Here’s something we don’t think about enough – but should! How you treat those you are in relationship with influences the relationship you have with God. Jesus spelled it out clearly: ‘If you bring your gift to the altar [if you serve in the church, pay particular attention here!], and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift’ (vv. 23-24 NKJV). Jesus commands the offender, even if the offence was unintentional, to take the initiative in healing and restoring the relationship. That calls for true humility. Max Lucado writes: ‘You may find this hard to believe, but not everyone likes the preacher. There are times when I misstep or misspeak and incur the displeasure of a parishioner. In the early years of my ministry, when I got wind of someone’s unhappiness, I dismissed the problem. “If he doesn’t bring it to me, then I have no hand in the matter.” But then I read Jesus’ words…Jesus commands the offender to take the initiative. I find that passage to be quite unpleasant. Even so, I have tried to apply it to my fragile friendships. “Bob,” I have enquired, “have I said something to upset you?” “Mary, there seems to be tension between us. Are we okay?” Without fail, the step has resulted in restoration. Never in my four decades of ministry has this practical teaching failed to achieve its goal. When Scripture is mixed with obedience, a healing elixir results.’ So the word for today is – try for reconciliation.

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

Here are two more things you need to know about your calling. 1) The anointing is for each one of us. In Bible times, anointing oil was poured only on the heads of prophets, priests, and kings, symbolising God’s presence rested on them in a special way. But the anointing is not confined to those in ministry; it’s for everyone – including you! It doesn’t matter whether you’re a teacher, a doctor, or a lawyer. From the top of the organisational chart to the bottom, God wants to anoint you to do whatever it is you’re called to do. If you need legal help, you certainly want a solicitor who has been to law school, but you also want a solicitor who is anointed by God. If you need surgery, you certainly want a doctor who has been to medical school, but you also want a doctor whose hands are anointed by God. The anointing of God knows no limits when it comes to position or portfolio. The apostle John writes: ‘You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.’ 2) We must seek to please God in all that we do. ‘Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God’ (1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV). The key word is whatever. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing; do it to the glory of God. Oswald Chambers said, ‘It is inbred in us that we have to do exceptional things for God, but we do not. We have to be exceptional in ordinary things.’ And when we are, we put a smile on God’s face.

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

God got Israel out of Egypt in one day, but it took forty years to get the shame of Egypt out of Israel. It happened at a place called Gilgal, 381 miles north-east of Egypt. The Israelites thought like slaves and acted like slaves. After all, it’s tough to break the cycle after four hundred years of slavery. Technically, the Israelites were set free at the exodus. But it wasn’t until they reached Gilgal that they finally left the past in the past. ‘Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt.”’ For some of us, it takes years to bring closure to our feelings of condemnation and get the past out of the present. The good news is, God can still roll away the shame of your past. ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 8:1 NKJV). Note the word ‘now’. Full forgiveness is our present-tense reality. Right here. Right now. If you are in Christ, you’re no longer defined by what you’ve done wrong; you’re defined by what Christ has done right on your behalf. You are a new creation, but sometimes it takes time for your new nature to become second nature. Jesus came to put the past in its place – in the past. You need to leave it there. How do you do that? By seeing yourself as God sees you – righteous (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). Instead of seeing yourself as clothed in shame, begin to see yourself as God sees you: clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

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

Set aside the question of to what extent you are capable of experiencing God’s presence in your current spiritual condition. Set aside your past failures and your future worries. If you are a redeemed child of God, His Holy Spirit lives within you. Jesus said, ‘“He who believes in Me…out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive’ (John 7:38-39 NKJV). The Holy Spirit within you is flowing all the time, welling up within you, quenching your unsatisfied desires, and overflowing to refresh those around you. His intention and desire are to work through you all the time, in every place. Remember that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are one. So when we speak of God working in your life, Jesus being in your heart, or your body being the temple of the Holy Spirit, it’s the same thing. Author John Ortberg tells of a friend whose five-year-old daughter said, ‘I know Jesus lives in my heart, because when I put my hand on it, I can feel Him walking around in there.’ Some people seem to have that kind of inner radar for detecting the presence of God. Just as certain musicians have perfect pitch, they have an ear for discerning God’s voice. Telling them how to look for God would be like telling a fish how to look for water – where else would they live? Bottom line – just as God’s presence lives in you, you can consciously live in God’s presence every moment.

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

Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission, prepared for missionary service by working among the poor in London. One night, a man asked him to come and pray for his sick wife. The man had already asked a priest but had been told he would have to pay him eighteen pence, which he didn’t have. He didn’t even have money to buy a loaf of bread. Taylor went with him but was conscience stricken. He was living on a starvation diet himself, but he did have one coin in his pocket – a half-crown. He thought, ‘If only I had two shillings and sixpence instead of this half crown, I would give these poor people a shilling.’ Upon arriving at the man’s house, he was overcome at seeing the sunken cheeks of hungry children and the exhausted mother who lay with a tiny infant by her side. Taylor spoke to them, trying to bring comfort and encouragement, but inside he cried, ‘You hypocrite! Telling these people about a kind and loving father in heaven, yet not prepared to trust Him without a half-crown.’ So he gave his half-crown to the man. Taylor recalled at that moment how the joy of the Lord came back into his heart. The Bible says, ‘Do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.’ What pleases the Lord? Your willingness to share with those in need what God has graciously given you. The saying is true: ‘You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.’

