[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Responding to gossip (1)

‘It is reported…and Geshem says it is true.’
Nehemiah 6:6 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 03 OCT 2019

The only way to avoid criticism is to say nothing, do nothing, and be nothing. When you attempt anything of value or significance, people are going to talk about you.

Nehemiah’s enemies tried to stop him from rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem by using gossip and innuendo: ‘It is reported among the nations – and Geshem says it is true…Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: “There is a king in Judah!”’ (vv. 6-7 NIV 2011 Edition).

Notice, no source was given of the accusations against Nehemiah. ‘It is reported.’

Always be prepared when someone comes to you and says something like this: ‘I heard…’ or ‘somebody said…’ or ‘the word on the street is…’ Never receive a criticism from someone who is bringing it on behalf of someone else, someone they won’t even name, someone who won’t say it to your face.

Not even slander could keep Nehemiah from the work he was doing. Note how he responded: ‘I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head”’ (v. 8 NIV 2011 Edition).

In other words: ‘I don’t care what you think, or say, or like. I’m going to keep building this wall until the job is done.’

And that must be your attitude too. Most of the time your friends don’t need an explanation, and your enemies wouldn’t believe one if you held them at gunpoint.

So stay focused and get the job done.

Isaiah 62-64, 1 Thessalonians 2

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Responding to gossip (2)

‘Those who…do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.’
James 1:26 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 04 OCT 2019

When someone gossips about you, keep this in mind: people tend to accuse in others what they excuse in themselves. The story’s told about a husband who suspected his wife of losing her hearing.

One night he positioned himself across the room from her as she sat in her favourite chair with her back to him. Very softly he said, ‘Can you hear me?’

When she didn’t answer he moved a little closer and repeated very softly, ‘Can you hear me?’ Still no answer.

Then he moved closer and said, ‘Can you hear me?’ Still no answer.

Finally he got up behind her chair and said right into her ear, ‘Can you hear me?’ She looked him in the eye and said, ‘For the fourth time, yes!’

Psychologists call this ‘projection’. We tend to project our fears, feelings, and problems onto others.

But you must not let people do this to you. Lady Astor, a member of Parliament, was a constant thorn in the side of Winston Churchill, always criticising him.

One day the two of them got into a heated conversation and she said, ‘Winston, I don’t like your politics, and I don’t like your moustache.’ He looked at her and said, ‘Madam, I see no earthly reason why you should ever come into contact with either one.’

Jesus’ critics accused Him of being demon-possessed. Paul’s critics called him a madman, a fool, and a babbler.

And you must not expect different treatment at the hands of the same crowd. So the word for you today is: stay focused and don’t get distracted.

Isaiah 65-66, 1 Thessalonians 3

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Friends ‘in the woods’

‘Jonathan…went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God.’
1 Samuel 23:16 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 05 OCT 2019

The first African American to play major league baseball in the USA was Jackie Robinson. While trying to break through baseball’s colour barrier, he faced insults and abuse in just about every stadium.

One day at his home stadium in Brooklyn, he made an error and the fans immediately turned on him. While they jeered, Robinson just stood there at second base, humiliated.

At that point shortstop Pee Wee Reese ran over, stood beside him, put his arm around him, and together they faced the crowd. Within seconds the fans grew quiet.

Years later when Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, he said, ‘Reese’s arm around my shoulder that day saved my career.’ Jesus knew Peter would ‘strike out’ and deny Him, yet He extended grace to Peter even before it happened.

Here’s what He told him: ‘When you have come back to me, help the others’ (Luke 22:32 CEV). When God restores you, you’ll want to reach out to others with His love.

It will be as natural to you as breathing. You’ll live by the Scripture: ‘Strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees.

Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong…for your God…is coming to save you”’ (Isaiah 35:3-4 NLT). In Scripture ‘Jonathan…went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God.’

When you feel lost ‘in the woods’ you need a Jonathan. That’s when you prove the truth of the old adage: ‘In prosperity our friends know us, but in adversity we know our friends.’

They’re the people we turn to in times of trouble. So if you think you’ll ever need such a friend, be one!

Jeremiah 1-2, 1 Thessalonians 4

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Are you a ‘me first’ person?

‘In humility value others above yourselves.’
Philippians 2:3 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 06 OCT 2019

If you’re a ‘me first’ person, here are some verses of Scripture that is designed to keep you on your toes, and your knees! ‘Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.

Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but…to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 2:3-5 NIV 2011 Edition).

