"Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!"  Psalm 139:14 NLT

Some people are afraid to embrace their uniqueness. They would rather live according
to the "herd instinct," so their actions or decisions are determined by the behavior of the group. They fear being rejected for being different. Not so with emotionally secure people. They feel no pressure to be carbon copies of the styles of others or any other aspects of their being. David said, "Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous--how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God" (Psalm 139:14-17 NLT). Emotionally secure people not only have the courage to exercise their uniqueness, but they also support the right of other individuals to be different. Yes, you need to strive for personal and spiritual growth. But you must have the courage to exercise your God-given gifts and uniqueness. Emotionally secure people do not require others to rubber stamp their ideas or opinions--especially as they relate to non-essential matters. If you struggle with letting someone have a different opinion from yours, ask yourself this key question: "Will this person's stance on this matter negatively impact my life?" If not, respect it and keep moving. If the matter has eternal consequences--and most do not--pray that God will bring that person (or maybe you) into the light of truth.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today 

"The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me."      Acts 20:24 NCV

On January 30, 1956, Time magazine devoted its cover to five American missionaries killed with spears on the banks of the Curaray River in Ecuador by members of the Huaorani people. As tragic as their martyrdom was, it was not in vain. Their deaths inspired a new generation of missionaries to devote their lives to the cause of Christ.  One journal entry, belonging to Jim Elliot, one of the martyred missionaries, contained what became one of the most cited sentences of his generation: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." When we stand before Christ to be evaluated and rewarded for our service to Him, our singular regret will be whatever we didn't give back to God. That's it. Whatever we keep, we lose. Whatever we lose for His sake, we keep for eternity.
C T. Studd was one of the greatest cricket players in England. Fame and fortune were at his fingertips, but he chose to devote his life to missions instead. As one of the "Cambridge Seven," Studd spent a decade with the China Inland Mission, founded by Hudson Taylor. In 1913, he started the Heart of Africa Mission, now known as Worldwide Evangelisation for Christ International. A century later, eighteen hundred WEC missionaries in fifty countries seek to make Christ known, loved, and worshiped among people who have yet to hear the gospel. A life well lived adds weight to C. T. Studds famous words: "Only one life 'twill soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last."

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today 

"Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed."     John 14:27 AMPC

When worry comes knocking on your door, you've two choices: Invite it in or send it away. Jesus said, "Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed." That means you have the power to say yes or no to worry. And if worry has already moved in and taken up residence, what should you do? "Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5 NKJV). "Set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things)" (Colossians 3:2 AMPC). When doubts swarm your mind, turn your thoughts to God. He is above all this mess! He is "the Most High over all the earth" (Psalm 83:18 ESV).
Moses announced, "Who among the gods is like you, Lord?" (Exodus 15:11 NIV). The psalmist asked, "Who in the skies is comparable to the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty is like the Lord?" (Psalm 89:6 NAS). Isaiah wrote, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory!" (Isaiah 6:3 KJV). God is not just holy; He is wholly unlike us. Pain does not plague Him. The economy does not faze him. The weather does not disturb Him. Elections do not define Him. Diseases do not infect Him. Death cannot claim Him. He has resources we don't have and wisdom we've never imagined. And He is "able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20 KJV). The hymnist wrote: "Got any rivers you think are uncrossable? Got any mountains you can't tunnel through? God specializes in things thought impossible, and He will do what no other power can do:"

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today 

"I put on right living as if it were clothing: I wore fairness like a robe."     Job 29:14 NCV

Adrian Thomas, the third-generation owner of Thomas Drugstore in Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, realized he was tired of losing friends to cancer and heart disease.
For ninety-six years, his family had sold tobacco products in the front of the store and health products in the back. As a matter of integrity and conscience, he just could not do both anymore. Therefore, Thomas, his employees, and family members loaded up thousands of dollars worth of tobacco products into boxes and took them to a parking lot to be burned. To get the fire going, Thomas first set a match to his state license to sell tobacco. Then he used the burning document to set flame to the pile of boxes. As he watched the stash go up in smoke, Thomas told his family and employees that he could no longer put dollars and cents above the health of his patrons. Most of us talk about the importance of doing the right thing—even when it costs us. But Adrian Thomas is one of those rare individuals who "put his money where his mouth was." In other words, he put people ahead of profits. King Solomon said: "The integrity of the upright shall guide them" (Proverbs 11:3 KJV). And Job the patriarch said: "I put on right living as if it were clothing; I wore fairness like a robe." Prayer: "Lord, in my dealings with others, help me to always put principle above profit and popularity and to honor Your name in all that I do. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen."

