[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Set your mind (1)

‘Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.’
Romans 8:5 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 06 Feb 2019

To become the person God wants you to be, you must ‘set your mind’ on the right things. You say, ‘If only my circumstances were different.’

Your circumstances don’t determine the quality of your life; how you think about them does. Poet Frederick Langbridge wrote, ‘Two men looked out through prison bars; one saw mud, the other saw the stars.’

Both men were in identical circumstances, but their perspectives were entirely different. One looked for beauty and found it; the other focused on ugliness and found it.

It works like this: your circumstances in life produce certain emotions. So how do you change your emotional response when you feel powerless over people and circumstances?

By changing how you think about them! True change always begins in your mind.

The Bible says, ‘As he thinketh in his heart, so is he’ (Proverbs 23:7 KJV). The way you think inevitably reflects the way you live.

So to become the best version of yourself, the person God wants you to be – think great thoughts! People who live great lives are people who habitually think great thoughts.

You say, ‘But I can’t help thinking the way I do.’ Then ‘let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think’ (Romans 12:2 NLT).

God’s Word will help you to think with faith instead of fear, assurance instead of anxiety, and joy instead of negativity. Once you ‘set your mind on what the Spirit desires’, your life will begin to change for the better.

Exodus 27-28, Matthew 21:1-22

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Set your mind (2)

‘Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.’
Romans 12:2 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 07 Feb 2019

If a skunk gets into the crawl space under your house, opening the windows and using air freshener won’t solve your problem! There are people who actually specialise in dealing with skunks.

They’re called ‘skunk whisperers’, and it’s not cheap to have them come to your home. But it’s worth it to get rid of the problem.

How does all this relate to your thinking? Simply this: your feelings are the odours and your thoughts are the skunk!

To change your feelings, you must go to the source and deal with the thing that produced them – how you think. Thoughts produce feelings, not the other way around.

Worried people tend to think anxious thoughts, and eventually those thoughts become so automatic that, like a lingering skunk odour, you stop noticing and learn to live with it. You get used to ‘stinking thinking’!

Your thought patterns become as habitual as brushing your teeth. You get so accustomed to thinking bitter, anxious, selfish thoughts that you stop paying attention.

If you want to change the quality of your life, you must change the way you think. The psalmist prayed, ‘Test me and know my anxious thoughts’ (Psalm 139:23 NIV 2011 Edition).

God will help you become aware of what’s going on in your mind from one moment to the next. He’ll direct you to the place where the skunk lives and help you deal with it.

Not only will He show you how to remove wrong thoughts, but how to replace them with the right ones by setting your mind on ‘what the Spirit desires’ (Romans 8:5 NIV 2011 Edition).

Exodus 29-30, Matthew 21:23-46

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Set your mind (3)

‘The mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.’
Romans 8:6 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 08 Feb 2019

Once you give in to ‘stinking thinking’, your mood dips, you lose energy, God seems distant, prayer seems pointless, sin looks tempting, and your outlook in life becomes bleak.

When that happens you become so focused on how you feel, you don’t realise it’s your thinking that’s causing you to feel that way. It happens to the best of us.

Look at Elijah the prophet. The high point in his career was when he called down fire from heaven and defeated the prophets of Baal.

It was a World Cup-sized victory! Then word came from Queen Jezebel: ‘You killed my prophets. Well, guess what? Now I’m going to kill you’ (see 1 Kings 19).

As a result Elijah plunged headlong into fear. He felt worthless: ‘I am no better than my ancestors’ (v. 4 NIV 2011 Edition).

Hopeless: ‘[He] ran for his life’ (v. 3 NIV 2011 Edition). Isolated: ‘I am the only one left’ (v. 10 NIV 2011 Edition).

Unable to cope: ‘I have had enough’ (v. 4 NIV 2011 Edition). He wanted to die: ‘Take my life’ (v. 4 NIV 2011 Edition).

So how did God respond to Elijah? In four simple ways:

1) He helped him to start eating right and get proper rest.
2) He spoke to him in ‘a still small voice’ (v. 12 NKJV), reassuring him and giving him courage.
3) He assured Elijah that he was not alone: ‘I have…seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal’ (v. 18 NKJV).
4) He gave him another mission to fulfil.

There will always be a ‘Jezebel’ threatening to undo your best efforts and bring you down. The key is learning to control your thinking!

Exodus 31-33, Matthew 22:1-22

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Be ready. Be wise. Be clear.

‘Philip began at this place in the Scriptures and explained the good news about Jesus.’
Acts 8:35 CEV

The UCB Word for Today - 09 Feb 2019

In Acts chapter eight we read the story of a high-profile leader who was won to Christ. This man held a position similar to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in Britain and the Secretary of the Treasury in the United States.

