2020-10-04
Hebrews 12:1 NLT
Here are two more things we need to be aware of:
1) The wrong people will hurt us. We shouldn’t allow people who could drag us away from God’s path to influence us. People who are very negative, draining, distracting, or try to belittle us can wear us down and turn us away from God’s call. We should love these types of people, and try to help them if we can, but we mustn’t allow them to influence us or lead us. It’s right to try to encourage them, but if we feel their attitudes begin to pull us down instead of lifting us up, we should kindly and graciously disconnect from them and hand them to God.
2) The right people will help you. When God has a job to be done, He calls someone to do it. But He rarely calls them alone. He’ll often call others to stand with them and support them. When we reach for help, it isn’t a sign of weakness, but of strength, and acceptance of God’s plan. Paul spent an entire chapter in the New Testament acknowledging the people who helped him fulfil his vision. Here’s what he said to the Philippians: ‘Every time I think of you, I give thanks…Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now’ (Philippians 1:3-5 NLT).
We need to have the humility to acknowledge that God hasn’t given us the skills to do some things, hand them over to others who do have those skills, and focus on using our own skills and strengths to play our unique part in God’s plan.
Est 4:9-5:3; Heb 4:7-16
2020-10-02
2 Timothy 4:7 NKJV
Not everyone who starts the race finishes it. Paul wrote: ‘Don’t you realise that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? So I run with purpose in every step…I discipline my body like an athlete, training to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified’ (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NLT).
Paul wasn’t talking about his salvation here – he already had that. Instead, he was talking about his heavenly reward. We should pay attention to the words, ‘Otherwise…I myself might be disqualified.’
Here are some things that will cause us to stumble on our journey with God:
1) Not reading God’s Word and praying every day.
2) Saying no to God when He’s dealing with a specific area in our lives.
3) Wrong habits and relationships that cause us to compromise our morals.
4) Allowing doubt and fear to take control.
5) Losing focus on the tasks that God’s called us to do.
6) Overworking and neglecting our loved ones and our health.
7) Not sowing our God-given resources, skills and time into His kingdom.
Let’s make this the prayer of our hearts: ‘Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting’ (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV). Then we can look forward to saying, ‘I have finished the race.’
Lev 23:33-44; Zech 14:16-21; John 7:1-40
2020-07-03
1 Timothy 4:12 NLT
By the time he was eighteen, Timothy was an apostle. And it seems some folks in church thought his promotion to leadership at such an early age wasn’t a good thing. But Paul did. He told Timothy: “Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them. Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity…focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them. Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received…Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress” (vv. 11-15 NLT). Who says you’re too young to make an impact? Not God. And not history. Victor Hugo wrote his first tragedy at age fifteen. Raphael painted his masterpieces before he died at age thirty-seven. Tennyson wrote his first volume of poetry at eighteen. Paschal wrote his great works between the ages of sixteen and thirty-seven. Joan of Arc did all her work and was burned at the stake at nineteen. Romulus founded Rome at twenty. Calvin joined the Reformation at age twenty-one and wrote his famous Institutes at age twenty-seven. Alexander The Great had conquered the known world by the time he was twenty-three. Isaac Newton was twenty-four when he introduced the law of gravity. Believe in yourself, for God does. Develop your gifts, and ask God to bless them. Maximize every opportunity to the fullest, and you will make the world a better place.
Soul food: Jer 22-24; Luke 4:31-44; Ps 102:12-17; Prov 15:3
2020-06-29
Isaiah 57:18 NLT
Ever felt broken? Or felt like you’d made too many mistakes and now could never be the person who God made you to be? In the Bible we read about God raising up broken people in amazing ways. For example, He used Moses, a murderer, to deliver the Hebrew slaves. And He used Jacob, a liar, to fulfil His promise to Abraham. If God redeemed them, He can redeem us too. Sometimes we can think that brokenness is a bad place to be. We don’t like how it feels, and we think we’ve failed. But when we’re broken, we’re in a great place. Brokenness creates humility in us because it’s at the point we reach rock bottom that we truly realise how much we need God. Jesus said, ‘apart from me you can do nothing’ (John 15:5 NLT). Brokenness can help us fully grasp what Jesus was saying in this verse. And when we learn to rely on God for everything we need, we’re in a powerful position. This surrender allows God’s will to be brought about in our lives. It allows God access to our hearts so He can heal and restore them. But if we constantly focus on the mistakes and hurts of our past, then we’re not allowing God to do new things in us. We need to look ahead to our future rather than be stuck looking at our past. When we turn to God He’ll forgive us, restore us, and use us for His purposes. He said, ‘I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them. I will comfort those who mourn, bringing words of praise to their lips’ (Isaiah 57:18-19 NLT). God doesn’t give up on us, so let’s not give up on ourselves.
Jer 7-9; Luke 3:11-20; Ps 64; Prov 14:25-28
2020-06-15
Genesis 27:19 NIV
Ever found yourself in competition with a friend or family member? In the Bible, we read about the brothers Esau and Jacob. Their parents had favourites. Isaac preferred the eldest son, Esau, while Rebekah preferred her second child Jacob. This favouritism may have been what started the competition between the brothers. Or maybe Jacob simply didn’t like being the youngest. In those days, the eldest received a special blessing and had rights that the younger son didn’t get. Jacob, along with his mother Rebekah, decided to plot against Esau and tricked Isaac into blessing him instead. The Bible tells us that ‘Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn”‘ (you can read the full story in Genesis 27). The competition in this family didn’t stop there. Jacob later married two sisters: Leah and Rachel. He loved Rachel more and Leah resented her for that. Leah could have children while Rachel couldn’t, which caused Rachel to resent Leah. Both competed against each other. Leah tried to win Jacob’s love while Rachel tried to have children to keep up with Leah. When competition and comparison takes root, we lose focus of who God has created us to be and things He’s planned for us to do. It can lead to messy situations and a breakdown in relationships. Maybe there isn’t someone who we’re directly competing with, but there are posts on social media which make us feel inadequate and we try and change our behaviour to keep up with others. Maybe we only feel good about ourselves when we’re achieving more than other people. Instead of competing and comparing, we need to be confident in our identity as children of God, and focus on doing the things He’s called us to do.
2 Kings 7-9; Luke 1:1-10; Ps 73:1-16; Prov 13:17-19
