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WORD FOR YOU

What are you called to do?
11 FEBRUARY 2022

‘Jesus…went around doing good.’
Acts 10:38 NIV

Jesus was a problem solver. People were spiritually hungry so He said, ‘I am the bread of life’ (John 6:35). They were sick so He ‘went about doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil.’ They needed guidance, so He said, ‘Come, follow me’ (Mark 1:17 NIV). They were mentally and physically exhausted, so He promised, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest’ (Matthew 11:28 NLT). He discerned what someone needed, knew what He could do to meet that need, and provided it for them. He looked for solutions. Everything God makes can meet a need and solve a problem. And He made each one of us. We’re not here by accident. God told Jeremiah, ‘Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations’ (Jeremiah 1:5 NCV). God created each of us to fulfil a unique purpose. Jeremiah’s was to be ‘a prophet to the nations’. What are you called and gifted to do? That’s where you’ll find your highest level of joy! If you’re not sure what your calling is yet, try starting here: What could you offer to help others and meet some of their needs? Think of your contribution to others as an assignment from God. And in the meantime, keep listening, talking and praying to God about your calling. At the right time, He’ll reveal it to you and show you the steps you need to take.

What Now?

Consider the question in today’s reading. What could you do today to help meet a need of someone you know? Try to do it before the day ends!

Exodus 36-38, Matthew 23:1-22

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WORD FOR YOU

Making Jesus look good
15 FEBRUARY 2022

‘You are the salt…You are the light.’
Matthew 5:13-14 NKJV

If you didn’t tell them, would the people around you realise that you’re a follower of Christ just from what they see of your actions and attitude? If you’re not sure, have an honest think about how you’d answer these questions: 1) What’s your attitude like towards people in authority, such as your parents, a tutor, a boss, or team leader? Do you resent their status or respect their authority? 2) How do you treat people who are younger, not as skilled, or less experienced than you? Are you critical towards them, or do you try to encourage them? 3) How’s your timekeeping? Do you do your best to meet deadlines and arrive on time, or do you find punctuality isn’t really a priority? 4) Do you try to do everything with a spirit of excellence, or do you tend to have a ‘that’s good enough’ attitude? The way we deal with all of these things can tell us a lot about how we’re demonstrating Christ in our everyday lives. Of course, there’s much more to it than just those things, but they are all things that people around us will take notice of, whether we’re at home, university, work or church. Jesus said: ‘You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavours of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness?…You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colours in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill…I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand – shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God’ (Matthew 5:13-16 MSG).

What Now?

Which of the four points in today’s reading is your weakest? Today, ask God to help you come up with some strategies and practical steps you can take to improve in that area.

Leviticus 4-5, Matthew 24:29-51

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WORD FOR YOU

Seeds of peace
17 FEBRUARY 2022

‘Where jealousy and selfishness are, there will be confusion and every kind of evil.’
James 3:16 NCV

If you’ve been a member of a church for any length of time, you’ll probably have seen that jealousy, trouble, selfishness, conflict, and bitterness can all show up in the family of God, just like they do everywhere else. Paul and Barnabas were a brilliant ministry team, but they allowed their differences over John Mark to separate them to the point where they could no longer work together. Later Paul changed his mind, but there was no going back. He appealed ‘to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News’ (Philippians 4:2-3 NLT). Conflict can get in the way of our prayers, take our focus off lost souls, and make us ineffective in our ministry. We need to learn to respect each other’s talents, perspectives, and positions instead of envying them or belittling them. In other words, we should learn to disagree without being disagreeable. The Bible says: ‘Where jealousy and selfishness are, there will be confusion and every kind of evil. But the wisdom that comes from God is first of all pure, then peaceful, gentle, and easy to please. This wisdom is always ready to help those who are troubled and to do good for others. It is always fair and honest. People who work for peace in a peaceful way plant a good crop of right-living.’ (James 3:16-18 NCV). When conflict arises in your church, make it your mission to sow seeds of peace.

What Now?

Are there any disagreements going on in your church at the moment? What could you do to help those involved resolve their conflict and find an outcome that restores peace and harmony?

Leviticus 8-10, Matthew 25:31-46

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WORD FOR YOU

Packed days
27 FEBRUARY 2022

‘Making the most of your time.’
Ephesians 5:16 NASB

The life of John Wesley is a great example of the scriptural principle ‘making the most of your time’. During his lifetime, he wrote, edited and published a huge amount of work. Among other things, he produced a four-volume commentary on the entire Bible, a five-volume work on natural philosophy, a four-volume work on church history, and a dictionary of the English language. He also wrote histories of England and Rome; books about the languages of Hebrew, Latin, Greek, French, and English; three works on medicine; six volumes of church music; and seven volumes of sermons; and he edited a library of fifty volumes known as the ‘Christian Library’. Even for a very productive person, that sounds like a full-time effort. But he still made time for God and ministry. He averaged three sermons a day for fifty-four years and preached over 44,000 times in his life. His work meant that he travelled more than 200,000 miles – that's about 5,000 miles a year. Wesley packed so much into each day! Today, travelling is much faster and easier, we have instant communication, plus countless other things designed to make everyday tasks quicker and more convenient. Surely we can spare a few minutes for God! When we feel Him urging us to spend time with Him or to do something for His kingdom, let's remember John Wesley's example and willingly give our time to God. ‘Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity’ (v.15-16 NIV).

