UCB Word For Today UCB

When Christopher Columbus returned to Spain, he was considered a national hero and credited with discovering new lands. But do you think people changed their minds about the earth being flat? Not at all – they went right on believing the earth was flat. It was not until that generation passed on and the next one took their place that people realised the earth was round, just as Columbus had claimed. That’s how long it took for people to change their minds – an entire generation! We all resist change. Dr John Maxwell writes: ‘For many years, I thought leaders liked change and everyone else didn’t. As a visionary leader, I always felt that I was drawing reluctant followers into the future. But I finally realised that leaders don’t like change any more than followers do – unless, of course, it’s their idea!’ Let’s be honest; change is hard for everyone. Novelist Mark Twain said, ‘The only person who likes change is a wet baby.’ Truly, change is one of the greatest obstacles you will ever face. Why is that? After all, doesn’t progress demand change? And doesn’t growth too? We can’t move forwards and stay in the same place. So for the next few days, we’re going to talk about why we resist change so much. Acknowledging his own stubborn nature and his fear of change, on four different occasions David prayed, ‘Turn us again, O God.’ That’s like praying, ‘Lord, I need to change, but I’m afraid to change, so make me willing to change.’ And that’s a prayer God will answer for you, so start praying it today.

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Your small deeds of kindness may go unnoticed by others, but God sees them. And they can reward you in ways you never dreamed possible. Take the case of Joseph. Betrayed by his brothers and lied about by his boss’s wife, he ends up sentenced to a thirteen-year prison term. If ever a person had reason to turn sour on life and God, it was him. But instead of giving in to self-pity, he focused on the needs of others. Joseph had two prison mates: a butler and a baker who had worked in Pharaoh’s palace, fallen into disfavour, and landed in a cell next to Joseph. Note what the Bible says: ‘Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were sad’ (Genesis 40:6 NKJV). Before God allowed Joseph to care for the nation of Egypt, He observed his care towards his fellow inmates. As a result, when one of them was restored to favour, he recommended Joseph to Pharaoh as a man qualified to meet his need. Compassion is important to God. When you see a need, try to meet it. If you dream of doing big things, start by doing small things with a good attitude. Arrive on time. Complete your work early. Don’t grumble. When you’re given a task, take it on and God will reward you for it: ‘His lord said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord”’ (Matthew 25:21 NKJV).

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Have you tried to do right, yet things have gone wrong? When Joseph honoured God by saying no to Potiphar’s wife, he landed in prison. While there he told a fellow prisoner, ‘I was kidnapped from my homeland…and now I’m here in prison, but I did nothing to deserve it’ (Genesis 40:15 NLT). If that’s how you feel today, God has not turned His back on you. His plan for your life has not been derailed. ‘The Lord shall not turn back until He has executed and accomplished the thoughts and intents of His mind’ (Jeremiah 30:24 AMPC). You may be perplexed, but God is not. He is using every moment of this season and every element of this experience to prepare you. ‘They bruised his feet with fetters and placed his neck in an iron collar. Until the time came to fulfil his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character’ (Psalm 105:18-19 NLT). Do you remember how you felt about the tests you were given in school? At the time they felt like persecution but looking back you realise they were preparation. They revealed what you had learned. They qualified you to move to a higher grade. They helped you better understand your strengths and weaknesses. The psalmist wrote: ‘For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance’ (Psalm 66:10-12 NIV). God will use people, pain, and problems to test you. Why? So that He can bring you to ‘a place of abundance’.

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

If you live long enough, life will bring you bad news. It may be the loss of a loved one, your health, your income, your marriage, your reputation, etc. The psalmist wrote, ‘When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.’ When bad times come, you need to hold on to everything you know about who God is. You must remind yourself that He is loving, caring, and worthy of your complete trust. Sometimes God will give you the answer; other times He will give you the assurance of His presence. In changing times, you must lay hold of the unchanging character of God. As the hymn says, ‘When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.’ Does that mean denying your feelings and emotions? No. David said, ‘I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles’ (Psalm 142:2 NLT). God is not asking you to deny the pain, the loss, and the reality of your circumstances. Even Jesus offered up prayers with ‘fervent cries and tears’ (Hebrews 5:7 NIV). If you don’t pour out your heart before God, you risk hardening your heart towards Him. Saint Augustine said, ‘For they are very deep in the deep, who do not even cry from the deep.’ It’s when you hit the bottom and turn to God that you discover He is there. It’s by being shaken to the core that you develop an unshakable faith in God. When that happens, you can stand on His Word which says, ‘I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go’ (Genesis 28:15 NIV).

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Satan will use half-truths to trap you. He took Jesus to ‘the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you.’”…Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God’”’ (vv. 5-7 NLT). Satan will tell you, ‘Your spouse doesn’t understand you or meet your needs, you’re lonely, go ahead and have that affair. God will understand and forgive you.’ God may forgive you, but the Bible also says, ‘Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap’ (Galatians 6:7 KJV). When Satan comes calling, you had better know what the Word of God actually says – not just selected snippets. Paul writes, ‘All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching…in righteousness’ (2 Timothy 3:16 NIV). We like to hand-pick Scriptures that suit our lifestyle and facilitate our wants. But when the Enemy manipulates God’s Word and uses it against you, you need to be able to say, ‘The Scriptures also say.’ In other words, you need to know what else God has to say. The Bible says Satan ‘will speak against the Most High…oppress his holy people and try to change…times and…laws’ (Daniel 7:25 NIV). He knows God’s Word is a ‘double-edged sword’ (Hebrews 4:12 NCV), but he will still try to engage you in a sword fight! Don’t let him bamboozle you with distortions and half-truths! Get into God’s Word, get God’s Word into you, and tell Satan, ‘Get thee behind me’ (Matthew 16:23 KJV).

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

Author Brennan Manning tells the story of how he got the name ‘Brennan’. Growing up, his best friend was Ray. The two of them did everything together: bought a car together as teenagers, dated together, went to school together, and so forth. They even enlisted in the army together, went to boot camp together, and fought on the front lines together. One night, sitting in a foxhole, Brennan was reminiscing about the old days in Brooklyn while his friend Ray listened and ate a chocolate bar. Suddenly a grenade landed in the foxhole. Ray smiled at Brennan, dropped his chocolate, and threw himself on the live grenade. It exploded, killing Ray, but Brennan’s life was spared. Later Brennan was ordained as a priest, and at that time it was customary to take the name of a saint. He thought of his friend, Ray Brennan, and chose the name ‘Brennan’. Years later, he visited Ray’s mother in Brooklyn. They were sitting up late one night drinking tea when Brennan asked her, ‘Do you think Ray loved me?’ Mrs Brennan got up off the sofa, shook her finger in his face, and shouted, ‘What more could he have done for you?’ Brennan says that right then he experienced an epiphany. He imagined himself standing before the cross of Jesus wondering, ‘Does God really love me?’ And Jesus’ mother pointing to her son, saying, ‘What more could He have done for you?’ When Jesus said, ‘It is finished,’ the price of your salvation was paid in full. The question is – will you accept Him today as your Saviour and Lord?
© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.