[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Be decisive

‘A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.’
James 1:8 KJV

The UCB Word for Today - 27 Jan 2019

If you’re afraid to make a decision in case it’s wrong, read this Scripture: ‘If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally…and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways’ (vv. 5-8 NKJV). President Reagan enjoyed telling the story of how he learned to make firm decisions.

When he was a boy, his aunt sent him to a cobbler to have a new pair of shoes made for him. When the shoemaker asked, ‘Do you want a square toe or a round one?’ he hemmed and hawed, so the cobbler said, ‘Come back in a day or two and tell me what you want.’

Later the cobbler saw Reagan on the street and asked what he had decided about the shoes. ‘I haven’t made up my mind yet,’ he answered.

‘Very well,’ the cobbler said, ‘your shoes will be ready tomorrow.’ When Reagan got the shoes, one had a round toe and the other a square toe!

Reagan said, ‘Looking at those shoes every day taught me a lesson. If you don’t make your own decisions, somebody else will make them for you.’

Worst case: if you get it wrong, you’ll learn what not to do next time. Bottom line: to succeed in life you must pray for wisdom, and then make a decision.

Luke 1:57-80, Psalm 10-12

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Grace produces godliness

‘Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?’
Romans 6:1 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 28 Jan 2019

How should we answer those who say that talking too much about God’s grace causes people to think they have a licence to sin? By pointing them to God’s Word: ‘Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?

Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?’ (vv. 1-2 NKJV).

Note the words ‘died to sin’. As you feed your new nature and starve your old one, it begins to die. You become less interested in pleasing yourself, and more interested in pleasing God.

Paul said, ‘For the love of Christ compels us’ (2 Corinthians 5:14 NKJV). Paul was not compelled by the fear of losing his salvation, but by the need to respond to God’s grace which he had experienced.

He said, ‘The world has been crucified to me, and I to the world’ (Galatians 6:14 NASB). The Greek word for ‘world’ is kosmos, or ‘order’.

A revelation of God’s grace caused the world order to lose its appeal to Paul, and he to lose his appeal to them. When properly understood, the grace of God does not prevent godliness, but produces more of it.

‘For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works’ (Titus 2:11-14 NKJV).

Exodus 9-11, Matthew 15:21-39

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

How well do you listen?

‘Are you listening…Really listening?’
Mark 4:9 MSG

The UCB Word for Today - 29 Jan 2019

Studies show we forget 50 per cent of what we hear immediately, 80 per cent within a day, and 97 per cent within a week. So what’s the solution?

When you listen, make understanding your goal, not just remembering facts. Great learners are great listeners; that’s why they always have a flow of fresh ideas.

The truth is, you’ll never know how close you are to a breakthrough or a blessing until you learn to listen. Be honest.

How often have you said you’re going to spend more time listening to the people in your life who matter? Start doing it, because if you don’t show up for life’s ‘special moments’, before you know it there will be none left to show up for.

The people who really listen to us become the most important people in our lives. If you want to be one of them, you must do three things:

1) Look directly at the speaker. Don’t belittle someone by catching up on work, talking on the phone, or tweeting and texting while they’re talking.

Focus on them!

2) Don’t interrupt. When you do that, people think you don’t place much value on what they’re saying.

Or that you’re trying to impress them with how much you know. Or you’re too excited by what you have to add to the conversation to let them finish.

3) Suspend your judgement. Wait to hear the whole story before you respond. If you don’t, chances are you’ll miss the most important things the speaker has to say.

Can you think of anyone you haven’t been listening to lately? The good news is it’s not too late to become a good listener.

Exodus 12-13, Matthew 16

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

How it all ends

‘They shall see his face…they shall reign forever and ever.’
Revelation 22:4-5 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 30 Jan 2019

In order to know how a story ends, you must read the last chapter. And in Revelation chapter 22, the final chapter of the Bible, we read about two glorious prospects that will be enjoyed by every redeemed child of God.

Let’s look at them:
1) ‘They shall see His face.’ One of the greatest joys of heaven will be seeing the faces of our departed loved ones and spending eternity with them.

But thrilling though that may be, it will not compare with the joy of seeing the face of Jesus, the One we love most. The songwriter said, ‘Face to face with Christ my Saviour, face to face what will it be.

