[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Spiritual growth (1)

‘In due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.’

Galatians 6:9

The UCB Word for Today - 26 Nov 2017

A high-rise construction worker slipped and fell from a scaffold forty floors up. As he was plummeting past the twentieth-floor window, a woman in an office shouted out, ‘How are you doing?’ The man replied, ‘So far, so good!’

Seriously, some days spiritual growth feels like two steps forward and three steps back. It doesn’t come easily; that’s why Paul encourages us not to lose heart. Generally speaking, you don’t notice yourself getting older physically until you see an earlier photo, then it hits you.

And it’s the same with spiritual growth; it’s hard to gauge how far you’ve come until you look back and see where you were before Jesus turned your life around. The Bible says, ‘As the Spirit…works within us, we become more…like him’ (2 Corinthians 3:18 TLB).

But growing up involves growing pains! So when you get discouraged, remind yourself that you’re on a spiritual journey, you’re making progress in spite of your problems, and that the devil will always look for ways to remind you how far you still have to go. Don’t listen to him!

Jesus said, ‘Everything he says is a lie’ (John 8:44 CEV). If you get discouraged and give up, Satan wins. The Bible says, ‘Capture…rebellious thoughts…teach them to obey Christ’ (2 Corinthians 10:5 NLT).

Learn to live beyond your feelings, to dig down inside to where God’s Spirit lives. And take heart: it may not always look like it, but each day you’re maturing and growing stronger in Christ. So don’t even think about quitting.

Luke 22:31-46, Ps 119:89-176

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Spiritual growth (2)

‘When we grew up, we quit our childish ways.’

1 Corinthians 13:11

The UCB Word for Today - 27 Nov 2017

People with strong faith can make you feel ‘less than’, when you compare yourself to them. One Bible teacher writes: ‘I admired those faith heroes whose flowery testimonies hung around the ceiling, like steam gathering in a shower.

They seemed so changed, so sure, so stable. I thought God’s love was doled out according to a merit system. If I did well today, He loved me. If I failed, He didn’t. What a roller coaster!

I didn’t realise everything that’s born needs time to grow and develop into maturity. I was expecting an immediate, powerful, all-inclusive metamorphosis that would transform me into perfection.’

Do you feel that way, as if there is something wrong with you because you never seem to measure up? If so, read this: ‘When we were children, we…reasoned as children…But when we grew up, we quit our childish ways.’

You start as a spiritual infant, then you become a spiritual child, then you become a spiritual adolescent, and eventually you become a spiritual adult. But you never ‘arrive’. And quick-fix, do-it-yourself righteousness will just make you try to impress others with a false sense of holiness.

It will stop you from being honest before God and make you think you should be farther along than you are for your spiritual age. Do you remember when you were a child and you dressed up in your mum’s high heels or your dad’s work boots?

No matter how much you wanted to fit into them, you couldn’t. That didn’t mean there was something wrong with you; it just meant you were exactly where you should have been for your age.

Dan 5-7, 1 John 1

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Spiritual growth (3)

‘The word of God…effectively works in you.’

1 Thessalonians 2:13

The UCB Word for Today - 28 Nov 2017

Spiritually speaking, you may not be as far along as you’d like to be, but thank God you’re still on the road. At one time you were a stranger to God’s grace, but now you belong to ‘the household of God’ (Ephesians 2:19 NKJV).

Paul writes, ‘You received the word…which…effectively works in you who believe.’ As long as you keep reading and believing God’s Word, it will keep working in you.

Plus, you mature a lot faster when you learn to relax and start living by what God’s Word says about you, not how you feel. How you see yourself affects your spiritual progress profoundly.

Until your self-concept lines up with what God says about you in Scripture, you’ll keep seeing yourself as unqualified and unworthy – and that will hinder your spiritual growth. When God told Jeremiah He’d called him as a prophet to the nations, Jeremiah informed God he was too young, wasn’t a good speaker, and didn’t have enough experience, etc.