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

Some folks are too insecure to applaud the success or achievements of another, be it a co-worker, distant relative, sibling, spouse, or even a child. They feel that they must have comparable success, so they won’t feel inferior. If they can indeed claim a similar personal achievement, then they are quick to mention it. The truth is that someone will always have more success than you do, and someone will always have less. It takes daily, conscientious effort to fight discontentment and to enjoy whatever level of success God has blessed you with. Television commercials and roadside billboards and even well-meaning family and friends send the message: ‘You’re lacking something. Buy this, buy that!’ Solomon said, ‘Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil’ (Proverbs 15:16 NIV). Hebrews13:5 says, ‘Be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you”’ (NIV). If you find yourself feeling the need to compete when a compliment is given to another, immediately recognise and renounce the spirit of insecurity that’s trying to ensnare you. Begin to reject this kind of behaviour by responding in the opposite manner. Practise being secure enough to enjoy someone else’s achievements. You will have to ‘practise’ this, because there’s a good chance that you will not ‘feel’ secure initially. Just do it. Allow your faith to dictate your behaviour. When you obey the Spirit and allow Him to determine your actions, the flesh grows weaker and must ultimately submit to the control of the Spirit.

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

There are times when we all experience rejection, betrayal, and disappointment. But if we hold on to those experiences, we can remain in a state of perpetual hurt. Indeed, when we refuse to forgive and move on, we place a weapon into Satan’s hands that he will use against us at every opportunity. It’s not what has happened to us, but how we respond that matters. If we allow the hurt to gain control of our thoughts, it can undermine our emotional wellbeing. Jesus doesn’t want us to go through life carrying old wounds; He wants to heal us. This is why He gave us the precious promises in His Word. Regardless of how badly we’ve been hurt, God always has our complete restoration in mind. ‘“For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,” says the LORD’ (Jeremiah 30:17 NKJV). If you have spent years wrestling with unresolved hurt, God has provided a way out. ‘He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.’ When He was on earth, Jesus was constantly healing people’s pain and comforting them in their sorrow. And when He left earth, He didn’t leave us high and dry. He sent the eternal source of comfort to live inside of each of us – the Holy Spirit, who is our comforter, helper, and friend (see John 14:16). The hurts you’ve experienced are real, but God doesn’t want them to be your greatest reality. His Spirit is always with you and will never leave you (see Hebrews 13:5). And you can draw from His strength through every painful circumstance and find healing when you’ve been hurt.

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

Jesus told the disciples just before He left this earth to return to heaven: ‘I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high’ (Luke 24:49 KJV). As a redeemed child of God the Holy Spirit lives in you (see Romans 8:9). But this promise indicates that you can also have the Holy Spirit resting upon you and empowering you. How did the disciples respond to this promise? ‘All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer’ (Acts 1:14 ESV). Author Larry Sparks says, ‘For too long, the Western church has tolerated a prayer culture defined by lack of results.’ Then he gives us this strategy for a divine visitation: ‘Review God’s promises for a Holy Spirit outpouring. Become possessed by them. And “tarry” in devoted, sustained, persevering prayer until revival promises become revival realities. That’s exactly what the disciples did.’ We make the mistake of assuming that outpourings of the Holy Spirit are sovereignly fixed dates in heaven’s calendar. One of the great promises God made to us is this: ‘In the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh’ (Acts 2:17 ESV). As long as ‘all flesh’ has not experienced this outpouring of God’s Spirit, we must continue to pray, ‘Oh, that You would rend the heavens [and] come down!’ You say, ‘What can I do?’ Do what the disciples did: ‘All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer.’ Begin to pray each day for a divine visitation of God’s Spirit.

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

Paul takes one entire chapter in the book of Romans to name the people who helped him and to express his appreciation for them. Showing that you care about people beyond what they can do for you lets them know you truly care about them. Sincere praise can energise others and cause them to spring up like wilted flowers that have just been watered. Oh, the dividends that a husband or a wife (or anyone else) would reap from expressing appreciation for the little things. Just in case your gratitude muscle has grown weak, and you take most kindnesses and efforts for granted, read the following list of tasks and responsibilities that you should show appreciation for: Cleaning the house. Preparing meals. Paying the bills. Going to work. Spending wisely. Buying groceries. Washing and folding the clothes. Bathing the kids. Taking out the rubbish. Filling the car with fuel. Being on time. Watering the grass or plants. Sending out Christmas and special-occasion cards. Selecting family birthday presents. Supporting your career. Being accountable. Listening. The list could go on and on. Why not set a goal of appreciating at least one thing per day for a particular person in your life? If you are a man, don’t be so insecure that you fear you will appear weak if you start to notice the little things. It takes a real man to look beyond his needs and recognise the efforts of another. When you are secure in your own identity, you are able to give people more power by keeping them informed, trusting them, caring about them, and appreciating them.

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

Entering the Promised Land, God told Joshua: ‘Be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses.’ You must identify your core values – and live by them. Swiss philosopher Henri-Frederic Amiel said, ‘The man who has no inner life is a slave to his surroundings.’ Your core values are the governing principles you live by. They’re the light that guides you. They give stability and structure to your inner world. When that’s in order, you can navigate your way through almost anything. Have you ever wondered why God refers to His Word as ‘laws’? Because they govern your thoughts and actions, guide you in the right direction, and guard you from trouble. They bring order to your life; without that, you’re left with chaos and confusion. Imagine living in a world where 100 centimetres don’t equal a metre, and two plus two doesn’t make four. God established His laws for our good. When we disobey them, we suffer; when we honour them, we succeed. Unlike dining al a carte, you can’t pick what you want and forget the rest. God says, ‘Do everything written…Then you will be…successful’ (Joshua 1:8 NIV). Many talented people who make it into the limelight don’t stay there long. Why? Because they failed to develop strong character. Their lack of integrity toppled them because they couldn’t climb beyond the limitations of their character. Talent may take you to a higher level of success, but without character, you won’t be able to handle the pressures that accompany success. That’s why it’s so important to live by the principles of God’s Word.

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