THE APPLE OF HIS EYE

Today’s Text: For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. (Zechariah 2:8)

Today’s Thoughts: Did you know that you’re one of the apples of God’s eye? That’s how much He cares about you. He hurts when you’re hurting. He cries with you when you cry. He knows how you feel, and He feels it too. Do you believe that? Do you believe that God really cares about you? If not, please give Him a chance. Your life depends on it.

Today’s Testimony: I was at a church camp near the beach. On the Saturday afternoon we went for a beach walk. Our task was to find something to represent a few Bible characters. I was also looking for “used-to-be-beautifuls”. Those are broken pieces of shells that used to be beautiful. This is a piece of a song that I wrote about it:

It used to be beautiful, when it was whole
But now it is broken, like my sin shattered soul
But there’s hope for me, I can be made whole again
For our broken lives, our God, can in His mercy mend

God cares about each one of us no matter how broken we may be. He can make us whole in Him.
While walking along the beach I found a “whole” cowrie shell. It wasn’t spectacular, but I thought it was really beautiful.
A while later I was thinking about my shell, and thought of how special it would have been if ‘the man of my dreams’ had picked it up for me. I don’t think I particularly had a ‘man of my dreams’ in mind, but I just thought that would be special.
Then the Lord said to me, “Child, I gave it to you.” He has done so much for me, and given me so much. I don’t need a ‘man of my dreams’ to make me happy, I have a Heavenly Father who thinks of me as an apple of His eye. He cares about us so much.
God has often given me great and small blessing that have screamed that He is good and that He loves me with an unmatchable love. He wants to do the same for you. Allow Him to love you. And please, love Him back.

Today’s Task: God loves you. He thinks of you as one of the apples of His eye. He cares about your well-being so much. Believe it. Open your eyes to the many blessings He bestows; He wants to tell you how much He loves you. Please, accept His love today; tell Him you love Him too.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I thank You that You love each one of us so much. You love us individually, not collectively. Lord every single one of us is the apple of Your eye. And I praise You for that. Lord what would we do without You?! I’d never survive. I thank You that You will never stop loving us. Lord, we love You. Amen

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING

Today’s Text: Pray without ceasing. (1Thessalonians 5:17)

Today’s Thoughts: We need to be in continual communion with our Heavenly Father. We do have other things to do that God does require of us, so this text does not mean that we must spend each moment on our knees. Being in communion with God means that we can talk to Him, and He can talk to us, anywhere at any time. It means that we take advantage of this opportunity and talk to Him often throughout our day. Another point that I’d like to bring out is that we should not cease to pray when the case looks hopeless. We serve an almighty, miracle-working God who can do all things at all times. We must never stop praying.

Today’s Testimony: I’ve been helping and teaching at Vacation Bible Schools for 9 years. I can’t believe it’s been so long, but I have thoroughly enjoyed each one. Last week I took part in my third VBS for this year, and it was slightly different from normal.
What is the most important ingredient for a VBS? Kids! Yes you need everything else to be just right too, but what’s a VBS without kids?!
We advertised to start at 09:00 on Monday morning. 09:00 came and went and we had only “2” kids. I’ve never even had so few kids in the classes I’ve taught, let alone attending the whole VBS.
It was about 10:30 and I started thinking, “That’s our kids for the week”. And I knew one of them was only going to be there till Tuesday. I thought, “Kids won’t come after 10:30, and I don’t think any kids will come after missing the first day. If they had planned to come, surely they would have been here by now.” I was so wrong!!! In spite of how hopeless I thought the case was, I still prayed that more kids would come. God can do what we think is impossible.
At about 11:00 a girl arrived who said that she had had something on in the morning, but came as soon as she could.
At 11:30 another girl came who said that she couldn’t remember when and what time the VBS was, and then she saw the banner and came.
On Wednesday one of the girls that arrived late on the first day brought a friend. Then we had another little girl join us, and she brought a friend on Thursday.
On Friday the one girl’s twin brother came and he brought a friend with him. We had a total of “9” kids attending our VBS. We went from only 2 kids to 9 kids.
Yes the VBS was a lot smaller than what I’m used to, but as a friend said, “Remember, God will send the kids He wants you to reach this week, whether it’s one or fifty-one.” God sent those He knew He could speak to.
Last week I was reminded that no matter how hopeless the case may seem, we must never stop praying for a miracle. God has no limits to what He can do.

