12-06-2017, 08:43 PM
I have been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus. Amen
|
Thread Rating:
The Word For Today-A Daily Update
|
13-06-2017, 02:14 PM
TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY
Today God is with you
‘But they were not able to recognise who he was.’
Luke 24:16
The UCB Word for Today - 13 Jun 2017
When you face a crisis it’s easy to lose perspective. It happened to two of Christ’s disciples on the Emmaus Road.
Discouraged about His death, they were ‘going over all these things that had happened. In the middle of their…questions, Jesus came up and walked along with them.
But they were not able to recognise who he was’ (vv. 14-16 MSG). When you take your eyes off Jesus, you start to feel helpless about your situation.
Dr Michael Youssef says: ‘Facing a major crisis, I tend to be the kind of person whose vision becomes blurred. My perceptions are shot.
My contemplations are one-sided. I often shut out the very people who can deliver me, just like those two disciples…Their vision was blurred about the person who was walking with them and talking to them.
The one whose death they were mourning was alive…but they didn’t realise it because their focus was on the wrong thing.’ But everything changed the minute they recognised Jesus. ‘Within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem.
There…the two…told…how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along…and how they had recognised him as he was breaking the bread’ (vv. 33-35 NLT).
Note the words ‘within the hour’. In an instant they went from fear to courage, pain to joy, and despair to hope. Paul wrote, ‘I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened’ (Ephesians 1:18 NIV 2011 Edition).
When you stop focusing on the problem and fix your eyes on Jesus, you get 20/20 vision and you’re filled with hope.
1 Chron 10-12, Acts 16:1-21
Today God is with you
‘But they were not able to recognise who he was.’
Luke 24:16
The UCB Word for Today - 13 Jun 2017
When you face a crisis it’s easy to lose perspective. It happened to two of Christ’s disciples on the Emmaus Road.
Discouraged about His death, they were ‘going over all these things that had happened. In the middle of their…questions, Jesus came up and walked along with them.
But they were not able to recognise who he was’ (vv. 14-16 MSG). When you take your eyes off Jesus, you start to feel helpless about your situation.
Dr Michael Youssef says: ‘Facing a major crisis, I tend to be the kind of person whose vision becomes blurred. My perceptions are shot.
My contemplations are one-sided. I often shut out the very people who can deliver me, just like those two disciples…Their vision was blurred about the person who was walking with them and talking to them.
The one whose death they were mourning was alive…but they didn’t realise it because their focus was on the wrong thing.’ But everything changed the minute they recognised Jesus. ‘Within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem.
There…the two…told…how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along…and how they had recognised him as he was breaking the bread’ (vv. 33-35 NLT).
Note the words ‘within the hour’. In an instant they went from fear to courage, pain to joy, and despair to hope. Paul wrote, ‘I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened’ (Ephesians 1:18 NIV 2011 Edition).
When you stop focusing on the problem and fix your eyes on Jesus, you get 20/20 vision and you’re filled with hope.
1 Chron 10-12, Acts 16:1-21
14-06-2017, 02:15 PM
TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY
Forgive – and set yourself free
‘Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.’
Ephesians 4:32
The UCB Word for Today - 14 Jun 2017
Years after her harrowing experience in a Nazi concentration camp, Corrie ten Boom was speaking in a church when she found herself standing face-to-face with a man who had been one of the cruellest guards she had ever met in the camps.
This man had humiliated and degraded both her and her sister, jeering at them and visually ‘raping’ them as they stood in the delousing shower.
Now he stood before her with an outstretched hand, asking, ‘Will you forgive me?’ Corrie said, ‘I stood there with coldness clutching at my heart, but I knew that the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.
I prayed, “Jesus, help me!” Woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me, and when I did I experienced an incredible thing.
The current started in my shoulder, raced down into my arm, and sprang into our clutched hands.
Then this warm reconciliation seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes. “I forgive you, brother,” I cried with my whole heart. For a long moment we grasped each other’s hands, the former guard and the former prisoner.
I have never known the love of God as intensely as I did in that moment.’ The Bible says, ‘Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you’ (Ephesians 4:32 KJV).
