[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Success on God’s terms

‘Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do.’
Deuteronomy 29:9 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 22 Aug 2019

Two men were talking and one said, ‘Do you know the secret of success?’ The other replied, ‘No, what is it?’

The first man said, ‘I can’t tell you.’ His friend asked, ‘Why?’

The first guy said, ‘Because it’s a secret!’ Success, as God defines it, is not a secret.

He repeatedly says in His Word that He wants us to be successful in life. But as our faces differ, so does God’s plan of success for each of us differ.

Success is simply discovering God’s will for your life and doing it. Consider high definition television (HDTV).

This technology makes possible an additional hundred lines of resolution on a screen so that the picture is virtually lifelike. The industry calls it ‘super clarity’.

Whether you stand ten feet away or two feet away, the picture looks perfectly clear – no fuzzy lines, no distortions, no shadows. What would a successful life look like in high definition?

In order to find that level of clarity, you need to dig into God’s Word and find out what He thinks about success. ‘Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do.’

When God created man, one of the first things He told him to do was ‘be fruitful, and multiply’ (Genesis 1:22 KJV). In the book of Job we read the words, ‘Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would increase abundantly’ (Job 8:7 NKJV).

But God-ordained success comes with a caveat, and it’s non-negotiable: God will bless you – in order to make you a blessing to others.

Proverbs 22-24, 1 Corinthians 16

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Don’t personalise rejection

‘Whose weakness was turned to strength.’
Hebrews 11:34 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 23 Aug 2019

Always try to be open to constructive criticism, but don’t personalise rejection. Don’t allow your opinion of yourself to be coloured by the opinion of those who fail to see your best qualities and potential.

Successful people all have one thing in common: they had to overcome rejection. In 1902 an aspiring young writer received a rejection letter from the poetry editor of The Atlantic Monthly.

Enclosed with a sheaf of poems the twenty-eight-year-old poet had sent them was this curt note: ‘Our magazine has no room for your vigorous verse.’ Yet he became one of the most beloved and popular American poets of all time.

Who was he? Robert Frost. In 1907, the University of Bern turned down a PhD dissertation from a young physics student. Yet that student went on to change the scientific world forever.

Who was he? Albert Einstein. When a sixteen-year-old student got his report card from his rhetoric teacher in school, there was a note attached that read: ‘A conspicuous lack of success.’ But he refused to accept it.

Who was he? Winston Churchill. After listing the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11:34 we read, ‘Whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle.’ That can be your story too.

David, who experienced spectacular failure in life, wrote, ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped’ (Psalm 28:7 KJV). The only people who can let you down are the people you lean on.

So lean less on people and more on God.

Proverbs 25-26, 2 Corinthians 1

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

It’s the ‘weight’ that keeps you going

‘I now live…by faith in the Son of God.’
Galatians 2:20 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 24 Aug 2019

A man who inherited an antique grandfather clock with a brass pendulum watched as it pushed the big heavy weight back and forth. ‘What a burden for a 100-year-old clock to bear,’ he thought.

So one day he opened the glass case and unhooked the pendulum. ‘Why did you remove my weight?’ the clock asked.

The man replied, ‘It was heavy and I wanted to lighten your load.’ The old clock exclaimed, ‘What you don’t understand is, it’s the weight that keeps me going!’

Paul said, ‘I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and…I now live…by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.’ God allows us to experience frustrations and burdens in order to develop our patience and humility and make us more dependent on Him.

Unlike us, He knows ‘it’s the weight that keeps us going’. That’s why: ‘The child he loves…he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects.

God is educating…training us…discipline isn’t much fun…It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later…it pays off…for…the well-trained…find themselves mature in their relationship with God’ (Hebrews 12:6-11 MSG).

What ‘weight’ is God using to produce the nature of Christ in you? Paul goes on to say, ‘Mortify…your members which are upon the earth’ (Colossians 3:5).

The word ‘mortify’ is related to mortuary – a place where there’s nothing but dead, inactive bodies. In other words, instead of letting your earthly nature rule, ask the Holy Spirit to bring forth new life in you.

Proverbs 27-29, 2 Corinthians 2

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

You’ll be rewarded

‘Your labour is not in vain.’
1 Corinthians 15:58 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 25 Aug 2019

It’s easy to forget that this world isn’t your home, that you’re going to spend eternity with Christ in a home specially prepared for you, and when you get to heaven you’ll be rewarded for how well you fulfilled your God-given assignment here on earth. The Bible not only teaches this, it spells out the specifics.

