2018-05-26
Galatians 6:2 CEV
When a friend or family member is in a crisis, your aim should be to help them cope with it and grow through it. Sometimes that’s easier said than done! As their hurting hearts adjust to new and unfamiliar circumstances, they might be skeptical about whom to trust. But being there for them is what the kingdom of God is all about! “Carry each other’s burdens” (v. 2 NIV). Your commitment can play a significant role in someone’s journey toward becoming emotionally healthy again. Here are three practical suggestions: (1) Don’t expect them to initiate contact. It’s common for people in crisis to withdraw rather than ask for help. Often they’re too distraught to know what they need, so you’ll probably have to make the first move. And please don’t feel like you have to be a professional. Two simple steps can make the hurting one feel valued and understood: (a) Listen carefully to their concerns and perceptions. (b) Maintain eye contact and show genuine interest. (2) Help reduce their anxiety. Offer a calming presence by inviting them to share their feelings. And if their viewpoint seems distorted, say something like, “May I suggest another way of looking at things?” (3) Help them focus on what’s important. They’re feeling overwhelmed, so help them sort out the issues that need their immediate attention. Instead of rehashing the past and worrying about the future, encourage them to concentrate on the present and “live one day at a time” (Matthew 6:34 TLB).
Soul food: Judg 16:1-19:15; Mark 11:12-26; Ps 47; Prov 13:11-12
2018-05-08
Romans 8:33 NCV
Paul writes: “Who can accuse the people God has chosen? No one, because God is the One who makes them right. Who can say God’s people are guilty? No one, because Christ Jesus died, but he was also raised from the dead, and now he is on God’s right side, appealing to God for us” (vv. 33-34 NCV). The accusations of Satan splutter and fall like a deflated balloon. Then why, pray tell, do we still hear them? Why do we, as Christians, still feel guilt? Not all guilt is bad. God uses appropriate doses of guilt to awaken us to sin. We know guilt is God-given when it causes “indignation…alarm…longing…concern…readiness to see justice done” (2 Corinthians 7:11 NIV). God’s guilt brings enough regret to change us. Satan’s guilt, on the other hand, brings enough regret to enslave us. Don’t let him lock his shackles on you! Remember: “Your life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). When God looks at you, He sees Jesus first. In the Chinese language the word for righteousness is a combination of two characters: the figure of a lamb and a person. The lamb is on top, covering the person. Whenever God looks down at you, this is what He sees: the perfect Lamb of God covering you. Only once in Scripture is it recorded that Jesus wrote something. And He wrote it on the ground, saying to an accused sinner He’d just forgiven, “You are free from condemnation. Go, and sin no more” (See John 8:10-11). So the word for you today is: Trust your advocate, and not your accuser!
Soul food: Deut 14-17; Mark 7:1-13; Ps 37:25-31; Prov 12:1-3
2018-04-20
Deuteronomy 29:29 NKJV
The Bible says: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5 NKJV). That Scripture is easy to quote but hard to live by, especially when tragedy and loss touch our lives and we don’t understand why. There are times when we pray and God gives us answers, and there are times when we pray and He gives us peace. “Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT). In times of pain and loss, here are two Scriptures you can stand on: (1) “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us.” When it comes to understanding things – we have our territory and God has His. And ours is limited to what He decides to reveal to us. Paul, who wrote half the New Testament by divine revelation, acknowledged, “We know in part” (1 Corinthians 13:9). At best, we will always be limited in our understanding. (2) “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28 NKJV). Sometimes God explains things to us, and other times He stamps them “Will explain later.” So when you’re tempted to throw up your hands in despair and say, “Who knows?” remind yourself, “God knows!” And today remind yourself that He’s working things out for your good and His glory.
Soul food: Acts 8-9; Mark 3:28-35; Ps 130; Prov 10:24-26
2018-04-02
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 CEV
It’s not easy being a Christian parent in a world where peer pressure feels as if it’s crushing down on you at a million pounds per square inch; where values are at an all-time low and immorality at an all-time high. But with God’s help you can do it! To lead your children to Christ, do these five things: (1) Begin when they’re young, and read Bible stories to them each night. Let them hear you pray for them to know Jesus personally, constantly thanking Him for dying for their sins. (2) As you take them to church, explain what the various rituals and seasons (Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, Easter, and Christmas) represent, and why they’re observed and celebrated. (3) Be sensitive to every spiritual question they ask, and take the time to answer their questions in a way they can understand. (4) Buy them Christian DVDs and cartoons that will present Bible truths on their level. (5) Trust the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom at the right time to present the gospel to them, and pray for their salvation continuously. On one occasion D. L. Moody reported “two and one-half conversions” at a service he conducted. Someone said, “I suppose you mean two adults and one child.” “No,” Mr. Moody replied. “I mean two children and one adult. The children can give their whole lives to God, but an adult has only half a life left to give.” And remember, the things we learn best are the things we hear most. So: “Memorize his laws and tell them to your children over and over.”
Soul food: Jer 14-17; Matt 28:11-15; Ps 69:1-18; Prov 8:27-29
2018-04-01
Romans 4:25 NLT
The Great Houdini promised he’d come back from the dead and talk to his friends. Some actually consulted mediums to see if there was any word from beyond the grave. But there wasn’t! Only one man who promised to rise from the dead, kept his promise. Jesus! And He did it “to make us right with God.” Business transactions in Bible days were relatively uncomplicated. Once the seller laid down a price and the buyer picked it up, the deal was done. On Good Friday Jesus laid down the price, on Easter Sunday God picked it up, and your salvation was paid for. But the greatest proof of the resurrection is found in the transformed lives of people all over the world. The songwriter put it like this: “You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart!” In one of His final appearances recorded in the book of Revelation, Jesus announced: “I am He that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore…Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” (Revelation 1:18; John 11:26 KJV). Today Christ stands knocking at the door of your heart, saying, “If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in” (Revelation 3:20). Unless you know Christ personally as your Savior, you’re without hope in this world and the one to come. The resurrection of Christ is your only hope. Without that you have nothing to look forward to but a hole in the ground. So today repent of your sins and place your trust in the One who died and rose again for you.
Soul food: 1 Cor 15; Matt 28:1-10; Luke 24:1-12
