The Word For Today (Caribbean Edition) Saturday, April 20, 2013.

Are You Searching For Contentment?

'My people have forsaken the living water, and dug broken cisterns.'- Jeremiah 2:13

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It's easy to be content when things in life are going your way. But how often does that happen? The Bible says we are to practice being 'happy at any time in everything' (Philippians 4:12 NCV), because if you put your life on hold waiting for what you want to happen, you may be waiting a long time! Epicurus said, "Don't spoil what you have, by desiring what you don't have. Remember that what you have now was the thing you once hoped for." Three things constantly feed our discontentment:

1. Greed.
   When you dwell on what you don't have, you're not enjoying what God has already given you. Be satisfied! Setting goals is good, but stop focusing so hard on the end result and learn to rejoice in the Lord while you're on your way.
2. Fear.
   It wants you to run from something that's not chasing you. It's the enemy's way of:
   
   • a) Robbing you of peace and stability
   • b) Tormenting you with the 'what ifs'
   • c) Keeping you from trusting God.
   The Psalmist said, "In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" (Psalm 56:4 NIV)
3. Seeking satisfaction in the wrong places.
   God said, "My people have forsaken the living water, and dug broken cisterns that cannot hold water." It's said that we spend our first 50 years searching for security, and the rest of our lives looking for significance. But we don't have to. The hymn writer wrote, "Now none but Christ can satisfy; no other name for me. There's love, life, and lasting joy, Lord Jesus found in Thee!" Are you searching for contentment? Try Jesus!

Read: Luke 12:16-21

The Word For Today (Caribbean Edition) Monday, April 8, 2013.

How To Experience God's Grace

'Grace be unto you, and peace, from God'- 1 Corinthians 1:3 KJV

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Several of Paul's epistles open with the words, 'Grace be unto you, and peace, from God.' That's because you cannot experience God's peace unless you first know how to receive His grace and walk in it. There are three things about grace you need to understand:

• It cannot be earned;
• It is God doing for you what you cannot do for yourself;
• It doesn't kick in until you stop struggling and trying to do it in your own strength.

The Bible says, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble' (James 4:6 NIV). The 'humble' are those who admit their total inability to succeed without God's help, but the 'proud' are always trying to take the credit. They like to think it's their ability that gets the job done, so they've difficulty asking God for grace, and even more difficulty receiving it. Peter writes, 'Grow in grace' (2 Peter 3:18). You only learn to trust God- by doing it! You grow in grace by taking God at His Word, counting on His gracious provision for each day, and His intervention in situations that are difficult or impossible for you. There will never be a day when you don't need God's grace. And if you're willing to acknowledge you need it and receive it by faith, there will be no shortage of it. 'For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favour and gift [heaped] upon gift' (John 1:16 AMP).




Read: 2 Corinthians 6:1-2

The Word For Today (Caribbean Edition) Sunday, April 7, 2013.

Covetousness (Part Four)

'Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.'- Matthew 5:7 NKJV

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If your goals are God-centred, He will help you to achieve them. But if you are asking Him for something just because your neighbour has it, you'll be disappointed. The Bible says, 'No good things will He withhold from them that walk uprightly' (Psalm 84:11 NAS). When God withholds something from you, trust Him; He knows what He's doing. God loves you too much to give you what you're not ready for, can't handle, doesn't fit into His plan for your life, or end up draining your energies and maybe even destroying you. When you covet something, make it essential to your happiness, and beg God to give it to you, you're asking Him to replace Himself with something you consider more important. When you do this, He may allow you to experience the consequences Israel suffered. 'He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul' (Psalm 106:15 NKJV). Don't reach the end of your life only to look back with regret on a shattered marriage, children who've gone astray, a blighted conscience, or the pain of realising you missed out on God's best. Our problem is not that we don't want God; it's that we want God- plus- a house by the sea, an impressive career, a perfect spouse, or whatever catches our fancy. That's why Jesus said, 'Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses' (Luke 12:15 NKJV). Life is not built on things, it's built on relationships. And the first relationship you need to work on is your relationship with God.




