2018-05-04
1 Chronicles 4:10 NKJV
Not only did Jabez have great ambition, he had a growing faith and a deep trust in God. He had enough faith to pray and expect an answer. He was like the pioneer missionary William Carey, who said, “Expect great things from God, and attempt great things for God.” There’s no mention of Jabez having any special ability or talent. The Bible doesn’t say he was wealthy or educated. He was simply a common man with an uncommon faith. Don’t worry about what you don’t have – if you have faith! God will give you the necessary power. He loves to use ordinary people who are willing to trust Him, and see them succeed. Lots of super-talented people sit on the sidelines while ordinary people with faith score the goals and win. And you can be one of them. Another interesting fact about Jabez is he apparently had some type of handicap or disability. In the Hebrew language “Jabez” means “painful.” Jabez caused his mother so much grief during childbirth that she named him Painful. How would you like to go through life with that name? He may have been unwanted and unloved. But he was stronger than his handicap, and his faith kept him going. His eyes weren’t on the past, they were on the future. He believed that if God blessed him, then his future would be greater than his past. What’s your handicap? Is it physical? Is it spiritual? Is it an unhappy childhood? Is it a frustrating job or a broken marriage? Whatever it may be, Jesus said, “Everything is possible for him who believes” (Mark 9:23 NIV).
Soul food: Deut 5-7; Mark 6:14-29; Ps 37:1-7; Prov 11:24-26
2018-04-19
Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV
Any time you attempt something for the first time, or something you’ve failed at before, or something you think is too big for you, you’ll experience both fear and faith. They go together. One will win out over the other, but they never go away. Because Israel had no idea what challenges awaited them or what life would be like in the Promised Land, God told them, “Be strong and of good courage…for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” And today that’s His promise to you too! It’s fear of failure that stops us most of the time. Yet as you look back, you realize that most times failure doesn’t do permanent damage at all; you actually grow through it. Dr. Joan Borysenko writes: “When I was admitted to Harvard, I was sure there had been a computer error and I’d be exposed as a fraud. A lawyer friend of mine stops short of terror every time she has to give a final argument before a jury. Even when you’re an expert, fear doesn’t necessarily go away. It’s accepting fear as part of the journey instead of running from it, that helps you to conquer it.” To go anywhere, you must launch out from somewhere, or you’ll get nowhere. American essayist Hamilton Wright Mabie said, “The question for each man to settle is not what he would do if he had the means, time, influence, and educational advantages, but what he will do with the things he has.” So confront your fear, step out in faith, and believe God for success.
Soul food: Acts 6-7; Mark 3:20-27; Ps 75; Prov 10:22-23
2018-04-12
Matthew 25:32 NKJV
The Bible says: “All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom'” (vv. 32-34 NKJV). But here’s what happens to those on the left hand: “He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me'” (v. 41 NKJV). What determines His choice? How does He separate people? Is it based on the fact that one group was highly moral while the other was loose-living? Is it based on the fact that one group was doctrinally correct while the other went astray theologically? No. Jesus said the destiny of all present will be based on one thing: showing compassion to those in need. You object: “We are saved by faith alone!” Yes. But as Martin Luther pointed out, “The faith that saves us is never alone!” The Bible says that faith without works is dead (See James 2:26). Jesus said that this was the standard by which we’ll be evaluated and rewarded: “I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me” (Matthew 25:36 NKJV). Then He personalized it in these words: “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (v. 40 NKJV). That means you must open your heart and respond to the needs around you.
Soul food: Jer 45-48; Mark 2:13-17; Ps 25:16-22; Prov 10:4-7
2018-04-11
Psalm 5:12 NIV
When you ask someone for a favor, you’re generally asking for something they don’t owe you. The Bible says of God: “You bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor.” This word “righteous” doesn’t mean flawless, otherwise none of us would qualify! It means to be clothed in “the righteousness of God,” thereby making us acceptable before God and qualifying us for His favor (2 Corinthians 5:21). And that’s a truth you need to grasp and hold on to! Why? Because when you have God’s favor, people start favoring you too – often for reasons they themselves can’t explain! The favor of God made it possible for people in the Bible who otherwise wouldn’t have amounted to much, to do great things. God called a teenager named Esther to save the Jewish people. So she stepped out in faith, approached the king uninvited, even though it violated protocol, and “obtained favor in his sight” (Esther 5:2 AMPC). God made a way for her to do the job He’d given her. Without the favor of God, Ruth, a Gentile, wouldn’t have been accepted by the Jews. But because God had a plan for her life and her heart was open to Him, she ended up marrying Boaz, “a man of great wealth” (Ruth 2:1 NKJV). And from that union descended King David, and ultimately our blessed Lord Jesus. What favor! The Bible says, “A good man will obtain favor from the Lord” (Proverbs 12:2 NAS). And a single moment of God’s favor will do more for you than a lifetime of striving. So pray for the favor of God today – and start looking for it!
Soul food: Jer 41-44; Mark 2:1-12; Ps 25:8-15; Prov 10:1-3
2018-03-12
Luke 7:37 NIV
The Bible says, “A woman who had lived a sinful life…brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping…poured perfume on them” (vv. 37-38 NIV). This perfume was pure nard, a perennial herb that is harvested in the Himalayas. Half a litre of it! And the jar itself, made of translucent gemstones, was probably a family heirloom. It might even have been her dowry. Plain and simple, it was her most precious possession. How ironic, yet how appropriate that the perfume used in her profession as a prostitute would become the token of her profession of faith when she poured out every last drop at the feet of Jesus. Breaking that bottle was her way of breaking with the past. No more masking the stench of sin with the sweet scent of perfume. No more secrets. No more shame. She walked out of the dark shadow of sin into the light of the world. There comes a moment when you have to come clean with God. A moment when you need to unveil your secrets, struggles, and sins. A moment when you need to fall full weight on the grace of God. Why do we act as though our sin disqualifies us from the grace of God? That is the only thing that qualifies us! Anything else is a self-righteous attempt to earn God’s grace. You cannot trust God’s grace 99 percent. It’s all or nothing. When we try to save ourselves, we forfeit the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ alone, by grace through faith (See Ephesians 2:8-9).
Soul food: 2 Kings 4:18-6:33; Matt 22:34-46; Ps 112; Prov 7:6-9
