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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


The Ultimate Purpose of Prayer

‘To be conformed to the likeness of his Son.’

Romans 8:29
The UCB Word for Today - 26 Aug 2016


The Bible says, ‘Those God foreknew he … predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.’ When you read the preceding verses in the chapter you discover God does this through prayer.


This should encourage you to pray. Many times we don’t pray because we don’t think anything’s happening.


But with God, something’s always happening! We wonder, ‘When is He going to work?’ What we fail to understand is - He’s always working.


When it comes to prayer He’s either answering the way you hoped, or changing your heart through the Spirit’s intercession to bring your prayer into harmony with His will. You say, ‘But I don’t see anything happening.’ When you plant a seed, you don’t come back the next day expecting green shoots and leaves.


Does that mean nothing’s happening? No, a host of necessary processes are taking place below the ground where you can’t see them.


Don’t make the mistake of thinking because you don’t see the evidence that nothing’s happening. It’s just not harvest time yet.

One way in which God is making us more like Jesus is by helping us to pray the way Jesus prayed, ‘Not my will, but thine, be done’ (Luke 22:42 KJV).

That means when your prayer lines up with His will, He’s already working on it even though you can’t see it.

And if your prayer isn’t in accordance with His will, He’s working to change your request by changing you.

Unanswered prayer can be as big a blessing as answered prayer, when it keeps us from violating God’s will. And what is God’s will? To make you more like Jesus!


Prov 30-31, 2 Cor 3

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


Overcoming Temptation (1)
‘Nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.’

2 Chronicles 20:12
The UCB Word for Today - 27 Aug 2016


When Jesus told Peter he would soon deny his Lord, Peter boasted, ‘Others may, but not me!’ Yet within a few hours he was swearing and disavowing any knowledge of Jesus.


It can happen to any of us. The Bible says, ‘Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own [particular] desires and enticed’ (James 1:14 NKJV).

We all have areas of vulnerability which, if not disciplined by character and commitment, have the potential to defeat or even destroy us.

What can you do? 1) Recognise it. Before you yield to temptation you usually go through certain stages.


By neglecting prayer and Bible reading you become indifferent to God, insensitive to danger, and find yourself drawn like a moth to a flame.


Then you begin to rationalise your disobedience and think, ‘Nobody knows. What harm will it do?’ And the more you silence the voice of conscience, the stronger your carnal appetites become.


Then you surround yourself with people who do the same things, or are at least willing to look the other way. Jesus said, ‘Pray … that you may not enter into temptation’ (Mark 14:38 AMP Classic Edition). Pray for strength before the temptation comes! 2) Reach for help.


When Jehoshaphat came up against an enemy too big to handle alone, he prayed, ‘We have no power against this great multitude … nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.’ Jehoshaphat knew he was no match for the Enemy, and he knew where to turn for help.

What’s the secret of victory? Lean less on yourself and more on God!


Ecc 1-3, 2 Cor 4

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


Overcoming Temptation (2)

'I have given you … [physical and mental strength].'

Luke 10:19
The UCB Word for Today - 28 Aug 2016



Here’s a plan for victory: 1) No matter how often you fall, get back up! ‘Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again’ (Proverbs 24:16 NIV 1984 Edition). Becoming spiritually mature is a lifelong process.


It happens every time you turn to God in weakness and allow Him to do for you what you can’t do for yourself. 2) Don’t deny it, deal with it. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted’ (Psalm 34:18 NASB). God always responds with grace to a repentant heart.


He’ll meet you at your lowest point, walk with you through the valley of regret and repentance, and bring you out stronger. 3) Write down what you’ve learned through temptation.


As you reflect on it you’ll see what needs to be ‘transformed by the renewing of your mind’ (Romans 12:2 KJV). And be sure to write down new habits you want to integrate into your life - prayer, accountability to a friend,


Bible reading and memorisation, identifying weak spots, and watching yourself more closely. 4) Use what you’ve learned. Jesus told Peter: ‘Satan hath desired to have you … But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren’ (Luke 22:31-32 KJV).

Let today mark a new beginning by using what you’ve learned not only to avoid falling again, but to help others facing temptation. 5) Believe you can walk in victory.

Jesus said, ‘I have given you … [physical and mental strength …] over all the power that the enemy [possesses].’ Get rid of your ‘I can’t’ attitude and draw today on God’s strength.


Ecc 4-6, 2 Cor 5

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


Overcoming Temptation (3)

‘He ran from the house.’

Genesis 39:12

The UCB Word for Today - 29 Aug 2016


The Bible says, ‘Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, and Potiphar’s wife … began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded.


But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household…How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.” She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible.


One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work. She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, “Come on, sleep with me!” Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house’ (vv. 6-12 NLT).


