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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Have you prayed about it?
‘Pray and ask God for everything you need.’

Philippians 4:6
The UCB Word for Today - 31 Jan 2017

Can you imagine walking into a restaurant and asking if your order is ready? ‘When did you call it in?’ the waiter asks. ‘Oh, I didn’t,’ you reply. ‘I just thought perhaps you might have something with my name on it.’ That’s as ridiculous as expecting God to answer prayer requests you haven’t made - or haven’t made in faith.

The Bible says, ‘The reason you don’t have what you want is…you don’t ask God’ (James 4:2 TLB).

Will God give you everything you ask for? No. ‘Even when you do ask you don’t get it because…you want only what will give you pleasure’ (v. 3 TLB).

Your request must be in harmony with God’s will. ‘If we ask anything according to His will…He hears’ (1 John 5:14 AMP). Jeremiah said, ‘The Lord is good to those who wait…expectantly for Him’ (Lamentations 3:25 AMP Classic Edition).

Expectant prayer demonstrates confidence in God’s goodness. So instead of fretting, or talking about it to everybody but God, or taking matters into your own hands, say, ‘Lord, I’m going to trust You with this regardless of the outcome,’ and He will honour your faith.

Paul writes, ‘Pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks.’ Do you need a job? Help overcoming a problem? The salvation of a loved one?

A deeper spiritual walk? Physical or emotional healing? Guidance? Jesus said, ‘It gives your Father great happiness to give you the [benefits of] [His] Kingdom’ (Luke 12:32 NLT).

God wants to be good to you, so tell Him the ‘desires of your heart’ (Psalm 37:4 NKJV). Then thank Him and believe the answer will come - in His time!

Ex 16-18, Matt 18:1-20

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY
‘We shall be like him’
‘We shall be like him.’

1 John 3:2
The UCB Word for Today - 1 Feb 2017

Let every parent write these words on their child’s bedroom wall. Let those who are struggling, physically or mentally, fall asleep with the promise: ‘We shall be like Him.’ Let us all take this promise to heart: ‘We shall be like Him.’ We shall graduate from this version of life into His likeness.

You’ll have a spiritual body. In your current state your unregenerated flesh battles your regenerated spirit. Your eyes look where they shouldn’t.

Your taste buds desire the wrong drinks. Your heart knows you shouldn’t be anxious, but your mind still worries.

Can’t you relate to Paul’s confession? ‘I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge’ (Romans 7:22-23 MSG).

In heaven your ‘parts’ will no longer rebel. Your new body will be a spiritual body, with every part cooperating towards one end. Joni Eareckson Tada, who’s been confined to a wheelchair since age seventeen, says: ‘I can’t wait to

be clothed in righteousness, without a trace of sin. True, it’ll be wonderful to stand, stretch, and reach to the sky, but it’ll be more wonderful to offer praise that’s pure.

I won’t be crippled by distractions, disabled by insincerity. I won’t be handicapped by half-heartedness.

My heart will join with others and bubble over with effervescent adoration. We’ll finally be able to fellowship fully with the Father and the Son.

For me, this will be the best part of heaven.’ The word for you today is: ‘We shall be like Him.’
Ex 19-20, Matt 18:21-35

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Don’t be a critic, be a cheerleader (1)
‘Judge not, that you be not judged.’

Matthew 7:1
The UCB Word for Today - 2 Feb 2017

Parent, you can break your child’s spirit by emphasising what they do wrong rather than what they do right.

Church member, you can discourage your pastor through criticism or encourage him until he enters the fullness of all that God’s called him to be.

Why do we choose to be critics rather than cheerleaders? Because it’s easier to point out the faults of others than deal with our own! By dwelling on their shortcomings, we feel better about ourselves.

But Jesus doesn’t let us off the hook: ‘How can you say to your brother, “Let me remove the speck in your eye”; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite!’ (vv. 4-5 NKJV).

Think of the person, group, or organisation you’re most critical of, and whom you criticise them to. Are you trying to increase your stature in the eyes of others?

Are you carrying within you unhealed wounds and unresolved issues, so you vent your anger at anybody who gets in your way? Jesus said: ‘For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.

But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned’ (Matthew 12:34-37 NKJV). What’s the answer? Pray: ‘Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD’ (Psalm 19:14 KJV).

Ex 21-22, Matt 19

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Don’t be a critic, be a cheerleader (2)

'Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.'

Proverbs 12:25
The UCB Word for Today - 3 Feb 2017

Why do we find it easier to be a critic than a cheerleader? 1) Our self-importance. Once we’ve achieved a certain level of success, we think that ‘we know best’.

But sometimes what we are ready to teach, people are not ready to learn.

