[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

You are gifted by God (3)

‘The body is not made up of one part but of many.’
1 Corinthians 12:14 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 23 JAN 2021

You cannot determine your spiritual gift any more than you can determine your eye colour. The Holy Spirit gives us His gifts ‘as He wills’ (v. 11 NKJV).

Notice three things:

1) We are different from one another. ‘A body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body’ (v. 12 NIV). Why are there different gifts? Because there are different needs!

2) We are dependent on one another. It takes every part working together to have a healthy body that will function properly.

Paul writes: ‘The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”’ (v. 21 NIV). Not only is every member of the body equally needed, they are equally important.

Some of us are verbal and others are quiet. Some are dynamic and others laid back.

Some are leaders and others followers. Some are high profile and others are inconspicuous.

But all of us are equally needed and equally important. It doesn’t matter who gets the credit, as long as the job gets done and God gets the glory.

3) We are to be devoted to one another. ‘God has put the body together…so that there should be no division…but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it.

Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a part of it’ (vv. 24-27 NIVUK).

Genesis 49-50, Matthew 13:31-58

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Personal growth (1)

‘Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding.’
Proverbs 3:13 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 24 JAN 2021

Here are three reasons we don’t experience personal growth:

1) We think it comes strictly from experience. Believing personal growth comes only from experience, is like an archer shooting arrows off-target and thinking he’s improving simply because he keeps on shooting.

Experience is only profitable if you learn from it and start hitting your target. Pulitzer prize-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti said, ‘Hell begins on the day God grants us a clear vision of all we might have achieved…the gifts we wasted…and all we might have done but didn’t do.’

Don’t end your life regretting the time and opportunities you wasted. Use every opening God gives you to grow, starting today.

2) We think growth comes strictly from information. Have you ever known someone who was absolutely brilliant yet never seemed to accomplish anything of benefit for God, themselves, or others?

They’re like an encyclopaedia filled with knowledge that has no value because it’s never used. The greatest obstacle to personal growth isn’t ignorance; it’s the illusion of knowledge!

The Bible says, ‘Be…doers of the word, and not hearers only’ (James 1:22 KJV).

3) We assume growth is automatic. When we are children growth comes naturally.

During that time there are parents, coaches, and teachers challenging us to develop on a daily basis, so we get used to growth. The problem comes when we get out of school and nobody is pushing us to grow or go any further.

The price of growth is always less than the cost of ignorance and stagnation. And the truth is, if you don’t take responsibility for your personal growth – it won’t happen!

Luke 1:57-80, Psalms 10-12

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Personal growth (2)

‘The LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.’
Proverbs 2:6 NIVr.

The UCB Word for Today - 25 JAN 2021

Personal growth involves four things.

1) Environment. You must place yourself in a setting that fosters growth.

Certain fish grow according to the size of their surroundings. If you keep them in a small tank they stay small, but when you release them into the ocean they grow to their intended size.

The same principle applies to you. You must spend your time with the right crowd, in the right place, doing the right things, in order to grow.

2) Strength. Author and leadership expert Peter Drucker said: ‘The great mystery isn’t that people do things badly, but that they occasionally do a few things well.

The only thing that’s universal is incompetence. Strength is always specific!’

When you try to be good at everything, you end up being good at nothing. God gave you specific strengths – identify them and use them.

3) Change. Most of us want things to get better without having to change anything.

The Bible says, ‘Let us…be taken forward to maturity’ (Hebrews 6:1 NIV). To grow, you must commit yourself to not only accepting change, but to pursuing it.

4) Enjoyment. Most grandmasters of chess learn and relearn their moves over a period of fifteen years before winning their first world title.

That’s almost one-fifth of their lives! If you’re going to spend that much time doing something, you’d better enjoy it!

If the destination appeals to you but you’re not enjoying the journey, you’d be wise to seek God’s guidance and make sure you’re heading in the right direction. If you’re on the wrong train, don’t keep going – get off at the next station!

Exodus 1-3, Matthew 14:1-21

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Lean on God’s presence and His people

‘He is not far from each one of us.’
Acts 17:27 NKJV.

The UCB Word for Today - 26 JAN 2021

The Bible says God ‘is not far from each one of us’! God does not play favourites. From the masses on the city streets to the isolated villagers in valleys and jungles, all people can enjoy God’s presence. But many don’t.

They plod through life as if there were no God to love them. As if their only strength was their own.

As if the only solution comes from within, not above. They live godless lives. But you don’t have to do that. You can:

1) Lean on God’s presence. ‘For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you”’ (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV).

