‘She came and has continued from morning until now.’ Ruth 2:7 NKJV

After years of sorrow and hardship in which she lost her husband and her support system, Ruth was introduced by God to her new husband, Boaz. Where? In the field where she worked each day. Who was Boaz? The owner of the field. One of the things that attracted Boaz to Ruth was her work ethic. The servant in charge of his reapers told him, ‘She came and has continued from morning until now.’ (Ruth 2:7 NKJV) As a result, she ended up married to the boss.

That’s why the Bible has so much to say about the difference between laziness and hard work, sloppiness and excellence, lateness and punctuality, honesty and dishonesty, a positive attitude and a negative one. Someone who is capable of blessing you is always observing you. Read these three Scriptures:

(1) ‘Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before unknown men.’ (Proverbs 22:29 NKJV)

(2) ‘The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.’ (Proverbs 13:4 NKJV)

(3) ‘He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.’ (Proverbs 10:4 NKJV) Notice the phrases ‘a slack hand’ and ‘a lazy man’. By expecting much and giving back as little as possible in return, you don’t just short-change those you work for, you short-change yourself. Why? Because God promises to honour you when you give your best. His Word says, ‘Exaltation does not come from the east, the west, or the desert, for God is the Judge: He brings down one and exalts another.’ (Psalm 75:6–7 CSB)

SoulFood: Judg 1–3, Mk 7:24–37, Ps 88:1–9a, Prov 13:1–3

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

‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.’ Proverbs 3:5 CSB

When you honestly evaluate your worries, you will find you are doing these:

(1) Forgetting that God is your friend. The psalmist said, ‘The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He makes known to them His covenant.’ (Psalm 25:14 RSV) Friendship with God is built by sharing your life’s experiences with Him—every activity, every conversation, every problem, and every thought. When you don’t, you end up unaware of His presence, oblivious to His voice, resistant to His correction, and out of sync with His timing. And when you live that way, there is one inevitable result—worry!

(2) Taking on things you shouldn’t. Preacher Peter Marshall prayed: ‘Father… check our impulse to spread ourselves so thin that we’re exposed to fear and doubt, to the weariness and impatience that makes our tempers wear thin; [that] robs us of peace of mind; that makes skies grey when they should be blue; that stifles a song along the corridor of our hearts.’ You lose your song when you add the unnecessary pressure of maintaining your exterior image, and trying to fix everybody or live up to their expectations.

(3) Failing to understand the difference between the secular and the sacred. Either Jesus is Lord over every area of your life, or He is not Lord over any of it. We tell ourselves certain parts of our lives lie in the realm of God’s concern, but not others. The Bible says, ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.’ (Proverbs 3:5–6 NIV) To live any other way is to live a worried life!

SoulFood: Gal 5:23, Is 40:9–11, Is 42:1–4, Ps 18:31–35

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

‘But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.’ Matthew 6:33 RSV

Missionary Gladys Aylward said, ‘The eagle that soars in the upper air does not worry itself how it is to cross rivers.’ You can’t escape worry; it will come at you from different directions and in different forms. But like the eagle, you can rise above it.

Jesus said: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.’ (Matthew 6:25–34 RSV)

SoulFood: Ruth 1–4, Mk 7:14–23, Ps 18:30–50, Prov 12:25–28

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

‘I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.’ Job 3 1:1 NIV

There are certain doors in life that once opened are hard to close—pornography is one of them. And like any addict, once you’re hooked, you need increasing doses to satisfy yourself until finally, you end up shocked and shamed by the depths to which you have sunk. And statistically speaking, the problem is exactly the same in the church as it is in society. Jesus taught us to pray, ‘Deliver us from evil,’ (see Matthew 6:9–15), and some of that evil is now brought into our homes through magazines and the internet.

Parents, protect your children from things that can cloud their minds and hurt their chances of building healthy relationships. And if you’re addicted to pornography, pray this prayer: ‘Lord, cleanse me from my sin. Help me to stop setting myself up for shame and failure by the things I open myself up to. I repent and ask for your deliverance now. Reveal to me the emotional needs I’m attempting to fulfil, and give me the courage, strength, and wisdom to deal with them in a manner that honours You. I want to follow Job’s example, because he made a covenant with his eyes not to look upon, wish for, or lust after sinful things. I can’t do it in my own strength. Fill me with Your Spirit. Give me someone I can trust to be honest with me—someone who will share this burden with me in prayer and believe for my deliverance. Give me a longing for You that will surpass and destroy all lustful thoughts. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.’