Who are you struggling to forgive today? Rise above your feelings and do it! When you do, you will set yourself free and be able to walk in the peace and joy of the Lord.
1 Chron 13-15, Acts 16:22-40
Forgive – and set yourself free
‘Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.’
Ephesians 4:32
The UCB Word for Today - 14 Jun 2017
Years after her harrowing experience in a Nazi concentration camp, Corrie ten Boom was speaking in a church when she found herself standing face-to-face with a man who had been one of the cruellest guards she had ever met in the camps.
This man had humiliated and degraded both her and her sister, jeering at them and visually ‘raping’ them as they stood in the delousing shower.
Now he stood before her with an outstretched hand, asking, ‘Will you forgive me?’ Corrie said, ‘I stood there with coldness clutching at my heart, but I knew that the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.
I prayed, “Jesus, help me!” Woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me, and when I did I experienced an incredible thing.
The current started in my shoulder, raced down into my arm, and sprang into our clutched hands.
Then this warm reconciliation seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes. “I forgive you, brother,” I cried with my whole heart. For a long moment we grasped each other’s hands, the former guard and the former prisoner.
I have never known the love of God as intensely as I did in that moment.’ The Bible says, ‘Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you’ (Ephesians 4:32 KJV).
Who are you struggling to forgive today? Rise above your feelings and do it! When you do, you will set yourself free and be able to walk in the peace and joy of the Lord.
1 Chron 13-15, Acts 16:22-40
TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY
Trust in God’s goodness
‘The LORD is good.’
Nahum 1:7
The UCB Word for Today - 15 Jun 2017
The Bible says, ‘When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come…down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us…gods who can lead us”’ (Exodus 32:1 NLT).
Why did Israel make a golden calf? Because they wanted a god you can see. It’s harder to relate to an invisible God, and Moses, His representative, stayed on Mount Sinai so long they felt helpless and abandoned.
So they did what we do when we’re scared – resort to the comfort of the familiar. Mark D. Roberts writes: ‘How often do we find ourselves in a situation like the Israelites? We hear God’s call to something new, and boldly step out in faith.
But when we don’t sense His presence and our prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling, we feel abandoned, scared, and helpless. We grasp for the familiar.’ The Bible says, ‘The LORD is good…He cares for those who trust in him.’ Nancy Ortberg says: ‘The difficult parts of change are most often where God lives…All the things I glibly say, in change I have to live out…Most of us go kicking and screaming instead of moving into it with an assuredness that not only is God on the other side, but new facets of Him that we haven’t heretofore understood are also there.
Whether it’s the death of a loved one, a job loss, a move across the country, becoming an empty nester – if we allow ourselves to push through the difficult parts we’ll discover God is there…and He’s entirely, wonderfully, amazingly, good.’ When God closes one door, He opens another – but you must be willing to walk through it.
1 Chron 16-18, Acts 17:1-15
Trust in God’s goodness
‘The LORD is good.’
Nahum 1:7
The UCB Word for Today - 15 Jun 2017
The Bible says, ‘When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come…down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us…gods who can lead us”’ (Exodus 32:1 NLT).
Why did Israel make a golden calf? Because they wanted a god you can see. It’s harder to relate to an invisible God, and Moses, His representative, stayed on Mount Sinai so long they felt helpless and abandoned.
So they did what we do when we’re scared – resort to the comfort of the familiar. Mark D. Roberts writes: ‘How often do we find ourselves in a situation like the Israelites? We hear God’s call to something new, and boldly step out in faith.
But when we don’t sense His presence and our prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling, we feel abandoned, scared, and helpless. We grasp for the familiar.’ The Bible says, ‘The LORD is good…He cares for those who trust in him.’ Nancy Ortberg says: ‘The difficult parts of change are most often where God lives…All the things I glibly say, in change I have to live out…Most of us go kicking and screaming instead of moving into it with an assuredness that not only is God on the other side, but new facets of Him that we haven’t heretofore understood are also there.
Whether it’s the death of a loved one, a job loss, a move across the country, becoming an empty nester – if we allow ourselves to push through the difficult parts we’ll discover God is there…and He’s entirely, wonderfully, amazingly, good.’ When God closes one door, He opens another – but you must be willing to walk through it.
