​Have you ever heard of toe wrestling? It is a well appreciated sport in England. Every year, people come from all around the world to attend its championship. The focus of this sport is to pin the opponent’s foot in a similar way an arm wrestler pins down their opponent’s wrist. All this done whilst two competitors sit on the ground locking their bare foot with each other.

Despite the toe being one of the most ignored or overlooked part of the body, it plays a significant support role in our body. The apostle Paul specifically used the example of a foot to illustrate how important everyone’s role in the body of Christ. He asked rhetorically in 1 Corinthians 12:15, “Now if the foot should say, Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.”

Each person serves a vital part in the body of Christ, you have value to give no matter how insignificant you think your role may be in the House of God. Together, we can serve and make a positive difference. Just as the foot or the toe is a vital part of the body, so is every small task you could possibly imagine you could do for the glory of God.

- John W.

If you’re trying to recover from a broken relationship, don’t rush into another one. As you become healthy you begin to make healthy choices. Some hurts take a long time to heal, but don’t be discouraged: ‘He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.’

Give God a chance. Take time to search His Word and find out how He feels about you, for that’s the true basis of all self-worth. If God can love and accept you with full knowledge of your imperfections, then the message is: "Lighten up, you can love, and be loved again, but remember the second greatest commandment, only with the same wholeness with which you love yourself.

When you don’t value yourself, you attract people who feel the same way about you, including those who seek to control you. So hold out for it for better! Remember, you train others how to treat you by how you treat yourself. As you become whole, you’ll start to see how unwholesome some of your relationship choices have been. If some people walk away, ‘so be it’.

Sometimes you’ve got to give up less so that God can give you more. He has new relationships in store for you, but He’s waiting until your values, perceptions, and self-worth line up with His Word. So take it step by step, one day at a time. And take heart —your best days are ahead.

Psalm 147: 3
He heals the broken hearted, he binds up their wounds.

- Word for Today devotional Bob Gass

The thing is to count the battle God's. The battle is not yours but God's. We shall not need to fight in this battle. As long as we count our dangers and responsibilities, we shall be distracted with fear. But when we realize God is bound to take care of us as His property and His representatives, we shall feel infinite relief and security.

If I send my employee on a long journey, I am responsible for his expenses and protection; if God sends me anywhere, He is responsible.

​If we belong to God and put our life, our family, and our all in His hands, we may know He will take care of us.If our body belongs to God, it is His interest to keep us well, just as much as it is for the interest of the shepherd to have his sheep well fed, well cared for and a credit to him.

2 Corinthians 2:14
But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.

2 Chronicles 20:15
He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's.

- A. Simpson

Most of us have heard the legend of Johnny Appleseed.  John Chapman (1774 to 1845) or affectionately known as Johnny Appleseed was a man from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was an American pioneer as well as a missionary who introduced apple trees to most parts of Pennsylvania as well as to West Virginia.
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He collected the discarded apple seeds from the apple cider mills and started an apple nurseries with the seeds and nurtured them until they were saplings, big enough to sell or barter for clothes and other items.

This barefoot tree-planting preacher was a welcome visitor to the settlers. They invited him into their homes, glad to hear news from the places Johnny had just been to and the stories he had to tell. Johnny also had his Bible divided up into sections and would leave one book with a settler home and then exchange it for another book when he passed through that same way again.

Though the apples from trees that are grown from seeds are seldom sweet, Johnny did not despair. He processed them into apple cider (used as a food preservative), and the trees were used to mark land boundaries.

Like Johnny, we can grab hold of the opportunities that come our way. When the doors or windows of possibilities open to us, we can enter in and partake of the blessings that God has for us and for others that we touch. Realizing an opportunity when it presents itself is just the first step, and then come all the steps that follow to bring that possibility to fruition.

James 2: 17
So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

- John W.

Muhammad Ali was known as the prize fighter who couldn’t be beaten. It was said that his picture was featured in sports magazines more than any other athlete in history, earning him the title – “Sportsman of the Century.” Wherever he went, the camera will follow him. He had it all; recognition, wealth, fame and all that stardom could offer.
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All that he had couldn’t buy him good health and Ali fell victim to the death grip of Parkinson’s disease.

Gary Smith, a sportswriter spent some time with Ali during this period and wrote on how he recalled Ali escorted him to a dark, damp barn where he saw a board displaying mementos – posters of ‘Thrilla in Manila’, pictures of Ali lifting champion-belts he had won over his heads and pictures of Ali in the ring fighting. What Smith noticed was the pictures were smeared with white marks caused by pigeons’ droppings. Ali picked up the board and Smith heard him mumbled, “I had the whole world but it was nothing. Look at me now.”

​The psalmist wrote,” We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it. And so Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in You.” (Psalm 39: 6-7 NLT). Fame and fortune are may prove to be futile but it is a blessed thing to have our hope set on the Lord Jesus Christ. 

- John W.

What advantages have the wise over fools? What do the poor gain by knowing how to conduct themselves before others? (Eccl.6:8)

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”(James 3:17-18)

As long as we still live under the sun, we will always have opportunity to join the preacher in his saying: Vanity all is vanity. But as we acknowledge God and make Him Lord over our life, we will find joy and purpose for our life, though it is just a short journey here on earth because we know that our home is not here but with God.

