   Several men went on a mission trip to Haiti where they met a nineteen-year-old young man who loved Jesus deeply. So they invited him to visit them in America and paid for his trip. The young Haitian felt as if he were in another world. He'd never slept between sheets, had three meals a day, used indoor plumbing or tasted a hamburger. When it was time to return to Haiti, they asked him for his impressions of what he'd experienced, and he replied: 'I have really enjoyed my time here with you. But I am also very glad to be going home. You have so much in America that I'm beginning to lose my grip on my day-to-day dependency on Christ.' 

   Paul spoke of a time of trouble in Asia in which he was 'crushed and overwhelmed' (2 Corinthians 1:8 NLT). Then he wrote: 'As a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God' (2 Corinthians 1:9 NLT). And God wants to bring you to that place also. Yes, he wants you to use the gifts and resources he has provided, but his desire is that you rely completely on him. Only then can he provide everything he desires to give you, because then you will be open, ready and mature enough to receive it. 

   Remember this: 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear [reverence, respect, obey] the Lord' (Proverbs 3:5-7 NLT).





— SCRIPTURE —

    'We...learned to rely only on God.' 2 Corinthians 1:9 NLT
— SOULFOOD —

    Acts 27-28, Matt 5:27-37, Ps 35, Pro 11:19-21
    

Several men went on a mission trip to Haiti where they met a nineteen-year-old young man who loved Jesus deeply. So they invited him to visit them in America and paid for his trip. The young Haitian felt as if he were in another world. He'd never slept between sheets, had three meals a day, used indoor plumbing or tasted a hamburger. When it was time to return to Haiti, they asked him for his impressions of what he'd experienced, and he replied: 'I have really enjoyed my time here with you. But I am also very glad to be going home. You have so much in America that I'm beginning to lose my grip on my day-to-day dependency on Christ.' Paul spoke of a time of trouble in Asia in which he was 'crushed and overwhelmed' (2 Corinthians 1:8 NLT). Then he wrote: 'As a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God' (2 Corinthians 1:9 NLT). And God wants to bring you to that place also. Yes, he wants you to use the gifts and resources he has provided, but his desire is that you rely completely on him. Only then can he provide everything he desires to give you, because then you will be open, ready and mature enough to receive it. Remember this: 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear [reverence, respect, obey] the Lord' (Proverbs 3:5-7 NLT).
 
 — SCRIPTURE — 
 'We...learned to rely only on God.' 2 Corinthians 1:9 NLT 
 — SOULFOOD — 
 Acts 27-28, Matt 5:27-37, Ps 35, Pro 11:19-21

The Word For Today is a daily devotional by authors Bob and Debby Gass. Every day, tens of thousands of people across New Zealand are encouraged and uplifted by its relevant insights.

The daily readings resonate with people as they often speak into their current circumstances. Often readers express wonder at how a particular day’s devotion appeared to be ‘written just for me’

The Word For Today is a daily devotional by authors Bob and Debby Gass. Every day, tens of thousands of people across New Zealand are encouraged and uplifted by its relevant insights.
The daily readings resonate with people as they often speak into their current circumstances. Often readers express wonder at how a particular day&rsquo;s devotion appeared to be &lsquo;written just for me&rsquo;

The Word For Today

Rely on God only

   The Bible tells us: 'If we could control our tongues, we...could also control ourselves in every other way. We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth' (James 3:2-3 NLT). If you've ever bridled a horse, you know the bridle that slips over the horse's head and behind its ears has a 'bit', a metal bar that goes in its mouth and lies on top of its tongue. When the rider wants the horse to stop, he pulls back on the reins and the bit presses down on its tongue. The rider who controls the horse's tongue can actually control the horse's whole body - steer it to the right or left and bring it to a stop with a simple pull of the reins. 

   Likewise, your tongue needs to come under the control of the Holy Spirit. A horse can't bridle itself; the one who masters it puts on the bridle. Try as you might, you can't control your tongue through your own efforts. Haven't you said things you wish you could take back? Haven't you caused trouble for yourself and others by some of the things you've said? And haven't you said things that, in hindsight, you can't believe actually came out of your mouth? 

   The trouble is that what you say does not originate in your mouth but in your heart: 'Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks' (Matthew 12:34 NKJV). So having a Spirit-controlled tongue is the result of being Spirit-filled and having a heart committed to doing God's will in every circumstance.





— SCRIPTURE —

    'If we could control our tongues.' James 3:2 NLT
— SOULFOOD —

    Deut 3-4, Matt 6:1-18, Ps 37:1-7, Pro 11:24-26
    

The Bible tells us: 'If we could control our tongues, we...could also control ourselves in every other way. We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth' (James 3:2-3 NLT). If you've ever bridled a horse, you know the bridle that slips over the horse's head and behind its ears has a 'bit', a metal bar that goes in its mouth and lies on top of its tongue. When the rider wants the horse to stop, he pulls back on the reins and the bit presses down on its tongue. The rider who controls the horse's tongue can actually control the horse's whole body - steer it to the right or left and bring it to a stop with a simple pull of the reins. Likewise, your tongue needs to come under the control of the Holy Spirit. A horse can't bridle itself; the one who masters it puts on the bridle. Try as you might, you can't control your tongue through your own efforts. Haven't you said things you wish you could take back? Haven't you caused trouble for yourself and others by some of the things you've said? And haven't you said things that, in hindsight, you can't believe actually came out of your mouth? The trouble is that what you say does not originate in your mouth but in your heart: 'Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks' (Matthew 12:34 NKJV). So having a Spirit-controlled tongue is the result of being Spirit-filled and having a heart committed to doing God's will in every circumstance.
 
