[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Use what God’s given you

‘Having gifts (faculties, talents, qualities) that differ according to the grace given us, let us use them.’
Romans 12:6 AMPC

The UCB Word for Today - 08 Dec 2018

God has given you certain relationships, skills, experiences, and attributes that He wants you to use to fulfil His purposes. He used a beauty pageant to position Esther as Queen of Persia and stop the genocide of the Jews.

He used Nehemiah’s diligence as the king’s cupbearer to position him for royal favour that would parlay into rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. He used David’s musical ability to give him access to the king of Israel.

He used Joseph’s imprisonment and his ability to interpret dreams to save two nations from famine. He used the zeal of a mass murderer named Saul of Tarsus to spread the gospel via three missionary journeys while writing half the New Testament.

And if God used them, He will use you too. And He wants to.

In fact, He’s cultivating talents within you that will serve His kingdom purposes in ways you are unaware of right now. It may be your God-given athletic abilities or music proclivity that God uses to give you a platform to give Him praise.

It may be your creative genius. It may be your idiosyncrasy.

It could just be your good old-fashioned work ethic. No matter what it is, it’s a gift from God that is to be used for God.

Success is doing the best you can, with what you have, where you are. It’s not based on circumstances, wealth, power, or platform.

It’s not based on past experience or future potential. It’s stewarding every opportunity, in every way, every day.

So today, use what God has given you.

Amos 1-3, Revelations 3

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Refuse to live in the spite house

‘Let all bitterness…be put away from you.’
Ephesians 4:31 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 09 Dec 2018

In 1882 a New York businessman named Joseph Richardson owned a narrow strip of land on Lexington Avenue. It was 5 feet wide and 104 feet long.

Another businessman, Hyman N. Sarner, owned a normal sized plot adjacent to Richardson’s skinny one. He wanted to build apartments that fronted the avenue, so he offered Richardson a thousand dollars for the slender plot.

Richardson was deeply offended by the low offer and demanded five thousand dollars. Sarner refused, and Richardson called him a tightwad and slammed the door on him. Sarner assumed the land would remain vacant and instructed the architect to design the apartment building with windows overlooking Richardson’s land.

But when Richardson saw the finished building, he resolved to block the view; no one was going to enjoy a free view over his plot! So seventy-five-year-old Richardson built an apartment building on it, 5 feet wide, 104 feet long, and four storeys high.

Upon completion he and his wife moved in. Only one person at a time could ascend the stairs or pass through the hallway.

The dining table was eighteen inches wide. A newspaper reporter of some girth once got stuck in the stairwell, and after two tenants were unsuccessful in pushing him free he exited only by stripping down to his undergarments.

The building was dubbed ‘the spite house’. Richardson and his wife spent the last fourteen years of his life there.

In 1915 it was torn down. Bitterness builds a lonely house with only enough space for one person.

The lives of its tenants are reduced to one goal: make someone miserable. They do. Themselves!

Luke 23:1-25, Psalm 123-125

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

When you’re facing opposition

‘Consider him who endured such opposition.’
Hebrews 12:3 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 10 Dec 2018

Do you remember the old hit song by Elvis Presley, ‘Don’t you step on my blue suede shoes’? You won’t get too far in life before somebody does that very thing, and steps on your toes.

But before you get discouraged and throw in the towel, take another look at the life of Jesus. Though He was perfect in all ways, He was criticised continually.

His enemies called Him a ‘glutton and a drunkard’ (Matthew 11:19 NIV 2011 Edition). They even accused Him of being possessed by a demon (see John 8:48).

Yet He never allowed bitterness or discouragement to defeat Him. To Him, every obstacle was an opportunity to demonstrate grace and grit.

His heart was broken by those He loved, yet He understood and comforted others. He saw disease as an opportunity to heal those who were sick; hatred as an opportunity to love His enemies; temptation as an opportunity to overcome the carnal impulses we all deal with; and offences as an opportunity to forgive.

He went through life turning trials into triumphs – and He’s our example. The Bible says, ‘Consider him who endured such opposition…so…you will not grow weary and lose heart.’

Pick up your Bible and reread His teachings. In His famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: ‘You’re familiar with the old written law, “Love your friend,” and its unwritten companion, “Hate your enemy.” I’m challenging that.

I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst…Live generously and graciously towards others’ (Matthew 5:43-48 MSG). That’s how Jesus lived – and that’s how He wants you to live too.