When with rapture I behold Him, Jesus Christ who died for me.’ And that’s not all; read this: ‘Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is’ (1 John 3:2 NKJV).

We will see Him, we will be like Him, and we will be with Him forever. How wonderful!

2) ‘And they shall reign forever and ever.’ Just as the exams you took in school qualified you to graduate and go out and make a living, the tests and trials of this life are qualifying you to graduate and reign with Christ in the next life. Keep your eyes on the prize.

This life is the short story; the next life is the big story – seeing Jesus face to face, and reigning with Him forever.

Exodus 14-15, Matthew 17

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Reduce your debt

‘The borrower is servant to the lender.’
Proverbs 22:7 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 31 Jan 2019

Albert Einstein believed the Rule of 72 (the compounding of interest) was a more important discovery than his theory of relativity. Here’s the rule: divide 72 by the interest rate of your savings to discover the number of years in which your savings will double.

For instance, one thousand pounds saved at 6 per cent annual interest becomes two thousand pounds in twelve years. But credit card issuers also know the Rule of 72.

For example, if you make a one-thousand-pound purchase on your credit card at 18 per cent interest and don’t pay it off, that balance becomes two thousand pounds in just four years. Instead of earning you money, your one thousand pounds is earning huge profits for the credit card company.

The Bible says, ‘Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender.’ Have you any idea how many marriages are in trouble, or how many people are on medication because they’re drowning in debt?

God doesn’t want you to live that way. When God made the world, He established this rule: ‘While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest…shall not cease’ (Genesis 8:22 NKJV).

If you want a harvest when you need it, you must sow – even when you don’t feel like it. When you sow a single tomato seed you’ll get back many more in return – it’s only a matter of time.

So reduce your debt and be a good steward of the funds God has entrusted to you. Then you can stand on this promise: ‘My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:19 KJV).

Exodus 16-18, Matthew 18:1-20

[ebankole]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

There’s going to be a great family reunion
01 FEBRUARY 2019
‘There will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words.’
1 Thessalonians 4:18 MSG


In the movie Heaven Is for Real, Colton Burpo was only four years old when he survived an emergency appendectomy. Over the next few months, he talked of his visit to heaven.

He described exactly what his parents were doing during the surgery, and told stories of people he had met in heaven – people he had never met on earth or been told about. He told his mother, ‘You had a baby die in your tummy, didn’t you?’ His parents had never mentioned the miscarriage; he was too young to process it. His mother asked, ‘Who told you I had a baby die in my tummy?’ He replied, ‘She did, Mummy. She said she died in your tummy.’ Then he added, ‘It’s okay, Mummy. She’s okay.


God adopted her.’ His mother said, ‘Don’t you mean Jesus adopted her?’ He replied, ‘No, Mummy, His dad did!’ His mother’s eyes lit up and she asked, ‘What was her name? What was the little girl’s name?’ Four-year-old Colton said, ‘She doesn’t have a name. You guys didn’t name her.’ And he had one more memory.


He shared it before he went out to play: ‘Yeah, she said she can’t wait for you and Daddy to get to heaven.’ And right now someone in heaven is saying the same thing about you, looking forward to the day when God’s family is back together. And shouldn’t we be doing the same? The Bible says, ‘Then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words.’


Exodus 19-20, Matthew 18:21-35

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Before you borrow

‘Give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.’
Proverbs 30:8 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 02 Feb 2019

When you think about it, you can be rich in one of two ways: either in how much you have, or in how little you want. Much of the recent debt crisis has been caused by our failure to be satisfied with enough.

In a brilliant section of Proverbs penned by the mysterious Agur, we find this prayer: ‘O God, I beg two favours from you; let me have them before I die. First, help me never to tell a lie.

Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.

For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name”’ (vv. 7-9 NLT).

Having read that, always try to observe these six rules when it comes to borrowing.

Debt is wrong:
1) When it’s beyond your ability to repay it on a timely basis.
2) When it prevents you from giving God what’s rightfully His.
3) When the burden of debt is so heavy that you can’t save for the future.
4) When it’s used to pay for the luxuries of life.
5) When you put others at risk by having them guarantee a loan (see Proverbs 6:1-6).
6) When it puts your marriage under financial pressure.

