‘Be still!’ Mark 4:39 NLT

‘Jesus said to His disciples: “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” So they took Jesus in the boat and started out… But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back… with His head on a cushion. The disciples woke Him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t You care that we’re going to drown?” …He rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then He asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” …“Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey Him!”’ (Mark 4:35–41 NLT) Following Jesus doesn’t exempt you from life’s storms, so you need to:

(1) Remind yourself who’s with you—Jesus! Think about it: if Jesus can calm the storm, surely He can prevent it. But He permits us to go through storms to prove we don’t have a problem He can’t solve. You may be powerless in the situation, but He’s not, and through it you’ll come to know Him in a way you never have before. His goal is to bring you out stronger on the other side.

(2) Trust what He has told you. When Jesus tells you, ‘Let’s cross over to the other side,’ there’s not a wave big enough to take you under. The truth is, ‘We cannot stand in the storms of life based on someone else’s faith. We must be fully assured in our own hearts and minds.’ (See 1 John 5:14–15) What has God promised you? Stand on it!

SoulFood: Deut 30:1–32:28, Luke 11:45–54, Ps 119:9–16, Pr 17:4–6

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

‘Nothing is too hard for You.’ Jeremiah 32:17 NIV

God can solve any problem because He is not bound by human limitations:

(1) He is not limited by time. God can do in an instant what would normally take years. ‘He sends His command to the earth; His word runs swiftly.’ (Psalm 147:15 NIV) He can speed the natural process of your healing; He can accelerate your harvest of blessing so you’ll be sowing with one hand and reaping with the other (see Amos 9:13).

(2) He is not limited by lack. When the Israelites left Egypt, God instructed them to ask for silver and gold. That’s because the Egyptians owed them 400 years’ back pay with interest! And when they obeyed God, He broke their chains of lack and they got back everything that had been stolen. Whatever Satan has taken from you, God can restore (see Zechariah 9:12).

(3) He is not limited by the Enemy. Moses told the Israelites, ‘The Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.’ (Exodus 14:13 NKJV) How does God deal with Satan’s power? By increasing yours! ‘Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ (1 John 4:4 KJV) Satan took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple, but he couldn’t push Him over—and he can’t push you over the edge either. So use God’s Word and stand up to him!

(4) He is not limited by anything—but He does not respond to doubt. He made an axe-head float, a donkey talk, and a corpse come back to life after four days, so you don’t have a problem He can’t solve. So rise up and boldly say, ‘Nothing is too hard for You.’

SoulFood: 1 Pet 1–5, Matt 14:22–36, Ps 119:25–32, Pro 17:11–15

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

‘The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing.’ Psalm 23:1 NIV

Why does the Bible compare us to sheep? Because they’re one of the most dependent creatures in the world; they must trust in the shepherd for everything they need. And that’s how God wants you to live: in dependence on Him. When you constantly live in the fear of lack, you’re not trusting God enough. This core fear drives many of our other fears, including the fear of becoming disabled, or the fear of ageing, or the fear of investing, or the fear of retiring poor.

In its extreme form, fear of lack can lead to anxiety. It’s also one of the root causes of greed. You can become so obsessed with insuring yourself against the possibility of not having enough, that you hoard more than you’ll ever need. It can drive you to become a workaholic so that neither you nor your children will ever experience discomfort, inconvenience, and helplessness. And like all fears, it’s based on an erroneous belief about God—in particular, His ability and willingness to take care of you. ‘The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.’ (Psalm 23:1 AMPC)

Stop living as though you don’t believe what God has promised you! A good strategy is to learn the promises, understand the ones that are conditional, meet the conditions, and rest in His love and faithfulness. This doesn’t mean you sit idly by and wait for God to do what He has given you the ability to do. You must do the natural things, and trust Him for the supernatural ones.

SoulFood: Ex 7–9, Matt 4:12–25, Ps 10:1–11, Pr 1:10–16

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

‘Arise, for this matter is your responsibility but we will be with you. Be of good courage, and do it.’ Ezra 10:4 NKJV

You probably haven’t heard of Harlow Curtice because he wasn’t a graduate from a prestigious university; he was a country boy with only a high-school diploma (roughly equivalent to finishing Year 10). But he had big dreams. He started out as a bookkeeper in General Motors and rose to become a company president by the age of 35. By the time he was 40, he was the general manager of General Motors’ esteemed Buick division. He worked his way to the top of his profession with a talent for new ideas and action. He bravely designed new styles and models. And he personally travelled throughout the United States to inspire dealers and instil in them a renewed enthusiasm about their Buick products.

