2023-04-10
2 Peter 3:18 NKJV
Think how much happier and more energized you would be if you weren’t trying to control people and straighten them out. One author writes: “Give your loved ones the dignity of making their own mistakes and learning from them. If you’re always getting into someone else’s business, you’re not only going to burn out, you’re hindering God from working in their lives… they belong to Him, not you!”
In the New Testament, when legalistic Jewish believers tried to impose kosher laws on Gentile believers, Paul wrote: “Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t… must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them” (Romans 14:3 NLT). Sometimes in trying to be holy, we come across as harsh. Just because you don’t feel at liberty to do something doesn’t give you the right to condemn those who do – unless it’s something clearly prohibited in Scripture. Having strong opinions doesn’t give you the right to impose them on others. Remember, you can have the right theology and the wrong attitude.
Gladys M. Hunt writes: “Acceptance means you’re valuable just as you are… you can talk about how you feel… and why – and someone really cares… you can try out new ideas without being shot down… you can even express heretical thoughts and discuss them with intelligent questioning. You feel safe. No one will pronounce judgment… even though they don’t agree with you. It doesn’t mean you’ll never be corrected… it simply means it’s safe to be you.”
When it comes to the truth, stand fast! But when it comes to nonessentials like personal preferences, customs, and traditions, “Let each be fully convinced in his own mind” (Romans 14:5 NKJV).
Soul food: Lev 13:38-14:57; Luke 24:13-18; Ps 50:1-15; Prov 9:13-16
2023-04-09
Hebrews 2:15 NLT
When Charles Lindbergh, the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic, was dying of cancer, he wrote these words to be read at his burial service: “We commit the body of Charles A. Lindbergh to its final resting place; but his spirit we commit to Almighty God, knowing that death is but a new adventure in existence and remembering how Jesus said upon the cross, ‘Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.'”
Death is just “a new adventure in existence,” so there is no need to dread it or ignore it. Because of Christ, you can face it with joy and confidence. Furthermore, His resurrection guarantees yours. Aristotle was wrong: Death isn’t to be feared. The Greeks were mistaken: The boatman Charon won’t ferry you across the River Styx into oblivion in a sunless world of spirits.
As a believer, you don’t get buried, you get planted! “So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power” (1 Corinthians 15:42-43 NKJV).
One day when Saint Francis of Assisi was hoeing his garden, a man asked him what he would do if he suddenly learned he was to die at sunset that day. He said, “I would finish hoeing my garden.” Here was a man who was ready to die, and without the fear of death, he was ready to maximize every moment of life. That’s how you need to live too!
Soul food: 1 Cor 15; Luke 24:1-12
2023-04-08
John 19:23 NLT
John records: “When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they… also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. So they said, ‘Rather than tearing it apart, let’s throw dice for it'” (vv. 23-24 NLT). Jewish mothers traditionally made these garments as gifts for their sons who were leaving home. So while we don’t know if Mary actually made Jesus’ robe, it was likely a cherished possession.
It’s also significant because throughout the Bible, clothes symbolize behavior and character. Peter talks about being “clothed with humility” (1 Peter 5:5 NKJV). Paul says, “And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes” (Galatians 3:27 NLT). Like His robe, Jesus’ character was seamless, integrated, and perfect. The words “woven… from top to bottom” indicate that He had always been directed by the mind of God. In fact, He said, “The Son can do nothing… but only what he sees the Father doing” (John 5:19 NRS).
However, when Jesus was crucified, He set aside His seamless robe, “changed places with us” (Galatians 3:13 NCV) and put on the robes of sin that had our names on them. He died like a common criminal for sins He didn’t commit so that we could wear the garments of His righteousness. And so that sinners like us coming to the cross could leave wearing the “coat of his… love” (Isaiah 59:17 NCV), the belt of “goodness and fairness” (Isaiah 11:5 NCV), and the “garments of salvation” (Isaiah 61:10 NIV). Jesus not only prepared a place in heaven for us; He made sure we would be properly dressed for the occasion.