Note the words: ‘She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day.’ Joseph’s temptation kept happening when he was around a certain person: Potiphar’s wife. And it kept happening when he was in a certain place: Potiphar’s house. So he ran.


Not because he was weak - but because he was wise! He understood that if you hang around temptation too long you’re playing with fire and setting yourself up to get ‘burned’. So, what people and what places do you need to avoid? What sources of temptation do you need to remove from your life in order to live victoriously?

Remember the old Kenny Rogers song: ‘You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em; know when to walk away and know when to run’? God isn’t dishonoured when you run - you’re dishonoured when you don’t!


Ecc 7-9, 2 Cor 6

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


Overcoming Temptation (4)

‘Its fruit looked delicious … So she … ate it.’

Genesis 3:6
The UCB Word for Today - 30 Aug 2016


Let’s look at the first time in Scripture anyone was tempted and see what we can learn.


The Bible says, ‘The serpent was the shrewdest of all the [creatures] the LORD God had made … he asked the woman, “Did God really say…?”’ (v. 1 NLT). First, Satan will blind you to all the good things God has in store for you.


Then he’ll take mood-altering substances like drugs or alcohol, or somebody else’s husband or wife, or Internet porn, and tell you it won’t hurt you.


Don’t bite! He’s a liar! Don’t believe him! ‘Temptation comes from our own desires … These desires give birth to sinful actions.


And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters’ (James 1:14-16 NLT). Any weakness that’s constantly indulged, excused, denied, or hidden has the power to enslave you.


Failure to identify and target your weakness strengthens it. Ignoring your areas of vulnerability makes defeat inevitable. Satan has assigned certain people to feed your weaknesses.


Be discerning. Your weakness will be drawn to any friendship that accepts it, enjoys it and feeds on it. It has an agenda of its own - to take over your life and sabotage God’s plan for you.

It’ll always bond with the wrong people and make you uncomfortable in the presence of the right ones.

And it can emerge at any time, including your latter years.


So how do you overcome your weakness? Through willpower? No, through God’s power! And it’s available to you today - so reach for it!


Luke 16:16-31, Ps 89-90

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Growing in Love

‘Your love for one another is growing.’

2 Thessalonians 1:3


When Paul says, ‘Your love for one another is growing,’ it’s not the kind where life’s perfect and everybody accommodates you.


God’s intention is to ‘grow’ you into the kind of love that’s not defined by your feelings, but a sacrificial love that says, ‘I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me’ (Galatians 2:20 NIV 2011 Edition).


It’s possible to be in love with the idea of a perfect marriage, without actually loving your mate. Or the dream of what your kids could become, if only they’d follow your advice.


But when it comes to loving a rebellious teen who acts like ‘the other side of the family’, it’s a growing process that puts your love to the test.


Jesus said, ‘As I have loved you … you must love one another’ (John 13:34 NIV 2011 Edition), and He never asks us to do anything without giving us the ability to do it. So are you ready to do a little growing? Author Kristin Armstrong says: ‘When we’re hurt it’s common to withdraw.


But the worst thing a parent can do is to withhold affection in response to a child’s behaviour.


A child’s heart grows when it’s nurtured with unconditional love. Affection doesn’t depend on behaviour, mood or circumstances. Being pleasing does not equate to being lovable.


Imagine if Jesus loved us only when we behaved perfectly. We’d never experience His affection, and consequently we’d wither away.


And since Jesus is our example, we need to love others with Christlike grace. He loves us according to His capacity, not according to the degree of our merit. We must love others … not by our standards but by His.’


Ecc 10-12, 2 Cor 7

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


Your Personalised Road Map


‘Who works out everything in conformity with … his will.’

Ephesians 1:11


The UCB Word for Today - 1 Sep 2016


The Bible says before you were born: ‘Every day of [your] life was recorded … Every moment … laid out before a single day had passed’ (Psalm 139:16 NLT).


God personalised a road map for your life ‘in conformity with … his will’. And it’s your job to discover it and walk within its confines.


Respected pastor Terry Nance says: ‘You may know your ultimate destination, but need guidance on how to get there. First and foremost, “God’s Word is a lamp for your feet and a light for your path” (Psalm 119:105).


He sees the big picture … the shortcuts and pitfalls … Don’t look for external guidance … the Holy Spirit lives inside you, and it’s from within that you’ll get the inside track.

’ Meditate on these Scriptures and make them personal prayers: ‘God has made us what we are … to do good works, which [He] planned in advance for us to live our lives doing’ (Ephesians 2:10 NCV).

‘The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives’ (Psalm 37:23 NLT). ‘You clear the way for me, and now I won’t stumble’ (Psalm 18:36 CEV). ‘Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take’ (Proverbs 3:6 NLT). ‘Behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or … left’ (Isaiah 30:21 NLT).