Today’s Task: Are you facing a hopeless case right now in your life? Pray! Pray, and never stop praying for God to intervene. Unless He knows a better way, He will grant your request. Have continual communion with the God of the universe. Take your petitions to Him –anywhere, anything and anytime. God cares about you!!!

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I praise You that we can come to You for anything at any time, no matter where we are. Lord give us faith. I thank You that you still work miracles, and that You do them for us. Help us to never stop praying. Amen.

I WILL INSTRUCT THEE AND TEACH THEE

Today’s Text: I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. (Psalm 32:8)

Today’s Thoughts: God sees all and knows all. He knows what is best for us to do in each situation. In His wisdom He can instruct us in what to do, and He can teach us the way to go. He can guide us in the course that He sees as best. He cares about our well-being.

Today’s Testimony: I once had an assignment due and I wasn’t totally sure what my lecturer wanted. The day before I had to submit it, my youth group were doing door-to-door ministry, and I felt that that was more important. I had written so many thoughts, but my assignment was far from finished. I knew that the Lord could help me when I got home. He blesses when we choose the things of Him.
When I sat down to work on my assignment I wondered if I should have rather stayed home and worked on my assignment. I was stressed. But the Lord gave me such peace.
I’d asked the Lord to be my Tutor throughout my studies, and so He stepped in. He said to me, “Write this… Delete that… Move this there…”. He led me through the completion of my assignment. I submitted it on time.
That wasn’t my assignment – it was God’s. And when God does something, He always does it to the best of His ability. Of course He had my input here and there, that’s why we didn’t get 100%. But we did get a distinction. I’ve got the best Instructor in the world.
God can instruct us in every detail of our lives, we simply need to ask Him to be our Guide.

Today’s Task: Ask God to be your Instructor, Teacher and Guide. Only He knows what is truly best for you in every situation. He knows what you should do in every circumstance. Trust Him. He won’t disappoint you.

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You for Your instruction, teaching and guidance in the past. I pray that You will be an Instructor, Teacher and Guide to each and every one of us. You know all things. You can see our past and future. Help us to allow You to Guide us in the path that You know is best for us. I thank You for Your love. Amen.

BELIEVE THAT YE RECEIVE

Today’s Text: Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. (Mark 11:24)

Today’s Thoughts: When we ask God for things, He wants us to have enough faith in Him to believe that He will grant our requests. He wants us to believe that we already have the things we asked for. It’s kind of like when we ask someone to do something for us, and we know that because of who that person is, once we have asked, the task is as good as done. God wants us to have that kind of faith in Him. A faith that says, “I’ve asked – I’ll receive.”

Today’s Testimony: My step-dad was once asked to fill in for his brother, who is a pastor, and do a Bible-study with a young couple from my church. They had a little daughter of about 2, and seeing my mom was busy, I went with to baby-sit during the Bible-study.
We went into her room and I read her Bible stories from a children’s Bible story book. She really enjoyed that, but there was something else that she wanted to do too. She wanted to jump on the bed. She stood up and started jumping on the bed, and not knowing whether that was normally allowed, I got her to sit down again.
A while later she made another attempt. She got up; jumped; and hit her head on the wall, all before I could stop her. She then burst into tears, and I carried her to her mom.
Her parents knew what had happened; she’d obviously done it before. Her mom came over; kissed her head; and said, “Shall we pray for it?” She answered, “Yes.” The tears stopped right there and then. Her head was obviously still sore, but it was as though in child-like faith she thought, “We’ll pray – all is well.”
I want that child-like faith too. A faith that says, “I’ll pray – all will be well, God will intervene.”