How did God respond? ‘Before I formed you…I knew [and] approved of you’ (Jeremiah 1:5 AMPC). So stop worrying about being rejected when you don’t perform perfectly.

The world operates like that, but not God. Plus, if you were as perfect as you’d like to be, you wouldn’t need His grace. Like Jacob’s limp, sometimes God leaves things in us to remind us how much we need Him each day.

So enjoy where you are right now and stop comparing yourself with other people. Don’t worry if they are farther along than you. They went through exactly the same places to get to where they are today.

Dan 8-10, 1 John 2

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Learn to live within your means

‘The borrower is servant to the lender.’

Proverbs 22:7

The UCB Word for Today - 29 Nov 2017

Here’s an idea for getting out of debt, and staying out. Instead of referring to it as your ‘credit card’, start seeing it as your ‘debt card’, Next time you have an ‘itch’ to purchase something you don’t need or can’t pay for, that may just stop you from ‘scratching’ it.

People generally fall into three categories:
1) the haves;
2) the have-nots; and
3) the have-not-paid-for-what-they-haves.

The story is told of a handyman who’d been called out to a millionaire’s mansion to refinish the floors. The rich man’s wife said, ‘Be especially careful with this dining room table.

It goes back to Louis XVI.’ The handyman said, ‘That’s nothing. If I don’t make a payment by next Friday, my whole living room set goes back to the furniture store!’

They say the average person today drives a bank-financed car, on petrol they bought with a credit card, to a department store to open another store account, so they can fill their house that’s mortgaged for thirty years to the bank, with furniture that’s been purchased on an instalment plan.

Now, the Bible doesn’t condemn credit, but it cautions us about the use of it. ‘The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.’

It’s okay to borrow for necessities, but you should always pay for luxuries. So if at all possible, pay cash or don’t buy it. ‘The wicked borrows and does not repay’ (Psalm 37:21 NKJV).

It’s not wrong to borrow money, it’s just wrong to borrow money and not repay it. So the word for you today is: learn to live within your means.

Dan 11-12, 1 John 3

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

The answer’s on the way!

‘Shunem, where [there] was a great woman.’
2 Kings 4:8

The UCB Word for Today - 30 Nov 2017

The Bible refers to this woman as ‘a great woman’. That’s because she had a ‘great’ strategy for her life! She prepared a bedroom in her house for Elisha the prophet to use when he passed through town.

As a result she got her heart’s desire: a baby boy. And later when her son died suddenly, God used Elisha to raise him from the dead.

Notice three things in this woman’s story: 1) She made room for God.
2) Her dream came to pass.
3) When her dream died, God brought it back to life (see vv. 36-37).

When her son died, the neighbours probably told her, ‘It’s over. Go ahead and bury him.’ But she refused to accept the opinions of unbelieving people or discuss her situation with those who were unqualified to help.

Be careful who you open up to in a crisis! Make sure they know God, and that their words line up with His.

This woman believed that if God started it, He could finish it. If He made it, He could fix it.

The Bible tells us Elisha stretched out his body on top of the dead boy, and he got warm. But this boy needed more than warmth – he needed life.

So Elisha stretched out on top of him again, and he became fully alive. There’s a lesson here for you. No matter how bad things look, stay on top of the situation by believing God.

Walk the floor and pray all night if you have to, but keep standing on His Word. Your dream may not yet be fully alive, but it’s getting warm.

Things are improving…God is moving…the answer’s on the way!

Hosea 1-4, 1 John 4

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Be a peacemaker

‘Blessed are the peacemakers.’
Matthew 5:9

The UCB Word for Today - 1 Dec 2017

Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar told of a little guy who was confronted by three big bullies, any one of whom could have flattened him. And clearly, that’s what they had in mind.

But the little guy was very bright. He backed away, drew a line in the dirt, backed up a few more steps, looked into the eyes of the biggest bully and said, ‘I dare you to step across that line!’ The guy did.

