Category Principal’s Message

Devotion – To be Conformed is to be Creative

Since God is both our Creator and our Redeemer, we are called to be ‘conformed to His image’ in both senses. So, to become more like the Creator is to become more creative. When we apply our sanctified imagination to serve His objectives, we are doing what God does best and loves most. And our heavenly Father takes deep pride and joy in it. Just as we celebrate creativity in our kids, so God celebrates creativity in us. Have you ever noticed how often Psalms tell us to sing a new song? The creative command is repeated no fewer than half a dozen times.

Devotion – Make an Impact

The men and women who made the greatest impact on the world were those who were totally focused and sold out to their vision. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, once said, ‘If I had three hundred men who feared nothing but God, hated nothing but sin, and were determined to know nothing among men but Jesus Christ and Him crucified, I would set the world on fire.’

Devotion – You Need God’s Help

Self-help books and motivational speakers are like cheerleaders standing on the sidelines shouting, ‘You can do it!’ They can be helpful, but if the ‘you can do it’ philosophy always held true, we wouldn’t need God. Paul understood this. That’s why he wrote, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ (Philippians 4:13 NKJV). Discovering the will of God requires faith for the impossible and a childlike dependence on Him. The Bible is full of men and women who discovered their destiny in the perfect will of God by doing things that would ordinarily have been impossible to do on their own.

Devotion – Don’t Shout About It

Jesus said: ‘“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward with your Father in heaven. So whenever you give to the poor, don't sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do … to be applauded by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you give to the poor, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.’ (Matthew 6:1-4 CSB). Give generously and gladly but keep it to yourself. It’s nobody’s business but yours and God’s.

Devotion – Set Other Things Aside to Serve

When it came to serving others, Jesus went first. He ‘… rose from supper and… laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He… poured water into a basin and… began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. … Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”’ (John 13:4-6 NKJV). Try to imagine God incarnate with an apron on, kneeling to wash the feet of those who were unworthy. The Bible says, ‘Jesus … laid aside His garments.’ If you want to serve others, you must be willing to lay aside your image, your comfort, and your agenda. By laying aside His garments, Jesus demonstrated that God has no time for form or fashion.

Devotion – Take Control of the Small Things

Can you imagine being uprooted from your home and taken prisoner to a hostile country? It happened to Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar conquered his homeland and carried him off to slavery in Babylon. He lost his house, his job, his freedom, his culture, his friends, and his status as a member of Israel’s nobility. He had to learn to speak a foreign language and live in a place where he didn’t want to be.

Devotion – Do the Word

A pastor writes: ‘The Latin word for ‘listen’ is where we get our word audit. When you audit a class, you take in lots of information, but you don’t do anything with it. You don’t do the homework, or if you do, you don’t turn it in to get it graded. You don’t take the tests. And you don’t get any credit, either. The same is true in our spiritual lives. You don’t get credit for auditing Scripture. You’ve got to put it into practice. Every word of Scripture must be translated via obedience.

Devotion – Be More Flexible

Flexible people are happy people. They experience a lot less stress than the rigid types who insist on things always being done a certain way. One of the reasons inflexibility is so stressful is that we have to achieve our goals through thinking human beings who often have their own ideas, ideas different from ours. If you’re not the type who is receptive to new ways of doing things because you view them as a personal rejection of your own ideas, ask Jesus the Great Physician to perform some corrective surgery on you...

Devotion – What’s the most important thing to you?

‘My only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me …’’ Acts 20:24 NIV

The story is told of Major Arthur Godfrey Peuchen, a wealthy Canadian man who survived the Titanic. After it struck the iceberg, he returned to his stateroom and, ignoring cash, jewellery, and other valuable possessions worth around $300,000, grabbed a favourite pearl pin and three oranges. Later, he was reported to have said, ‘The money seemed to be a mere mockery at that time.’ Circumstances transformed his values; tragedy clarified his priorities. The question is not, will your calendar be full, but who will fill it, and what will it be filled with?