[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Love your church (3)

‘We have this treasure in earthen vessels.’
2 Corinthians 4:7 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 28 Mar 2018

Christians aren’t perfect! Here’s why:

1) Because they’re human. Yet with full knowledge of our highest potential and our lowest proclivities, God loves us unconditionally.

The Bible says, ‘We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.’ And guess what?

Every time you meet treasure, you bump into the earthen vessel. An earthen vessel is just a clay pot, and when it’s cracked – it’s a cracked pot!

That shouldn’t discourage you; it should give you hope and cause you to say, ‘If God can use that old cracked pot, He can use me too!’

2) Because they’re spiritually depleted. The saying goes, ‘When your outgoing exceeds your income, your upkeep becomes your downfall.’

It happens to the best-intentioned among us. In the Old Testament a soldier was commanded to deliver a prisoner to a certain destination.

His orders were clear: ‘Lose the prisoner and you’ll lose your life.’ The soldier lost his prisoner and paid with his life.

What happened? ‘While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone’ (1 Kings 20:40 NKJV). So pay attention to your spiritual life and don’t let it get depleted.

3) Because they’re asleep spiritually. It was while Samson slept that Delilah shaved the locks of power off his head and delivered him to his enemies.

And it was while the servants slept that an enemy sowed tares among the wheat and the harvest was lost. Two things you must stay alert to are – sin and righteousness. ‘Awake to righteousness, and do not sin’ (1 Corinthians 15:34 NKJV).


Deuteronomy 25-27, Mark 14:27-52

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

The pluses and minuses of role models

‘By the grace of God I am what I am.’
1 Corinthians 15:10 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 29 Mar 2018

We all need good role models. But when you devote your life to being like somebody else, you risk becoming something God doesn’t want you to be.

Always remember, your ‘heroes’ wrestle with blind spots and character flaws too. Paul said, ‘I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God’ (v. 9 NIV 2011 Edition).

The same thing with Peter: when Cornelius sent for him, we’re told that as he ‘entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself”’ (Acts 10:25-26 NIV 2011 Edition).

If you’re successful in life, you’ll adopt that same attitude. The danger in hero worship comes from forfeiting your individuality and missing the path God has mapped out for you personally.

Some of the lessons God teaches us may be similar, but another person’s purpose, gifting, journey, and time-frame will be different from yours. For example, a friend starts a business and makes money, but when you quit your job and follow in his footsteps you go broke.

Or a co-worker wears something that looks great on her, but on you the same outfit looks like a sack tied in the middle. God is ‘jealous’ concerning you (see Deuteronomy 4:24). Why? Because He wants to protect you from anything that would rob you of your uniqueness, or threaten your relationship with Him.

Bottom line: if you want to be on safe ground, make Jesus your role model and you’ll win every time.


Deuteronomy 28-29, Mark 14:53-72

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Theory or Truth (1)

‘We believe that Jesus died and rose again.
1 Thessalonians 4:14 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 30 Mar 2018

Let’s look at some theories peddled by those who’ve tried to deny the resurrection. Some say that because the Gospels were written two to three hundred years after the event, the story was either falsified or embellished.

But archaeology disproves that. Now we know that the Gospels go back to the authors whose names they bear, and that the testimony of the resurrection goes back to the decade in which it took place.

So, there was no time for legend to develop! Some say that the disciples experienced visions or hallucinations because Christ promised to rise from the dead and they fully expected Him to.

But in the history of hallucinations there is no incident where five hundred people from different backgrounds ever saw the same vision at the same time.

And what about the two disciples on the Emmaus Road who walked and talked with Christ after His resurrection, then ate supper with Him (see Luke 24:13)? Were they hallucinating too?

When Peter preached on the day of Pentecost about his ‘great hallucination’, he was standing only ten minutes away from the tomb (see Acts 2:24). Thousands of people believed; others heard it and didn’t believe.

Did no one think of walking down the street to check it out? Certainly those conspiring Sadducees would have taken every opportunity to show that this was simply a hallucination.

On coastlines there are lighthouses shining, and attracted by the light, birds fly into them only to end up wounded or dead. That reminds us of the critics of Christ’s resurrection, doesn’t it?

Deuteronomy 30-31, Mark 15:1-24

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Theory or Truth (2)

‘Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple [body], and I will raise it again in three days.”’
John 2:19 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 31 Mar 2018

Let’s examine another theory put forth by those who try to disprove the truth of Christ’s bodily resurrection: the ‘Swoon Theory’. In his book, The Passover Plot, Hugh J. Schonfield theorises that Jesus simply swooned, was taken down from the cross, and thought to be dead.