Financial expert Larry Burkett said credit is the motivating factor for perhaps 80 per cent of all divorces. That’s not to say being rich guarantees you’ll never have family problems.

It’s simply saying that putting money first and your family second can make you nothing more than a wealthy failure. So before you borrow, pray and ask God for wisdom.

Exodus 21-22, Matthew 19

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Be a burden bearer

‘Carry each other’s burdens, and…you will fulfil the law of Christ.’
Galatians 6:2 NIVUK

The UCB Word for Today - 03 Feb 2019

Everyone you meet is hiding something, and it’s not because they’re deceptive. It’s because some wounds are too personal to talk about.

When you receive a harsh word from your husband, the pain can be too deep to discuss. Or when your husband hears acid words from you, he’s crushed inside but can’t show it.

So you both go off to lick your wounds, and try to avoid comments and questions from others. Is that where you are today – struggling with something too difficult to talk about? If so, remember other people are doing the same!

Often their anger is a symptom of their hurt, and their seeming aloofness is just hiding their fear of being known and perhaps rejected. Jesus saw the best in people, and He went out of His way to be gracious to them and lift their burdens.

Do you remember how He treated the woman caught in the act of adultery? (See John 8:1-11.) He lifted her up, because with Him every weed is a potential rose!

Remind yourself that others are going through things they’re not discussing with you. They’re crying tears you don’t see and feeling isolated in ways you can’t imagine.

So instead of adding to their burden, try to ease it. You may be the only healer that crosses their path today. And when you help lift their burden – God will lift yours.

The Bible says, ‘Whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord’ (Ephesians 6:8 KJV). Today, ask God to make you a burden bearer.

Luke 2:1-24, Psalm 13-15

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

You’re going to get through this storm!

‘I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.’
Acts 27:25 KJV

The UCB Word for Today - 04 Feb 2019

On his way to Rome, Paul went through a devastating storm. His story teaches us three valuable lessons:

1) Your disobedience can cause a storm. Because the captain wouldn’t heed Paul’s warning, he lost his ship, his cargo, and almost his life.

Your disobedience can cause a storm in your health, your finances, your family, and your career. God doesn’t preface His commandments by saying, ‘If you feel like it, do this.’

No. He means what He says and He intends it for your good, so pay attention!

2) You’re not alone in the storm. God is with you and He’s watching over you.

Paul said: ‘There stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, Fear not…God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God’ (vv. 23-25 KJV).

With God on board, there’s not a storm powerful enough to take you under.

3) When you stand on God’s promises, you have His authority. Paul may have looked like a prisoner, but in reality he had more power than the captain.

Though bound in chains, he was the freest man on the ship. You see, when you’ve heard clearly from God, you can handle any situation because His Word says: ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper…every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord’ (Isaiah 54:17 KJV).

So the word for you today is: keep trusting God and He will bring you through this storm!

Exodus 23-24, Matthew 20:1-16

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Give your children self-confidence

‘Point your kids in the right direction – when they’re old they won’t be lost.’
Proverbs 22:6 MSG

The UCB Word for Today - 05 Feb 2019

Journalist William Hodding Carter wrote, ‘There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One is roots; the other is wings.’

Children who know they are loved unconditionally are children with roots. Consequently they’re able stand up to whatever life throws at them.

By the same token, when you instil in your children a sense of self-confidence and encourage them to dream, you’re giving them wings. And any time children are given the will to win, they’re already halfway to success.

But if you let them grow up without it, they’re already halfway to failure. That means as a parent you must demonstrate faith in your children so that they learn to have faith in themselves.

Every child has within them a God-given seed of greatness, and when you let them know you believe in them, you’re watering that seed and giving it a chance to grow. Have you noticed how people generally rise or fall in accordance with your level of expectation?

When you constantly criticise kids they grow up to be negative, self-doubting, and fearful. But when you believe in them and assume they will do well, they’ll go the extra mile by trying to live up to your expectations.

It’s your faith in them that creates the environment in which they learn to fly! Give them money and they’ll spend it.

Give them resources and they’ll squander them. But give them faith in God and in themselves, and chances are they’ll excel at whatever they do in life.

Exodus 25-26, Matthew 20:17-34