Read: Philippians 4:10-13

The Word For Today (Caribbean Edition) Saturday, April 6, 2013.

Covetousness (Part Three)

'He gave them their request, but sent leanless into their soul.'- Psalm 106:15 NKJV

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See if you recognise this pattern. As slaves in Egypt the Israelites pray, 'God, get us out of here!' So He does. Then in the wilderness, on their way to the Promised Land they say, 'God, we're going to die out here. We were better off in Egypt. At least there, we had all the food we wanted.' So God sends a bread from heaven. He even delivers it to their door. It was a diet so perfect that there was not one feeble person among [them]' (Psalm 105:37). Did that make them happy? No! They said, 'We're tired of this stuff, we want some prime rib,' so God says, 'Okay, '[I'll] give you meat, and you will eat it...until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it' (Numbers 11:18-20 NIV). Covetousness angers God because it is rooted in pride that says, 'I deserve better,' and ingratitude that says, 'I want something other than what You've blessed me with.' The saying goes, 'Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it.' Because they thought something else could satisfy them in a way that God couldn't, 'He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.' With God, you can be satisfied with very little. Without Him, all your aquisitions and accomplishments will leave you empty. What are you coveting? Putting your life on hold for? Continually begging God for? Nothing is essential but God. Material things can never take His place. What will it take for you to come to that settled place where the central desire of your life is, 'God, I just want more of You,'?




Read: Psalm 106:13-18

The Word For Today (Caribbean Edition) Friday, April 5, 2013.

Covetousness (Part Two)

'You shall not covet.'- Exodus 20:17 NKJV

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Why do we keep giving in to sinful desires? For two reasons:

1. Because the new birth doesn't automatically do away with the old nature. Like two cars approaching crossroads at the same time, your old and new natures are always on a collision course.
2. Because if you dwell on a desire long enough, yielding is only a matter of time. Ever gone to your fridge when you weren't hungry, but weren't really satisfied, sort of looking for something to grab you? As bad as that is, it's worse when you do it in life. It's like surfing the web of behaviour options, looking for something to make you happier than you are at that particular moment.

When you covet something you embellish it and empower it, making it more attractive and accessible. A one-night stand? You say, "Nobody will ever know." The Bible says, 'Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap' (Galatians 6:7 KJV). As surely as a seed produces a harvest, your decisions will have consequences. Covetousness just maximises the desire while minimising the danger. It's impossible to dwell on a desire for any length of time without rationalising a way to get it. Like starting a countdown on the space shuttle, it's just a matter of time before you lift-off. So if you're dwelling on it, set the clock; yielding is inevitable. What's the answer? Change your focus! 'Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit' (Romans 8:5 NKJV).




Read: Galatians 6:6-9

The Word For Today (Caribbean Edition) Thursday, April 4, 2013.

Covetousness (Part One)

'Let your conduct be without covetousness.'- Hebrews 13:5 NKJV

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Covetousness begins with craving, and then evolves into conniving to get what you want. Achan, Ahab, Ananias and Sapphira were willing to steal, lie and kill to get what they wanted. 'Let your conduct be without covetousness; never be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."' This scripture means that what you have in Christ is greater than whatever else you don't have! Covetousness is:

1. Wanting status but not wanting to serve; wanting control so that you can be at the centre; wanting wealth strictly for yourself; wanting praise from others.
2. Wanting the right things but for the wrong reasons. 'If a man desires the position of a bishop, He desires a good work' (1 Timothy 3:1 NKJV). Wanting to make an impact is a good thing, but you must want it for the right reasons. If you want it for personal recognition and power over others, that's covetousness.
3. Wanting the right things but at the wrong time. A young couple says, "We love each other. We're going to get married in three months. But we want to sleep together now.' They want the right thing for the right reason, but they want it at the wrong time. That's covetousness.
4. Wanting the wrong things but in the wrong amount. Covetousness is wanting more than is required for your needs, and to fulfil God's purpose for your life. Understand this: More of anything other than God will never satisfy the longing for fulfilment He's place within you. Only when you acknowledge that, will you find true and lasting happiness.

