Latest News and Updates

‘For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.’ James  3:16 KJV

The apostle Paul writes: ‘Make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.’ (Philippians 2:2-4 CSB). Strife wreaks havoc in relationships. It often stems from an inflated ego and leads to comparing, competing, and condemning. James points that out: ‘For where envying and strife is, there is … every evil work.’ (James 3:16 KJV) So be a strife-spotter! The moment it rears its ugly head – uproot it!

‘Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many’ (Hebrews 12:15 NLT). If you want to walk in God’s blessing today, try to live in harmony with others. Is that always easy? No, but the sooner you learn to do it, the better things will go for you. When God prompts you to turn the other cheek, or do the thing no one else wants to do, draw on His grace and do it.

Pray: ‘Lord, give me Your wisdom in this situation.’ He will. ‘But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, free of hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.’ (James 3:17-18 NASB20). Bottom line: if you want God’s blessing on your life – avoid strife.

SoulFood: Heb 11:23-28, Exo 3:1-22, Exo 33:7-23, Exo 34:29-35

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

‘The one who guards his mouth protects his life;’ Proverbs 1 3:3 CSB

Here is a Bible verse we should all commit to memory: ‘The one who guards his mouth protects his life; the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.’ (Pro 13:3 CSB) Simply put, your tendency to speak without thinking will keep getting you into trouble.

The story is told of a vacuum cleaner salesman who had been given a remote rural area as his territory. He was going from farmhouse to farmhouse on his first day on the job, attempting to sell vacuum cleaners. When he arrived at one farmhouse, he knocked on the door and was met by a farmer’s wife who asked him what he wanted. Without asking permission, he shoved right past her into the kitchen and said, ‘I’m selling vacuum cleaners.’ Shocked, she replied, ‘Wait a minute!’ But he demanded, ‘Ma’am, before you say anything, I want to show you something.’ Then he reached into his bag, pulled out a bucket of dirt, and threw it across her kitchen floor. ‘If my vacuum cleaner won’t pick up all that dirt,’ he bragged, ‘then I’ll eat it!’ She looked at him and said, ‘Then you better get busy, ’cause we ain’t got no electricity!’

How often do we have to eat the words we so recklessly toss on the floor of everyday living? Be careful. Jesus said one day, we will give an account for every idle word we speak (see Matthew 12:36). So unless you want to eat your words, think carefully before speaking.

SoulFood: Neh 5-7, Luke 21:25-38, Ps 78:32-39, Pro 23:29-35

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

‘You must go … And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you.’ Deuteronomy 3 1:7-8 NKJV

When God tells you to go, remind yourself that every detail of your future is already known to Him. Centuries ago, when a mapmaker ran out of the known world before he ran out of parchment, he would frequently draw a dragon at the edge of the scroll. This was intended as a sign to explorers that they were entering unknown territory at their own risk. Many, however, didn’t regard the dragon as a mapmaker’s warning sign but instead as a prophecy. They foresaw disaster beyond the known worlds they travelled, and their fear kept them from pushing on to discover new lands and peoples.

Other more adventuresome travellers, however, saw the dragon as a sign of opportunity and a doorway to new worlds worth exploring. Each of us has a mental map that contains the information we use for guidance as we begin each day. And like the maps of long ago, our mental maps have edges to them, and sometimes those edges seem to be marked by dragons or fears. We fear failing, or being rejected, or ridiculed, or that we won’t have enough, or that we will lose what we have.

If that’s how you feel today, read these words spoken by God to His people when they stood on the threshold of the promised land without knowing what awaited them when they went into it. ‘The Lord, He is the One who goes before you.’ (Deuteronomy 31:7 NKJV) So, write down your goal, work out a strategy, and set a deadline. Then commit it to God, believing that He has gone before you to prepare the way.

SoulFood: Neh 1-4, Luke 21:12-24, Ps 78:17-31, Pro 23:26-28

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

‘From any tree of the garden you may freely eat.’ Genesis  2:16 NASB

Adam had the perfect job, perfect home, perfect marriage, and the perfect environment; all the things we strive for. So how did it come about? As a result of his relationship with God!

God basically gave him two rules to live by: ‘From any tree of the garden you may freely eat; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die’ (Genesis 2:16-17 NASB). So, the two rules are these:

1) With God, what you get back is always greater than what you give up. ‘From any tree of the garden you may freely eat.’ But what we so often do, and what legalistic religion does, is look at that Scripture and similar Scriptures and focus on what we can’t do. The truth is, when our list of can’t dos exceeds our list of what we’re free to do, we have gone far beyond what the Scriptures intended. The Christian life should be measured by what you’re free to enjoy, not by what you’re denied.

2) When you live your life according to God’s Word instead of your own impulses, you’re blessed. ‘Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!’ (Deuteronomy 5:29 NIV).

The only thing God denies us is the right to determine for ourselves what’s ‘good or evil’ because He knows we’re not qualified to do it. We must live by divine revelation rather than human inclination. God, in His love and wisdom, set this limitation in place to protect and bless us.

SoulFood: Col 3-4, Philemon, Luke 21:1-11, Ps 78:9-16, Pro 23:22-25

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

‘Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence.’ Hebrews  4:16 NIV

If you feel unworthy to approach God in prayer, stop and read these words: ‘Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need’ (Hebrews 4:16 NIV). The word grace means undeserved kindness, mercy, favour, and help when you need it. Notice three important things:

1) When you need grace, you can approach God with complete confidence. Why? Because you’re coming to a throne of grace and mercy, not a throne of judgment. All your sins – past, present, and future – were paid for the moment Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ Satan, whom the Bible calls the accuser, wants you to feel condemned, guilty, and unworthy to approach God. But the moment you placed your trust in Christ, God clothed you in Christ’s righteousness. Therefore, you can always come to Him with confidence.

2) When you need more grace, pray more. God has all the grace needed to help you, but you must go before His throne and ask for it. A prayerless Christian is a graceless Christian. The Bible says, ‘Grow in grace,’ and if you’re not praying every day, you’re not growing in your spiritual life. So, what’s the answer? Spend more time hanging around the throne that dispenses grace.

3) God’s grace is given based on your need at that moment. He won’t give you tomorrow’s grace until tomorrow, so don’t bother asking for it. But don’t be concerned; the supply of grace you have in Christ will not run out tomorrow or ever! That means you can’t wear out your welcome by going to the throne of grace too often.

SoulFood: Col 1-2, Luke 20:41-47, Ps 78:1-8, Pro 23:19-21

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