Living Today
Articles from Christian teachers and leaders. Designed to help you as you follow Jesus here in Vanuatu
Testimonies of the Impact of The Word for Today
We received the following beautiful testimony from Coxwain in The Solomon Islands, about how God is continuing to work through the lives of a local church that he was visiting recently… Good afternoon Ian and Grant. Trust you had a great and enjoyable Christmas...
4 Ways to Love Better
I was recently talking with someone about some relationship struggles they were experiencing. The need for patience was what we ended up with as a critical component to loving better. It’s very interesting, that in the love chapter in 1 Corinthians, it starts...
Conquering Stress
During the course of our life, we encounter stress. Some in high levels, and some in low. Emails, global linking, social media… it seems that over-night everything has impacted our modern life, creating overwhelming deadlines, frustrations, and demands. How can we be conquering stress in our lives? In 2008, Australian Heathcare company Medibank Private released their research results into “STRESS”. Without the 'per year' hidden costs of re-staffing and re-skilling where there is stress related...
Your Financial Health
Wouldn’t it be nice if having a relationship with God meant we never have to worry or stress about money again? Well... actually, that is possible. Not because God fills our bank accounts supernaturally with money whenever we need it (though we have heard stories about that), rather, when we align the posture of our hearts with the fact that: God IS OUR SOURCE and HE HAS HIS WAY to do finances. In the Bible, God lays out basic principles about how we are to manage our money. Jesus talked about...
Rethinking How We Resolve Conflict
Have you ever been caught off guard and said something you regret? Have you ever been offended or offended someone else and been surprised by the reaction? Some conflicts are minor, but in the worst-case scenario, they can lead to assaults, lawsuits, and even murder. Wayne Forward, from PeaceWise Australia, thinks it’s time for a radical rethink on how we deal with conflict. He says when we find ourselves at the beginning of a dispute, whether it be at home, work or even at church, we often...
Christianity and the Problem of Evil
Why do Christians walk away from their faith? It’s hard to imagine how anyone could turn their back on the grace that God has given us. But sadly it does happen, an often one of the reasons is the inability to reconcile a good God with the bad things that happen. Many Christians grapple with issues around evil. One of the most commonly asked questions about God is, why is there evil in the first place? If God is all good and all powerful, then why doesn’t He do something about it? Dr. Andrew...
“Embracing My Past Helps me Share About Jesus”—Jesse
Jesse is a life coach—passionate about skateboarding and Jesus. We talked to him about his story and how he uses his past to change people’s future…
An Important Easter Message
An Easter Message from Awaken Church The Easter Story from Scripture As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the...
Christian Growth Comes Down to Daily Habits
By Laura Bennett Is there a way to measure your spiritual growth? Central to the Christian faith is a desire to become more Christ-like and see our lives reflect Jesus’ character, peace and intuition. But how do we know we’re getting any closer to that goal? It’s safe to say obtaining Christlikeness will be a lifelong pursuit, but pastor and author Justin Kendrick says there are habits we can cultivate that support such an aim. “A lot of Christians fail to define what spiritual growth is,”...
The Only Prayer You’ll Ever Need
Have we as Christians allowed the Lord’s Prayer to become like a ritual in our lives? Are we missing the real treasures contained within it? It’s one the most familiar passages in the Bible, and it’s also where Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray. The Lord’s Prayer is one of the first things we often learn as children, and as new Christians. We can recite it from memory in church on a Sunday, and even Australia's Federal Parliament opens each day reciting the Lord’s Prayer. Dr. Douglas K....
Dr Kameel Majdali – Is it Time for a Reset?
When we think about things like COVID, the culture war or cancel culture, we get a healthy dose of realism. Dr. Kameel Majdali from ‘Understanding the Times’ believes it has never been more important for us to build God’s kingdom. He wants to help us gain insight into what’s happening today, and also to have hope for tomorrow. What is a reset? It means to set again or to set differently. If you like the status quo, you would press reset, set again. But if you want to change the status quo,...
It Isn’t How You Start, But How You Finish
By: Pastor Greg Laurie In 2017 on New Year’s Eve in New York City, visitors to Times Square were encouraged to bring whatever they wanted out of their lives and throw it into a giant shredder. Some people shredded paper on which they had written unpleasant memories, while others shredded photographs and even their bills. That sounds kind of fun, but shredding your bills won’t make them go away. However, I can tell you there’s something even better. We have a great Saviour who can help us put...
Experiencing God’s presence and pleasure
‘In Your presence is fullness of joy.’ Psalm 1 6:11 NKJV
If you were miserable before you met Jesus, it’s easy to make the mistake of thinking that the only place His presence can be enjoyed is in church. No, you can enjoy His presence everywhere. At home, at work, at school, in business, and even in times of suffering and adversity.
Brother Lawrence, a Carmelite monk in a French monastery, wrote the best-selling book, The Practice of the Presence of God. He resented his daily routine in the kitchen. Then God showed him that everything he did each day could be done for God and with God. That truth transformed his life. You can cultivate your mind to be more productive, and you can also cultivate your spirit to be more sensitive to God. You can reach the place where you sense His presence and His pleasure in all that you do. Believing God is present with you won’t help you much if you think He is always upset with you. But when you see yourself as accepted in Christ, you realise that He is not only present with you at all times but pleased with you (see Ephesians 1:6). That will radically change your thinking about God.
There are dozens of things pertaining to everyday life, and you can enjoy them all if you just make the decision to do it – getting dressed, going to work, organising things, running errands, grocery shopping, etc. After all, these are the things life is made up of.
Joy comes not merely from being entertained but from a decision to be grateful for each moment you are given as a rare and valuable gift from God.
SoulFood: Acts 27-28, Mark 5:31-43, Ps 94:12-23, Pro 11:16-18
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©