[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Think God picked the wrong person?

‘We are well able.’
Numbers 13:30 AMPC

The UCB Word for Today - 07 DEC 2020

One Sunday evening, Mary Southerland was in church when a stranger tapped her on the shoulder and told her she was called to be the music and youth assistant for the church. She thought he had lost his mind!

She had just graduated with a degree in primary school education, and a friend had invited her to attend the church and sing in the evening service. That’s all – or so she thought.

When the service ended, her friend said, ‘You should at least pray about his offer.’ She did. ‘Here I am thirty years later, an unlikely servant, who lives in constant amazement at God’s plan for my life.’

We let our weaknesses and insecurities dictate the course of our lives, when all the time, God is looking for ordinary people to do extraordinary things. We’re always making excuses for why we can’t get involved in church, or in the community, or in helping others.

Chances are, on your own you don’t feel capable. Few people do. But Paul points out: ‘[God’s] power works best in [your] weakness’ (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT). When Moses sent twelve spies into Canaan to check out the opposition, ten reported, ‘We have no chance, the giants are too big’ (see Numbers 13:28).

But the other two disagreed with the majority report, and said, ‘Let us go up at once and possess it; we are well able.’ God sees you as ‘well able’, not because you are powerful, but because He is.

With Him on your side you can rise up with confidence, knowing you are well able to overcome. God sees you as a winner, and an overcomer who can accomplish great things because of the talents and power He has placed inside you.

Hosea 13-14, Revelation 1

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

What you WEREN’T sent to do!

‘As my Father hath sent me…so send I you.’
John 20:21 KJV

The UCB Word for Today - 08 DEC 2020

Jesus said, ‘As my Father hath sent me…so send I you.’ Notice, it’s about how God wants us to share the gospel, not the rules, regulations, and dictates of various denominations.

Understand this: 1) We were sent to serve, not be served. ‘The Son…came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life [as] a ransom’ (Matthew 20:28 KJV).

Ever notice that when we are the last to be served at a restaurant we get angry? We think we deserve better.

But in God’s kingdom the power is at the bottom, and it’s from there Christ governs and conquers. We must come to the end of ourselves.

We don’t represent Jesus unless we are willing to put on the apron of humility and wash our brother’s feet, even if his name happens to be Judas.

2) We were sent to do God’s will, not our own. Jesus said, ‘I came…not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me’ (John 6:38 KJV).

When we’re young and people inquire about our plans for life, we sometimes say, ‘I’d like to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a nurse.’ But we really need to add ‘the Lord willing’, because unless He’s in it, you are on your own.

Choosing the wrong occupation will put you in the wrong place, with the wrong people, and consequently everything in your life will be wrong. John said, ‘The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever’ (1 John 2:17 NIV).

To miss God’s will – is to miss the purpose for which you were born. Don’t let that happen to you.

Joel 1-3, Revelation 2


TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Make your children proud of you

‘Parents are the pride of their children.’
Proverbs 17:6 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 09 DEC 2020

Your child is already in the process of becoming the kind of person he or she is eventually going to be. So to bring them up right and to make them proud of you, live by these six principles:

1) Assure them of your love. They need to know your love is given, and it will never be withdrawn because of their appearance, achievements, or actions.

Let them know they are loved for who they are, and that their worth in your eyes is never in question.

2) Build strong character and godly values. ‘Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it’ (Proverbs 22:6 NLT).

3) Establish clear boundaries. And be consistent in maintaining them.

Do children like rules? No. But your first goal is not to make your child happy, it’s to teach them responsibility, and happiness will follow.

4) Help them to discover their potential. That means listening, observing, and once their talents are identified, helping to develop them. ‘We have different gifts, according to the grace given us…’ (Romans 12:6 NIV).

5) Don’t try to duplicate yourself through them. God gave each of your children their own unique makeup and personality.

So don’t try to make them something that God and the rest of us don’t need one more of.

6) Encourage them to pursue their life’s vision. ‘Your young men [and women] shall see visions’ (Joel 2:28 KJV).

