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‘These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you.’ John 1 5:11 KJV

Why did Jesus say, ‘These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full’? Because if you let it, stress will drain you of joy and consign you to a life of depression, dullness, and discontent. Let’s face it, most of us are way too serious! We make a big deal out of everything. Being five minutes late, getting stuck in traffic, somebody giving us a wrong look, waiting in line, overcooking a meal, gaining a kilo, discovering a grey hair, making an honest mistake, you name it; we lose all perspective. The real problem is we have unrealistic expectations. That’s not how God wants you to live! If you want to experience the joy Jesus promised, do these two things:

1) Concede that your uptightness is mostly because of the way you have decided life should be.

2) Acknowledge that your expectations are causing you much of your frustration. When you keep expecting things to always be a certain way, and they’re not, you will always be upset.

Here is an idea: try approaching life today without all those expectations. For example, don’t expect everybody to be friendly, then when some are, you will be delighted. Don’t expect your day to be hassle-free; when trouble comes, look up and say, ‘Thank you, Lord, for another chance to grow.’ Go ahead, try it and see how much better things are. Rather than swimming against the tide, learn to flow with it. Pretty soon, you will find you’re enjoying life more! And not just that: other people will enjoy being around you more.

SoulFood: Gal 5:22, Luke 10:25-37, Eph 4:31-32, Gen 50:15-21

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright © 2024

‘Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle.’ Romans  1:1 NASB

In the Bible the word minister isn’t just a noun (which denotes a person, place, or thing); it’s also a verb (an action word). It’s what you do, not what you claim to be. In Scripture, the word servant sometimes referred to a 3rd-level galley slave chained to the oar of a Roman ship. Day and night, they rowed to the beat of another, and whether in battle or in merchant service, they expected to die chained to that oar. What a picture!

Paul says, ‘Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will find acceptable’ (Romans 12:1 NLT). Paul had no doubt about what God had called him to be. When he referred to himself as a bond-servant, he was describing a slave who served his master faithfully for six years. In the 7th year, the law of Moses required that the slave be set free. But if, when he was released, he came back and said, ‘Master, I’m not serving you because I have to; I’m serving you because I want to,’ his master would take him before a magistrate and pierce his ear, signifying that he belonged to him forever (see Exodus 21:6). Sometimes you need to look up and say: ‘Lord, I’m not serving you because I have to; I’m serving you because I love you. Pierce my ear. Mark me as yours. Bond me with you so I can never belong to another.’

When you think of everything Jesus has done for you, is that really too much to ask?

SoulFood: Acts 20-21, Mark 5:1-10, Ps 144:1-8, Pro 11:10-11

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright © 2024

‘Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain.’ Psalm 12 7:1 NIV

How would you describe your relationship with your children? Strained? Exciting? Heart-breaking? Enjoyable? If you want a real eye-opener, ask them to describe their feelings about you and their home. But be warned, what they say might not be to your liking! And having a Christian home doesn’t necessarily exempt you. The old nature in us still rears its ugly head from time to time, and habits set in concrete can lead to broken communication.

When Biblical principles are ignored, the result is pain and strain in the family. Three illustrations come to mind:

1) Rebekah loved her son Jacob more than his brother Esau, so she used him to deceive their father, Isaac, and cause division in the family (see Genesis 27).

2) Eli, the high priest, let his boys run wild, and in the end, it cost him his life (see 1 Samuel 3-4).

3) David preached one thing but practised another, and his children (as kids will do) were more influenced by what he did than by what he said. (see 2 Samuel 11, 13, 15-16; 1 Kings 11). Nobody is immune; not David, not Rebekah, not Eli, not you! But evaluation is pointless if it leads to guilt without action.

So what should you do? Take time to get close to your children. Deal with the barriers between you. You can’t change anything unless you’re willing to acknowledge it, and sometimes change must begin with you. For example, does your attitude need adjusting? How about your priorities? What about the example you have been setting lately? Before you try to deal with your children, ask God to deal with you.

SoulFood: Acts 18-19, Mark 4:35-41, Ps 7:10-17, Pro 11:7-9

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright © 2024

‘Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.’ Romans 1 2:2 NASB

Long before William James, the Father of American psychology, was attributed with saying, ‘The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes,’ God said, ‘As a man thinks in his heart, so is he’ (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV). Often it’s our thoughts, not our circumstances, that determine our happiness. We keep thinking we will be happy when certain things happen.

For example, a parent might say, ‘When little Tommy starts primary school, I will be happy.’ And they are, for a while. Next, ‘When Tommy leaves secondary school, I will be happy.’ And they are, at least for the summer. Next, Tommy’s graduation from university brings the same promise; so does his marriage and the birth of the first grandchild. But the problem is, the parent hasn’t learned how to be happy between happenings. When your happiness is controlled by something outside yourself, you will always be hostage to people, places, and things. That’s not how God wants you to live – a victim of circumstances beyond your control. The psalmist said, ‘I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth’ (Psalm 34:1 KJV). David chose the right attitude, and you have to do the same! You also must maintain it. That’s the hard part. It’s like the old farmer who said, ‘The hardest thing about milking cows is – they don’t stay milked!’

And it’s the same with attitudes; they don’t stay changed. You have to work on them every day; it’s called renewing your mind. And the way you do it is by getting into God’s Word and getting His Word into you. Are you doing that regularly?

SoulFood: Acts 16-17, Mark 4:30-34, Ps 7:1-9, Pro 11:3-6

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright © 2024

‘No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.’ 1 Corinthians 1 0:24 NIV

Self-pity can be deadly. It tells the wife and mother who works hard, ‘You’re not appreciated.’ It says to the office worker, ‘Look how valuable you are, yet you’re never recognised or rewarded.’ It says to the unemployed, ‘No chance!’ To the divorced, ‘No place!’ To the bereaved, ‘No hope!’ And to the struggling, ‘No way!’ Look at the prophet Elijah. 24 hours after his greatest victory, he is deeply depressed and wallowing in self-pity. ‘I have had enough…Take my life…I have zealously served…But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed…your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too’ (1 Kings 19:4, 10 NLT).

There it is – self-pity in the raw! Generally speaking, there are two reasons behind self-pity. The first is emotional manipulation. We use self-pity as a weapon to guilt-trip others and get our own way. That’s immaturity and you have to deal with it, whether it’s in yourself or somebody else. On the other hand, self-pity can also stem from sheer exhaustion. Recorded in the Old Testament, God showed Elijah four things that were necessary to get himself back on track:

1) He needed more rest.

2) He hadn’t been eating properly.

3) He had taken his eyes off God and was trying to do everything in his own strength.

4) He was isolated and needed a friend. So, God gave him Elisha. That did the job, and the next time we see Elijah, he is back on top.

Take a moment today and think about how these four truths apply to your life.

SoulFood: Acts 14-15, Mark 4:21-29, Ps 16, Pro 11:1-2

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright © 2024