2020-06-24
Luke 19:8 NIV
To have integrity means we do the right thing, even if nobody sees us or knows about it. It’s about who we are when no one is watching. And, as Christians, it’s about living wholly for God. The Bible says, ‘The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity’ (Proverbs 11:3 NIV). Sometimes we make mistakes, and we don’t demonstrate integrity. Zacchaeus is a great example of someone who lost and then regained his integrity. He became rich by taking more taxes from people than his Roman masters demanded, and keeping the extra for himself. But after he met Jesus, he said, ‘If I have cheated people…I will give them back four times as much!’ (NLT). Jesus said, ‘Salvation has come to this home today’ (Luke 19:9 NLT). Rebuilding our integrity means acknowledging that we’ve done something wrong, such as having ungodly thoughts or hurting someone. Then we need to repent of the mistakes we made. This goes further than just owning up to what we’ve done. It means we also make changes to our lifestyles to help us avoid making that mistake again. Zacchaeus made amends by repaying the people he had stolen from, and choosing to live differently from then on. Sometimes we can think that if the things we’re doing aren’t affecting anyone else, then it doesn’t really matter. But God always sees what we’re doing. Job said: ‘Does he not see my ways and count my every step?’ (Job 31:4 NIV). When He sees us, does He see someone with integrity? If not, let’s acknowledge what we’re doing wrong and make some changes to our lifestyles.
Hosea 6-10; Luke 2:21-33; Ps 17; Prov 14:13-16
2020-04-11
Jeremiah 8:9 NKJV
You will never understand the message of the cross, or receive the benefits of salvation that come from the cross, until you first kneel at the cross and receive Jesus Christ as your personal saviour. The story is told of a great preacher who was touring Italy. A friend told him to go to a certain village and see a painting of the crucifixion of Christ. “What is it like?” he asked. His friend said, “Never mind what it is like. I want you to see it. Please promise me you will.” He replied, “I will.” He went to the village and visited the chapel where the painting was. The old caretaker said, “You’ve come to see the painting, haven’t you?” He said, “Why, yes I have.” The caretaker responded, “Follow me.” The great preacher was not prepared for what he was about to see. Instead of a beautiful masterpiece, the painting seemed all out of proportion and didn’t make sense. “I don’t understand this painting,” he said. The caretaker replied, “Come closer.” He did. The caretaker said, “Get lower.” He did. Finally, as he was kneeling at the foot of the cross, he looked up and saw the power and beauty of the painting and was reduced to tears. It’s only when you lay aside your pride, your preconceived notions, and your intellectual approach, and humble yourself, that the message of the cross transforms you. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18 NKJV).
Soul food: Num 21:4-9; Matt 27:57-66; Ps 69:7-21; Deut 21:22-23
2020-04-10
1 Corinthians 1:18 NKJV
God dying on the cross for our sins sounds like “foolishness” to some people. Their philosophy is “If I cannot understand it, I won’t accept it.” That’s where they get it wrong. Salvation comes through faith alone. “Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3 NKJV). Simple, childlike faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross is all that’s required. The story is told of a college student whose professor gave him zero on a test. Upset, he said, “I don’t deserve this grade.” The professor smiled and quipped, “I agree, but zero is the lowest grade I can give.” That’s how God feels about our wisdom. “The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God” (1 Corinthians 3:19 NKJV). One day a man stood on the roof of his house during a flood, and prayed, “God, please save me.” Soon a rowboat came by and offered to take him to safety. But he said, “No, God will take care of me.” The waters kept coming up until they were almost at his waist. Suddenly a helicopter appeared overhead and a rope ladder was lowered down. “Oh no, God will take care of me.” Soon after that the man drowned. When he stood before God, he said, “Why didn’t you save me?” God responded, “I sent you a rowboat and a helicopter. What else did you want?” At the cross, God did everything required to save you. All you have to do is trust in Christ and receive the gift of eternal life.
Soul food: Gen 22:1-18; Matt 27:45-56; Ps 22; Isa 53
2020-04-08
Galatians 6:14 NIV
In the Bible, Jesus doesn’t ask us to remember His birth or His resurrection, although we should remember these things, but He does tell us to remember His death. When He shared the Last Supper with the disciples, He said, ‘do this in remembrance of me’ (Luke 22:19 NIV). We can’t remember Jesus’ death without focusing on the cross. Paul said, ‘May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ The cross can seem like a strange thing to remember and boast about. Jesus’ suffering on the cross isn’t something we might want to spend time thinking about. So why is it important? Firstly, it reminds us of our salvation. When Jesus said, ‘It is finished,’ (John 19:30), all our sins were paid for. Because of His death, we can be forgiven and can look forward to eternal life. Sometimes we can be tempted to think that our salvation depends on the things that we’ve done. But the cross reminds us that we can’t earn our salvation. We will never be good enough, but Jesus has paid the price so that we can be acceptable to God. Our salvation is a gift, rather than something we have to earn. The Bible says: ‘You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God’ (Ephesians 2:8 NCV). God sent His Son to die for each one of us because of how much He loves us. Even if you were the only person on earth, He would still have done it. We should never boast to others about our good works or how much God must be pleased with us, we should always point people to the cross and the incredible sacrifice that was made for us all.
Exo 12:1-14; 1 Cor 11:20-34; Ps 25:16-22
Galatians 6:14 KJV
It’s interesting that in the Bible Jesus doesn’t ask us to remember His birth or His resurrection, although we know we should, but He tells us to remember His death. When He instituted the Lord’s Supper, He said, “This do in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19 KJV). Paul said, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The cross, like the gallows and the electric chair, is an instrument of death. So why glory in it? Because of what took place there. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” all your sins from the cradle to the grave were paid for. So the cross is God’s first and last word when it comes to salvation. It’s His first word because Jesus was “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8 KJV). And the cross is God’s last word about salvation, for in heaven they will sing, “Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Revelation 5:9 KJV). There is no “plan B” for salvation. The only highway that goes to heaven goes through Calvary. You can’t bypass the cross or go around it if you want to be saved. The Bible says, “Without shedding of blood [there] is no remission [for sin]” (Hebrews 9:22 KJV). As you look at the cross today, you’ll see the curse of sin, the cost of sin, and the cure for sin. And as you look at the cross, remind yourself: “He did it for me.”
Soul food: Exo 12:1-14; 1 Cor 11:20-34; Ps 25:16-22
