2020-02-16
Psalm 29:11 NKJV
Why is evening drive time called “rush hour,” when nothing moves? The real rush hour occurs when we arrive home. Early evening is a time when everyone is hungry and tempers are short. Two working parents usually come home irritable and tired, but their children are unsympathetic and need immediate attention. It’s a setup for conflict. There are some things you can do to help defuse this rush hour time bomb. First, call your children before you leave work in the afternoon. This can give you a head start in dealing with any troubles that might be brewing at home. Second, make a conscious effort during the commute home to disengage from the responsibilities of the job and the cares of the day. Third, concerning the dinner meal, it’s wise to do as much as possible in the morning or the night before. Slow-cooker type dinners that have simmered all day, or those that can go straight from the refrigerator to the oven, will relieve pressure at a time when stress is the greatest. The quicker everyone can eat and raise their blood sugar, the better. Then spend some time with the kids before homework and bath time begins. You might take the dog out on a neighbourhood walk or play ball in the backyard. Finally, get the kids in bed and reserve a few moments of tranquility for yourselves. There’s no easy way to get through rush hour five nights a week, but with a little planning, it can be less stressful. And here’s a rush hour promise: “The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.”
Soul food: Isa 40:9-11; Isa 42:1-4; Ps 18:31-35
Isaiah 26:3 NIV
When life gets overwhelming, it can be difficult to feel at peace. But we can hand over all our troubles to God, in exchange for His peace. The Bible says: ‘Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you’ (1 Peter 5:7 NIV). It can be challenging to hand things over to God without taking them back again. We like to feel in control, and handing over our worries means we’re not in control of them anymore. We have to trust God and let Him help us handle the situations rather than trying to do everything ourselves. It’s also important to stop looking at the problems we have, and start looking at the One who can solve them. In Isaiah we’re told: ‘You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.’ We need to keep our minds fixed on our unchanging God, not our changeable circumstances. In the Bible we read about Jesus calming the storm. The disciples were focused on the situation that they were in, rather than trusting the fact that Jesus was on board and could do the seemingly impossible. The Bible says: ‘When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm’ (Mark 4:29 NLT). And He can bring peace and calm to the storms in our lives too. No matter how strong the wind is, or how high the waves are, He can bring peace. We need to pray about all our situations, surrender our need to be in control of everything, and let Him work. Then ‘the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:7 NIV).
Isa 40:9-11; Isa 42:1-4; Ps 18:31-35
2020-02-14
Matthew 10:14 NIV
There are some people in life we get along well with, and others we don’t. And that’s okay. It doesn’t mean we should be unloving, insensitive, or divisive. After all, Paul says, ‘Do all…you can to live in peace with everyone’ (Romans 12:18 NLT). We’re talking about people God specifically tells us to break away from. There may be people in our lives right now who God doesn’t want us to be connected to. Perhaps they lead us away from Him, change our character, or hold us back from fulfilling our God-given purposes. Paul said: ‘Do not be yoked together with unbelievers…what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?…what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?’ (2 Corinthians 6:14-15 NIV). This doesn’t mean we should never be friends with non-Christians, but we need to be careful who is speaking into our lives, influencing us, and who we spend the most time with. When Jesus was sending out the disciples, He said: ‘If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.’ If people don’t accept us, or don’t accept Jesus, we don’t have to stay around them. Sometimes we can feel like we have to be the hero and fix people’s situations. It’s true that God can use us in people’s lives. But if God’s telling us that it’s not right, we need to let them go. Our relationships with others should lead us to become more like Christ; if they’re not, we need to honestly assess whether it’s a relationship God wants us to have. And when God tells us that a certain relationship is not right for us, we need to listen and obey Him.
Eph 5:21-33; S of Sol 2:1-7; Ps 45; Prov 5:15-19
1 John 2:19 NIV
There are some people in life we get along with well, and others we don’t. And in some cases, we’re not supposed to! Now let’s be clear: We’re not talking about being unloving, insensitive, or divisive. Paul says, “Do all…you can to live in peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18 NLT). We’re talking about people God specifically tells us to break away from. When it comes to those who don’t belong in your life, here are two things to consider. First, there’s the revelation. The Bible says: “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us…if they had…they would have remained…but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” Just like you can’t fit a square peg in a round hole, or mix oil and water, there are people who simply don’t belong in your life. Second, there’s the separation. Paul said: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers…what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?…what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will live with them…walk among them…be their God, and they will be my people.’ Therefore, ‘Come out from them and be separate…and I will receive you.’… ‘I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters'” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18 NIV). Bottom line: When God tells you a relationship is not right for you, listen, and obey Him.
Soul food: Eph 5:21-33; S of Sol 2:1-7; Ps 45; Prov 5:15-19
2020-01-17
Romans 12:2 NCV
If we want our cars or our bodies to function well, we have to give them the right fuel. But what we feed our mind is equally important. Our thoughts influence our emotions and our behaviour. The Bible says: ‘The mouth speaks what the heart is full of’ (Luke 6:45 NIV). Jesus said a good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit (take a look at Matthew 7:18). Good thinking can’t produce bad results, just as bad thinking can’t produce good results. The Bible says, ‘Do not…be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking.’ So how can we think differently? Firstly, we need to think about the unhelpful things we’re filling our minds with. We’ll always end up thinking about what we’re exposed to the most. The things we read, watch, and listen to affect our minds. Secondly, we need to be filling our minds with God’s truth. We need to remember that God’s ‘gracious Word can make you into what He wants you to be and give you everything you could possibly need’ (Acts 20:32 MSG). When we spend time reading the Bible, we soak in the truth of who we are, and who God is. The things we focus on can change how we feel. When we’re focused on God, we’ll feel peace. When we’re focused on our problems, we might feel fearful and overwhelmed. The Bible says: ‘You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you’ (Isaiah 26:3 NIV). The fuel we give our minds is our choice. God doesn’t force us to read the Bible or focus on Him. We have to make the choice to shift our focus away from unhelpful, worldly things, and onto God.
Exo 25-27; Matt 8:1-9; Ps 81; Prov 2:11-15