Here are three you need to keep in mind. 1) Your greatest reward will be in heaven, not on earth. Yes, there are earthly rewards (see Mark 10:30), but God reserves His greatest blessings for the day when ‘each man’s work will become evident’ and ‘he will receive a reward’ (1 Corinthians 3:13-14NASB).

It’s your service now that determines your status then, so always give God your best.

2) Your reward will be based on quality, not quantity.We are impressed with size and status, but God is moved by sincerity.

When He rewards you it will be based on what you did with what you had, and the ‘heart’ you put into it. That means we all have equal opportunity when it comes to rewards.

3) Your reward may be delayed, but it will never be denied. Think about that.

When you’ve done what was needed yet you were ignored and misunderstood, remember, ‘Your labour is not in vain.’ When you’ve done the right thing but received neither credit nor acknowledgment, remember, ‘Your labour is not in vain.’

When you’ve served, given, and sacrificed, then willingly stepped aside so God would get all the glory, remember, ‘Your labour is not in vain.’ In the words of Jesus: ‘Your Father, who sees everything, will reward you’ (Matthew 6:4 NLT).

Luke 16:1-15, Psalm 87-88

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Have you discovered your life’s purpose?

‘Called according to his purpose.’
Romans 8:28 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 26 Aug 2019

If you want things to work out right for you in life, you need to discover your God-ordained purpose and give yourself fully to it. The Bible says, ‘All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to Hispurpose’ (v. 28 NKJV).

The focal point of your life should be discovering and doing God’s will. What you believe about that will determine the direction you take and what you accomplish.

There’s a big difference between talent and purpose. You’re called according to God’s purpose, not your talent.

When you are talented but not called, you can be comfortable anywhere. That’s because talent, like justice, is blind; it sees all opportunities the same.

But when you are aware of your God-given purpose and it governs your life, there are things you simply won’t do because you know they’ll derail, dilute, or defeat God’s purpose for you. Being ‘called according to his purpose’ enables you to focus on the development of your talent only as it relates to God’s will for you.

So instead of asking God to bless what you’re doing, ask Him to reveal His purpose for your life. Once you discover and fulfil that, you’ll be blessed, because His plan is already blessed!

Let’s read it again: ‘And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them’(NLT). So have you discovered God’s purpose for your life yet?

If not, get into His presence and stay there until He reveals it to you. It’s the only way you’ll ever be totally fulfilled.

Proverbs 30-31, 2 Corinthians 3

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Do you really want God’s blessing?

‘Jacob…wrestled with [God] until the breaking of the day.’
Genesis 32:24 KJV

The UCB Word for Today - 27 Aug 2019

Some of your toughest battles in life will be with God. That’s because there’s a ‘Jacob nature’ in each of us that resists the will of God, and it has to be dealt with.

The same God who asked Jacob, ‘What is your name?’ will ask you to identify yourself too.

And until you’re willing to do an honest evaluation and answer truthfully, your life can’t change for the better. God had to break Jacob by dislocating his hip, the thing he depended on.

Jacob got his blessing at the same time he got his limp. Ask yourself, ‘Do I really want the blessing of God on my life?’

Before you answer, stop and ask yourself these questions:
1) Am I willing to let go of what I want if it’s not God’s will for me?
2) Do I covet what others have instead of waiting for God’s provision for me?
3) Do I keep talking about my rights because I haven’t fully surrendered to the Lord?
4) Do I truly love others and think of them first?
5) Am I practising the daily disciplines of prayer and Bible reading?
6) Am I allowing God to handle my public relations instead of promoting myself?
7) Am I expressing joy in the midst of adversity and trusting God to reproduce the character of Jesus in me?
8) Am I taking risks in obedience to Christ instead of giving in to fear and playing it safe?

Not only will your answers to these questions determine your discipleship, your direction, and your destiny – they will also determine your level of blessing.

Ecclesiastes 1-3 , 2 Corinthians 4

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Spiritual yet still carnal

‘Until Christ is formed in you.’
Galatians 4:19 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 28 Aug 2019

When you become a Christian you discover that part of you wants to walk ‘in newness of life’ (Romans 6:4 KJV), while another part wants to walk ‘after the flesh’ (Romans 8:5 KJV).

And you would, if it weren’t for God’s Spirit who lives in your divided house and ‘groans’ when you do certain things, challenging you with God’s Word (see John 16:7-14). The truth is, your new heart is still living in your old body.

One author writes: ‘When I first came to Christ I thought others had mastered a level of holiness that always eluded me. So I attacked my carnality with passion!