Read: Luke 12:13-15

The Word For Today (Caribbean Edition) Wednesday, April 3, 2013.

What's New?

'His compassions are new every morning.'- Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV

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Are you going through a hard time at the moment? You're not alone! Things were so bad in Israel that when Jeremiah wrote one of the books of the Bible he called it Lamentations. In a positive-thinking, feel-good world, that's not exactly a best-selling title. Jeremiah describes God's people as a 'widow' and a 'slave', and says, 'All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies' (Lamentations 1:2 NKJV). As you move through the book verse by verse, things just keep going from bad to worse as God's people reap what they have sown. Then suddenly in the middle of all his lamenting, when you think things can't get any worse, Jeremiah writes, 'Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness' (Lamentations 3-22:23 NIV). Isn't that wonderful? God's love, compassion and faithfulness have been placed in an account that cannot be overdrawn, that you don't have to contribute to, and that'll last as long as you live. In a world that doesn't seem to care, where only the fittest survive, that's good to know. Next time somebody says to you, "What's new?" Tell them, "God's love, compassion, and faithfulness." The dictionary defines compassion as 'tenderness of heart that disposes a person to overlook injuries or to treat an offender better than he or she deserves.' So when you wake up each day, be like the lady who prayed, "Lord, I'm glad Your mercies are new every morning, because I definitely used up all of yesterday's."




Read: Lamentations 3:22-24, 32

The Word For Today (Caribbean Edition) Tuesday, April 2, 2013.

Sound Thinking

'God has given us a sound mind.'- 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

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The Bible says, 'God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.' In order to improve your life, you must change two things:

1. Your thought processes. Gordon MacDonald says: 'People who are out of shape mentally fall victim to ideas and systems that are destructive to the human spirit. They've not been taught how to think, nor have they set themselves to the life-long pursuit of the growth of the mind, so they grow dependent upon the thoughts and opinions of others. Rather than deal with ideas and issues, they reduce themselves to lives filled with rules, regulations and programmes.' The moment you think you know it all, you've merely stopped thinking.
2. Your expectations. The story's told of a man who went to a fortune teller. She said to him, 'You'll be poor and miserable until you're fifty.' The man asked her, 'What will happen then?' She replied, 'Then you'll get used to it.' Be honest; how many successful people do you know who are apathetic and negative? None! Faith produces excitement, commitment, energy- characteristics that help you achieve success. If you'd like to possess these qualities then raise your expectation level and bring it into alignment with God's promises. 'Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them' (Mark 11:24 NKJV). Do you want to succeed where you've failed before? To become the person you always hoped to be? Don't start by changing your actions, start by changing your mind. Renew it daily with God's Word. Nothing you do will have as great an impact.

Read: Romans 12:1-2

The Word For Today (Caribbean Edition) Monday, April 1, 2013.

Rejoicing In Trouble

'Breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet.'- Ezekiel 37:10 NKJV

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Your hopes may be dead and your dreams buried, but God can breathe into them again. Ezekiel stood in a valley of dead, dry bones. That's about as bad as it gets! Right? Then something amazing happened. God said to the Prophet, 'Prophesy and say, "Thus says the Lord God: 'Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army' (vv. 9-10 NKJV). Any time you see a man or woman enjoying great success in God's kingdom, there's a good chance they've been through the valley of devastation, hurt and rejection. It was after he had been thrown out of the city, stoned and left for dead, that Paul spoke of being taken up into the third heaven and experiencing things too wonderful to speak of on earth (2 Corinthians 12:2-4). It was after John was exiled to a penal colony in Patmos that he penned the words, 'I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet' (Revelation 1:10 NIV). As a result, he wrote the book of Revelation. The Psalmist said, 'In the day of trouble my head will be exalted above enemies who surround me I will sing unto the Lord' (Psalm 27:5-6 NIV). That's how you 'glory in tribulation,' and are able to look back and say, 'Thank you for the experience, Lord. Without it I'd never have got to know You like I do today.'




Read: Job 42:10-17