2021-12-28
1 Corinthians 6:12 MSG
Paul said, “Just because something is technically legal doesn’t mean…it’s spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I’d be a slave to my whims.” If you’re serious about spiritual growth, look for opportunities to say no to yourself in small areas. Then one day you will be able to say it when it really counts.
Daniel started by saying no to eating the king’s food, and later was able to say no to bowing to the king’s idols. Zero in on the undisciplined areas of your life; the ones you keep excusing, rationalizing, and delaying dealing with. Paul measured his actions by this yardstick: “Is it beneficial? Does it have the potential to control me?” (See 1 Corinthians 6:12 NIV).
You have a “right” to eat a tub of ice cream every night. It’s permissible – but it’s not “beneficial,” especially if you want unblocked arteries, a trim waistline, the ability to run a marathon, or to just keep up with your kids and grandkids. You have a “right” to spend your money as you please, but don’t complain when you end up strangled by debt. You have a “right” to look at whatever you want on TV or the internet, but exposure to wrong influences will inevitably weaken your character, rob you of self-respect, and enslave you.
Bottom line: Your character is the sum total of the choices you make each day. And one more thought: When it comes to replacing bad habits with good ones, the only person who can make that happen is you!
Soul food: 1 Cor 10-11; Matt 2:9-15; Ps 139:1-12; Prov 31:25-27
2021-12-27
Isaiah 43:25 NKJV
God says in His Word: “I…am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. Put Me in remembrance; let us contend together; state your case, that you may be acquitted” (vv. 25-26 NKJV). Today if you’re condemning yourself because you think your sins are too big to merit God’s grace, go back and reread those Scriptures carefully. Why did God say He would forgive your sins? “For My own sake.” So what should you do? “State your case, that you may be acquitted.” Why do we have such a hard time accepting God’s forgiveness?
(1) Because in some cases we feel like we’re reaping what we have sown.
(2) Because we have condemned someone else for doing the very thing we ourselves did.
(3) Because we think God likes to keep us twisting in the wind for a while so we will think twice before committing the same sin again.
(4) Because growing up, when we disobeyed our parents, they took away certain privileges until we had proven ourselves.
(5) Because we think we have to be “worthy” of God’s mercy.
But when you refuse to forgive yourself, you’re implying that your transgressions are beyond the scope of God’s grace. And that’s a bigger sin – pride!
And here is another thought. When you always have “issues” with other people, you may be looking for someone to offend you. That way, you can point to how bad the other person is and feel better about yourself. When you adopt a humble attitude and work on forgiving yourself because you know God has exonerated you, it’s easier to forgive other people’s mistakes.
Soul food: 1 Cor 7-9; Matt 2:1-8; Ps 97; Prov 31:22-24
2021-12-26
Nehemiah 8:9 KJV
The word holiday comes from the Old English word haligdæg, which means “holy day.” So, when Nehemiah announced, “This day is holy,” he was declaring a celebration; a time to “eat and drink before the Lord” (1 Chronicles 29:22 KJV). Today, overindulgence and overspending have become synonymous with Christmas, making Christians hesitant to celebrate.
Jack Hayford writes: “Often it is from those newly associated with our fellowship who have allowed themselves – perhaps for the first time – to enter into the wonder and fulness of Christmas joy and celebration…Christmas is more than merely ‘merry.’ Christmas is mighty. Celebration – unfettered enjoyment, love…laughter…gifts and giving, trees and tinsel,…carols and bells…all of it – has an inherent potential for mightiness.
The qualifying factor is the presence of the Holy Spirit. When He is present, the accoutrements of Christmas…can bless, strengthen, heal, [and] restore…When He is absent, carols ring hollow. Greetings, wishes and smiles lie on the surface, like glitter glued on a flat card. Lights and decorations…can leave the heart more desolate than ever. But where the Holy Spirit is there is power…to change entrenched habits…transform cold hearts…grudges and expectations…lift lives out of the shadow…
This Christmas, let Him come upon you. Welcome the…Holy Spirit…to move upon your life, and then make your own move…into the season’s best opportunities to bask in the wonder of it all…Reach out to those around: encourage, bless, bake, give, visit, invite, share, and lift hearts wherever you can. By…New Year…you’ll find Christmas to…have been marvelously, and even miraculously, mighty.”
