Day 130

TRUST GOD AND ACT WISELY

Today’s Text: He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he. (Proverbs 16:20)

Today’s Thoughts: Today’s text is pretty simple to understand and shows obvious outcomes. If we handle situations wisely we will have good outcomes. If we trust in the Lord we will be happy. If we do both we will be even better off. There are times when we need to leave our problems totally in God’s hands, and there are times that God wants us to use the wisdom He has blessed us with to sort out a problem as well as trusting Him to do His part. If we do this, we will truly be happy.

Today’s Testimony: In South Africa there is such poverty that the poverty stricken will come and look through the trash bins or bags that are waiting for collection to find food or anything else of value. Here in Australia, the poor are looked after and have no need to search through rubbish. Australia is also very much a “throw away” society: if you don’t want it – throw it away. Twice a year we have what is known as “hard waste collection” in which all abnormal rubbish like appliances, furniture, household accessories, tools and toys etc. are put out for collection and then a big truck comes along and these items are collected and crushed, no matter what condition they are in. I think this is one of the most disturbing things I’ve seen in Australia, especially coming from South Africa where poverty is everywhere. But the unwanted goods have to be disposed of somehow I suppose. The more calming part about it is that people do go around and see if there is anything of worth to them and therefore save a lot of the truly valuable items.
Anyway, to get back to our washing machine… One evening while sitting having supper, my step-dad mentioned that he’d seen a washing machine thrown out for collection the day before. We all said, “Why didn’t you go get it?!” And so he did. It was still there and it was brought home. This was one of the items that had been thrown out exceptionally early. A few days later when he had a chance, my step-dad tried it to see if it worked. It seemed ok, until it came time to spin. The pump had seen the last of its days. We figured it was all excitement for nothing, but then the Lord gave me an idea and I asked if the pump for our washing machine was the same size. The two washing machines were the same make but this one was bigger. My step-dad looked and said it possibly would fit. Finally he had our pump out and in the “new” machine. Then it was time to test it. It all seemed ok at first, but then water started leaking out the bottom where the screws fitted in. We once again thought it was premature joy. But then the Lord impressed my step-dad to turn the pump and use some other holes on it for the screws instead, which he did. Now we have a bigger, better (metal drum as opposed to our plastic one), working washing machine. God is so good! We needed to trust Him and then work wisely with the wisdom He has given us and then we were truly happy. God sustained us for a while and then intervened.

Today’s Task: Trust God no matter what it is you need. Pray for wisdom and then be sure to use it. God wants us to be wise – not with the type of wisdom the world promotes, but with true wisdom that we can only acquire from God. Leave your problems and concerns at His feet and then listen for His direction if He has a part for you to do. God always knows what is best.

Today’s Thanks: Dear Lord, I thank You that You can sustain us and also intervene when we need help. I thank You that You grant us wisdom to do what we need to do to fix the problems. I praise You that You are a powerful God who does not need our help, but also that You give us the privilege to be a part of Your miracles sometimes too. I thank You that You care about us so much and long to make us truly happy. I praise You. Amen.

Day 129

GOD CAN SUSTAIN YOU

Today’s Text: Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. (Psalm 55:22)

Today’s Thoughts: Do you have a burden that you’re battling to bear? God knows what it is and He longs for you to cast it on Him. He may take the problem away totally or He may see it best to help you bear the load for a little longer. He knows how much we are able to bear and will intervene at the perfect time. If we forsake Him because of trials it is our own lack of trust. He will never give us more than He knows we are able to handle because He is not willing for us to forsake Him. God is willing to sustain us and to deliver us – we just need to trust Him completely.

Today’s Testimony: Firstly I need to say that a lot has been happening in my life over the past year. The sending of Today’s T’s had a break for quite a while, and I therefore need to fill you in on what’s happening in my life before I share today’s testimony.
My step-dad applied to immigrate to Australia a while ago, everything was eventually approved and right now I am already in Australia. I’ll share more blessings about this at a later stage. Right now I just needed you to know that I have moved to Australia.
Getting ready to move was a nightmare. There was a long list of things we couldn’t bring into the country so we had to decide whether to give forbidden items away and who we would give them to or to sell them. Then we had to decide what other things we were going to keep, get rid of and get rid of and replace in Australia. It was cheaper to bring most of our household goods over in a container than to replace them this side, so we did.
Our washing machine had had its pump replaced and now for some or other reason would only fill if the water pipe was connected to the hot water side, even though we were filling it with cold water. But it seemed to still have some life in it so it came with. Soon after we arrived it began throwing a tantrum. We think something had possibly disconnected in transit. Our washing machine would wash, but when it reached the spin cycle it would either stop or refill. Refilling for the rinse cycle instead of spinning wasn’t so bad, but when it was due to spin for the last time we would have to run to stop it before it refilled. Then we would have to ring out all the freezing cold washing and either just hang it on the line or try spinning it in sections and see if it worked.
Now for the testimony. It was shortly after we’d arrived in Australia and we had quite a lot of hand washing to do. That meant washing the clothes in buckets and then spinning it in the washing machine. Question was whether the washing machine would do its job properly. So I began washing all the clothes. I started with the first load, chucked it in the machine to spin and then prayed that it would spin properly. I stood there and watched as the machine span as I hadn’t seen it spin in ages and then left to wash the next load. The loads were not too big at all, but the normal size I usually put in to spin. Even a load of one item had been giving trouble at that time. But because I had cast my burden on the Lord He intervened and I was able to spin all the loads I wanted to – about 6 loads I think.
We still had many ups and downs with our washing machine, but God sustained our patience until He intervened in a greater way. That story you’ll have to wait till tomorrow to hear.