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today 

"I don't mean to say that I have...reached perfection."     Philippians 3:12 NLT
 
Nowhere does the Bible equate sinlessness with perfection. Paul said, "I don't mean to say that I have... reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me." Our Lord knew that as fallible humans, we would occasionally fall short of His requirements. Therefore, He put a stopgap measure in place to deal with it. John said, "I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father.  He Is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous" (I John 2:1 NLT). Jesus was the only person who walked in human flesh who could claim perfection; therefore, He is the only one who is "truly righteous". God is never surprised or shocked when we fail. He is all-knowing; He knows what we will do long before we do it. Neither is He disappointed by our actions, because to be disappointed is to experience an unmet expectation. In spite of our deeds, God stands ready to forgive us the moment we repent (see Nehemiah 9:17). Also, when we come to understand that failure can be a key tool in our spiritual and emotional development, we will stop self-flogging and guilt-tripping. Instead, we will embrace the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, ask and accept God's forgiveness, and move forward. Rather than asking, "How could this have happened to me?" or "Will I ever be fit for His service?" we need to stop and ask ourselves, "What lessons does God want me to learn from this?"

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

"Perfect love casts out fear."      1 John 4:18 NKJV
 
We've looked at priority giving, percentage giving, and progressive giving. Now let's look at prompted giving. From time to time, God will prompt you to make a special gift. God uses promptings to communicate that you are in a unique position to meet the needs of His kingdom. As you walk through life, God constantly introduces you to people with needs. Sometimes it's a spiritual need; other times it's a physical need. Sometimes you are the one in need, and other times you provide what's needed. This is now the church works. As stewards, we have the privilege of interacting with our heavenly Father and ministering to the needs of His children in the world. Without the element of prompting, your giving could become very cold and calculated. Promptings are the pulse in the church body. In 1 John 3:17, we read, "If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?" (NIV). God uses the needs of others as opportunities to exhibit His love alive in us. And often those opportunities are revealed through special promptings that are above and beyond our regular giving. Perhaps you're thinking, "I can't afford to do that." Factor God into the equation! Not only can He use you to meet the needs of others, but He can also multiply the seed of generosity you sowed into the harvest you need. When that happens, your fear will have met its match, because "perfect love casts out fear."

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

"The Lord has laid on Him [Jesus] the iniquity of us all."    Isaiah 53:6 NKJV

You may have times when you're so disappointed in yourself that you wonder how God could still love you. That's when you need to remind yourself that God has deposited His righteousness into your account: "God made him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV). Every bad thing you have ever done (sins of commission) and every good thing you chose not to do (sins of omission), Christ paid for. He took on your sin so you could take on His righteousness. He took on Himself God's wrath that you deserved so you could receive God's grace that none of us deserves. Suppose you overextended yourself on your credit card and could not pay when the bill arrived. You opened the envelope, only to find out someone else has paid off your debt and even deposited an amount from which you could draw in the future. This is what happens when God responds to your faith in the finished work of Christ by imputing His own righteousness to your salvation account. We all owed a debt for our sins that we could not pay. Jesus, who never sinned, went to the cross, took our sin in His own body, and paid for us the debt He did not owe.
If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9 NKJV). Are you worrying about your salvation? Stop worrying and start trusting!