And at that point we have a choice - back off and let God deal with them, or try to ram it down their throats. In such times we’d do well to remember the old adage: ‘A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still.’ Perhaps there was a time when you yourself were not very teachable, so pray for them and allow God to work according to His time scale. 2) Our gifting.

We don’t stop to consider that our talents and experiences are unique to us - given by the grace of God (see Romans 12:6).

So we expect everyone else to come up to our level, and we put them down when they don’t. ‘Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it’ (Psalm 127:1 KJV). Back off and let God work on them! 3) Our earliest experiences. We are moulded by the attitudes of our caregivers.

They nurture in us the coping mechanisms, positive and negative, that we work with. Indeed, some of our parents actually believed that praise would hurt us and criticism would help us.

So we must change our way of thinking and begin to line up what we say with what’s in the Word of God. ‘Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.’

Ex 23-24, Matt 20:1-16

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY
Always tell the truth

‘And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that…maketh a lie.’

Revelation 21:27
The UCB Word for Today - 4 Feb 2017

When it comes to telling the truth, here are two stories: 1) One morning a mother was out shopping when she bumped into her son at a shopping centre.

Angry and alarmed that he’d skipped school, she demanded to know why he wasn’t in class.

She listened patiently to his explanation and then replied, ‘I’m not accusing you of telling a lie, but I never heard of a school giving time off for good behaviour.’ 2) A dentist with a hypodermic needle in his hand says to a patient sitting in his chair, ‘You might feel a little sting.

On the other hand, it might feel as though you have been kicked in the mouth by a mule.’ We smile, but the moral of these two stories is clear.

Sometimes the truth hurts - but never as much as being told a lie. When you fail to tell someone the truth because you don’t want to hurt their feelings, you risk hurting them more.

Truth is like a mirror; it allows those you love to see themselves as they really are and make the necessary corrections and adjustments.

And when you fail to tell the truth about yourself you risk losing your credibility. When that’s gone it may take you a long time to get back, if ever.

That’s why the Bible says, ‘Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed’ (James 5:16 KJV).

When you open up and share your struggles, you set others free to do the same.

And in the process you are both made whole. So, the word for you today is: always tell the truth.

Ex 25-26, Matt 20:17-34

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY
Love must be based on trust
‘May the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another.’

1 Thessalonians 3:12
The UCB Word for Today - 5 Feb 2017

The real test of trust in a relationship is to be able to share your secrets and struggles, your inner fears and failures - intimacy based on honesty. It takes courage to be honest with God, and even more to be honest with one another. The relationship between Adam and Eve is described in these words: ‘They were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed’ (Genesis 2:25 NKJV). They were open and transparent with one another because there was nothing to hide or be ashamed of. Perhaps you’ve been so hurt by a relationship that you’ve said, ‘I will never trust anyone again.’ That’s because you’re not healed yet. To never trust again is like living in a tower. You’re safe from life’s threatening grasp, but you’re so detached from life that you lose consciousness of people, places, dates, and events. You talk only about the past because you stopped living years ago. Good news! ‘He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds’ (Psalm 147:3 NKJV). God’s healing process can set you free to taste life again, trust again, and live without fear. Don’t isolate, celebrate. Regardless of whether you’ve lost a marriage, a partnership, or a personal friend, you’re still alive! Are you ready to live, or are you going to continue rehearsing what no one, including you, can change - the past? Some of us are graced to live alone and feel complete and fulfilled. If you are one of them, go for it! But if you’re not, trust God to bring the right person into your life at the right time.
Luke 2:1-24, Ps 13-15

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Self-control
‘Make every effort to add to your faith…self-control.’

2 Peter 1:5-6
The UCB Word for Today - 6 Feb 2017

If you’ve the faith to believe, the moment you pray for salvation you receive it. It doesn’t work that way with self-control.

Yes, you should pray for it, but Peter writes, ‘Make every effort to add to your faith…self-control.’ It only becomes a reality when you ‘make every effort’ to practise it daily.

And here are three areas in life that will test you: 1) Your temper. Your circumstances are no excuse for a short fuse and an explosive temper.


The Bible says, ‘Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city’ (Proverbs 16:32 NIV 1984 Edition). When you lose your temper, you lose respect and credibility with others. 2) Your time.


Time is the stuff life is made of, and wasted time really is wasted life. It takes time to build relationships, learn skills, execute meaningful actions, achieve goals, and fulfil plans. A mismanaged life is often the result of mismanaged time. 3) Your tongue. The Bible says, ‘Let your speech be always with grace’ (Colossians 4:6 KJV).


Every day brings new opportunities to control your tongue; if you’re wise you’ll take them! And if you must speak, let this scriptural principle govern what you say: ‘Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out’ (v. 6 MSG).

