Living Today
Interesting articles from Christian teachers and leaders. Designed to help you as you follow Jesus here in Samoa
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...
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...
Feast of Trumpets – What We Learn As Christians
The End of the Age. What emotions does that statement provoke? It can be a controversial subject for God’s people. It’s a Biblical topic that many Christians find difficult to engage with. And there is no shortage of perspectives on how current events relate to Biblical end times. Old Testament feasts and celebrations bring into focus end times through Jewish eyes. There are seven feasts in the Jewish calendar traced to the Old Testament. These early feasts may foreshadow Jesus’ first...
Making Peace with Unfulfilled Dreams
As a kid, you had big hopes and dreams for your life. And then, reality set it. In this Focus on the Family video Chrystal Evans Hurst shares how she had to place her aspirations aside first, as a teenage single mother, then again later in life when she became the breadwinner for her family. You’ll be encouraged to rediscover your identity in God and reclaim your dreams of long ago. Focus on the Family provides relevant, practical support to help families thrive in every stage of life. Book...
Your Offenses Have Been Swept Away
God has swept away your offenses like a cloud. He has swept away your sins like the morning mist.
A Prayer for Troubled Times
Need some encouragement today? Read and meditate on these words and pray them to our Lord. Let nothing disturb you Let nothing frighten you Those who cling to God will lack nothing Let nothing disturb you Let nothing frighten you God alone is enough! Amen “Trust in The Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make you path straight.” Proverbs 3:56 NKJV
How to Win Spiritual Battles
By Pastor Greg Laurie They have made God’s law their own, so they will never slip from His path. Psalm 37:31 NIV Have you ever noticed that when the Bible talks about spiritual armour, only one piece is an offensive weapon? This armour includes the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteous, the shoes of the gospel of peace, and the helmet of salvation. Then we have the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Now, a soldier in the first century wouldn’t fight his opponent with a helmet...
How Much Should We Tithe?
Alex Cook is the founder of Wealth With a Purpose and brings his own brand of practical financial wisdom to issues that affect us all. One common question Alex often gets asked is around tithing. He recently did some research around how often the word tithe was searched for every month and discovered that there were 80,000 searches! It’s a topic that Christians have a great deal of interest in. In many churches, people hear the word tithe mentioned each week. And therefore, they want to know...
Do You Really Want to Follow Jesus?
Author: Pastor Greg Laurie Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Mark 8:34 We adorn our churches with crosses, use them as fashion accessories, and even get into lawsuits over where we can display them. But I think our society has a lot of misconceptions about the cross today. In the first century, the cross was a repulsive symbol. It was an incredibly horrible way to die. The Romans didn’t invent crucifixion, but they perfected it, so to...
Trusting God | Matt’s story
“I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing.” - Jer 31:13 God doesn’t promise that life will be easy, but He does promise that He’ll carry us through it and that His plans for us are filled with hope. A couple share their journey from grief to joy.
Not Owners, but Stewards
By Pastor Greg Laurie "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy." 1 Timothy 6:17 NKJV Today if you have a roof over your head, a bed to sleep in, and some form of transportation, then compared to many people around the world, you’re rich. Of course, you can enjoy what God has blessed you with. That isn’t a sin. However, the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “Command those who...
Lord, Teach Me to Pray
Author: Melinda McCredie Prayer is something that God has been challenging me about a lot lately. It seems that every where I turn, people are talking about or teaching about prayer. Even the new series we have just started at church is called, you guessed it, Prayer! I’m the first to admit that I have found prayer difficult at times. Sometimes I wonder why we pray at all if God already knows everything we need. Yet we read so many times in the Bible that we are commanded to come before God in...
Lessons from a broken heart
‘Restore to me the joy of Your salvation.’ Psalm 5 1:12 NKJV
A broken heart can’t be healed by working 16 hours a day, sweating it out in a gym, or using mood-altering substances like alcohol and drugs. Those things may bring a temporary fix but don’t bring a lasting cure.
After falling into sin and shame, David prayed, ‘Restore to me the joy of Your salvation.’ Good news: God can restore what you have lost and teach you things about yourself you didn’t know that make you a better person.
And one of the first lessons He teaches us is about forgiveness. You can’t hold the club of unforgiveness over somebody else’s head and expect to find healing yourself. Forgiveness is just a word until you extend [give] it. Your peace of mind and confidence before God depends on your willingness to extend grace to others (see Mark 11:25).
The second lesson He teaches us is about relationships. And some of those relationships will bring you more pain than pleasure. Judas’ betrayal, painful as it was, was instrumental in bringing about history’s greatest event – the cross. Does that mean anybody and everybody can walk into your life and do what they want? No, their access to you is limited by the shield of God’s purpose. Some people bring comfort, while others build character, and you need both.
The third lesson He teaches us is about ‘the yes zone’. ‘What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open’ (Revelation 3:7 NIV).
So whether God opens the door or shuts it, trust Him, follow Him, and say, ‘Yes, Lord,’ because He loves you and has only the best in mind for you.
SoulFood: 1 Pet 1-5, Mark 9:14-29, Ps 49, Pro 12:20-22
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©