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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Who are your true friends?
05 FEBRUARY 2024

‘There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.’
Proverbs 18:24 NIV

Cicero said, ‘Friendship improves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief.’ The fact is, it’s impossible to have more than a few close friends, because true friendship takes time, attention, and commitment. ‘One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother’ (v. 24 NIV). The hallmarks of real friendship include these:

1) Trust. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: ‘The glory of friendship is not in the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him.’

2) Giving and receiving. Sometimes one person will be the primary giver, and sometimes the other. But true friendships are always two-sided.

3) Sharing your lives. Helen Keller said: ‘My friends have made the story of my life. In a thousand ways they have turned my limitations into beautiful privileges and enabled me to walk serene and happy in the shadow cast by my deprivation.’

4) Mutual enjoyment. In a true friendship, you spend time together just for the joy of it. What you do isn’t necessarily of significance. Unfortunately, the busyness of life makes us forget what a joy this can be.

5) Respecting one another. How do you build respect? By not letting obstacles or circumstances become more important than the relationship. When the pressure is on, you continue to treat one another with patience and kindness. And when the relationship is struggling, you work to preserve it.

Exodus 25-26, Matthew 20:17-34

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Moving from failure to success (1)
06 FEBRUARY 2024

‘Whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle.’
Hebrews 11:34 NIV

The writer of Hebrews said: ‘I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets…whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies’ (vv. 32-34 NIV). Some of the biggest success stories in Scripture are about people who struggled with weaknesses and character flaws. They were mired in seeming failure and defeat, yet by God’s grace they overcame the obstacles and odds stacked against them. The overriding theme of the Bible is resurrection – getting back up again!

Here is the question: if you can’t avoid failure, and you’re not supposed to give in to it or let it colour your thinking, how do you handle it?

First, change your attitude. Cartoon character Homer Simpson summarised the attitude of many of us when he said, ‘Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is – never try.’ Suffice it to say, Homer is a classic underachiever! In another episode, he quips, ‘Trying is the first step toward failure.’ The bottom line is, Homer never tries, so like many real people, he stays stuck.

The people who succeed in life have faith and tenacity. They refuse to give up; they have decided not to let failure defeat them. Note the words ‘whose weakness was turned to strength’. You may start out weak, but by God’s grace, you can become strong. You can rise from the ashes of failure, achieve your goals, and live the life God intends. How do we know? Because God’s Word says so!

Exodus 25-26, Matthew 20:17-34

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™


Moving from failure to success (2)
07 FEBRUARY 2024

‘You are snared by the words of your mouth.’
Proverbs 6:2 NKJV

A noted psychiatrist remarked that two of the saddest words in human vocabulary are ‘if only’. He believes people who get trapped by their failures spend their lives saying, ‘If only I had tried harder…if only I had been kinder to my kids…if only I had been more truthful…if only…’ The way to change that mindset is to change your vocabulary by substituting the words ‘next time’. ‘Next time I will try harder…next time I will be kinder to my kids…next time I will be more truthful.’

The Bible says, ‘You are snared by the words of your mouth.’ And a snare is a trap. Have you ever seen an animal caught in a trap, struggling to be free? Your words can do that. And they don’t just affect you, they affect others. Maybe you think we’re making too big a deal out of this. If you do – read on:

‘A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit’ (Proverbs 15:4 NKJV).

‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit’ (Proverbs 18:21 NKJV).

Jesus said, ‘Whoever says to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says’ (Mark 11:23 NKJV).

What do these Scriptures have in common? They confirm that our words breathe life (or death) into everything! So instead of defeatist talk, speak victory over your situation. Instead of speaking failure, start speaking success. When you do, God will honour the fruit of your lips.

Exodus 29-30, Matthew 21:23-46

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Moving from failure to success (3)
08 FEBRUARY 2024

‘Many…say of me, “There is no help for him.”’
Psalm 3:2 NKJV

A Christian leader writes: ‘Oliver Goldsmith was born the son of a poor preacher in Ireland in the 1700s. Growing up, he wasn’t a great student. In fact, his schoolmaster labelled him a “stupid blockhead”. He did manage to earn a [university] degree, but he finished at the bottom of his class. He was unsure of what he wanted to do. At first he tried to become a preacher, but it didn’t suit him…Next he tried law but failed at it. He then settled on medicine, but he was an indifferent doctor…not passionate about his profession.