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today
 

"Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?        Luke 24:32 KJV

Sometimes you'll get overwhelmed when you remember the shape you were in and the road you were on--then Jesus came. If you can t praise Him for what He save you out of, maybe you could praise Him today for what He kept you from. Without Him, where would you be? On the Emmaus Road, a man and his companion walked in silence and despair. Jesus was dead! Their hopes had been destroyed, and there was nothing left to live for. We've all been on the Emmaus Road, and maybe that's where you are today. But suddenly Jesus came! Don't you love those words? They didn't know it was Him; they thought He was a stranger. On resurrection morning, Mary thought Jesus was the gardener; and in Galilee, the disciples thought He was a ghost. The Bible says, "Some have entertained angels unawares" (Hebrews 13:2 KJV). Keep your eyes and your heart open, and before the day is through, you might be saying, "It's Him! It's His voice! He's here!' In that moment, you can reach out to touch Him and be made whole.  You say. "How will I know it's Him?" Heartburn! Listen: "Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way?" You'll know it's Him, all right. There's no voice like His, no touch like His, and no peace like His. As you open the pages of your Bible, He'll open your understanding. When He does, your heart will burn and you'll feel the glow of His presence.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today 

October 23, 2026

When you find yourself in a crisis, you have to choose: faith or fear? God's purpose or random history? A God who knows and cares or a God who isn't there? If you're wise, you'll choose to trust God's promises. You'll believe that God is up to something good, even though all you see looks bad. You'll sing the hymn with confidence: "His oath, His covenant, His blood, support me in the whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay." Nothing deserves your attention more than God's covenants. No words written on paper will ever sustain you like the promises of God. To the bereaved: "Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning". (Ps 30:5 NIV). To the besieged: "The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all" (PS 34:19 NIV). To the sick: "The Lord sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness" (Ps 41:3 NIV). To the lonely: "l will never leave you nor forsake you" (Heb 13:5 NKJV). To the dying: "In my Father's house are many rooms…I go to prepare a place for you" (Jn 14:2 ESV). To the sinner: "My grace is sufficient for you" (2Co 12:9 NIV). Press into God's promises. When fears surface, respond with this thought: "But God said.. “When doubts arise, "But God said. When guilt overwhelms you, "But God said..." Turn to God's spoken covenants. Search the Scriptures like a miner digging for gold. Once you find a nugget, grasp it and trust it!

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

A missionary surgeon in one of China’s hospitals restored sight to a man who had been nearly blinded by cataracts. A few weeks later, to his great surprise, forty-eight blind men showed up on his hospital doorstep. They had all come to be cured. Amazingly, these blind men had walked more than 250 miles from a remote area of China to get to the hospital. They had traveled holding onto a rope chain. Their guide and their inspiration was the blind man who had been cured. The Christian evangelist Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman concluded from his study of the New Testament gospels that Jesus healed some forty people personally and directly. Of this number, thirty-four were brought to Him or to His attention by friends or family members, or Jesus was taken to an ailing person by others. Only six of the forty people healed found their way to Jesus, or He to them, without someone assisting. When Jesus first recruited His disciples, He told them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." And He did. The Bible says of Andrew, Simon Peter's brother: "He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah'...and he brought him to Jesus" (Jn 1:41-42 NKJV). Again we read: "Philip found Nathaniel and said to him, 'We have found Him of whom Moses. ..and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth'" (Jn I:45 NKJV). So the word for you today is this: Never let an opportunity go by without telling others about Christ or leading them to the Lord.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

Daniel held a top spot in Babylon’s government. But he lived by a different set of convictions from those around him. Because he wouldn't eat their food or worship their idols, he landed in a lions' den. But God brought him out and promoted him. Daniel didn't live by the "just go along to get along' philosophy. If he had, his name wouldn't be remembered today. Popular thinking loves the status quo. It puts its confidence in "the idea of the moment" and holds onto it with all its might. As a result, it resists change and forfeits growth and progress. And that’s particularly so as we age. Because it took all our energy to get to where we are in life, the idea of "moving" or "changing" doesn't appeal to us as we age. But that doesn't have to be your legacy. "They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh" (Ps 92: 14 NIV). When the Promised Land was being divided up among the twelve tribes, Caleb was eighty-five. But he didn't have a retirement or rocking-chair mentality. He announced: "l am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day...And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb" (Jos 14:11-1 3 NKJV). A marker on a grave on Mount Everest says it all: "He died climbing." Let that be said of you!