Then in the coolness of the tomb He revived, came out, and convinced His disciples that He’d actually risen from the dead. It raises some interesting questions. For example, how come for eighteen hundred years prior to this theory, neither friends nor foes of Christianity ever mentioned it?

And what about the Roman centurion who pierced Christ’s side with a spear, and blood and water came out – empirical evidence that life ceased because the blood had separated into its constituent elements?

And what about the testimony of the centurion sent by Pilate: a man who dealt and trafficked in death, whose business it was as an executioner to know that Jesus was dead? Then there’s the question of the grave clothes. Jews customarily wrapped dead bodies in grave clothes and used a hundred pounds of spices between the folds, sealing the garments around the corpse, like a mummy.

The head was also wrapped. How could Jesus have breathed?

And how could a man in such a weakened condition remove the great boulder that sealed His tomb and overcome the Roman guards? It takes more faith to believe that than it does to believe the truth of what really happened! Christ is risen!

Deuteronomy 32-34, Mark 15:25-47

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Theory or Truth (3)

‘He was raised to life to make us right with God.’
Romans 4:25 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 01 April 2018

The Great Houdini promised he’d come back from the dead and talk to his friends. Some actually consulted mediums to see if there was any word from beyond the grave.

But there wasn’t! Only one man who promised to rise from the dead, kept his promise. Jesus!

And He did it ‘to make us right with God’. Business transactions in Bible days were relatively uncomplicated.

Once the seller laid down a price and the buyer picked it up, the deal was done. On Good Friday Jesus laid down the price, on Easter Sunday God picked it up, and your salvation was paid for.

But the greatest proof of the resurrection is found in the transformed lives of people all over the world. The songwriter put it like this: ‘You ask me how I know He lives?

He lives within my heart!’ In one of His final appearances recorded in the book of Revelation, Jesus announced: ‘I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore…Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die’ (Revelation 1:18; John 11:26 KJV).

Today Christ stands knocking at the door of your heart, saying, ‘If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in’ (Revelation 3:20 KJV). Unless you know Christ personally as your Saviour, you’re without hope in this world and the one to come.

The resurrection of Christ is your only hope. Without that you have nothing to look forward to but a hole in the ground.

So today repent of your sins and place your trust in the One who died and rose again for you.

Luke 6:1-26, Psalm 33-34

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Lead your children to Christ

‘Memorise his laws and tell them to your children over and over.’
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 CEV

The UCB Word for Today - 02 April 2018

It’s not easy being a Christian parent in a world where peer pressure feels as if it’s crushing down on you at a million pounds per square inch; where values are at an all-time low and immorality at an all-time high. But with God’s help you can do it!

To lead your children to Christ, do these five things: 1) Begin when they’re young, and read Bible stories to them each night.

Let them hear you pray for them to know Jesus personally, constantly thanking Him for dying for their sins.

2) As you take them to church, explain what the various rituals and seasons (Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, Easter, and Christmas) represent, and why they’re observed and celebrated.

3) Be sensitive to every spiritual question they ask, and take the time to answer their questions in a way they can understand.

4) Buy them Christian DVDs and cartoons that will present Bible truths on their level.

5) Trust the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom at the right time to present the gospel to them, and pray for their salvation continuously. On one occasion D.L. Moody reported ‘two and one-half conversions’ at a service he conducted.

Someone said, ‘I suppose you mean two adults and one child.’ ‘No,’ Mr Moody replied. ‘I mean two children and one adult.

The children can give their whole lives to God, but an adult has only half a life left to give.’ And remember, the things we learn best are the things we hear most. So: ‘Memorise his laws and tell them to your children over and over.’

Joshua 1-3, Mark 16

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Do something about it!

‘He has created us anew…so we can do the good things he planned for us.’
Ephesians 2:10 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 03 April 2018

The Bible says God ‘created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago’. These are devastating times.

A billion people are hungry, millions are trafficked in slavery, and pandemic diseases are gouging entire nations. Each year nearly two million children are exploited in the global sex trade.

In the few minutes it took you to read today’s devotional, almost ninety children died of preventable diseases. More than half of all Africans don’t have access to modern health facilities.

As a result, ten million die each year from diarrhoea, acute respiratory illness, malaria, and measles. And many of those deaths could be prevented by one injection.

You ask, ‘What can I do about it?’ God answers prayer, so you can pray for those who are suffering. You can give, whether it’s a lot or a little.

And you can volunteer. You’re surrounded by great causes in need of people.

And here’s why you should get involved: your life is racing by, and if you aren’t careful, one day you’ll look up and your one shot at life will have passed you by. Some people don’t concern themselves with such thoughts.

They grind through their days without lifting their eyes to look. They live and die and never ask why.

