Living Today

Articles from Christian teachers and leaders. Designed to help you as you follow Jesus here in Nauru

The Word for Today encourages Teachers and Students

The Word for Today encourages Teachers and Students

We got this encouraging testimony from Lilian who is a teacher in Vanuatu to our UCB Vanuatu team... Thank you for all that you are doing. It's touching lives. I am a teacher and I find it very helpful in helping my students know about the love of God. All the...

When All Seems Lost

When All Seems Lost

Now what? That’s something that all of us have said to ourselves at one time or another. In his new message, ‘When All Seems Lost’, Pastor Jeff Vines covers the topics of marriage and keeping relationships strong. Jeff offers encouragement for those of us who are struggling with chaos and feeling lost. God does not give His law arbitrarily. When God tells us He wants us to live in certain parameters and by certain precepts, He does it because He loves us. If He’s the creator and sustainer of...

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Compassion and Action

Compassion and Action

The crewmembers on board Logos Hope all left their homes at one point to come on board the ship to live and work together with others from around the world. They exchanged their familiar environments for a very unique accommodation – a ship – which sooner or later they also call their home for a specific amount of time. They all do know though, that there are many people in the world, who are longing for a place to stay in which they can experience peace and safety. The refugees who leave...

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Dad’s Toolkit

Dad’s Toolkit

It’s a fantastic opportunity to reflect on the value of family, and in particular the role of dads. What are your strengths as a parent? Are there some areas you could grow in? How do you begin your journey of becoming the parent God has called you to be? Brett and Kate Ryan from Focus on the Family, have created a ‘Dad’s Toolkit’ that’s full of ideas on how dad’s can improve themselves. It contains things like conversation starters with your kids, and questions we can ask our dads. Healthy...

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Truth, Lies and Financial Freedom

Truth, Lies and Financial Freedom

Many Christians divide their lives into categories. Some things they want Jesus to be a part of, but not others. Because we compartmentalise our Christian lives, according to Pastor Jeff Vines, we instantly assume that everything we don’t devote to God is neutral. God will still love us, but any area that we withhold from Him and think we can handle on our own is a false assumption. C.S. Lewis said, ‘There is no neutral ground in the universe.’ Every square inch, every split second is claimed...

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God is always wanting to use us

God is always wanting to use us

Recently, I was clicking through folders and folders of early photos of our kids. From baby age to the present, I just got lost in it for hours.  How good it was to recount the memories, the places we had visited and I just couldn’t hold back giving God the glory for the good things He had done in our family. Towards the end, a certain photo stopped me in my tracks.  You see, over 2yrs ago, our eldest daughter moved to Perth to follow God’s plan for her life. While Cindy and I daily still miss...

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Bringing Clarity in Confusing Times

Bringing Clarity in Confusing Times

Dr Kameel Majdali is an ordained minister of the Australian Christian Churches. He preaches all over the world with an emphasis on the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. He also leads the organisation Teach All Nations, a ministry that is dedicated to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with as many people as possible. Kameel recently joined the 20Twenty program on Vision Christian Media to share a preview of what to expect in his upcoming Australian tour. His desire is to bring...

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God is Always at Work – We’re not Always Seeing It

God is Always at Work – We’re not Always Seeing It

Did you know that God is not waiting for us to pray before He starts to work? It’s not like He’s saying, “Hey church, if you don’t pray, I can’t do anything.” The fact is that God is always “up to something”. He’s purposely been out-working His redemptive plan, a plan that’s been underway since day one, way back in the garden. In fact, before the garden. He’s busy wooing people back to Him.  He’s already working on your neighbour, or friend, or lost family member.  He’s actively in the...

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How To Read and Study the Bible

How To Read and Study the Bible

Can you imagine being surrounded by the freshest produce, in the best kitchen with the best utensils, but not knowing how to prepare a meal? For many Christians, that’s exactly what reading the Bible feels like. Simply put, we just don’t know how to utilise it effectively. Ben Windle says you can attend church for many years, listen to a lot of teaching and still not learn how to read the Bible for yourself. Yet there is no better way to fuel our growth than personally engaging with the Bible....

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God is Always Speaking

God is Always Speaking

“Hello God, are you there?  Why don’t you answer me?” I’m sure that has come out of our mouths at least once in our lifetime. Sometimes the idea is that God has turned off or gone quiet.  It’s not like He’s keeping silent to teach us a lesson in faith. The reality is, “God is always speaking; we’re not always listening.” Ezekiel 12:25 For I the Lord will speak, and whatever word I speak will be performed. Genesis 35:13 Then God went up from him in the place where He had spoken with him.  Psalm...

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Be of Good Courage

Be of Good Courage

Seeing in the midst of life's challenges From one day to the next, major events and occurrences change the way we see and live our lives. Daily we hear of: • Another major disaster; • Another hourly murder, rape or life ending behaviour; • Another greedy and injustice business deal; • An unsteady fragile stock market; • Another unexpected price rise; It seems harder to find the “Feel Good” stories in the midst of so much destruction, despair and hopelessness. Jesus said in the gospel of John...

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Be kind to others

‘Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness.’ Colossians  3:12 NIV

When you get up in the morning, you must not only clothe yourself physically but spiritually and emotionally as well. As we gear ourselves up mentally, we all too often are choosing an attitude from a wardrobe of possibilities. Will we decide to wear the happiness of smiles or the serious tone of a frown? Now you might think that when you’re kind, people will constantly take advantage of you. That may sometimes happen, but here are two reasons to be kind:

(1) ‘For it is by grace you have been saved.’ (Ephesians 2:8 NIV) Grace and kindness always go together. Poet Robert Burns said, ‘The heart that is generous and kind most resembles God.’

(2) If you want people to be kind to you and treat you right, take Jesus’ advice; ‘Do to others what you would have them do to you.’ (Matthew 7:12 NIV) If you are rude, people are going to be rude to you. But if you are kind, most people will desire to respond the same way.

Be kind and honest and you will live a long life; others will respect you and treat you fairly.’ (Proverbs 21:21 GNT) And here is another reason to be kind: ‘Your own soul is nourished when you are kind; it is destroyed when you are cruel.’ (Proverbs 11:17 TLB) When you are kind to others, you are obeying God. ‘As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.’ (Colossians 3:12 NIV)

Try living that way every day!

SoulFood: Gen 44-46, John 19:1-24, Ps 148:7-14, Ecc 5:4-6

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©