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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

God is at work!
16 January 2025

‘Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.’
Philippians 3:8 NLT

The experiences you had before you committed your life to Christ, including things you regret, can be redeemed, and put to good use. Before Paul met Christ on the Damascus road, his life had been dedicated to the study of Old Testament law. ‘I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault’ (vv. 5-6 NLT). Looking back, Paul may have considered his years of study as a Pharisee to be wasted. But God had prepared him to show the Jews how Christ was the fulfilment of the Old Testament Scriptures he knew so well.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that God doesn’t begin working in our lives until the day we come to know Christ as Saviour. Scripture says that He ‘foreknew’ us, meaning He chose and prepared us long before we ever met Him (see Romans 8:29-30). David says that God wrote out all the days of his life before they ever came to pass (see Psalm 139:16), and that’s true for you. God is at work in your life in ways you’re unaware of. Even when you’re unable to notice Him at work, He is always active in you, causing His good pleasure. ‘For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure’ (Philippians 2:13 NKJV). Faith changes the question ‘Is God at work?’ into a declarative statement of faith: ‘God is at work!’

Genesis 33-35, Matthew 10:1-16

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

We all need the same grace
17 January 2025

‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
Luke 18:13 NKJV

Jesus said: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men – extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.” And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other’ (vv. 10-14 NKJV).

The difference between these two men is that the Pharisee was guilty of sins of the spirit, and the tax collector was guilty of the sins of the flesh. Pride shut the door of heaven to the Pharisee, and humility opened the door of heaven to the tax collector. The Pharisee said he was innocent but went home guilty. The tax collector acknowledged he was guilty and went home innocent.

Notice, he doesn’t use the usual word for mercy. The word used here dates back to the Hebrew word kippur, which means ‘atonement’, as in Yom Kippur, which means ‘the Day of Atonement’. The word atonement means ‘to cover’. What the tax collector said was, ‘God, I’m admitting what you already know is true about me. I am a sinful man with a sinful heart. God, will you cover me?’ That’s all God needed to hear from him to save him – and that’s all God needs to hear from you too.

Genesis 36-38, Matthew 10:17-42

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Prodigal, come home!
18 January 2025

‘His older son…was angry.’
Luke 15:25, 28 NKJV

The parable of the prodigal son is about two boys and their father’s love for each. The younger one dishonoured his father and ended up in a pigpen. When he returned home, he had lost everything – except his father’s love. So no matter who you are or what you have done – God loves you and wants you in His family. Jesus made an amazing statement: ‘When he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him’ (v. 20 NKJV).

Ancient Hebrew culture thought running was an undignified act for older men. Men wore long flowing robes, and had to pull them up around their waist to run, exposing their undergarments. But the father didn’t care about what people thought; he cared about his wayward son.

Unfortunately, his older brother didn’t feel that way. Do you understand why a lot of younger brothers are still out in the pigpen and don’t want to enter the church? Because they’re afraid older brothers will hit them with the mean hand of judgement instead of touching them with the welcoming hand of love. The older brother desires punishment, but the father provides pardon. The older brother requires guilt, but the father gives grace. The older brother wants revenge, but the father wants reconciliation.

Here is the good news: no matter how low you have fallen, know that as soon as you return, you will discover your heavenly Father facing you, extending open arms and a loving heart towards you.

Genesis 39-40, Matthew 11

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Personal growth; commit to it
19 January 2025

‘Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them.’
1 Timothy 4:15 NKJV

Paul had a succession plan for his ministry. That’s why he mentored Timothy and instructed him, ‘Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.’ The words ‘that your progress may be evident to all’ mean that growth is measurable. Question: as you look back over the last few years of your life, in what areas have you grown? Before you read on, take a moment, and think carefully about how you answer that question.

In childhood, our bodies automatically grow. But some of us bring into adulthood a subconscious trust that spiritual, emotional, and mental growth follow a comparable pattern. We think that as time goes by, we inevitably improve. We’re like cartoon character Charlie Brown in Charles Schulz’s Peanuts comic strip, who once said, ‘I think I’ve discovered the secret of life – you just hang around until you get used to it.’

The problem is that you don’t get better by just living; you must be intentional about it. No one improves by chance. Personal growth doesn’t simply take place on its own. And when you’re finished with your formal education, you must take full ownership of the growth process because no one else will see to it for you.

The ultimate growth manual is your Bible. It’s ‘living and powerful’ (Hebrews 4:12 NKJV). Everything you need to know and everything that’s required for you to grow can be found in its pages. So, open your Bible. Delve into it. Read it. Meditate on it. Apply its principles to your life, and you will be amazed at how you grow.

Luke 1:39-56 , Psalms 7-9

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

You will be rewarded for it
20 January 2025

‘The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.’
Romans 8:18 NKJV

In 1857 David Livingstone gave this speech at Cambridge University: ‘People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa…Away with the word in such a view and with such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger now and then with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life may make us pause and cause the spirit to waver and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall be revealed in and for us. I never made a sacrifice.’

When you serve the Lord, you always get back more than you give up. And if you get back more than you give up, have you really sacrificed anything at all? ‘Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time – houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions – and in the age to come, eternal life”’ (Mark 10:28-30 NKJV). The only regrets you will have at the end of your life will be that you didn’t seek and serve God more and seek and serve Him sooner.

