2023-03-07
1 Peter 4:10 NLT
The Bible says: “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety… Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God” (vv. 10-11 NLT).
You may not be fortunate enough to work at a job that utilizes your gifts, but you should at least be moving in that direction. Paul worked as a tentmaker to finance his calling as a preacher. So if you know you’re a creative person with aptitude for design and visual arts, and you’re currently exasperated by your accounting job, it may be time to reconsider your career goals. If you love to solve problems when your computer crashes, but you’re currently working as a pastry chef, it’s time to step back and reassess.
You may not be able to make a living at your foremost passion right away, so you’re working in an unrelated field. That’s okay for now. But your sights must stay set on following God’s calling. Moses spent two-thirds of his life getting ready for his real assignment leading the children of Israel into the promised land.
God never wastes experience. Often the wisdom you glean from a job you don’t want equips you to succeed in the one you do; the one God has chosen for you. So keep growing and keep believing God. Then, when He opens the door, you will be ready to walk through it.
Soul food: Exo 25-27; Luke 14:1-14; Ps 136:13-26; Prov 6:32-35
2023-03-02
Philippians 2:13 NIV
Remember the childhood game Pin the Tail on the Donkey? Winning in that game was “a-stab-in-the-dark” process. And for many of God’s children, determining His will and purpose for their lives amounts to a similar method. But it doesn’t have to. Here are some scriptural steps that take the guesswork out of it.
(1) Commit yourself to obeying God’s will. Understanding God’s will is impossible until you commit yourself unreservedly to doing it. Any desire to retain your own will blinds you to His. You don’t need a detailed map; it’s a journey of faith. Be confident that God loves you and wants only the best for you, and that when you submit yourself to Him, “You will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect” (Romans 12:2 NCV).
(2) Listen for the Shepherd’s voice and trust it. Jesus doesn’t leave you alone to figure out His will for your life. He is our Good Shepherd, and His “sheep recognize his voice… He… leads them… and they follow him because they know his voice” (John 10:3-4 NLT). Note the words, “recognize his voice.” With time and experience, you will learn to know when God is speaking to you.
Like Abraham who submitted to God’s will without knowing where he would be led, you’re called to surrender your will without knowing where He will lead you. God promises wisdom, insight, and understanding – not to the spiritually smart, but to any person who lacks wisdom (See James 1:5-6). So believe that His wisdom is yours!
Soul food: Exo 13-15; Luke 12:35-48; Ps 66:13-20; Prov 6:23-25
2022-07-19
Isaiah 65:22 NIV
In 1968 a scientist discovered a six-hundred-year-old necklace in an Indian grave. It was made up of seeds which had been strung together. He planted one of those seeds, and guess what happened: It sprouted and grew. Although the seed had been dormant for six hundred years, it still had the potential for life.
Maybe you have been a Christian for years and have been spiritually dormant for most of that time, but now you would like to be productive. You desire to be fruitful. The good news is, it’s not too late! You can begin right now. “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree… planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright; he is my Rock'” (Psalm 92:12-15 NIV).
Did you know that a palm tree produces its greatest harvest of fruit in its final years? That can be your destiny too. “For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands.” That Scripture means bunions, bifocals, and baldness notwithstanding, your last season of life can be your greatest season of life. It may take you longer to do what you do, but fueled with the wisdom of God’s Word and the years you have walked with Him, you can still make a mark for God in this world.
Soul food: Acts 3:11-5:42; Matt 26:47-56; Ps 123; Prov 16:1
2022-06-19
Joshua 24:15 NKJV
The beloved radio commentator, Paul Harvey, wrote: “At a time when being a buddy to one’s son is popular, I am going to stay a Father… If a gap exists between my sons and daughters and myself, I am going to work hard to understand, but I am also going to work hard to be understood… when they tell it like it is, I will listen, even if I like it better the way it was. If old fashioned things such as prayer, Bible study, worship and faith in God ever seem to my children to be out of date, square, or whatever – I trust God’s help to have faith enough to yet pray for them, and I pledge with the patriarch Job to offer additional sacrifices for them.
With love in our home, I will answer their questions about the facts of life, but at nudeness and lewdness I refuse to wink… If experimentation with drugs or Marijuana is ever a problem, it will be in violation of my every prayer and request… I want my children to know that I make mistakes, that I am foolish, proud and often inconsistent. But I will not tolerate that as an excuse for my hypocrisy. I will ask them to help me change… and to expect me to help them change…
Others may look to the under-thirty crowd for the wisdom to throw away the past, and to say what will remain for future generations; others may let the offspring in the house determine the foods, the music, and the spending of the household, but I am going to stay a Father.”
Soul food: Est 4:9-5:3; Heb 4:7-16
2022-05-13
Numbers 1:1 NIV
Would you like to be a leader one day? Whether it’s part of our job, pastoring a church, mentoring someone younger or less experienced, or taking the lead in a group project, at some point we might feel God calling us to step up to leadership. Today, let’s think about some of the qualities that make a good leader so we can pray and build on them for the future. Moses is a biblical example of a good leader.
1) He understood the importance of planning. He spent forty days praying and fasting on a mountain, refusing to leave until he understood what God wanted him to do. Then he came back and shared it with the people so they could get a glimpse of the vision.
2) He was patient. The Israelites spent a lot of their time in the desert complaining and grumbling about their situation, the food, and Moses himself. But instead of getting angry with them, Moses was patient with them, and talked to God about their complaints. (He wasn’t perfect though – after they complained about a lack of water, in frustration he called them ‘rebels’ and disobeyed God’s command to speak to the rock (see Numbers 20:2-12)
3) He turned to God for wisdom. There are many times in the Old Testament that tell of Moses taking a concern or a problem to God and turning to Him when help was needed. And God shared His wisdom with Moses and gave him solutions.
4) He was humble. We know this from Numbers 12:3: ‘Moses was very humble – more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth’ (NLT). He knew his own strength alone wasn’t enough for the calling God had for him, so he leaned on God’s strength and stayed close to Him.
Num 22-24; Matt 9:1-13; Ps 44:17-26; Pro 11:12-13