 — SCRIPTURE — 
 'If we could control our tongues.' James 3:2 NLT 
 — SOULFOOD — 
 Deut 3-4, Matt 6:1-18, Ps 37:1-7, Pro 11:24-26

A Spirit-controlled tongue (1)

       There is a saying in baseball: 'Three strikes and you're out.' We tend to play life the same way. We give people two or three chances, but no more. But God never gives up on us; it's not in his nature. 

       When Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother, Peter presumed, 'Seven times?' But Jesus set the gold standard: he upped it to 'seventy times seven' (Matthew 18:22 NLT). Then he ups the ante even more with a story of a master who forgave his servant a 10,000-talent debt. Let's do a currency exchange. One talent totalled 180 months' wages - that's fifteen years! And that's just one talent. So a 10,000-talent debt totalled 150,000 years of wages. Using today's average life expectancy, it would have taken his servant 2,232 lifetimes to pay off the debt. Of course, the average life expectancy in the first century was less than half than now, so it would have taken twice as many lifetimes to pay off the debt. Let's put this debt into dollar value. Using a minimum wage of $23.50, for a nine-to-five job, Monday to Friday, that's an annual income of about $48,000. This may not seem like much, but when you multiply it by 150,000 years, it totals about $7,200,000,000. That's a huge debt paid off!

       Through what Jesus accomplished on the cross, your sin debt - past, present and future - is paid in full. That's a truth you can be confident in and stand on.





— SCRIPTURE —

    'Lord, how often should I forgive someone...?' Matthew 18:21 NLT
— SOULFOOD —

    Deut 1-2, Matt 5:38-48, Ps 2, Pro 11:22-23
    

There is a saying in baseball: 'Three strikes and you're out.' We tend to play life the same way. We give people two or three chances, but no more. But God never gives up on us; it's not in his nature. When Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother, Peter presumed, 'Seven times?' But Jesus set the gold standard: he upped it to 'seventy times seven' (Matthew 18:22 NLT). Then he ups the ante even more with a story of a master who forgave his servant a 10,000-talent debt. Let's do a currency exchange. One talent totalled 180 months' wages - that's fifteen years! And that's just one talent. So a 10,000-talent debt totalled 150,000 years of wages. Using today's average life expectancy, it would have taken his servant 2,232 lifetimes to pay off the debt. Of course, the average life expectancy in the first century was less than half than now, so it would have taken twice as many lifetimes to pay off the debt. Let's put this debt into dollar value. Using a minimum wage of $23.50, for a nine-to-five job, Monday to Friday, that's an annual income of about $48,000. This may not seem like much, but when you multiply it by 150,000 years, it totals about $7,200,000,000. That's a huge debt paid off! Through what Jesus accomplished on the cross, your sin debt - past, present and future - is paid in full. That's a truth you can be confident in and stand on.
 
 — SCRIPTURE — 
 'Lord, how often should I forgive someone...?' Matthew 18:21 NLT 
 — SOULFOOD — 
 Deut 1-2, Matt 5:38-48, Ps 2, Pro 11:22-23

Paid in full

   Unlike jealousy, which is the fear of being displaced, envy is ill-will towards those who possess something you want. Jealousy says, 'I'm afraid you are going to take what I have.' Envy says, 'I want what you have, and I resent you for having it!' Envy is one of the most frequently concealed emotions. You may be more likely to admit to an uncontrollable temper, a phobia or any other negative emotion than to acknowledge that you are envious. Envy inevitably leads to resenting and criticising the person you envy. And once you allow envy and resentment to enter your heart, they act like free radicals producing an emotional cancer. Eventually they will manifest themselves in some destructive way, whether it is in the form of taking mood-altering substances, overeating, shopping excessively, lashing out, being sarcastic or physically harming others. 

   If you covet what someone else has, ask yourself, 'Am I willing to pay the price they paid to obtain it?' The world has a saying: 'There is no such thing as a free lunch.' Everything - except salvation - has a price tag. So whether you want to be thin, rich, educated or whatever, stop envying the success of others, and ask God to help you succeed in the assignment he has given you for your life.

   If you harbour envy towards someone, it's time to deal with it. David wrote: 'You desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow' (Psalm 51:6-7 NIV). 





— SCRIPTURE —

    'Who is able to stand before envy?' Proverbs 27:4 KJV
— SOULFOOD —

    Acts 24-26, Matt 5:21-26, Ps 94:12-23, Pro 11:16-18
    

Unlike jealousy, which is the fear of being displaced, envy is ill-will towards those who possess something you want. Jealousy says, 'I'm afraid you are going to take what I have.' Envy says, 'I want what you have, and I resent you for having it!' Envy is one of the most frequently concealed emotions. You may be more likely to admit to an uncontrollable temper, a phobia or any other negative emotion than to acknowledge that you are envious. Envy inevitably leads to resenting and criticising the person you envy. And once you allow envy and resentment to enter your heart, they act like free radicals producing an emotional cancer. Eventually they will manifest themselves in some destructive way, whether it is in the form of taking mood-altering substances, overeating, shopping excessively, lashing out, being sarcastic or physically harming others. If you covet what someone else has, ask yourself, 'Am I willing to pay the price they paid to obtain it?' The world has a saying: 'There is no such thing as a free lunch.' Everything - except salvation - has a price tag. So whether you want to be thin, rich, educated or whatever, stop envying the success of others, and ask God to help you succeed in the assignment he has given you for your life. If you harbour envy towards someone, it's time to deal with it. David wrote: 'You desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow' (Psalm 51:6-7 NIV). 
 
 — SCRIPTURE — 
 'Who is able to stand before envy?' Proverbs 27:4 KJV 
 — SOULFOOD — 
 Acts 24-26, Matt 5:21-26, Ps 94:12-23, Pro 11:16-18

Rely on God only

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