Today’s Task: Cast your burdens on the Lord and trust Him to deliver you or sustain you till the right time to remove it. If you have burdens of sin cast them straight on the Lord and He will remove it – He longs to free you from sin. He cares about you and does not want to see His people suffer. He allows trials in order to refine us and not to harm us – trust Him.

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You that You care about us. I thank You that You will never give us burden’s that we cannot bear and that You will help us to bear our heavy burdens. I thank You that You are able to deliver us from our burdens. Please help us to trust You. Please help us to surrender our burdens of sin. I thank You that You are willing to take them. We love You and praise You in Christ’s name, Amen.

Day 128

GOD SPEAKS IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS

Today’s Text: Then spake Haggai the LORD'S messenger in the LORD'S message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the LORD. (Haggai 1:13)

Today’s Thoughts: God has so many messages that He wants to share with us. He has so many ways in which He can share those messages. His primary way of sharing His messages is through His Word, but sadly, few take the time to read those messages. Then He can speak through others and even certain events. God is not limited in the ways He can speak to His people. He wants us to know that He is here for us and that He loves us. Look out for His messages.

Today’s Testimony: I’m an animal lover. I’m also the one that my family calls upon if there is a bug that needs to be rescued. I’m known as the “bug saver”. Those that know me best know that I think just about everything is cute, including bugs. Well, certain types that is.
While sitting in my final exam for the first semester last year, some sort of fly came and sat on the corner of my desk. I chased it away and then a few seconds later a fruit-fly came and sat in more or less the same spot. It seemed somewhat odd, but I found it quite interesting. To me, it wasn’t coincidence, it was a message from the Lord. Not a grand one, just a special little something to say, “I’m here and I care about you.”
The Lord truly does care about us. He had been with me through another exam period. He has never left me and if you ask Him to be with you He will be with you and never leave you either.

Today’s Task: Look out for God’s messages. Search for the ones in His Word, He has some that will touch your heart like nothing else can. Spend time reading your Bible every day – it’s worth it. God blesses those who read His messages in a special way. Keep your eyes and ears open for any other messages from the Lord, He wants to speak to you.

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You that You speak to us. I thank You that You speak in so many different ways. Please help us to spend time in Your Word. Please help us to keep our eyes, ears and hearts open so we don’t miss any of the messages You would have us hear. I thank You that You love and care about us so much. I praise You and thank You in Christ’s name, Amen.

Day 127

GOD IS IN CONTROL

Today’s Text: And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. …And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth. …And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. (1Kings 17:1; 18:1, 41)

Today’s Thoughts: Today’s Scripture verses give a bit of an outline to the text we shared yesterday. God’s people had strayed from Him and He sent Elijah, His prophet, to tell King Ahab that because of their rebellion there would be no rain. King Ahab wanted to kill Elijah thinking that that would solve the problem, so the Lord told him where to hide. The Lord sent him to a stream of water and commanded birds called ravens to feed him. When the stream dried up, God sent him to the woman we spoke about yesterday. Then the Lord sent Elijah to prove that He is God in a miraculous display on Mount Carmel. Finally the Lord sent rain again. If you are unfamiliar with this story I encourage you to read it. I’ve only given a brief outline.
For today, the part I would like to highlight in this story is the fact that God is in control and can bring rain and stop it. If God can control the weather, He surely can control other details in life. We just need to trust in Him and call upon Him to intervene. He longs to rain blessings down on you.

