to Europe.
Hope is wishing for something to come true; faith is believing it will happen. Hope is wanting something so desperately that despite all evidence to the contrary, you keep believing God for it. And the remarkable thing is that the act of hoping produces a strength of its own.
When Cornell University conducted a study on the effects of hope, Dr. Harold G. Wolff reported that people with hope can endure incredible burdens. One group comprised twenty-five thousand soldiers imprisoned during World War II. Subjected to forced labor, bad food, and filth, many died while others showed only slight damage. Interviews with survivors revealed a far-above-average ability to hope!
How were they able to keep their hope alive? By drawing pictures of the girls they planned to marry, designing their future homes, and organizing business management seminars. Hope not only kept them well, it kept them alive! It’s easy to see why Paul describes hope as “an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past… appearances… to the very presence of God” (v. 19).
Soul food: 1 Chron 3-5; John 8:31-41; Ps 99; Prov 25:26-28
2023-03-20
Hebrews 11:6 NKJV
Here are three truths from Scripture that will make your faith more effective: First, believe that God is. The force of the language used here is much more than a vague acknowledgment of God’s existence. Mankind claims scores of gods, but the God of the Bible is not one of them – or even the best of them. He is the only true God! And this Scripture says He is uniquely, genuinely, permanently present and active.
Second, believe that God is able. When two blind men approached Jesus seeking healing, He asked, “‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ they replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith let it be done to you'” (Matthew 9:28-29 NIV). Immediately, they could see. Jesus knew He was able to heal them, but He wanted them to know He was able. Until you believe in God’s ability to meet your need, you have no ground on which to base your confidence and prayers.
Third, believe that God is willing. After knowing He is able, you must take a step of belief. A leper approached Jesus saying, “‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.’ Jesus… touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ And immediately his leprosy was cleansed” (Matthew 8:2-3 NAS). Is God willing? Consider His claim: He – not we – goes on record as being “a rewarder of those who… seek Him.” That leaves no room for doubt.
Today, God is not only able but willing to meet your need.
Soul food: Job 8-10; Luke 19:1-21; Ps 116:1-11; Prov 8:8-9
2023-03-02
Philippians 2:13 NIV
Remember the childhood game Pin the Tail on the Donkey? Winning in that game was “a-stab-in-the-dark” process. And for many of God’s children, determining His will and purpose for their lives amounts to a similar method. But it doesn’t have to. Here are some scriptural steps that take the guesswork out of it.
(1) Commit yourself to obeying God’s will. Understanding God’s will is impossible until you commit yourself unreservedly to doing it. Any desire to retain your own will blinds you to His. You don’t need a detailed map; it’s a journey of faith. Be confident that God loves you and wants only the best for you, and that when you submit yourself to Him, “You will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect” (Romans 12:2 NCV).
(2) Listen for the Shepherd’s voice and trust it. Jesus doesn’t leave you alone to figure out His will for your life. He is our Good Shepherd, and His “sheep recognize his voice… He… leads them… and they follow him because they know his voice” (John 10:3-4 NLT). Note the words, “recognize his voice.” With time and experience, you will learn to know when God is speaking to you.
Like Abraham who submitted to God’s will without knowing where he would be led, you’re called to surrender your will without knowing where He will lead you. God promises wisdom, insight, and understanding – not to the spiritually smart, but to any person who lacks wisdom (See James 1:5-6). So believe that His wisdom is yours!
Soul food: Exo 13-15; Luke 12:35-48; Ps 66:13-20; Prov 6:23-25
