MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2010

“My servant Caleb…has a different spirit in him.”    Nu 14:24 NKJV

Caleb said to Moses: “‘Let us go up at once and take possession [of the Promised Land] for we are well able’…But the men…with him…gave…a bad report…saying…’There we saw the giants…and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight’” (Nu 13:30-33 NKJV). Notice two attitudes at work in this story: (1) An attitude of doubt. Ten of twelve spies came back saying, “It can’t be done!” But the majority isn’t necessarily right. If God promises you something, it’s yours, even if you’re in the minority. The majority report terrified God’s people; they got spiritual amnesia; they forgot the last forty years of His supernatural provision. They talked themselves into believing that Egypt was actually the land of milk and honey. “You have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness” (Nu 16:13 NKJV). Incredible! Egypt was a land of straw and slavery, not milk and honey. What was their problem? They allowed their surroundings to influence them more than God’s promises. When that happens you dry up spiritually, begin to grumble and say stuff like, “God may have worked miracles in the past, but He doesn’t do it anymore.” As a result of their unbelief, not one of them entered the Promised Land except Joshua and Caleb. (2) An attitude of faith. God said, “But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land…and his descendants shall inherit it.” So, which attitude do you have?

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2010

“The Lord has kept me alive.”    Jos 14:10 NKJV

At the ripe old age of eighty-five, Caleb said to Joshua, “The Lord has kept me alive…just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war…give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day…And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb…because he wholly followed the Lord” (vv. 10-14 NKJV). There was nothing half-baked or half-hearted about Caleb. His dream kept him alive; he got out of bed every morning intent on pursuing it. When God gives you a dream as big as a mountain, it will keep you going while others around you are giving up. But be careful who you listen to. Don’t let the critics discourage you by saying, “You’re too old.” The Bible says that like a palm tree, you can produce your greatest harvest of fruit in your final years (See Ps 92:12-14). When the sun goes down the stars come out—so you can shine brightest in the closing chapters of your life. Barbara Klassen says: “My great-great uncle lived to one hundred and six. He was healthy and spry and took joy in chauffeuring his less able-bodied senior friends around town. On his hundredth birthday his driver’s license came up for renewal. When he went to the licensing bureau a skeptical clerk said, ‘You’re a hundred years old! What do you need a driver’s license for?’ My uncle, completely nonplussed, replied, ‘Somebody has to drive the old folks around!’ He continued to have a legal driver’s license for the next five years.” Do it Caleb’s way: live to the moment you die!

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2010

“You will keep him in perfect peace.”    Isa 26:3 NKJV

We lose our peace of mind for four reasons: (1) We try to change the people in our lives. As you grow wiser you begin to realize that you can’t change other people, only God can! And He does, when you back off, and love them as they are. This doesn’t mean agreeing with everything they do. It means committing to love them regardless, claiming God’s promises on their behalf and allowing Him to deal with them His way, in His time and for His glory. The reason you’re stressed out may be because you keep trying to do something—about something you can’t do anything about! (2) We try to make things happen when it’s not the right time. “There is a time for everything” (Ecc 3:1 NIV). If you’ve raised children you know that one of their chief characteristics is impatience; they can’t wait for anything. God wants us to outgrow our childishness so He makes us wait, trust, and mature! (3) We get upset because we’re not progressing fast enough. You can slow down your spiritual growth through neglect, but ultimately, “We all…are being changed…[by] the Spirit” (2Co 3:18 NCV). So learn to enjoy your life while God works on your problems, for you’ll always have problems! (4) We push ourselves harder and harder. We do what we think God wants without consulting Him as to what He actually wants, when He wants it, or how He wants it done. As a result we wear ourselves out. What’s the solution? “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is [focused] on You, because he trusts in You.”

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2010

“A good wife is…worth more than rubies.”    Pr 31:10 NCV

Do you have any idea how hard your wife works to be a good mother? Imagine this: six dads are dropped on a desert island with one car and three kids each for six weeks. Each child will play two sports and take music or dance lessons. There’s no fast food, and every man has to correct homework, help with science projects, cook meals, do laundry, budget for groceries, pay the bills without enough money, know the birthdays of friends and relatives and send cards. In addition, he has to take each kid for haircuts and to doctor and dentist appointments, bake cakes for school functions, plant flowers, and keep his home presentable at all times. He can only watch TV after the kids are in bed and his chores are done, and then he must have enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a moment’s notice. He should be well-groomed, go to church at least once a week, read to his kids, pray with them every night, pack their lunches and favorite snacks, fix breakfast, make sure they’re dressed and on the school bus by 8:00 am. At the end of six weeks every guy will be tested on his child’s height, weight, shoe size, favorite color, song, drink, toy, and their biggest fear. And here’s the best part—the winner gets to play the game over and over again for the next eighteen to twenty-one years! So, do you still think you want to change places with your wife? The Bible says: “Go all out in your love for your wives” (Eph 5:25 TM) because “a good wife is…worth more than rubies.”

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2010

“You should follow His steps.”    1Pe 2:21 NKJV

Jesus knew He didn’t have to prove Himself. At the cross, skeptics said, “If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross” (Mt 27:40). His reaction? He refused to let their comments intimidate Him or alter His plans. He didn’t need their approval; He already had His Father’s: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mt 3:17). Jesus didn’t waste time answering His critics. “Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor” (Mt 27:14 NIV). Jesus responded to hunger, to need, to seekers, but not to people trying to trap Him. You owe nothing to a critic. “Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words” (Pr 23:9). Do you know why there’s never been a monument built to a critic? Because critics are spectators, not players! Jesus didn’t focus on the past, but the future. His mother was pregnant with Him before she was married. Only a few people knew the truth. Jesus grew up with this, yet He didn’t feel the need to explain it. Stop complaining that your family was poor, or talking about your limited education, or repeating stories of those who failed you, or advertising your pain, or meditating on your flaws. All of us are challenged in some way. “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing” (Isa 43:18-19). Satan discusses our yesterdays; apparently that’s the only information he has about us. Jesus discusses our tomorrows. So if you want to follow in His footsteps, focus on what’s ahead.