Today’s Task: Next time you take a petition to the Lord, believe that you are already going to receive it. Maybe you have already taken a request to the Lord; I encourage you to do the same. God loves us, and unless He knows that it is better not to grant our requests, He will give us what we ask for. We simply need to believe that He can provide for our every need, and then trust His wisdom to only do what’s best for us.

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You that You love us so much. I thank You that You care about each one of us and long to bless us with the things we ask for. I also thank You that You know what’s best for us, and will save us from receiving things that would harm us, or not be best for us. Lord please give us a child-like faith. Help us to believe that You have granted our petitions, as soon as we ask, in the way that You know best. You are good Lord – always good, and only good! Amen.

I HAVE TOLD YOU

Today’s Text: And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe. (John 14:29)

Today’s Thoughts: Jesus was speaking to His disciples in this text. He was telling them of all the things they would face in the near future. He did not want them to be overwhelmed when the time came, so He lovingly told them in advance. At that stage they could not fully understand what Jesus was saying to them, but when it came to pass, they remembered and believed. Christ can do the same for us. He can warn us of future events, and He can tell us how to prepare for the future.

Today’s Testimony: I’ve got two powerful testimonies to share today. They both have to do with God revealing a piece of the future, so that when the events happened, I could believe and be blessed.
We were leaving church after a Wednesday evening prayer-meeting. We had just heard the sad news that a much loved sister in Christ was in hospital with heart problems. I was taking it to the Lord as we were driving out the gate, when He said to me, “Lindy, she’s not going to make it.” It was one of those times when I wasn’t totally sure that it was the Lord speaking, or maybe it was more that that wasn’t what I wanted to hear, so I shrugged it off.
That weekend my family and I attended a different church, and therefore did not hear any of the news from our usual congregation. On Sunday a friend of mine phoned me. We had a singing group, and she said, “Don’t you think it would be nice if we could sing at Ouma’s memorial service.”
God knew I would hear about her passing away in that way, so He caringly prepared me for it. That was the first and last time the Lord has revealed the future in that regard. He knew I needed it then. We serve an amazing God.
My second testimony is about exam time. I was preparing for my roughest subject, and said to the Lord, “How wow would it be if You could say, ‘Lindy, study this, study this,’ and help me know what to study”. I had the two past-papers from the previous year, and the Lord said to me, “Study the past-papers.”
I thought that that was at least a start, but I also “knew” that there would be more than just those questions in the my paper. I focused mainly on the past-papers, butalso studied a few other things that I thought could be asked.
Every single one of my questions were from those two past-papers!!! I just missed getting a distinction. If I had only focused on those topics I could have gotten a distinction. But no, we are often so slow to believe when the Lord speaks.
God spoke. He told me in advance. But I only believed that it was truly Him that spoke when it came to pass.
God can speak to us about some of the most un-thought-of things. Listen to His voice.

Today’s Task: Listen for the Lord’s voice. He speaks. If you find it hard to tell if it was truly God Himself speaking, ask Him to tell you otherwise, or to help your unbelief. But the most important thing for you to do – remember the words that He speaks, so that when it comes to pass, you may believe, and praise Him.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I praise You that You speak. Lord help us to know Your voice, and to listen when You speak. Lord help our unbelief. I thank You that You are patient with us. I thank You for all Your miracles. Amen.

THE RICHES OF GOD’S WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE

Today’s Text: O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33)

Today’s Thoughts: God is all-knowing and He knows what to do with all that knowledge. He knows when, where and how to intervene in every single area of our lives. Even though we don’t understand His decisions and ways, we can trust Him because He knows everything, He is wise in all His doings, and because He loves and cares about each one of us. He will make sure that all things work out for the best.