What Now?

Try incorporating Bible study or prayer time into some of your daily activities – for example, you could read a chapter of the Bible during a bus journey, pray for a friend while you’re waiting for a YouTube ad to play through, or sing worship songs while doing the washing-up.

Luke 4:1-30, Psalms 23-25

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WORD FOR YOU

Jealousy
04 MARCH 2022

‘Jealousy will rot your bones.’
Proverbs 14:30 NCV

The Bible says, ‘Peace of mind means a healthy body but jealousy will rot your bones.’ If we allow jealousy to hold a place in our lives, it’ll eventually take over and consume us. It eats away at us and steals our joy. It invades our thoughts until we only see the things somebody else has that we want, leading to resentment and conflict. It stops us celebrating with others and sharing in their happiness when they achieve something. So we need to recognise jealousy as soon as it appears. Here’s a quick checklist to help: 1) Do you find it hard to compliment others on their achievements? 2) Do you ever feel a sliver of happiness because something bad has happened to someone else? 3) When you hear something complimentary about another person, do you feel the need to say, ‘Yes, but…’ and then point out something negative about them? 4) Do you keep comparing yourself to other people? 5) Do you pay a lot of attention to what other people are doing, buying, wearing, and who they mix with? 6) Do you trust the people you love, or are you always checking up on them? So how do we conquer jealousy? First, we need to acknowledge there’s a problem. Second, we need to tell God how we’re feeling and ask for His help. And third, we should pray for the person who is the target of our jealousy. It’ll feel awkward at first, but as we keep doing it, God will change our hearts and replace jealousy with love. When we’re secure in who we are before God, we don’t have to be jealous of anybody.

What Now?

If you thought ‘Yes’ or ‘Sometimes’ to any of the points in the checklist in today’s reading, make sure you begin to deal with those feelings today by telling God about them. And if any feelings of jealousy are directed at a particular person, make a commitment to pray for that person every day.

Numbers 5-6, Mark 4:1-20

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WORD FOR YOU

God of restoration (3)
16 MARCH 2022

‘That you through his poverty might become rich.’
2 Corinthians 8:9 NIV

Do you ever find yourself saying, ‘If only I hadn’t said, or done…’? You’re not alone; everyone has regrets. But God wants us to learn from them, not live in them. ‘For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.’ Jesus wore the crown of thorns so we could wear crowns of righteousness, and be in right standing with God. ‘Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us’ (Romans 5:1 NLT). Being ‘made right in God’s sight’ gives us the right to stand before Him and claim His best. Peter the fisherman experienced a bad night at work. So Jesus, the Restorer, said to him: ‘“Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink’ (Luke 5:4-7 NKJV). Just one word from Jesus, and we can go from the edge of despair to a place of abundance, hope and joy. Jesus actually gave Peter back more than he lost. So today, believe that God can do much more than you expected, because He’s a God of restoration.

What Now?

Have you been working on something that hasn’t gone as planned or been as successful as you thought? Ask God to get involved, and then trust Him to bring something good out of it. Remember to thank Him too!

Numbers 29-31, Mark 9:1-29

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WORD FOR YOU

Forgive and move on (1)
20 MARCH 2022

‘Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on.’
Philippians 3:13-14 NIVUK

The more someone has hurt us, the harder it is to forgive them. But we must choose forgiveness, because whatever we refuse to forgive and let go of, we carry with us like a weight. Sometimes we may even need to forgive ourselves for something we’ve done. Whatever our particular hurt, the solution isn’t to feed it by feeling sorry for ourselves, or deny it by pretending it never happened. We have to face the hurt, then forgive and let it go, or we’ll continue to hurt. Someone once said that choosing not to forgive somebody is like eating poison and expecting the other person to die. In order to move forward, we have to let go and be at peace with the past. Paul put many Christians to death before he met Christ. He could easily have allowed that memory to destroy him and rob him of his destiny. But he refused to let it. Instead he wrote: ‘Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 3:13-14 NIVUK). Paul hadn’t forgotten his past, but knowing that God had forgiven him, he wasn’t going to let his past hold him back. Mark 11:25 says: ‘If you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins’ (NIV). Starting today, choose forgiveness.

What Now?

Write a list of all the people you still need to forgive. Take some time to bring each person before God and choose to forgive them. When you’ve let go of the hurt, cross them off the list.