1 Chron 16-18, Acts 17:1-15
16-06-2017, 12:20 PM
TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY
Shalom
‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’
Exodus 33:14
The UCB Word for Today - 16 Jun 2017
The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. And apart from God it will always remain a pipe dream, a philosophical fantasy, or a tantalising fish that is just beyond your bait and hook.
Marriages go awry and fall apart because we look to an imperfect mate to give us the perfect peace we’re searching for, and we discover they can’t.
The story’s told of a woman at a cocktail party who was trying her best to look happy. Noticing the gargantuan sparkling rock on her finger, a guest exclaimed, ‘Wow! What a beautiful stone!’ She replied, ‘Thank you. It’s the Callahan diamond.’ The onlooker said, ‘I wish I had one!’ The woman replied, ‘No, you don’t.’ ‘Why not?’ he asked. ‘Because it comes with the Callahan curse,’ she replied. ‘The Callahan curse – what’s that?’ asked the questioner.
She sighed and said, ‘Mr Callahan!’ Perfect peace can only come from a perfect peace-giver, and the only one who meets that qualification is God.
Peace isn’t the absence of problems; it’s the presence of God in the midst of your problems. What’s more, nobody ever finds peace by looking for it.
Peace isn’t something you find; it finds you when you surrender your life to the One who said, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ Note the words ‘My Presence’. Only God’s presence can bring peace.
The assurance of God’s love, God’s help, and God’s presence is what takes the stress out of living.
Are you longing for peace today? When you surrender your life to Christ, you’ll ‘experience…peace…far more wonderful than the human mind can understand’ (Philippians 4:7 TLB).
1 Chron 19-21, Acts 17:16-34
Shalom
‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’
Exodus 33:14
The UCB Word for Today - 16 Jun 2017
The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. And apart from God it will always remain a pipe dream, a philosophical fantasy, or a tantalising fish that is just beyond your bait and hook.
Marriages go awry and fall apart because we look to an imperfect mate to give us the perfect peace we’re searching for, and we discover they can’t.
The story’s told of a woman at a cocktail party who was trying her best to look happy. Noticing the gargantuan sparkling rock on her finger, a guest exclaimed, ‘Wow! What a beautiful stone!’ She replied, ‘Thank you. It’s the Callahan diamond.’ The onlooker said, ‘I wish I had one!’ The woman replied, ‘No, you don’t.’ ‘Why not?’ he asked. ‘Because it comes with the Callahan curse,’ she replied. ‘The Callahan curse – what’s that?’ asked the questioner.
She sighed and said, ‘Mr Callahan!’ Perfect peace can only come from a perfect peace-giver, and the only one who meets that qualification is God.
Peace isn’t the absence of problems; it’s the presence of God in the midst of your problems. What’s more, nobody ever finds peace by looking for it.
Peace isn’t something you find; it finds you when you surrender your life to the One who said, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ Note the words ‘My Presence’. Only God’s presence can bring peace.
The assurance of God’s love, God’s help, and God’s presence is what takes the stress out of living.
Are you longing for peace today? When you surrender your life to Christ, you’ll ‘experience…peace…far more wonderful than the human mind can understand’ (Philippians 4:7 TLB).
1 Chron 19-21, Acts 17:16-34
17-06-2017, 06:29 PM
TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY
What’s slowing you down?
‘Let us strip off every weight that slows us down.’
Hebrews 12:1
The UCB Word for Today - 17 Jun 2017
The Bible says, ‘Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.
And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.’ What’s slowing you down, or tripping you up? In life you only get to run once, so run to win. To avoid stumbling and losing your place in the race, don’t look back.
You can’t change the past but you can learn from it. Don’t be anxious about the next lap, just focus on the next step. If you miss that, you may fall and not get up again.
Keep going, and before you know it you’ll have more laps behind you than ahead of you. Make every one count. Many of us carry the weight and worry of burdens.
But older and wiser people have come to understand their burdens are of no real importance. We waste our strength extinguishing fires that if left alone would burn out on their own. Time is your most valuable resource.
Save it, and you’ve increased your assets and decreased your liabilities. Travel light. Ditch the baggage of self-sabotaging habits and pointless fears.
