2020-10-06
Ecclesiastes 11:4 NIV
When we think about the word ‘investing’, we often think of something like the TV programme Dragons’ Den – rich people giving large amounts of money to help businesses, in the hope that they’ll receive even more money back in the future. We may never have those levels of money to invest, but we can use our money, time, or skills to help others.
The Bible has lots of advice about investing, which we can apply to time, money, or something else. Ecclesiastes 11 begins: ‘Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return’ (v.1 NIV). We shouldn’t hoard our money, time, or skills; instead we should share them and use them to help others who are lacking in what we have plenty of.
We need to pray and seek God’s wisdom about any investment we make, so we can patiently hope to get back what we gave up, and maybe more, either through other people paying us back, or through God blessing us for our faithfulness. But even if we don’t get our investment back, if we’ve asked for God’s advice first, we can be happy knowing that we’re following His will and using our resources for His kingdom.
Later on in Ecclesiastes, we read: ‘Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.’ If we’re looking for external signs that it’s ‘the perfect time’ to invest, or looking for ‘the perfect situation’ to invest and help others, we’ll never do anything – there’ll always be challenges to face. But we don’t have to understand or predict what’s going to happen – we just need to seek God, ask for His wisdom on using our God-given resources, then act on what He says.
1 Sam 18:1-20:29; John 1:1-13; Ps 92; Prov 22:24-25
2020-10-04
Hebrews 12:1 NKJV
Here are two more things you need to know:
(1) The wrong people will hurt you. There are two groups of people you should never be influenced by. The first is composed of VNP people: Very Needy People, Very Negative People, and Very Needling People. The second contains VDP people: Very Draining People, Very Doubting People, and Very Distracting People. Love them and help them any way you can, but never be influenced or led by them. Encourage them, but when they start to pull you down instead of lifting you up, disconnect graciously and turn them over to God.
(2) The right people will help you. When God has a job to be done, He calls a man or woman to do it. But He seldom calls them alone. He calls others to stand with them and support them. That means your willingness to reach for help isn’t a sign of weakness, but strength. Paul spent an entire chapter in the New Testament acknowledging the people who helped him fulfill 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).
If you’re wise, you’ll acknowledge the things God hasn’t gifted you to do, delegate them to qualified people, and work from your core strengths. That takes humility on your part, but in the long run it pays great dividends!
Soul food: Est 4:9-5:3; Heb 4:7-16
2020-09-18
1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV
In stressed-out days it’s hard to remember that we, just as we are, with all our weakness and tired thoughts, are enough to God. When we forget that God has said that we’re enough, it’s important to have friends who will come and remind us of that. One of the wonderful things about being in the Church is that other Christians can ‘be’ Christ to us in those moments. But while it’s great to be encouraged by others, we need to be encouraging them too. The Bible tells us to ‘encourage one another and build each other up.’ Wherever there are sporting events, there’s usually a crowd of people ready to cheer the athletes on. In Hebrews 12, we’re told that living as a Christian is like running a race. ‘So let us run the race that is before us and never give up’ (v.1 NCV). Sometimes that race can feel tough. We get tired of running and obstacles get in the way. When we see people flagging, we need to be encouraging them to not give up. But Paul not only spoke to the Thessalonians about encouraging others, he also said ‘build each other up’. We need to be helping to strengthen other people’s faith; we need to be using words that will help people rather than breaking them down. The Bible says: ‘Help others with encouraging words; don’t drag them down by finding fault’ (Romans 14:19 MSG). When we’re building others up, and they’re building us up, we’ll all have more strength to ‘run the race that is before us and never give up.’
Num 29:1-6; Rev 11:15-19; 1 Cor 15:50-58; Matt 24
2020-07-26
Psalm 46:10 KJV
Let’s take a look at this Scripture. (1) “Be still.” Activity born out of anxiety actually prevents God from showing Himself strong on your behalf. That doesn’t mean you can be passive or lazy; it means doing what God leads you to do without running ahead of Him. It means submitting to Him by slowing down and waiting. Why? To make sure you have a sense of peace to go along with the ideas you believe He’s giving you (See Colossians 3:15). Ask Him to reveal His will; then “be still,” acknowledge that He’s in charge and He knows what He’s doing. (2) “Know that I am God.” This means acknowledging that you are not God! When you don’t obey God, consult Him, or recognize His timing, you remove Him from the throne of your life and end up trying to take His place. And you know how well that works, right? We hear a lot about goal-setting and vision. And it’s a scriptural principle, for “where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18 KJV). But the Bible also says, “The vision is…for an appointed time…Though it tarries, wait for it” (Habakkuk 2:3 NKJV). You’ll never fulfill your vision without the help of the One who gave it to you. Nineteenth-century American clergyman Henry Ward Beecher said, “The strength of a man consists in finding out the way God is going, and going that way.” Remember, there’s no time lost in waiting if you’re waiting on the Lord. So don’t let a “how to” seminar or a “type A personality” stampede you into getting ahead of God, or attempting to forge ahead under your own steam.
Soul food: Gen 39:1-39; Gen 45:1-13; Gen 50:22-26
2020-07-08
Psalm 37:7 NCV
We don’t like waiting. Whether we’re waiting for a meal in a restaurant, we’re stuck in standstill traffic, or we’re waiting for our bus to come, we can find ourselves becoming impatient and frustrated. We don’t like to wait for anything, including God. But the word ‘wait’ shows up many times throughout the Bible. God doesn’t always answer our prayers or bring change in our lives immediately. Sometimes we have to wait. So what can we do in the waiting? Firstly, we need to remember that God’s working in our waiting. Jesus said, ‘My Father is always at his work’ (John 5:17 NIV). It might not look like anything’s happening, but God’s working things out for our good (have a read of Romans 8:28). God says: ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10 NIV). Sometimes we just have to hand everything over to Him and remember that He works in His own ways and in His own timing. Secondly, we need to trust God. The Bible says: ‘Wait and trust the LORD.’ Trusting can be easier said than done. We like to be in control and work everything out ourselves. Waiting and trusting can feel really uncomfortable. But the Bible teaches us to ‘trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding’ (Proverbs 3:5 NIV). While we’re waiting we shouldn’t assume the worst, worry, make demands, or take control. Instead we should keep our eyes fixed on God and expectantly wait for Him to come through for us. The psalmist wrote: ‘We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield’ (Psalm 33:20 NIV). Let’s declare those words today too.
Jer 33:1-36:26; Luke 6:1-16; Ps 137; Prov 15:15-17
