‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ 1 Corinthians 15:55 NIV

When Carolyn Arends’ father lay dying in the hospital, an oxygen mask made it virtually impossible for him to communicate with his family. So they were surprised to hear him humming an old Sunday school song: ‘With Christ in the vessel we can smile at the storm, as we go sailing home.’

Just hours before he went home to Heaven, a boyhood chorus he had learned 60 years ago gave this dying man comfort and strength. Arends writes: ‘I hope I go down singing, speaking, and thinking about Jesus… Death unaddressed is the bogeyman [monster] in the basement; it keeps us looking over our shoulders and from entering joyously into the days we’ve been given. Dragged out of the shadows and held up to the light of the Gospel, death not only loses its sting, it becomes a reminder to “use wisely all the time we have” (see Psalm 90:12 CEV)… A race toward the finish line has a different sense of purpose and urgency than a jog around the block. When a believer acknowledges he’s headed toward death [tomorrow or in 50 years], he or she can stop expending the tremendous energy it takes to deny his mortality and start living into his eternal destiny here and now. He can be intentional about investing in the things he wants to be with him at the end… Death hurts, but it’s not the end… we don’t mourn as those who have no hope… I don’t know how many days I’ve got left, but I want to use every one to get the truth about who Jesus is—and who I am in Him—more deeply ingrained.’

SoulFood: Jos 1–4, John 15:18–27, Ps 65, Pro 28:17–20

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

‘In Your presence is fullness of joy.’ Psalm 16:11 NKJV

Ask 20 people to describe Heaven, and chances are you’ll get 20 different answers. But there’s one thing that’s not open to speculation: ‘To leave this life and be with Christ… is much better’ (Philippians 1:23 NCV) than anything we can imagine.

Recalling a conversation with her mum before she went to Heaven, Billy Graham’s daughter Anne writes: ‘I told her about my recent visit to Westminster Abbey, where kings and queens are crowned and royalty are married. The door for tourists that leads to the cathedral entrance is a dark, cramped space. Opposite is another door that opens into the magnificent, glorious, cavernous sanctuary of Westminster Abbey. The dimly lit narthex [hallway] is just a place to purchase your ticket and guidebook before transitioning to the cathedral. I can’t imagine anyone clutching a ticket or leafing through a guidebook being satisfied with staying in the [entrance hall]… We pick our ticket to Heaven when we’re born again through faith in Jesus. And we familiarise ourselves with the “guidebook” to Heaven—the Bible… My mother left the narthex and moved into the sanctuary on June 14, 2007… It’s unimaginable that I can no longer see the sparkle in her eyes, or hear the wisdom of her words. Yet despite my aching heart, I know her whole purpose for being—and ours—is to transition into Heaven. The psalmist said, “In Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” One day I too will move, to live forever in the sanctuary. In the meantime, I want to show others a glimpse of our Father’s house, so they’ll look forward with hope to moving there.’

SoulFood: 3 John, Jude, John 15:5–17, Ps 14, Pro 28:13–16

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

‘Does it mean nothing to you, all you who pass by?’ Lamentations 1:12 NLT

At a train station in Washington D.C. on a cold January morning in 2007, a young violinist played several classical compositions as people rushed by. After three minutes, a middle-aged man slowed briefly, then hurried away. 30 seconds later the young man received his first dollar; a woman threw it in his case without stopping. Six minutes later a man leaned against a wall to listen for a few minutes, then looked at his watch, and walked on. After ten minutes a little boy stopped, but his mum hurried him along. Other kids did the same, but every parent, without exception, rushed them on.

The young musician played for 43 minutes. During that time seven people stopped and listened for a while, and 20 gave money as they walked past. He collected a total of $32, and when he stopped playing nobody noticed or applauded. What’s remarkable is this: the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the world’s greatest musicians, and he played some of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million. Two days before, he’d sold out a Boston theatre where seats averaged $100 to listen to him play the same music he played at the Metro station that morning, where only one person recognised him.

So here’s the question: if you’ve no time to stop and listen to one of the world’s best musicians playing the finest music ever written, on one of the most beautiful instruments ever made, what else are you missing as you charge through life? It’s worth thinking about, isn’t it? (Note: Joshua Bell played incognito as part of a social experiment conducted by The Washington Post.)

SoulFood: 2 Chr 35–36, 2 John, John 14:26–15:4, Ps 146, Pro 28:9–12

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

‘Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world.’ Romans 12:2 NLT

Our high-tech society is producing stressed-out people. Next year we will have even less time because statistically for every hour technology saves you, it consumes two more. Author Keri Wyatt Kent writes: ‘Every time you say “yes” to something, you’re saying “no” to other options. Activity cloaked in “Christian window-dressing”, is still activity. Don’t copy the behaviour… of this world; our world is hurried. Take time to listen and care. The hallmark of a Christian is love, and you can’t love in a hurry.’ So to slow down you need to:

(1) Simplify your life. ‘Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.’ (Matthew 6:25 NIV) Put God first and everything else will follow. When Marlene Eissens decided to change careers, she set out for university with only the stuff she could fit in her car. Today she’s in ministry. She has a house, but resists filling it, and anything she hasn’t used for six months goes to charity. She says, ‘I feel real freedom because with less stuff I’m free to focus on God.’