There are enough painful trials in life; why endure the ones you can ‘strip off’? When blind Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was within reach, he threw off his coat so it wouldn’t trip him up, and ran towards Him. And his faith paid off: ‘Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus’ (Mark 10:52 NKJV).
You’ll never know how successful you can be until you get rid of the things that slow you down and trip you up.
1 Chron 22-24, Acts 18
What’s slowing you down?
‘Let us strip off every weight that slows us down.’
Hebrews 12:1
The UCB Word for Today - 17 Jun 2017
The Bible says, ‘Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.
And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.’ What’s slowing you down, or tripping you up? In life you only get to run once, so run to win. To avoid stumbling and losing your place in the race, don’t look back.
You can’t change the past but you can learn from it. Don’t be anxious about the next lap, just focus on the next step. If you miss that, you may fall and not get up again.
Keep going, and before you know it you’ll have more laps behind you than ahead of you. Make every one count. Many of us carry the weight and worry of burdens.
But older and wiser people have come to understand their burdens are of no real importance. We waste our strength extinguishing fires that if left alone would burn out on their own. Time is your most valuable resource.
Save it, and you’ve increased your assets and decreased your liabilities. Travel light. Ditch the baggage of self-sabotaging habits and pointless fears.
There are enough painful trials in life; why endure the ones you can ‘strip off’? When blind Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was within reach, he threw off his coat so it wouldn’t trip him up, and ran towards Him. And his faith paid off: ‘Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus’ (Mark 10:52 NKJV).
You’ll never know how successful you can be until you get rid of the things that slow you down and trip you up.
1 Chron 22-24, Acts 18
19-06-2017, 01:24 PM
TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY
Dad, bless your children!
‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’
Mark 2:5
The UCB Word for Today - 18 Jun 2017
Old Testament fathers placed their hands on their children’s heads and spoke certain promises over them, believing the blessing of God can be passed from one generation to another. It’s why ‘Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him’ (Genesis 28:1 KJV). It’s why Jacob refused to die before blessing his grandchildren (see Genesis 48:14). Children without caring, involved fathers often spend their whole lives searching for a sense of identity and self-worth. Increasingly they’re finding them in the company of rebellious peer groups, street gangs, drug dealers, and on social media and the Internet. And we see the results of it all around us. Instead of fulfilling their God-given destiny, these kids become defined and labelled by a lifestyle such as ‘runaway’, ‘convict’, ‘troublemaker’, ‘addict’, Before Tupac Shakur, the rap artist known for his violent song lyrics, was gunned down in 1996, he said, ‘I never knew my real father. I know for a fact that if I’d had a father, I’d have some discipline [and] more confidence. Your mother can calm you down, reassure you, show you where your manhood is. But you need a man to teach you how to be a man.’ When a man was brought to Him for healing, before Jesus forgave and healed him, He called him ‘son’. He didn’t say, ‘You’ve got to clean up your act,’ or ‘You must do things My way.’ No, He established a relationship with the man by showing him love and acceptance. And as a father you need to do the same. Loving and accepting your kids as they are, without conditions and condemnation, is the greatest gift you can give them.
Luke 11:1-28, Ps 63-65
Dad, bless your children!
‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’
Mark 2:5
The UCB Word for Today - 18 Jun 2017
Old Testament fathers placed their hands on their children’s heads and spoke certain promises over them, believing the blessing of God can be passed from one generation to another. It’s why ‘Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him’ (Genesis 28:1 KJV). It’s why Jacob refused to die before blessing his grandchildren (see Genesis 48:14). Children without caring, involved fathers often spend their whole lives searching for a sense of identity and self-worth. Increasingly they’re finding them in the company of rebellious peer groups, street gangs, drug dealers, and on social media and the Internet. And we see the results of it all around us. Instead of fulfilling their God-given destiny, these kids become defined and labelled by a lifestyle such as ‘runaway’, ‘convict’, ‘troublemaker’, ‘addict’, Before Tupac Shakur, the rap artist known for his violent song lyrics, was gunned down in 1996, he said, ‘I never knew my real father. I know for a fact that if I’d had a father, I’d have some discipline [and] more confidence. Your mother can calm you down, reassure you, show you where your manhood is. But you need a man to teach you how to be a man.’ When a man was brought to Him for healing, before Jesus forgave and healed him, He called him ‘son’. He didn’t say, ‘You’ve got to clean up your act,’ or ‘You must do things My way.’ No, He established a relationship with the man by showing him love and acceptance. And as a father you need to do the same. Loving and accepting your kids as they are, without conditions and condemnation, is the greatest gift you can give them.
