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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™


The need for connectedness (1)
01 OCTOBER 2022

‘It is not good…to be alone.’
Genesis 2:18 NIV

At creation, God looked at everything He had made and said, ‘That’s good.’ Then there came a time when He realised man was lonely, unfulfilled, and incomplete. That’s when He said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone,’ and He made Eve, the first woman. The fact is, none of us can develop to our highest potential unless we’re plugged in to nurturing, life-giving relationships. Here is an example: in twelve-step recovery programmes, the counsellor only does 10 per cent of the work by offering guidance. Ninety per cent of the recovery process takes place because the people in the group challenge, comfort, and strengthen one another.

The truth is – we’re shaped by people! The right people help you to become the best version of yourself, and you get to do the same for them. They see a ‘you’ you can’t see at times, they cheer you on as you move towards it, and they ‘get in your face’ when you move away from it. The highest and best form of this relationship is referred to in Scripture as the ‘fellowship of the Spirit’ (see Philippians 2:1; 2 Corinthians 13:14 and 1 John 1:6). It’s not just a social, relational, or intellectual connection, but a deep spiritual link that causes us to thrive. It’s like the difference between bees and butterflies. Butterflies cover more territory, but bees gather more honey. Why? Because they don’t just land on a flower briefly, they stay there and extract the life-giving nectar. God gave David the gift of a Jonathan, and Naomi the gift of a Ruth. And He has people He would like you to meet. So talk to Him today about it.

Isaiah 56-58, Colossians 4

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

The need for connectedness (2)
02 OCTOBER 2022

‘They shared everything they had.’
Acts 4:32 NIV

When you read the story of the New Testament Church, you tend to get caught up in its explosive growth and amazing miracles. But here’s a component you shouldn’t miss: ‘No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had…There were no needy persons among them…those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money…and it was distributed to anyone who had need’ (vv. 32-35 NIV).

You say, ‘If I just had more money I’d be happy.’ You might feel more secure and have fewer worries, but you wouldn’t necessarily be happier. In the Journal of Happiness Studies, researchers looked at what distinguished quite happy people from less happy people. One factor consistently separated those two groups. It’s not about how much money you have; it’s not about your health, security, attractiveness, IQ, or career success. What distinguishes consistently happy people from less happy people is the presence of rich, deep, joy-producing, life-changing, meaningful relationships.

Social researcher Robert Putnam writes: ‘The single most common finding from a half-century’s research on life satisfaction, not only in the U.S. but around the world, is that happiness is best predicted by the breadth and depth of one’s social connections.’ But you can know a lot of people without really being known by any of them, and end up lonely. Those people in the New Testament Church got it right: it’s in sharing with one another spiritually, emotionally, financially, and relationally that you achieve your highest level of joy.

Luke 19:1-27, Psalms 103-104

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

The need for connectedness (3)
03 OCTOBER 2022

‘We are like the various parts of a human body.’
Romans 12:4 MSG

Paul writes: ‘We are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvellously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be…If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them’ (vv. 4-8 MSG).

Unhappiness can often begin with the absence of connection. It’s not in having a mobile phone with a lot of numbers in it; it’s in sharing your life with those who live for causes greater than themselves. Where should you start? By visiting a lonely, forgotten person in the nearest nursing home. By volunteering to work in a food bank once a week. By saying to your pastor, ‘Please give me a job that involves helping others.’ These are small steps, but you will be amazed how they enrich your life.

Isaiah 59-61, 1 Thessalonians 1

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

The benefits of meditating on God’s Word
04 OCTOBER 2022

‘I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.’
Psalm 77:12 NIV

What does the word meditate mean? ‘To engage in contemplation or reflection or to focus one’s thoughts on.’ David said, ‘I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.’ Question: until you meditate on God’s Word, what can you say that will make any real difference? All you will be doing is sharing your opinion, which is just one of many. You will not be able to speak convincingly or make any real difference in the life of the person to whom you are speaking. It’s God’s Word that changes people’s lives, not yours!

