[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Looking for donkeys – and discovering your destiny (2)

‘So they despised him.’
1 Samuel 10:27 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 02 JUNE 2020

When God calls you to a special destiny, not everyone will be happy about it. ‘Some…said, “How can this man [Saul] save us?”

So they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.’

Note Saul’s reaction to his critics: ‘He held his peace.’ Bottom line: it’s not your responsibility to convince others of your calling; it’s their responsibility to discern it.

The Bible says, ‘A man’s gift makes room for him’ (Proverbs 18:16 NASB). It’s your gifts – and the results they produce – that validate your calling.

‘Samuel said to Saul…“stand here awhile, that I may announce to you the word of God”’ (1 Samuel 9:27 NKJV). When you know you’ve heard from God, the criticism of others will affect you less.

His presence reassures you, His words direct your steps, and His peace settles the storm within you. After you hear the voice of God, the flattering words of others can’t puff you up, because both your feet are on the ground and your instructions are clear.

You will not require the praise of others, for His confidence in you satisfies completely. After you hear the voice of God, your attitude changes instantly; you won’t face the future with anger, torment, or fear.

God has spoken, His words have settled every issue, and time will prove Him correct. And here’s an important Scripture to keep in mind: ‘Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin’ (Zechariah 4:10 NLT).

Instead of comparing yourself with others and putting yourself down, celebrate each small step of faith you take on the way to your God-given destiny.

2 King 10-12, Acts 9:23-43

[ebankole]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Serve someone today


03 JUNE 2020
‘Through love serve one another.’
Galatians 5:13 NKJV

Before He went to the cross, the Bible says that ‘Jesus…took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.

After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him’ (John 13:3-5 NIV).

Then He said, ‘I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you…Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them’ (vv. 15-17 NIV). What a lesson! Love can’t be manifested in isolation. It can’t be done sitting alone in front of a TV or PC.

To quote the singer Michael W. Smith: ‘Love wasn’t put in your heart to stay. Love isn’t love till you give it away.’ Note, Jesus ‘showed them the full extent of his love’ (see v. 1 NIV). How? By donning a servant’s towel. And where can you do that? Anywhere! How about tomorrow at the office, the warehouse, or the job site?

Your workplace can become a sacred place where God’s presence blesses the mundane, day-to-day routine, because the love of God within you wears a servant’s towel. ‘Let me make those copies for you…I’ll cover your calls while you run to school to bring your son his lunch box…you look like you’re going through a rough time, and I’m a pretty good listener.

I may not have all the answers, but I know Someone who does.’ Paul bottom-lines it: ‘Through love serve one another.’ So go out of your way to serve someone today.



2 King 13-14, Acts 10:1-23

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Arrested spiritual development (1)

‘You need someone to teach you again the first principles.’
Hebrews 5:12 NKJ

The UCB Word for Today - 04 JUNE 2020

Addressing the early church, Paul said: ‘I have a lot more to say…but it is hard to get it across to you since you’ve picked up this bad habit of not listening. By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one – baby’s milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago!’ (vv. 11-14 MSG).

It’s known as ‘arrested development’, and it can happen to any of us. Among the first evidence that a child is healthy and growing is that they no longer need to be fed from a bottle, or have their food cut up and put into their mouth.

They may still prefer chocolate to carrots, but hopefully they’re closer to understanding why they need carrots. If the only time you’re fed spiritually is in church on Sunday morning, why would you be surprised that you don’t have the faith to believe God for answered prayer, the strength to overcome temptation, or a sense of God’s guidance in your life?

How long do you think you’d last if you only ate once a week? Job said, ‘I…treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food’ (Job 23:12 NKJV).

David said, ‘How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!’ (Psalm 119:103 NKJV). Jeremiah wrote, ‘Your words were found, and I ate them…Your word was…the joy and rejoicing of my heart’ (Jeremiah 15:16 NKJV).

To grow spiritually, you need the ‘strong meat’ of God’s Word (see Hebrews 5:14).

2 King 15-16, 2 King 15-16

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Arrested emotional development (2)

‘You will forget your misery; it will be like water flowing away.’
Job 11:16 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 05 JUNE 2020

Let’s talk about arrested emotional development. When you don’t get help for your past emotional hurts, you’ll find yourself ‘acting out’, treating others like you were treated, and repeating your past in your present.