Today’s Testimony: The day of my last exam for this last semester the weather was poor. My best-friend, who is now my boyfriend, was taking me to my exam. I still wanted to go over a few things, so we landed up leaving a little bit later than I’d planned to. While I was getting ready to leave I heard the rain start and wished I’d rather left earlier as planned. I then did what has become the logical thing for me – I prayed. Even though it did continue to rain that day, it stopped for me to get into my friend’s car and then into and out of my exam venue. The only time I got a little wet was when we’d arrived back at my uncle and aunt’s place where I was staying and we’d gone a few other places first. I’m not sure how much it rained that day, but I know that the Lord intervened so that I stayed pretty dry.
God can control the weather, but it may not always be in His will to do so. He knows what is best for all his creation and for every single person. If you have a complaint about the weather, ask the Lord to open your eyes to see His reasoning, or to at least help you to be content or even thankful.

Today’s Task: Trust the Lord. He knows what is best and can intervene in every situation. He can change the weather or anything else that needs changing – just ask Him. Praise Him for doing what’s best even if you don’t understand how it is best. God knows everything and He truly does care about you. Believe it!

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You that You know when to send rain and when to keep it away. I thank You that You continually rain blessings down on us. Help us to see them. I thank You that we can trust You completely even if we can’t see Your plans. I thank You for Your constant love. I praise You for all You’ve done for us, in Christ’s name, Amen.

Day 126

GOD USES PEOPLE TO HELP US

Today’s Text: Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. 
(1Kings 17:9)

Today’s Thoughts: The rest of this Bible story is definitely worth reading and I encourage you to go read it. It’s a story of how God used a poor widow to feed His prophet, Elijah, and in turn provided enough to keep Elijah, her and her son fed until the famine was over. God can still use people to help us as one of His many ways of intervening for His children. God has no limits to who He can use and what He can use. He cares about us!

Today’s Testimony: I needed a new watch battery, so when we went to the best place that I know of to get a good battery at a good price I took my watch with to buy one. We asked how much it would cost and the price was really reasonable. We were then told that it would cost more than three times the price of the battery if they put it in as well. I looked in my wallet and realized that I didn’t have that much to spare, so I said that I would just take the battery. That particular watch of mine has screws to keep the back on so I figured it wouldn’t be too difficult for me to just put the battery in myself. The young gentleman helping us then brought us a screwdriver to sort it out right then and there.
My older sister’s boyfriend was with and he took the screwdriver to give it a try. He was taking a few seconds to fit the screwdriver into the tiny screw, when the young gentleman said, “Here let me do it,” and reached for the watch and screwdriver. Once he’d taken out a screw or two my sister’s boyfriend said he thought he could manage now, but the young gentleman said, “No, it’s ok, I’ll do it… and I won’t charge.”
Within a short time my watch was sealed up and ticking and I was standing in awe. God is SO good! He knew I wanted a watch battery, but that I couldn’t afford the full price, so he took us to the right young gentleman who would help us for free. God truly does care about the little things in life and can use people to supply those blessings.

Today’s Task: Watch for God to use people to bless you. But more importantly, allow the Lord to use you to help and bless others. Be awake to know when He calls you to do a special task for Him and then do it to the best of your ability.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I thank You that You can intervene for us in so many ways. I thank You that You give us the privilege to be used by You to bless others. Please use us. Help us to be willing instruments available to You at all times. I thank You for caring enough about us to help and bless us. I thank You for Your great love. I pray in Christ’s name, Amen.

Day 125

GOD IS TOUCHED WITH OUR GRIEF

Today’s Text: For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

Today’s Thoughts: Many people have heard about Jesus coming to Earth as a baby, living here preaching and healing, giving his life for us, being resurrected and then ascending to Heaven. But do you know what He is doing right now? The text before our text for today tells us that the High Priest mentioned in today’s text is Jesus. He is interceding on your behalf and my behalf to His heavenly Father so that our sins can be forgiven. He died in our place and if we accept that sacrifice He will plead His blood in our place. The greatest thing about our High Priest, as the text says, is that He knows what we are going through. He knows the battles we fight against sin. He is touched with the grief we feel when we have sinned. He cares! He loves us! He wants to help us to resist temptation as He did when He was here. He doesn’t want us to sin, and we should accept His power to stop, but I praise Him that if we do sin, He does not cast us off. James 2:1 says: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” God is ready to plead for us when we fall. What an amazing love!

Today’s Testimony: Today I’d like to share the words of another one of my songs. A friend of mine was in trouble and I felt empathy like I’ve never felt before. I couldn’t sleep the night after I heard, I lost my appetite for about four days and battled to eat, and I felt really strange. I asked the Lord how to describe what was going on inside and He put it this way: “Your heart is crying with him.” Then the Lord told me that that was how he felt and He inspired this song.

