‘He guides the humble in what is right…’ Psalm 25:9 NIV

Did you hear about the old lady who earned a living by selling her goods beside the road? Each day when she came to a certain intersection she would toss a stick up into the air. Whichever way the stick pointed when it landed was the way she went. One day a man saw her tossing the stick into the air: once, twice, then three times. He asked, ‘What are you doing?’ She said, ‘I’m letting God show me which way to go by using this stick.’ Looking at her curiously, he said, ‘But why did you throw it up three times?’ She replied, ‘Because the first two times He was pointing me in the wrong direction!’ When you don’t like the direction God gives you, do you pray, hoping He will change His mind and tell you what you want to hear? If so, you have never exchanged your will for His! Jesus said, ‘I am the vine, you are the branches…’ (John 15:5 NKJV) Only as you stay ‘connected’ to Christ will you bear fruit. Just as the life flows from the vine into the branches, so His power flows to you, then through you and begins to affect other areas of your life. The Psalmist said, ‘He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way.’ God will show you what is ‘right’ for you if you seek Him. Essentially, there are only two ways—His and yours! If you’re tired of doing things your way, get down on your knees and ask Him to show you how to do them His way.

SoulFood: S of S 5–8, Luke 23:39–49, Ps 91, Pro 21:28–31

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

‘I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision.’ Acts 2 6:19 KJV

When God gives you a vision:

1) It will interrupt you. Sometimes God will speak in a voice you can’t tune out. Other times, like Jonah, God will let you go to the bottom to get your attention. Either way, things won’t go right until you say yes to Him.

2) It will illuminate you. You may not like what God says. Ananias didn’t like going to pray for Saul of Tarsus, a man with the power to put Christians to death. But God said, ‘Go, for he is a chosen vessel … I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake’ (Acts 9:15-16 NKJV). Notice the word ‘suffer’. The devil isn’t going to send you a letter of congratulations because you have decided to do God’s will, so be prepared for an attack.

3) It will inspire you. You will accomplish things you never dreamed possible. Look at Gideon. When God found him he was hiding in a winepress (see Judges 6:11); not exactly a promising start. When the angel called him ‘… a mighty man of valour’ (Judges 6:12 NKJV), he replied, ‘… I am the least in my father’s house’ (Judges 6:15 NKJV). When the angel said, ‘The Lord is with you, …’ he replied, ‘If the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?’ (Judges 6:12-13 NKJV). When he finally took the job, he wondered, ‘How can so few of us defeat so many of them?’ Yet at that very moment his enemies were having nightmares about him (see Judges 7:13-15).

The secret of victory lies in knowing: ‘It is God working in me’ (see Philippians 2:13).

SoulFood: Isa 26-29, John 7:1-13, Ps 114, Pro 28:1-4

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

‘We are each responsible for our own conduct.’ Galatians  6:5 NLT

Being accountable for yourself, your thoughts, and your actions is a very important part of being a contributing member of a relationship. But sometimes, we take things too far by assuming an unhealthy responsibility for others, and then using it as an excuse for not being accountable for ourselves and our own circumstances. For example, we blame an unplanned pregnancy for our failure to go to university. Or we blame our unhappiness on the fact that we stayed married for the sake of the children. We focus so much on other people and taking responsibility for their lives that we never take time to look for solutions to rise above our own situation. And eventually, all the woe and hard times become our identity. We don’t just complain; we become chronic complainers.

Let’s be honest; sometimes, our tales of woe are simply excuses, made-up versions of the truth to hide the fact that we have decided to blame everyone else for our circumstances. That way, we don’t have to take responsibility for our lives. The fact is, we all make choices in life; to go or stay, to confront or ignore, to complain or look for a solution. Whether it’s your spouse, your kids, or your parents, it’s never a good idea to take responsibility for others if you’re doing it to avoid deciding what you need to do for yourself.

The Bible says, ‘Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct’ (Galatians 6:4-5 NLT).

SoulFood: 1 Cor 4-6, Luke 23:44-56, Ps 13, Pro 25:4-8

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

‘His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family.’ Ephesians 1:5 TLB

In the Bible God commands us to love one another. Interestingly, He doesn’t command us to like one another. And that’s a good thing because you can love someone and not like certain things about them. Paul writes, ‘We are His workmanship.’ (Ephesians 2:10 KJV) The word ‘workmanship’ comes from the Greek word poiéma from which we get the word ‘poetry’. And poetry is a varied and creative thing; it comes in many forms. That’s why the Bible says God works through different people in different ways (see 1 Corinthians 12:6). He uses all kinds of people, including the ones we may not like or want to work with.