'He was able to hold several posts only temporarily. Goldsmith lived in poverty, was often ill, and once even had to pawn his clothes to buy food. It looked like he would never find his way. But then he discovered an interest and aptitude for writing and translating. At first, he worked as a Fleet Street reviewer and writer. But then he began to write works that came out of his own interests. He secured his reputation as a novelist with The Vicar of Wakefield, a poet with “The Deserted Village”, and a playwright with She Stoops to Conquer.’

Goldsmith’s story sounds a lot like the psalmist David’s – and maybe yours too: ‘Many are they who say of me, “There is no help for him in God.” But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head’ (vv. 2-3 NKJV). You may be down today, but God will lift you up if you turn to Him for guidance and cooperate with His plan for your life.

Exodus 31-33, Matthew 22:1-22

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Moving from failure to success (4)
09 FEBRUARY 2024

‘We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy.’
Psalm 126:2 NLT
To move from failure to success, you must do these:

1) Learn to laugh at yourself. No matter what you lose or how often you lose, never lose your sense of humour. When you take your mistakes too seriously, everything becomes a life-or-death issue. The psalmist wrote: ‘When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.” Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy! Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert. Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy’ (vv. 1-5 NLT). You may not be able to laugh about your mistakes, but you can learn to laugh in them! Note the phrase ‘when the Lord brought back’. God can bring you back!

Tim Masters says, ‘Failure is the productive part of success. It provides the road you don’t have to travel again, the mountain you don’t have to climb again, and the valley you don’t have to cross again.’ When we’re making mistakes, they may not feel like ‘the kiss of Jesus’, which was Mother Teresa’s phrase for failures that drive us to God. But if we maintain the right attitude, they can lead us to do what we should be doing.

2) Learn from your mistakes. Successful restaurateur Wolfgang Puck said, ‘I have learned more from the one restaurant that didn’t work than from all the ones that were successes.’ Isn’t that usually the way it is? You don’t lose – you learn!

Exodus 34-35, Matthew 22:23-46

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

The right attitude
10 FEBRUARY 2024

‘For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.’
Proverbs 23:7 NKJV

What separates the best from the rest? Have you ever given that some thought? What separates a gold medallist from a silver medallist in the Olympics? What separates a successful entrepreneur from someone who doesn’t make it? What makes it possible for one person to learn and flourish after making a mistake while someone else just gives up? It’s attitude!

The Bible says, ‘For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.’ Your attitude can be your greatest asset or your greatest liability. It makes you or breaks you. It lifts you up or drags you down. The right attitude may not let you do everything, but it will help you to do anything better than you would when your attitude is wrong. The happiest people in life don’t undoubtedly have the best of everything; they simply try to make the best of everything. They’re like a person in a remote village who daily goes to the well for water and says, ‘Every time I come to this well, I come away with my bucket full,’ instead of saying, ‘I can’t believe I have to keep coming back to this well every day to fill up my bucket!’

Your attitude has a profound influence on your approach to life. Ask a doctor if a patient’s attitude can affect recovery time when he or she is healing after an illness. Ask a teacher if a student’s attitude has an impact before they take a test. Jesus said, ‘According to your faith be it unto you’ (Matthew 9:29 KJV). Like a magnet, faith draws on the strength which God offers.

Exodus 36-38, Matthew 23:1-22

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Let’s work together
11 FEBRUARY 2024

‘For we are labourers together with God.’
Corinthians 3:9 KJV

The Bible says we must love, honour, and work together. So, why don’t we do it? Ego! We like to think we can do everything ourselves – but that’s not reality! There are no supermen or superwomen. So, the question isn’t whether or not you can do everything on your own; it’s how soon are you going to realise you can’t? Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie declared, ‘It marks a big step in your development when you come to realise that other people can help you do a better job than you could do alone.’

After training His disciples for ministry, Jesus sent them out in twos; there were no solo acts! Why? For many reasons: to prevent one another from straying off the path, to hold each other accountable, to encourage one another when the going got tough, to offset a weakness with a corresponding strength. We each have ‘blind spots’ and we need someone with 20/20 vision in those areas to help us see things the right way.

As recorded in Exodus 17, when Moses held up his hands (symbolising reaching for God’s help), Israel’s armies prevailed against the Amalekites. But when Moses got tired and lowered his hands, the battle went against Israel. What was the solution? ‘When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone…put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up – one on one side, one on the other – so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army’ (Exodus 17:12-13 NIV).