Don’t pour cold water on the fire of their enthusiasm, fan it. Get out of the critic’s seat and become their greatest supporter. If you do, you will make them proud of you.

Amos 1-3, Revelation 3


TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Quality and quantity

‘Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift?’
Psalm 127:3 MSG

The UCB Word for Today - 10 DEC 2020

Some people say it doesn’t matter how little time you spend with your children, as long as it’s quality time. But the logic of that concept seems suspect.

Why do we have to choose between the virtues of quantity versus quality? We don’t accept that forced choice in any other area of our lives, so why is it only relevant to our children?

We could illustrate it this way. Suppose you’ve looked forward all day to eating at one of the finest restaurants in town.

The waiter brings you a menu, and you order the most expensive steak in the house. But when the meal arrives, you see a tiny piece of meat about one-inch square on the centre of the plate.

When you complain about the size of the steak, the waiter says, ‘I recognise that the portion is small, but it is the finest corn-fed beef money can buy. You will never find a better bite of meat than what we have served you tonight.

As to the portion, I hope you understand that it’s not the quantity that matters; it’s the quality.’ You would object, and for good reason.

Why? Because both quantity and quality are important in many areas of our lives, including how we relate to our children.

They need our time, and the best we have to give them. The truth is, the ‘quantity versus quality’ argument might be a poorly disguised rationalisation for giving our children – neither.

The Bible says, ‘Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift?’ So when it comes to giving them time and attention, they deserve the best in both quantity and quality.

Amos 4-6, Revelation 4


TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Building Real Relationships

‘He loved them to the end.’
John 13:1 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 11 DEC 2020

People spend hours every day on social networks like Facebook – in many cases because they’re lonely. Now, there’s nothing wrong with interacting with others this way.

In fact, social media offers one of the greatest tools the church has ever had for reaching the world with the gospel. But in a day when it’s getting easy to neglect real relationships, let’s remember why we’re connecting with others in the first place.

One author says: ‘Life is so much richer when we have friends with whom we can share our joys and troubles…Unfortunately loneliness remains a major problem and source of pain for many.

But none of us need become resigned to loneliness; [it’s]…“treatable,” if not actually avoidable.’ Real relationships aren’t built by posting updates, or tweeting and re-tweeting the most thought-provoking quotes.

It takes more time than that. The greatest social networking involves meeting someone’s needs in a way that never would have happened without a one-on-one connection.

That’s what Jesus did. Most of His public ministry was spent pouring Himself into twelve men who, in turn, went out in His name and poured themselves into others.

The Bible says, ‘Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.’ The psalmist spelled out how many people today feel deep down: ‘No one is concerned for me … no one cares’ (Psalm 142:4 NIV).

If you want to meet people’s needs you have to get ‘up close and personal’. That’s what Jesus did, and He’s your example.

Amos 7-9, Revelation 5

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

God is working in you!

‘It is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.’
Philippians 2:13 NIVUK

The UCB Word for Today - 12 DEC 2020

When it comes to doing what pleases God, there are two major hurdles you need to overcome – the ‘want to’ and the ‘able to’. Relinquishing your own plans and embracing God’s will doesn’t come easily. Your old fleshly nature wants what it wants, not what God wants.

And even when God’s will is clear, and you want what He wants, you lack the necessary ability to do it. Fortunately, that’s where God steps into your dilemma by working in you to give you the ‘want to’ and the ‘ability to’.

But the willingness and the capability both come from Him, not you. You ask, ‘Since God is working in me, why is there such a struggle to know and to do His will?’

The problem is, your natural mind is self-centred and tends to resist God’s will. So what’s the answer?

1) Surrender your body and its appetites to God. ‘Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice’ (Romans 12:1 NIV).

2) Renew your mind. ‘Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will’ (Romans 12:2 NIV).

In the original Greek, ‘renewal’ means to be ‘inwardly renovated’ by aligning your thoughts with God’s – to intentionally think like He thinks. In other words, God initiates the ‘want to’ and the ‘ability to’, and you cooperate by aligning your mind with His.