Professor Benno Müller-HilI said that one morning, he stood last in a line of forty students in his schoolyard. His physics teacher had set up a telescope so that each student could view a planet and its moons. The first student looked through it. When the teacher asked if he could see anything, the boy said no; his nearsightedness hampered his view. The teacher showed him how to adjust the focus, and the boy finally said he could see the planet and moons. One by one, the students stepped up to the telescope and saw what they were "supposed" to see. Finally, the second to last student looked into the telescope and announced that he couldn't see anything. "You idiot," shouted the teacher, "you have to adjust the lenses." The student tried, but he finally said, "l still can't see anything. Its all black" The teacher, disgusted, looked through the telescope himself, and then he looked up with a strange expression. The cap still covered the telescope lens. None of the students had been able to see anything! Until Jesus came along, everybody thought the Pharisees had figured out the truth about God and how life should be lived. But Jesus said, "You don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God" (Mk 12:24 NLT). He also said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (Jn 8:32 NLT). Note the words: “You will know.” The only way to know the truth is through intuition, investigation, and application. It's not intellectual knowledge that comes from something you've heard, but intuitive knowledge that comes from experience.

John Maynard Keynes said: “The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping old ones." Going against popular thinking can be difficult, whether you're a businessperson bucking company tradition, a pastor introducing new types of music and ministry to the church, a mother rejecting old wives' tales handed down from her parents, or a teenager ignoring peer pressure. if you value popularity over good thinking; you will severely limit your potential in life. John Maxwell says popular thinking is: 'Too average to understand the value of good thinking. Too inflexible to realize the impact of changed thinking Too lazy to master the process of intentional thinking. Too small to see the wisdom of big picture thinking. Too satisfied to unleash the potential of focused thinking. Too traditional to discover the joy of creative thinking. 100 naive to recognize the importance of realistic thinking Too undisciplined to release the power of strategic thinking. Too limiting to feel the energy of possibility thinking. Too trendy to embrace the lessons of reflective thinking Too shallow to question the acceptance of popular thinking. Too proud to encourage the participation of shared thinking. Too self-absorbed to experience the satisfaction of unselfish thinking. Too
uncommitted to enjoy the return of bottom-line thinking." So be teachable, and never stop asking questions. The truth will always stand up to honest investigation. The Bereans were thinkers: 'They received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed" (Ac 17:11-12 NKJV).

Paul wrote: "Test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good." That’s a scriptural principle you should live by! Jesus questioned popular thinking and it made Him unpopular. But it turns out that He was right, and they were wrong. Why don't we think for ourselves? Because good thinking is hard work. Its easier just to do what others do and hope they thought it out. Popular thinking once said the earth was the center of the universe. But Copernicus studied the stars and proved mathematically that the earth revolved around the sun. Popular thinking once said surgery didn't require clean instruments. But Joseph Lister studied the high death rate in hospitals and introduced antiseptic practices that have saved millions of lives. Popular thinking once said women shouldn't have the right to vote. But Susan B. Anthony fought for and won that right. Popular thinking put the Nazis in power in Germany, yet Hitler's regime murdered millions and nearly destroyed Europe. Millions follow the popular thinking of "buy now, pay later—so they pay, and pay, and pay. Many promises of popular thinking ring hollow. Don't let them fool you. When it comes to thinking, the path of least resistance often leads into a ditch. If you want to know what's right for you, spend time reading God's Word. It will never lead you astray. Job said, With Him are wisdom and strength, He has counsel and understanding" (Job
12:13 NKJV). God's wisdom will show you who you are and the assignment in life you are called to fulfill. So turn to Him for understanding.

