You Are a Walking Miracle

Living Large by Living Small

You hear people talk about their calling, and it sounds oh-so noble. But a calling, inevitably, has a cost. It involves laying down your own desires in the service of others. And that is noble indeed. Some like to flaunt their works for all to see. Sir Nicholas Winton was not one of those. In 1938, he cancelled a ski holiday to help a friend working with refugees in Czechoslovakia. Seeing the Nazi threat, he organised the rescue of 669 Jewish children by arranging trains, securing visas, and finding foster homes in Britain. He kept quiet about it for 50 years, never seeking recognition. Living entirely for himself would have been much safer and easier, but Winton chose the harder road of service, valuing others above himself. Philippians 2:3-4 In whatever you do, don't let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble, and honour others more than yourselves. Don't be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too. I think you'd agree that the sort of life Paul's talking about in that passage is the very definition of a noble calling. We don't have to achieve some great thing to attain that nobility. It's the little things we do along the way that impact people's lives. In a world where self-interest is the norm, it's never been more true that living for yourself alone is the lowest form of life. The richest life isn't measured by what you keep, but by how much of yourself you give away. Don't be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Small in My Hands, Mighty in His

As crazy ideas go, Jesus' idea of feeding a crowd of five thousand with two small fish and five loaves of bread is right up there … wouldn't you agree? I mean … what was He thinking? Gladys Aylward had little formal education, almost no money, and so, was rejected by countless missionary societies. But with barely enough for a one-way train ticket she set out alone to China, trusting God to use what she had. Over the years, God multiplied her small "offering" into extraordinary influence: she established an inn to share the gospel, became a trusted advisor to a Chinese mandarin, reformed cruel prison practices, and during the Japanese invasion led over 100 orphaned children on a perilous hundred-mile journey to safety. What had begun with a handful of resources, in God's hands became a lifeline for countless lives. Confronted by Jesus' crazy idea of feeding the five thousand … John 6:7-9 Philip answered, "We would all have to work a month to buy enough bread for each person here to have only a little piece!" Another follower there was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. Andrew said, "Here is a boy with five loaves of barley bread and two little fish. But that is not enough for so many people." But Jesus blessed those meagre morsels … feeding the whole crowd, with twelve baskets of leftovers to spare. From that miracle onward, in the lives of countless of His followers – ordinary people like Gladys – God has made it clear: It's not your job to feed the five thousand. Your job is to bring the five loaves and two fish. When you give God what's in your hands, He can turn a ticket and a trembling heart into a miracle that echoes for generations. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Comfort or Courage?

We each tend to have a somewhat malleable relationship with the notion of justice. When we're on the receiving end of an injustice, man, we want justice done! But what about when others suffer an injustice? Then how much do we really care? Many global industries, from fast fashion to electronics, are linked to forced labour, child exploitation, and trafficking. If we truly care about justice for others, then it's not only about avoiding their products but actively advocating for change—writing to companies, supporting ethical brands, raising awareness. The challenge is immense, overwhelming, inconvenient, costly. Choosing justice for those people means paying more, changing habits, risking backlash from those who prefer comfort over confrontation. As you ponder that, drink this in: Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do good. Treat people fairly. Punish those who hurt others. Speak up for the widows and orphans. Argue their cases for them in court. German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who courageously opposed Hitler, paying with his life, once said: "Your 'yes' to God requires your 'no' to all injustice, to all evil, to all lies, to all oppression and violation of the weak and poor." Thinking about that from your position of relative safety and privilege, what do you, really? Because that sort of justice costs more than money—it costs comfort. But seriously, isn't this the price of walking in step with God's heart? Perhaps it's time for us to value justice for others as highly as we do for ourselves. Speak up for the widows and orphans. Argue their cases for them in court. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Wisdom Digs Deep

Life's full of problems and yet, given the world we live in today, perhaps we've become all too accustomed to finding instant solutions. So, when you're faced with a problem that you just can't seem to get through, what do you do? During the early 20th century, much of physics was dominated by Newtonian assumptions. Many accepted them as unquestionable "facts," but Albert Einstein trained his mind to think beyond the surface, asking deeper questions about space, time, and light. His famous Theory of Relativity unveiled realities that had always been there, that had always been true, but had remained hidden. Einstein's genius was not in memorising what others knew but in seeking what lay beneath, exposing truth as it really is. That's great in physics, but this idea of going deeper … well, it's even more important when we come to the real issues we face in life. Proverbs 18:15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out. (NIV) Discerning people aren't content with what everyone else knows or takes for granted. They go below the surface, digging deeper to get to the real issues. Think about that sticky relationship you're involved in right now, or whatever conundrum currently confronts you, a problem that you haven't quite been able to work your way through yet. In this insta-world in which we live, we're always looking for quick fixes, easy answers. But sometimes you need to go deeper to get to the heart of the matter. Knowledge is there for those willing to search—it's God's glory to conceal a matter, and our glory to search it out. Pray into it. Dig into it. God will reveal it. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.

The Good Take the Long Road

Opportunities for taking shortcuts abound in this life. We can choose, multiple times every day, either to take the easy route out of expediency, or the longer one to do what's right; to cave in to evil, or to struggle through for good. I wonder, when was the last time you cut corners; when you caved to something less than good? In the first century BC, amidst the chaos of the late Roman Republic, political alliances shifted like sand. Many senators backed whoever promised them wealth or survival, but Marcus Tullius Cicero sought instead to judge matters through the lens of justice and the common good. During the Catiline Conspiracy, when Lucius Sergius Catilina plotted to overthrow the government, some urged a swift execution of all suspected conspirators—no trial, no evidence weighed. But Cicero resisted the mob's rush to judgment, pressing for clear proof before condemning anyone. His measured approach exposed the true leaders of the plot while sparing the innocent, demonstrating that wisdom discerns not just between right and wrong, but between what merely seems expedient and what is truly just. Hebrews 5:13-14 Anyone who lives on milk is still a baby and is not able to understand much about living right. But solid food is for people who have grown up. From their experience they have learned to see the difference between good and evil. True wisdom, godly wisdom, refuses the shortcut of expedience, choosing instead the harder road of goodness, justice and kindness based on God's truth. The function of wisdom is to discriminate between good and evil. Be prepared to take the longer road. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.