2020-05-02
Psalm 16:7 NCV
When we have a problem we can’t solve, where do we automatically go to for help? Do we speak to friends and family? Do we ask for advice on social media? Do we search the internet looking for answers? Or do we go straight to God? God’s wisdom is far above the wisdom of anyone, or anything, else. The Bible says: ‘The wisdom that comes from God is first of all pure, then peaceful, gentle, and easy to please. This wisdom is always ready to help those who are troubled and to do good for others. It is always fair and honest’ (James 3:17 NCV). And the great thing is, we have access to this wisdom all the time. We can always approach God and ask for His help. God said: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know’ (Jeremiah 33:3 NIV). We can call to Him anytime, and He’ll reveal things to us. He’s waiting to guide us, advise us, and give us the wisdom we need to make decisions and solve the issues in our lives. James wrote: ‘If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you’ (James 1:5 NIV). Sometimes God will help us by speaking directly into our situation and showing us what we need to do. Other times, He gives us the wisdom we need to figure out what we should do ourselves. The psalmist said, ‘I praise the LORD because he advises me. Even at night, I feel his leading.’ We can hand all our problems and worries over to Him, and ask for His wisdom and peace in exchange.
Num 4:34-6:27; Mark 6:1-13; Ps 37:1-7; Prov 11:1-2
2020-03-20
Psalm 119:165 NLT
When we know we’re doing something we shouldn’t, we can feel uncomfortable and guilty. We lose our peace of mind. And the longer we disobey God, the less peace we feel. This happened to Jonah. God had told Him to go to Nineveh and tell them that He wasn’t happy with the way they were living. But Jonah decided to head to Tarshish on a boat instead. It might have made Jonah feel better initially, but a storm soon started and His peace was taken away. Eventually he said: ‘Throw me into the sea…and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault’ (Jonah 1:12 NLT). Even though Jonah was doing what he wanted to do, he wasn’t at peace because he knew that he should be doing what God wanted him to do. Also his actions caused other people to lose their peace too. The storm came because of his disobedience, and it caused the sailors to be afraid. If we’re not doing what’s right, we can not only cause problems for ourselves, but we can have a negative impact on those around us. If we want to experience peace, we need to be following God’s call on our lives. The Bible says: ‘Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble.’ When we know what God wants us to do, and we obey Him, we experience ‘great peace’. This peace also comes from keeping our eyes fixed on God, no matter what our situation. In Isaiah we’re told, ‘You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!’ (Isaiah 26:3 NLT). When we’re completely surrendered to God, and focused on Him, we will experience His perfect peace.
Job 8-10; Matt 24:15-25; Ps 116:12-19; Prov 8:10-13
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
