[ebankole]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY
Being there (2)
26 MAY 2018
‘Offer each other a helping hand.’
Galatians 6:2 CEV
When a friend or family member is in a crisis, your aim should be to help them cope with it and grow through it. Sometimes that’s easier said than done! As their hurting hearts adjust to new and unfamiliar circumstances, they might be sceptical about whom to trust. But being there for them is what the kingdom of God is all about! ‘Carry each other’s burdens’ (v. 2 NIV). Your commitment can play a significant role in someone’s journey towards becoming emotionally healthy again. Here are three practical suggestions: 1) Don’t expect them to initiate contact. It’s common for people in crisis to withdraw rather than ask for help. Often they’re too distraught to know what they need, so you’ll probably have to make the first move. And please don’t feel like you have to be a professional. Two simple steps can make the hurting one feel valued and understood: a) Listen carefully to their concerns and perceptions. b) Maintain eye contact and show genuine interest. 2) Help reduce their anxiety. Offer a calming presence by inviting them to share their feelings. And if their viewpoint seems distorted, say something like, ‘May I suggest another way of looking at things?’ 3) Help them focus on what’s important. They’re feeling overwhelmed, so help them sort out the issues that need their immediate attention. Instead of rehashing the past and worrying about the future, encourage them to concentrate on the present and ‘live one day at a time’ (Matthew 6:34 TLB).

1 Kings 19-20, Acts 7:23-43

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Being there (3)

‘He brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person.’
2 Corinthians 1:4 MSG

The UCB Word for Today - 27 May 2018

One way to help a friend in crisis is to help them identify important resources – spiritual, personal, and interpersonal.

1) Spiritual resources. ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble’ (Psalm 46:1 RSV).

God’s Word illuminates the darkness and confusion. His Spirit is the source of all comfort – He gives ‘peace…which surpasses all understanding’ (Philippians 4:7 RSV).

His presence addresses the loneliness, and His power enables the hurting heart to overcome feelings of helplessness. People in crisis are often disoriented, which causes them to forget what God has already given them.

2) Personal resources. Remind them of their unique strengths and skills. Help them recall past triumphs when they successfully navigated through tough times.

Encourage a positive attitude that looks to the future rather than being paralysed by present pain. Most importantly, strengthen their faith with prayer and truths from God’s Word.

And last but not least, remind them of your support.

3) Interpersonal resources. Family members, friends, business associates, and neighbours are likely to be supportive, and community resources are also available for medical, financial, and material assistance.

The local church is another network source. People in crisis are often too embarrassed to ask for help; they feel like they should be able to handle their own problems.

Help them understand that you are blessed by giving, and that one day they too will have an opportunity to help ‘someone else who is going through hard times’.

Luke 9:37-62, Psalm 54-56

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Being there (4)

‘Share each other’s burdens.’
Galatians 6:2 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 28 May 2018

Dr Raymond Vath said, ‘We must do for others what they cannot do for themselves, but we must not do for them what they will not do for themselves. The problem is finding the wisdom to know the difference.’

You can be too helpful! By doing for somebody what they can do for themselves, you undermine their self-reliance and create an unhealthy dependence. So instead of rushing in and taking over:

1) Show them manageable action steps. By helping them take charge of their life you’re arming them against despair and powerlessness.

And by validating their efforts you’re helping them to rebuild their fragile confidence. A word of caution, however: when the crisis involves irreversible loss like divorce or death, the work of simply getting through one day at a time is action enough.

2) Give them hope. In the depth of crisis there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel – a sense that the suffering will go on endlessly. Growth and improvement can’t happen without hope.

Hope provides energy, and brings relief based on the conviction that things will improve. God promises, ‘I will bless you with a future filled with hope – a future of success, not…suffering’ (Jeremiah 29:11 CEV).

3) Be sure to follow up. Crises are seldom resolved quickly. Although life may eventually take on some semblance of normalcy, there may be episodes of relapse into sadness, helplessness, or loneliness.

Your words may bring comfort, but your ongoing attentiveness will help the hurting person maintain faith and progress in their journey to healing.

1 Kings 21-22, Acts 7:44-60

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

The resurrection – you can believe it!

