The Word For Today

Bill Gates predicted: 'There will be "two societies" in the future; high-paid knowledge workers and low-paid service workers.' The saying 'knowledge is power' is true. And it's even more dynamic in the spiritual realm. The more you know about God, the more confident you'll be. Knowledge of God's word can give clarity to the puzzling issues of life.

When a religious sect tried to pull Jesus into one of their debates on a particular issue, he replied, 'Your mistake is that you don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God' (Matthew 22:29 NLT). Here are two truths you need to settle in your heart and in spirit. One, no one can thwart God's purpose for your life. 'The Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back' (Isaiah 14:27 NIV)? And two, things are working out for your good. Therefore, you can resist anxiety and worry. 'We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose' (Romans 8:28 NKJV).

Daniel reminds us that God 'gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; he knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with him' (Daniel 2:21-22 NKJV). The 'light' you need belongs to God. And you never have to feel insecure regarding any aspect of your knowledge when you know him, for he knows everything.

God recognised our need for companionship when he said, '"It is not good for the man to be alone"...Then...God made a woman...and he brought her to the man' (Genesis 2:18, 22 NIV). Most of us are social beings who are at our best around others. We garner energy and support from them. But there are those who feel a sense of shame over admitting their loneliness. They long for people to share their lives with but feel they must pretend they don't need anyone. You should not feel shame for wanting love and social connection. Admitting your desire to be loved and taking a step towards involvement requires courage. Accepting that you are a person who needs to connect is healthy.

But problems arise when your need for companionship controls you. When you compromise your values in order to be accepted, the results are always negative. Clinging to other people without understanding who they are or what they represent is unhealthy. And the ramifications can have not only lifelong effects but sometimes also life-threatening consequences.

Wise decisions about relationships are never to be made with a mind ruled by fear of loneliness or desperation. If that's where you are, being single is a better alternative right now. It need only be temporary. So do these three things: (1) Ask God to guide you: 'God sets the lonely in families' (Psalm 68:6 NIV). (2) Live by the values you'd want your loved one to hold as well. (3) Start with what you have to give and share with others, rather than with your unmet needs.

James writes: 'Be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. You know you learn to endure by having your faith tested. But you must learn to endure everything, so you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything. If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you...But when you ask...you must have faith...Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. If you are that kind of person, you can't make up your mind, and you surely can't be trusted. So don't expect the Lord to give you anything at all' (James 1:2-8 CEV).

Note three things in this Scripture: (1) Your faith grows when it's tested. You'll never know the strength of your anchor until you feel the blast of the storm. (2) God will give you wisdom to handle the test. Now, he won't answer all your 'whys'. So instead of questioning him, you need to pray, 'Lord, how do you want to use this trial to develop me spiritually? How can I co-operate with you to reap the maximum benefit? What changes do you desire to bring about in my life?' Those are questions God will answer. (3) You must be willing to obey. It's possible to ask God for wisdom, then debate, stall or mess around trying to decide whether to obey him. 'If you're that kind of person...don't expect the Lord to give you anything at all.' When God gives you his wisdom, your first response should be: 'Speak, for your servant is listening' (1 Samuel 3:10 NIV).

When your parents grow old and become less capable of taking care of themselves, they need certain things from you, like love, kindness, patience, tenderness, sensitivity and understanding. When you were a child, perhaps your mother picked you up at school because you didn't like to take the bus, and now you're upset with her for being five minutes late. As a teen or a preteen, it's wrong to be more kind, considerate and patient with your friends and your friends' mothers than your own mother. Indeed, if you treated your friends like you treat your mum, you wouldn't have many friends left. And if you treated their mum like you do your own, their mum wouldn't let her child have anything to do with you.

As your mother grows older, it's time to focus more on her care! 'But she's always complaining,' you say. 'But she talks about herself and asks the same questions over and over,' you say. As they get older, our parents experience fears they never had before, and they need you to reassure them that you'll be there for them.

One of the last things Jesus did when he was dying on the cross was to commit the care of his mother, Mary, to his close friend and disciple, John: 'Then he said to the disciple, "She is now your mother." From then on, that disciple took her into his own home' (John 19:27 CEV). So, the word for today is - take good care of your mother.

If you study famous musicians, you'll often find that they learned their craft by playing in a band or orchestra. That's because certain skills - learning to blend with other instruments, keeping tempo, learning to play louder or softer, following the conductor's lead - can only be learned by playing with others. And what's true of a band or orchestra is even truer of a community of believers.

Jesus illustrated this in his parable of the talents (see Matthew 25:14-30). One man was given five talents and ended up with ten. Another man was given two talents and ended up with four. A third man was given one talent, and he buried it. In a sense, Jesus was talking about people playing their parts and how important that is to God's kingdom. Not everyone plays the same instrument, and not everyone has the same part. Some instruments are louder than others, and some parts are bigger than others. It's not how much you have that matters to Jesus; it's what you do with what you have that matters to him.

There are no insignificant talents in God's kingdom. Our talents may differ in number, but they all come from the same source. All Jesus wants you to do is play your part. He does not expect the same results, but he does expect the same effort. He never compares you with anyone else. He compares you only with you. He doesn't look at what you have; he looks at what you do with what you have. So just play your part.

When you face a crisis it's easy to lose perspective. It happened to two of Jesus' disciples on the Emmaus Road. Discouraged about Jesus' death, they 'were talking to each other about everything that had happened. While they were talking, Jesus approached them and began walking with them. Although they saw him, they didn't recognise him' (Luke 24:14-16 GWT). When you take your eyes off Jesus, you start to feel helpless about your situation.

Dr Michael Youssef says: 'Facing a major crisis, I tend to be the kind of person whose vision becomes blurred. My perceptions are shot. My contemplations are one-sided. I often shut out the very people who can deliver me, just like those two disciples...Their vision was blurred about the person who was walking with them and talking to them. The one whose death they were mourning was alive...but they didn't realise it because their focus was on the wrong thing.' But everything changed the minute they recognised Jesus. 'Within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem. There...the two...told...how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along...and how they had recognised him as he was breaking the bread' (Luke 24:33-35 NLT). Note the words 'within the hour'. In an instant they went from fear to courage, pain to joy and despair to hope.

Paul wrote, 'I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened' (Ephesians 1:18 NIV). When you stop focusing on the problem and fix your eyes on Jesus, you get 20/20 vision and you're filled with hope.