‘A spiritual gift is given to each of us’ (1 Corinthians 12:7 NLT), and it’s up to us to discover and develop it. ‘Christ gave those gifts to prepare God’s holy people for the work of serving.’ (Ephesians 4:12 NCV) The word ‘prepare’ is also interesting. It comes from a medical term in the original Greek. Doctors used it to describe the process of setting a broken bone.

Stop and look around you today. Have you ever seen so many broken hearts, broken homes, broken dreams, and broken lives? And if we who claim to be followers of Christ do our job right, they will find help and healing. God uses us to minister to one another, love one another, honour one another, and carry one another’s burdens. When you think about it, the church is God’s treatment centre for everything that causes us pain. And if you keep that in mind, it will help you to love and get along with people you don’t necessarily like.

SoulFood: Exod 17:1–7, John 4:1–42

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

‘Take up your cross and follow Me.’ Mark 8:34 NLT

God is a desire-creating, desire-satisfying God. Birds want to fly because God created them to do it. Dolphins want to swim because God created them with an instinct to swim. God doesn’t plant wrong desires in us. When Adam first saw Eve, he discovered he had a strong desire for her. Where did that desire come from? God. God actually delights in fulfilling your desires.

Now, some of your desires get distorted by sin and need to be cleansed, purified, and retrained. This is what Jesus refers to when He says, ‘Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me.’ (Mark 8:34 NIV) We must say no to desires that would keep us from living in the flow of God’s Spirit. We must always be ready to sacrifice a lesser desire for the sake of living a greater life.

On the other hand, nothing makes a human being more vulnerable to temptation than a joyless life. If God removed all your desires you wouldn’t be human. A slab of concrete doesn’t have to worry about weeds growing on it, but it will also never be a garden. God’s plan is that every time we experience an authentic desire—a God-implanted desire—we come to understand more deeply what a good God He is. We learn how He has wired us and what He wants us to do in life, and as a result we find ourselves loving Him more and more. That’s why the Bible says, ‘Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!’ (Psalm 34:8 NKJV)

SoulFood: Acts 3:11–5:42, Matt 8:10–17, Ps 109:16–31, Pro 15:23–26

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

‘The Lord is close to the broken-hearted.’ Psalm 34:18 NIV

When you find yourself alone at Christmas, the sights and sounds that should bring joy can reinforce your sense of sadness and loss. There is no magic, get-well-quick formula; processing what you’re missing takes time and God’s sustaining grace. But here are some insights to help you:

(1) Don’t assume. Don’t buy into the myth that everybody else is having a perfect Christmas while you struggle. The truth is, we all experience the unrealistic demands and pressures of shopping, entertaining and gift-giving. And it’s worse in times of heartache. That’s why we’re so relieved when it’s over.

(2) It’s just one day out of 365. You can handle it for 24 hours because God has promised to give you ‘strength… equal [to] your days.’ (Deuteronomy 33:25 NIV)

(3) Take the focus off yourself. Reach out. See if there’s a needy family or a hurting neighbour who’d enjoy spending an hour with you. It’ll probably be the last thing you feel like doing, but it is therapeutic, restores your perspective and brings a sense of well-being and gratitude.

(4) Start some new traditions, especially when old ones just make you feel worse. ‘Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.’ (Philippians 3:13 NKJV) If you’re feeling lonely, here’s a prayer for you. ‘Lord, you know my heart aches today. Your Word says You are close to the broken-hearted. Let me feel Your nearness. Become more real to me than the activity without and the emptiness within. Help me draw close to You, and in so doing make this Christmas like none I’ve ever known.’

SoulFood: Zech 9–11, Matt 1:12–17, Ps 117, Pro 31:18–21

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

‘I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.’ Ecclesiastes 1:14 NIV

Are you thinking that if you had more money or greater success, you would be happy? Tennis star Boris Becker said: ‘I had won Wimbledon twice before, once as the youngest player. I was rich. I had all the material possessions I needed… It’s the old song of movie stars and pop stars who commit suicide. They have everything, and yet they are so unhappy. I had no inner peace.’