(2) Keep the Sabbath. Set aside at least one day a week to spend time with God, talking with Him about the purpose of what you’re doing. Rest, be with your loved ones, and fellowship with your church family.

(3) ’Be satisfied with… [what you have].’ (Hebrews 13:5 AMPC) You’ll still be tempted to hurry and wish for more or nicer stuff, but you’ll grow closer to God by making more space in your life for Him. As J.I. Packer says, ‘We dishonour God when we proclaim a Saviour who satisfies, and then go around discontent.’

SoulFood: 2 Chr 32–34, John 14:15–25, Ps 118:19–29, Pro 28:5–8

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

‘Focus on this one thing.’ Philippians 3:13 NLT

We live in the day of multitasking. We talk on the phone while having lunch, read text messages while feeding the kids, and even hold multiple WhatsApp conversations at the same time.

Dr Richard Swenson says: ‘In some instances we are more productive… some people crochet while watching the news. And in certain jobs it’s considered necessary; clerks on the Stock Exchange floor are required to run around doing five things at once. But isn’t it bizarre that when a 48-year-old broker drops dead, his colleagues keep working around the lifeless body receiving CPR? The dramatic escalation of busyness has given us too much to do in a short time. The standard strategy… instead of refusing to take on more… is to do two, three, or four things at once. It’s an extension of the do-more-and-more-with-less-and-less philosophy. But someone forgot to do the math! By doing two things at once you divert 30% of your attention from the primary task; you sacrifice quality for quantity, which leads to more errors. You may end up finishing more tasks, but with poorer products and frazzled nerves. The downside of multitasking isn’t well-advertised… so we keep experimenting to see how far we can push the envelope. However, when it comes to relationships, multitasking can be disastrous. We don’t listen… it takes too much time. Families need focus… babies need what they need when they need it. You either parent them or you don’t. Paul didn’t live like that. He focused “on this one thing.”’

A dog has four feet, but it doesn’t try to walk down four roads! So slow down and establish a pace that’s sane and sustainable.

SoulFood: Josh 1, Ps 27:11–14, 2 Tim 2:1–13

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

‘Is this the kind of fast I have chosen?’ Isaiah 58:5 NIV

God never commanded you to examine your emotions, experiences, or sins. What He did say is, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’ (John 1:29 NASB) Victory over sin comes from focusing on Christ—not beating yourself up! In the Old Testament the Israelites reached a place of despair.

They’d fasted and ‘afflicted’ their souls, yet God ignored their efforts. They sought spiritual restoration in their own self-directed way, and God rejected it, saying: ‘Is this the kind of fast I have chosen… for people to humble themselves… bowing one’s head like a reed… in sackcloth and ashes? Is that… acceptable to the Lord?’ Clearly, God is not pleased with the misery that comes from self-focus! He has a more effective way to liberate us.

Rather than have us weighed down with remorse, He said: ‘Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice… set the oppressed free… break every yoke… share your food with the hungry… provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not… turn away from your own flesh and blood?’ (Isaiah 58:6–7 NIV)

God’s way eliminates the ‘paralysis of self-analysis’ by commanding you to forget about yourself completely; to stop dwelling on your imperfections and get involved in the lives and needs of others. His four-point plan for overcoming your flesh is:

(1) Acknowledge His grace and see yourself as ‘righteous’ in Christ.

(2) Fix your eyes on Jesus.

(3) Keep away from obsessive self-focus.

(4) Serve God by serving others.

When you do all these things, ‘Your light will rise in the darkness…The Lord will guide… and… strengthen you.’ (Isaiah 58:10–11 NIV)

SoulFood: 2 Chr 29–31, John 14:1–14, Ps 118:10–18, Pro 28:1–4

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

‘My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare.’ Psalm 25:15 NIV

It’s no use for us to shine a spotlight on ourselves, find some faults and tinker with them in the hope of making improvements. The Lord wants total and radical replacement of ‘old’ with ‘new’. Your old nature is determined to hold your attention; it would rather be thought of badly than not at all. In the process of examining your flesh and feeling miserable, you’re probably going to think you are being humble, honest and spiritual. But the only spiritual and safe way to handle your fleshly nature is to consign it to the ‘ignore file’, and anchor your attention and expectations exclusively on the Lord.