Indeed, you may end up hurting the most important people in your life, maybe even destroying those relationships without knowing why. You’ll blame the failure of the relationship on your partner’s habits, looks, attitudes, and way of going about things.

And in so doing, you will remain emotionally stuck, trapped by the unhealed, unrecognised sources of your dysfunction. What you’re dealing with here is ‘emotional baggage’: regrets over past mistakes, grudges over being wronged, and all the other hurts you hide under clouds of anger, cynicism, and reclusiveness.

You will never know what you have, or what you truly need, until you get rid of your emotional baggage. How do you do that?

The answer can be found in God’s Word and God’s presence: ‘Prepare your heart and lift up your hands to him in prayer! Get rid of your sins, and leave all iniquity behind you.

Then your face will brighten with innocence. You will be strong and free of fear.

You will forget your misery; it will be like water flowing away. Your life will be brighter than the noonday.

Even darkness will be as bright as morning. Having hope will give you courage.

You will be protected and will rest in safety…and many will look to you for help’ (vv. 13-19 NLT).

2 King 17-18, Acts 11

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Arrested intellectual development (3)

‘Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser.’
Proverbs 9:9 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 06 JUNE 2020

Let’s look at arrested intellectual development. Sometimes we use verses like ‘God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise’ (1 Corinthians 1:27 KJV) as excuses for not developing our minds and growing intellectually.

God said, ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge’ (Hosea 4:6 KJV). A sense of fulfilment accompanies intellectual growth – one that doesn’t come any other way.

When you know you’re growing in knowledge and understanding, you become less vulnerable to criticism, neglect, and slights. Your sense of worth is no longer tied to other people’s approval because you measure yourself by a different yardstick – personal growth!

The writer of Proverbs says, ‘The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge’ (Proverbs 18:15 NKJV). ‘The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both’ (Proverbs 20:12 NKJV).

Notice, you learn by listening and observing! And we’re not talking about hours spent watching television that dulls your brain and stunts your powers of conversation.

The Bible says, ‘As iron sharpens iron…a man sharpens the countenance of his friend’ (Proverbs 27:17 NKJV). To grow and become sharp, you need people in your life who sharpen you.

Three key activities in determining your future are
a) the time you spend with God;
b) the relationships you form; and
c) the books you read.

And the book you should spend the most time reading is your Bible. Just one more thought: any time you’re reading and get a good thought, or experience an ‘aha’ moment, write it down – otherwise you’ll lose it.

2 King 19-21, Acts 12

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Arrested relational development (4)

‘He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.’
Proverbs 13:20 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 07 JUNE 2020

Let’s look at arrested relational development. God’s plan for your life requires connecting with the right people – and disconnecting from the wrong ones.

Sitting beside Jesus at the Last Supper were John, who loved Him, and Judas, who betrayed Him. It’s imperative to know who is sitting at your table!

So to that end pray: ‘Lord, I pray for the people You’ve brought into my life and placed on my heart. Bless the healthy relationships, and give me wisdom to handle the difficult ones in a way that pleases You.

If there are friendships I need to walk away from, ones that will be harmful no matter what I do, show me what to do and give me the grace and courage to do it. If there are relationships that are draining and distracting me from Your plan and purpose, I trust You to bring them to an end or change them for the better.

And when I’m the one who needs to change, show me, and work in my life by Your amazing power. I need Your wisdom to recognise the friends and acquaintances I should choose.

Help me to steer clear of relationships that lead me away from the path You’ve laid out for me. Send people into my life who are godly and wise, and help us to bless, encourage and contribute to the quality of each other’s lives.

Show me the friendships that are worth fighting for, and I’ll gladly do it. Be Lord of all my relationships so that they will be what You want them to be. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.’

Luke 10:25-42 , Psalm 60-62

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

When your child seems out of control

‘Great shall be the peace of your children.’
Isaiah 54:13 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 08 JUNE 2020

Few things in life can break your heart like a child on drugs, or hanging out with the wrong crowd and being involved in activities you know can destroy their lives. As a parent, what can you do?

First and foremost, pray for them and speak God’s promises over them. You may not be able to change them, but God can.

His Word says, ‘All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.’ What if your child is out of control and living at home?

Then you have a big challenge that requires God’s help. Sometimes your ‘problem child’ is a child of destiny with a great future, and Satan knows that.

