2020-05-01
John 20:24 NKJV
The Bible says: “Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ So he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails…and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.’ And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, ‘Peace to you!’ Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!'” (vv. 24-28 NKJV). Note the words “Thomas, called the Twin.” Do you know who the other twin is? You! Whoever you are, reading this page today, you are Thomas’s twin. Think about it: How often have you doubted God’s love, His goodness, His grace, His faithfulness, and His promises? So what’s the solution? An up-close-and-personal encounter with Jesus like Thomas had. It happens when you read His Word and a verse leaps off the page, causing you to exclaim, “My Lord and my God!” It happens in conversation with a friend when he or she shares such wisdom and insight that you find yourself saying, “My Lord and my God!” It happens when you pray like the psalmist: “Be good to your servant, that I may live and obey your word. Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions” (Psalm 119:17-18 NLT).
Soul food: Num 3:1-4:33; Mark 5:31-43; Ps 2; Prov 10:30-32
2020-04-19
Proverbs 11:14 MSG
The best wisdom in life comes from God. We can go to Him with every problem we have, and every mountain we need Him to move. But He can also speak to us through other people. He designed us to live in community and to support each other. But we need to make sure that we’re surrounding ourselves with people who will lead us closer to Jesus, rather than encouraging us to go down the wrong paths. We need people we can rely on to give us good advice. The Message says: ‘Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances.’ We need people to direct us the right way, and hold us accountable. If we follow the directions of unwise people, we can end up being led the wrong way. Jesus said: ‘If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit’ (Matthew 15:14 NIV). We need people who can see that God’s got a plan for us, and who encourage us to step out of our comfort zones into our calling. We need people who want us to be the best we can possibly be. Sometimes we might feel uncomfortable around people who are pushing us closer to God. We might be frustrated if they gently show us where we’ve been going wrong. But the Bible says: ‘The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice’ (Proverbs 12:15 NIV). We need to humble ourselves, and be open to the advice they have. However, we also have to make sure that we’re talking to God about the advice we’re being given. Some people may think they’re helping us, but actually the advice isn’t godly. We need to ask God to help us discern which advice to follow, and which people to surround ourselves with.
Matt 5:7; Matt 18:21-35; Ps 103:8-18; Lam 3:22-24
2020-03-14
Proverbs 4:23 NIV
If we drink unclean water or breathe in chemicals from the air, the toxins can cause us to become unwell. It’s the same when we’re in toxic relationships, live toxic lifestyles, or have toxic attitudes. These things can make us spiritually and emotionally unwell. In Proverbs we’re told: ‘Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.’ God knows that the emotional and spiritual health of our hearts is vital if we’re going to follow Him and live well. If we don’t guard our hearts from toxins, we can spread toxins to others too. We don’t want toxins to be flowing out from our heart to those around us. The Bible says: ‘A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of’ (Luke 6:45 NIV). So what’s the antidote to toxicity? Firstly, we need to be filling our minds and hearts with the Word of God. We need to be dwelling on the truth, not the things of the world. Secondly, we need to be thinking about good things. The Bible says: ‘Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things’ (Philippians 4:8 NIV). We also need to be asking for wisdom and discernment about our relationships. We need to be investing in relationships which bring life. That doesn’t necessarily mean that we cut everybody else out of our lives, but we need to be wise and guarded about who we spend the most time with and who we let speak into our lives.
Gen 47-49; Matt 22:34-46; Ps 26; Prov 7:26-27
2020-03-12
Proverbs 23:23 NCV
When everything in our lives is going well, it’s easy to stay on the right path and do what we believe to be the right thing. However, we can easily be swayed by circumstances, people, and our own desires, to do the wrong thing. When we’re tempted or pressured, we can end up doing the very thing we said we’d definitely never do. Instead of doing what’s right, we go the opposite way. It’s not easy to stand up for the truth when everyone else is going a different way. But God wants us to go the right way. The Bible says: ‘Learn the truth and never reject it. Get wisdom, self-control, and understanding.’ We should aim to ‘never reject’ the right way. With God’s strength, we can be set apart for Him. In the Bible, we read about three men who stood up for the right thing, even when no one else did and even when there would be serious consequences for doing so. These men were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When King Nebuchadnezzar called everyone to bow down and worship him each time the music played, these three men refused to do it because they knew it was right to only worship God. Their punishment was to be thrown into a fire, but they still refused to compromise. They said: ‘Even if God does not save us, we want you, O king, to know this: We will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up’ (Daniel 3:18 NCV). God was in the fire with them, and they walked out unharmed (you can read the whole story in Daniel 3). God honours us when we decide to stand up for what’s right. Let’s be people who go the right way, no matter what.
Gen 42-43; Matt 22:15-22; Ps 135; Prov 7:21-23
2020-02-27
Psalm 119:130 NCV
We all know that we should be reading our Bibles, but so often they’re left on the side gathering dust. We need to be opening our Bibles and spending regular time reading God’s Word. But why should we read it? Firstly, reading the Bible fills our minds with the truth about who we are, and who God is. The enemy and the world try and tell us things about ourselves which aren’t true. The only way we’ll be able to recognise and resist the lies is by knowing the truth found in the Bible. Secondly, the Bible contains the guidance and wisdom that we need to live our lives. When we read the Bible, we can find the answers to the questions we have. We might think it’s an outdated book, but in Hebrews we’re told that it ‘is alive and active’ (4:12 NIV). God speaks to us through it today. Thirdly, reading the Bible helps us to become more like Jesus. When we read about His life, we know how we should be living. God can use what we read to transform us. But it’s vital that we go beyond just reading the Bible. The psalmist wrote: ‘Learning your words gives wisdom and understanding.’ By memorising verses, we can fight back with Scripture when the enemy comes against us. We need to research what we’re reading, maybe by reading commentaries or finding books on the topic. We need to make sure we’re reading things in context, and not ignoring the verses or chapters that are more challenging to read and understand. The Bible says that all Scripture is useful (have a read of 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Then we need to put what we’ve read into action. We need to let God change us through what we’ve read.
Gen 10-12; Matt 18:10-20; Ps 58; Prov 6:12-15
