2020-09-10
Luke 9:23 NLT
God is not looking for wishy-washy commitment. In Revelation 3:16 He says ‘So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth’ (NIV). These words are strong, but paint a very clear picture that God wants more from us than mild, half-hearted interest. He is the God of the universe, who put the stars in space, then stepped down to our level to save us. We owe more to Him than some of our life, some of the time. He will always meet us where we are, but He expects us to give everything that we can in that moment. In Luke 9:23, Jesus told the crowd: ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me’ (NLT). That means that we no longer follow our own thoughts and wants, we follow Jesus and what He wants for our lives. That is the most intense form of commitment, giving ourselves up completely for someone else, and we are called to it. Paul sums this commitment up in Galatians 2:20, saying ‘I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me’ (NIV). That’s what it comes down to. Jesus loves us so much that He was willing to give everything up to follow that love to His life’s end. He deserves the same level of fully-committed love in return.
Eze 24:1-27:24; Luke 21:1-11; Ps 78:17-31; Prov 20:15-19
2020-09-09
Galatians 2:20 NIV
It may sound clichéd, but the statistics prove that there’s a lack of commitment in our society today. Marriage rates are down, divorce rates are up, and people stay in a job for far less time than they would have done 40 years ago. The Christian life is one that requires the deepest kind of commitment, though. Galatians 2:20 explains how wholly we enter into our new lives with God: ‘I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me’ (NIV). This is full, life-changing commitment. Jesus gave all that He is to give us life. Paul shows us that we should give all we are back to God in return. Wherever we’re at personally, there’s a lot that we can learn from the commitment of marriage to help us understand how we can commit to God, and to anything that He asks us to do. There’s a reason that we, as the Church, are called Jesus’ Bride (Revelation 22:17 NIV). Firstly, we see that it’s a lot easier to make a commitment to something if there’s love there. When we love God, we see no other option than to give our lives to Him. And when we find something that we’re passionate about, it becomes more possible to imagine jumping fully in. It also reminds us that even when we’re passionate, commitment takes a lot of work. No matter how much you love someone or something, it’s easy to want to quit when difficulties arise. But any successful marriage shows us that once we’ve committed, it’s worth working at things to keep them growing.
Eze 22-23; Luke 20:41-47; Ps 78:9-16; Prov 20:11-14
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
2020-06-13
2 Peter 1:3 NIV
Ever felt stressed out because you don’t think you have what it takes to live like Jesus? Maybe you’ve felt under pressure because, however hard you try, you don’t feel good enough for God? The good news is that God’s already ‘given us everything we need for a godly life.’ Everything we might possibly need to be able to live God’s way, we already have access to. These are things like wisdom, strength, peace, courage, and love. He equips us to be able to do the things He’s called us to. The Holy Spirit lives within us to guide, instruct, and transform us. The Bible says: ‘Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?’ (1 Corinthians 6:19 NIV). We just need to listen to the Spirit’s promptings rather than doing the things we want to do. God hasn’t left us to do everything on our own. He cares about each of us, and provides us with what we need. Paul encouraged the church in Philippi by saying: ‘My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:19 NIV). And that can encourage us too. It’s worth remembering that God’s given us ‘everything we need’, not ‘everything we want’. There will be things we pray for that we don’t get. They might not actually be good for us, even though we think they would be. So when we’re worried that we can’t live God’s way or we’re frustrated because God’s not giving us the things we want, let’s remember that God sees the bigger picture and He’s already provided everything we need.
2 Kings 4:18-6:33; Mark 16; Ps 80:12-19; Prov 13:13-16
2020-06-08
Isaiah 54:13 NKJV
Few things in life can break your heart like a child on drugs, or running with the wrong crowd and being involved in activities you know can destroy their lives. As a parent, what can you do? First and foremost, pray for them and speak God’s promises over them. You may not be able to change them, but God can. His Word says, “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.” What if your child is out of control and living at home? Then you have a big challenge that requires God’s help. Sometimes your “problem child” is a child of destiny with a great future, and Satan knows that. God has a calling on their life, and that’s what the battle is all about! As a parent, you need God’s wisdom when it comes to: (1) Setting clear boundaries with appropriate and consistent consequences. The Bible says, “Young people are prone to foolishness and fads; the cure comes through tough-minded discipline” (Proverbs 22:15 MSG). (2) Overcoming the fear that your child will reject you when you make an unpopular, but wise decision. Satan will try to convince you that you’ll lose them if you discipline them. The truth is that you’ll lose them if you don’t! Remember: “God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT). Prayer and standing firmly on His Word are two of the greatest weapons God has provided when it comes to engaging Satan over your child’s future. And if you stay true to God – you’ll win.
Soul food: Rev 5-9; Mark 14:53-65; Ps 48; Prov 13:2-3