Amos 4-6, Revelations 4

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

The great designer

‘The heavens are telling the glory of God; they are a marvellous display of his craftsmanship.’
Psalm 19:1 TLB

The UCB Word for Today - 11 Dec 2018

Whether you look at the universe through a telescope or a microscope, you discover that God is the great designer. Let’s look at three of the things He designed:

1) Temperature. The sun’s surface is 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and we’re 93 million miles away from it – just the right distance.

If the earth’s temperature was 50 degrees hotter or colder all life would cease. Think about it: why wasn’t the earth placed twice as far away, or twice as close?

2) Rotation. We rotate 365 times a year as we pass around the sun. Suppose we only rotated 36 times?

Well, our days and nights would be ten times as long. We’d be terribly hot on one side, unbearably cold on the other, and life as we know it would cease.

3) Air. Oxygen constitutes 21 per cent of our atmosphere: the precise balance of air we need to breathe. Why not 50 per cent?

Because the first time somebody lit a match we’d all be toast! So ask yourself, is the 21 per cent by accident or design?

And if there’s a design then it follows that there must be a designer. And there is.

Would you like to know Him? You can.

At creation He revealed His great power, but at the cross He revealed His great love (John 3:16). Through Jesus His Son you can know the great designer personally and receive the gift of eternal life.

If you don’t, you’ll enter a lost eternity. Any chance you’ll be an exception?

None! The people in heaven will be those who got there by choice, not chance.

Amos 7-9, Revelations 5

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Keep believing God, and it will happen

‘Wait patiently, for it will surely take place.’
Habakkuk 2:3 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 12 Dec 2018

Has God promised you something and humanly speaking you see no way it can come to pass? Are you having a hard time waiting?

Read this Scripture: ‘If it seems slow…wait patiently, for it will surely take place.’ God does things on schedule, and your appointment is still on His calendar.

Be assured that nothing the enemy does can pre-empt the plan of God for your life. When He gives you a promise, it’s like a seed.

First it must fall into the fertile soil of faith and be given time to grow. Then it must be watered regularly through prayer and the Word of God.

It won’t come to pass because you push and try to manipulate: ‘[It’s]…not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord’ (Zechariah 4:6 KJV).

If God has promised you something, stand on His Word and remind yourself, ‘My life can’t end before this comes to pass.’ The story of Joseph’s life could be summed up in this Scripture: ‘Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him’ (Psalm 105:19 NKJV).

Why test something? To reveal its strength; to see if it holds up or falls apart under pressure.

What has God promised you? Do you believe Him? How strong is your faith? If it’s weak, God will put you back into the school of faith so you can learn the lessons, pass the tests, and graduate.

‘Without faith it is impossible to please [God], for he who comes to God must believe that He is…a rewarder’ (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV). The word for you today is: keep believing God, and it will happen.

Obadiah, Revelations 6

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Live!

‘You will come to the grave in full vigour.’
Job 5:26 NIVUK

The UCB Word for Today - 13 Dec 2018

Author Norman Cousins said, ‘No disease is more lethal than the boredom that follows retirement.’ Here’s a true story of a lady in her eighties who went to her doctor for a check-up.

He asked if she stayed active. She gave him a big smile and said, ‘I jog about four or five miles every day.’

Surprised, he told her she needed to be careful and not overdo it. ‘Take it easy,’ he suggested.

She took his words to heart and decided to slow down. She reduced her jogs to slow walks, and cut back to one or two days a week.

Within a year she was dead. After hearing about her death, the doctor who’d given her such advice told a friend, ‘Never again will I tell a patient who’s doing so well to take it easy.’

The Bible is filled with the stories of people who lived on because they had something to live for! Remember Caleb?

At eighty-five he attacked the giants in the hill country, drove them out, and became a land developer (see Joshua 14). And how about Noah?

He began building the ark when he was five hundred years old. And a hundred years later he helped to start the world all over again.

Age means nothing unless you’re cheese! And wrinkles, grey hair, and spots on your hands mean less than nothing.

As long as God chooses to leave you on this earth, don’t just exist – live! Claim the promise: ‘You will come to the grave in full vigour.’

Keep dreaming. Accept new challenges. And don’t even think about taking it easy!

Jonah 1-4, Revelations 7

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Reach for help

‘A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.’
Proverbs 17:17 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 14 Dec 2018

Recovery counsellors use the phrase ‘terminally unique’ because people with addictions think their problem is unique: ‘Others would reject me if they knew my problem. I’ve struggled with it so long that I don’t believe I’ll ever conquer it.’

So they isolate, and live in despair and depression. One author writes: ‘So often we are inclined to keep our lives hidden.

Shame and guilt prevent us from letting others know what we are living with. We think, “If my family and friends knew the dark cravings of my heart and my strange mental wanderings, they would push me away and exclude me from their company.”