Luke 11:1-28, Ps 63-65
TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY
Having the right attitude
‘You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.’
Philippians 2:5
The UCB Word for Today - 19 Jun 2017
How many jobs do people lose every day because of poor attitudes? How many are passed over for promotion because of the way they approach their work and the people around them? How many marriages fall apart? It would be impossible to calculate.
No one should ever lose a job, miss a promotion, or destroy a marriage because of a poor attitude.
Why? Because a person’s attitude isn’t set; it’s a choice. Chuck Swindoll writes: ‘Attitude, to me, is more important than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.
It’s more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…I’m convinced that life is 10 per cent what happens to me and 90 per cent how I react to it.
And so it is with you…We are in charge of our attitudes.’ Paul writes, ‘You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.’ He always approached people with love, grace, acceptance, and a heart to serve rather than be served.
So if your attitude hasn’t been as good as it could be, make this your starting point. Pray: ‘Father, give me a Christlike attitude towards everyone I meet.’
1 Chron 25-27, Acts 19:1-22
Having the right attitude
‘You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.’
Philippians 2:5
The UCB Word for Today - 19 Jun 2017
How many jobs do people lose every day because of poor attitudes? How many are passed over for promotion because of the way they approach their work and the people around them? How many marriages fall apart? It would be impossible to calculate.
No one should ever lose a job, miss a promotion, or destroy a marriage because of a poor attitude.
Why? Because a person’s attitude isn’t set; it’s a choice. Chuck Swindoll writes: ‘Attitude, to me, is more important than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.
It’s more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…I’m convinced that life is 10 per cent what happens to me and 90 per cent how I react to it.
And so it is with you…We are in charge of our attitudes.’ Paul writes, ‘You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.’ He always approached people with love, grace, acceptance, and a heart to serve rather than be served.
So if your attitude hasn’t been as good as it could be, make this your starting point. Pray: ‘Father, give me a Christlike attitude towards everyone I meet.’
1 Chron 25-27, Acts 19:1-22
20-06-2017, 01:56 PM
TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY
Know your calling (1)
‘What is that in your hand?’
Exodus 4:2
The UCB Word for Today - 20 Jun 2017
When God called Moses, one of the first questions He asked him was: ‘What is that in your hand?’ Moses was holding his shepherd’s staff – the one he used each day to lead and protect his sheep.
But God had a different plan for it – a greater one! He used it to part the Red Sea and lead Israel into the Promised Land.
When God asks you, ‘What is that in your hand?’ He wants you to think about your talents, experiences, relationships, education, resources, your mind and your temperament.
Dr Martin Seligman talks about our ‘signature strengths’. They fall into six categories: 1) Wisdom and knowledge.
These include things like curiosity, love of learning, sound judgement, and social intelligence. 2) Courage.
This includes perseverance and integrity. 3) Humanity. The capacity for kindness, and the ability to express mercy. 4) Justice.
The ability to bring about fairness and leadership. 5) Temperance. Qualities like self-control, prudence, and humility. 6) Transcendence. An appreciation for beauty, the expression of gratitude, the ability to hope, and the capacity for joy.
We all have the capacity for each of these strengths, but the ones that resonate most deeply within you are your ‘signature strengths’. Once you identify these you begin to understand your calling.
But be careful; the enemy wants to convince you that God can’t use you because of your weaknesses, when in fact the opposite is true.
Who can speak to those who are grieving better than those who’ve suffered loss? Chuck Colson was the chief White House lawyer until Watergate.
But only when he became a convict was he equipped to begin his ministry, Prison Fellowship. So, know your calling.
1 Chron 28-29, Acts 19:23-41
Know your calling (1)
‘What is that in your hand?’