That’s how Jesus treated people, and you have been called to do likewise. Is doing this easy or convenient?

No, it runs contrary to everything in our self-centred natures. And because you were gracious yesterday, is no guarantee you’ll treat people the same way today.

Grace is like a garment; you have to put it on each morning and wear it all day. ‘How can I live like that?’ you ask.

By drawing daily on God’s grace, and deciding to put others first. By looking for ways to support and encourage them.

Everybody you meet is fighting a battle of some kind, and you may be the one person that crosses their path who is able to speak a word of encouragement to them (see Proverbs 16:24 NLT). Don’t let them down.

Humility is an attitude that determines ahead of time: ‘I care about the people around me. I don’t always have to be first.

I’m going to help somebody else win for a change.’ Humility prays, ‘Lord, teach me to curb my competitive nature and turn that energy into loving and lifting others.

Show me how You did it, and help me to do it too.’

Luke 19:1-27, Psalm 103-104

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Pray and post a guard

‘We prayed…and posted a guard.’
Nehemiah 4:9 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 07 OCT 2019

God’s sovereignty doesn’t negate our responsibility. Just the opposite.

It empowers it. When we trust God, we think more clearly and react more decisively.

Like Nehemiah, who said, ‘We prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.’ Note the words: ‘We prayed…and posted a guard.’

Nehemiah did two things. He trusted God for success, and acted on what God had told him to do.

Prayer invites God to do what you cannot do. Paul wrote, ‘Pray without ceasing’ (1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV).

Why? Because God comes by invitation.

Until you’ve sought God’s guidance you’re at the mercy of your own thoughts, and everybody else’s. When you don’t know what you don’t know, you’re in a dangerous place.

Why settle for human knowledge when you can have divine input? God says, ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know’ (Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV).

And when God reveals His will to you, don’t delay and don’t debate – do it! Before God gives you His next set of instructions, He wants to know that you have obeyed His last set of instructions.

Why? Because He cannot bless you beyond your last act of disobedience.

So stop and take an inventory. If you’ve done the wrong thing, repent, make a course correction, and get back on the right path as quickly as possible.

‘But this is what I commanded them, saying, “Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you”’ (Jeremiah 7:23 NKJV).

Jeremiah 3-5, 1 Thessalonians 5

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

When you worship, you’re serving God

‘Bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord.’
Psalm 134:1 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 08 OCT 2019

The last verse of the last psalm in the Bible says, ‘Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord’ (Psalm 150:6 KJV). That means as long as you are alive you are called to worship God.

But some of us are more wired to be worshippers in the church, while others are more wired to be workers. While all of us are called to worship God, some of us are more inclined to do it through works while others are more inclined to do it through worship.

And with God, both count as acts of service. The psalmist said, ‘Bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who by night stand in the house of the Lord!

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord’ (Psalm 134:1-2 NKJV). Note the words ‘servants of the Lord’.

How were they serving Him? Through worship.

The Westminster Confession of Faith says, ‘The chief end of man is that he might glorify God.’ And there are many ways to do it: ‘Whoever offers praise glorifies Me’ (Psalm 50:23 NKJV).

Worship acts like a thermostat; it creates a climate in which God’s presence can be experienced and enjoyed. David said: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits’ (Psalm 103:1-2 NKJV). What a benefits package!

Forgiveness, healing, deliverance, and protection. How do we receive these benefits?

Through worship. When we bless the Lord, He blesses us. So when you worship, you’re serving God.

Jeremiah 6-8, 2 Thessalonians 1

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

You can start again

‘Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.’
Proverbs 24:16 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 09 OCT 2019

On the night of December 9, 1914, Edison Industries was destroyed by fire. The loss exceeded two million dollars, along with the majority of Thomas Edison’s work.

He was insured only for $238 because the buildings were constructed of concrete, which was thought to make a building fireproof. At sixty-seven years of age, the great inventor watched his life’s work go up in flames.

The next morning after firefighters had finally brought the inferno under control, he surveyed his charred dreams and crushed hopes. As he looked at the scene, he said, ‘There is great value in disaster.

All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.’

Three weeks after the fire, Edison produced one of his greatest inventions: the first phonograph. Try to imagine the world of music and entertainment without it!

The Bible says, ‘For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.’ With God on your side you can begin again because the power to do it resides within you.

It’s the same power that raised Christ from the dead (see Romans 8:11). Paul prayed for believers at Ephesus: ‘That out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being’ (Ephesians 3:16 NIV 2011 Edition).