God has a calling on their life, and that’s what the battle is all about! As a parent, you need God’s wisdom when it comes to:

1) Setting clear boundaries with appropriate and consistent consequences. The Bible says, ‘Young people are prone to foolishness and fads; the cure comes through tough-minded discipline’ (Proverbs 22:15 MSG).

2) Overcoming the fear that your child will reject you when you make an unpopular, but wise decision. Satan will try to convince you that you’ll lose them if you discipline them.

The truth is that you’ll lose them if you don’t! Remember: ‘God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline’ (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT).

Prayer and standing firmly on His Word are two of the greatest weapons God has provided when it comes to engaging Satan over your child’s future. And if you stay true to God – you’ll win.

2 King 22-23, Acts 13:1-25

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Soak your mind in God’s Word

‘I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.’
Psalm 119:11 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 09 JUNE 2020

Are you discouraged because you keep committing the same sins over and over again? Here’s your answer: soak your mind in God’s Word!

Just like you soak a sponge in water and it comes out dripping and filled to capacity, soak your mind in Scripture until it’s filled to the brim with God’s Word. That way, when you’re tempted to do wrong, your first recourse will be a ‘Spirit and Word’ empowered response.

If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting the same results. So if you are sick and tired of living in defeat, here’s a time-tested prescription from God’s Word for making you whole: ‘How can a young person [or an older one] stay pure? By obeying your word’ (v. 9 NLT).

‘You are already clean because of the word…I have spoken to you’ (John 15:3 NKJV). ‘That He might sanctify and cleanse [you] with the washing of water by the word’ (Ephesians 5:26 NKJV).

‘The word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit…joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart’ (Hebrews 4:12 NKJV). ‘Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name’ (Jeremiah 15:16 NKJV).

These Scriptures all lead to one conclusion: if you’re serious about wanting to walk in victory, you must get into God’s Word and get God’s Word into you. There is no other way.

2 King 24-25, Acts 13:26-52

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Don’t look back

‘His wife looked back…and…became a pillar of salt.’
Genesis 19:26 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 10 JUNE 2020

Before destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, angels of the Lord rescued Lot and his family. ‘When they had brought them outside…he said, “Escape for your life!

Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed”’ (v. 17 NKJV).

But the record reads: ‘His wife looked back… and…became a pillar of salt.’ There’s an important lesson here for each of us: resist the temptation to linger in the quicksand of past mistakes – either your own or other people’s.

It can be hard to see ahead when horrendous things have happened to you in the past. But when you get bogged down in the past, you miss what God has for you in the present, and fail to see its connection to your future.

The good news is that it’s not too late to allow God to use you and move you forward on your journey. He can heal the wounds others have inflicted on you.

He can make you wiser as a result of the poor decisions you made in the past. It’s not too late to become who you might have been.

God delights in transforming our weakness into strength. He can create treasure from what you’ve discarded as rubbish.

Even if you’ve backslidden and detoured from the path you know He wants you to follow, now is the time to return to His road. ‘“I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.

“They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope”’ (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT). So move forward – and don’t look back.

1 Chronicles 1-3, Acts 14
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[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Recall God’s lovingkindness to you

‘Your lovingkindness is before my eyes.’
Psalm 26:3 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 11 JUNE 2020

The story’s told of a little boy who was asked, ‘Do you say your prayers every night?’ He replied, ‘No, some nights I don’t need anything!’

We smile, but the point is painfully obvious. If the only time your husband or wife communicated with you was when they were in trouble or had a need they couldn’t meet, how long do you think your relationship would last?

There must be a balance between your praises and your petitions. You say, ‘If the Lord is big enough to create and run the universe, I doubt He’s bothered when somebody as insignificant as me fails to say thanks.’

Not so! When Jesus healed ten lepers and only one returned to give thanks, He asked, ‘Where are the other nine?’ (Luke 17:17 NIV).

If God dealt with you solely on the basis of His righteousness and your proclivity for unrighteousness, you’d be sunk! But He doesn’t.

He says, ‘I have loved you…with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself’ (Jeremiah 31:3 NLT).

Realising this, the psalmist wrote, ‘Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live’ (Psalm 63:3-4 NKJV).

Again he writes: ‘I will…praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word above all Your name. In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul’ (Psalm 138:2-3 NKJV).

Someone quipped, ‘God doesn’t mind getting invoiced as long as He gets thanked!’ So, take a moment and recall God’s lovingkindness to you.

1 Chronicles 4-6, Acts 15:1-21