I hope you’ll forgive me for asking you a rather direct question today, but … how generous are you? No, really … how much of what you have and who you are do you give away?

19th century Scottish industrialist Andrew Carnegie rose from poverty to become one of the richest men in the world. He believed that the wealthy had a moral responsibility to distribute their wealth for the greater good.

Putting his money where his mouth was, he gave away billions in today’s money, finding great personal fulfillment in helping others. For him, his giving not only transformed society but also blessed him with a sense of purpose and an enduring impact.

I know what you’re thinking … you’re not one of the richest people in the world. For all I know, you may be struggling to make ends meet. But there’s so much more that we can give than mere money.

Hebrews 10:24-25 We should think about each other to see how we can encourage each other to show love and do good works. We must not quit meeting together, as some are doing. No, we need to keep on encouraging each other. This becomes more and more important as you see the Day getting closer.

The gift of encouragement is a gift of self. It’ll definitely cost you something and yet, it could quite literally be the gift of life – even of eternal life – to someone else. And when you give that gift, when you reach out, persist, love, encourage – watch out as the blessing of God falls on you too.

We need to keep on encouraging each other.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Years ago, women had no rights. They were mere chattels tethered to their father and then to their husband. Happily, there have been great advances in women’s rights, with hopefully more to come. And yet, I wonder sometimes whether in some ways, we’ve not quite hit the mark.

Should a woman have the same opportunities as a man? Absolutely. Should she get equal pay for equal work? Totally. So let’s keep that going.

But what of a woman’s duty to her family? We talked about a man’s duty yesterday, but things become a lot trickier for the woman – given that she is, after all, the child bearer; given the heavy dependence of children on their mother during those early years.

Getting that balance right ain’t easy. Sadly, some women, in different ways to men of course, have also forsaken their duty to family in search of career. And understandably there’s been a reaction to the notion of women as the weaker sex, the lesser partner in marriage. So, what’s God’s take on all of this?

Proverbs 31:25-29 She is a strong person, and people respect her. She looks to the future with confidence. She speaks with wisdom and teaches others to be loving and kind. She oversees the care of her house. She is never lazy. Her children say good things about her. Her husband brags about her and says, “There are many good women, but you are the best.”

What a powerful and positive take on womanhood. Each wife has a duty to her husband and her family. Step up.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Families, the world over, are falling apart. Sure, there are vibrant families too. But increasingly, with the invasion of technology and all that that brings into the home, with the rise of a ‘me-centred’ take on life, it’s little wonder that both the extended and the nuclear family are under siege.

A major contributing factor without doubt is that many men have, for one reason or another, lost their sense of duty toward their family. In many parts of the world, healthy masculinity has fallen out of favour. Men no longer respect, protect and nurture their wives. The children no longer obey their parents. And so, frankly, many men have just plain given up. Society, in many cases, has given up.

American astrobiologist David Grinspoon once said, “There is a real danger of unintended consequences, of encouraging people to give up. Pessimism, if it becomes a habit, can reinforce a narrative of unstoppable decline. If there is nothing we can do, that releases us from our obligations.”

And there’s the rub. It’s happening everywhere … so I’ll just go with the flow. Well, men, listen up:

1 Peter 3:7 … you husbands should live with your wives in an understanding way, since they are [physically] weaker than you. You should show them respect, because God gives them the same blessing he gives you—the grace of true life. Do this so that nothing will stop your prayers from being heard.

Each husband has a duty to his wife and his family. Step up.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.

The relationship between work and rest is an interesting one. Many work so hard that it drives them into the ground. Others suffer from too little “work” and too much rest, driving them to boredom and loneliness.

Wherever you are on that continuum, striking a happy medium isn’t always easy. When we’re young and working hard, satisfying though that may be, we’re hoping that at some point, it’s going to get easier. We long for a comfortable existence without too much effort.

Eventually, trying to do the right thing when everyone else seems to be doing the complete opposite – well, it’s exhausting. Better just to coast along and hope for the best. It’s working for everyone else.

The easy life is so alluring, isn’t it? Legendary 1970’s rock band ACDC had a hit back in the day with their infectious rock song, “Highway to Hell”. In part, the lyrics go like this:

No stop signs, speed limit. Nobody's gonna slow me down.
Like a wheel, gonna spin it. I’m on the highway to hell. Highway to hell.

So many people have rocked along to that tune with such fervour.

A few years earlier, author and theologian C.S. Lewis put it like this: The safest road to hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.

And a couple of thousand years before that, Jesus put it like this:

Matthew 7:13 You can enter true life only through the narrow gate. The gate to hell is very wide, and there is plenty of room on the road that leads there. Many people go that way.

Don’t be fooled. The easy road inevitably turns out to be the highway to hell.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.

