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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

The truth about marriage (2)
‘Love can’t be bought, love can’t be sold – it’s not to be found in the marketplace.’

Song of Solomon 8:7
The UCB Word for Today - 12 May 2017

The truth about Mr and Mrs Right: Many who excel in their careers struggle when it comes to meeting people in a social setting.

This has given rise to the twenty-first-century phenomenon of finding a mate through the Internet. Today, in the western world, two out of five marriages begin that way.

Generally speaking, dating services profile people based on their age, looks, values, tastes, ambitions, and preferences, and help them get together for a date.

Well, guess what? The divorce rate is just as high among couples who met via the Internet as those who did it the old-fashioned way.

How come? Because ‘love can’t be bought, love can’t be sold – it’s not to be found in the marketplace’. And when the bubble bursts, three things happen: 1) We cry, manipulate, or pressure our mate.

And when that doesn’t work we blame them for changing and making us miserable. ‘He’s not the man I thought he was.’ Maybe not, but he’s the one you married – and, with some exceptions, the problem isn’t all his. 2) We conclude that Mr and Mrs Right are Mr and Mrs Wrong.

So we start searching for the right one, or give up on the opposite sex as being false, faithless, and fickle. 3) We realise that lasting happiness can only be found in one Person – God.

So instead of trying to find the right person, we decide to become the right person; the one God created us to be…giving generously, allowing others to be real, limited, changeable human beings, and looking to God for our joy.

2 Sam 16-18, John 20

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

The truth about marriage (3)
‘The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.’

Luke 6:38
The UCB Word for Today - 13 May 2017

The truth about the container: When the offering plate was passed in church, a lady didn’t put anything in.

When she complained all the way home about how poor the service was, her little boy said, ‘Mum, that proves if you don’t put anything in, you won’t get anything out.’ Marriage is like an empty container – you get out what you put in.

This truth frees you to make your relationship rich and rewarding by becoming a giver rather than a taker.

Some people think the container comes filled with romance, sexual fulfilment, and being served in the style to which they’ve become accustomed.

They think they can take whatever they want from a never-ending supply – instant, low maintenance, satisfaction guaranteed!

Then one day they dip in and come up empty. Shocked, disappointed, angry, despairing, and hopeless, they conclude that their partner failed, fooled, or forsook them. Why else would the container be empty?

Then they go looking for a new container. The truth is, it’s your responsibility to make enough deposits every day to guarantee sufficient withdrawals for a rich relationship.

Jesus said, ‘The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.’ Ask yourself what you’d like to have in the container, and how much.

Then deposit enough to generate that amount. J. Allan Petersen said: ‘There’s no love in marriage; love is in people, and people put it into marriage.

There’s no romance in marriage; people have to infuse it into their marriages. A couple must form the habit of giving, loving, serving, praising – keeping the box full.’

2 Sam 19-20, John 21

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


Hold on – help is on the way
‘The hair of his head began to grow again.’

Judges 16:22
The UCB Word for Today - 14 May 2017

When we think of Samson we usually think about his failures – the steamy story of him and Delilah. It’s true that Samson lost everything: his hair, his strength, his sight, his position, his family, and his reputation.

The mightiest man Israel had ever seen was now in a Philistine dungeon: blinded, humiliated, grinding corn like an ox – a laughing stock. But it’s not over until God says it’s over!

At his lowest point Samson cried out to God for mercy, and got it. ‘The hair of his head began to grow again.’ His hair, which was the secret of his strength, was restored.

And as a result his greatest moments in ministry were his last ones! Today he is mentioned with honour in Hebrews chapter eleven, alongside the other heroes of faith (see Hebrews 11:32). God’s promise is: ‘Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength’ (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV).

You may be hurting right now, but be patient, help is on the way. You prayed, ‘Lord, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.’ Hold on, God is coming to your aid.

He’s coming to deliver you and set you free. He’s going to bring you out, set you free from captivity, and restore you.

In the Old Testament when Job the patriarch was battling boils, bankruptcy, and bereavement, he said, ‘All the days of my hard service I will wait, till my change comes’ (Job 14:14 NKJV).

God restored Job and gave him back twice as much as he lost. And He wants to do the same for you. So hold on – help is on the way!

Luke 9:1-17, Ps 49-50

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Today share your faith with someone
‘A woman of Samaria came to draw water.’

John 4:7
The UCB Word for Today - 15 May 2017

One day Jesus met a woman who’d come to draw water from a well.
After five failed marriages, her trust in men was zero – and her self-esteem was minus zero! But after her encounter with Christ, she left the well radically changed.

When it comes to sharing our faith, we learn three important lessons from her story: 1) Jesus sees the best in everybody. ‘The Pharisees…complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners”’ (Luke 15:2 NKJV). And when it came to the woman at the well, they were right.

