[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Are you at your breaking point?

‘I would have lost heart, unless I had believed.’
Psalm 27:13 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 23 DEC 2019

David was a giant killer, a psalm writer, and Israel’s most popular king. But when the stresses of life brought him to his breaking point, he wrote, ‘I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.’

Are you at your breaking point today? When you get to that place, one of two things happens: you either break down or break through!

It all depends on what you do. David experienced a breakthrough because he knew the right formula: ‘Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart’ (v. 14 NKJV).

There’s an old saying – ‘The same sun that melts the butter hardens the clay.’ When trouble comes, you can turn against God because you’ve served Him faithfully and don’t understand why He’s permitting you to go through such a hard time, or you can turn to Him for the answer!

Nothing catches Him off guard, and nothing is too hard for Him. He said, ‘I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure”’ (Isaiah 46:9-10 NKJV).

You may be in a state of shock right now – but God isn’t. Your circumstances can actually become a platform for Him to demonstrate His unfailing love and care for you.

So don’t lose heart; He’s going to bring you through this storm and bring glory to His name in the process.

Zechariah 1-2, Revelation 15

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Christmas symbols

‘In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.’
Ephesians 1:7 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 24 DEC 2019

Today, some people are trying to remove any public mention of Christ at Christmas, while others seem bent on secularising it completely. So let’s look at the meaning of some of the Christmas symbols.

The small holly berries are thought to have originally reminded Christians of the drops of Christ’s blood caused by the crown of thorns He wore on Calvary. The evergreen trees speak of the promise of never-ending life resulting from His resurrection.

The Celtic cross has a circle surrounding the intersection of the vertical and horizontal axis of the cross. Some believe it originated with St Patrick, who, upon seeing a round symbol of the moon goddess, drew a Christian cross over it – changing a Druid symbol into a new symbol for Irish Christianity.

In the same way that St Patrick adopted a pagan circle and gave it a new meaning, so other Christians adopted the evergreen wreath and gave it a new meaning. When early Christians changed the Roman winter solstice of the rebirth of the sun (originally on December 21), to a celebration of the birth of the ‘Son of Righteousness’, the evergreen wreath was adopted.

Instead of simply being a garland, the round Christmas wreath now speaks of the never-ending unity and fellowship we have with God through Christ. So when you hang a wreath on your door or over your fireplace this Christmas, remind yourself that nothing ‘shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Romans 8:39 NKJV).

Zechariah 3-4, Revelation 16

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Trust God’s timing (1)

‘When the right time came, God sent his Son.’
Galatians 4:4 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 25 DEC 2019

God doesn’t consult us to make sure His plans line up with our timetable. God sets the schedule; sometimes we have to run to keep up, and other times we have to slow down in order to get in step with Him.

Mary planned to marry Joseph, then have a child, but God had a different plan. The child had to be without inherited sin, so He needed a perfect father; therefore, the Holy Spirit was called on to do the job.

Humanly speaking, the timing couldn’t have been worse. Mary became pregnant before she got married, and Joseph wasn’t the father.

Besides being ostracised, the law said she could be stoned to death. How did she respond?

Amazingly: ‘Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word”’ (Luke 1:38 NKJV).

God has a set plan, and He is always working towards it. The trouble is, we are only working with limited information, so we become impatient and upset when He doesn’t answer our prayers when we think He should, or in the way we think He should.

It’s said that George Müller, evangelist and founder of the Ashley Down Orphanage in Bristol, England, once waited on the dock for a special chair to be delivered; he had a bad back and needed the chair for his ocean voyage. When departure time came and it still hadn’t arrived, his friends offered to buy him one.

But Müller said, ‘Either God will provide or He will give me the grace to do without.’ Then, just like a Hollywood ending, the chair arrived right on time! Trust God – He knows what He’s doing!

Zechariah 5-6, Revelation 17

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Trust God’s timing (2)

‘What I have said, that I will bring about.’
Isaiah 46:11 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 26 DEC 2019

God has a plan for your life that requires certain things to happen at a particular time. And since He sees the big picture and you’re working with limited information, you must trust Him – even when you don’t see how it will all come together.

God can take the loss of a relationship or a job and make it work for your good. The trouble is, while He’s doing all this, you can feel uncomfortable and downright miserable.

Seven hundred and eighty-two years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Micah said that He would be born in Bethlehem (see Micah 5:2). But Mary and Joseph were living in Nazareth.

So how did God solve the problem? The Roman emperor Augustus decreed that a census should be taken: ‘All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census.

And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He travelled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.

He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.

She gave birth to her first child, a son’ (Luke 2:3-7 NLT 2004 Edition). Are you worried about the future?