A couple of questions to think about: Who is holding up your hands? Whose hands are you holding up?

Luke 2:25-52, Psalms 16-17

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Being friends with God
12 FEBRUARY 2024

‘The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.’
Exodus 33:11 NLT

When you talk to a close friend, you’re relaxed, trusting, unguarded, and open. There is no need to watch your p’s and q’s; you can express how you feel without fearing you will be judged or rejected. That’s how Moses and God talked to each other – like two friends, trusting and transparent. They said what they felt and thought straightforwardly, not in churchy language or religious jargon.

The Israelites had made a golden calf to worship, and God was angry enough to disown them and choose a new people. Moses had a crisis on his hands, and he engaged with God in a serious discussion over the outcome. In essence, what he told God was, ‘You see it one way, Lord. I see it another – and your perspective is making me very uncomfortable!’ Sounds like a candid exchange between friends. Moses wasn’t being disrespectful; he was being up front and honest with God. They knew each other well enough to speak ‘face to face, as one speaks to a friend’.

Do you pray like that? No posturing – just saying heart-to-heart what you want to say to your friend, God? That’s the kind of relationship God had with Moses, and it’s the kind He wants you to have with Him too! Religious clichés and ‘the usual’ request lists miss the opportunity to connect deeply and personally with God. Instead, open up with Him. Get down to the nitty-gritty. Tell Him where you’re coming from, what you really feel, think, and desire; then listen to His perspective. In other words, be a friend with God!

Exodus 39-40, Matthew 23:23-39

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Tackle your giant head-on
13 FEBRUARY 2024

‘David prevailed…with a sling and a stone.’
1 Samuel 17:50 NKJV

Chuck Swindoll says: 'Every day Goliath paraded along the slopes of the Valley of Elah issuing threats…The only response from the Israeli troops was the sound of knees knocking and teeth chattering! The giant’s strategy of fear and intimidation worked…until David introduced him to the Lord of Hosts, and “with a sling and a stone…struck the Philistine and killed him” (v. 50 NKJV). To this day, two timeless truths remain.

One: You won’t win the battle by employing the Enemy’s technique. When you fight with the world’s weapons, you become like the world. The Bible says, “There was no sword in David’s hand” (v. 50 NASB); his most powerful weapon – the thing that made him unique and gave him the victory – was his inner shield of faith. It kept him free from fear, cleared his vision…and gave him composure amidst chaos.

Two: Slaying giants takes skill and discipline. Wielding the sling and stone of the Spirit is much more delicate than swinging the club of the flesh. Paul says, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities…powers…rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12 KJV).

Note: wrestling isn’t a team sport. Goliath said, “Choose one man to come down…and fight me!” (1 Samuel 17:8 NLT). For the duration of the battle, you’re the Enemy’s sole target. If you’re facing your own personal giant, be like David; turn him over to God, load up your sling…and let God win the victory for you.’

Leviticus 1-3, Matthew 24:1-28

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Keep hope alive
14 FEBRUARY 2024

‘Wait with hope. Hope now; hope always!’
Psalm 131:3 MSG

David said, ‘Wait…for God. Wait with hope. Hope now; hope always!’ When you decide things are hopeless, you slam the door in God’s face. For most of us, as long as we’re in reasonably good health and know where the rent is coming from, hope doesn’t work.

First: Ask yourself what’s your strongest desire. Imagine you’re eighty and looking back. Are you satisfied? If not, challenge yourself to come up with an answer. Hope must be personal, not the kind you think you should have. It must be fervent enough to govern everything you do.

Second: Give it a symbol – something you can centre your thoughts around. Jeremiah taught God’s people a lesson in hope by buying land at Anathoth (see Jeremiah 32:9). He knew they would be taken into captivity, and during those long years, the memory of that faraway field in Judah would act as a symbol of future restoration. During World War II when Leo Algimas and his family were herded into concentration camps, they maintained a symbol of hope, a tiny piece of paper from a box of chocolates with an American flag on the bottom. They passed it from hand to hand, looked at it, held it, and whispered about the liberation army that was coming.

Symbols help us fix our minds on what’s possible. In fact, the greatest symbol the world has ever known was the hardest to believe. A baby in a manger signalled God’s kingdom on earth and changed mankind’s destiny. And He can change your destiny. Define what you hope for, ask in His name, and no matter how impossible it looks, expect it to come true.

Leviticus 4-5, Matthew 24:29-51