YOur Team

‘Search for it as for hidden treasure.’ Proverbs  2:4 NIV When you think about it, studying the Bible is like prospecting for gold or silver. It involves two things: 1) You must look for it. Solomon writes, ‘If you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God’ (Proverbs 2:4-5 NIV). Simply stepping into a mine and glancing around won’t cut it. If you want to get the gold or silver, you must be searching for it. Any miner will inform you that gold doesn’t strike you – you strike gold. The purpose of this devotional isn’t to replace regular Bible reading but to whet your spiritual appetite for...

‘The father shall make known Your truth to the children.’ Isaiah 3 8:19 NKJV A researcher at Johns Hopkins University informed us that children as young as eight months old are capable of hearing and remembering words, good or bad. ‘Little ears are listening,’ said Dr Peter Juscyzk. Babies in this study, which appeared in the esteemed journal, Science, were exposed to three taped stories for about ten days. Two weeks afterwards, they were tested in a lab and clearly identified the words in the stories while failing to react to words they hadn’t heard. Professor Emerita Robin Chapman, a language specialist at the University of Wisconsin at the time, emphasised the importance of this study....

‘If it dies, it bears much fruit.’ John 1 2:24 ESV God takes two days to grow a mushroom but 60 years to grow an oak tree. So, would you like to be a mushroom or an oak tree? Spiritual growth takes time. Have you been wondering, ‘Why is it taking me so long to improve? I am still struggling with many of my weaknesses.’ Why? Because spiritual growth, like natural growth, takes some time. The best fruit ripens gradually. Jesus said, ‘“Truly, truly … unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit’ (John 12:24ESV). When Jesus says, ‘Truly, truly,’ He means, ‘Now understand this! Listen! This is very important.’ The point Jesus...

‘He sought … God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.’ 2 Chronicles 3 1:21 NIV Change, improvement, growth, success, and victory don’t happen because they’re admirable concepts or desirable options. No, they happen because you’re totally committed and willing to pay the price. When King Hezekiah came to the throne, Israel was in bad shape. The doors of God’s house were shut, the Law of the Lord was not being observed, and the people were worshipping the same gods as the heathen nations around them. If you’re a turnaround expert, you would benefit from studying Hezekiah’s life and his strategy. The Bible says, ‘In everything that he undertook … he sought his God and worked...

‘Those who trust in the Lord … cannot be shaken ...’ Psalm 12 5:1 NIV People are naturally attracted to leaders who convey poise and self-assurance; they won’t follow one who lacks self-confidence. An excellent illustration of this is an incident that took place in Russia during an attempted coup. Army tanks encircled the government building that held President Boris Yeltsin and his pro-democracy supporters. As the army moved into position, Yeltsin strode from the building, climbed up on a tank, stared the commander in the eye, and thanked him for turning to the side of democracy. Later the commander admitted that although he hadn’t intended to go over to Yeltsin’s side, the Russian leader...

‘Then [Elisha] arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.’ 1 Kings 1 9:21 NKJV To get the job done right, you must surround yourself with the right people. That’s why good leaders are continually on the lookout for good people. But the person you get isn’t always determined by what you want but by who you are. In most instances, you attract people who possess many of the same qualities you do. Not only was Elisha like Elijah, he also wanted a double portion of the Spirit that was upon Elijah. Who you are, is who you will attract. It’s possible to go out and recruit people unlike yourself, but it’s crucial to recognise that those who are different from you may not naturally be...

‘Clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.’ Colossians  3:12 NLT John Gray wrote the best-selling book Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus. His underlying idea is this: in order to get along with someone, you have to try and see life from their perspective. And that’s not easy. Paul writes: ‘Clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from...

‘Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves.’ Romans 1 2:10 NIV American lecturer Ralph Waldo Emerson said, ‘There is no limit to what can be accomplished if it doesn’t matter who gets the credit.’ Most people know about Isaac Newton’s famed encounter with a falling apple; how he introduced the law of universal gravitation and revolutionised astronomical studies. But few people know that had it not been for a man called Edmond Halley, the world may never have heard of Newton. Halley was the one who urged Newton to think through his original theories, corrected his mathematical mistakes, and formulated geometrical figures to support his discoveries. It was Halley...

‘One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek ...’ Psalm 2 7:4 NKJV You may have to downscale materially to upscale spiritually. If owning things, maintaining them, and worrying about losing them is robbing you of the things that matter most like peace, joy, and fulfilment, consider simplifying your life. Downscale on the things that don’t matter, so you can upscale on the things that do. During her successful career as an opera singer, Jenny Lind, known as the ‘Swedish Nightingale’, became one of the wealthiest artists of all time. Yet she gave up her career at a time when she was singing her best. And she never returned to it. People speculated about the reason and wondered how...

‘It is good to give thanks to the Lord.’ Psalm 9 2:1 NKJV Journalist Fulton Oursler tells the story of an elderly nurse called Anna. She had attended Fulton’s birth, plus that of his mother. He honours her for teaching him the best lesson he ever learned about giving thanks and finding contentment: ‘I remember her as she sat at the kitchen table in our house; the hard, old, brown hands folded across her starched apron, the glistening eyes, and the husky old whispering voice, saying, “Much obliged, Lord, for my vittles.” I asked, “Anna, what’s a vittle?” “It’s what I’ve got to eat and drink – that’s vittles,” the old nurse replied. “But you’d get your vittles whether you thanked the Lord or...