‘Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep travelling steadily along his pathway and in due season he will honour you with every blessing’ (Psalm 37:34 TLB).

Relax: the God who arranged for His Son to be born into the right family, at the right time, in the right place, is looking out for you today.

Zechariah 7-8, Revelation 18

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Developing patience

‘Tribulation worketh patience.’
Romans 5:3 KJV

The UCB Word for Today - 27 DEC 2019

Isn’t it interesting how as we get older, we tend to become more patient, even though we have less time left? Why is that?

Perspective! Our problems haven’t changed that much, but our perspective has.

Things that once upset us don’t anymore, because we’ve lived long enough to know ‘His grace is sufficient’ (see 2 Corinthians 12:9). Once you realise that it’s no big deal – and most things aren’t – you can say, ‘Been there, done that!’

Instead of fretting and complaining, which doesn’t work and steals our joy, we’ve learned to sing: ‘Great is Thy faithfulness, oh God my Father; There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not; As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.’ Like Joseph, you can look back to times in life you thought you’d never get through, and stuff you thought you’d never survive, and say, ‘You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good’ (Genesis 50:20 NKJV).

Yes, perspective produces patience: ‘We can rejoice…when we run into problems and trials, for we know…they are good for us – they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character…and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady…when that happens, we are able to hold our heads high no matter what happens and know that all is well, for we know how dearly God loves us, and we feel this warm love everywhere within us because God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love’ (Romans 5:3-5 TLB).

So let God develop your patience.

Zechariah 9-10, Revelation 19

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Paul’s thorn and yours (1)

‘I was given a thorn in my flesh.’
2 Corinthians 12:7 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 28 DEC 2019

Bible scholars disagree as to what Paul’s ‘thorn’ was. Some think it may have been poor eyesight, others a speech impediment, and others a physical challenge.

Why doesn’t the Bible tell us? Well, if his problem was poor eyesight, then we would say, ‘That doesn’t help me because I have 20/20 vision.’ If it was a speech impediment, those with the gift of communication wouldn’t find comfort in his words.

If it was a physical challenge, those with good health would think they’re exempt. The reason the Bible doesn’t tell us may be this: no matter what your particular struggle or affliction is, the same God who gave Paul victory over his thorn will give you victory too.

Who’s the person in your life you would describe as ‘a thorn in your side’? What’s the ‘thorny’ situation at work you face day after day?

You can have a ‘thorny’ relationship with someone that requires extra grace, love, and prayer. That’s why Peter writes, ‘Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord… Jesus’ (2 Peter 3:18 KJV).

Each of our thorns is different because God customises them to our need. Why?

So that we will ‘grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord…Jesus’. God is more interested in our character than He is in our comfort, so when we pray for lighter burdens, He gives us stronger backs.

The songwriter said: ‘He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater, He giveth more strength when the labours increase; To added affliction He addeth His mercy, To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.’

Zechariah 11-12, Revelation 20

[ebankole]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Paul’s thorn and yours (2)

29 DECEMBER 2019
‘To keep me from becoming proud.’

2 Corinthians 12:7 NLT
The Bible doesn’t tell us what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was, but Paul tells us why God permitted it: ‘To keep me from becoming proud.’ Increased achievement and success can lead to increased pride and independence from God.

Have you noticed that when life is going great, staying close to God is sometimes difficult? We tend to think God is so good to us because we are so good to Him.

We must always guard against this. God can use anything for your good and His glory. In His wisdom and patience, He permits something we think is intended to hurt us, but He turns it around and uses it to help us. Here is what He does: He balances blessings with burdens.


The psalmist said, ‘Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits’ (Psalm 68:19 NKJV). If God filled your hands only with blessings, eventually you would fall over on your face.

And if He continually loaded your back with burdens, you would fall on your hindquarters. So He apportions blessings and burdens so that we can stay in balance.


It’s easy to get out of balance. We become so absorbed with the joys of heaven that we neglect our calling to be salt and light here on earth.

We get so involved in the work of the Lord that we fail to spend time with the Lord of the work. We get so involved in church that we rob our families of the love and attention they need. So God brings us back into balance by giving us a thorn.

Luke 24:36-53, Psalm 140-150

[ebankole]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


Paul’s thorn and yours (3)
30 DECEMBER 2019

‘My power works best in weakness.’

2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT
Paul writes: ‘Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ.

For when I am weak, then I am strong’ (vv. 8-10 NLT). Paul didn’t get the answer he was looking for until he quit praying and started listening. Sometimes we’re so busy telling God what He ought to do for us, that we can’t hear God telling us what He wants to do in us.