But the opposite is true. When we dare to lift up our cup and let our friends know what is in it, they will be encouraged to lift up their cups and share with us their anxiously hidden secrets.

The greatest healing often takes place when we no longer feel isolated by our shame and guilt, and discover that others often feel what we feel, think what we think, and have the fears, apprehensions, and preoccupations we have.’ Don’t let pride keep you from conquering your problem.

When you can muster the strength to be honest with yourself and others, you’ll find healing. Read these two Scriptures: ‘A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.’

‘God…comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God’ (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV 1984 Edition). The word for you today is: reach for help.

Micah 1-3, Revelations 8

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Change your attitude towards it

‘Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!’
Philippians 4:4 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 15 Dec 2018

Cheryl continually complained that she didn’t make enough money, couldn’t afford the things she wanted, and therefore wasn’t going to amount to anything. Her counsellor said, ‘You’re wasting your energy complaining, instead of using it to get ahead.’

Cheryl countered, ‘You don’t understand. The job is the problem, not me.’

The counsellor said, ‘Your low-paying job may be a problem and your boss may demand too much, but when you’re continually upset you’re causing yourself more harm than either your boss or your job.’ Cheryl asked, ‘What can I do?’

The counsellor said, ‘You can’t control your boss or the job, but you can control how you feel about them. Change your attitude.’

Cheryl took her advice. When she stopped whining about her life, people noticed.

She got a promotion, and with her new job status she was more marketable. Within several months she was transferred to a position with higher pay and a more supportive boss.

Good things happen for people with a good attitude. And your attitude is something you can choose regardless of circumstances.

Paul wrote, ‘Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!’

Where was Paul? In prison! Who was Paul writing to? People outside the prison!

Why did he repeat himself and say, ‘Again I will say, rejoice?’ Because we forget and lapse back into negativity so quickly.

True joy is an inside job that’s not subject to people or outside situations. Jesus said, ‘These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full’ (John 15:11 KJV).

Micah 4-5, Revelations 9

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Stop procrastinating and do it!

‘Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family.”’
Luke 9:61 NIV Luke 9:61 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 16 Dec 2018

When you squander or lose your money, there’s a chance you can get it back. But not when you squander or lose your time.

One of the saddest stories in Scripture is found in these words: ‘Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family.”’ But nowhere is it recorded that he followed Jesus.

And procrastination and perfectionism go hand in hand. We say, ‘If I can’t do it right, I won’t do it at all!’

No, before you get it right you’ll probably get it wrong. In every story of success there are chapters of struggle, but they are chapters of learning and growth.

A study was done at Yale University. Graduating seniors were told of the dangers of tetanus and given the opportunity to get a free inoculation at the health centre. While a majority of the students were convinced they needed the shot, guess how many followed through and got the vaccine?

Three per cent! Another group was given the same lecture, but also given a copy of the campus map with the location of the health centre circled on it.

They were then asked to look at their weekly schedules and figure out when they could find time to get the shot. Guess what?

Nine times as many students got inoculated. Good intentions aren’t enough.

You need to make the call, or make the move. You need to set the deadline, or set the appointment.

‘Today’ is the tomorrow you were talking about yesterday. So stop procrastinating and do it.

Luke 23:26-56, Psalm 126-128

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Develop a grateful heart

‘My mouth shall show forth Your praise.’
Psalm 51:15 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 17 Dec 2018

A grateful heart sees each day as a gift. It’s like a magnet sweeping over your day, collecting reasons to be grateful. It thanks God for the miracle of muscles that enable your eyes to read these words and your brain to process them.

It thanks God for lungs that can inhale and exhale eleven thousand litres of air every day. It thanks God for a heart that will beat about three billion times in your lifetime, and for a brain that’s a veritable electric generator and supercomputer of power.

It thanks God for jam on your toast and milk on your cereal. For the blanket that warms you and the joke that delights you.

For the thousands of planes that didn’t crash today. For the men who didn’t cheat on their wives, and the wives who didn’t turn on their men.

And the kids who in spite of unspeakable pressure to dishonour their parents, decided not to do so. Rejoicing over the good stuff is what gets you through the hard stuff.

‘A cheerful heart is good medicine’ (Proverbs 17:22 NLT). Gratitude is an attitude you choose, not a reaction to your circumstances.

‘On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God…he broke it’ (1 Corinthians 11:23-24 NLT). Note, the words betrayed and thanks are in the same sentence, and in the same heart.

On the night Jesus was betrayed, He gave thanks. And you can do that when you know God is in control, directing your steps, and working everything out for your good.

Micah 6-7, Revelations 10