I didn’t realise that everything that’s born needs time to grow. I was expecting an immediate, all-inclusive metamorphosis that would make me the kind of person God could really love.

I now realise His love isn’t doled out on a merit system: if you do well, He loves you, and if you don’t, He doesn’t.’ God doesn’t want do-it-yourself righteousness.

The Bible says, ‘He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ’ (Philippians 1:6 KJV). Paul writes, ‘My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.’

God alone knows the process it will take for the Christ who saved you to be formed in you! We each travel our own paths at our own pace, but our goal is the same: to bear a greater resemblance to our heavenly Father.

And getting us there is God's job – so let Him do it. Your job is to keep walking with Him day by day as He does it.

Ecclesiastes 4-6, 2 Corinthians 5

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

God has promised to be with you

‘As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.’
Joshua 1:5 NIVUK

The UCB Word for Today - 29 Aug 2019

The Bible says, ‘After the death of Moses…the Lord said to Joshua…“Moses my servant is dead…get ready to cross the River Jordan into the land I am about to give to [you]”’ (vv. 1-2 NIVUK 2011 Edition). Joshua knew Moses was dead, and Israel knew it too.

So why did God remind him? Because Joshua wasn’t just following a leader, he was following a legend.

Moses had been Israel’s security blanket for forty years. He was the quintessential go-to guy.

He led an entire generation out of 400 years of captivity in a single night. He parted a sea with the wave of a stick. He prayed and God rained down bread from heaven each day.

When the nation was about to die of thirst, he struck a rock and water filled canteens. By any measurement, Moses was a massive success.

But why? Was it his ingenuity? His creativity? His genius? No, it was the presence of God in his life.

But now Moses was gone, and for Joshua that was bad news. But the good news was that God remained.

‘No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.’

You say, ‘But that’s an Old Testament promise.’ Then read this: ‘For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God’ (2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV 2011 Edition).

Today God has promised to be with you. Believe Him!

Ecclesiastes 7-9, 2 corinthians 6

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Live for what matters most

‘I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave.’
Job 1:21 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 30 Aug 2019

Have you ever heard the saying, ‘Old too soon, wise too late’? Don’t let that be your story.

Three of the titans who built America were Vanderbilt, Carnegie, and Rockefeller. After attending Vanderbilt’s funeral, Carnegie and Rockefeller spent the rest of their lives seeing how much money they could give away to do good.

Death has a way of showing us the brevity of life and changing our perspective. Carnegie died in his eighties and Rockefeller in his nineties, but they both died!

We all do. The question is will you merely make a living or will you make a difference?

One businessman told his friend: ‘I don’t think I’m trapped on this treadmill forever, but I’m certainly involved with it right now…it’s the old merry-go-round of how much money is enough? And it’s never enough.

Three years ago I thought: “Just a little more…now I make twice as much, and it’s still not enough.”’ Solomon writes, ‘He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income’ (Ecclesiastes 5:10 NASB).

Have you told yourself that when you get a certain amount of money you’ll be happy and secure? Maybe and maybe not.

When you trust in anything other than God, you live fearfully because you’ll always be vulnerable to circumstances you cannot control. Jesus bottom-lined it this way:

‘Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need’ (Matthew 6:33 NLT).

Ecclesiastes 10-12, 2 Corinthians 7

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

A statement of purpose to live by

‘Always give yourselves fully.’
1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 31 Aug 2019

Next time you pass a McDonald’s, think about this statement from the founder Ray Kroc. ‘Press on!

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent.

Genius will not: unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.’ As you read about the heroes of faith listed in Hebrews chapter 11 you discover that they shut the mouths of lions, administered justice, fulfilled promises, and even raised the dead.

It’s a spectacular list of accomplishments. But in the middle of the account you also find these words: ‘Whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle’ (Hebrews 11:34 NIV 2011 Edition).

Notice, they started out weak and became strong. How?

Through persistence and determination! The problem is we’re not always willing to fight for what we want.

But without conflict there can be no conquest. An Anglican bishop once quipped, ‘Why is it that everywhere the apostle Paul went they had a revolution, but everywhere I go they have a cup of tea?’

Paul didn’t blend in, he stood out! On his first missionary journey he was stoned and left for dead.

On his second they threw him in prison. And how did he handle it?

On one occasion he prayed and praised God until his prison doors opened. So the word for you today is: ‘Stand firm.

Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully.’

If you’re looking for a statement of purpose to live by, adopt this one

Song of songs 1-3, 2 Corinthians 8