This is what we know about the first thirty years of Jesus' life: He grew spiritually and intellectually as well as physically. Think about it: He spent thirty years preparing for a ministry that would last three and a half years. That's a ten-to-one ratio. But His three and a half years changed the world! Bottom line: Jesus was a thinker who lined up His thoughts with God. And as His disciple, you're called to do the same thing. That's not easy, and it may not make you popular. Most people want to take the path of least resistance. Or they fear rejection. Or they believe there's wisdom in doing what everybody else does, or that others must be right because they write books and appear on television. But if you want to succeed, you must know what's true according to God's Word and what's best for your life, not what's popular. As you begin to think against the grain of popular thinking, remind yourself: (1) unpopular thinking, even when resulting in success, is largely underrated, unrecognized, and misunderstood; (2) unpopular thinking contains the seeds of vision and opportunity; and (3) unpopular thinking is required for all progress. Popular thinking brings mediocre results. Here is popular thinking in a nutshell: popular—equals normal—equals average. It's the least of the best and the best of the least. You limit your success when you adopt popular thinking. It represents putting in the least amount of energy to just get by. But it you want to accomplish uncommon results, then you must reject common thinking and be guided by the unchanging truths at God's Word.

"Put no confidence...in the flesh." PHP 3:3 AMPC

When we talk about confidence, we usually mean "self-confidence." We think that we must believe in ourselves if we are to accomplish anything worthwhile in life. However, that is a misconception—we need to believe in Jesus in us! We do not dare feel good about ourselves apart from Him. When Paul said, "Put no confidence... .in the flesh," he meant just what he said—do not put confidence in yourself or in anything you can do apart from Jesus. Most of us fall into one of two categories: (l) We never accomplish anything no matter how hard we try, and we end up feeling negative about ourselves because of our lack of accomplishment. (2) We have enough natural talent to accomplish great things and take credit for all our achievements, which fills us with pride. Either way, we're a failure in the eyes of God. The only truly successful individuals in God's eyes are those who know they're nothing in themselves, but everything in Christ. Our boasting must be in Jesus alone, for He is to have all the glory for whatever accomplishments we may achieve, Paul preached in live languages, wrote half the New Testament, and was used by God to build the church. Yet here's what he said about himself: "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God" (2Co 3:5 NKJV). Then he added these words: "We have this-treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us" (2Co 4:7 NKJV). So, be confident in Christ.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

Friday, October 2, 2026

Let's look at some examples of healing in the New Testament church. In Acts chapter three, Peter and John were used by God to bring healing to a crippled man who sat begging each day at the temple gate (vv. 1-10). In Acts 9:33-35, we read: "A certain man named Aeneas.. .had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, 'Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.' Then he arose immediately. So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord" (NIOV). Acts 1 9:1 1-12 says: "God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them" (NKJV). We read that when Paul was shipwrecked and landed on the Island of Malta, "The father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him. So when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed" (Ac NKJV). The apostles practiced divine healing, and they also preached it. James declared: "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up" (Jas 5:14-1 5 NKJV). So the word for you today is—pray, and believe God for your healing.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

October 1, 2026

When David was twelve years old, he convinced a restaurant manager that he was actually sixteen and was hired as a lunch-counter waiter for twenty-five cents an hour. The place was owned by two Greek immigrant brothers, Frank and George, who had started their lives in America as a dishwasher and a hot-dog seller. David remembered that they set high standards, and they never asked anything of their employees that they wouldn't do themselves. Frank once told David, "As long as you are willing to try, you can always work for me. But when you don't try, you can't work for me." Trying meant everything from working hard, doing whatever needed to be done, and treating customers politely. Once, when Frank noticed a waitress giving a customer a rough time, he fired her on the spot and waited on the table himself. David determined that this would never happen to him! The usual tip for waiters back in those days was ten cents. But David discovered that if he brought out •the food quickly, was especially polite, and gave great service, he sometimes got twenty-five cents as a lip- He set a goal for himself to see how many customers he could wait on in one night. His record was one hundred! He went on to become the founder and chairman of Wendy's International, Inc., a chain of 4,300 restaurants. He also founded a charity called Wendy's Wonderful Kids, which helps to place needy children into adoptive families. His life proves that when you strive for excellence, work hard, and seek to help others, God will bless the work of your hands.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

"Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions."       Luke 12:15 NIV

Few people have undergone the trials and tribulations of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. He suffered decades of horrendous hardship as a political exile in the Siberian prison system known as the Gulag, and through faith in God, he survived and impacted the world. We can learn from him not only because he is a survivor, but also because he had been in a situation that few of us have ever known--an existence of near total deprivation. He not only lived without luxuries, but he also lived without necessities. Note carefully what he wrote in The Gulag Archipelago: "Don't be afraid of misfortune, and do not yearn for happiness; it is, after all, all the same: the bitter doesn't last forever, and the sweet never fills the cup to overflowing. It is enough if you don't freeze in the cold and if hunger and thirst don't claw at your insides. If your back isn't broken, if your feet can walk, if both arms can bend, if both eyes can see, and if both ears can hear, then whom should you envy? And why? Our envy of others devours us most of all. Rub your eyes and purity your heart--and prize above all else in the world those who love you and wish you well." Now there's a man who had figured out what really matters in life: not material things, but your relationship with God and with your loved ones. Jesus said, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions."

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

"The things you have heard me say...entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others."     2 Timothy 2:2 NIV

The writings of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn exposed the horrors that multitudes of innocent people suffered under the old Russian Communist prison system. And here's how he became a Christian. Jewish physician Boris Kornfeld was imprisoned in Siberia. There he worked in surgery, helping both the staff and prisoners. He met a Christian whose name is unknown, but whose quiet faith and frequent reciting of the Lord's Prayer moved Dr. Kornfeld. One day, while repairing the slashed artery of a prison guard, Dr. Kornfeld seriously considered suturing the artery in such a way that the guard would bleed to death internally over time. The violence he recognized in his own heart appalled him, and he found himself saying, "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." Afterward, he began to refuse to obey various inhumane prison camp rules, knowing it would put his life in danger. One afternoon, he examined a patient who had undergone a cancer operation. He saw in the man's eyes a depth of spiritual misery that moved him, and he told him his own story, including his secret faith in Christ. That night, Dr. Kornfeld was murdered as he slept. But his testimony was not in vain. The patient who had heard his confession became a Christian. And the name of that Christian? The 1970 Nobel Prize in Literature winner, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Don't keep it to yourself; share with others what Christ has done for you. "The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others."

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

"Full of grace and truth."      John 1:14 NKJV

The faith the disciples put Jesus isn't that remarkable--after all, they were eyewitnesses to His miracles. What's remarkable is the faith Jesus put in them--and the faith He puts In us! It's not easy to see past people's problems, much less their personalities. But that's what Jesus does, and it's how we should treat others too. Jesus certainly put the disciples in their place when the occasion called for it. When Jesus told His disciples He would die and be raised on the third day, "Peter...began to rebuke him... This shall never happen to you! (Matthew 16:22 NIV). Whereupon Jesus said to him: "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me" (V. 23 NIV). But in the same chapter, Peter Identified Jesus as "the Son of the living God" and Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (see Matthew 16:16-19 NIV). Healthy relationships require both "grace and truth." Grace means, "I'll love you no matter what," and truth means, "I'll be honest with you no matter what." No one was more graceful and truthful than Jesus. And when these two elements combine in your life, you're loving people the way Jesus did.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today 

"The works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these."    John 14:12 NJKV

A school district picked three teachers to pilot a special program. They were told, 'You are the best teachers we have. We want you to teach ninety high-IQ students and see how much they can learn in a year." By the end of the school year, after having heard how special they were and what great potential they had, these students had achieved 20 to 30 percent more than the rest of the school district. That's when the principal called the three teachers into his office and told them: I have a confession to make. You did not have ninety high-lQ students. They were run-of-the-mill students randomly selected. The teachers felt pretty good about what they pulled off. Then the principal said, "I have another confession. You are not the best teachers we have. Your names were the first three out of the hat." So if they were average students taught by average teachers, how did they achieve above-average results? Because someone believed in them and told them so! The German poet Goethe said, "Treat a man as he is, and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be, and he will become as he can and should be." No one modeled this better than Jesus: "The works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do." We need someone who believes in us more than we believe in ourselves. That's who Jesus is. That's what Jesus does. That's why you need to feed on His Word each day.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today 