And guess when he did it? In the middle of the Great Depression! Under his leadership, the sale of Buick cars doubled and doubled again; his division became the second biggest money-maker in General Motors’ history. When he was asked what he attributed his success to, he cited these three things:

(1) He set goals for himself and required the people around him to do likewise.

(2) He took pride in confronting and overcoming obstacles.

(3) He was willing to take risks and do the things that talented but fearful people around him refused to do.

As a result, winning became a habit and a lifestyle. Those three principles are solidly Scriptural and time-tested, and they will lead you to success in whatever you put your hand to. So the word for today is—‘Arise, for this matter is your responsibility… Be of good courage, and do it.’

SoulFood: Num 11–13, Mark 5:31–43, Ps 2, Pr 10:30–32

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

‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.’ Proverbs 3:5 NIV

Trust in God more than in yourself. That doesn’t mean you should go through life doubting and second-guessing yourself, or being afraid to move in case you make a mistake. When you recognise and embrace God’s plan for your life, you tap into the power you need to fulfil it. False humility will handicap you spiritually, mentally, and emotionally, and keep you from moving forward.

When God called Jeremiah to be a prophet, he protested, ‘I am only a child.’ (Jeremiah 1:6 BSB) But listen to what God told him: ‘Do not say, “I am only a child.”’ (Jeremiah 1:7 BSB) As surely as ‘the tongue can bring death or life’ (Proverbs 18:21 NLT), you must learn to speak God’s Word over the vision He has given you.

Yes, it’s a mistake to think you can play God’s role or that He will play yours. But once you understand your personal assignment and tap into His power, you can start believing for success, regardless of what obstacles may stand in your way. When you know you’re in the will of God, doing what He told you to do, you can stand confidently on these Scriptures: ‘“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of hosts.’ (Zechariah 4:6 NKJV).

‘One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promised.’ (Joshua 23:10 NKJV)

‘In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul.’ (Psalm 138:3 NKJV)

You’re not alone today—God is with you!

SoulFood: 2 Tim 1–4, John 20:1–9, Ps 105:37–45, Pro 30:20–23

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

‘If we have built an altar for ourselves to turn away from the Lord.’ Joshua 22:23 NLT

In the Bible an altar represented different things. It represented sacrificing to God by giving Him the best of the sheep in your flock. It represented worshipping God and putting Him above all else in life. It represented humility, acknowledging your need of God and your total dependence on Him. But it’s also possible to build an altar ‘for ourselves’. By doing so, we rob God of His rightful place in our lives and begin to put ourselves first. In other words, we build an altar to self-interest, self-promotion, self-preservation, self-acclaim and self-exaltation.

That’s why Jesus sets the following standard for discipleship, and it’s a high standard: ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’ (Matthew 16:24 NKJV) Your ‘cross’ has only one purpose, and that’s for ‘self’ to die on. Paul writes: ‘For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.’ (Romans 8:13 NKJV) Note the words ‘put to death’.

Your flesh, or your ego and carnal nature, will not willingly roll over and die; it must be crucified each day. And the power to do this can only be accessed by spending time in prayer with God and renewing your mind constantly with the Word of God. So today the choice is yours; to build an altar to the Lord, you must first put ‘self’ on the altar. Are you ready to do that?

SoulFood: 1 Kings 17:1–7, 1 Kings 18:41–46, Mark 4:35–41

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

‘Dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable.’ 1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT

To plod is to walk with slow, heavy steps. When William Carey first began considering the possibility of going to India as a pioneer missionary, his father pointed out that he had no academic qualifications for the job. Carey answered, ‘I can plod.’ And he did.