When that happens, you can be confident ‘that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion’ (Philippians 1:6 NIV).

Obadiah, Revelation 6

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Growth is more important than goals

‘The ways of right-living people glow with light.’
Proverbs 4:18 MSG

The UCB Word for Today - 13 DEC 2020

Phil Cooke writes: ‘Growth is what we do with knowledge. Growth is where we take our knowledge, how we apply it, and how we use it in our everyday lives.

Leadership expert John Maxwell taught me long ago to change my orientation from goals to growth. When he said those words, it was a revelation.

I’d always learned that goals were important, and I tried and tried to use a system of reaching goals, but I’d always struggled with it. I could see that goals motivated lots of people…but reaching goals always left me empty and unsatisfied.

But when John showed me how to focus my attention on growth, everything suddenly fell into place. The process taught me that goals are great, but when we reach a goal, we’re finished.

But with growth, it’s a never-ending process – always learning, always moving forward, always achieving. I hope when I reach the end of my life, there will be a couple of good books on my nightstand.

I want to learn and grow until my last breath…Look at the people in your circle of friends. Why do some succeed and others seem to stagnate?

Why do some move to higher levels of achievement while others stay at the same place for years at a time? Many people blame the system, the company, or their boss.

They blame society, their upbringing, or their past. But a lifetime plan for growth can break through barriers and overcome nearly any obstacle.’

The Bible puts it like this: ‘The ways of right-living people glow with light; the longer they live, the brighter they shine.’ And the more they grow!

Luke 23:26-56, Psalms 126-128

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Don’t stagnate!

‘Let the wise listen and add to their learning.’
Proverbs 1:5 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 14 DEC 2020

To succeed in life you must make personal growth one of your highest priorities. The fact is, you never stand still.

You’re either going forwards or backwards, stretching or stagnating. Let’s take a moment and think about what happens when you allow yourself to stagnate.

You lose your influence. Do your friends seek your advice and then act on it?

Do your co-workers value your opinion? If you’re not bringing new ideas and information to the table on a regular basis, people will start looking elsewhere and you’ll end up becoming marginalised.

Today’s businesses move at the speed of light. New ideas, technology, leadership techniques, financial models, sales principles, and ways to communicate are constantly being scrutinised, discussed, evaluated, and tested.

Company leadership is looking for men and women who aren’t automatons. They’re looking for original thinkers, people who can look beyond normal everyday workplace interactions and find new solutions.

Become the ‘go-to person’ when it comes to answers and ideas. Be the one who knows how to find new information, and who can provide innovative insights and perspectives.

If you keep your eyes and ears open, your mind alert, and listen carefully, you’ll discover that great ideas are all around you. You’ll find a hundred people who can manage a good idea, for every one person who can come up with that good idea.

If you’re not influencing decisions, directions, or people, you need to implement a plan for personal growth – immediately! Solomon, who is often referred to as the wisest man who ever lived, apart from Christ, said, ‘Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.’

Jonah 1-4, Revelation 7[/color]

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

True understanding comes from your Bible

‘Through thy precepts I get understanding.’
Psalm 119:104 KJV

The UCB Word for Today - 15 DEC 2020

True understanding comes from God – it’s a gift only He can give. That’s why Solomon asked God for understanding instead of relying on his own.

And God will bestow understanding on you through His Word. ‘For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding’ (Proverbs 2:6 KJV).

David said, ‘Through thy precepts I get understanding.’ The Bible was written that we might have understanding and be able to interpret life the way God does.

Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament, told Timothy, ‘Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things’ (2 Timothy 2:7 KJV). As you immerse yourself in Scripture, God speaks to you.

In essence He says, ‘This is how I see it, and this is how I want you to see it.’ In other words, He gives you His insight into the situation.

In the Bible you will discover how to become truly successful. You will find the answer to your financial troubles, how to cure worry, and how to solve relationship problems.

It will direct you in your family relationships – the chain of authority in the home, including the position of the husband, the wife, and the children. It contains the cure for nervousness and depression.