Solomon made the same discovery. ‘I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.’ (Ecclesiastes 1:14 NIV) Solomon tried religion, education, money, public works projects, fame, creative writing, and sensual pleasure: ‘I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labour… Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless…’ (Ecclesiastes 2:10–11 NIV)

Finally, in the last chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon finds what he is looking for: ‘Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.’ (Ecclesiastes 12:13 NIV) Solomon discovered that life is not built on things but on relationships. And the first and foremost relationship you must have is a relationship with God.

You say, ‘How do I find God?’ Through Christ! Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’ (John 14:6 NKJV) Today, you can have a life-changing relationship with God by putting your trust in Jesus Christ.

SoulFood: Gal 5:22–23, Gen 50:15–21, Luke 10:25–37, Eph 4:31–32

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright © 2026

‘To be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.’ 2 Corinthians  5:8 NKJV

Try as we might to avoid it, and as reluctant as we are to discuss it, each of us must release the hand of the one we love into the hand of the One who loves us most. But what happens when you die? What happens to you between your death and Christ’s return? Paul answers, ‘But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.’ (1 Thessalonians 4:13 ESV).

Scripture is surprisingly quiet about what happens to us in the period between our death and the resurrection of our body. (It doesn’t give us enough information to satisfy our curiosity, just enough to whet our appetite.) Paul writes: ‘For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far’ (Philippians 1:21-23 NIV). Bible scholar Anthony Hoekema says, ‘What Paul is saying here is that the moment he departs or dies, that very same moment he will be with Christ.’

Ultimately, heaven is the greatest healing of all! Your loved ones had pain here but have no pain there. They struggled here but have no struggles there. You may wonder why God took them home, but they don’t. Now they understand. They are, at this very moment, at peace in God’s presence.

SoulFood: Deut 18:9-14, Dan 2, Isa 47:5-15, Acts 16:16-34

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

‘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 the bird. ‘I’m surprised to see you engaged in such amusement when there are great matters related to the Gospel with which you could be busy.’

John replied, ‘Do you always keep your bow bent?’

The hunter said, ‘No, that would render it useless. I loosen the string unless I am hunting.’

The apostle nodded and said, ‘Me too; I unbend my mind for the same reason.’

Guess who said, ‘Let’s get away from the crowds for a while and rest.’ Jesus, the most-in-demand person Who ever lived. Why did He say it? The Bible tells us, ‘There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and His apostles didn’t even have time to eat.’ And Jesus is our example.

One summer a pastor announced he wasn’t going to take a holiday, since the devil never goes on holiday. Some of his congregation laughed; others thought he was very ‘spiritual’. One man went home, however, to see if Jesus had the same attitude. He found that in His three years of active ministry Jesus had ten periods when He got away from the crowds, in addition to His nightly rest and Sabbath day rest. Next Sunday he asked his pastor, ‘Are you following the devil’s example or the Lord’s example?’ Recreation is just that: re-creation, a time to renew your energy and nurture your most valuable relationships. So, take time to rest.

SoulFood: 1 Sam 20:30–23:29, Matt 27:57–66, Ps 60, Pro 22:7–11

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

‘He did not turn away from doing what was right.’ 2 Chronicles 34:2 NLT

When Josiah became king, he cleansed Israel of idolatry and began rebuilding the temple. That’s when a priest discovered some long–lost scrolls containing God’s Word. As Josiah heard what they said, he was deeply moved upon realising his people had drifted far from God. So he sent word to the prophetess Huldah asking what would become of the people. She told him that since he had repented when he heard God’s Word, his nation would be spared while he lived (see 2 Chronicles 34:14 –27).

An entire generation received grace because of the integrity of one man. And that one man had a lot to overcome. Josiah’s grandfather, Manasseh, was like the Hitler of the Old Testament. He filled Jerusalem ‘from one end to the other with innocent blood.’ (2 Kings 21:16 NLT) And Josiah’s father died at the hands of his own officers. He rejected the Lord…and disobeyed the Lord’s commands. (2 Kings 21:22 GNT)

Josiah was only eight when he ascended the throne. Immediately he chose righteousness and didn’t stop doing what was right all his life. What’s the point? You can’t pick your parents, but you can pick your role models. You can’t change your past, but you can rise above it. Your parents may have given you your DNA, but Jesus will give you a new beginning.

‘Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children.’ (Ephesians 5:1 NIV) Your past doesn’t have to be your prison. You have a say in your life, you have a voice in your destiny, and you have a choice in the path you take. So choose well, and someday—generations from now—others will thank God for your legacy.

SoulFood:

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