Where is your strength? ‘In your inner being.’

He continues: ‘Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us’ (Ephesians 3:20 NIV 2011 Edition). So the word for you today is – you can start again.

Jeremiah 9-11, 2 Thessalonians 2

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Have clearly established goals for your life

‘I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me.’
Philippians 3:14 NIVUK

The UCB Word for Today - 10 OCT 2019

In 1972, Life magazine published a story about the amazing adventures of John Goddard. When he was fifteen, his grandmother said, ‘If only I had done that when I was young.’

Determined not to make that statement at the end of his life, John wrote out 127 goals. He named ten rivers he wanted to explore and seventeen mountains he wanted to climb.

He set goals of becoming an Eagle Scout, a world traveller, and a pilot. Also on his list was riding a horse in the Rose Bowl parade, diving in a submarine, retracing the travels of Marco Polo, reading the Bible from cover to cover, and reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica.

He also planned to read the entire works of Shakespeare, Plato, Dickens, Socrates, Aristotle, and several other classic authors. He desired to learn to play the flute and violin, marry, have children (he had five), pursue a career in medicine, and serve as a missionary for his church. Sound impossible?

At age forty-seven, he had accomplished 103 of his 127 goals! Now, your list of goals may not be as extensive as his, but if you don’t have some goals for your life you’ll have little motivation to get up in the morning and little satisfaction when you put your head on your pillow each night.

And unless you try something beyond what you’ve already mastered, you won’t grow. So set your goals in prayer, and with God’s help work towards them each day.

Jeremiah 12-14, 2 Thessalonians 3

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

How to experience God’s peace

‘Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything…Then you will experience God’s peace.’
Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 11 OCT 2019

God’s peace is a wonderful thing. And some of the people around you today are in need of it.

It comes when you commit your life to Christ and live by the principles laid out in Scripture. When you ‘commit’ something to the Lord, you transfer every part of it from you to Him (see Psalm 37:5).

Peter writes, ‘Casting…the whole of your…concerns, once and for all, on Him, for He cares for you’ (1 Peter 5:7 AMPC). What a privilege.

Have you been availing yourself of it lately? ‘How do I cast all my cares on Him?’ you ask.

Through prayer! As soon as you become aware that you’re starting to worry and lose your sense of peace, take it to God immediately and leave it with Him.

Don’t give the devil time to work you over. The longer you wait, the greater his hold over you becomes.

‘But I can’t help thinking about it,’ you say. ‘What can I do?’ These two things:

1) Give it to God and then start to focus on other things. It’s a learned response, one you’ll have to practise daily.

Paul writes, ‘Whatever is true…honourable and worthy of respect…whatever is lovely and brings peace…think continually on these things’ (Philippians 4:8 AMP). In other words, redirect your thoughts!

2) Find out what God says in His Word about your situation. Then line your thoughts, words, and actions up with it.

When you do this, ‘You will experience God’s peace’ (Philippians 4:7 NLT).

Jeremiah 15-17, 1 Timothy 1

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Take ‘the people of war with you’

‘Take all the people of war with you.’
Joshua 8:1 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 12 OCT 2019

When you’re under spiritual attack, you need to surround yourself with ‘the people of war’. They are experienced in spiritual warfare and know how to deal with the enemy.

They have proven strategies for victory and a tenacious faith that rises up and says, ‘If God be for us, who can be against us?’ (Romans 8:31 KJV). The truth is, the people of war are the people of the Word.

They know how to take the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God, and use it to defeat the enemy (see Ephesians 6:17). They’re not hesitant about marching into the enemy’s camp and taking back everything he has stolen from them (see 1 Samuel 30:8).

Anybody can stand with you in the good times, but when you find somebody who can stand with you in the bad times, treasure them and build a relationship with them. The Bible says, ‘A brother is born for adversity’ (Proverbs 17:17 KJV).

Did you get that? They’re born for battle! They’re not just strong in faith, they’re strong in fight.

And you won’t necessarily find these people in pulpits and choir lofts; they blow no trumpets, wave no banners, and demand no applause. But they know how to boldly approach the throne of grace and claim the promises of God (see Hebrews 4:16).

After Joshua conquered Jericho, God said to him, ‘Take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king…his people…his city, and his land.’

So if you’re in a battle today, take ‘the people of war with you’.

Jeremiah 18-19, 1 Timothy 2