It’s even a purging tool for removing sin from your mind and life. ‘Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word’ (Psalm 119:9 KJV).

In short, your Bible is the greatest success manual in the world! The psalmist said, ‘The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple’ (v. 130).

So if you want true understanding, meditate on the Scriptures today.

Micah 1-3, Revelation 8

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Get rid of it

‘Get rid of all bitterness.’
Ephesians 4:31 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 16 DEC 2020

The words ‘get rid of all bitterness’ paint a picture of a surgeon cutting out a malignant growth in order to save the patient’s life. Another translation, ‘Looking carefully…lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble’ (Hebrews 12:15 NKJV), commands us to be vigilant lest a tiny seed of bitterness becomes a root that springs up and causes problems.

Bitterness has many sources: an absentee or abusive parent we can’t forgive; a nasty divorce we keep reliving; the careless words of a friend who’s not even aware of their effect; a boss who passed us up for a promotion. What’s the answer?

Forgive, before the problem becomes embedded in your emotions and starts feeding off your memories. Paul writes: ‘Make a clean break…Forgive one another as quickly…as…Christ forgave you’ (Ephesians 4:31-32 MSG).

And the sooner you do it, the better! Harbouring bitterness won’t change the other person, but it will change you – and not for the better.

The heaviest thing you’ll ever carry is a grudge. It will make you a misery to be around because your driving desire will be to see the guilty party punished, especially when you or someone you love is the perceived victim.

What happens is this: Satan enters the picture and convinces you it’s okay to harbour resentment. After all, you’re just protecting yourself from getting hurt again, right?

When that happens, you dig in, justify your position, and get comfortable living with resentment. That is, until it destroys you.

But that doesn’t have to happen to you, because there’s no emotion so deeply rooted that God’s grace can’t reach down and remove it. So the word for today is – ‘Get rid of all bitterness.’

Micah 4-5, Revelation 9



TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Believe that God has heard you

‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.’
John 11:41 AMPC

The UCB Word for Today - 17 DEC 2020

Before raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus prayed, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard me.’ When you know your prayer is in harmony with God’s will, you can wrap it up with the same words: ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.’

Understand this: after you’ve prayed, the devil wants you to go away and wonder whether or not God actually heard you, or if He’s willing to grant your request. But when you know God has heard your prayer, you have confidence.

You think, act, and speak differently. Anxiety is replaced with peace. Here are a few Scriptures for you to meditate on: ‘When you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord’ (James 1:6-7 NIV). ‘This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him’ (1 John 5:14-15 NIV). ‘If anyone says to this mountain, “Go, throw yourself into the sea,” and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them…whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours’ (Mark 11:23-24 NIV).

Today begin to thank God that He has heard your prayer, and that He will answer it in the way that’s best for you.

Micah 6-7, Revelation 10


TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Are you a good listener?

‘Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak.’
James 1:19 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 18 DEC 2020

Someone quipped, ‘God gave us two ears and one mouth because we need to listen twice as much as we talk.’ Learning that means being ‘quick to listen, slow to speak.’

Good listening builds relationships. But good listeners aren’t born, they’re bred!

So here are a few suggestions to improve your listening:

1) Listen without interrupting. Resist the temptation to jump in and finish the sentence, or hijack the floor. Rein yourself in – just listen.

2) Listen to understand. Try to understand their point of view, feelings, thinking and needs.

Good listening is hearing what they actually think, mean or feel, not what you imagine they do. Instead of guessing, ask, ‘Am I understanding you correctly?

Do you mean…? Are you feeling…?’ In other words, don’t assume – verify.

3) Listen without judging. Don’t rush to conclusions. If what they say doesn’t quite add up, keep listening.

‘He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him’ (Proverbs 18:13 NKJV). When you hear more, it may make sense.

4) Listen without correcting, countering or devaluing. Saying, ‘That’s not the way it was,’ or, ‘What did you expect? If you hadn’t…’ or, ‘You’re just being too sensitive,’ puts people on guard and stops real communication.

5) Validate the speaker. Accept their perceptions and feelings as valid expressions of a valued person.