If you want your life to matter, live it in such a way that the world will be glad you did. You were created and redeemed to ‘do the good things he planned for [you] long ago’.

And when you stand before God, He will ask you how well you carried out your assignment, and reward you accordingly.

Joshua 4-6, John 1:1-28

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

‘Here am I. Send Me!’

‘I said, “Here am I. Send me!”’
Isaiah 6:8 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 04 April 2018

Isaiah writes, ‘Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” He said, “Go…!”’ (vv. 8-9 NIV 2011 Edition).

In the preceding Scriptures Isaiah was making all sorts of excuses and telling God why he wasn’t qualified to do the job. But in God’s kingdom, calling trumps credentials every time!

And the litmus test isn’t experience or expertise, it’s availability and teachability. If you are willing to go when God gives you the green light, He will take you to inaccessible places and do impossible things.

Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Esther, Moses, Samuel, David, and Isaiah all have one thing in common. They all said, ‘Here am I.’

Isn’t it ironic that we spend so much time and energy trying to figure out how to get to where God wants us to go, when all we have to do is simply say, ‘Here am I’? It’s God’s job to get us to where He wants us to go; our job is to make ourselves available.

Like a doctor on call or a police officer on duty or a firefighter on shift, it’s our readiness to respond that God is looking for. Sometimes it’s a simple prompting to go out of our way and love our next-door neighbour.

Sometimes it’s a calling to move halfway around the world. But it always starts with the little three-word prayer of availability: ‘Here am I.’

That’s what Moses said at the burning bush. That’s what Caleb said when he finally set foot in the Promised Land. And that’s what God wants you to say today.

Joshua 7-9, John 1:29-51

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Chosen and appointed by God (1)

‘I chose you and appointed you.
John 15:16 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 05 April 2018

Jesus said, ‘You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain.’ How you begin a relationship is important.

All parties need to feel secure in order for it to go well. For example, when you’re invited to somebody’s home for dinner, it’s reasonable to expect that they’ll fulfil certain social obligations.

You shouldn’t have to wonder if you’re welcome, or if there’ll be enough food to go around, or if there’s a place at the table for you. Those are things you might be concerned about if you stopped by uninvited.

Likewise, knowing you’ve been ‘chosen and appointed’ by God gives you confidence. It means you’re accepted; you don’t have to campaign to get elected.

If you think walking to a church altar to commit your life to Christ means you chose God, think again! God chose you for two reasons: to bless you, and to make you a blessing to others (see Genesis 12:2).

But in the beginning not all His blessings may be things you rejoice about. The Bible speaks of blessings ‘you won’t have room enough to receive’ (see Malachi 3:10).

Sometimes God’s blessings are so overwhelming that when He starts pouring them out you think, ‘I’m not sure I can handle this.’ And you’d be right – if you had been the one who initiated the relationship!

But you didn’t choose God, He chose you. And whomever He calls, He equips.

All you need to do is be open and responsive. ‘Give yourselves completely…be tools in the hands of God, to be used for his good purposes’ (Romans 6:13 TLB).

Joshua 10-12, John 2

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Chosen and appointed by God (2)

‘You are now fully adopted as his own.’
Galatians 4:5 MSG

The UCB Word for Today - 06 April 2018

The word ‘appointed’ means God has scheduled certain things to take place in your life at certain seasons. Sometimes people have to make lifestyle adjustments to accommodate an unexpected pregnancy – but nobody adopts a child by accident.

Think: knowing in advance about all your weaknesses, God chose you anyway. ‘You are now fully adopted as his own…an heir, with complete access’ (vv. 5-7 MSG).

You never have to wonder whether it’s okay to approach your heavenly Father because He’s always ready to welcome you. Your seat is reserved at the table.

‘You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies’ (Psalm 23:5 NIV 2011 Edition). That means obstacles and opposition can’t rob you of God’s blessing.

Being ‘chosen and appointed’ is like having a platinum credit card: you get preferential treatment! But that doesn’t give you licence to live however you please.

Some of us are like the little boy who prayed, ‘Lord, make me a good boy. But if You can’t, don’t worry – I’m having a great time the way I am!’

No, ‘the Lord disciplines those he loves, and…accepts as a son’ (Hebrews 12:6 NIV 1984 Edition). And God’s correction isn’t rejection, it’s proof of His love!

You’re not chosen and appointed based on your race, virtues, gifts, talents, looks, and intelligence. God chose you because He loves you and has a special plan for your life.

And the best part is, He’s going to strengthen and equip you to fulfil it. ‘He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion’ (Philippians 1:6 NIV 2011 Edition).

Joshua 13-15, John 3:1-21