And he was led to Christ by a low-profile person called Philip, a church deacon (see vv. 26-40). Let’s look at how it happened and see what we can learn:

1) Philip was ready. When this man needed someone to explain the gospel to him, Philip was ready to do it.

Could you have done that? When God has a job that needs to be done, could He call on you?

Would you be prepared? And willing? ‘If anybody asks you why you believe as you do…tell him’ (1 Peter 3:15 TLB).

2) Philip was wise. He didn’t barge in and start preaching, or put this man on the spot by asking ‘gotcha’ questions.

Note two things about Philip:
a) He was led by God’s spirit (see Acts 8:29 CEV).
b) He recognised the right moment (see v. 35 CEV). Good soul-winners are sensitive and strategic.

3) Philip was clear. Instead of a vague dialogue about religion, he spoke directly about Jesus.

That’s what people need – a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ! They need to know He’s alive, and that He loves them.

That He’s powerful enough to run the universe, yet personal enough to forgive their sins, break their habits, and resolve their doubts. Your job is to extend the invitation, and let Jesus do the rest.

Do you need a soul-winning strategy? Try this one – it works!

Exodus 34-35, Matthew 22:23-46

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Stop striving!

‘He decides who will rise and who will fall.’
Psalm 75:7 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 10 Feb 2019

If you don’t find your significance and self-worth in your relationship with God, you’ll be tempted to spend your life trying to promote yourself. And that will make you insecure – and dangerous.

Why? Because when others get promoted ahead of you, you’ll become resentful; you may even try to tear them down.

In God’s kingdom you don’t achieve success on your own, you receive it from God. ‘God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another’ (KJV).

While David’s brothers were striving to be Israel’s next king and ‘get the nod’ from the prophet Samuel, David just kept tending his sheep and doing the job God gave him. Let others compete and compare!

Just stay faithful in what God has given you to do – and when the time is right He’ll come and get you! Jesus said, ‘My yoke is easy, and my burden is light’ (Matthew 11:30 KJV).

Note the word ‘easy’. When you try to promote yourself, you have to sweat, strain, and struggle, but when you trust God and do things His way, it comes ‘easy’.

That doesn’t mean you won’t have to work hard or sacrifice in order to succeed. It just means you won’t have to strive to get it, or keep it.

Why? Because when God sets ‘before you an open door’ (Revelation 3:8 NIV 2011 Edition), He’s the only one who can shut it.

And He won’t do that unless, like King Saul, you’re rebellious, resentful, or refuse to repent. Knowing God is in control takes the strain out of serving Him.

When you think about it – it’s the only way to live.

Luke 2:25-52, Psalm 16-17

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

The spirit of Caleb

‘My servant Caleb has a different spirit.’
Numbers 14:24 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 11 Feb 2019

If Caleb was alive today there’s a good chance he’d qualify for ‘Person of the Year’, someone who has done the most to influence circumstances for the better. Here’s his story in his own words: ‘I was forty years old when Moses…sent me…to explore the land…I brought him back a report according to my convictions, but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear.

I, however, followed…God wholeheartedly…that day Moses swore to me, “The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance”…So here I am today, eighty-five years old…as strong…as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me…Then Joshua blessed Caleb…and gave him Hebron as his inheritance…because he followed the Lord…wholeheartedly’ (Joshua 14:7-14 NIV 2011 Edition).

You can learn valuable lessons from a man like Caleb. His life can be summed up in four sentences:

1) He had ‘a different spirit’ from those around him. He was positive, a glass-half-full kind of person.

2) He believed that with God’s help every giant that stands in your way can be conquered, even when others say they can’t.

3) He had a vision that neither age nor circumstances could diminish. And he was willing to wait and work for it even though it took forty-five years to fulfil.

4) In old age he remained young at heart and totally committed to God. So ask God to give you the spirit of Caleb.

Exodus 36-38, Matthew 23:1-22

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

That’s the good news

‘Where sin increased, grace increased…more.’
Romans 5:20 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 12 Feb 2019

Bill Wilson and Bob Smith, co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, once visited a lawyer who was a hardened alcoholic. Confined to bed because of violent behaviour, the man had no choice but to listen to their stories of recovery.

But as soon as they started talking about a ‘Higher Power’, the lawyer shook his head and said, ‘It’s too late for me. I still believe in God but I know He no longer believes in me.’

How sad – and misguided! Are you worried that God won’t accept you because of your sins?

You don’t have to be! Paul says, ‘Where sin increased, grace increased…more.’

And he should know, because before his Damascus Road conversion he was ‘Public Sinner Number One’ (1 Timothy 1:15 MSG). Afterwards God used him to reach the world with the gospel (see Acts 17:2).

‘Grace’ was so central to Paul’s message that he mentions it in the very beginning of all his Epistles. That’s because he understood that by trying to stand on your own merit before a Holy God, every time you mess up you feel like a failure – unloved, unworthy, and unaccepted.

