‘We serve God whether people honour us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us.’ 2 Corinthians 6:8 NLT Kelli B. Trujillo writes: ‘“I’m not your servant!” I half-grunted, half-spoke to one of my kids as I got on my hands and knees to pick up pasta he’d...
Protect The ‘New Shoots’
‘There is hope for a tree: if it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail.’ Job 14:7 NIV It takes God’s wisdom to find a mate who can fit where you are and go where you’re going. If you choose using only your own wisdom, you might not make...
A Formula For Successful Living
‘Humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honour. Give all your worries and cares to God.’ 1 Peter 5:6–7 NLT Somebody jokingly said, ‘The trouble with success is that the formula is the same as the one for a nervous...
Pull Down That Stronghold!
‘I use God’s mighty weapons, not those made by men, to knock down the devil’s strongholds.’ 2 Corinthians 10:4 TLB The story of Joseph the Prisoner becoming Joseph the Prime Minister teaches us that we can rise above the circumstances, overcome the challenges, and...
Take Time To Rest
‘Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest a while.”’ Mark 6:31 NLT There’s an ancient legend that says the apostle John had a partridge he enjoyed feeding and tending. One day a hunter visited him and was astonished to see him playing with...
Handling The Pressures Of Leadership
‘I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.’ 2 Corinthians 11:28 NIV Preachers prepare sermons, teachers plan lessons, accountants crunch numbers, and mechanics fix engines. But there’s no institution of higher learning that can fully prepare you...
Overcoming Stress (8)
‘I will give you rest.’ Matthew 11:28 CEV If the load you’re carrying is too heavy for you to bear, Jesus didn’t give it to you. Others may have, or you may have taken it upon yourself, but Jesus had no part in it. ‘If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come...
Overcoming Stress (7)
‘Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ Mark 6:31 NIV Take time out to enjoy life. Jesus did that. ‘Because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, “Come with Me by yourselves to a...
Overcoming Stress (6)
‘Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.’ Mark 1:35 NIV Make prayer your daily habit. Prayer is the great stress-reliever. Jesus began His day with prayer. He often stopped...
Overcoming Stress (5)
‘He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out.’ Mark 3:14 NIV Don’t try to do it all yourself. One of the reasons we get stressed out is because we think that everything depends on us. Not Jesus. He enlisted, trained, and empowered...
Most Recent Devotional Readings
Recovering from burnout
‘Even the youths shall faint and be weary,’ Isaiah 4 0:30 NKJV Dr Richard Swenson says, ‘You can go into the woods, select a 3m sapling [young tree], bend it over, and when you release it, it will return to its normal height. But if you keep bending it further and...
Memulihkan diri dari kelelahan
‘Orang-orang muda menjadi lelah dan lesu dan teruna-teruna jatuh tersandung,’ Yesaya 40:30 Dr Richard Swenson berkata, 'Anda dapat pergi ke hutan, memilih anakan [pohon muda] 3m, membengkokkannya, dan ketika Anda melepaskannya, ia akan kembali ke ketinggian...
Don’t give up on your Saul
‘Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for…Saul, for he is praying.’ Acts 9:11 NIV Has everyone else written off your Saul? ‘He is too far gone.’ ‘He is too hard, too addicted, too old, too cold.’ Joseph believed one day he would be reunited with the...
Jangan menyerah pada Saulus Anda
‘Pergilah ke jalan yang bernama Jalan Lurus, dan carilah di rumah Yudas seorang dari Tarsus yang bernama Saulus. Ia sekarang berdoa.’ Kisah Para Rasul 9:11 Apakah semua orang telah menghapus Saulus Anda? ‘Dia terlalu jauh.’ ‘Dia terlalu keras, terlalu kecanduan,...
You must care for the needy (3)
‘Blessed is he who considers the poor;’ Psalm 4 1:1 NKJV In October 2022, Forbes stated there were 2,668 billionaires in the world. It’s incredible to think that one individual, let alone 2,668 individuals, can be worth billions of dollars, and yet there are billions...
Harus peduli kepada yang membutuhkan (3)
‘Berbahagialah orang yang memperhatikan orang lemah!’ Mazmur 41:2 Pada Oktober 2022, Forbes menyatakan ada 2.668 milliarder di dunia. Sungguh luar biasa untuk berpikir bahwa satu individu, apalagi 2.668 individu, dapat bernilai miliaran dolar, namun ada miliaran...
You must care for the needy (2)
‘He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well.’ Jeremiah 2 2:16 NIV When he was a theology student, Jim Wallis and some of his classmates took scissors to the Bible and cut out every verse about poverty, wealth, justice, or oppression. And would...
Harus peduli kepada yang membutuhkan (2)
‘Serta mengadili perkara orang sengsara dan orang miskin dengan adil. Bukankah itu namanya mengenal Aku? demikianlah firman TUHAN.’ Yeremia 22:16 Ketika menjadi mahasiswa teologi, Jim Wallis dan beberapa teman sekelasnya membawa gunting dan memotong setiap ayat...
You must care for the needy (1)
‘Their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.’ Acts 6:1 NIV Since the government didn’t care for widows and orphans back in New Testament times, the church took on that responsibility. Unfortunately, bias raised its ugly head, and Jewish...
Harus peduli kepada yang membutuhkan (1)
‘Pembagian kepada janda-janda mereka diabaikan dalam pelayanan sehari-hari.’ Kisah Para Rasul 6:1 Karena pemerintah tidak mempedulikan para janda dan yatim piatu pada zaman Perjanjian Baru, gereja mengambil tanggung jawab itu. Sayangnya, ada diskriminasi, para janda...