Living Today
Interesting articles from Christian teachers and leaders. Designed to help you as you follow Jesus here in Samoa
Seasons
We all experience different seasons in our lives.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Losing a job, transitioning with children, money is tight, suffering loss of a loved one, work is busy are all examples of seasons we could be going through. Seasons come and seasons go. Each of these seasons brings a new set of emotions and experiences – Joy, sadness, anxiety, peace, and so forth. The good times will be replaced with some trying times, it’s a part of life.
- Understand that just like in the natural, there are spiritual seasons.
- Know what spiritual season you are in and embrace it.
- Know every season for its beauty.
- Pray in and through all seasons.
Genesis 8:22 says,
“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”
The key is to learn to embrace each season for what it is. Each season has its own individual traits. Seasons are seasonal – winter cold will turn into spring warmth. Mourning will turn into joy. Basically, change will always come. But God is faithful in every season.
Article by Mark & Cindy, Vision Christian Media
Relationships
Psalm 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is, for the brethren to dwell together in unity. Relationships are such a part of our lives that at times we forget how important and necessary they are. Every part of our day is revolved around different forms of relationships. Imagine a life with no relationships? We would be like a person stranded on a deserted island. Yes, at first it might be alright, (especially for introverts), but after a while without any other human contact, we...
The Cross at Easter
The cross is an important symbol during Easter, reminding us of the incredible sacrifice Jesus made. Despite all of our struggles and pain, the cross reminds us we are not alone in this world. We can find strength and comfort knowing that Jesus has already saved us from our sins. It’s this hope for redemption through Christ’s death on the cross that makes Easter such an integral part of Christian tradition. Stu Millar from Train to Proclaim recently shared on Vision Chrisitan Media his...
Who Am I? Part 2
As we continue to remind ourselves of who we are IN CHRIST... the following LIFE GIVING verses speak of all that we have and need is in Christ alone... Complete in Him Colossians 2:10 Crucified with Christ Galatians 2:20 Alive with Christ Ephesians 2:5 Free from condemnation Romans 8:1 Reconciled to God 2 Corinthians 5:18 Qualified to share in His inheritance Colossians 1:12 Firmly rooted, built up, established in my faith and overflowing with gratitude Colossians 2:7 A fellow citizen with the...
Who am I? Part 1
Ever struggled with “who you are?” You know… that voice that says you are defeated, or have nothing, or not beautiful etc. Have a read of these LIFE GIVING VERSES then remind yourself that IN CHRIST… you have everything you need. I AM - God’s child for I am born again of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God 1 Peter 1:23 Forgiven of all my sins and washed in the Blood Ephesians 1:7 / Hebrews 9:14 / Colossians 1:14 / 1 John 1:9 / 1 John 2:12 A new creature 2 Corinthians 5:17 The...
Living out Faith in a Hostile World
You don’t have to look any further than the most recent headlines to see that we live in uncertain times. Many people think the world has never been more hostile to Christians than it is now, especially since the cancel culture continues to target people who aren’t seen as politically correct. Being a Christian in a deeply secularised society is a growing challenge. Everyone’s truth seems to be accepted unless you’re a Christian. So how do we live out our faith in such a hostile world? With...
Blessed to be a Blessing
Numbers 6:24-26 says Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. If we could shrink the Earth’s population into a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following. There would be: 57 Asians, 21 Europeans, 14 from the western hemisphere, both north and south, 8 Africans 52 females; 48 males 80 living in...
Compassion and Action
The crewmembers on board Logos Hope all left their homes at one point to come on board the ship to live and work together with others from around the world. They exchanged their familiar environments for a very unique accommodation – a ship – which sooner or later they also call their home for a specific amount of time. They all do know though, that there are many people in the world, who are longing for a place to stay in which they can experience peace and safety. The refugees who leave...
Dad’s Toolkit
It’s a fantastic opportunity to reflect on the value of family, and in particular the role of dads. What are your strengths as a parent? Are there some areas you could grow in? How do you begin your journey of becoming the parent God has called you to be? Brett and Kate Ryan from Focus on the Family, have created a ‘Dad’s Toolkit’ that’s full of ideas on how dad’s can improve themselves. It contains things like conversation starters with your kids, and questions we can ask our dads. Healthy...
Truth, Lies and Financial Freedom
Many Christians divide their lives into categories. Some things they want Jesus to be a part of, but not others. Because we compartmentalise our Christian lives, according to Pastor Jeff Vines, we instantly assume that everything we don’t devote to God is neutral. God will still love us, but any area that we withhold from Him and think we can handle on our own is a false assumption. C.S. Lewis said, ‘There is no neutral ground in the universe.’ Every square inch, every split second is claimed...
God is always wanting to use us
Recently, I was clicking through folders and folders of early photos of our kids. From baby age to the present, I just got lost in it for hours. How good it was to recount the memories, the places we had visited and I just couldn’t hold back giving God the glory for the good things He had done in our family. Towards the end, a certain photo stopped me in my tracks. You see, over 2yrs ago, our eldest daughter moved to Perth to follow God’s plan for her life. While Cindy and I daily still miss...
Seek God’s Approval, Not People’s
‘Fearing people is a dangerous trap.’ Proverbs 29:25 NLT
If your life’s goal is to have the approval of people, you will never really feel secure. Why is that? Because the time will come when you do something they disapprove of; then what? The Bible says, ‘Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety.’ (Proverbs 29:25 NLT) A trap is just another word for a prison. If someone other than God can determine your worth as a person, that someone can make you feel like a prisoner anytime they decide to. When a critic’s opinion becomes your own opinion, you’re living in a prison of your own making. Face it: some of the people you’re trying so hard to impress will never be impressed. And you must accept this: from God’s perspective, it doesn’t matter. Knowing that means you can work alongside people without allowing yourself to be controlled by their moods and governed by their opinions.
Each time Paul went to another town, people were meeting and hearing him for the first time. Some of them liked him, and some didn’t. He writes, ‘For some say, “Paul’s letters are demanding and forceful, but in person he is weak, and his speeches are worthless!”’ (2 Corinthians 10:10 NLT)
So how did Paul handle this? He writes, ‘Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.’ (Galatians 1:10 NLT) In order to feel secure in life and fulfilled in what you’re doing, you must reach the place where you can look in the mirror and say, ‘I’m loved and approved by God, and that’s what matters!’
SoulFood: [bible passage=”John 2:1–11, Job 36:22–37:13″ version=”esv” heading=”H3″]
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©