‘If I understand you correctly, you’re thinking…feeling…Am I right?’ Ask them to help get you on the same page with them.

‘Given what you’ve told me, I can see why you’d feel what you feel,’ is very validating and will increase their confidence and willingness to consider the solutions you may offer.

Nahum 1-3, Revelation 11

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Are you in a storm today?

‘Jesus made the disciples get into the boat.’
Matthew 14:22 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 19 DEC 2020

When ‘Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side’, did He know there was a storm brewing? Yes.

So why did He send them into the middle of it? To learn, to grow, and to stretch their faith.

The Bible tells us: ‘Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him…they were terrified.

“It’s a ghost” they said…But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid!”’ (vv. 25-27 NIV).

There are three important lessons here:
1) Serving the Lord doesn’t exempt you from life’s storms, but it protects you when you’re in them. Jesus promised, ‘In this world you will have trouble.

But take heart! I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33 NIV).

2) What you perceive as another problem heading your way, may be the Lord coming your way. The disciples thought Jesus was a ghost, when in reality He was their deliverer.

3) Jesus may not show up when you want Him to, but He will always show up on time. The disciples had been in the storm for hours before Jesus appeared.

And when He appeared, He said, ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’

Notice that before Jesus dealt with what was troubling them on the outside, He calmed them down on the inside. That’s how He works.

First He changes us – then He changes our circumstances. As a result, we grow in faith and end up better equipped to handle the next storm that blows into our lives.

Habakkuk 1-3, Revelation 12

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

How to keep your peace and joy

‘May…God…fill you with all joy and peace in believing.’
Romans 15:13 AMPC

The UCB Word for Today - 20 DEC 2020

The Lord has promised us a sense of joy in the midst of every circumstance we face. Jesus said, ‘I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete’ (John 15:11 NIV).

So how can you hold on to your joy and not lose it? The apostle Paul tells us, ‘May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope’ (Romans 15:13 AMPC).

Notice that all-important word ‘believing’. It’s okay to have questions, but you must never doubt God’s love and faithfulness towards you.

One Bible teacher writes: ‘I remember an evening when I was feeling strongly dissatisfied and discontented. I had no peace or joy and was absolutely miserable.

I read Romans chapter 15:13, and it was indeed “a word in season” for me. My problem was simple: I was doubting instead of believing.

I was doubting God’s unconditional love for me, doubting that I could hear from Him, doubting His call on my life, doubting that He was pleased with me. I was filled with doubt…doubt…doubt. When I saw the problem and got back into faith and out of doubt…my joy and peace returned immediately.

I’ve found the same thing to be true again and again in my life. When my joy and peace seem to be gone, I check my believing – usually it is gone also.’

And the same principle applies to you today!

Luke 24:1-35, Psalms 129-139

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

How to pray effectively

‘The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.’
James 5:16 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 21 DEC 2020

The Bible says: ‘The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months’ (vv. 16-17 NKJV).

There are two words in this portion of Scripture that you need to pay particular attention to:

1) ‘Fervent’. This describes the intense heat you get from a blazing fire.

The Amplified Bible puts it like this: ‘The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].’ If you’re not careful, you can fall into the trap of thinking you have to ‘work up’ strong emotions before you pray or while you’re praying, in order for your prayers to be heard and answered.

Not so! Your feelings may move you, but only your faith will move God.

The Bible says, ‘He that cometh to God must believe…that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him’ (Hebrews 11:6 KJV). Just because you felt God’s presence in a special way yesterday when you prayed, and you don’t today, doesn’t mean your prayers aren’t being heard and won’t be answered.

2) ‘Righteous’. Elijah was a righteous man, but he certainly wasn’t a perfect man.

Yes, his prayers were effective. But he was also given to bouts of fear and deep depression.

Here’s the key: because you are clothed in Christ’s righteousness you’re always worthy and acceptable before God, therefore you can be confident your prayers will be heard and answered (see Romans 5:17). Knowing that, you can pray effectively.

Zepheniah 1-3, Revelation 13