David understood how this principle worked: ‘My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only He will release my feet from the snare.’ Looking at your own ‘clay feet’ (weaknesses and failures), and the ‘snare’ (your unregenerate flesh) you’re tangled in, won’t free you from the trap. You’ll just end up further entangled. Only God, together with your cooperation, can release you from the trap of the flesh. Keeping your ‘eyes… ever on the Lord’ is His way of giving you the victory.

Listen again to what David said: ‘I keep my eyes always on the Lord… I will not be shaken… You make known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.’ (Psalm 16:8–11 NIV) Your job is simple, though not necessarily easy. It’s to ignore your fleshly cravings and stay focused on Jesus. His job is to transform you by His mighty power!

SoulFood: 2 Chr 25–28, John 13:31–38, Ps 118:1–9, Pro 27:23–27

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

‘Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life.’ Ephesians 4:22 NLT

Does God expect us to work on growth and self-improvement? Yes! But just as examining yourself is futile, so is trying to change if it keeps you self-focused and defeated. The Bible’s path to change is to turn away from self and focus on Christ. Paul says, ‘We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory… by the Spirit of the Lord.’ (2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV)

God isn’t interested in improved flesh. In His eyes ‘improved flesh’ is still flesh. He’s in the character-transformation business, not the self-improvement business. All your self-improvement strategies can’t transform your old self-nature. Only God, ‘by the Spirit’, can make you more Christ-like. As you ‘behold [look at and study] as in a mirror [the Word of God]’ you become ‘transformed into the same image [the image of God you’re looking at] from glory to glory [grade to grade]’. It doesn’t happen because of your grit, but because of His grace.

‘So what will happen to my flesh?’ you ask. God’s ultimate plan is to replace it and give you a new heavenly body. That’s why Paul writes: ‘Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.’ No altering, adjusting, and patching-up allowed— you must ‘throw it off’!

Like a lobster or crab growing and shedding the confinement of its old shell, as you focus on and fellowship with Christ, you are released from the dominance of your old nature and grow into your new one. You’re transformed—from the inside out.

SoulFood: 2 Chr 22–24, John 13:18–30, Ps 114, Pro 27:20–22

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

‘Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.’ Luke 12:37 NKJV

When dealing with self-focus, you may ask, ‘What about those Scriptures that specifically tell us to “watch”? Aren’t they all about keeping an eye on ourselves?’ That’s a good question, so let’s take a look at some of those ‘watch’ passages in Scripture.

In Mark 13:34–37 NKJV we read: ‘A man going to a far country… left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!’

What Jesus was teaching here is the exact opposite of self-focus. The doorkeeper wasn’t to watch himself, but to watch for his returning master. Jesus expects us to forget ourselves, work conscientiously for His Kingdom, and be watching and prepared for His return. He said, ‘Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself… have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.’ Far from an obsessive self-introspection that leaves you exhausted, discouraged, and disappointed with yourself, Jesus wants you to be excited and involved in His work here on earth, to actively watch for the coming again of your Lord and King.

‘Look to Me [not to yourself!], and be saved… For I am God, and there is no other.’ (Isaiah 45:22 NKJV) So focus more on God—and less on yourself.

SoulFood: 2 Chr 19–21, John 13:1–17, Ps 95, Pro 27:17–19

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

‘Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.’ 2 Corinthians 13:5 NIV

Self-focus isn’t necessarily bad if it leads to spiritual growth. However, some people mistakenly assume that it’s a Biblical mandate! After all, didn’t God tell us to ‘examine ourselves’? So with that in mind we start to wonder—‘Do I measure up spiritually? Have I truly repented? Do I pray enough? Is God pleased with me?’ The truth is, focusing on yourself can keep you feeling discouraged and defeated.

Let’s check and see what God actually says. There are only two mentions of self-examination in Scripture, and neither teaches us to indulge in self-focus. First, Paul challenged the Corinthians about tolerating terrible sin in their church. A man was having an affair with his stepmother and no one seemed bothered by it. And because they had ‘not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they… indulged’ (2 Corinthians 12:21 NIV), Paul wrote, ‘Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.’

This isn’t an invitation to self-focus, but a spiritual check-up. ‘See whether you are in the faith.’ Second, Paul corrected the Corinthians’ behaviour during the Lord’s Supper. Because some were getting drunk on communion wine, he said, ‘Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.’ (1 Corinthians 11:28 NIV) Paul’s not suggesting you focus on your flaws, but on the liberating truth that Jesus paid the price for all your sin—past, present, and future.

The Bible says to fix ‘our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.’ (Hebrews 12:2 NIV) Growth, joy, and victory lie in leaving unhealthy self-focus and staying Christ-focused!

SoulFood: 2 Chr 16–18, John 12:37–50, Ps 102:18–28, Pro 27:13–16

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