2018-09-07
Jeremiah 23:6 NLT
The name Jehovah-Tsidkenu: The Lord our righteousness, was given by God through Jeremiah, announcing the coming of Jesus the redeemer: “I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line…And this will be his name: ‘The Lord Is Our Righteousness'” (vv. 5-6 NLT). Before Jesus came, our righteousness lay in our own efforts. “We will be counted as righteous when we obey all the commands…God has given us” (Deuteronomy 6:25 NLT). We absolutely failed that righteousness test! But “The Lord our righteousness” became our solution. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV). Notice: It’s only “in Jesus” that we “become the righteousness of God”! You’re not to try to do right so you can feel righteous before God, or to generate a supply of good works to draw from when needed. You’re to draw continually from the “righteousness” deposited in your account by Christ. It’s useless to look within yourself for humility, patience, kindness, love, etc. They’re not there! You must take them by faith from the supply stored up for you in Jesus. Guilty hearts can draw forgiveness, anxious spirits can draw peace, and weary souls can draw strength from Jehovah-Tsidkenu. You received salvation by faith alone. And in the same way you must draw righteousness, and everything else you need, by faith in what God has accomplished and stored up for your use in Jesus, The Lord our righteousness!
Soul food: Josh 16:1-19:23; Luke 20:9-19; Ps 20; Prov 23:10-12
2018-09-05
Exodus 14:13 KJV
Let’s continue with Jehovah-Nissi: The Lord my banner. Because God fights your battles doesn’t mean you’re not involved. It’s not easy to hand control over to the Lord and let Him fight on your behalf. You may feel like you’re copping out, being irresponsible. You’re programmed to think, “Don’t just sit there – do something!” You’re like a drowning man who can’t stop grabbling for his rescuer, thereby making his job almost impossible. In essence, you become your rescuer’s worst nightmare! The hardest part about the order to “stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord” is that most of us mistake standing still for doing nothing. Fear says, “Do something – anything!” Faith says, “Stand in faith. Let God do it!” That’s about as far from doing nothing as you can get! It’s faith at its highest. “Why do I need armor if I’m not fighting?” Paul says, “Put on the full armor of God, so… you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:11 NIV). You’re to wear God’s armor – not yours. You’re to stand – not fight. “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal” (2 Corinthians 10:4 KJV). Our human methods get in God’s way. Natural powers are useless against spiritual forces. The grub of the dragonfly that lives at the bottom of the pond may be a finely developed, vigorous grub. But when it becomes a dragonfly, the strengths and abilities of its grub-life won’t help it to live an airborne life. Once you lived by effort, now you live by trusting in and relying on Jehovah-Nissi!
Soul food: Josh 11-13; Luke 19:41-48; Ps 111; Prov 23:4-6
2018-08-06
Lamentations 3:22-23 KJV
Cardinal J. H. Newman said, “Fear not that thy life shall come to an end, but that it shall never have a beginning.” If you let fear take over your life, you’ll never fully live. The truth is that many of our fears are totally unfounded. Haven’t you found that to be so? Studies show that 95 percent of what we fear is baseless, and the rest are things we must learn to live with. Perhaps the best approach is to adopt the attitude of the poet Gertrude Stein, who said, “Considering how dangerous everything is, nothing is really frightening.” Humanly speaking, there are no guarantees in life. We look to many things to protect us: insurance policies, burglar alarms, travelers’ checks, aspirin, umbrellas, GPS systems, and airbags. But the truth is that life is dangerous, damaging to your health, and will eventually kill you. So you might as well live to the fullest. Shakespeare said, “He is not worthy of the honeycomb who shuns the hive because the bees have stings.” Don’t let fear keep you from taking small steps in your development. You never know where they may lead. There are two things that are ever-present with us in life: fear and faith. And every day you live, you choose one or the other. Jeremiah chose faith. He wrote: “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion…therefore I hope in Him! The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him” (vv. 22-25 NKJV).
Soul food: 1 Chr 1-2; Luke 11:14-28; Ps 78:56-64; Prov 20:7-10
2018-05-24
Proverbs 22:29 NIV
Here’s a prayer for success at work: “Lord, I thank You for the way You’ve made me, for the many gifts and talents You’ve placed within me, and I trust that I’m the best person for this job. I am grateful for each and every one of the personalities I work with, even the ones I don’t particularly like or understand. I ask that my focus would be on accomplishing the goals You have set forth for me to perform during my time in this position. Give me wisdom and discernment on the job, even in the midst of a hostile environment. Help me to learn what You want to teach me here, and give me patience as You prepare me for the future. Help me to do my best, and to always remain positive and hopeful. Please quiet the complaints and disappointments of my heart with Your perfect peace, and allow me to trust You with my job. Dress me in the garments of praise and the righteousness of Christ that I may bring You glory where I work. Allow me to know my true identity, to walk in Your favor, and to seek to please You more than those with whom I work. Where there is contention, let me be a peacemaker. Where there is deceit, let me speak truth. Where there is despair, let me bring hope. Where there is fear, let me bring faith. Where there is darkness, let me bring light. Where there is sadness, let me bring joy. These things I ask in Jesus’ name, amen.”
Soul food: Judg 9:34-11:40; Mark 10:35-52; Ps 129; Prov 20:25; Ecc 5:4-6
2018-05-06
Isaiah 30:29 NKJV
Why does the Bible say, “It is good to sing praises to our God” (Psalm 147:1 NKJV)? Because when you express the promises of God’s Word in song, your faith is strengthened. The Great Depression of the 1930s hit a businessman named J. C. Penney particularly hard, endangering his very health. Anxious and desperate because of his huge financial losses, Penney sank so low he felt he had nothing left to live for. Even his family and friends shunned him. In the hospital one night, he grew so demoralized that he expected to die before morning! Then he heard singing coming from the hospital chapel. The words of the song were: “Be not dismayed whate’er betide, God will take care of you. Beneath his wings of love abide, God will take care of you.” Entering the chapel, he listened to the song, the Scripture reading, and the prayer. He wrote: “Suddenly – something happened. I can’t explain it. I can only call it a miracle. I felt as if I’d been instantly lifted out of the darkness of a dungeon into warm, brilliant sunlight.” From that day on, J. C. Penney was never again plagued with worry. He described those moments in the chapel as “the most dramatic and glorious twenty minutes of my life.” And when he died at ninety-five, he left behind 1,660 department stores bearing his name. When nothing else works, the praises of God set to music can lift you out of a spiritual funk. That’s why the Bible says, “It is good to sing praises to our God.” Try it and see for yourself. It works!
Soul food: Gal 5:22; Luke 6:27-36; Exo 23:1-9; Rom 12:14-21
