Get into the Right Environment
Devotion: Term 2, Week 10
When you encounter someone who tries to ‘cut you down to size’, remind yourself they are probably trying to cut you down to their size. So, what should you do? Love them, but don’t be overly influenced by what they say. As a rule, instead of staying where you’re tolerated, go where you’re appreciated!
The Japanese bonsai tree is tiny, growing only about eighteen inches tall. To create a bonsai, a young sapling is pulled from the soil. Then the taproot and some of the feeder shoots are tied off. Thus, the growth of the bonsai tree is deliberately stunted. By contrast, the California sequoia tree grows large. For example, the General Sherman in California’s Sequoia National Park stands 275 feet and measures 100 feet in circumference at its trunk. If felled, it would provide enough lumber to build over 30 five-room homes! The sequoia begins life as a small seed, no bigger than the bonsai seed. So, what makes the difference? The sequoia sapling is allowed to be nourished in the rich California soil and sunshine.
Now, neither the bonsai nor the sequoia has a choice in determining how large it will become—but you do! For instance, you can’t go through life blaming others, including your parents, for what they may or may not have done in the past. So, here are your options: Stay where you are and suffer, or move to a rich, fertile, nourishing environment where you can grow. Is that always easy? No. But if you believe what Jesus said, ‘The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life’ (John 10:10 NLT), you will be willing to do it.
SoulFood: Eze 40:10 – 42:20 Luke 1:26-38 Ps 73:17-28 Pro 15:22-24
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2024
Other Devotions
10Oct
Principal’s Message
Devotion – Are You a True Friend?
Two men were travelling down the road together when a bear appeared out of nowhere. Before the bear could spot them, one guy ran for a tree at the side of the road, climbed into its branches, and hid. The other man, who wasn’t as nimble as his tree-climbing companion, threw himself on the ground and pretended to be dead. The bear came up, sniffed all around him, and appeared to whisper something in his ear. The man had always heard that bears won’t touch a dead body, so he lay perfectly still and held his breath. Sure enough, the bear took him for a corpse and left. When the coast was clear, the man in the tree came down. Curious, he asked….
Learn more
10Oct
Principal’s Message | Term 4
Devotion – You Can Change
Self-help books sometimes claim you can change your life in five or ten simple steps. It takes a lot more than that to make substantial and lasting changes in your life. First, change comes by drawing on a power greater than your own—God’s power. Paul writes: ‘I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ (Philippians 4:12-13 NKJV). Second, change comes from steady and determined hard work and effort. ‘And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart’ (Galatians 6:9 NKJV).
Learn more
03Oct
Principal’s Message | Term 4
Devotion – Keep Praying About It
Many of our failures result from our failure to pray. As we examine our mistakes, we discover a forsaken prayer altar and an unopened Bible. James bottom-lines it: ‘… You do not have because you do not ask God’ (James 4:2 NIV).