2020-04-05
Mark 10:27 NIV
Ever been struggling with something, or waiting for something to happen, and someone quotes the verse ‘all things are possible with God’? While it can be a great encouragement to us, it’s important to add some context, otherwise we can end up feeling disappointed and disillusioned if the things we’re hoping and praying for don’t happen. Firstly, we need to remember that it says ‘all things are possible’, not ‘all things will happen’. Just because something is possible, it doesn’t mean it’s the right thing for us. While God might be able to change our situation or give us the thing we’re praying for, He might not. That’s not because He’s trying to assert authority over us or because He doesn’t love us. It’s because He knows what’s best for us and can see the bigger picture. Secondly, this verse is found in a conversation about being saved by God. A rich young man came to Jesus and asked Him how he could have eternal life. Jesus taught the people that entering God’s kingdom was challenging. He said, ‘It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God’ (Mark 10:24 NIV). The disciples exclaimed: ‘Who then can be saved?’ (v.26 NIV). That’s when Jesus said that all things are possible with God. We can’t earn our salvation. We will never be good enough to enter God’s kingdom. But because of Jesus, we can have eternal life. He’s made it possible for us to enter the kingdom. So while it’s true that ‘all things are possible with God,’ let’s remember the context around this verse, thank Jesus for what He’s done, and be grateful that God wants the best for us.
Matt 21:1-16; Ps 118:19-29
2019-04-03
Romans 1:16 KJV
One Sunday a lady fell asleep in church. Pointing to the man sitting next to her, the pastor said, “Please wake that lady up.” The man replied, “Sorry, Pastor. You put her to sleep – you wake her up!” Seriously, Paul tells us “the gospel…is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (NKJV). The Greek word for “power” is dynamis, from which we get the word dynamite. Talk about impact! The gospel changes people profoundly. Chuck Swindoll says: “The gospel is like a sword sharpened on the stone of Scripture and tempered in the furnace of reality, relevance, and need. Of all the reactions a person may have to it, I can think of none worse than a yawn, a sleepy ‘so what,’ or a bored ‘who cares?’ Jesus met people where they were. His word touched raw nerves. His preaching was a lot more ‘here-and-now’ than it was ‘there-and-then.’ He attacked hypocrisy and prejudice. He met people where they were, not where they ought to be. Angry young men, blind beggars, proud politicians, loose-living hookers, ignorant fishermen, naked victims of demonism, and grieving parents – He related to them all. His enemies misunderstood Him, but they couldn’t ignore Him. They hated Him, but they were never bored around Him. Do you want a new definition of failing the Lord? Here it is – using the gospel to bore people! The gospel isn’t some vague religious concept; it’s an exciting relationship with God that works in everyday life.” And the people around you need it, so share it with them.
Soul food: Lev 13:38-14:57; Luke 21:1-7; Ps 25:1-7; Prov 9:17-18
2019-01-28
Romans 6:1 NKJV
How should we answer those who say that talking too much about God’s grace causes people to think they have a license to sin? By pointing them to God’s Word: “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (vv. 1-2 NKJV). Note the words “died to sin.” As you feed your new nature and starve your old one, it begins to die. You become less interested in pleasing yourself, and more interested in pleasing God. Paul said, “For the love of Christ compels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14 NKJV). Paul was not compelled by the fear of losing his salvation, but by the need to respond to God’s grace which he had experienced. He said, “The world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14 NAS). The Greek word for “world” is kosmos, or “order.” A revelation of God’s grace caused the world order to lose its appeal to Paul, and he to lose his appeal to them. When properly understood, the grace of God does not prevent godliness, but produces more of it. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (Titus 2:11-14 NKJV).
Soul food: Ecc 1-4; Luke 6:27-36; Ps 107:1-9; Prov 3:13-18
2018-08-29
Acts 2:38 NKJV
A sign on a church bulletin board read, “Try God Week.” The idea was simple enough: If you try Him for a week and don’t like the results, you can go back to your old life again. Peter didn’t tell the crowd on the Day of Pentecost to try God for a week. He preached, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (vv. 38-39 NKJV). A fish doesn’t try water; it needs water in order to survive. A plant doesn’t try soil; it needs soil in order to grow. Likewise, you don’t try God; you need God because there’s a void within you only He can fill. And He wants to do more than just come into your life; He wants to take over your life! “But I struggle with certain weaknesses,” you say. The truth is we’re all born with certain proclivities; some are just more obvious than others. That’s why every one of us needs to “be born again” (John 3:3). As Jesus explained to Nicodemus, although he had a natural birth he needed a spiritual birth to enter God’s kingdom. Salvation and the guarantee of heaven take place immediately; all you have to do is put your trust in Christ. But submitting to the lordship of Jesus is a project you’ll be working on from the new birth to the New Jerusalem.
Soul food: 2 Chr 32-34; Luke 18:1-17; Ps 119:145-160; Prov 22:14-16
2018-07-05
John 17:4 NKJV
The ant literally dies working. Now let’s be clear, the Bible doesn’t promote a workaholic lifestyle that endangers your health and causes you to neglect your family. Too many marriages fall apart when a couple subscribes to that philosophy, and too many children grow up resenting the fact that their parents never had time for them. That being understood, the contemporary concept of retirement can’t be found in the Bible. Yes, you may retire from a job, but you never retire from work. As long as you’re alive, there’s always work God wants you to do. Harvard University commissioned a study of some of its graduates. One group of one hundred participants retired at age sixty-five, while those in the other group worked to age seventy-five. In the first group seven out of eight were dead by age seventy-five. In the second group, of those who continued to work – only one in eight had died by age seventy-five. Researchers consequently concluded that retiring too early can reduce longevity. Stop and consider the three-and-a-half-year ministry of Jesus. At the end of it, He said, “I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” Has it ever occurred to you that salvation is available because Jesus proved Himself a faithful laborer who stayed on the task until the job was done? Again, rest, relaxation, and retirement are worthy and well-deserved rewards for a life of hard work. But the truth is, as long as you’re alive God has something for you to do! And in doing it you’ll not only find joy and fulfillment, you’ll bless those around you too.
Soul food: 1 Sam 16-17; Luke 4:31-44; Ps 102:1-11; Prov 17:4-6