2) Lean on God’s people. ‘For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them’ (Matthew 18:20 NKJV).

When Moses and the Israelites battled the Amalekites, God commissioned Joshua to lead the fight in the valley below while Moses ascended the hill to pray. But he did not go alone.

He took his two lieutenants, Aaron and Hur. While Joshua led the physical combat, Moses engaged in a spiritual fight.

Aaron and Hur stood on either side of their leader to hold up his arms in the battle of prayer. The Israelites prevailed because Moses prayed, and Moses prevailed because he had others to pray with him.

Just as an army calls in air support, you can call in prayer support. Jesus said, ‘If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven’ (v. 19 NKJV).

So lean on God’s presence and His people.

Exodus 4-6, Matthew 14:22-36

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Think realistically (1)

‘Don’t begin until you count the cost.’
Luke 14:28 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 27 JAN 2021

Reality is the difference between what you wish for – and what is. If you’re a naturally optimistic person you may find it difficult to think realistically.

Indeed, you may think it’s the opposite of having faith. No, faith doesn’t deny the problem, it connects you with God through whose strength you can overcome.

Here are two things that thinking realistically will do for you:

1) Minimise unnecessary risks. All actions have consequences.

Thinking realistically will help you determine what those consequences could be. This is particularly important when your actions affect others.

The old motto, ‘expect the best but plan for the worst’, has merit. By thinking that way you minimise unnecessary risks.

It gives you a goal, with a plan to reach it. Here’s the good news: you need a sense of hope in order to succeed. Here’s the bad news: hope is not a strategy.

2) Show you what needs to be changed. People who rely solely on hope for their success, rarely make change a high priority.

If you only have hope, you imply that success is out of your hands. It’s a matter of luck and chance – so why bother changing.

There’s nothing like reality staring you in the face, to help you see what needs to be changed. Change alone doesn’t bring growth, but you cannot have growth without change.

Following Christ is the most blessed and joyful life you can live, but there’s a price to be paid for it. And Jesus was realistic about it: ‘If you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple…Don’t begin until you count the cost’ (vv. 14:27-28 NLT).

Exodus 7-8, Matthew 15:1-20

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Think realistically (2)

‘A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.’
Proverbs 22:3 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 28 JAN 2021

Here are three things realistic thinking will do for you:

1) It will give you a sense of security. When you have thought through the worst that can happen and developed contingency plans to meet it, you become more confident and secure.

It’s reassuring to know that you are unlikely to be surprised. Disappointment is the difference between expectations and reality. Thinking realistically minimises the difference between the two.

2) It will give you credibility. Leaders who are continually surprised by the unexpected soon lose credibility in the eyes of their followers.

On the other hand, leaders who think realistically and plan accordingly position themselves to win. That gives their followers confidence in them.

So before you invite anyone else to be part of your vision or your project, ask yourself: a) Is it possible?
b) Have I identified and explained the pros and cons of achieving it?
c) Do I have a solid foundation to build on? Thomas Edison observed, ‘The value of a good idea is in using it.’

3) It will help you to make an idea useable by taking away the ‘wish factor’. Most ideas and efforts don’t accomplish their intended results because they rely too much on what we wish, rather than what is. You can’t build a house in mid-air; it needs a solid foundation.

Ideas and plans are the same. They need something concrete on which to build, and thinking realistically provides that solid foundation. Solomon put it this way: ‘A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.

The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.’ So the word for today is – think realistically.

Exodus 9-11, Matthew 15:21-39

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

What’s your vision?

‘According to the vision that I saw.’
Ezekiel 8: KJV

The UCB Word for Today - 29 JAN 2021

When God gives you a vision it will change your life. John Sculley, former president of PepsiCo and Apple computer said, ‘The future belongs to those who see the possibilities before they become obvious.’

The Bible tells us God ‘calls those things which do not exist as though they did’ (Romans 4:17 NKJV). Vision paints the target, lights a fire within you, and draws you forward.

If what you’re pursuing in life doesn’t come from a burning desire within you – from the very depths of who you are and what you believe – you will not be able to accomplish it. Why is that?

Because along the way you will have to overcome obstacles, opposition, roadblocks, and resistance. Esther’s vision meant putting her life on the line to save the Jewish people from annihilation.

She said, ‘If I perish, I perish’ (Esther 4:16 KJV). Did she perish?

No, but she had to be willing to. Are you? To fulfil your vision you must do two things:

1) Measure yourself. If you’ve previously thought about your life’s vision and articulated it clearly, measure how well you are carrying it out.