She’d been through five divorces and was the talk of the town because she was living with another man. Yet she was the first person to whom Jesus introduced Himself as the Messiah.

Why didn’t He do that when He called His disciples? Or performed His first miracle? Or interviewed Nicodemus? Because Jesus doesn’t measure you by your past or your pedigree – but by your potential. 2) Jesus changes you, then He uses you to change others.

This woman was the first person to share the gospel in Samaria, and ‘many…Samaritans…believed in Him because of the word of the woman’ (John 4:39 NKJV).

Out of your brokenness, God can use you to make others whole. 3) Jesus doesn’t need you to explain Him, just to introduce Him. He speaks for Himself.

The Bible says: ‘Many more believed because of His own word…They said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ”’ (vv. 41-42 NKJV). Today share your faith with someone.

2 Sam 21-22, Acts 1

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Today share your faith with someone
‘A woman of Samaria came to draw water.’
John 4:7
The UCB Word for Today - 15 May 2017

One day Jesus met a woman who’d come to draw water from a well. After five failed marriages, her trust in men was zero – and her self-esteem was minus zero!

But after her encounter with Christ, she left the well radically changed. When it comes to sharing our faith, we learn three important lessons from her story: 1) Jesus sees the best in everybody. ‘The Pharisees…complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners”’ (Luke 15:2 NKJV).

And when it came to the woman at the well, they were right. She’d been through five divorces and was the talk of the town because she was living with another man.

Yet she was the first person to whom Jesus introduced Himself as the Messiah. Why didn’t He do that when He called His disciples? Or performed His first miracle? Or interviewed Nicodemus? Because Jesus doesn’t measure you by your past or your pedigree – but by your potential. 2) Jesus changes you, then He uses you to change others.

This woman was the first person to share the gospel in Samaria, and ‘many…Samaritans…believed in Him because of the word of the woman’ (John 4:39 NKJV). Out of your brokenness, God can use you to make others whole. 3) Jesus doesn’t need you to explain Him, just to introduce Him. He speaks for Himself.

The Bible says: ‘Many more believed because of His own word…They said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ”’ (vv. 41-42 NKJV). Today share your faith with someone.

2 Sam 21-22, Acts 1

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

God is your unfailing source
‘The brook dried up.’

1 Kings 17:7
The UCB Word for Today - 17 May 2017

The psalmist wrote, ‘Joyful are those…whose hope is in the LORD their God’ (Psalm 146:5 NLT). One author writes: ‘Sometimes when there’s not enough money to make ends meet, people tell us to budget and we chuckle.
We look at the situation and say, “No way.” That’s the time to trust God.

Your possibilities aren’t limited by past or present circumstances. If there’s not enough to pay legitimate expenses, do your best and then let go.

Trust God to supply your need, then look beyond your wallet. Look to your source.

Claim a divine, unlimited supply. Do your part. Strive for financial responsibility in thought and action. Ask for wisdom, and listen to God’s leadings.

Then let go of your fears and your need to control. We all know money is a necessary part of living – and so does God.’ F. B. Meyer said: ‘The education of our faith is incomplete till we learn that God’s providence works through loss …There’s a ministry to us through the failure and fading of things.

The dwindling brook where Elijah sat is a picture of our lives! “Some time later the brook dried up” (1 Kings 17:7 NIV 2011 Edition) is the history of our yesterdays and the prophecy of our tomorrows.

We must learn the difference between trusting in the gift and trusting in the giver.

The gift may last for a season, but the giver is eternal. If the Lord had led Elijah directly to the widow at Zarephath, he’d have missed something that helped make him a better man – living by faith.

Whenever our earthly resources dry up, it’s so we may learn that our hope and health are in God.’

1 King 1-2, Acts 2:22-47

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

The qualities of a spiritual leader
‘Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honour.’

1 Timothy 5:17
The UCB Word for Today - 18 May 2017

To be a spiritual leader worth following: 1) You must be accountable to someone.

Someone who knows you well enough to pray with you, strengthen you in your vulnerable areas, and counsel you on important decisions.

Authority without accountability inevitably leads to disaster. 2) Your personal priorities must be in order. Priorities have a way of slipping. Too many of us become successful at the cost of a broken home and failing health.

Why? Because we allowed our priorities to slip. 3) Your walk with God must be consistent. David said, ‘Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You’ (Psalm 119:11 NASB).

A disciplined daily walk with God is your best protection against sin. If instead of spending time with God you’re spending it on things that have become more important, it should alarm you.

Pay particular attention to the word ‘treasured’. It means to value and protect something, and let nothing threaten it.

Take time to pray and read your Bible every day – and guard that time with your life. Give God your mind every morning when it’s fresh.