None of us likes to be stretched – at least, not too much. We don’t mind a bit of physical, intellectual or emotional stretching, if I can call it that … but not to the point of discomfort. I guess that’s why most people, most of the time, go for the easy option.

I was reading an interesting article recently about cognitive decline. The learned professor was saying that around age sixty, people get a bit comfortable … they might avoid challenging and difficult things and start coasting on experience. That, she said, was the worst thing we can do.

Instead, she counselled that we focus on challenging activities that stretch us and grow our brains. Good advice – oh, and if you’re a tad younger than sixty, she also pointed out that our brains actually start shrinking in our thirties.

So, do you like being stretched in a way that challenges you, causes you discomfort even? Some athletes do, but most people don’t. That’s perhaps where the idea came from that, because He loves us, God won’t ever give us more than we can handle. We kind of equate His love with our comfort. But that, I think, is the worst thing we can do.

The Apostle Paul is without doubt one of the New Testament A-listers. He found himself with the proverbial thorn in his side. Here’s how that played itself out:

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 I begged the Lord three times to take this problem away from me. But the Lord said, “My grace is all you need. Only when you are weak can everything be done completely by my power.”

It turns out that, out of His great love, God doesn’t give us what we can handle. He helps us handle what we’re given. Prepare to be stretched.

That’s His Word. Fresh … for you … today.

One of the saddest of all human conditions is complacency. Each of us is filled with so much potential – different though we all are. But complacency has this nasty habit of robbing us of our potential. Who wants to get to the end of their life wondering … what could have been?

Richard Branson is a household name: An entrepreneur extraordinaire, an adventurer and, by all accounts, a pretty decent fellow. Beginning with Virgin Records, his ventures have expanded to over 400 companies including Virgin Galactic, pioneering commercial space tourism. Yet as a lad, he was described by his teachers as “a bit lazy, a bit thick.” Who’d have thought?

Okay, so we’re not all ‘Richard Branson’s. But we have each been blessed with our own form of potential to make this world a better place. In our younger years we tend to dream about things – grand plans that we might someday fulfill, but gradually the cares of this world take over.

As someone once wrote … One life. Just one. Why aren’t we running like we’re on fire towards our wildest dreams? Answer? Complacency. Or perhaps fear of the unknown. Or maybe we blame our circumstances.

Proverbs 16:9 People can plan what they want to do, but it is the LORD who guides their steps.

Perhaps you have some unfulfilled dream – one that God laid on your heart long ago, one you keep coming back to again and again. Why not step out … and let the Lord guide your steps? Because if those plans are from Him, He will without doubt lead you through.

That’s His Word. Fresh … for you … today.

It’s a paradox of human relationships that, on the one hand, we yearn for closeness, for love, for intimacy … and yet the closer we are to someone, the more their weaknesses can drive us completely around the twist. Why is that?

Napoleon and Josephine loved one another deeply. But despite their love, his controlling nature and her inability to meet his expectations led to serious conflict and ultimately divorce. As is so often the case, their personal weaknesses destroyed what was once a deeply devoted marriage.

How often has that scenario played itself out in relationships down through the ages? And the reason is always the same. Jesus put it like this:

Matthew 7:3-5 Why do you notice the small piece of dust that is in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood that is in your own? Why do you say to your friend, ‘Let me take that piece of dust out of your eye’? Look at yourself first! You still have that big piece of wood in your own eye. You are a hypocrite! First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to get the dust out of your friend’s eye.

The closer you are to someone, the easier it is to see the speck in their eye. The more it annoys you. The more it offends you. And the more you’re convinced that the other person has to change.

You hypocrite! First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you’ll see clearly to get the dust out of your friend’s eye.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Do miracles still happen? I mean, when was the last time you experienced something so out of the ordinary, so extraordinary, that you couldn’t call it anything else? Or do some people just have an overactive imagination, using “miracle” to describe something that was just a coincidence?

Personally I haven’t seen anyone grow a new limb where one had been amputated. Nor have I seen a glass eye in someone’s head replaced with a real one. And I certainly haven’t seen someone who was physically dead raised back to life.

Lazarus was a good friend of Jesus’. He died. They sent word that he was sick, but Jesus deliberately delayed. By the time Jesus arrived, he’d been in a tomb for four days. Lazarus’ body by this time was well and truly on the nose. When Jesus told them to roll the stone away, Martha, Lazarus’ sister remonstrated, “It’ll stink!”

John 11:40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” ESV

And with that, Jesus commanded Lazarus to come out of the tomb, and out he came!

Not all miracles are that “in your face.” Some happen in a slow cooker. It’s not until you look back over the years that you shake your head and wonder, “How did God do that?”

Some happen in the moment through miraculous timing or provision and stun you into realising that God is at work when you least expect it.

Whatever you have going on … keep your eyes open. Because if you truly believe, you will see the glory of God!

That’s His Word. Fresh … for you … today.