SoulFood: Obad, Mal 1–4, Mk 7:1–13, Ps 18:1–29, Prov 12:23–24

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

‘So that they won’t become discouraged.’ Colossians 3:21 CSB

Embittered children ultimately become discouraged. A discouraged child is less hopeful, less enthusiastic, lacking in determination, and easily led astray. By destroying a child’s hope, you’re undermining their God-given temperament. Children are born with optimism, inspiration, anticipation, and possibilities. Without hope, there is nothing to inspire them. Hopelessness brings depression and darkness of heart and soul. When you demoralise them, you destroy their confidence, leaving them afraid, insecure, and unable to face life.

Self-confidence is necessary for a healthy self-image, for relating to others, for succeeding in their education and a career. A disheartened kid loses certainty and becomes a broken spirit. The spirit is the centre of the being. A broken spirit produces a broken person. ‘A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones’ (Proverbs 17:22 CSB), leaving a child with a disabled core. Our world is full of broken kids. Broken-spirited kids lack the resolve to achieve in life, to set goals and reach them. ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish.’ (Proverbs 29:18 KJV) It’s your vision that gives you the inner strength to see something through to its accomplishment in spite of the obstacles encountered.

It takes an intact, resilient child to overcome life’s hurdles. How can you help them? ‘Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.’ (Ephesians 6:4 RSV) You must cherish them, teach them God’s Word even when they seem indifferent, practise what you preach, be consistent with your rules, let them see you reading God’s Word and praying regularly. Always encourage them and never, never give up on them!

SoulFood: 1 Pet 1–5, Mk 6:45–56, Ps 49, Prov 12:20–22

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

‘Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would increase abundantly.’ Job  8:7 NKJV

It’s easier to recognise success looking back than it is looking forward. For some of us, it can be many years before we recognise our success, celebrate it, and feel secure in it. That’s because we lack a proper perspective. At its widest point, the Mississippi River requires a three-kilometre-wide steel span bridge to get across; while at its source, the stream is so small you can jump over it. But it’s still the same river. Most things start small!

Have you ever heard the Serenity Prayer? It goes like this: ‘God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.’ It was first prayed in a little church in Massachusetts by Reinhold Niebuhr during a Sunday morning service. Only a small group of people was in the congregation that day, but one person liked the prayer and, after the service, he asked for a copy. ‘Here,’ Niebuhr responded, handing over a crumpled piece of paper. ‘I doubt I’ll ever have any more use for it.’ Well, guess what? Next to the Lord’s Prayer, it’s the most used prayer in the world.

Isn’t it ironic that Niebuhr’s prayer became so popular? Evidently, his perspective wasn’t too good because he didn’t know what he had. With that story in mind, read this Scripture again and really think about it: ‘Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would increase abundantly.’ (Job 8:7 NKJV)

With God’s help, you can turn your failure into success and go on to greater things.

SoulFood: Deut 14–17, Mk 5:1–10, Ps 37:25–31, Prov 12:1–3

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

‘Do not withhold discipline from a child.’ Proverbs 23:13 NIV

Two areas where parents can get confused.

Discipline versus punishment. ‘Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline will remove it far from him.’ (Proverbs 22:15 NASB) Notice God’s choice of words: ‘the rod of discipline’ not the ‘rod of punishment’. Discipline and correction are about teaching and learning; punishment is about making a child suffer for their behaviour. Children need discipline, not punishment, from a loving parent ‘Do not withhold discipline from a child.’ (Proverbs 23:13 NIV)

Withholding discipline prepares them for a life of failure and suffering. Discipline is focused on improving their behaviour. It teaches right and wrong by giving consequences that directly relate to the child’s choices. It may take the form of being grounded or suspending privileges, but it should always be for the child’s benefit, never to inflict pain.

Love versus indulgence. Our materialistic world confuses love with indulgence. Loving parents give without spoiling, withhold for the child’s good, and motivate them by rewarding good behaviour. Indulgent parents give kids whatever they want, irrespective of behaviour, thus failing to motivate them to be responsible. Spoiled kids develop a sense of entitlement and an expectation that others exist to please them. Indulgent parents are frequently guilt-driven and afraid their kids won’t like or love them. They mistake indulgence for love, and breed children who demand, manipulate, and are never satisfied. Love requires talking, listening, understanding, laughing, sharing tough times, respecting and encouraging your kids with unconditional acceptance (of themselves as people, but not of their behaviour). Such love costs nothing but is worth everything.

SoulFood: Deut 30:1–32:28, Mk 6:14–29, Ps 57, Prov 12:15–17

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

‘Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord.’ Psalm 127:3 NKJV

Over the next few days, let’s look at some practical areas where parents are often confused. (If you’re not a parent, use these points to help you pray for parents you know.)

