2022-04-04
Joshua 1:9 NKJV
God knew the battles Joshua would have to fight in order to conquer the promised land, so He told Joshua three times: ‘Be strong and of good courage.’ Whenever we move forwards, at some point we’ll come up against obstacles that block our path. It can be so disheartening to feel we’ve been making good progress, only to be stopped in our tracks. But rather than seeing obstacles as enemies (even if that’s how they feel), let’s try to think of them as resources that we can use to our advantage.
Every obstacle we face reveals our strengths and weaknesses. They also shape us and make us wiser and more confident when we overcome them. The poet Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: ‘Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.’
Whenever we leave our comfort zones and step out in faith to follow God, we’ll be tested. But we’ll also discover opportunities to reach heights we thought were beyond us and go further than others who had more talent but settled for the easier option. In The Message paraphrase, Paul tells us: ‘Every detail works to your advantage… So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace’ (2 Corinthians 4:15-17 MSG).
Let’s not give up when we face obstacles and problems, and instead tackle them with courage and God’s help.
Lev 1-4; Luke 21:25-38; Ps 18:30-50; Pro 9:7
Joshua 1:9 NKJV
Knowing the battles he would have to fight in order to conquer the promised land, God told Joshua this, no less than three times: “Be strong and of good courage.” Anytime you move forward, obstacles will block your path. Count on it! H. G. Wells asked, “What on earth would a man do with himself, if something did not stand in his way?” What did he mean? That adversity is your friend – even when it feels like your enemy. Every obstacle you face reveals your strengths and weaknesses. It also shapes you and makes you wiser and more confident.
Poet Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: “Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.”
Anytime you leave your comfort zone and step out in faith to follow God, you will be tested. But you will also reach heights you thought were beyond you and go further than others who had greater talent but settled for the status quo.
Paul tells us: “Every detail works to your advantage… So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace” (2 Corinthians 4:15-17 MSG). Courage can be defined as simply “not giving up.”
Soul food: Lev 1-4; Luke 21:25-38; Ps 18:30-50; Pro 9:7
2022-03-20
Philippians 3:13-14 NIVUK
The more someone has hurt us, the harder it is to forgive them. But we must choose forgiveness, because whatever we refuse to forgive and let go of, we carry with us like a weight. Sometimes we may even need to forgive ourselves for something we’ve done.
Whatever our particular hurt, the solution isn’t feeding it by feeling sorry for ourselves, or denying it by pretending it never happened. We have to face the hurt, then forgive and let it go, or we’ll continue to hurt ourselves. Someone once said that choosing not to forgive somebody is like eating poison and expecting the other person to die. In order to move forward, we have to let go and be at peace with the past.
Paul put many Christians to death before he met Christ. He could easily have allowed that memory to destroy him and rob him of his destiny. But he refused to let it. Instead he wrote: ‘Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 3:13-14 NIVUK). Paul hadn’t forgotten his past, but knowing that God had forgiven him, he wasn’t going to let his past hold him back.
Mark 11:25 says: ‘If you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins’ (NIV). Starting today, choose forgiveness.
Lev 24:17-22; Deut 15:7-11; Matt 5:38-48
2022-03-07
2 Corinthians 12:15 NLT
Helping people brings great fulfilment. When we spend our day serving others, we can draw joy from the fact that we’re demonstrating God’s love. And even if we’ve so far spent a lot of our lives being selfish and forgetting others, it’s not too late to have a change of heart. Even Charles Dickens’ Scrooge discovered you can turn your life around and make a difference for others.
That’s what Alfred Nobel did. He was shocked when he saw his obituary in a newspaper. His brother had died, but the editor mistakenly named Alfred and printed an uncomplimentary statement about his life because the explosives his company produced and profited from had killed many people. So Nobel vowed to spend the rest of his life promoting peace and acknowledging contributions to humanity. That’s how the Nobel Prizes came into being!
When we get outside of oursleves and make a contribution to others, we really begin to live. Unselfishness is its own reward; it’s not dependent on the response of others. This is the principle that guided the apostle Paul: ‘I will gladly spend myself and all I have for you, even though it seems that the more I love you, the less you love me’ (v.15 NLT).
Of all the qualities we can wish for and pursue, unselfishness seems to make the biggest difference towards cultivating other virtues. It goes against human nature, so being unselfish and servant-hearted can be a struggle at first. But if we can learn to think unselfishly and become givers, it becomes easier to develop other virtues, such as gratitude, love, respect, patience, and discipline.
Exo 25-27; Luke 14:1-14; Ps 136:13-26; Pro 6:32-35
2022-02-28
2 Corinthians 12:15 NLT
Helping people brings great fulfillment. When you spend your day serving others, you can lay your head down at night and sleep soundly. And even if you have spent much of your life chasing selfish gain, it’s not too late to have a change of heart. Even Charles Dickens’ Scrooge discovered you can turn your life around and make a difference for others.
That’s what Alfred Nobel did. He was shocked when he saw his obituary in a newspaper. (His brother had died, and the editor mistakenly named Alfred instead in an uncomplimentary statement, because the explosives his company produced and profited from had killed many people.) So, Nobel vowed to spend the rest of his life promoting peace and acknowledging contributions to humanity. That’s how the Nobel Prizes came into being!
When you get outside of yourself and make a contribution to others, you really begin to live. Unselfishness is its own reward; it’s not dependent on the response of others. This is the principle by which the apostle Paul lived: “I will gladly spend myself and all I have for you, even though it seems that the more I love you, the less you love me” (v. 15 NLT).
When you see a four-year-old, you expect selfishness. But when you see it in a forty-year-old, it’s not very attractive, is it? Of all the qualities you can pursue, unselfishness seems to make the biggest difference toward cultivating other virtues. Yes, it goes against the grain of human nature. But if you can learn to think unselfishly and become a giver, it becomes easier to develop other virtues, such as gratitude, love, respect, patience, and discipline.
Soul food: Exo 7-9; Luke 12:13-21; Ps 61; Pro 6:16-19
