2024-04-23
John 15:3 KJV
God’s Word is like a prescription from your doctor. You don’t have to understand how the medication works – you just have to faithfully keep taking it. Something amazing happens when you feed regularly on God’s Word. Temptation begins to lose power, and overcoming strength begins to replace it. Each time a Scripture opens up and becomes real to you, your desire for God’s Word increases. But that means reading your Bible even when you don’t feel like it, or think you don’t have time to do it, or you don’t seem to be getting much out of it.
The Bible says: “As the rain and snow come down from heaven and stay upon the ground to water the earth, and cause the grain to grow and to produce seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry, so also is my Word… it always produces fruit. It shall accomplish all I want it to” (Isaiah 55:10-11 TLB). You don’t have to have certain sensations to know that God’s Word is working in you.
Indeed, Bible reading will keep you from sin, and sin will keep you from Bible reading. After his affair with Bathsheba, David wrote, “I have thought much about your words and stored them in my heart so that they would hold me back from sin” (Psalm 119:11 TLB). Jesus said, “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” Are you tired of living in defeat? Then bathe your mind each day in God’s Word. Let it flow over you until every vestige of sin and carnality is washed away.
Soul food: Acts 12-13; Mark 4:10-20; Ps 103:13-22; Prov 10:30-32
2024-04-19
Matthew 6:33 NLT
When you read God’s Word, you discover how He feels about you. As a result, your memories begin to heal, your self-worth is restored, and you stop trading with a devalued self-image. When that happens, you no longer believe that “anybody’s company is preferable to my own.” In a survey of supposedly happy couples, over 50 percent said they wouldn’t marry the same person again. Why? Because the answer to loneliness isn’t people; it’s purpose!
The apostle John was a prisoner on the Isle of Patmos when God showed him the glories of heaven and he wrote the book of Revelation. Paul was alone in a Roman dungeon when he wrote half the New Testament. God did some of His best work when He was alone with no one to applaud Him, so he praised Himself, saying, “It [is] very good” (Genesis 1:31 KJV). Can you do that?
It’s nice when others speak well of you, but when you can speak well of yourself, it reflects your opinion of yourself – and that’s the one you live with every day. Three cheers for those whose departure taught us how to be alone and enjoy it! Somewhere beyond loneliness, there is a contentment born of necessity. When your options close in the natural realm, you find doors opening to you in the spiritual realm. So, work on deepening your relationship with God. As you do, you will find joy, and you will also develop qualities that make you attractive to the right people. It’s why Jesus said that when you “seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously… he will give you everything you need” – including self-worth.
Soul food: Acts 6-7; Mark 3:20-27; Ps 75; Prov 10:22-23
2023-11-09
Psalm 19:8 NLT
The marquee outside a little country church read: “Jesus said…” That’s it – nothing else! Obviously the custodian was interrupted before finishing the job, leaving the incomplete message for passing drivers to fill in the blank. Doubtless, some would drive by giving it little thought. The more biblically minded might search their memory for the right answer. Some might think the custodian missed an opportunity to proclaim words that can transform lives. Jesus said, “Every word I’ve spoken to you is a Spirit-word and so it is life-making” (John 6:63 MSG). The words of people can inform us, but only the words of God can transform us.
David understood the awesome benefits of God’s Word. In Psalm 19:7-11 NLT, he tells us it’s essential for these:
(1) “Reviving the soul.” God’s Word is inexhaustible, but we’re not! We wear down with time and effort, and need restoration and revitalizing.
(2) “Making wise the simple.” God’s Word gives you insights for crucial, everyday decision-making. A high IQ isn’t required; the Bible is for regular and ordinary people. David said, “I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, because I have observed Your precepts” (Psalm 119:99-100 NAS 1995).
(3) “Bringing joy to the heart” (Psalm 19:8 NLT). Happiness is dependent on having the right people and circumstances in your life. But “joy” is different; it’s an inside job that comes from living by the principles of Scripture.
(4) “Giving insight for living.” When you have a problem in your personal life, homelife, or working life, God’s Word offers you “insight for living.” It’s your handbook for life!
Soul food: 1 John 3:11-5:21; John 8:12-20; Ps 15; Prov 25:21-22
2023-10-13
Proverbs 2:4 NIV
When you think about it, studying the Bible is like prospecting for gold or silver. It involves two things: (1) You must look for it. Solomon writes, “If you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand… and find the knowledge of God” (vv. 4-5 NIV). Simply stepping into a mine and glancing around won’t cut it. If you want to get the gold or the silver, you must be searching for it. Any miner will inform you that gold doesn’t strike you – you strike gold. The purpose of this devotional isn’t to replace regular Bible reading but to whet your spiritual appetite for it. According to the Barna Research Group, only 9 percent of Christians read the Bible every day. The question is, are you one of them?
(2) You must dig for it. The Spirit of God within you speaks to you as you read His Word. The story is told about a guy who loved to study the Bible. Every time he came to something he didn’t understand, his friend Charlie would pop into his mind. Charlie was a great Bible student; he just seemed to ooze with biblical wisdom. So whenever the first guy encountered a Bible question, he would go to Charlie and say, “What does this verse mean? What is God trying to say here?” One day as he was reading, the Holy Spirit spoke to him and said, “Why don’t you just ask me? I’m the one who teaches Charlie.” So, expect God to speak to you today as you read His Word, and He will.
Soul food: Eph 1:1-4:16; John 3:9-21; Ps 89:1-14; Prov 23:10-14
2023-04-22
Psalm 107:14 NIV
When the Israelites “cried to the Lord… he saved them… He brought them out of darkness… and broke… their chains” (vv. 13-14 NIV). And He can set you free from whatever is holding you captive today. And not just temporary freedom, but long-term freedom: “If the Son sets you free, you are free through and through” (John 8:36 MSG).
Here are two steps you can take toward freedom: (1) Cry out to the Lord. God said, “You will… find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13 NIV). Away with dignity and decorum – desperate situations call for desperate measures! Stop trying to handle it alone. If you could save yourself, you wouldn’t need a Saviour. Give it to God, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7 NKJV).
(2) Feed your soul spiritually. Freedom is a two-part process. The first is communion with Jesus. The Israelites fed on the Passover lamb in preparation for leaving slavery. And Jesus, the Lamb of God, declares, “I am the living bread… Whoever eats this bread will live forever” (John 6:51 NIV). Sharing your feelings and needs with Him will lighten your burden, relieve your loneliness, and nourish your soul. Jesus came to proclaim “freedom for the prisoners… to set the oppressed free” (Luke 4:18 NIV). The second part is meditating on Scripture. Rejecting God’s Word caused the Israelites to become slaves: “Because they rebelled against the words of God, and despised the counsel of the Most High… they fell down, and there was none to help” (Psalm 107: 11-12 NKJV). To be set free and stay free, feed every day on God’s life-giving Word.
Soul food: 1 Cor 15-16; Matt 3:1-10; Ps 103:13-22; Prov 10:14
