“I am going to give this $20 note to one of you,” the man said. Immediately he had everyone’s attention. “But first, let me do this.” He proceeded to crumple the bill.

He then asked, “Who still wants it?” Every hand went up.

“Well,” he went on, “what if I do this?” And he dropped the $20 note on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty, and asked again. “Now who still wants it?” Still the hands went into the air.

“My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson,” he said. “No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

“Many times in our lives, we are crumpled, dropped, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what may yet happen, you will never lose your value in God’s eyes.

To Him, dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless.”

Isaiah 43:4
Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.

- Anonymous

When I was in Israel, I visited the place where Jesus was once imprisoned. A narrow, dark dungeon at the house of Caiaphas. Because the dungeon had such a small opening, the prisoner had to be fastened with a harness before they could be lowered into the place.

The Creator of heaven and earth, the One who made the sun, the vast and endless seas and great deserts loved us so, that He's willing to be lowered down from the highest to the lowest place on Earth.

He stripped Himself of His glory, was mocked and tortured for our sake, to make peace between us and God.

Unless your heart is hardened, you can't help but being touched by such a wondrous love. Let His love brings peace into your troubled heart, let it drive away all your pride, anger, disappointments, doubts, fears, bitterness and pain. Know Jesus's love today.

1 John 4:10
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

- Diven

Our time is precious. From the moment we wake in the morning it is go, go, go. We have thoughts swirling, deadlines looming, babies crying, bosses bossing, friends laughing, washing piling and phones ringing! 

Majority of the week my day consists of this: waking up, getting ready for work, going to work, working, coming home, dumping my stuff, getting ready, having dinner (if I am lucky), going out for a meeting/event, coming home, going to bed.

It varies from day to day but, for the past few weeks, on most days it unfortunately looks like this. I call it unfortunate because it is missing something very important that I need- MY time with GOD. 

When I cheat myself out of my time with God, it affects me. I pay the price. I can honestly say I have seen a slump in my productivity and my alertness. I can blame busy-ness and even lack of sleep but at the end of the day, it is me not prioritising HIM as the one thing I depend on for my needs.

Time is precious but WE are more precious in God’s eyes. His desire is for us to speak to Him and spend time with Him. If you feel silly at times, ignore it; it is just a feeling! God is delighted with every single moment that you give to Him. Make Him a priority in your day.

Psalm 62:5

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.

-Sandra Iliev

Babies cry when they are in need. We the needy, cry too but there is a distinct difference between us and babies.

Babies cry to their mother, the source of their comfort. When they cry, comfort is on the way. We however, cry to the wrong sources. How often do we cry in the ears of others but God?

Do not cry to in the ears of friends for even if they can help you, it is only because the Lord enables them to. If so, why not run straight to God and lift up your cry to Him instead.

Even if you are without friends or supplies, let your need be your double plea. The Lord will hear your cry, deliver and supply you. Comfort will be on its way.        

Helpless friends, just like babies, we too can cry to the One who can comfort us. When there is no one else, He stands beside you. Come with your plea and He will not refuse you help. Your Redeemer will not let you perish to the ground.

Psalm 71:12
For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.

- Irene Soon

How many times have I heard that from one of my kids when someone’s eaten the last piece of cake or stayed up ten minutes longer than the other?

And how often have I replied in all my motherly ‘wisdom’ – “Life is not fair.”

Well, too bad Jonah did not have his mother around to remind him that life is not fair. Jonah thought God would punish the old bad ninevites just like moms or teachers supposed to punish the bullies on the playground.

But surprise! God did not want it that way. He wanted to save Niniveh instead. Yet Jonah wanted his way – the righteous and God fearing people like Jonah were to get all the blessing and the wicked people like Ninevites were to be destroyed.

Life isn’t always the way we want it to be; it is not always fair in our eyes. But all is fair and just in God’s eyes and we must resist the urge to doubt and judge like Jonah. Our part is to have faith and believe that God is just.

2 Thessalonians 1:6
In His justice He will pay back those who persecute you.

- Doris Rikkers

If ever one of woman born might have lived without prayer, it was our spotless, perfect a Lord, and yet none was ever so much in supplication as He! Such was His love to His Father, that He loved much to be in communion with Him: such His love for His people, that He desired to be much in intercession for them. The fact of this eminent prayerfulness of Jesus is a lesson for us--He hath given us an example that we may follow in His steps.

The time He chose was admirable, it was the hour of silence, when the crowd would not disturb Him; the time of inaction, when all but Himself had ceased to labour; and the season when slumber made men forget their woes, and cease their applications to Him for relief. While others found rest in sleep, He refreshed Himself with prayer. The place was also well selected. He was alone where none would intrude, where none could observe: thus was He free from Pharisaic ostentation and vulgar interruption.

Those dark and silent hills were a fit oratory for the Son of God. Heaven and earth in midnight stillness heard the groans and sighs of the mysterious Being in whom both worlds were blended. The continuance of His pleadings is remarkable; the long watches were not too long; the cold wind did not chill His devotions; the grim darkness did not darken His faith, or loneliness check His importunity. We cannot watch with Him one hour, but He watched for us whole nights.