Guidance versus criticism. If you have a placid, agreeable, and compliant child who enjoys school, homework, and doing household chores, bringing ‘them up in the training and instruction of the Lord’ will be a joy! (Ephesians 6:4 NIV) Many of us, however, are given assertive, strong-willed kids with their own agendas. These kids know what they want, and when and how to get it. They also know what they don’t want to eat, wear, hear, say, and do! And parents or carers of these kids need help in building the kind of relationship that creates trust and allows for mutual discussion and respect in a tug-of-war atmosphere. In such cases giving guidance can easily become criticism, constantly emphasising the child’s faults: ‘You look ridiculous in that… You’re never on time… Why can’t you be like…?’ A much better approach is to point the kid to the solution.

Even valid guidance offered negatively will damage self-worth, breed resentment, and destroy the possibility of building mutual respect. They need to hear you say, ‘I’m not on your back—I’m on your team!’ When normal conflict arises—and it will—it’s tempting to become overbearing or frustrated. When you shout, insult, or humiliate the child, you lose sight of your parental goal of guiding and training. This leaves them feeling angry, disempowered, uncertain of themselves and you—an invitation to rebellion. But if you guide your child as one who is on their team, with patient practical help, links will be forged that encourage cooperation, trust, and mutual respect.

SoulFood: Deut 28–29, Mk 6:1–13, Ps 44:17–26, Prov 12:12–14

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

‘Train up a child in the way he should go.’ Proverbs 22:6 NKJV

If you’re a parent, do you ever wish for a parenting do-over—a second chance to raise your kids? With hindsight and insight, you think you would do it right next time! Parenting is both rewarding and guilt-inducing. It’s rewarding because we love our children and they bring us joy. It’s guilt-inducing because we blame ourselves for their shortcomings and misfortunes. ‘Where did I go wrong as a parent?’ There is no perfect parent, and there is no universal blueprint because every child is born unique.

Psychologists have said our children were born with a ‘blank slate’, waiting for us to write life instructions on them. Not so! Babies are miniature people, ‘born in sin and formed in iniquity’ (see Psalm 51:5). They are given to us to figure out as we try to mould them spiritually, morally, socially, and intellectually. By age seven, they have learned about 75% of everything they will ever know. But although there is no one-size-fits-all formula for success, there are God-given principles that work whether you’re a new parent or a grandparent, or someone who works with children. ‘Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.’ (Proverbs 22:6 NKJV)

Notice some keywords here. ‘Train’, which implies imparting information in a consistent, understandable way. Toddlers learn better with pictures. Older kids need us to use contemporary language. If they don’t ‘get it’, we probably didn’t teach it well enough! ‘Child’ means old enough to understand. ‘In the way he should go’ implies knowing their personality and abilities and tailoring your training to fit them. When God’s principles fit the child’s unique characteristics, they’re more likely to adopt and follow them.

SoulFood: Gal 5:22, Lk 19:11–26, Ps 36:5–9, Heb 10:19–23

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

‘He cut off a stick, and threw it in there, and made the iron float.’ 2 Kings 6:6 RSV

A prophet was chopping trees when his rare and valuable iron axe head fell into the river. He said to Elisha: ‘Alas, my master! It was borrowed.’ (2 Kings 6:5 NKJV) He uses the past tense. As far as he is concerned, this axe head is gone forever. He has no expectation whatsoever that the axe head will be retrieved. He shows Elisha where he lost it. Then something happens that most likely never happened before or since. Elisha ‘cut off a stick, and threw it in there, and made the iron float.’ (2 Kings 6:6 RSV) Notice, this isn’t a life-or-death situation. Yes, it’s a loaned axe head. Yes, it disappeared. But if that’s the worst thing you have gone through, you have led a pretty sheltered life.

You could put this into the same category as Jesus turning water into wine at a wedding party. Why waste your first miracle on helping a bride and groom avoid embarrassment because they didn’t stock enough wine for their reception? This reveals something about God. He concerns Himself with the little things, like wedding receptions and borrowed tools. Nothing is too big for our great God, and nothing is too small for Him either.

‘Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.’ (1 Peter 5:7 NIV) Note the words ‘all your anxiety’. If it matters to you, it matters to your loving heavenly Father. ‘In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.’ (Proverbs 3:6 NKJV) Note the words ‘all your ways’. Today God wants you to share every detail of your life with Him.

SoulFood: Deut 25–27, Mk 5:31–43, Ps 44:9–16, Prov 12:10–11

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