Soul food: Lev 11:1-13:37; Luke 23:50-56; Ps 69:7-21; Deut 21:22-23
2023-04-07
Romans 5:8 KJV
If you watched Schindler’s List, you probably came away asking, “How could they do it?” The showers… the ovens… the smokestacks belching out human ashes. Trains arriving every day with mothers, fathers, children, and old people – herded like cattle on the way to a slaughterhouse. And worst of all – soldiers who carried out orders without a shrug of conscience. How could they do it? The answer is sin! And if you think Hitler and his henchmen had a corner on it, think again! David says, “I was brought forth in iniquities, and in sin my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5 NAS). His own sordid chapter of adultery and murder confirms that.
Read this résumé; it describes each of us: “They’ve all taken the wrong turn… all wandered down blind alleys… Their throats are gaping graves, their tongues slick as mud slides… They open their mouths and pollute the air. They race for the honor of sinner-of-the-year” (Romans 3:12-15 MSG). If God did an evaluation on any one of us, that would be it. And you must understand that in order to appreciate this: “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 NKJV).
When you read that Scripture, the question changes to, “How could He do it?” Thank God we didn’t get what we deserved – punishment. We got what we needed – grace! Hymnist William R. Newell wrote, “Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan! Oh, the grace that brought it down to man! Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary!” Take a moment today and thank God for the grace that redeemed you. It’s what Good Friday is all about.
Soul food: Gen 22:1-18; Luke 23:26-49; Ps 22; Isa 53
2023-04-06
Philippians 3:14 NKJV
To fulfill God’s will for your life, you must do these:
(1) Move to a higher level of faith (See Romans 1:17). Before David killed Goliath, he first had to kill a lion and a bear. And today we’re contending with issues that require us to trust God in a greater way.
(2) Seek God’s guidance about each situation that arises (See Proverbs 3:6). His promise is: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye” (Psalm 32:8 NKJV).
(3) Get into proper spiritual alignment. God is aligning His people and putting together those who will stand as one in the day of battle. It’s imperative to know who you can trust to go into battle with you, and you only discover such people in times of testing (See Joshua 8:1).
(4) Know God’s will for your life. God doesn’t play hide-and-seek with His will. It’s only as you spend time with Him that you discover it (See Psalm 143:10). And when you do that, you thrive.
(5) Fight, using God’s Word. The God-breathed words found in Scripture are your strength in times of difficulty and testing. Jesus used Scripture to put Satan to flight (See Matthew 4), and the weapon of God’s Word still works today.
(6) Don’t be unduly introspective. Only the Holy Spirit has the ability to search and know our hearts and minds (See John 16:8-15). And when God is ready to reveal areas that need correction, He will. Until then, keep moving forward in faith.
(7) Guard your mind. Make it a walled city that refuses entry to negative thoughts and harmful influences (See Proverbs 4:23 GNT).
Soul food: Lev 8-10; Luke 23:13-25; Ps 26;
Prov 9:10-12
2023-04-05
Matthew 11:28 CEV
The average office worker is bombarded each day with over two hundred messages via email, texts, tweets, Twitter, and blogs. In fact, one in three managers gets sick because of information overload. It’s a blizzard out there! It makes you wonder – if technology is saving us all this time and energy, how come we’re so frazzled?
Here is something Madison Avenue and Wall Street won’t tell you: Success presents more opportunities for the Enemy to run you into the ground. That’s no way to live, and it certainly isn’t God’s will for you. Don’t wait until you hit bottom, get fired, throw away your life, settle for a dead-end job, or lose your family. Don’t wait until you’re too old, too cranky, and too locked into your lifestyle.
Today, Jesus is saying to you, “If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest… learn from me.”
Leadership expert and Christian author Phil Cooke says: “The Lord can’t relieve the pressure while you’re in the wrong place, at the wrong time, doing the wrong thing, with the wrong people. If you climb the corporate ladder and neglect your family, your priorities are out of order. When you’re in God’s will, you can work hard, but travel light! He’ll carry your burdens and take the weight. Simplifying your life may mean working fewer hours, scheduling ‘down time’ and investing more in your loved ones. Markets, assignments, personalities and situations are all different, but these principles hold true for everyone.”
So the word for you today is – simplify your life.
Soul food: Exo 12:1-14; Matt 26:1-29; Ps 49; 1 Cor 11:20-34
