2022-06-17
John 10:10 KJV
The things we experience as we go through life can sometimes make us different from the way God intended us to be. If we’re not careful, the people, activities, and entertainments we choose to spend our time on can end up leaving us with regrets and feelings of hopelessness. When we lose our sense of self-worth, it gets difficult to believe God could love us – but He absolutely does. He knows that hidden inside each of us is a person who can do great things for Him. That’s why He stirs our hearts – it’s to let us know that He’s at work in our lives. Our part is to respond to Him in faith, and dare to believe that He can make each one of us ‘a new creation’ (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV).
We need to shift our thoughts from our own weaknesses to His power, and trust in Him rather than our limited strength. Jesus knows about every mistake we’ve ever made, and He wants to mend the broken parts of our hearts and make us whole again. But to do that, He needs to have access to every area of our lives. When He comes into our hearts, we’re changed, and we’ll be empowered to reach the potential He sees within us!
David’s sins became a national scandal. But when God forgave and restored him, he wrote: ‘Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things (Psalm 103:2-5 NIV).
Hosea 11-14; Matt 21:33-46; Ps 17; Pro 14:13-16
2022-04-23
Isaiah 43:19 NCV
There are so many times in life when we need to let go of something we care about. We might have to leave a job we love. We could have been working on a project and now need to hand it over for someone else to take to the next level. Maybe we’ve been a mentor or advisor, but the person has reached the point where they don’t need us anymore. We might be teaching someone, but our knowledge has reached its limit and now they need to move on and learn from someone with greater skill. God might even tell us to let something go without us understanding why.
Letting go isn’t easy. It can make us feel unwanted or rejected, our pride can take a hit, or we might think we’re not good enough. Even if we’ve given up something we hate, it can leave a void in that makes us feel strangely empty. But there are things we can do to regain our joy and find reasons to celebrate.
We can: 1) Rejoice that we played a part in the development and growth of the person or project.
2) Be proud that we’ve made a difference.
3) Pray for the person, the project, those who were working with us, and those who are going to take things even further.
4) Trust God to place the person or project in the right hands.
5) Look forward to the next thing God has in mind for us. It can be helpful to remember these words: ‘Do not think about the past. Look at the new thing I am going to do. It is already happening. Don’t you see it?’ (Isaiah 43:18-19 NCV). When we let go of one thing, God already has the next thing lined up.
1 Cor 15-16; Matt 1:1-17; Ps 103:13-22; Pro 10:14
2022-02-07
Matthew 6:34 MSG
When we’re feeling anxious about the future, we should take a moment to stop and remind yourselves that two of God’s names are ‘Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end’ (Revelation 22:13 KJV). Wherever we’re going, God’s already there! Jesus said, ‘The sheep hear his voice…he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice’ (John 10:3-4 NKJV). Sheep get to know the shepherd’s voice by spending time with him. ‘He goes before them’, which means that God can and will direct us.
Each time we reach a breaking point, we have a choice: either give up, or trust God’s guidance and persevere. Long-distance runners use the expression ‘hitting the wall’. When they’re exhausted and feel like giving up, they know if they push through the pain, they’ll get their second wind, which will carry them over the finish line.
There are times we need to just push on through the challenges to reach victory in our lives. It isn’t an easy thing to do, but we can be sure Jesus is with us every step of the way, encouraging us and cheering us on.
If we’ve picked up burdens that aren’t ours to carry, let’s put them down and leave them for God. If the burdens we do need to carry feel too heavy, let’s give them to God. ‘He has never let you down, never looked the other way when you were being kicked around. He has never wandered off to do his own thing; he has been right there’ (Psalm 22:24 MSG). The more we trust God, the less room there’ll be for stress.
Isa 8-11; Luke 8:26-39; Ps 67; Pro 4:1-2
2022-02-03
Psalm 37:7 CEV
The more we learn to trust God, the more we’ll learn to be patient. David said, ‘Trust the LORD and live right! The land will be yours, and you will be safe. Do what the LORD wants, and he will give you your heart’s desire’ (v.3-4 CEV). We might be striving and struggling to achieve something now, but if we just trusted in God’s timing, it would come easily to us when the moment was right.
Sometimes we’re not ready for the things we want, so God withholds them until we’re properly equipped for them (as long as they’re part of His plan for us). For example, we might want a better job, but God makes us wait until we’ve developed the skills and knowledge we need, and are ready for the extra responsibility before giving us the opportunity. In the Amplified Bible, we read, ‘Patience [which is tireless and long-suffering, and has the power to endure whatever comes, with good temper]’ (Colossians 3:12 AMPC).
God teach us how to wait, and He also teaches us how to have a good attitude while we’re waiting. The Message paraphrases James’ words: ‘Don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature’ (James 1:4 MSG). The more we realise that God keeps His promises, the more we’ll be willing to trust Him and His timing, however long it takes.
God sometimes allows certain things to happen to teach us how to 1) maintain our faith when times get tough, 2) show grace under pressure by controlling our responses, and 3) develop new skills and better ways of thinking. We may think we know what we want and where we should be, but God really does know. So let’s ‘be patient and trust the LORD.’
Rom 15-16; Luke 7:36-50; Ps 111; Pro 3:29-30
2022-01-11
Romans 1:20 NLT
Do you ever have doubts about God, or wonder whether He exists at all? Even strong believers can have moments of doubt, and many of us will experience it too, if we haven’t already. We might feel ashamed of our areas of unbelief, or try to hide them from God, thinking that He’ll be angry with us. But when someone is honestly and sincerely questioning, He’ll patiently answer and soothe those doubts. We can see this in the story of the disciple Thomas, who doubted that Jesus had risen from the dead. (You’ll find the story in John 20:19-29.) So when we’re doubting, what can we do? Here are some ideas:
1) Talk to God. The most important thing we can do is be honest about our doubts and tell God about them. This can be difficult if we’re struggling to believe He exists, but He’ll hear us and answer. Thomas didn’t actually express his doubts directly to Jesus, but Jesus still knew about them and showed up to help him at the right moment.
2) Look for signs of God’s work. ‘Ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can see clearly his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature’ (Romans 1:20 NLT). The delicate balance and complexity of nature and the world we live in shouts of God’s power and hand at work.
3) Listen to what others have to say. Hearing or reading about someone else’s experiences of God at work in their lives can give us confidence that He’s real and that He loves us. We might not be in the same situation, but every story we hear of Him coming through for other people adds to the evidence for God and encourages us to trust in Him.
Gen 24:1-25:18; Luke 2:8-20; Ps 71:1-16; Pro 2:1-2