Here are ten benefits of meditating on God’s Word: 1) It cultivates within you a love for God and His Word. 2) It gives you new insights and spiritual understanding. 3) It’s a source of reassurance and strength. 4) It empowers you to be a genuine witness for Jesus Christ. 5) It renews your mind. 6) It protects you from sin. 7) It restores your soul and your emotions. 8) It enables you to trust in the Lord with all your heart. 9) It causes your spirit to come alive. 10) It assists you in understanding God, others, and yourself.

There is great power in God’s Word, and Bible meditation gives you access to that power. ‘Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you – your tickets to participation in the life of God’ (2 Peter 1:3-4 MSG).

Isaiah 62-64, 1 Thessalonians 2

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

The truth about giving
05 OCTOBER 2022

‘He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will…increase your store of seed.’
2 Corinthians 9:10 NIV
Here is what the Bible teaches about giving:

1) You always get back more than you give. ‘He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness’ (v. 10 NIV). When Paul talks here about ‘seed’, he’s talking about money. Notice, some of the money God gives you is to be used for your own needs, and some is to create ‘a harvest of righteousness’. What does that mean? Paul explains: ‘They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever’ (v. 9 NIV). In other words, you must show compassion towards those who are hurting and give generously to those who are unable to provide for themselves. The Bible says that when you give to the poor, you actually lend to the Lord, and He will repay you (see Proverbs 19:17). Can you imagine the interest God pays? Jesus said: ‘Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you’ (Luke 6:38 NIV).

2) You should give, expecting to be blessed. You say, ‘If I get more, I’ll give more.’ ’No, you have the cart before the horse. It’s the level of your giving that determines the level of your receiving, not vice versa. So break through your barrier of fear and put God to the test. He won’t disappoint you. Once you have experienced His blessing, you will never want to live any other way.

Isaiah 65-66, 1 Thessalonians 3

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Fight your fears with God’s Word
06 OCTOBER 2022

‘Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.’
Psalm 56:3 NKJV
Fear and faith are both powerful forces. And the one you surrender to will control you. So here are some Scriptures to fight your fears:

‘Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord…will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you’ (1 Chronicles 28:20 NKJV).

‘The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust’ (Psalm 18:2 NKJV). ‘In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’ (Psalm 56:11 NKJV).

‘He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord’ (Psalm 112:7 NKJV).

‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me’ (Psalm 23:4 NKJV).

‘My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid’ (John 14:27 NKJV).

‘Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT).

‘Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love’ (Romans 8:38 NLT).

Bottom line: fight your fears with God’s Word!

Jeremiah 1-2, 1 Thessalonians 4

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

You need adequate sleep
07 OCTOBER 2022

‘You will lie down and sleep soundly.’
Proverbs 3:24 NLT

What about your sleep habits? Do you go to bed at a certain time and get up at a certain time? Or do you allow events, people, deadlines, or other circumstances to dictate your sleep schedule? If you’re wise, you will allow yourself adequate time to wind down in order to sleep when you go to bed. We think of sleep as some passive process in which we drift off into oblivion and wake up several hours later well rested. But sleep is an active state. Metabolic and other restorative processes occur during the various stages of sleep. If we don’t sleep long enough for our system to be rejuvenated, we find ourselves irritated by the smallest things, and we tend to overeat. The excess hunger is just our body’s cry for the energy that was supposed to be supplied by a good night’s sleep.

David said, ‘I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety’ (Psalm 4:8 NKJV). It’s hard to sleep when you have pressing matters on your mind. So if you want to ‘lie down in peace and sleep’, give your worries to God and trust Him to take care of them. If you’re unable to, try this: get a small box with a lid, write down what’s bothering you and put it into the box, put the lid on it and set it up on a shelf in your wardrobe. By that simple act of faith, you’re saying, ‘Lord, I’m giving this to you. When I awaken tomorrow, you will give me the strength and wisdom to deal with it.’ Try it; it works!