The occasion for this prayer is notable; it was after His enemies had been enraged--prayer was His refuge and solace; it was before He sent forth the twelve apostles--prayer was the gate of His enterprise, the herald of His new work. Should we not learn from Jesus to resort to special prayer when we are under peculiar trial, or contemplate fresh endeavours for the Master's glory? Lord Jesus, teach us to pray.

Luke 6:12
And it came to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God."
 
(Taken from Spurgeon's Daily Devotionals)

-Sandra Iliev

There are times in your life when everything you attempt to do will seem to go wrong. Your faith may be strong, yet adversity will come knocking on your door. In such times, the power of prayer will strengthen and stabilise you.

But you can't pray away life's seasons! God has a purpose for not allowing you to be fruitful all the time.

Real growth requires seasons of struggle as well as seasons of success. Your seasons of struggle destroy pride in your own ability, increase your dependence on God, and cause you to say, like Paul did, 'Not that we are sufficient of ourselves...our sufficiency is from God – 2 Corinthians 3:5

These are humbling experiences, but you need them. Your life is like a tree: in winter it silently refurbishes its strength, preparing for the next season of fruitfulness. As you look back on your life's accomplishments you'll notice that they are seasonal.

There are seasons of rain as well as sunshine, and each season serves an important purpose. That's why it's a mistake to make a permanent decision based on a temporary circumstance or changing emotion. Sometimes the situation doesn't call for action, it calls for patience and trust in God. God is making the circumstances you're in today work for your good.

2 Corinthians 4:17
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all

- Bob Gass (Word of Today)

In 2009, one of our suppliers attempted to bribe my husband; a briefcase filled with stakes of USD 100.00 notes. Indeed the money was very tempting, but we chose not to take it.

On the night of that day, the Lord gave us a verse in Exodus 23: 8 that says, “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous ". The following morning, the moment I turned on the radio, I heard a pastor say, “Because you have honored the Word of God by not taking that bribe, the Lord will bless you with many more folds than it”.

Truly said, three months later, my husband received a dividend and other benefits as much as sixteen folds much more than the amount of the bribery.  Praise the Lord!

Solomon, a well known king of Israel  that exceeded all the kings before and after him in wisdom and wealth , began his search for the real meaning of life. After various pursuits, frustrated by not finding satisfactory answers, he said, "...Everything is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 1 : 2).

He realized that the ability to truly enjoy life is a gift from God (Ecclesiastes 2 : 24 ) and the real happiness is indeed in the Lord and in obeying His Word. His conclusion for what matter most and  best  in life is, " Fear God and keep His commandments ...for God will bring every deed into judgment ..."
( Ecclesiastes 12 : 13, 14 ).

Indeed the fear of the Lord is the best in life as no one is able to escape the judgment seat of God and surely those who choose to fear Him will be blessed eternally as well as physically, as their righteous lifestyles will be pleasing in His eyesight.

Psalm 112 : 1
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in His commands

- F.Y

Probably many of us haven't heard of this name but I came to read about Samuel Morris. God saved him and used him remarkably but Samuel passed away when he was a young 20 year old. 

Born as the Liberian prince, He became a Christian at 14. He went to America at 18 by ship, which during this trip he led the ship crew to Christ. Later on, Samuel wanted to go back to Africa to bring the good news to his people but he passed away before he could. In replacement, God touches the lives of those who were blessed by Samuel to bring the good news to Africa. What an amazing intervention.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus only spent about three years for His ministry? God's time is not our time, He works beyond our imagination, beyond our understanding; He makes sure that His will be done for His glory and for our salvation.

The God who saved Samuel and used him during his short life on earth is the same God who came to the world to die on the cross for our sin. He is also the same God who is working through and in our lives to bring to perfection our lives.

I still can't understand how God is managing His "business". But one thing for sure is if we stand firm, the day will come when He will reward us with the crown of life that we can throw at His feet and praise Him in eternity. Meanwhile, we need to draw ourselves closer to Him, the source of our lives

1 Corinthians 16:13
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong

Isaiah 40:8
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever

- Jenni Wang

In 1660, Sir Christopher Wren was requested to redesign St Paul's Cathedral in London.

It was told that one day he made a visit to the construction site of the magnificent edifice and he approached a few workers to ask what they were doing.

The workers, who did not recognize who Wren was, proceeded to chat with him casually. One worker told him, "I'm the stone cutter here." A second worker replied, “This job earns me six shillings a day." The third worker however, had a different reply, "I'm helping Sir Christopher Wren to build a magnificent Cathedral in the heart of London to give glory to God."

The third worker's response showed a contrast in motivation and purpose.

When we work, we often do things because it is our job, some of us do it to learn new skills for our benefits, some do it for the money and recognition and some may do it to pass time. How often do we remind ourselves that we work for the glory of God? Paul challenged the Ephesians to do their work with a different attitude - "not as man pleasers but as bondservant to Christ"

When we work to please men and ourselves, we will fall short of the real purpose and eventually lose our joy. Be purposeful to finish all the tasks entrusted to us for the glory of God and you will experience a new level of favor and joy because really, you are working for God and not men.

1 Corinthians 10:31
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

- Irene Soon