2020-02-03
Ephesians 4:2 NIV
We all have a number of different types of relationships in our lives. There are the relationships we have with our family, our friends, our partners, and our colleagues. All of our relationships can lead to growth, if we’re open and committed. Firstly, our relationships themselves can be grown when we put the effort in. We have to spend time with people for a relationship to develop. We need to really listen to what the other person has to say, and remember details about them. It’s through this time and conversation that we can begin to understand the other person better, allowing us to grow closer to them and know how to show them love. It can be easy to take people for granted. We need to learn how other people feel loved and appreciated, and then act in that way towards them. It’s also important to treat the other person with respect, in the way that we would want to be treated. The Bible says: ‘Do to others as you would have them do to you’ (Luke 6:31 NIV), which is a great rule for us to live by if we want our relationships to grow. The Bible also says: ‘Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.’ If we don’t exercise humility, patience, and love in our relationships, we’ll find that they begin to fall apart rather than grow. Finally, communication is necessary to maintain and grow any relationship. We need to remember that people can’t read our minds, so we’ll often have to tell them if we need something or if we’re upset by something. So if we want our relationships to last, we need to commit ourselves to growing them.
Isa 34-37; Matt 12:1-14; Ps 107:33-43; Prov 3:27-28
2020-01-30
Psalm 95:6-7 NLT
When we speak words of praise and affirmation to those around us, we build our relationship with them. And the same is true about our relationship with God. Praise draws us closer to Him, and creates a sense of intimacy between God and us. When we adore God and thank Him for all that He has done for us, we focus our minds on Who He is and cultivate a grateful heart. Worship isn’t just singing songs in church. It’s also about how we live our lives. It’s about making decisions that honour Him and glorify Him. The Bible says: ‘Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the LORD in the splendour of his holiness’ (1 Chronicles 16:29 NIVUK). Sometimes our worship can become mundane. It can feel like we’re just going through the motions, saying all the right things, singing the right songs, but not really connecting with God or meaning what we’re saying. Not every style of worship is going to suit every person. But at the end of the day, we should be able to praise and glorify God no matter what we’re doing. If we can only connect with God when the music is loud and the song is one we know, then we may actually be enjoying the music rather than using it to connect with God. When we’re close to God, it won’t matter if it’s silent or there’s a full band, we’ll know we’re lifting our praise to Him alone. The Bible says: ‘Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker, for he is our God.’ Our worship should be done in humility, recognising how great our God is.
Isa 22-25; Matt 11:1-9; Ps 107:10-16; Prov 3:19-20
2020-01-20
Philippians 2:4 NKJV
When we give to others, we can sometimes be tempted to do it because we want to get something back. Perhaps we’re in need of some encouragement, so we compliment others hoping they will give us a compliment back. Perhaps we want someone to do something nice for us, so we go out of our way to do something nice for them first. Any kind of relationship with another person should be two-way. We should give, and they should give. But we need to be checking our motives. As we become more like Jesus, we’ll realise that we need to be selfless in our giving. We need to be serving others because it’s what Jesus would do, not because we want something back. Jesus said: ‘Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great’ (Luke 6:35 NIV). He sees everything we do for others, and He sees the attitude we do it with. The Bible says, ‘Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.’ Being selfless doesn’t mean we never speak up about our needs, or take time for ourselves. It means we make sure we’re thinking of the other person, and their needs. It means we do what we can to meet their needs and support them, without expecting them to do it in return. However, we need to avoid being taken for granted. It’s clear when people are using us, or when they don’t care for our wellbeing. If the other person isn’t recognising our needs, we might need to pray about whether we should remain as close to them. God can give us wisdom in all our relationships.
Exo 30-32; Matt 8:18-27; Ps 89:1-14; Prov 2:20
2019-07-25
Romans 15:13 NIV
First, how is your relationship with God right now? Do you doubt His promises, His call on your life, your ability to hear from Him, His pleasure in you, or whether you can do enough to keep Him happy? If so, this Scripture is custom-designed for you: “May the God of hope fill you with…joy and peace as you trust in him.” Notice, when you stop trusting God and start trusting in your own efforts, you lose your joy and peace. Have you lost yours today? If you want them back, you must get out of doubt and back into faith! Second, how is your relationship with yourself right now? One Christian author writes: “For years the only relationship I had with myself was one of doubt. I doubted my decisions, my appearance, whether I was saying or doing the right thing…whether I was in any way pleasing God, or anybody else. I knew I wasn’t pleased with myself, so how could God or anybody else be pleased with me? Those years of misery are behind me, because now I know God’s grace covers me like a blanket. I know it’s through Jesus alone that I’m made righteous and acceptable to God. What a joy! I was so bound by legalistic religion that I’ll always have to be on guard against it. But now I know how to recognize its symptoms.” Paul writes, “Stand fast then, and do not…submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off]” (Galatians 5:1 AMP). Stop doubting your salvation, or yourself, or God!
Soul food: Deut 5-7; Matt 12:15-21; Ps 78:1-8; Prov 16:23-24
2019-07-21
2 Kings 3:8 NIV
The Israelites discovered that for them, the way into the Promised Land was through the wilderness. One Bible teacher refers to it as “God’s killing field.” He says: “In the wilderness experiences of life, the things that cause you to stumble in your walk with God are permitted to die. There He weeds out those who want only a superficial relationship from those who long to know Him intimately. It’s where you learn to stand in faith and to cast all your cares on Him, because there’s nowhere else to turn. It’s where God says, ‘I finally have you where I want you.’ Sometimes He will lead you into the wilderness abruptly. This is especially so when He’s been trying to get your attention and talk to you about a calling He’s placed on your life, and until now you haven’t had time to listen. Suddenly you realize that God is the only One who can get you through the situation you’re in. He permits you to be stripped of pride so you can be clothed with humility; stripped of self-sufficiency so you can be brought to the place of total dependence on Him.” If you’re going through a wilderness experience, don’t think God is punishing you or that He has forsaken you. He’s just allowing some things to die so that other things can be born in you and grow into fruitfulness. Be encouraged; you will come through this! By God’s grace you’ll get to your destination. The truth is, the only way to reach the destination God has planned for you is through the wilderness.
Soul food: 1 Sam 5:1-6:16; Rev 11:15-19
