2020-07-01
1 Corinthians 1:29 NIV
God says: ‘I am the LORD. That is my name. I will not give my glory to another’ (Isaiah 42:8 NCV). Everything we do should give glory to God. But that can sometimes be challenging for us. We can be tempted to think that we deserve the credit and glory for the things we’ve done, especially when we’ve put a lot of effort into them. Paul writes that ‘No one may boast before him.’ We can’t boast about our salvation; it’s all by God’s grace. The Bible says: ‘You have been saved by grace through believing. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. It was not the result of your own efforts, so you cannot brag about it’ (Ephesians 2:8-9 NCV). We also can’t boast about what we do for God before we go to heaven, because it’s God who has called us and equipped us to be able to do it. God’s given us the gifts, skills, and strength to do the things we do, and therefore we need to give all the glory to Him. We’re not wired to be humble, so we need to learn how to lay down our desire for approval and glory, and instead hand it all over to God. When we remember to give God the credit for our success, He’ll keep using and blessing us. The Bible says: ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above’ (James 1:17 NKJV). Every good thing we enjoy today, and every good thing tomorrow, is a gift from God. We need to be thanking God for those gifts, and giving Him the glory as provider in our lives.
Jer 14-17; Luke 4:1-13; Ps 98; Prov 14:34
2020-06-21
1 John 5:14 NIV
Sometimes we can find ourselves praying ‘just’ prayers. We say, ‘Lord, we just ask you to protect us, or provide for us…If you’d just help us in this situation, we’d be so thankful.’ It might sound humble to pray like this, but in reality it actually demonstrates a lack of faith and confidence in approaching God. The Bible says, ‘Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need’ (Hebrews 4:16 NIV). And in 1 John it says: ‘This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him’ (5:14-15 NIV). We can go to God and confidently ask for what we need. We don’t need to be afraid of asking Him for help. He always listens to us. But it’s important to remember that asking confidently won’t guarantee that we get what we want. However, when God says no, it’s not because He can’t do what we’re asking. In fact, He is ‘able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20 NIV). God will give us the things that will be best for us. Our earthly parents may not always be able to give us the things we need, or they may make decisions that negatively affect us. But as a redeemed child of God, we can approach our loving heavenly Father with confidence, knowing that He’ll always provide for us in the best way possible.
Acts 4:8-12; Acts 16:22-34; Matt 1:18-21
2020-05-31
Colossians 4:6 NKJV
John Grisham, author of blockbuster books that become blockbuster movies, has been called “a straight arrow making his way along a very crooked path.” His novels often depict sleazy lawyers, corrupt politicians, and trigger-happy cops – the underbelly of a world of wealth and respectability. His heroes, on the other hand, are generally the innocent or children, such as the eleven-year-old boy in The Client. Grisham said he would rather be a nice guy than resort to filling his books with sex and gore. He refuses to write anything that would offend or embarrass either his mother or his children. Contrary to what many in the publishing world might have predicted, his approach has paid off big. The Firm now has over twenty million copies in print. So far, the oldest fan to write him is ninety-six years old, the youngest ten years old. Most of his readers commend him for leaving out graphic violence, obscenities, and profanities. The Bible says, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” Note the words “seasoned with salt,” or in good taste. Jesus said: “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things…every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:34-37 NKJV). So, speak “in good taste.”
Soul food: John 7:37-41; Exo 17:1-7; Isa 35:1-7
Colossians 4:6 NIV
We all know that the words we say have an impact on those around us. If we’re speaking negative words, we can create a negative atmosphere around us. But if we’re speaking truth and positivity, we can encourage others. The Bible tells us to ‘encourage one another and build each other up’ (1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV). How we speak to others will determine what sort of relationship we’ll have with them. If people are always rude to us, or lie to us, we’re not likely to stay around long. And it’s the same the other way round. We need to let our conversations with others be ‘always full of grace, seasoned with salt.’ The words we speak come out of how we feel. If we’re struggling with our attitude then we’re probably not going to speak words of life to others. Jesus said: ‘A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of’ (Luke 6:45 NIV). This doesn’t just apply to our words to others. How we speak to, and about, ourselves is really important too. We need to be speaking God’s truth over ourselves. We need to encourage ourselves and show grace to ourselves when we make mistakes. The psalmist wrote: ‘May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer’ (Psalm 19:14 NIV). Are our words pleasing to God? If not, let’s ask Him to help us speak words of encouragement, grace, and truth to those around us, and to ourselves.
John 7:37-41; Exo 17:1-7; Isa 35:1-7
2020-05-28
Isaiah 42:3 ESV
Ever felt like your life was lying in ruins? That you’d been hurt so much your emotions were bruised and broken? That you’d made too many mistakes to ever experience God’s redemption? No matter how badly broken we may be, if we turn to God, He’ll restore us. Isaiah said, ‘A bruised reed he will not break.’ These words portray the gentleness and grace of God as He restores and makes us whole. The Bible says: ‘His anger lasts only a moment, but his kindness lasts for a lifetime’ (Psalm 30:5 NCV). Other people might walk away from us when our lives are a mess, but God doesn’t. He never abandons us. He is longing for us to hand all the pieces over to Him so that He can bring something beautiful out of them. The Prodigal Son is a great example of this (you can read the whole story in Luke 15). When the son returned home after wasting all of his inheritance money, his father welcomed him back, forgave him, and then restored him to his rightful place as son. ‘The son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet”‘ (Luke 15:21-22 NIV). Sometimes we can think our sin is too great and we’re too far gone. But with God, there’s always hope of restoration. When we confess our mistakes to Him, He promises to forgive us, and to forget our sins.
Lev 23:15-22; Acts 2:1-18