Soul food: Isa 11:1-10; Luke 2:21-38
2021-12-25
Hosea 14:8 TLV
The word “celebrate” means to rejoice, delight in, revel, and appreciate. Jack Hayford writes: “There is so much done in the name of Christmas that is neither pleasing nor honoring to Christ. Even so, I find myself doing battle…with…religious superstitions which argue against almost every observation of Christmas…against giving…against decorations, trees, or just plain fun, as though such participation defiled something holy. Such harsh debunking is nothing more than ‘holy humbug.’
A Christmas tree…is a specific statement…By means of this tree we are saying: We believe in celebration. We serve the God who ‘gives us richly all things to enjoy’ (1 Timothy 6:17 NKJV) and who through history assigned…sacred appointments of feasting and rejoicing…’great gladness’ (1 Chronicles 29:22 KJV)…
Although no one can make a ‘biblical case’ for Christmas trees, we gather around ours with joy. We see in its living branches a symbol of everlasting life given us because of Jesus’ death on the tree – whose naked crossbars Xed out death and ushered in forgiveness…and eternal hope. The lights…gleam a testimony of His Light-of-the-world glory. The ornaments reflect the decorative splendor with which His kindnesses adorn our lives. The star beams hope, with a heavenward ray, reminding us that from there He shall come again to receive us.”
As you gather around the tree this Christmas, don’t forget to celebrate the One who said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me…will have the light of life” (John 8:12 NIV).
Soul food: Isa 9:1-7; Matt 1:18-25; Micah 5:2-5a; Isa 7:14
2021-12-24
Luke 2:10 NIV
For many people Christmas is filled with dread instead of delight. Author Jon Walker writes this: “I’m sitting in a fast food restaurant observing a young girl celebrating an early Christmas with her mother. Her presents are spread out across the booth and she just said, ‘I miss you, Mommy.’ ‘I miss you too, Baby,’ her mother says. Beyond the booth…a woman casually, but carefully watches them. Using my journalist’s eye, I put it all together. The watching woman is a social worker supervising a structured visit for a mother and child who are doing their best to celebrate Christmas…a few minutes later foster parents arrive and take the little girl home. The mother leaves alone.
There’s a darker side to Christmas we rarely acknowledge. We create this fantasy that seldom matches reality, even in the best of homes…many Christmas memories are full of tension, not tinsel…the holidays are just another excuse for Mommy to get drunk, or Daddy to be with his new family…yet another reminder that the one we love is far away or perhaps never coming back…The suicide rate is extraordinarily high in December…depression as common as ‘Joy to the World’…more people hurt at Christmas than we initially imagine. For those tired of the hollow hope…of Christmas, the good news is, God is with us. Jesus came to earth to ‘bring…good news…for all the people.’
Regardless of your situation, Christmas is the best gift you’ll ever get, because: (1) it’s the costliest you’ll ever receive because it cost Jesus His life; (2) it’s the only gift that lasts forever; (3) it’s one you can enjoy for the rest of your life.”
Soul food: 1 Cor 4-6; Matt 1:12-17; Ps 117; Prov 31:18-21
2021-12-23
Proverbs 15:27 NKJV
J. Paul Getty’s estate exceeded four billion dollars. He was considered the richest man on earth. The Los Angeles Times quoted something Getty wrote: “I have never been given to envy, save for the envy I feel toward those people who have the ability to make a marriage work and endure happily. It’s an art I have never been able to master. My record: five marriages, five divorces. In short, five failures.”
The newspaper article continues: “He termed the memories of his relationship with his five sons ‘painful.’ Much of his pain has been passed on with his money. His most treasured offspring, Timothy, a frail child born when Getty was fifty-three, died in 1958 at the age of twelve, of surgical complications after a sickly life, spent mostly separated from his father who was forever away on business. Other members of the Getty family also suffered from tragic circumstances. A grandson, J. Paul Getty III, was kidnapped and held for a ransom of $2.9 million. When Getty refused to pay, they held the boy for five months and eventually cut off his right ear. Getty’s oldest son apparently committed suicide amid strange circumstances. Another son, Gordon Paul Getty, has been described as living a tortured existence. He was ridiculed in correspondence by his father and was the least favoured son. Similar sorrow has followed other members of this unfortunate family.”
Putting money first and family second make you nothing more than a wealthy failure. So if you have been sacrificing your family for your career, start making changes! Don’t look back, rich but regretting, having lived for the wrong things.
Soul food: 1 Cor 1-3; Matt 1:6b-11; Ps 113; Prov 31:14-17