Jeremiah 3-5, 1 Thessalonians 5

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Can you be corrected?
08 OCTOBER 2022

‘David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”’
2 Samuel 12:13 NKJV

God sent the prophet Nathan to confront King David over his affair with Bathsheba. As king, David had the power to have Nathan put to death. But he didn’t. He humbled himself, received correction, repented, and was restored to his throne and God’s favour. Question: can you be corrected? If you can, your future is bright and your potential is great. But you must be discerning. Not all correction is constructive and therefore does not have to be accepted. Someone may desire to tear you down, diminish your self-esteem, or manipulate you into accepting their way of thinking. So you must make it a habit to analyse the motives of the person who is correcting you. Ask yourself these questions:

1) In the past, has this person shown a genuine concern for my personal well-being and development?

2) What does he or she gain personally if I accomplish the behaviour they are recommending? What do I gain? What do I lose?

3) Is their attitude one of kindness, or am I feeling attacked and demeaned? (Be careful; don’t confuse a person’s irritation over your behaviour as a personal attack.)

4) After they criticise me, do I feel like a hopeless failure, or do they communicate faith in my capacity to change?

5) Are they dedicated to sticking with me through the change? The Bible says, ‘Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful’ (Proverbs 27:6 KJV). Since God loves you enough to send people into your life to correct you, receive them because they have your best interests at heart.

Jeremiah 6-8, 1 Thessalonians 5

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Hearing, understanding, and receiving
09 OCTOBER 2022

‘So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak.’
James 1:19 NKJV

To have a good relationship with someone, you must have good communication. And good communication is based on two things: talking, and listening. Stop and consider some of your recent conflicts and try to identify behaviours and attitudes that may have contributed to them. Fears. Insecurity. Jealousy. Stubbornness. Arrogance. Greed. Sin. Rebellion. Unexpressed or unmet expectations. Unrealistic expectations. Undefined roles and responsibilities. Differing standards, beliefs, philosophies, or views. Competing desires. Ineffective systems and processes. Power struggles. Contradictory goals and objectives. Breach of boundaries (spoken or unspoken). Inadequate or sparse resources (time, money, space). Language barriers. Lack of information. Lack of understanding of the needs of different personalities. Poor relational skills.

James writes, ‘So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak.’ This Bible verse is crucial to good communication. By listening, we create an atmosphere where people feel they have been understood and their views and feelings have been validated. This is half the battle in settling any conflict. And listening is not passive! It requires considerable effort to discern what’s really being expressed or even unexpressed. But there is good news: if you’re serious about it, God will help you to become a better listener! Isaiah writes: ‘The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning. He awakens My ear to hear as the learned’ (Isaiah 50:4 NKJV). Note the words ‘tongue’ and ‘ear’, and ask God to help you with both.

Luke 19:28-48, Psalms 105-106

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY™

Set your mind
10 OCTOBER 2022

‘Set your minds on things above.’
Colossians 3:2 NIV


Setting your mind is similar to setting a thermostat; it determines the climate you live in. So, set your mind on God’s Word! Instead of trying to stop thinking wrong thoughts – which immediately brings to mind the very thoughts you’re supposed to stop thinking – fill your mind with God’s Word. Jesus told His disciples that the Holy Spirit would remind them of what He had taught them (see John 14:26). So when you file the Scriptures in your memory bank, God’s Spirit will pull those files when you need them.

Picture an amateur pilot navigating through his first storm. He can’t see any landmarks around which to fly because they’re locked in a fog. But then a voice comes from the controller in the tower saying, ‘Just listen to me, and I’ll guide you.’ Jesus said, ‘I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33 NIV).

Paul writes: ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV). For example, what should you do when the economy is bad? Recognise that neither the London Stock Exchange nor the High Street decide your security – God does. What should you do when someone criticises you? Take what’s good and let no one but God determine your worth. By keeping your mind on God’s Word, you’re at peace in any situation.

Jeremiah 9-11, 2 Thessalonians 2