If you have a stubborn problem in your life, maybe it’s time to stop talking and start listening. God taught Paul lessons at the best time he could learn them – during difficulties.


So the bad news about tough times turns out to be the good news after all – that you learn more about God in the valley than you do on the mountaintop. C.S. Lewis describes how God uses pain to communicate with us: ‘God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts to us in our pains.’ Before God spoke, all Paul wanted was to remove his problem.

After God spoke, he realised that in his problem he had found something better and greater – supernatural strength reserved for those tough times when we realise God’s presence is greater than our problems and His purpose is greater than our pain.

Zechariah 13-14, Revelation 21

[ebankole]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

This year get out of your rut!
31 DECEMBER 2019

‘The Lord spake unto me, saying, “Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.”’
Deuteronomy 2:2-3 KJV

A biologist experimented with what he called ‘processional caterpillars’. He lined up caterpillars on the rim of a pot that held a plant so that the lead caterpillar was head-to-tail with the last caterpillar, with no break in the parade. The tiny creatures walked around the rim of the pot for a full week before they died of exhaustion and starvation.


Not once did any of them break out of line and venture over to the plant to eat. Food was only inches away, but their follow-the-crowd instinct was stronger than the drive to eat and survive. The same thing happened to an entire generation of Israelites.


They walked in circles in the wilderness for forty years, even though they were only eleven miles from the Promised Land. If you’re in a rut today, ask yourself these three questions: 1) Is this rut of my own making? We choose a rut because it’s comfortable and requires no risk.


And getting out of it requires courage and a willingness to make tough choices you follow through on. 2) Who am I following? We adopt certain patterns because someone has taught them to us directly, or by example.

Instead of mindlessly following the crowd, seek God’s will for your life and commit yourself to doing it. 3) Where am I going? The Bible says, ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish’ (Proverbs 29:18 KJV). If you want to get out of the rut you’re in today, ask God to give you a vision for your life – He will! And when He does, pour yourself into it.



Malachi 1-4, Revelation 22

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

This year – keep your joy!

‘The joy of the Lord is your strength.’
Nehemiah 8:10 KJV

The UCB Word for Today - 01 JAN 2020


When you listen to a great choir sing the Hallelujah Chorus, you realise that Handel was inspired by God. He wrote the entire Messiah in three weeks.

He said the music literally ‘came to him’ in a flurry of notes and motifs. He wrote feverishly, and as if driven by an unseen composer to put pen to paper.

Yet he wrote it when his eyesight was failing, and he was facing the threat of dying in a debtors’ prison because of a mountain of outstanding bills. Most of us find it difficult to create under stress, especially when physical or financial problems are at the root of that stress.

And yet Handel did. How?

He credits the completion of his masterpiece to one thing: joy. He is quoted as saying that he felt as if he would ‘burst with joy’ at what he was hearing in his mind and heart.

Instead of dying, as he thought he would, he lived to see his oratorio become a cherished tradition and a popular work. And he also saw it succeed in raising vast sums of money for the poor and destitute.

The Bible says, ‘The joy of the Lord is your strength.’ And one of the first things Satan will attack is your joy. He knows it’s the spiritual and emotional fuel you run on.

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). Note the words ‘remain in you’.

So: no matter what happens this year, keep your joy!


Genesis 1-3, Matthew 1


TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

This year ‘the Lord is with you’.

‘The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valour!'
Judges 6:12 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 02 JAN 2020

The story’s told of a man who put an eagle’s egg into the nest of a barnyard chicken, and the eaglet hatched and grew up with the brood of chickens. All his life he did what the chickens did: scratched in the dirt for seeds and insects, clucked and cackled, and never flew more than a few feet off the ground.

Then one day he saw a magnificent bird soaring gracefully above him and asked, ‘What a beautiful creature. What’s it called?’

The chicken next to him said, ‘That’s an eagle, the king of all birds. But don’t give him any mind, because you could never be like him.’

So the eagle returned to pecking in the dirt, and died thinking it was a barnyard chicken. Who told you that you don’t have potential?

Who told you that you won’t succeed in life or make an impact? Certainly not God!

When the Angel of the Lord called Gideon to deliver Israel from the Midianites, he responded with a litany of excuses about why he wasn’t qualified for the job. But the angel told him, ‘The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valour!…Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel…Have I not sent you?’ (vv. 12-14 NKJV).

Notice two important things in this story. First, God spoke to the destiny within Gideon, not to his present circumstances. Second, God reminded him that it was not the power of the one being sent, but of the One sending him that would win the battle.

Today you are ‘mighty’ because God is with you.

Genesis 4-6, Matthew 2