Genesis 41-42, Matthew 12:1-21

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Believe God, in spite of the odds
21 January 2025

‘Our sufficiency is from God.’
2 Corinthians 3:5 NKJV

Gideon’s army of thirty-two thousand men is enormously outnumbered by the Midianites when God tells him, ‘You have too many men.’ He instructs Gideon to release anyone who is afraid, and Gideon loses two-thirds of his army. Now he has only ten thousand men. Again the Lord says, ‘There are still too many men,’ and reduces Gideon’s army to three hundred men. At that moment, the odds had to be a million to one. And it even gets better! God directs Gideon to attack the Midianites with trumpets and pitchers. Now for the real kicker: Israel wins!

Why did God do it like that? Because if Gideon had attacked with thirty-two thousand men and won, the Israelites would have thought that God didn’t provide much help, and God would have received limited credit. But God is worthy of more. God desires and deserves complete credit. And when three hundred men defeat a massive army with trumpets and pitchers, God receives all the glory (see Judges 7).

Why? The reason is a victory like that overcomes all odds. Too frequently, our prayers revolve around requesting God to increase our odds of winning. We would like everything in our favour. But maybe God wants the odds to oppose us so we can encounter a miracle of divine proportions. Faith is trusting God no matter how hopeless the odds are. Our impossible circumstances are chances to experience a new height of God’s glory.

Are you facing a situation that, humanly speaking, is beyond your ability to cope with it? Read this: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God’ (2 Corinthians 3:5 NKJV).

Genesis 43-45, Matthew 12:22-50

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

What it takes to do God’s will
22 January 2025

‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’
Acts 9:6 NKJV

Paul’s life changed forever when he asked the question, ‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’ Note how God answered his question: ‘Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do’ (v. 6 NKJV). Discovering God’s will takes place in steps.

Step one is awareness. You cannot change direction if you’re unaware you’re heading in the wrong direction, so spend some time thinking about where you’re presently heading. If it’s not where you need to go, then write down the steps you must take to go where you want to go, to accomplish what you want to accomplish. Make them as concrete as you possibly can. Will they absolutely be the right steps? Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. But you won’t know for sure until you start moving forwards.

Step two is action. You can’t win if you don’t begin! Take initiative. Do something specific each day that will move you one step closer to your goal. Then, continue to do it every day.

Step three is accountability. Few things will inspire you to see your goals through like accountability. One way you can do that is to share your goals. When you tell people what you plan to do, you feel pressure to keep working at it. Give those people permission to ask you about your progress. It’s like giving yourself a deadline so that you keep moving towards it. Writing things down gives you another form of accountability.

Do you want to do God’s will? Then start with these steps.

Genesis 46-48, Matthew 13:1-30

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

God cares about the details of your life
23 January 2025

‘The very hairs of your head are all numbered.’
Luke 12:7 NKJV

If you want to know how incomprehensively big God is, read this: ‘My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand has stretched out the heavens’ (Isaiah 48:13 NKJV). Could such a God care about your daily troubles and woes? Yes. ‘Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows’ (Luke 12:6-7 NKJV).

God values sparrows – more than you know. He feeds them, and supplies them with trees and twigs for nests and other sparrows to mate with. He cares so much about them that He keeps a running inventory. How about you? ‘The very hairs of your head are all numbered.’ When you care about someone, you observe details. When a baby is born, what do parents do when they see the tiny fingers and toes for the first time? They count them. For years later, every time that child comes home, if they are missing one of those ten fingers or toes, the parents notice. Even inadequate parents do this. Jesus was saying, ‘God doesn’t only number your fingers and toes. He loves you so much He numbers the hairs on your head. He notices their quantity. He notices their colour.’

Proverbs 16:31 tells us, ‘Grey hair is a crown of splendour; it is attained in the way of righteousness’ (NIVUK). The cross proves how much God loves you and how much you mean to Him, including the details of your life.

Genesis 49-50, Matthew 13:31-58

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Don’t give up!
24 January 2025

‘To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.’
Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV

Solomon says there is ‘a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to gain, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace’ (vv. 2-8 NKJV).

That’s a total of twenty-eight different ‘times’. But notice what Solomon does not give us – a time to give up! As long as you stay on the battlefield, God can turn your situation around and give you victory. If you’re worried today about your marriage, your children, your health, your finances, your job, and your future, here is a promise you can stand on: ‘“No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the Lord’ (Isaiah 54:17 NKJV). God didn’t say that the weapon wouldn’t be formed against you, but He said it wouldn’t prosper. So don’t give up!

Exodus 1-3, Matthew 14:1-21

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Glean, store up, and share
25 January 2025

‘Gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up.’
Genesis 41:35 NKJV

Notice what Joseph told Pharaoh: ‘Collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years…gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up…Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine…that the land may not perish’ (vv. 34-36 NKJV).

There are two important lessons for us in this story.

1) Don’t let your bad times eat up your good ones. And what is the best way to do that? By standing on the Word of God during times of discouragement and difficulty. ‘Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ’ (Philippians 1:6 NKJV).

2) Don’t just enjoy your good times; glean from them the wisdom, strength, strategies, relationships, and resources that will sustain you in the bad times. Paul writes, ‘We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character’ (Romans 5:3-4 NLT).

But when God blesses you, don’t just store it up – share it with others. Practise the law of reciprocity that Jesus taught: ‘Give, and it will be given to you…For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you’ (Luke 6:38 NKJV). What you cling to for selfish purposes, you will eventually lose. But when you give to bless others, God has promised to reward you both now and in eternity.

Exodus 4-6, Matthew 14:22-36