2022-12-18
Psalm 62:8 NKJV
Life can feel overwhelming when you’re responsible for mortgage and rent payments, medical bills, clothes for the family, escalating food and fuel expenses, college fees, plus the reality of preparing for your retirement! And the pressure is even greater if you’re underemployed or unemployed. Where can you turn?
Surrounded by enemies, David turned to God: “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation… I shall not be moved” (vv. 5-6 KJV). Where does your “expectation” lie? In the hope for an improved economy or job market? Or the promise of better times to come? David’s hope was more certain: He expected the answer to be found in the unchanging character and faithfulness of God.
When anxiety arises, we sometimes resort to our OMGWI list – “Oh my God, what if?” We focus on our fears, feel inadequate, and give in to despair. Being aware of your needs is being responsible but being overwhelmed by them is evidence you’re looking to the wrong source for answers.
George MacDonald said, “We look upon God as our last and feeblest resource. We only go to Him when we have nowhere else to go. And then we learn that the storms of life have driven us, not upon the rocks, but into the desired haven.” Remember David? “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.” By Himself, plus nothing, God is your adequate source. Since He gave us His Son, you have all the evidence you need that He will also “freely give us all things” (Romans 8:32 GNT).
Soul food: Ps 103:8-18; John 3:16-18; Acts 2:38-41
2022-05-15
Philippians 2:12-13 NLT
The Bible says, ‘Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.’ It seems a bit confusing – if God’s already at work within us, why do we need to put so much effort in? The Bible doesn’t say, ‘Work for your salvation.’ To work for something means to earn it, deserve it, and merit it, but the Bible teaches us that salvation isn’t something we have to earn or work for. It’s a free gift from God, given by His grace (see Ephesians 2:8-9).
When Paul wrote, ‘Work hard to show the results of your salvation,’ he’s talking about something like a spiritual ‘workout’. When we exercise, we develop and tone the muscles God has already created us to have. To ‘work hard to show the results’ here means to grow and make the most of what we’ve been given. What Paul’s saying is this: develop your spiritual life.
God has a part in our spiritual growth, and we also have a part. First, He gives us the eagerness to please Him; our part is to recognise that feeling and choose to act on it. Then He provides the power; our part is to access that power, flip the switch, and let it flow through our lives to fulfil His will for us. And we can do that by spending time praying and reading God’s Word each day, sharpening and strengthening each other through fellowship, and exercising the gifts God has given us. The truth is, He’s already done His part; now it’s up to us to do ours.
Gen 2:7-25; 1 Cor 15:39-55
Philippians 2:12-13 NKJV
The Bible says, “Work out your own salvation… for it is God who works in you… to will and to do… His good pleasure.” This Scripture almost sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it? But instead, it is a paradox. And G.K. Chesterton described a paradox as “truth standing on its head to get attention.”
The key to understanding this particular paradox lies in the little word out. Notice that the Bible doesn’t say, “Work for your salvation.” To work for something means to earn it, deserve it, merit it. And the Bible plainly teaches that salvation isn’t something we have to work for or earn. It’s a free gift of God’s grace (See Ephesians 2:8-9). When Paul says, “Work out your salvation,” he is talking about a “spiritual workout.”
What do you do during a physical workout? You develop and tone the muscles God has already provided you. To “work out” means to grow and make the most of what you have been given. What Paul is saying here is this: Develop your spiritual life! God has a part in our spiritual growth, and we, too, have a part. He provides the power, but we must access it, flip the switch, and let it flow through our lives to fulfill His will for us.
Practically speaking, how do we do that? By spending time praying and reading God’s Word each day. By sharpening and strengthening one another through fellowship. By exercising the gifts God has given us. The fact is, He has already done His part; now it’s up to you to do yours.
Soul food: Gen 2:7-25; 1 Cor 15:39-55
2022-04-16
1 Corinthians 15:55 NKJV
In a “sting” operation, law enforcement agents set the bad guy up in order to bring him down. That’s what God did to Satan at the cross. For three days it seemed as though Satan had won. Then Jesus rose from the dead and turned his plans upside down: “He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by His victory over them at the cross” (Colossians 2:15 NLT).
The thing Satan feared most, the birth of a church with the power to change the world through the gospel, had come to pass. “The rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord” (1 Corinthians 2:8 NLT).
Christ’s enemies even tried to stop the truth of the resurrection from getting out: “They decided to give the soldiers a large bribe… ‘You must say, “Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body'”… So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say” (Matthew 28:12-15 NLT). Normally hatred for a person ends when they die.
So why then do some people hate Jesus? Because the resurrection is the ultimate proof that He is Lord! Indeed, you cannot be saved unless you believe in the resurrection: “For if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10 NKJV).
Soul food: Lev 26-27; Luke 23:50-56; Ps 69:7-21; Pro 10:6-7
2021-06-27
Galatians 5:22 NIV
Everybody has influence over somebody. It’s what you do with that influence that determines whether it’s negative or positive. Sociologists tell us that over a lifetime even the shiest and most introverted person will influence about ten thousand people. Every interaction you have with another person enriches or impoverishes them. Influence is never neutral. And you can’t turn it off, because it’s built into the structure of life itself. Furthermore, it doesn’t matter what your title is. Ultimately, your character will determine if the title fits you.
The Bible says, “The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23 NAS). When you have those qualities, people will line up to help you, love you, and follow you. You ask, “How can I display all these qualities?” Humanly speaking, you can’t. That’s the bad news. But the good news is that it’s not only a possibility but a distinct reality – when you’re under the influence of God’s Spirit.
The story is told of a little boy who kept falling out of bed each night and waking his mother up with his crying. One night after tucking him in yet again she asked, “How come you keep falling out of bed?” He thought about it for a minute and then said, “I guess I just stayed too close to where I got in.”
Salvation is the starting point, but unless you spend time each day under the influence of Jesus, you won’t mature, you won’t maximize the spiritual gifts He has given you, and you won’t discover and fulfill your God-given assignment in life.
Soul food: 1 Ki 17:17-24; Mark 5:21-43; John 11:1-45