And if you’re a pastor, your first calling isn’t the building project, the board, or the budget, it’s ‘feed my sheep’ (John 21:16 KJV). If Saturday finds you searching for a sermon outline on the Internet, make some changes.

Delegate secondary things and get back to putting first things first. ‘Seek out from among you…men…whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and…ministry of the word’ (Acts 6:3-4 NKJV).

1 King 3-5, Acts 3

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

How change happens (1)
‘We are changed into his glorious image.’

2 Corinthians 3:18
The UCB Word for Today - 19 May 2017

Change happens through crisis. God changed Jacob’s name, which means ‘deceiver’, to Israel, which means ‘a prince with God’. And He did it through crisis.

Realising he had to go home and face the wrath of his brother Esau, whom he’d mistreated, Jacob became desperate.

That night in his tent he wrestled with the angel of the Lord. And the change in his life didn’t come quickly or easily, because we’re told he wrestled until daybreak.

But suddenly it dawned on Jacob that he was wrestling with God, and it was a fight he couldn’t win. Likewise, God will let you wrestle with an issue you can’t resolve, to get your attention.

He’ll bring you to the place where you must concede, ‘I can’t handle this situation. It’s too big for me. I need God!’ If that’s where you are today, you’re on the cusp of a breakthrough.

If you’re asking God to make you comfortable in the mess you’re in, forget it – it’s not going to happen. ‘As an eagle stirs up its nest…so the LORD alone led him’ (Deuteronomy 32:11-12 NKJV).

A mother eagle withholds food from her children to persuade them to leave the nest and learn to fly.

Can you imagine what they’re thinking? ‘It’s my mother doing this to me!’ And God will do the same to you. He’ll allow a crisis in order to get your attention.

He knows you won’t change until your fear of change is surpassed by the pain you’re experiencing.

Bottom line: ‘The Lord – who is the Spirit – makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.’

1 King 6-7, Acts 4:1-22

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

How change happens (2)
‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’

Genesis 32:26

Change happens through commitment. When Jacob realised he was wrestling with the angel of the Lord, he said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’ That’s what it takes – commitment.

Jacob was committed and persistent; he stuck with it until he worked his way through it. He didn’t like where he was any more than you do. It was frustrating and it was getting him down.

But he was totally committed to sticking with it until God turned it around for his good. When God gets our attention through a crisis, He doesn’t always solve it immediately; sometimes He waits to see whether we really mean business.

We’re so conditioned to instant everything – instant food, instant Internet access, instant success – that when we don’t get an immediate answer to our prayer or an instant turnaround we say, ‘Forget it, God.’ The fact is you didn’t get into this mess overnight, and you won’t get out of it overnight.

Sometimes God has to remove our weaknesses layer by layer. Experts tell us it takes six weeks of doing the same thing every day before it becomes a habit.

Think of that in terms of developing the habit of praying and reading your Bible each day, or relearning to love your spouse.

That’s six weeks…forty-two days…over a thousand hours…and Satan will fight you at every turn.

So what should you do? Spend time with God. ‘They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint’ (Isaiah 40:31 KJV).

1 King 8-9, Acts 4:23-37

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

How change happens (4)
‘Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face.”’

Genesis 32:30
The UCB Word for Today - 22 May 2017

Change happens through cooperation. God started changing Jacob the moment he admitted who he was and began to cooperate with His plan.

Jacob named the place where he wrestled with the angel ‘Peniel’, meaning ‘the face of God’. Each of us must eventually come face to face with God, and when we do He can change us. In essence God told Jacob, ‘Now we can get down to business.

Cooperate, and trust Me. I’ll make the changes you want, and I’ll bless you.’ Notice: God didn’t say, ‘Try hard and use your willpower to become perfect.’ That doesn’t work, and God knows it.

Willpower alone doesn’t bring lasting change in our lives. It just deals with the outward circumstances. Internal motivation brings about lasting change, and that’s what God works on.

He told Jacob, ‘Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel’ (v. 28 NIV 2011 Edition). Jacob would never be the same. Once you have a personal encounter with the living God, He changes you.

He changed Jacob from a ‘cheater’ to a ‘prince’. God saw his potential.

He looked beyond the tough exterior of a guy who portrayed himself as hardened and worldly-wise.

God saw all Jacob’s weaknesses, but He also saw beneath the surface: ‘That’s not the real you, Jacob, you’re actually an Israel – a prince.’ And the same goes for each of us: ‘We are…heirs…and joint heirs with Christ…that we may…be glorified together’ (Romans 8:16-17 NKJV). In the words of Paul: ‘He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ’ (Philippians 1:6 NIV 2011 Edition).

1 King 10-11, Acts 5:1-20