God’s Heart Is Crying with You

After sin when the heart just wants to break

And you would do anything to erase your mistake

Though you may feel condemned there’s one thing you must know

God’s arms are wrapped around you and He will never let you go

God’s heart is crying with you

For He knows what you’re going through

All that He wants you to know

Is that He really loves you so

God’s heart is crying with you

For He’s sharing your heartache too

God’s heart is crying, crying with you

Now you stand before the Lord overwhelmed with guilt

But He says, “Child it was for you that My blood was spilt

I do not condemn you; your sin’s what I died for

Your sin I have forgiven, go and sin no more”

God’s heart is crying with you

For He knows what you’re going through

All that He wants you to know

Is that He really loves you so

God’s heart is crying with you

For He’s sharing your heartache too

God’s heart is crying, crying with you

But He knows you still will pay a high price for your sin

So with all the consequences He wants to give you peace within

He has a mighty shoulder to cry on, as His chest you lean upon

His greatest concern is you now, so He grants you strength to go on

God’s heart is crying with you

For he knows what you’re going through

All that He wants you to know

Is that He really loves you so

God’s heart is crying with you

For He’s sharing your heartache too

God’s heart is crying, crying with you

God’s heart is crying, crying with you

Today’s Task: Ever felt bitter grief after sinning? Ever felt condemned by God? Ever felt that there was no hope for you – that you’d gone too far and it was too late? God knows what you’re going through. He feels your pain. He wants you to sense His presence as He wraps His loving arms around you and cries with you. If you know of someone who the world condemns – dare to be different. Show them God. Let them know that He is still there and still loves them. There are many hurting people drowning in guilt – God cares!

Today’s Thanks: Dear Lord, I thank You that You love us so much! I thank You that You do not leave us to bear the consequences of sin alone, but that You are right there with us with Your arms of love around us as You cry with us. I praise You that You know what we’re going through and feel our pain. I thank You that You intercede on our behalf so that we can be forgiven. Please help us to live in You and flee from sin. We love You, Lord. Amen.

Day 124

GOD’S MERCIFUL KINDNESS IS GREAT TOWARD US

Today’s Text: O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise Him, all ye people. For His merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD. (Psalm 117:1,2)

Today’s Thoughts: These texts tell us to praise the Lord for His merciful kindness. God is kind to us, that is one thing – but merciful kindness is a totally different thing. The fact that His kindness is merciful tells us that we deserve it in no way, and rather, that we deserve the opposite. We so often disappoint our God, but how many times does He disappoint us? God does not disappoint us unless we would only have one way, and then the disappointment is self-chosen seeing God always does what is best for us. God’s merciful kindness is truly great toward us. Even though we are mainly focusing on just the first part of these texts, I’m going to add a few thoughts on the second piece. God’s truth endures forever. There are so many different things that we can believe, but we need to know what is God’s truth and what is not. God’s truth will endure for ever – His truth is important. It is so important for us to know the truth about God and His ways. His truth can only be found in His Holy Word, the Bible. It is true that my God is mercifully kind; this is one of His truths and I’m glad that it endures forever!

Today’s Testimony: Yesterday I mentioned that there was another assignment that has an amazing testimony. That subject was Zulu for my African Languages module. The first assignment was multiple-choice and I completed that one without too much trouble. The second assignment was a written assignment and I was having quite a struggle to obtain the correct answers. I applied for an extension, but received no reply. I, once again, forfeited all the due dates and extensions due to completing my other assignments and, as I mentioned yesterday, this was a rough semester. I completed all I could and then gave the assignment to a friend whose mother tongue is Zulu so she could help me. But this was already pretty late and the exam period soon arrived and I realized that I’d better just submit what I had so I could at least get the 50% which, as far as I know, is the mark received for late assignments. I feared that I had already missed that and would receive 0%. I submitted what I had and was informed that my assignment was accepted but was late, which I knew. Then I had to wait to see if I would get my 50% or 0%, in which case I would have been upset with myself for not just submitting my assignment earlier.
I finally received my mark. I didn’t get 0%. I didn’t even get 50%. I received 70% for my half-completed, extremely late assignment. God is SO good!!! I’m not sure if I’ll ever find out the truth regarding the marks for this assignment, but all I know is that God blessed. I should have gotten 50% or 0%, but my God was merciful and intervened and I got 70%.

Today’s Task: Praise the Lord for His merciful kindness. Do not take advantage of God’s mercy and neglect to do what’s right in the first place, but when you need it, ask Him to forgive and bless you. Learn from Your God and ask Him to help you to be merciful to others. I encourage you to spend time reading God’s Word every day searching for truth. Truth is vitally important! Place Your life in God’s hands and follow Him wherever He leads.

Today’s Thanks: O, Lord, I praise You that You are mercifully kind! I thank You that You didn’t give up on us, but in Your mercy, You died in our place and gave us another chance. Please help us not to disappoint You, but to make Your sacrifice worthwhile. Lord I thank You that You are always there for us, even when we get ourselves into trouble. Help us to walk as You would have us walk right from the start instead. I praise You for Your great love. Amen.