1st September 2025

True Happiness

Seek first the kingdom of God . . .

        Matthew 6:33

Today's Bible Reading: Matthew 6:25-34.

The British monarch, King George V (1865 -1936) wrote on the flyleaf of the Bible for a friend, “The secret of happiness is not to do what you like to do, but to learn to like what you have to do.” Too many think of happiness as some sort of will-o’-the-wisp thing that is discovered by constant and relentless searching. It is not found by seeking. It is not an end in itself. Pots of gold are never found at the end of the rainbow, as we used to think when we were children; gold is mined from the ground or panned laboriously from a mountain stream. 

In His sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus told His disciples, “Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” The “things” He spoke of were the things that make us feel happy and secure—food, drink, clothes, shelter. He told us not to make these the chief goal of our lives, but to “seek first the kingdom” and these needs would be automatically supplied. There, if we will take it, is the secret of true happiness.

Prayer: Forgive me, Father, for the times when I am anxious. You have promised to take care of all my needs. Help me to seek Your kingdom every day. In Christ's name, I pray. Amen.

31st August 2025

Showing Kindness

All the widows stood by Peter weeping,

showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made.

Acts 9:39

Today's Bible Reading: Acts 9:36-43.

The main event we usually focus on in Acts 9, is the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, who became known as Paul. However, Peter’s time in Joppa is also highlighted (v 36-43). When he raised Dorcas from the dead (v 40).

Dorcas (also known as Tabitha) was a believer who showed kindness by providing handmade clothing for the poor (v 39). When she died, her room was filled with friends who tearfully mourned this kind woman who loved helping others.

But Dorcas’ story does not end there. When Peter was brought to where her body lay, he knelt and prayed. In God’s power, he called her by name, saying, “Tabitha, arise” (v 40). Amazingly, Dorcas opened her eyes and rose to her feet. When her friends realised she was alive, word spread quickly through the town and “many people believed on the Lord” (v 42).

But, how did Dorcas spend the next day of her life? Probably exactly as she had before, seeing the needs of people and filling them.

Prayer: Father, open my eyes each day to see the hurting and needy people around me. Open my heart to do what I can to show them what God’s love looks like. In the Saviour's name, I pray. Amen.

30th August 2025

Praying In Difficult Times.

From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed . . .

Psalm 61:2

Today's Bible Reading: Psalm 61

When we face difficult times, we can sometimes feel that no one hears, and no one cares. And worst of all, we can feel that God Himself does not listen to our cries or see our tears. But He does! And that is why we need the language of petition and protest, found especially in the book of Psalms. The psalmists petition for God’s help and also protest their situation to Him. In Psalm 61, David brings his petitions and protests before his Creator, stating, “I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed;Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. ” (v 2). David cries out to God because he knows that only He is his “shelter” and “strong tower” (v 3).

Praying the petitions and protests of the psalms is a way of affirming God’s sovereignty and appealing to His goodness and faithfulness. They’re proof of the intimate relationship we can experience with God. In difficult moments, we can all be tempted to believe the lie that He doesn’t care. But He does. He hears us and is with us.

Prayer: Father God, help me each day, by the way I live, to sow love and righteousness. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.