Then the little boy grinned and said, ‘Good, now we’re both on the same side!’ When you find yourself in the midst of conflict, you can decide to do one of two things: become a troublemaker or a peacemaker.

You can add to the stress or try to bring a solution. Peacemakers look for common ground and try to get everyone onto it.

Their goal is to find a win-win solution. Barnabas, whose name means ‘Son of Consolation’, stood up for the newly-converted Saul of Tarsus.

The leaders of the church felt threatened by him, and you could hardly blame them. But Barnabas wasn’t thinking about Paul’s violent background; he was considering his value to God.

In essence, he was thinking, ‘If we can harness and direct this guy, he can win the race for us.’ And he was proved right.

Saul the persecutor became Paul the apostle. But not until Barnabas put his credibility on the line (see Acts 9:26-30).

Peacemaking calls for taking risks. It means evaluating people by their best moments and qualities. Peacemakers are ‘big picture’ thinkers who are governed by grace, not petty opinions and temporary conditions.

So be a peacemaker.

Hosea 5-6, 1 John 5

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Pass it on

‘Ask yourself what you want people to do for you…and do it for them.’

Matthew 7:12

The UCB Word for Today - 2 Dec 2017

The Bible says, ‘As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed…self-promoting…dog-eat-dog…the kind…who smooth-talk…and take advantage’ (2 Timothy 3:1-6 MSG). If you don’t believe that, try sliding into a parking space another motorist wants.

Or watch shoppers in a checkout line elbowing one another to save thirty seconds. And how about ‘your seat’ in church; you know, the one you’ve been warming for thirty years?

The Bible says, ‘Be humble and consider others more important than yourselves. Care about them as much as you care about yourselves’ (Philippians 2:3-4 CEV).

Jesus said, ‘Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them.’ In other words, practise putting others first.

Nobel Prize-winning medical missionary Albert Schweitzer said, ‘The only ones among you who will really be happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.’ If you need motivation, start looking for the good qualities in people instead of the bad ones.

And remember, they have to do the same in your case. Do something to help them.

If you really want to get ahead in life, love others a little bit more than they deserve, just like God loves you. Too often we expect everyone else to practise the Golden Rule.

Hymnist Henry Burton wrote: ‘Have you had a kindness shown? Pass it on. ’Twas not given for thee alone, pass it on.

Let it travel down the years, let it wipe another’s tears, till in heaven the deed appears – pass it on.’

Hosea 7-8, 2 John

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

‘Lord, what should I do?’ (1)

‘Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.’
Psalm 119:105

The UCB Word for Today - 3 Dec 2017

When you pray, ‘Lord, what should I do?’ He can respond to you in several ways. Let’s look at some over the next few days.

He will answer you through His written Word. Instead of turning to ‘Tom, Dick, and Harry’ for guidance, go to God. Make His Word your first option rather than your last resort.

The psalmist wrote, ‘Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.’ Without a regular daily intake of God’s Word, you’ll be ‘in the dark’ as to what’s best for you and the direction your life should go.

‘I the LORD will speak what I will, and it shall be fulfilled’ (Ezekiel 12:25 NIV 2011 Edition). If God says it in His Word, you can count on it.

There are precepts in Scripture, but mainly God has given us principles to follow. These principles require wisdom and discernment.

The psalmist said, ‘I believe in your commands; now teach me good judgment and knowledge’ (Psalm 119:66 NLT). This doesn’t mean you must have a particular verse for every decision or move you make. That’s not how it works.

Most times when you ask God for guidance, He will give you ‘good judgment and knowledge’, and that’s enough to get you moving in the right direction. Will you sometimes experience fear? Yes, but that’s when you must use your faith!

Your greatest clarity as to God’s will often comes from hindsight, not foresight. It’s in looking back on how God has led you that you say, ‘Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave’ (1 Kings 8:56 NIV 2011 Edition).

Luke 22:47-71, Ps 120-122

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

‘Lord, what should I do?’ (2)

‘God is working in you.’

