Day 120

GOD CARES ABOUT THE LITTLE THINGS

Today’s Text: But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. (Matthew 10:30)

Today’s Thoughts: Does it matter to you that every hair on your head is numbered? Does it matter to you when one or two fall out? God often included the hairs on the head in His promises of protection saying that not even a hair on their heads would perish. What a way to promise protection! If even our hairs are safe – then the rest of us has nothing to fear. God knows how many hairs you have on your head and he knows when one of them falls out. A friend once said that this statement tells us that God even knows which hair fell out, seeing they are all numbered. Such a tiny and insignificant thing to us, but God cares. If God cares about the little things in life that we may even see as unimportant, how much more does He care about the big things in life that do matter?! We truly serve an amazing and loving God!

Today’s Testimony: Today I’m going to share a strange story, but it tells that God cares even about the little things.
Toothpaste usually comes with one of two different types of caps: a flip-top cap or a screw-on cap. The toothpaste I use usually always came with a flip-top cap. The other day my toothpaste came to an end and as I was about to throw the empty tube away the Lord sent the thought, “Keep the cap in case the next tube has a screw-on cap.” It doesn’t really matter what type of cap I have, but it would be preferable to be able to choose if I wanted to remain with a flip-top cap if the cap had changed. I argued with that thought for a few seconds and then finally took the cap off and left it on the basin’s counter-top and threw the tube away.
Later when I opened the new box of toothpaste and took out the tube… ok, you’re probably expecting this, but the tube of toothpaste had a screw-on cap instead of the usual flip-top cap. I didn’t change the cap after all, but I still have the cap if I ever change my mind.
This might seem like a silly little story, and it is, but to me it speaks an extremely important message that God cares! He cares about the little unimportant things! He cares about the big extremely important things! And He cares about all the things in between! My God cares! Believe it!

Today’s Task: Take all your problems to the Lord – He cares! It doesn’t matter how small or how big they may seem to you – it matters to God because He cares about you and He can help you. Know that if your life is in the Lord’s hands you can have peace that He will protect you. Always remember that God knows and does what is best for us. Thank Him for His love and care.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I thank You that You care about even the little things. I thank You that what matters to us matters to You. Please help us to trust You. I thank You that You will do what is best in our lives. I thank You that You love us so much. I thank You that You care. I praise You and thank You in Christ’s name, Amen.

Day 119

BE A TRUE FRIEND

Today’s Text: A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24)

Today’s Thoughts: No one likes to be in a one-sided friendship. True friendship is when there is mutual love, trust, giving and taking and whatever else is necessary, but it is all twoway. If we want friends – the bottom line is that we must be friendly. A true friend like that will often be a more faithful friend than a blood-relative. We all need and long for that type of friend. I hope we all strive to be that type of friend too. Ultimately, there is only one Friend that we can rely on without reserve and know that nothing, not even death, can separate us from the love of that Friend, and that Friend is our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. There is no Friend like Him.

Today’s Testimony: I love people! Many of the people that know me will agree that I am a very friendly person. Normally I am quite relaxed to speak to or befriend a total stranger. I love making new friends. Most attempts to be friendly work. Most people will be more than willing to exchange a greeting and a smile. Today I’d like to share my favourite story of making a new friend that happened a few years ago.
A new tenant had moved in to the one granny-flat next door. The gentleman appeared pretty serious and gruff to me at first. I’d greet him and get no more than a casual greeting back – no smile. Then, seeing I’d done my best to try and befriend this neighbour, the Lord stepped in.
Firstly, let me tell you the ingredients the Lord needed, and then you’ll need to follow the story to see how each one of them fitted in and was totally necessary. This might sound like one of the weirdest testimonies you’ve heard so far, but God works in ways we never would have thought of. To form a friendship between me and my neighbour the Lord used: guineapigs, a dog, a boy, a bunny and some Japanese quail. Ready to hear?
It was a Monday afternoon and I was going outside in the front garden to see to the guineapigs that we had at the time. Family of ours had gone away for a while and we were looking after their small dog. Seeing I’m the animal lover in my family, this dog stuck by me most of the time. He therefore came with me to sort out the guinea-pigs. While we were busy with them, I heard someone calling from the other side of the garden. I looked up and saw a boy hanging over the wall trying to get the dog’s attention. I therefore left the piggies for a moment and took the dog over to visit the boy. I held the dog up so he could stroke him a bit and then I had a brief conversation with the boy. I asked him if he lived there, seeing that house has a few granny flats, and he said, no, his mom’s boyfriend lived there. From that I gathered that it was the newest tenant next door.
The following Monday while I was seeing to Blobby, my new bunny at the time, whose cage was near the wall the boy had been hanging over, I heard strange noises coming from nextdoor. Eventually I saw the culprit, the little boy, poking over the wall, making the noise and then ducking. Finally he stopped and just hung over the wall for a while a little bit away from where I was. I then asked him a question, and seeing he didn’t hear the first time, he moved closer. We then had a good conversation until my neighbour came along. He asked me what type of birds those were that we had in the cages nearby, I replied, “Quail”, and then the two of them left.
 I never saw the boy again, but a while later when I was seeing to Blobby again, in his new pen right opposite my neighbour’s door, my neighbour came out and asked me what type of birds I said those were. He’d looked them up and they looked more like another type of bird. I then told him that they were not normal quail but Japanese quail. From that day forward we would often greet and have a brief chat when he was arriving or leaving home while I was busy with Blobby.
God wants us to be friendly and make friends for His glory. I did not see any positive results from that friendship, but he knew I was a Christian, and one day when we get to heaven I hope that this story will be completed with me meeting my neighbour and hearing him say, “I saw that you had something that I needed, and I’m here today because of you.” I want to keep making friends and I hope that every single one of them will be friends that I can keep for all eternity. Will you be one of those friends?

Today’s Task: Be a true Friend. Be friendly to everyone you meet. You never know what an impact you can make on someone. There are so many people dying in need of a Saviour – maybe you can be a friend to one or more of those people and introduce them to your Best Friend. Do your part to make friends and God will intervene. He knows where each one of His lost sheep is. Help the Lord to bring them home.

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You that You are the greatest Friend we will ever have. I thank You that You are a faithful Friend. Please help us to find and befriend your lost sheep. Help us to introduce them to You. Lord, we want friends, and we want to be able to keep them for all eternity. Help us to be friends – true friends. I thank You that You can intervene to form friendships when we can do no more. We love You! Amen.