2025-01-17
Luke 18:13 NKJV
Jesus said: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men – extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other” (vv. 10-14 NKJV).
The difference between these two men is that the Pharisee was guilty of sins of the spirit, and the tax collector was guilty of the sins of the flesh. Pride shut the door of heaven to the Pharisee, and humility opened the door of heaven to the tax collector. The Pharisee said he was innocent but went home guilty. The tax collector acknowledged he was guilty and went home innocent.
Notice, he doesn’t use the usual word for mercy. The word used here dates back to the Hebrew word kippur, which means “atonement,” as in Yom Kippur, which means “the Day of Atonement.” The word atonement means “to cover.” What the tax collector said was, “God, I’m admitting what you already know is true about me. I am a sinful man with a sinful heart. God, will you cover me?” That’s all God needed to hear from him to save him – and that’s all God needs to hear from you too.
Soul food: Isa 58-62; Luke 4:1-13; Ps 89:1-14; Prov 2:20
2024-10-25
1 John 2:1 AMPC
There is a story about a guy who had his picture taken. When he saw it, he said to the photographer, “This picture doesn’t do me justice!” The photographer looked at him, smiled, and said, “With a face like yours, you don’t need justice; you need mercy and grace!” Seriously, that’s the situation we are all in. And the reason God extends mercy and grace to us is because Jesus fulfilled all the demands of God’s justice for us at the cross.
Some folks think that God’s grace (unmerited favour) atones for all your sins up until the moment you make Christ your Saviour. But from then on, you have to earn it and prove yourself worthy of it by your performance, like a joint effort. So instead of trusting alone in Christ’s performance on the cross, they trust also in their own performance. Here is the problem: There are three ways to sin – commission, omission, and disposition. If you commit one of these sins every day, that’s over one thousand sins a year. And if going to heaven depends on your remembering and repenting of each of them, what if you forget?
Don’t worry; God has you covered! “If anyone should sin, we have an Advocate (One Who will intercede for us) with the Father – [it is] Jesus Christ [the all] righteous [upright, just, Who conforms to the Father’s will in every purpose, thought, and action]” (v. 1 AMPC). Only one person measures up to God’s standards: Jesus! And when you place your trust in Him, you are unconditionally loved and accepted by God.
Soul food: Isa 8-11; John 6:1-24; Ps 126; Prov 27:17-19
2023-09-11
Hebrews 4:16 NIV
If you feel unworthy to approach God in prayer, stop and read these words: “Let us… approach God’s throne of grace with confidence… that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (v. 16 NIV). The word “grace” means “undeserved kindness, mercy, favour, and help when you need it.” Notice three important things:
(1) When you need grace, you can approach God with complete confidence. Why? Because you’re coming to a throne of grace and mercy, not a throne of judgment. All your sins – past, present, and future – were paid for the moment Jesus said, “It is finished.” Satan, whom the Bible calls “the accuser,” wants you to feel condemned, guilty, and unworthy to approach God. But the moment you placed your trust in Christ, God clothed you in Christ’s righteousness. Therefore, you can always come to Him with confidence.
(2) When you need more grace, pray more. God has all the grace needed to help you, but you must go before His throne and ask for it. A prayerless Christian is a graceless Christian. The Bible says, “Grow in grace,” and if you’re not praying every day, you’re not growing in your spiritual life. So, what’s the answer? Spend more time hanging around the throne that dispenses grace.
(3) God’s grace is given based on your need at that moment. He won’t give you tomorrow’s grace until tomorrow, so don’t bother asking for it. But don’t be concerned; the supply of grace you have in Christ will not run out tomorrow – or ever! That means you can’t wear out your welcome by going to the throne of grace too often.
Soul food: Eze 22-23; Mark 12:1-12; Ps 78:9-16; Prov 20:11-14
2023-03-23
Psalm 55:22 NIV
If you grow up in hard times, you will automatically do one of these two things: (1) Trust God more because you have experienced His faithfulness. (2) Worry, think, and incessantly talk about the “what ifs” in life. And there are lots of them to think about, because the future rests in God’s hands and not yours.
It’s possible for a thing to seem much bigger to you than it really is. That’s the essence of worry. It’s like a snowball; it starts small, but as you roll it over and over in your mind, it becomes bigger and bigger until it has the potential to bury you. What’s the answer?
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5 NKJV). Fill you heart with God’s Word. Then develop the habit of letting what’s in your heart be more real to you than what you see, think, or feel. You can choose to think about what God can do instead of what you cannot do.
If you continue to obsess about the difficulty of your situation, you will end up in despair. In other words, you will feel trapped. When that happens, it’s easy to panic and begin to do irrational things that just make the problem worse.
Instead, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” The word “sustain” means to strengthen, support, and hold you up. God may not take you out of the situation immediately, but His sustaining grace will bring you through it. Today, give your problem to God.
Soul food: Job 18-20; Luke 20:9-26; Ps 55:1-11; Prov 8:17-18
2022-04-14
2 Corinthians 3:5-6 NIV
David was “on a roll.” He kept winning battle after battle. He had the Midas touch; everything he touched turned to gold! But success can go to your head, and David wasn’t exempt. He started wondering, “Just how strong are we?” At that point, he conducted a census and discovered he had “one million one hundred thousand [fighting] men” (1 Chronicles 21:5 NIV). That could tempt any of us to think, “With an army this size, and given our track record of success, who needs to pray for God’s help or ask Him for a plan?” That was the point at which God stepped in and judged David, and seventy thousand Israelites died needlessly (See v. 14 NIV).
So here is another aspect of leadership you need to be aware of: Your mistakes have the potential to hurt others. You’re not just accountable to those who are over you; you’re responsible for those under you. After all, if your good decisions have the ability to bless and guide people, your bad decisions have the potential to harm them.
“David said to God, ‘Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I, the shepherd, have sinned and done wrong… let your hand fall on me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people'” (v. 17 NIV). God graciously answered David’s prayer, and judgment was lifted from Israel.
So, you need God’s guidance for your own sake, the sake of the people around you, and to give you the grace to accept responsibility when you fail. Don’t try to hide your failures, blame others, or run from God. Acknowledge them, grow through them, and go on to become wiser.
Soul food: Lev 24-25; Luke 23:18-25; Ps 69:1-6; Pro 10:5
