Today's Christian

Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Psalm 100:3

Recommended Reading
Psalm 139:13-16

A proud grandmother was admiring the way her four-year-old granddaughter had dressed herself—until she got to the feet. "Why, honey," the grandmother said gently, "I think you've put your shoes on the wrong feet." The little girl looked down at her feet and then up at her grandmother. "But, Grandma, these are the only feet I've got!"

In her misunderstanding, the little girl made an important point, one that modern, image-conscious people would do well to remember: The features God has given us are the only ones we've got! It's easy today to become dissatisfied with who we are and what we have been given: our looks, our intelligence, our skills and talents, our personality, our physical build. But the Bible says we are the handiwork of God—that He shaped us in our mother's womb. A large part of becoming comfortable "in our own skin" is recognizing that we are unique in God's sight. We are one-of-a-kind people, created to accomplish for Him what only we can.

Consider taking stock of who you are and thanking God for His perfect wisdom in creating you to be one-of-a-kind.

He who is not contented with what he has would not be contented with what he would like to have.
Unknown

A prudent man overlooks an insult
Proverbs 12:16 (NIV)

Recommended Reading
James 3:13-18

On opening night at the Boston Pops this year, Symphony Hall filled with well-heeled guests as conductor Keith Lockhart led the orchestra in rousing renditions of Hollywood show tunes. During the song "Gigi," a man sitting in the balcony turned and told another to be quiet. A scuffle broke out, then a woman screamed as one of the men wrapped his arm around the other's neck, pulling him backward. The orchestra stopped, and the crowd turned to watch the fight. The concert resumed only after security guards managed to pull the men apart and drag them, clothes in tatters, from the hall.

We live in a world of immature people, short tempers, and prideful outbursts. It's so easy to get angry, lose our temper, respond to an insult, or make a cutting remark. Though we're occasionally confronted with situations that demand a strong response, it's often best to let an offense pass by without giving it undue attention, like water off a duck's back.

Don't let others interrupt the song in your soul.

A man is about as big as the things that make him angry.
Winston Churchill

I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.
2 Timothy 4:6

Recommended Reading
2 Timothy 4:6-8

The October 2005 issue of the Gideon Magazine told of a ninety-seven-year-old man in cardiac ICU. As his son-in-law visited and shared the Scripture with him, it became apparent that the old man had never received Christ as his Savior. That day, he turned his life over to the Lord and signed his name in the back of the Gideon New Testament, signifying his new life in Christ.

How wonderful!

And yet how much better to invest one's entire lifetime in Christ and His kingdom, and to come to the end of life praising God that, after years of fruitful service, our departure is at hand. Our lives pass quickly; and as we grow older, it's important that we give Him everything we have every day, asking for His guidance and pleading for His blessings.

Let's pour ourselves out for the kingdom so that when the time of our departure comes, we can say, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7).

Now I belong to Jesus, Jesus belongs to me,
Not for the years of time alone, but for eternity.
Norman J. Clayton

The Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Proverbs 2:6

Recommended Reading
Proverbs 2:6-9

Some years ago, a retired missionary built a small garden with a trickling fountain in his backyard. When guests came by and sat with him in his garden, he would say to them, "You hear the traffic from the street, don't you? I hear the trickling of the fountain." He had trained his ears to tune out the noises from the street and to enjoy the tranquil splatter of the water.

Wisdom comes as we train our ears to tune out the world's noise and to hear the voice of God as He speaks to us with the wisdom of His Word in our hearts.

In his classic volume, Studies in Proverbs, the nineteenth-century expositor, William Arnot, wrote: "Those who hide the Word within them, feeding on it as daily bread, acquire a habitual bent of mind towards things spiritual."

By meditating on Scripture, it's possible to become a wiser person, making better decisions, offering helpful counsel to others, and handling our emotions and reactions with maturity. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

The Word of God is a vital seed, but it will not germinate unless it be hidden in a softened receptive heart.
William Arnot

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink."
John 7:37

Recommended Reading
John 4:10-14

There were two reasons the Jebusites built a fortress on a ridge that eventually became Jerusalem: It was defendable and there was a water supply. A spring, located at the base of the ridge, provided an abundant and consistent supply of water. That spring (the Gihon Spring) still surges several times daily depending on the season.

There is nothing quite so luxurious in a hot and arid land as a spring that, seemingly miraculously and endlessly, sends thousands of gallons of pure water to the surface—an abundance of water, plenty for every need. Jesus used water from the Gihon Spring at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem to send a different message of abundance. The priests would pour out pitchers of water while quoting from Isaiah 12:3: "Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation." Jesus stood and said, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink." He was saying that, like a never-ending spring, waters of salvation flow from Him.

Have you drunk deeply from the spring of life named Jesus? There is no need ever to be spiritually thirsty with such a supply as Him.

Is it not wonderful news to believe that salvation lies outside ourselves?
Martin Luther

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But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:57

Recommended Reading
1 Samuel 17:45-50

One pastor recalled his experience with two people who deeply understood victory through Christ. Arriving at the hospital, he saw Jack and Marie Martin holding each other after learning of their daughter's death. He gently asked, "Are you okay?" With tears in his eyes, Jack was able to smile faintly and respond with "Yes, Pastor, we're okay. Despite the grief we feel right now, we still have victory. We have the Lord's peace in our heart."

The Martins found the key to overcoming the troubles of this world, and it was an echo of what Jesus told His disciples in John 16:33 (NIV): "I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Don't be confused about what true victory is in the life of a Christian. It is not the absence of adversity. Rather, it is the presence of Christ's peace. When you are faced with life's challenges, remember that with God on your side, you can be victorious.

God is there to meet you in the centre of all your trials and to whisper His secrets, which will make you come forth with a shining face and an indomitable faith that all the demons of hell shall never afterwards cause to waver.
E. A. Kilbourne