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‘Search for it as for hidden treasure.’ Proverbs  2:4 NIV

When you think about it, studying the Bible is like prospecting for gold or silver. It involves two things:

1) You must look for it. Solomon writes, ‘If you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God’ (Proverbs 2:4-5 NIV). Simply stepping into a mine and glancing around won’t cut it. If you want to get the gold or silver, you must be searching for it. Any miner will inform you that gold doesn’t strike you – you strike gold. The purpose of this devotional isn’t to replace regular Bible reading but to whet your spiritual appetite for it. According to the Barna Research Group, only 9% of Christians read the Bible every day. The question is, are you one of them?

2) You must dig for it. The Spirit of God within you speaks to you as you read His Word.

The story is told about a man who loved to study the Bible. Every time he came to something he didn’t understand, his friend Charlie would pop into his mind. Charlie was a great Bible student; he just seemed to ooze with Biblical wisdom. So whenever the first man encountered a Bible question, he would go to Charlie and say, ‘What does this verse mean? What is God trying to say here?’ One day as he was reading, the Holy Spirit spoke to him and said, ‘Why don’t you just ask me? I’m the one who teaches Charlie.’

So, expect God to speak to you today as you read His Word, and He will.

SoulFood: Heb 11:22, Gen 41:1-39, Gen 45:1-11, Gen 50:15-26

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

‘The father shall make known Your truth to the children.’ Isaiah 3 8:19 NKJV

A researcher at Johns Hopkins University informed us that children as young as eight months old are capable of hearing and remembering words, good or bad. ‘Little ears are listening,’ said Dr Peter Juscyzk.

Babies in this study, which appeared in the esteemed journal, Science, were exposed to three taped stories for about ten days. Two weeks afterwards, they were tested in a lab and clearly identified the words in the stories while failing to react to words they hadn’t heard. Professor Emerita Robin Chapman, a language specialist at the University of Wisconsin at the time, emphasised the importance of this study. It demonstrates that very young children do pay attention to the sounds of language and are able to select those that are familiar. No, they may not fully understand them, but their brains are wired to record them and replay them later on.

So, taking the time to talk to tiny children not only teaches them language skills but sows seeds of truth that can bloom later in life. This shouldn’t surprise us; mothers have known it intuitively for thousands of years. Words are formative; they are creative! The first words your child hears will be spoken by you. The first music your child listens to will be chosen by you. Your child is a precious lump of clay, and you are the potter God has called to mould them. In Scripture, we read about vessels of ‘honour’ and vessels of ‘dishonour’ (see 2 Timothy 2:20 NKJV).

As a parent, you help to shape the kind of vessel they become. If you’re wise, you will begin the godly moulding process as early as possible.

SoulFood: Lev 16, Lev 23:26-32, Heb 9:1-14, Heb 13:11-16

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

‘If it dies, it bears much fruit.’ John 1 2:24 ESV

God takes two days to grow a mushroom but 60 years to grow an oak tree. So, would you like to be a mushroom or an oak tree? Spiritual growth takes time. Have you been wondering, ‘Why is it taking me so long to improve? I am still struggling with many of my weaknesses.’ Why? Because spiritual growth, like natural growth, takes some time. The best fruit ripens gradually. Jesus said, ‘“Truly, truly … unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit’ (John 12:24ESV).

When Jesus says, ‘Truly, truly,’ He means, ‘Now understand this! Listen! This is very important.’ The point Jesus stresses here is that just like a grain of wheat has to die to produce fruit, so we also must die to ourselves to produce spiritual growth. And dying to our self-absorption takes a while. Unfortunately we tend to dig up the seed periodically to check on its progress instead of leaving it alone and trusting God to perform His work in our lives. Christ will produce fruit in our lives if we stay in Him. Jesus said, ‘Abide in me, and I in you …’ (John 15:4 KJV). The word abide means to live in. Abiding in Christ means staying in contact with Him, depending on Him, living for Him, and trusting Him to finish His work in our lives in His perfect timing. Wait for God’s promised harvest and, in the meantime, delight in His presence in your life.

God is happy with you at every phase of your spiritual growth. He is not waiting until you’re perfect to begin loving you. He will never love you one drop more than He already does.

SoulFood: Exo 19-21, John 2:12-25, Ps 110, Pro 26:13-16

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

‘He sought … God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.’ 2 Chronicles 3 1:21 NIV

Change, improvement, growth, success, and victory don’t happen because they’re admirable concepts or desirable options. No, they happen because you’re totally committed and willing to pay the price. When King Hezekiah came to the throne, Israel was in bad shape. The doors of God’s house were shut, the Law of the Lord was not being observed, and the people were worshipping the same gods as the heathen nations around them. If you’re a turnaround expert, you would benefit from studying Hezekiah’s life and his strategy. The Bible says, ‘In everything that he undertook … he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly’ (2 Chronicles 31:21 NIV). The cost of commitment involves these:

1) A change in lifestyle. Hezekiah broke the family mould, refusing to live the way his father had lived before him.

2) Loneliness. Hezekiah was the first to turn to God. In order to do it, he had to stand alone.

3) Criticism. People don’t take kindly to change, and Hezekiah faced a barrage of harsh questions from the older generation.

4) Hard work and money. He was willing to give up time, energy, and money to reach his goal.

5) Daily discipline. Changing a culture and the mindsets of the people who are part of it can be difficult. Every day Hezekiah taught and instilled God’s principles into the minds of the people.

6) Constant pressure. The people who went along with the changes Hezekiah was making expected to see results, and they weren’t necessarily patient. But Hezekiah ‘sought his God … worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.’

The principles Hezekiah used will work for you too, so today begin to apply them.

SoulFood: Exo 16-18, John 2:1-11, Ps 23, Pro 26:10-12

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

‘Those who trust in the Lord … cannot be shaken …’ Psalm 12 5:1 NIV

People are naturally attracted to leaders who convey poise and self-assurance; they won’t follow one who lacks self-confidence. An excellent illustration of this is an incident that took place in Russia during an attempted coup. Army tanks encircled the government building that held President Boris Yeltsin and his pro-democracy supporters. As the army moved into position, Yeltsin strode from the building, climbed up on a tank, stared the commander in the eye, and thanked him for turning to the side of democracy. Later the commander admitted that although he hadn’t intended to go over to Yeltsin’s side, the Russian leader appeared so confident, the soldiers decided to join him.

Great achievers exhibit confidence regardless of circumstances. But true confidence doesn’t come from having the approval of people around you. The Bible says, ‘The Lord will be your confidence …’ (Proverbs 3:26 NKJV); it’s about knowing He has called you and equipped you to do the job.

Paul wrote, ‘Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God … but our sufficiency is from God,’ (2 Corinthians 3:4-5 ESV). Even though others may not believe in you, knowing God believes in you enables you to believe in yourself. David wrote, ‘Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you, Lord, are a shield around me … the One who lifts my head high’ (Psalm 3:2-3 NIV).

A confident leader can say to those who follow him or her, ‘I have confidence in the God who called me. I have confidence in you. I believe that together we can accomplish what God wants done.’

SoulFood: Exo 13-15, John 1:43-51, Ps 131, Pro 26:7-9

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