Wait (1)
2020-06-08
Don’t give in to despair
2020-05-29James 1:2 NLT
When difficulties come to us in life and in our relationships, as they inevitably will, it’s easy to succumb to the “dominoes of despair.” First, we become disappointed with an event or relationship. Then as the trial lingers, we topple into discouragement and surrender our expectations that things will change. Finally, as we feel the impossibility of moving the object against which we lean, we succumb to the last domino of despair. We feel powerless and hopeless, and don’t know how to see our way clear. Instead of running our life’s race, it feels like we’re swimming below the surface in an ocean of Jell-O. Often when we can’t understand life’s circumstances, we limit our expectations of who God is and what He can do. We think there’s only one good outcome – the one we want! Instead, we need to trust our heavenly Father because He may have bigger and better things in mind. We must try to see Him at work in whatever trials come our way. Remember, God’s expectations are bigger than our own, and only our heavenly Father and His purposes, no matter how painful they seem at the moment, truly satisfy our souls. James writes: “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (vv. 2-4 NLT). Keep that truth uppermost in your mind today, and you won’t give in to despair.
Soul food: 1 Kings 8-9; Mark 12:28-44; Ps 113; Prov 12:15-17
Which path?
James 1:2 NLT
When difficulties come to us in life and in our relationships, we have a choice. We can either go down the path of despair, or the path of hope. The first path takes us from disappointment to discouragement, then to despair. We feel powerless and hopeless, and we don’t know how things will ever get better. If we’re honest, we can often find ourselves heading down that path, especially if we’ve been struggling for a long time. But in Romans 5, we find an alternative path. It says, ‘suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope’ (vv.3-4 NIV). In order to choose this path, we need to trust that God will stay with us in the hard times, and that He’ll bring something good from them. The Bible says, ‘in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose’ (Romans 8:28 NIV). Often when we can’t understand life’s circumstances, we limit our expectations of who God is and what He can do. But we must try to see Him at work in any trials that come our way. And more than that, we need to rejoice in our times of trouble. This may seem too difficult, or even an impossibility, but James writes, ‘when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing’ (vv.2-4 NLT). When we remember the amazing things God can do in and through us while we’re facing trials, it’s easier to have joy, trust in Him, and choose the path which leads to hope.
God and your money (5)
2020-05-22Matthew 6:33 NLT
When it comes to money, the Bible teaches that: (1) God wants you to have enough to meet any size of need you may face. Think about it: Employees are mainly concerned with one thing – getting their paychecks. Employers, on the other hand, have a bigger need. They must have enough money to cover everybody’s paycheck. And here’s the good news for both employer and employee: “Your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” (v. 8 NLT). (2) Many times God will send you to a particular place or person in order to meet your need. During a time of severe famine when people in Israel were dying of starvation, God said to the prophet Elijah, “Turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith…I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there” (1 Kings 17:3-4 KJV). And that worked well for a time – until “the brook dried up, because there had been no rain” (v. 7). God arranged it that way, because He will never permit you to depend on anybody or anything other than Him. He will dry up your “brook” in order to send you back to your true source – Himself. Here’s what God told Elijah next: “Arise, get thee to Zarephath…and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman to sustain thee” (v. 9). God used unlikely things like ravens, a brook, and a poor widow to meet Elijah’s needs. So stop trying to figure God out! Trust the One who “hangs the earth on nothing” (Job 26:7 NLT) to use whomever, whatever, wherever, and whenever to meet your needs.
Soul food: Heb 9:1-11:16; Mark 10:35-52; Ps 97; Prov 12:1-3
Your strength and strategy for living
2020-05-17Isaiah 40:29 NKJV
When the battle continues to rage with no end in sight, you grow weary. Is that where you are today? Are things that once ran smoothly no longer working? Have you done all you know to do but it hasn’t helped? What should you do? Spend more time with God in prayer, and listen to Him as He speaks to you through His Word. As long as you don’t give up within, victory is assured without. It’s a matter of replenishing your strength by drawing on God’s strength, refocusing your faith toward victory, and ” [calling] to remembrance” God’s promises (Psalm 77:6 NKJV). When you feel overwhelmed by trouble in your marriage, your business, your health, your job, or your finances, stand on these two Bible promises: “He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:29-31 NLT). “We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and…thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God…And he did rescue us…We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us” (2 Corinthians 1:8-10 NLT). Instead of trying to escape the situation, seek God and He will give you strength and a strategy to come out of it stronger.
Soul food: Matt 4:12-16; Matt 5:14-16; Acts 9:1-19