When he went to India this was his typical day: he got up at 5:45am to read a chapter in the Hebrew Bible and have private devotions. At 7:00am he led family prayers in Bengali, read Persian with a tutor, and a portion of Scripture in Hindustani. After breakfast he translated Sanskrit into English. At 10:00am he went to college to teach until 2:00pm, then translated into Bengali until dinner time. After an early supper, he translated into Sanskrit and studied the Telugu language until he preached to an English congregation at 7:30pm. About 9:00pm he returned to translating for two hours, wrote to a friend in England, read a chapter from his Greek New Testament, and then finally went to bed. Carey is credited with doing more than anyone else in taking the message of Christ and establishing the church in India. And he did it because he was a plodder!

Here are two Scriptures plodders stand on:

(1) ‘Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.’ (Galatians 6:9 NKJV)

(2) ‘My dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.’ (1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT)

These Scriptures could be reduced to five words: keep plodding and you’ll succeed.

SoulFood: Judg 1–3, Matt 15:29–39, Ps 119:49–56, Pro 17:18–21

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

‘It is not good for the man 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 into nurturing, life–giving relationships.

Here is an example: in twelve–step recovery programmes, the counsellor only does 10% of the work by offering guidance. 90% 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.

SoulFood:

Genesis 2:7–25

7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 19 Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,

  “This at last is bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
  she shall be called Woman,
    because she was taken out of Man.”

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Genesis 2:1

2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

1 Corinthians 15:39–55

39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

  “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55   “O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?”

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright © 2023

‘Your presence among us sets Your people and me apart.’ Exodus 33:16 NLT

The world expects Christians to be different from those who don’t say they know Jesus, and that’s as it should be. Believers should set an example when it comes to serving others and showing love. Jesus said, ‘People will know that you are My followers if you love each other.’ (John 13:35 NCV)

In the Old Testament when the Israelites broke God’s covenant by worshipping a golden calf, Moses pleaded with God not to give up on them. His argument was this: ‘How will anyone know that You look favourably on me—on me and on Your people—if You don’t go with us? For Your presence among us sets Your people and me apart.’ What made Israel unique among the nations was the evidence of God’s presence as He journeyed with them.

And God’s presence should set you apart too! When Jesus told His disciples, ‘I will be with you always’ (Matthew 28:20 NCV), He demonstrated His presence through the Holy Spirit who dwelt in and empowered them. So much so, that their enemies said they had ‘turned the world upside down.’ (Acts 17:6 NKJV)

But as pastor and author Mark D. Roberts observes: ‘This doesn’t give us grounds for pride or boasting. God’s presence is an expression of His grace, not our worthiness. In fact, our confidence in God’s presence… gives us a strong conviction of our high calling to serve Him in every capacity of life. It gives us courage to live according to His Kingdom… to serve others in His name… if God is with us on our side, what do we have to fear?’

So today thank God for His presence in your life, and decide never to take it for granted.

SoulFood: Deut 30:1–32:28, Matt 14:1–12, Ps 119:9–16, Pro 17:4–6

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

‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.’ 2 Timothy 4:7 NIV

In Mount Hope Cemetery, in Kansas, USA you’ll find several large gravestones erected by John Milburn Davis. Davis began his working life as a lowly hired hand and managed to amass a considerable fortune. In the process, he didn’t make many friends. Nor was he close to his wife’s family, since they thought she had married beneath herself. Embittered, he vowed not to leave them a cent. When his wife died, Davis built a very fancy statue showing her sitting with him on opposite sides of a love seat.

He was so pleased with it that he planned a second monument, showing his wife kneeling to place a wreath at his future graveside. Then he had a sculptor place a set of wings on her back. One idea led to another, until he had spent a $250,000 on tributes to his wife and himself! When people asked him to contribute to the local hospital, or a swimming pool for children, the old miser would say, ‘What’s this town ever done for me?’ Davis spent his life’s fortune on statues and died at 92 as a lonely, grim-faced resident of the workhouse.

And what happened to his monuments? Each and every one of them is slowly sinking into the Kansas soil—victims of time, vandalism, and neglect; memorials to spite and self-centred living. There’s a certain poetic justice in the fact that, within a few years, they’ll all be gone. Only one person attended farmer Davis’ funeral—Horace England, the tombstone salesman!

Don’t let a similar thing happen to you—make your life count for God!

SoulFood: Rom 3:21–6:23, Matt 13:10–23, Ps 125, Pr 4:3–4

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