The Word for Today.....

     A  daily devotional written by Bob Gass, full of insight and wisdom to help and inspire you each day.

11 May 2008  A Word to leaders (2)
   'Joshua ordered the officers of the people.' Joshua 1:10
   God said to Israel's leaders when entering the Promised Land: 'Help your brothers' (Joshua 1:14 NIV). 'How long do I have to keep investing in this person?' you ask. Want a Bible answer? 'Until they too have taken possession of the land that...God is giving them' (Joshua 1:15 NIV). It's not an occasional act of assistance; it's a lifestyle of serving. At the end of every day we should each ask ourselves, 'Did I do a good job today? Was I an asset and not just an expense?' Author Richard L Evans remarked, 'It's priceless to find a person who will take responsibility, who will finish and follow through to the final detail - to know when someone has accepted an assignment that it will be effectively, conscientiously completed.' And Paul raises the bar for followers of Christ! 'Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus' (Colossians 3:17 NLT). People who take advantage of others inevitably fail. Dr John Maxwell writes, 'If you desire to succeed, live by these four simple words: add value to others. That philosophy will take you far. All talented people have a choice to make: to do their own thing and get all the credit or do the team thing and share it. My observation is that not only do talented people accomplish more when working with others but they are also more fulfilled than those who go it alone.' So here's the deal: you are only qualified to enjoy the privileges and benefits of leadership when you're willing to a) go first and b) put others first. God says: 'After that, you may go back and occupy your own land' (Joshua 1:15 NIV).

12 May 2008  Good to the last drop!
  'So here I am today, eighty-five years old!' Joshua 14:10
      When Canadian sprinter Donovan Bailey ran the 100 metres in 9.84 seconds he was hailed as the world's fastest man. But it could all have ended very differently, because with so many wins to his credit Bailey had problems accepting instructions and committing to the rigorous training necessary to meet the challenge. After his big win experts who critiqued videos of the race made an interesting discovery: Bailey never once lost momentum. In fact, he was still accelerating as he crossed the finish line. Isaiah says, 'He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak' (Isaiah 40:29 NIV). Live fully until the day God calls you home! Caleb did; listen: 'So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I'm still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then...give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day...Then Joshua blessed Caleb...and gave him Hebron as his inheritance...because he followed the Lord...wholeheartedly' (Joshua 14:10-14 NIV). Christian author Alma Barkman writes: 'I've already covered half the miles in this "race...set before us" (Hebrews 12:1). Sprinting is out of the question. Jogging is risky. Even a brisk walk leaves me puffing...at my stage of the game I just want to enjoy life. But my coach won't allow me to coast. Growing older means I've more time and resources to exercise the gifts God's given me. Instead of slowing down, I want to be accelerating when I cross the finish line.' Or, as the Coffee advert used to say, 'Good to the last drop!'

13 May 2008  It's all part of His plan
  'In everything God works for the good of those who love him...because that was his plan.' Romans 8:28
  When you're in a situation where you've got more questions than answers, it takes faith to accept that 'in everything God works for the good of those who love him.' What you consider wasted experiences can become confidence-builders and priceless sources of insight when you make up your mind to learn from them! If you don't, they'll keep happening until you do. The Israelites went in circles for 40 years before they finally cottoned on to this. Don't let that happen to you. When you get too comfortable God stirs things up. The mother eagle teaches her little ones to fly by making their nest so uncomfortable that they're forced out of it. Next they are pushed off a cliff edge. Can you imagine their thoughts: 'It's my mother doing this?' Who and where you are at this moment in time has been divinely appointed. God in His wisdom knows that you need the challenge of certain situations to mature and stretch you. The job you dread going to every day is developing your skills, endurance and sense of responsibility. Those people who rub you the wrong way are actually making you more like Jesus! Paul says, God 'understands...and knows what is best for us at all times' (Ephesians 1:8 TLB). So instead of asking Him to change things, thank Him for the experience and the lessons you're learning. And if you can't figure out what those lessons are, ask Him. James says, 'If...you need wisdom...ask God' (James 1:5 CEV). When you do, you'll discover it is all part of His plan!

14 May 2008  The martyr attitude!
   'God's gift to us is...happiness.' Ecclesiastes 3:13
     People with a 'martyr attitude' do things out of a sense of duty, not joy. They feel guilty about enjoying life. They tend to begrudge happiness to those around them. They resent it when others don't do things for them, yet they won't ask for help in case they create a sense of obligation. The fact is, 'martyrs' don't value themselves so they think nobody else does. That's not how God wants you to live. The Bible says there's a time to work...to play...to laugh, and enjoy life, because 'God's gift to us is...happiness.' Jesus said, 'I came to give life...in all its fullness' (John 10:10 NCV). You need fun and relaxation. They're not unspiritual! Without them you become unbalanced and you open yourself to stress-related illness, mood swings and compulsive behaviours. You find yourself constantly vulnerable, driven and unable to relax. Refuse to take on a false sense of responsibility. Don't neglect or deny your own legitimate needs. Yes, you're called to help others, but it's not wrong to do things for yourself, to receive from God, and those He sends to bless you. If somebody compliments you, accept it graciously. If they attempt to belittle you, ignore it and move on. One counsellor writes: 'When you find yourself trying to prove how much you've been hurt, or trying to "top" someone else's pain, stop and figure out what's going on. The reward is learning to stop the pain and move into joy, peace and fulfilment.' David said, 'In Your presence is fullness of joy' (Psalm 16:11 AMP). So begin to spend more time with God. You only get to make the journey once, so enjoy it and make it count. 