Psychologists say we try to conform to the image of us that’s seen by the most important person in our lives. So can you imagine what would happen if you started seeing yourself as God sees you?

The truth is, you’re His redeemed child and He sees you through the blood of Jesus, which cleanses all your sins (see 1 John 1:9). There’s nothing you can do to make God love you more, and nothing you can do to make Him love you less!

And that’s the good news!

Exodus 39-40, Matthew 23:23-39

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

There’s no substitute!

‘Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.’
James 4:8 NKJV

The UCB Word for Today - 13 Feb 2019

Author Reimar Schultze writes: ‘No man can become much like God, accomplish much for God, be intimate with God, be used much of God, unless he has learned to be much alone with God…and what a classroom you’ll find yourself in. You won’t become a carbon copy of other Christians, because there’ll be no one in the class but you and God.

In church you can say, “This isn’t for me; perhaps it’s for someone else”…Here time is designed to meet your particular needs, to equip you in your unique calling…to fine-tune you…to draw the foolishness out of you…and mould you into His likeness. He may start with a chisel, but eventually He will only need sandpaper…Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice and…follow Me” (John 10:27 NKJV).

He’ll not only teach you to hear His voice…He’ll show you what’s hindering you from hearing it. He’ll teach you as quickly as you surrender to Him, yet slowly enough so you don’t miss a lesson.

He’ll teach you what it means to be yoked together with Him and to walk at His pace and in His time. Of course the devil will fight you every step of the way.

He’ll give you rational and religious excuses to delay [but you don’t have to act on them]. Resist him!

He’s a liar and a deceiver…There’s a price to be paid for neglecting God. Some have lost children and grandchildren to the world, endured hardships, disappointments, financial crisis, and marital breakups…

Some of our lives revolve around getting ahead, instead of getting around God…Repent and start doing the right thing now – you’ll never regret it.’

Leviticus 1-3, Matthew 24:1-28

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Encourage your pastor

‘Honour…your leaders in the Lord’s work.’
1 Thessalonians 5:12 NLT

The UCB Word for Today - 14 Feb 2019

If you want to encourage your pastor:
1) Cut the criticism.

Most workers are evaluated each year based on their job performance; pastors are evaluated every week. Remember, if a particular sermon doesn’t scratch where you itch, chances are somebody else needs to hear it.

2) ‘Remember your leaders who taught you the word’ (Hebrews 13:7 NLT), and pray for their spiritual growth.

Goethe said, ‘If you treat a person as he is, he’ll stay that way. But if you treat him as what he ought to be, he’ll become what he ought to be and could be.’

3) Write a note.

Especially when something your leader says or does ministers to you. Verbal encouragement is good, but a note can be read many times over.

4) Put your talents to work.

For example, if you’re mechanically inclined, service the pastor’s car. If you’re technologically savvy, help them improve their computer skills.

Instead of saying, ‘You need to do this,’ say, ‘I’d like to help by doing.’ Ask where your skills are most needed and become an active participant.

5) Squash gossip.

James said, ‘If you…don’t control your tongue…your religion is worthless’ (James 1:26 NLT). Counter negative talk with positive comments, and correct misinformation with truth. If all else fails – walk away!

6) Be openly responsive.

Nothing encourages leaders like seeing people respond to their preaching and teaching.

7) Lose the measuring stick.

Instead of expecting them to be a mirror image of their predecessor, thank God for your pastor’s individual style to minister to those in need.

Leviticus 4-5, Matthew 24:29-51

[Gracemohau]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Radical commitment (1)

‘I have been crucified with Christ.’
Galatians 2:20 NIV

The UCB Word for Today - 15 Feb 2019

We live in a time of commitment-phobia. We want to get as much as we can while giving back as little as possible.

We want to be there for others in good times but not bad ones. And our lack of commitment is reflected in the statistics.

The marriage rate is down while the divorce rate is up. Involvement in church and participation in compassionate causes are both down.

We’re becoming a society that fears putting itself on the line or being pinned down by responsibility and obligation. To escape the awkwardness and embarrassment of saying no, we avoid our obligations and responsibilities by simply being elsewhere when we’re needed.

And we’re a ‘sound bite’ generation with attention spans geared to fifteen-second commercials. We prefer our sermons simple, entertaining, and above all, short!

Radical commitment is rare – but it’s what God wants from us! The Bible says, ‘It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfil it’ (Ecclesiastes 5:5 NIVUK 2011 Edition).

How about commitment to marriage? God doesn’t see it as a 50/50 arrangement, but one where both sides give 100 per cent.

It’s a sacred covenant made before God between a man and woman, ‘for better or worse; for richer or poorer; in sickness and in health; until parted by death’. And it works best when both partners have learned to say with Paul, ‘I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.’

That’s radical commitment, and it’s the way to a great marriage.

Leviticus 6-7, Matthew 25:1-30