Exodus 4:2
The UCB Word for Today - 20 Jun 2017
When God called Moses, one of the first questions He asked him was: ‘What is that in your hand?’ Moses was holding his shepherd’s staff – the one he used each day to lead and protect his sheep.
But God had a different plan for it – a greater one! He used it to part the Red Sea and lead Israel into the Promised Land.
When God asks you, ‘What is that in your hand?’ He wants you to think about your talents, experiences, relationships, education, resources, your mind and your temperament.
Dr Martin Seligman talks about our ‘signature strengths’. They fall into six categories: 1) Wisdom and knowledge.
These include things like curiosity, love of learning, sound judgement, and social intelligence. 2) Courage.
This includes perseverance and integrity. 3) Humanity. The capacity for kindness, and the ability to express mercy. 4) Justice.
The ability to bring about fairness and leadership. 5) Temperance. Qualities like self-control, prudence, and humility. 6) Transcendence. An appreciation for beauty, the expression of gratitude, the ability to hope, and the capacity for joy.
We all have the capacity for each of these strengths, but the ones that resonate most deeply within you are your ‘signature strengths’. Once you identify these you begin to understand your calling.
But be careful; the enemy wants to convince you that God can’t use you because of your weaknesses, when in fact the opposite is true.
Who can speak to those who are grieving better than those who’ve suffered loss? Chuck Colson was the chief White House lawyer until Watergate.
But only when he became a convict was he equipped to begin his ministry, Prison Fellowship. So, know your calling.
1 Chron 28-29, Acts 19:23-41
21-06-2017, 02:58 PM
TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY
Know your calling (2)
‘He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also.’
John 14:12
The UCB Word for Today - 21 Jun 2017
Your calling will always be connected to an unmet need or an opportunity to do good. It was in listening to the cries of an enslaved people that Moses discovered his calling.
So did William Wilberforce. He devoted his life to seeing slavery eradicated in Britain. Nelson Mandela was a lawyer with the potential to make money.
But he chose a different path – one that involved years of imprisonment. And when he was finally set free he didn’t seek vengeance, he sought justice and equality for his people, and changed his country.
Ezekiel writes: ‘I came to the exiles…And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days – overwhelmed. At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me’ (Ezekiel 3:15-16 NIV 1984 Edition).
If you want to discover your calling, start praying about situations that trouble you deeply. Usually we try to avoid discomfort, but if you sense that your calling involves helping the poor, spend time around those in poverty.
Allow your heart to be moved; carry within you the conviction that things must change, and keep praying, ‘Lord, make me a change agent.’ When Jesus called His disciples, He chose people from different backgrounds: a doctor, a government worker, a group of fishermen.
In essence He told them, ‘I believe in you. What I know I’ll teach you,’ and promised them that ‘he who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also.’ Bottom line: Jesus empowered His followers to go out and live like He did. And today that’s what He’s calling you to do.
2 Chron 1-3, Acts 20:1-16
Know your calling (2)
‘He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also.’
John 14:12
The UCB Word for Today - 21 Jun 2017
Your calling will always be connected to an unmet need or an opportunity to do good. It was in listening to the cries of an enslaved people that Moses discovered his calling.
So did William Wilberforce. He devoted his life to seeing slavery eradicated in Britain. Nelson Mandela was a lawyer with the potential to make money.
But he chose a different path – one that involved years of imprisonment. And when he was finally set free he didn’t seek vengeance, he sought justice and equality for his people, and changed his country.
Ezekiel writes: ‘I came to the exiles…And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days – overwhelmed. At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me’ (Ezekiel 3:15-16 NIV 1984 Edition).
If you want to discover your calling, start praying about situations that trouble you deeply. Usually we try to avoid discomfort, but if you sense that your calling involves helping the poor, spend time around those in poverty.
Allow your heart to be moved; carry within you the conviction that things must change, and keep praying, ‘Lord, make me a change agent.’ When Jesus called His disciples, He chose people from different backgrounds: a doctor, a government worker, a group of fishermen.
In essence He told them, ‘I believe in you. What I know I’ll teach you,’ and promised them that ‘he who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also.’ Bottom line: Jesus empowered His followers to go out and live like He did. And today that’s what He’s calling you to do.
2 Chron 1-3, Acts 20:1-16