Life on earth is the opportunity for us to join in God’s work for His purpose: to reconcile the sinners to Himself through Christ and in the power of the Spirit. Because of this, we as the privileged one are also the responsible one: to submit ourselves to God and to proclaim the peace and to share the love of our Father. 

Only God knows human heart. We can do many good things, but our motive and purpose can be wrong. By having humility we can understand that wisdom and knowledge can only bring satisfaction when we acknowledge that God is above all our human understanding and knowledge.

Fear God and obey His commandments is the final conclusion of the Ecclesiastes and it is the beginning of the Book of Proverbs. God is the Alpha and Omega, which has no beginning and end thus we must involve God and acknowledge Him in all we do, from the very beginning to the very end because our life is from Him and when we finish our journey, we will also go back to Him. Amen.

- Jenni Wang

Matthew 11:28 - 30
Come to Me all who toil and are burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

The Lord Jesus was not only meek but also lowly in heart. We often have improper thoughts and carnal desires.  We often compare ourselves to others. Our thoughts are filled with pride and boasting. Our Lord never hopes to gain anything for Himself. He is willing to accept everything from God. He can say that it is enough, and He is satisfied. This is being meek and lowly in heart.

Brothers and sisters, are you satisfied with what God has given you? Or do you constantly covet more? Is God's provision enough for you? Or do you insist on your way concerning certain things and affairs? Many people have great ambitions and aspirations, but these things do not count in God's eyes, and God cannot use such ones. They are not lowly in heart, and they do not have rest. They do not have any rest because they are not satisfied with what God has given them.

Our Lord Jesus is meek; He does not demand anything for Himself. Only those who are meek can be led by God, and only those who are lowly in heart can satisfy God's desire.All those who have some experience can testify that nothing is more joyful than consecration, and nothing brings more happiness than placing oneself in the Lord's hand and under His direction. If we are not joyful and satisfied in heart, the only possible reason for this, is that we have not taken the Lord's yoke and learned from Him.
Let us humbly pray, “Yes, Father, whatever You decide is the best.” Amen.

- www.emanna.com

Life, isn’t it about getting what we want? To be happy and getting people to validate that you are different, accomplished and perhaps have the lifestyle coveted by many.

Is it about keeping up with the joneses; no, I should rephrase that, is it about keeping up appearances and material things? Then again, who are we trying to impress? Were these needs birthed out of unresolved insecurities or pride within? Are these visions or needs given by God or it stems out from our own unhealthy needs?

When we operate on our unhealthy needs; triggered by unhealthy issues, it usually spirals downwards draining us of our own strength. Insecurities and pride will demand a result by a certain time limit, it relies fully on our knowledge, our reasoning and strength.

When the vision is God given, an un-surpassing peace will always surround our conscience. We may still get tangled in trying to accomplish our God given vision with our own strength however, every time we put it back into God’s hand, He will replenish the need for strength. God given vision does not necessarily abide by a certain time limit, it is not something where we could control the outcome or result but when it has finished its good work, we will be able to testify the surrealism of God’s glory.

When we make life about God, He will bring us to height and influence more than our own little sphere, reaching multitudes or numerous people whom we may not be able to make on our own. When life is about us, we put a limit to God’s wondrous way at work at our life. Which will you choose? I know I could testify that following God is the best decision I have ever made.  Amen.

Mark 8: 36
And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?

- John W.

Did you know the term “Christians” mean Christ-ones? When Jesus renamed Simon as Peter, He has changed Simon’s identity to carry the meaning of “the rock.”

Simon who was renamed Peter did not change overnight; it took him awhile to live up to his new name. The account of Peter’s life displayed a hasty fisherman who was like shifting sand but God worked through him.

In the book of Acts, we read how God worked in and through Peter and he established the church of the Lord in Antioch (Acts 11: 26). Peter truly became a rock where God built His church upon and the first disciples were called Christians.
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When we receive Christ in to our lives, we embraced a new identity of being called a Christian, Christ-ones. This new name gives us hope that though we may not live up to the likeness of Christ-ones, we are in a journey where our faithful God will finish the good work He has begun in us when we accepted Him into our hearts.

Matthew 16: 18 NLT
Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means 'rock'), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.

- John W.

My friend’s little daughter, let us call her name - Steph, greeted me with joyful jump in Princess Elsa’s dress. She twirled and giggled as she paraded her dress to me. She even wore a tiara to complete the look. She continued to take joyful leaps to her mother and me, just like any excited four year old would if they were to wear Princess Elsa’s dress.

I however, noticed that Steph’s tiara was sitting lopsided on her head. Unconsciously, I reached out for her tiara wanting to fix it. Steph moved back aghast and held on her tiara defensively. She took off her tiara and firmly said, “No, it’s mine!”

​I laughed and told her I just wanted to fix the tiara properly so it will not fall of her head. Steph gave me a threatening look and wore her tiara gruffly. Then I thought to myself, I just wanted to make her look better and in that instance, I heard the Holy Spirit said, “you are the same if I try to fix things for you. You respond the same way mostly.” It was my wake-up call.

​True enough, we have our defensive ways. We respond gruffly without allowing God any chance to talk to us, let alone fix things better. Let us allow God to shed a light on areas we may have gruffly snatched when He comes closer. Pray for discernment without defense and let Him ‘fix your tiaras.’  He would not want to take away your tiara if it does you no good.
 
Psalm 31: 19
How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you

- Irene Soon