Philippians 2:13

The UCB Word for Today - 4 Dec 2017

Another way in which God will lead you is: Through the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit. As a parent, you wouldn’t allow your children to get into trouble if you could stop them – and neither would God.

‘For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.’ God will give you a desire to do His will, plus the power to carry it out.

You ask, ‘But how can I know God’s voice?’ Through time, through testing, through experience, and most of all through intimacy with Him.

When a loved one calls you on the phone, they don’t have to say, ‘Hello, this is your husband or your wife calling.’ You know their voice!

And learning to recognise the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit is crucial, because much of the time you won’t be able to figure it out. ‘The LORD directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?’ (Proverbs 20:24 NLT).

When all is said and done, you will say, ‘Honestly, I didn’t figure this thing out. It must have been God.’ The longer you walk with God the less you’ll know about why He leads as He does, but you’ll know with assurance that He does lead you.

Knowing that is what will draw you back to Him time and time again to seek His guidance. The apostle Jude said, ‘I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith’ (Jude v.3 NIV 1984 Edition).

Those words – ‘I felt I had to’ – are nothing less than the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Hosea 9-10, 3 John

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

‘Lord, what should I do?’ (3)

‘The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.’

Proverbs 12:15

The UCB Word for Today - 5 Dec 2017

Another way God will lead you is: Through godly advice. Moses experienced this. Instead of getting help, he tried to do it all himself.

At that point his father-in-law, Jethro, said to him, ‘What you are doing is not good’ (Exodus 18:17 NIV 2011 Edition). Then he told Moses to delegate responsibility to capable leaders who could share the load with him.

‘Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said’ (Exodus 18:24 NIV 2011 Edition). As a result, Moses’ problem was solved, and Israel made it successfully to the Promised Land.

Some of the time God will speak to you directly and reveal what you should do, but much of the time He will speak to you through relationships.

He will bring wise and seasoned people alongside you. At that point you need to be humble enough to heed their advice.

You may be good; indeed, you may be better than most. But you’ll never be as good as you could be, without the help of others.

But you must be careful who you listen to – trustworthy counsellors and persons who want only what God wants. Such persons will stay objective, listen carefully, and answer slowly.

Often they won’t give you an answer at the time you ask for it. They want to sleep on it; they want to pray about it; they want to think about it.

Such a person is like having an extra set of eyes and ears. Why would you want to live without them?

So today be open to those God sends into your life to help guide you.

Hosea 11-12, Jude

[ebankole]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

‘Lord, what should I do?’ (4)
‘Along unfamiliar paths I will guide them.’

Isaiah 42:16
The UCB Word for Today - 6 Dec 2017

Another way God will lead you is: Through confronting your fear and taking a step of faith. Are you feeling uncertain or afraid as to God’s will in the situation? His promise to you is: ‘I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them’ (v. 16 NIV 2011 Edition). Pay particular attention to the words: ‘unfamiliar paths’…‘darkness’…‘rough places’. When you’ve sought God’s guidance through the Scriptures, when you’ve tried to listen to the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit, and when you’ve reached for the wisdom of trustworthy people, then you must step out in faith and do what you believe God is calling you to do. It’s one thing to ask, ‘Lord, what should I do?’ It’s entirely another thing to ask, ‘Am I willing to do it once You make it clear?’ Try to answer these two questions: a) What makes risk so difficult for you? Be honest. For most of us risk and change are uncomfortable, challenging, and even threatening. That’s why the Bible says, ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding’ (Proverbs 3:5 KJV). If you’ve been in the habit of leaning on your own understanding, it’s a hard habit to break. Now, God doesn’t say, ‘Don’t use your understanding’; He says, ‘Don’t lean on it – lean on Me.’ b) Are you willing to make a major change in your life – assuming that it’s the Lord’s will? You must answer these two questions. And not until they are answered correctly are you ready to move ahead.
Hosea 13-14, Rev 1