At the end of his life Paul could say, ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith’ (2 Timothy 4:7 KJV).


Notice, sometimes Paul had to ‘fight’ to stay on course, but by God’s grace he made it - and so will you!


Song 1-3, 2 Cor 8

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Dad, Treasure Your Children

‘The children God has graciously given your servant.’

Genesis 33:5


The UCB Word for Today - 2 Sep 2016


We live in a day when kids have never been given more of the things they want, and less of the things they need.

What do they need? You! Not trinkets, treasures, and toys, but your love and your time.


Read these unsettling words in a Newsweek column entitled, ‘Dear Dads, Save Your Sons’, by psychologist Christopher Bacorn.


He tells about an anxious mother in her mid-thirties who came to his office with her fifteen-year-old son. The boy’s dad had left four years before.


Since then the teenager had descended into alcohol, gang membership, and violence.


The mother had nowhere else to turn, and it was obvious the boy was at best a hostile participant.


After attempting for thirty minutes to crack the steel vault of this boy’s heart, Dr Bacorn realised the futility of it all. He wrote these poignant and sad words: ‘I’ve come to believe that most adolescent boys can’t make use of professional counseling … What a boy can use, and all too often doesn’t have, is the fellowship of men - at least one man who pays attention to him, who spends time with him, who admires him.


A boy needs a man he can look up to. What he doesn’t need is a shrink … As a nation we’re racked by youth violence, overrun by gangs, guns, and drugs.


The great majority of youthful offenders are male, most without fathers involved in their lives in any useful way.’ In Genesis we read that Jacob was a successful businessman, but he discovered that his greatest earthly treasure was ‘the children God has graciously given to your servant’. Dad, have you discovered that?


Song 4-5 , 2 Cor 9

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Ministering to Others (1)

‘God … comforts us … so that we can comfort [others].’

2 Corinthians 1:3-4
The UCB Word for Today - 3 Sep 2016


Years ago a lady visited an orphanage and asked the matron, ‘Is there a child here nobody has offered to adopt?’ The matron replied, ‘There is. She’s ten years old, not much to look at, and she has a hunchback.’ The lady said, ‘That’s the child I want!’


Thirty-five years later the director of the Orphanage Inspection Department in Iowa submitted the following report on a state-run facility: ‘This home is outstanding. It’s clean, the food’s good, the children are well-cared-for, and the atmosphere is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. The matron, Mercy


Goodfaith, has a soul that oozes love; she has such beautiful eyes I forgot how homely her face was - or that she was a hunchback.’ Because a Good Samaritan had the courage to love and nurture a little girl others overlooked, Mercy Goodfaith went on to share that same love with hundreds of other orphans.


Paul says, ‘God … comforts us … so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we … receive.’ And Billy Graham adds: ‘Those who have suffered the most are best able to comfort others … to empathize with [their] afflictions because of what they’ve experienced … Our sufferings may be hard to bear, but our goal should be to learn all we can from what we’re called to endure so we can fulfil a ministry of comfort as Jesus did. “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18 NIV 2011 Edition).

The sufferer becomes the comforter in the service of the Lord.’


Song 6-8, 2 Cor 10

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


Ministering to Others (2)

‘Therefore comfort one another with these words.’

1 Thessalonians 4:18


Professor Tony Campolo once attended the funeral of an acquaintance, and by mistake ended up at the wrong funeral parlour.

The body of an elderly man was laid out, and his widow was the only mourner there.


She seemed so lonely, Campolo stayed for the funeral and then accompanied her to the cemetery.

After the committal service, as they were driving away Campolo confessed that he hadn’t actually known the lady’s husband. ‘I thought so,’ she replied. ‘I didn’t recognise you. But it doesn’t matter.


You’ll never, ever, know what this means to me.’ Philip
Yancey writes: ‘Simple availability is the most powerful force we can contribute … We rightly disparage Job’s three friends for their insensitive response to his suffering.


But read the account again: “When they came, they sat in silence beside Job for seven days before opening their mouths” … those were the most eloquent moments they spent with him.


Instinctively I shrink back from people in pain. Who knows if they want to talk about their predicament or not? Do they want to be consoled or cheered up?


What good can my presence possibly do? My mind spins out these rationalizations and as a result I end up doing the worst thing possible: I stay away … No one offers the name of a philosopher when I ask, “Who helped you the most?” Most often they describe a quiet, unassuming person … who was there … who listened more than they talked, who didn’t keep glancing down at a watch, who hugged and touched, and cried … someone who was available and came on the sufferer’s terms, not their own.’ That’s how you minister to others.


Is 1-2, 2 Cor 11