"Keep to the paths of the righteous."             Proverbs 2:20 NIV

In his book The Mind  of Watergate, psychiatrist Leo Rangell, M.D., related what he called a "compromise of integrity" as he analyzed the relationship between former President Richard M. Nixon and several of his closest confidants in the White House. He recorded a conversation between investigative committee member Senator Howard Baker and young Nixon aid Herbert L Porter. Baker: "Did you ever have any qualms about what you were doing? Did you ever think of saying, 'I do not think this is quite right'... did you ever think of that? Porter: "Yes. I did." Baker: "What did you do about it?" Porter: "I did not do anything about it." Baker: "Why didn't you?" Porter: "In all honesty, probably because of the fear of group pressure that would ensue, and of not being considered a team player." There's nothing wrong with being a team player as long as you are careful about choosing your team! The old saying is true: "You become like the company you keep." The psalmist David said, "I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts" (Psalm 119:63 NIV). Solomon had a lot to say on this subject: "Walk in the ways of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous" (Proverbs 2:20 NIV). "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed" (Proverbs 13:20 NKJV).
"Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil" (Proverbs 4:14 NKJV). The friends you choose will profoundly influence the direction your life goes, so choose your friends wisely.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

"Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses)".     Isaiah 53:4 AMPC

If you're dealing with sickness and believing God for healing, here's the most important thing you can do: get into God's Word and get His Word into you." He sent his word, and healed them (Psalm 107:20 KJV). There's healing in the Word of God, so soak your mind on it. You may want long-term health and strength for your body. One of the most powerful verses in Scripture that reveals the purpose of Jesus' suffering as it relates to healing is Isaiah 53:4 (AMPC): "Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and dis-tresses)". The word borne means to take or to carry. He took and carried every form of sickness on Himself. That doesn't mean we won't experience sickness. But it does mean that when sickness shows up, we can take it to Jesus and believe Him for our healing. Clearly God cannot be the source of sickness in your life, for Jesus carried all sickness, weakness, and distress for you on the cross. He is the source of your healing! Sickness is the result of Satan's work and of living in a fallen world. But as a believer, you have the right to stand boldly on God's promises tor your healing and continued strength. When sickness rears its head and presses you with symptoms of any kind, remind yourself that Jesus carried that affliction for you, so you don't have to carry it. The same back that bore the cross that takes away all our sins also bore the stripes that take away all our sickness: "By whose stripes you were healed" (I Peter 2:24 NK/V).

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today

"If anyone serves, they should do so...so that in ail things God may be praised."     1 Peter 4:11 NIV

Someone may have hired you to do your job, but they didn't call you. Only God can call you. You may have been elected to your position, but your constituents didn't call
you. Only God can do that. No matter where you work or what you do, you were called
by God. In a sense, your job is your sermon, and your colleagues are your congregation. And that sense of calling means Monday morning begins another week of fulfilling your God-given assignment. Perhaps you're just starting out and working in a lower profile job. "Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin" (Zechariah 4:10 NLT). While you are working on your Job, God Is working in you. Get the right perspective here. Its not your job; It's His. It's not your cause; it's His. It's not your business it's His. It's not your vision; it's His. It doesn't matter what domain of society you work in or where you are on the org chart. You are called by God. You are where he wants you to be--even if you're not where you want to be. Sometimes the greatest sermon is doing a good job at a bad job or doing a thankless job with a grateful heart. And here's a promise you can stand on every day as you do your job: "The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary, He wakens...my ear to listen like one being Instructed' (Isaiah 50:4 NIV) So. see your job as your calling.

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today