15 May 2008  Weeds growing in the wheat!
  'An enemy did this.' Matthew 13:28
     Matthew 13, verses 24-30 is an eye-opening parable. Jesus warned that while we are planting wheat (God's Word) the enemy is planting weeds (error). And it's happening in the same field! Why? 1) Because we've fallen asleep. 'While everyone was sleeping, his enemy ...sowed weeds among the wheat' (Matthew 13:25 NIV). Wake up! Dynamic personalities and big crowds don't guarantee truth is being taught. Paul warns the church at Ephesus: 'After I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock' (Acts 20:29 NIV). 2) Because the sowers look and sound alike. Who are these people sowing bad seed? Paul answers: 'From your own number men will arise and distort the truth' (Acts 20:30 NIV). Note, they started out right but went wrong. You say, 'Should we pull up the weeds?' No. Jesus said, 'While you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn' (Matthew 13:29-30 NIV). There are many 'voices' speaking today and you need discernment as to the spirit that's at work in them. Think it's no big deal? One degree off course may seem harmless enough, but stay on that trajectory and you'll end up far from where God wants you to be, then realise, 'An enemy did this.' Protect yourself by living in God's Word, staying filled with the Holy Spirit which will 'guide you into all truth' (John 16:13) and surrounding yourself with those of 'like precious faith' (2 Peter 1:1).

16 May 2008  Knowing God better
 'The Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.' John 16:15
     Spiritual activities can never replace spiritual intimacy. A lot of us go to church with the wrong focus; we want to know what the pastor's subject is. What we should be thinking is: 'Lord, whatever the preacher says today, I want You to speak to me personally so I'll know what Your will is for my situation.' When God's Word starts coming alive for you in ways that change you and take you in a direction you would never have discovered for yourself, you're on the same wavelength as the Holy Spirit, whose job is to clarify and reveal God's purpose for your life. Living on this wavelength puts you in a world apart from others, even many professing Christians. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2, verse 14, that the 'natural man' can't grasp anything from God because his spirit is dead. He says the things of God are 'foolishness' to such a person. So a mature believer is worlds removed from the understanding of the spiritually dull or dead person. The truth is that even church-goers don't understand the mature believer. Paul said such a person 'is appraised [properly understood and evaluated] by no one' (1 Corinthians 2:15 NASB). People can't work mature believers out because they have 'the mind of Christ' (1 Corinthians 2:16 NIV). This kind of intimacy with God is rare today, even though the mind of Christ is God's will for, and is available to, each of us. Spiritually mature believers have a passion to pursue and know God, and they aren't satisfied until they are in an intimate relationship with Him. So make your goal knowing God better. !

17 May 2008  How's your attitude?
  'The Lord is the judge of our motives.' Proverbs 16:2
     Solomon said, 'We may think we know what is right, but the Lord is the judge of our motives.' Writer Isabel Wolseley says, 'I'm a placid, get-along-with-everybody person. But that changed when my friend and I had a disagreement. I told her I was right, and why, and others commended me for having been right. The trouble is, I didn't feel any better...I felt worse. "Lord," I prayed, "You know I was right, so why do I feel so terrible?" I stewed for several days then I sensed His answer: "Yes, you were right, but your attitude was wrong!" I won a little victory in a difference of opinion, but I'd lost in the realm of friendship. I asked my friend to forgive me. She did, and our relationship was restored. This happened several years ago, and know what? I can't even remember what the argument was about. It seemed so all-absorbing at the time. Not now.' Don't let your need to 'always be right' rob you of opportunities to show grace and allow God to deal with others. To the hard-headed amongst us James writes, 'Be quick to hear [and] slow to speak' (James 1:19 NRSV). You must earn the right to speak into someone's life, and that takes time. It also means trying to understand what they're going through; otherwise they'll tune you out. Ask yourself, 'What's my goal? To win the argument? To look good and sound smart?' That's a guaranteed formula for damaging relationships. Paul writes, 'Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes' (Ephesians 4:23 NLT). Bottom line: when you pay attention to the Holy Spirit He will tell you when you need an attitude adjustment.

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     The  printed version of ’The Word For Today’ is available in the entry hall or the  fellowship area at Newmachar Parish Church.