2020-05-24
2 Corinthians 8:9 NKJV
The Bible assures us that God isn’t poor. “‘The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,’ saith the Lord” (Haggai 2:8 KJV). “Every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10 KJV). Now ask yourself: If you were a billionaire, would you be happy seeing your children running around ragged and hungry? No? Well, neither is God! Paul writes, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9 KJV). Maybe you’ve read this Scripture and thought Paul was talking about being spiritually rich but not financially rich. Let’s read the verse in that context and see if it makes sense: “He who was spiritually rich, for our sakes became spiritually poor, that through his spiritual poverty, we might become spiritually rich.” That’s not what it says! Question: When was Jesus ever spiritually poor? No, the verse says what it means and means what it says: “That you…might become rich.” Now, the word “rich” means different things to different people. In some countries you’re considered rich if you have a roof over your head, three square meals a day, and a bicycle to ride to work. In fact, right now would be a good time to discuss the much abused and widely misunderstood Bible word “prosperity.” Prosperity simply means “having enough to do the will of God.” Does God have a will for your life? Yes. Does He want you to have enough money to fulfill His will for your life? Yes. That’s God’s plan for your life!
Soul food: John 6:1-15; John 6:25-40; 1 Cor 11:23-24
2020-05-14
Proverbs 3:6 NLT
In order for us to maintain the right attitude in life, we need to stay connected to God – the One who sees the big picture and is in control of everything. He makes sure everything that needs to happen, happens at the right time, and moves at the appropriate speed to make sure we arrive safely at the destination He’s planned for us. When we distance ourselves from God and try to do everything on our own, we can become overwhelmed and stressed. We feel afraid of the future. We worry about the decisions we need to make. We can become negative when things aren’t working out the way we wanted them to. But when we stay closely connected to God, we begin to want the things He wants. We surrender our plans and hand over our fears. We listen to His voice, and follow His guidance. The Bible says: ‘Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take’ (Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT). We don’t have to do everything on our own. God wants us to go to Him for help and wisdom. We’re told to ‘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). If we’re staying in constant communication with God, we’ll feel His peace and reassurance in our lives. We’ll be able to deal with the things in our past which are holding us back, look to the future without being afraid, and be in the present with a positive attitude.
Num 30:1-32:24; Mark 9:1-13; Ps 49; Prov 11:16-18
2020-04-11
1 Corinthians 1:23 NIV
We’re all called to share our faith with others. Some of us might do that by working in Christian ministry, others might talk to people where they live, others might go on a mission trip, and others might reach those closest to them. But however we evangelise, and whoever we’re talking to, we need to remember to share the whole gospel. It can be tempting to focus on the ‘nice’ parts of Christianity. We like to tell people that God loves them and that they’re His children. This is definitely true. The Bible says: ‘See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!’ (1 John 3:1 NIV). But we can’t stop there. We need to ‘preach Christ crucified’. Explaining Jesus’ death and resurrection can be challenging; we may not even fully understand it ourselves, let alone explain it in an accessible way to those who don’t yet know God. But the Holy Spirit can help us have the words to say. Jesus said: ‘The Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say’ (Luke 12:12 NIV). If we don’t tell people about what Jesus has done for them, they won’t understand the grace and mercy of God. They won’t know that they’re saved, forgiven, and redeemed, without having to do anything other than believe. They won’t be grateful to God for the sacrifice that was made. People may not believe what we’re telling them, and they may reject us for what we’re saying. But God wants us to tell people the truth about who He is, who they are, and what has been done for them. So let’s go and tell them today.
Num 21:4-9; Matt 27:57-66; Ps 69:7-21; Deut 21:22-23
2020-03-05
Matthew 7:14 AMPC
If you’re at a crossroads in life today, you have two options: (1) Turn right or left. (2) Go forward or back. There’s no doubt what way God wants you to go – forward! If you have any doubts about that, read and meditate on these Scriptures: “Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would increase abundantly” (Job 8:7 NKJV). “They go from strength to strength” (Psalm 84:7 NKJV). “The path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18 NKJV). “Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all” (1 Timothy 4:15 NKJV). God will give you the grace and strength to go forward and pursue the path ahead, but understand this: It’s not always an easy path. Jesus said: “Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and spacious and broad is the way that leads away to destruction, and many are those who are entering through it. But the gate is narrow (contracted by pressure) and the way is straitened and compressed that leads away to life, and few are those who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14 AMPC). Here Jesus was preaching His famous Sermon on the Mount, where He outlined how you’re supposed to live as a citizen of His kingdom. It’s the difference between the “many” and the “few.” The first group chooses the path of ease, but the second chooses the path of “pressure,” realizing that tough as it may be, it forms the character of Christ in us.
Soul food: Gen 28:1-30:24; Matt 20:29-34; Ps 136:1-12; Prov 6:30-31
2020-02-01
Luke 22:40 NIV
Deep inside, we all know the areas of our lives where we’re most often tempted and fail. And if we repeatedly fall into the same temptations, we can begin to think: ‘What’s the point in asking God for forgiveness? I’m just going to repeat the same sins and have to go back to Him again.’ But God’s forgiveness doesn’t run out when we’ve sinned a certain number of times. When we go to Him with a humble and sorry heart, He loves to forgive us. We can also break the cycle of temptation we find ourselves stuck in. Jesus told His disciples, ‘Pray that you will not fall into temptation’. We can pray before the temptation comes and ask for the strength we need to handle the situation when it arises. When we pray, God strengthens us so that we can overcome the things that are trapping us. We don’t have to worry that God will be angry with us for being tempted; we can approach Him for the help we need. Paul said: ‘Let us…approach the 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). Tempting situations can come up regularly, so we need to make sure we’re setting aside time to pray. It can be easy to fill our spare time with things like TV and social media, but it’s far more worthwhile to use that time to pray into the situations we’re facing and about the parts of our lives where we feel weak and vulnerable to temptation. If we keep facing temptation, we need to avoid becoming frustrated at ourselves and remember God’s grace to forgive us. Then we need to rely on His help to overcome our temptation.
Isa 30-33; Matt 11:20-30; Ps 107:23-32; Prov 3:25-26