‘He…presented Himself alive…by many infallible proofs.’
Acts 1:3 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 29 May 2018

Evidence of Christ’s resurrection has been examined more carefully than evidence of any other fact in history! It has been weighed and considered by some of the greatest scholars, among them Simon Greenleaf, who held first the Royall, and then the Dane professorships of law at Harvard University from 1833 to 1848.

He helped bring Harvard Law School to prominence, and is viewed as one of the greatest authorities on legal evidence in the history of the world. When Greenleaf turned his mind to the resurrection and examined it in light of all the laws of evidence, he concluded that it was a reality, that it was a historical event, and that anyone who honestly examined the evidence would be convinced this was the case.

And it was for Dr Frank Morison, a British lawyer/engineer who set out to write a book repudiating the resurrection of Christ. He did, in fact, write his book – but it wasn’t the book he intended to write!

As he examined the evidence, this sceptical lawyer found it so overwhelming that he was forced to accept it, and became a believer. The book he wrote, Who Moved the Stone?, details evidence of the resurrection, and the opening chapter is entitled ‘The Book That Refused to Be Written’.

A Union general in the Civil War, attorney Lew Wallace, also set out to write a book disproving the deity of Christ and His resurrection – and ended up defending it in his famous book Ben-Hur ,described as ‘the most influential book of the nineteenth century’. Christ arose!

Your redeemed loved ones will too, and you can spend eternity with them in God’s presence.

2 Kings 1-3, Acts 8:26-40

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Go on to maturity

‘Let us go on instead and become mature.’
Hebrews 6:1 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 30 May 2018

We all get the same 168 hours in our week. But if the only time you devote to your spiritual growth is the time you spend in church on Sunday morning, you’ll never move beyond spiritual infancy.

Think about it. An infant can’t feed itself; it chooses chocolate over carrots; it constantly falls down and has to be picked up; it keeps wandering off and getting into trouble; it’s basically self-centred and needs to be disciplined and trained.

Are you getting the picture? The new birth is exciting, but it’s supposed to be your launching pad, not your cot The Bible says, ‘Let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding.’

Note the words ‘Let us’. That means it’s up to you!

At some point you’ve got to say to yourself, ‘Starting today I’m going to do what it takes to grow up spiritually and discover God’s plan for my life.’ One day at the end of World War I, General Louis Lyautey asked his gardener to plant a particular type of tree on his estate.

The gardener informed him that the tree, being unusually slow to grow, would take nearly a century to reach maturity. ‘In that case,’ the general replied, ‘there’s no time to lose.

Plant it this afternoon!’ Here’s a fail-safe plan for growing into spiritual maturity: ‘They delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do’ (Psalm 1:2-3 NLT).

2 Kings 4-6, Acts 8:26-40

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Where is God in the storm?

‘When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.’
Acts 27:20 NIV


The UCB Word for Today - 31 May 2018

There are times when God seems inaccessible. When you pray, you feel abandoned in your present circumstances.

And not just abandoned, but terrified and even hopeless. Paul understood that feeling.

He’d longed for an opportunity to preach in Rome, and was on his way there when a hurricane destroyed his ship. Paul not only foresaw the loss of the ship, its crew and cargo, but ‘our own lives also’ (v. 10 NIV 2011 Edition).

He tried to warn the crew of the impending tragedy, but his words were disregarded by those in charge. In short, Paul and 276 others were placed in a life-threatening position by the wilful disregard of others, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Feeling a sense of despair, he and his believing companions declared, ‘We finally gave up all hope of being saved!’ Then after fourteen days lost at sea – when the hurricane was fiercest – God sent an angel.

‘Do not be afraid, Paul…God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you’ (v. 24 NIV 2011 Edition). When it looked like Paul’s consuming desire to preach in Rome would be thwarted, God faithfully piloted them through the storm to the exact destination He’d planned for them.

Paul would go to Rome and declare God’s Word before Caesar! Are you caught in a storm? Whatever trial you’re facing today, know this one thing: you can trust God to carry you through it.

He determines ‘the end from the beginning’ (Isaiah 46:10), so you will come out of this stronger and wiser.

2 Kings 7-9, Acts 9:1-22

[gracefilled]

He determines the end from the begining so I will come out of this stronger and wiser. Amen

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (1)

‘The king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon.’
Daniel 2:49 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 01 June 2018

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew if they refused to bow down to the ninety-foot-tall statue of King Nebuchadnezzar, they would be executed. But they made a defining decision to stand up for what was right, rather than bow down to what was wrong.