Talk to those you trust and ask them to tell you what they think your vision is. And if they can articulate it, then you are probably living it.

2) Write it down. ‘Write the vision and make it plain…that he may run who reads it’ (Habakkuk 2:2 NKJV). Writing clarifies your thinking.

Once your vision is in writing, it becomes the road map to your destination. Consult it often, and pursue it with all that lies within you.

If you do, chances are you will live to see it fulfilled.

Exodus 12-13, Matthew 16

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Keep improving

‘From everyone who has been given much, much more will be demanded.’
Luke 12:48 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 30 JAN 2021

Author H. Jackson Brown Jr quipped, ‘Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There’s plenty of movement, but you never know if it’s going to be forward, backwards, or sideways.’

If you know you have talent and you’ve seen a lot of motion but little concrete results, you may lack self-discipline. Look at last week’s schedule.

How much of your time did you devote to regular, disciplined activities? Did you do anything to grow and improve yourself?

If you have been putting these things off and telling yourself that you’ll do them later, you need to work on your self-discipline. A nursery in Canada displays this sign on its wall: ‘The best time to plant a tree is twenty-five years ago…The second-best time is today.’

So starting today – discipline yourself. Why? Because:

1) There’s a price to pay to reach the next level. American playwright Sidney Howard remarked: ‘One half of knowing what you want, is knowing what you must give up before you get it.’

2) Be willing to start with small things. At first your gains will be small, but they will grow.

The difference between the gold medal winner and the other contestants, is often just hundredths of a second.

3) Get into the right environment. Since improvement always requires some degree of risk and failure, pick a place where growth and experimentation are encouraged.

4) Believe that you can always do it better. Anything you’ve done in a particular way for a given amount of time, can always be done better. So with God’s help, you can keep improving.

Exodus 14-15, Matthew 17

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Insecurity in leadership

‘Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others.’
Philippians 2:3 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 31 JAN 2021

Here’s the dilemma of an insecure leader: if others excel in doing a job, they fear it will make them look bad. But they also fear that if they do the job poorly, they will still look bad.

So they try to do everything themselves. As a result, they fail to succeed or their success is limited.

Paul addresses it this way: ‘Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too’ (vv. 3-4 NLT). Secure leaders are able to believe in others because they believe in themselves.

They aren’t arrogant; they know their own strengths and weaknesses and respect themselves. When their people perform well they don’t feel threatened.

They go out of their way to bring the best people together, then build them up so that they will perform at the highest level. When a secure leader’s team succeeds, it brings them great joy.

They see that as the highest compliment they can receive for their leadership ability. One author writes: ‘Nothing is a greater impediment to being on good terms with others, than being ill at ease with yourself.’ So what should you do?

1) Know yourself. If you’re not naturally self-aware, ask someone you trust to name your three greatest strengths and weaknesses.

Don’t defend yourself when you hear their answers. Gather the information and then reflect on it.

2) Get help. You deserve it, you’re worth it! As you begin to overcome insecurity you will rise to a new level of blessing and achievement.


Luke 2:1-24, Psalms 13-15

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

‘Water’ your seed with God’s Word

‘It is the same with my word.’
Isaiah 55:11 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 01 FEB 2021

Isaiah writes: ‘The rain and snow come down from the heavens…to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry.

It is the same with my word’ (vv. 10-11 NLT). If you want a harvest you must sow a seed: ‘Whoever sows generously will also reap generously’ (2 Corinthians 9:6 NIV).

But you must also water your seed, and you do that by praying and speaking God’s Word over it! That’s what will ‘cause the grain to grow’.

Your tongue has the power to bring life or death (see Proverbs 18:21). So speak words of life over the seed you’ve sown.

God told the Israelites, ‘You have said…What have we gained by obeying his commands…those who do evil get rich’ (Malachi 3:14-15 NLT). Have you been saying things like that too?

If you have, be careful: Grumbling was the sin that kept the Israelites going around in circles in the wilderness for forty years. Just because God promises you something doesn’t guarantee you’ll automatically get it.

There are certain things you must do: First, refuse to be a complainer. ‘Do not grumble, as some of [the Israelites] did – and were killed by the destroying angel’ (1 Corinthians 10:10 NIV).

Second, get into agreement with God’s Word. ‘God…calls into being things that were not’ (Romans 4:17 NIV).

Faith agrees with God’s Word before the results are evident. So if you’ve been sowing and not been reaping, this could be your key.

Today begin to water each seed you sow by speaking God’s Word over it, believing Him for a harvest of blessing.