Today’s Testimony: Now for another problem with my little alarm clock. If I place the alarm hand on a certain number, the alarm will go off before that time. The alarm’s time and the clock’s time don’t synchronize.
Remember the lecture I had to attend and how because I asked the Lord to let my alarm clock keep time and go off, it did. Another side to that story is that, knowing the problem with the times, I played with my alarm clock and its hands until I set it for what I thought was the time I wanted to get up. My alarm clock went off half an hour early. The Lord, in His wisdom, knew that I’d need an extra half an hour.
God knows everything. In His wisdom He knows just how to take care of His people. He is almighty and can do all things.
Now on another, more serious note, how’s time in your life? Have you surrendered your life to God? Do not put it off. He loves You. God wants you to turn to Him right now. He knows all things. If you feel Him tugging at your heart, please don’t send him away. It could be that God knows that this is your last chance. Later may just be too late. He wants to spend eternity with you. He wants you to know Him now, and to continue your relationship with Him in Heaven. He cares about you so much. Do not delay.
I want you to be in Heaven. I want to meet you there. God longs for that so much more. And I know that deep down inside, you want that for yourself too. Please let Him come into your heart. Not later – right now.

Today’s Task: Trust the Lord. Remember that He knows all things. He knows your every need. He is wise enough to know how to intervene in every situation to turn it out for the best. Ask Him to do His will in your life in every situation. He knows our needs far better than we do. Trust that His ways are perfect. Allow this wonderful God to be your God. Open your heart’s door to Him. You won’t regret it. Your only regret will be if you choose not to, this may be your last chance. Please, love Him back.

Today’s Thanks: O Lord I praise You that You know what is best for every single one of us in every single situation. I thank You that You wisely intervene for our good. Lord help us to trust You. I thank You for Your intervention in the past; and I praise You for Your intervention in the future. Lord help us to surrender to You. Our lives are incomplete without You in them. Lord we need You now. Please take away all doubt and procrastination. Lord help us to return Your love, though it be in a tiny degree. I love You Lord. Amen.

IN AN ACCEPTABLE TIME

Today’s Text: But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation. (Psalm 69:13)

Today’s Thoughts: God knows all things. He knows when it is the right time to grant us our requests, and when it is not in our best interest, or when it is best for us to wait. Sometimes we may think that there is no reason why God shouldn’t grant our request, but He knows best. If it truly is an acceptable time to Him, He will, in mercy, grant us our petitions.

Today’s Testimony: Yesterday I shared the testimony of my alarm clock; now I’d like to add to that. About three weeks later my alarm clock was still keeping time so I thought it would be interesting to not pray one night and see if the alarm clock lost time – just to add to the testimony. If it didn’t lose time I also knew that it could also be that God knew better. Anyway, I thought to test it one night, but God knew better. I didn’t test it, I prayed my usual prayer. My alarm clock went off on time. As for it being better, Julie had fallen asleep again after she had put her alarm clock off. She only woke up when my alarm went off. We both could have over-slept a lot longer if I had chosen that night. God knew better, and therefore directed me not to choose that night.
I didn’t ever test it in the end. But after all the rest of the testimonies around my alarm clock, I didn’t need to.
On another occasion Julie and I had been sick and our mom said we weren’t allowed to set our alarm clocks. We had to stay in bed until it was warmer. When I was a bit better I started by setting my alarm clock for a later time. The one night I prayed my usual prayer, “Lord, please let my alarm clock keep time all night and go off on time in the morning. Your will be done. Amen”; then added a side thought, “But if it doesn’t, it doesn’t really matter.” It didn’t go off the next morning. God knew better, He knew I still needed to rest and recover. When we pray and the timing is acceptable in accordance with God’s will, He will grant us our petitions. He knows what time is best for everything.

Today’s Task: Take your petitions to the Lord. But remember that He knows best. He has an acceptable time to answer. You might not always be able to see why He chose to answer the way He did, but sometimes we just have to trust God’s heart. He cares about you. God is good – always good, and only good.

Today’s Thanks: Lord I thank You that You know what’s best for every single one of us. I pray that You will do Your perfect will in every situation. Lord, help us to trust Your heart and know that You will only do what is best for us. I thank You for Your love. Amen.