Benjamin Franklin put it this way: ‘Would you live with ease, do what you ought and not what you please.’ The word for you today is ‘make every effort’ to control your temper, your time, and your tongue.


Ex 27-28, Matt 21:1-22

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

How do you come across?
‘He made him a coat of many colours.’

Genesis 37:3
The UCB Word for Today - 7 Feb 2017

God gave Joseph a dream of future greatness - one in which his brothers would bow down to him. But when he announced his dream, his brothers hatched a plan to kill him.

And to make things worse his father ‘loved Joseph more than all his children…and he made him a coat of many colours’. Try to see it from Joseph’s brothers’ perspective: ‘How come he gets special treatment? What’s wrong with us?’ There are important lessons here: 1) Be careful how you come across to others; your enthusiasm can be interpreted as arrogance. 2) When God blesses you, it’s always for the benefit of other people.

One day Joseph would wear a royal robe and ride in Pharaoh’s chariot, but that was just a fringe benefit. His true calling was to preserve his family lineage, from which would come the Redeemer of the world. 3) You must be generous towards those who have less than you. Joseph’s brothers worked hard and deserved their father’s love too.

The coat Joseph wore didn’t mean he was better than they were; it simply marked him as having a different destiny. 4) The coat of his father’s favour didn’t exempt Joseph from hardship.

Actually, he suffered more than all of them because of it. Why? Because the level of your assignment determines the level of Satan’s attack. 5) Joseph’s character, not his coat, sustained him through years of betrayal, temptation, accusation and imprisonment.

How do we know that? Because he was able to look back and see the hand of God at work: ‘You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good’ (Genesis 50:20 NASB).


Ex 29-30, Matt 21:23-46

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY
The secret to having joy (1)
‘That my joy may be in you.’

John 15:11
The UCB Word for Today - 8 Feb 2017

Jesus said, ‘I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.’ The joy Jesus is talking about is unique: ‘My joy.’ And it’s fulfilling in a way that the world’s happiness isn’t: ‘That your joy may be complete.’ Being a faithful follower of Christ’s teachings brings inner joy that’s real and resilient regardless of economic indicators, interest rates, government deficits, and even disease or death.

You can’t be happy without being joyful, but you can be joyful without being happy! How’s that possible? Jesus had previously told His disciples that we enjoy a love which transcends all others - the love of our heavenly Father that’s unconditionally offered and, once accepted, is permanently experienced. Nothing can compare to the love of God.

His love isn’t based on looks, personality, wealth, or even moral goodness. It’s offered without any preconditions.

And it’s neither fickle nor failing. You can’t do anything to make God love you more, and you can do nothing to make Him love you less.

Furthermore, divine love doesn’t just give you ‘warm fuzzies’. It’s constantly at work to direct you towards making wise decisions, to protect you from making poor ones, and to correct you when you make bad ones.

God’s love guarantees His acceptance when all others have rejected you, His forgiveness when all others have judged you, and His mercy when all others have condemned you.

When you bask in His love, you experience a wellspring of joy bubbling up in your heart. And since the world didn’t give you this joy - the world can’t take it away.

Ex 31-33, Matt 22:1-22

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

The secret of having joy (2)
‘A merry heart does good, like medicine.’

Proverbs 17:22
The UCB Word for Today - 9 Feb 2017


The Bible says, ‘A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.’ Do you know that laughter is such good medicine that it can help to relieve stress, cure headaches, fight infections, and alleviate hypertension? Some doctors tell us laughing produces physical benefits similar to the benefits we get from vigorous physical exercise.

When you throw your head back and laugh out loud, the muscles in the abdomen, chest, shoulders, and elsewhere in your body contract, while your heart rate and blood pressure increase. Just one burst of laughter can cause your pulse rate to double from 60 to 120, while your systolic blood pressure can shoot from a normal 120 to 200.

Then once you stop laughing your heartbeat and blood pressure dip below normal - signalling reduced stress. God created laughter because He knows it’s good for your health.

Don’t, however, confuse happiness with merriment. Merriment comes from joy, not happiness, and understanding this is crucial to your emotional well-being.

There are times when we can’t and shouldn’t be happy - when people are hurting, going through tragedy, or losing jobs and loved ones. In the face of injustice happiness is inappropriate, if not impossible.

Yet the joy that comes from knowing that you are unconditionally loved and accepted by God enables you to remain joyful.

That’s because: 1) Happiness is external; joy is internal. 2) Happiness depends on outward circumstances; joy depends on inward character. 3) Happiness depends on what happens to us; joy depends on who lives within us. 4) Happiness is based on chance; joy is based on choice. So today - choose joy!


Ex 34-35, Matt 22:23-46