Luke 5:17-39, Psalms 31-32

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WORD FOR YOU

Forgive and move on (2)
21 MARCH 2022

‘No one who…looks back is fit for service.’
Luke 9:62 NIV

Whatever has happened in our past, it doesn’t automatically determine our future. Here are some things to remember to help us keep moving forwards: 1) Focus on what’s ahead. We can use what we’ve learned from our past experiences, good and bad, to help us as we move forwards. But if we keep looking back at the past, we’ll miss all the amazing things that God’s putting in our future. Our past isn’t where we’re heading; we need to stay focused on what’s ahead. 2) Stop looking for easy answers. Life is hard, and being a Christian certainly doesn’t promise us a trouble-free life. In fact, when we’re following God’s plan, the devil might try even harder to stop us. But what we are promised is a God who is bigger than any problem we’ll ever have to face, and who will not leave us to face things alone. 3) Stay on your path – not everybody will go with you. We shouldn’t let anyone hold us back from following the plans that God has for us. Following God’s path might mean leaving friends behind, but even though that’s hard, we can be sure that God’s plans are the best, and He has amazing things lined up for us if we choose to trust Him and follow His guidance. 4) Believe in yourself – God does! People might try to criticise us and put us down, but God knows our potential, and if we’re willing to trust Him and work hard, He’ll help us fulfil it. He gave each of us a specific purpose, and He doesn’t make mistakes. If He’s called us, He’ll give us everything we need to achieve that calling.

What Now?

Find a picture of a path. Print it out or keep it on your phone. When you feel you’re focusing too much on the past, look at the picture and remind yourself of God’s path into the future.

Deuteronomy 4-6, Mark 11:1-19

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WORD FOR YOU

Spiritual intuition
24 MARCH 2022

‘Your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”’
Isaiah 30:21 NIV

Ever felt yourself being prompted to do a certain thing, such as helping someone, giving something, or changing something, but instead you allowed your head to overrule the voice in your spirit? That inner voice is our spiritual intuition, the part of us that God speaks to. The Bible says, ‘Your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”’ John the apostle put it this way: ‘You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things’ (1 John 2:20 NKJV). We need to learn to trust that ‘anointing’ because it will tell us what we need to do, when we need to act, what direction we need to take, and what changes we need to make. Often we don’t act on our spiritual intuition because we feel like we need to think it through, to analyse whether it’s really the right thing to do. Thinking about it is definitely wise, as is checking whether it lines up with what the Bible says. But the trouble comes when we procrastinate and never act on it, until we become paralysed and afraid to do anything. We have to learn to recognise and trust our spiritual intuition. It’s our connection to the greatest source of wisdom in the universe – God’s wisdom. Our spiritual intuition can be summed up by these words in the Bible: ‘For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose’ (Philippians 2:13 NIVUK). So the next time our spiritual intuition tells us something and it lines up with Scripture, let’s do our best to act on it.

What Now?

What has your spiritual intuition been prompting you about recently? Write down any thoughts you have, and see what the Bible says about it too. If it all checks out, go ahead and take action.

Deuteronomy 13-15, Mark 12:28-44

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WORD FOR YOU

Honouring our mothers
27 MARCH 2022

‘Jesus saw his mother standing there.’
John 19:26 NLT

Today is Mothering Sunday. A day for us to tell our mothers how much we appreciate everything they do, as well as being an opportunity to say thank you to anyone who loves and cares for us like a mother does. The Bible tells us numerous times to honour our parents, listen to them, and treat them with respect. But instead of thinking about those verses, let’s take a look at a time when Jesus honoured His mother, Mary. In John 19, as Jesus was dying on the cross, He saw Mary and the disciple John standing below, watching. 'He said to her, "Dear woman, here is your son." And he said to this disciple, "Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home’ (v.26-27 NLT). Jesus was being crucified; He was in unimaginable pain. But in the midst of His ordeal, His thoughts were for His mother, and to ensure she would have someone who would love, care and provide for her. Nailed to a cross and dying, Jesus did the simple but deeply loving act of asking Mary and John to become mother and son to each other. And that's something for us to think about today as we celebrate and honour mothers. Maybe for whatever reason you can't give your mum a gift or see her in person. It doesn’t matter why. Just do something simple and powerful, from a loving heart: take a few minutes to pray for her and to thank God for her. And even if things haven't been easy between you, remember that God’s at work in the situation. You just need to pray and allow Him to do the rest. Let's make today a day when we really show what God's love means by honouring and praying for our mothers and those who care for us.

What Now?
What could you do to honour your mum (or the mother figure in your life) today? Even if it’s just a little note saying thank you, do it. And remember to pray for her too. If your mum isn’t with you anymore, thank God for her life.

Luke 6:1-26, Psalms 33-34