Most of us could have come up with a dozen rationalisations: ‘I’m bowing down on the outside, but I’m standing up on the inside,’ or ‘I’ll ask for forgiveness right after I get back up,’ or ‘What good am I to God if I’m dead?’ But it’s our rationalisations that often annul His revelations.

When we compromise our integrity, we don’t leave room for divine intervention.

When we take matters into our own hands, we take God out of the equation. When we try to manipulate a situation, we miss out on the miracle.

If Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had compromised their integrity and bowed to the statue, they may still have been delivered from the fiery furnace – but it would have been by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, not God. And it would have been from, not through.

They would have forfeited their testimony by failing the test. And while they would have saved their lives, they would have sacrificed their integrity.

It was their integrity that triggered the miracle. It was their integrity that allowed God to show up and show off.

Their integrity paid off: ‘Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon’ (Daniel 3:30 NIV 2011 Edition). Bottom line: when you do the right thing, God will do the right thing by you!

2 Kings 10-12, Acts 9:23-43

[gracefilled]

...when you do the right thing, God will do the right thing by you!

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (2)

‘Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high.’
Daniel 3:1 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 02 June 2018

It’s safe to say that anyone who builds a ninety-foot-tall statue to themselves is probably compensating for something. This statue was the epitome of pride.

We all have a little Nebuchadnezzar in us. We’d never build a ninety-foot-tall statue of ourselves, but we get upset when people don’t bow to our wishes.

We’d never throw someone into a fiery furnace, but our anger heats up when we don’t get our own way. We seek worship in more subtle ways.

We exaggerate on our CV, put down others behind their back, and tell white lies to hide the grey areas of our lives. If you don’t find your identity and security in what Christ has accomplished for you on the cross, you’ll hide your insecurities behind your hypocrisy.

You’ll try to fight your own battles, create your own opportunities, and establish your own reputation. Two Scriptures define the fall of King Saul:

1) ‘Then Saul built an altar to the LORD’ (1 Samuel 14:35 NLT). 2) ‘Saul…set up a monument to himself’ (1 Samuel 15:12 NLT).

And Samuel saw right through the smoke screen: ‘Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel?’ (1 Samuel 15:17 NLT). You know who builds monuments to themselves?

Those who think little of themselves! And the more insecure a person is, the more monuments they need to build.

There’s a fine line between ‘Thy kingdom come’ and ‘My kingdom come’. If you cross that line, your relationship with God is self-serving.

You aren’t serving Him, you are using Him. You aren’t building altars to God; you’re building monuments to yourself. And that’s idolatry.

2 Kings 13-14, Acts 10:1-23

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Be creative

‘They made an opening in the roof.’
Mark 2:4 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 03 June 2018

Mary Engelbreit always wanted to illustrate children’s books, but a school guidance counsellor told her, ‘You can’t do that. Be practical.

Get a degree and teach.’ Mary started working at an art shop, learned all about the business, and got to know artists who made a living doing what they loved.

Bolstered by the support of her parents, she told herself, ‘You can become an artist. If you can imagine it, you can achieve it.’ By refusing to let obstacles on the conventional path to success hold her back, Engelbreit became a nationally recognised artist and launched her own magazine.

Proust said, ‘The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.’ Learn to think outside the box, and remember, inspiration comes with perspiration!

Expect problems, and don’t let them weaken your resolve. Four men who couldn’t get their paralysed friend to Jesus because of the crowd ‘made an opening in the roof…lowered the mat the man was lying on’.

Jesus saw faith in action, and rewarded it by healing the man. You can find a way around almost anything when you give legs to your prayers and persevere.

Rebecca Barlow Jordan says: ‘True creativity doesn’t stop at the stage of inspiration. Many wannabes have tried and failed, because they failed to overcome the hindrances.

The true artist sees the completed picture by faith. All of us are artists, and God has work for us to do.

[He] encourages us to enjoy the fruits of our labour. But the true blessing comes not just in knowing we’ve overcome…[it’s] when creativity validates its divine origin and brings honour to God.’

Luke 10:1-24, Psalm 57-59