Have you heard of the principle of supercompensation? A pastor explains: ‘When an athlete is pushed beyond the threshold of pain and exhaustion, the body overcompensates. The more a muscle is broken down, the more it builds back up…The two hundred and six bones in the body are constantly going through a process called remodelling. They are being broken down by osteoclasts and built back up by osteoblasts. The process of remodelling is intensified when a bone is broken. Extra osteoblasts help rebuild the bone. There is a period of weakness where the bone is more vulnerable to re-injury. That is why we wear casts. But eventually the bone ends up stronger than it was to begin with because the body overcompensates. Very rarely does a bone break in the same place twice because the bone is thicker and stronger than it was before the break. Almost like a broken bone that needs to be reset, God breaks us where we need to be broken. He fractures the pride and lust and anger in our lives, but He does it to remodel us into His image, and once we heal, we end up stronger than we were to begin with. [Paul writes,] “It has been granted to you on behalf of Christ…to suffer for him” [Philippians 1:29 NIV]. The word “granted” comes from [a] Greek root…which literally means “to grant a favour”…We tend to see suffering as a necessary evil at best, but Paul calls it a divine favour.’ So, maybe God is remodelling you. Perhaps the problem you thought you would never overcome will become your most effective ministry to others.

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

A pastor encourages us: ‘Psychoanalyst Alfred Adler conducted a fascinating research project that popularised the theory of compensation. He studied art students and discovered that seventy per cent of them suffered from optical anomalies. He found degenerative traces in the ears of great composers like Mozart and Beethoven. And he cited numerous examples of other people who eventually became successful in the area of their greatest weakness. Adler believed that birth defects, poverty, illness, and negative circumstances often prove to be the springboard for success…God wants to recycle your adversity and turn it into a ministry. People go through a painful divorce or the death of a child or a destructive addiction, but God helps them climb out of the pit so they can help others in similar circumstances. One of the most paralysing mistakes we make is thinking that our problems somehow disqualify us from being used by God…No one rolls out the red carpet and invites tragedy into their life, but our greatest gifts and passions are often the by-product of our worst tragedies and failures. Trials have a way of helping us rediscover our purpose in life.’ The problems God has brought you through become a platform upon which you can stand and minister to others. ‘Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God’ (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV).

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

A pastor writes: ‘All of us want every day to be a good day. But if every day was a good day, there would be no “good” days, because there wouldn’t be any bad days to compare the good days to…Sickness helps us appreciate health. Failure helps us appreciate success. Debt helps us appreciate wealth. And the tough times help us appreciate the good times…Adversity is often the seedbed of opportunity [because it has] a way of bringing the best out of us…Adversity is often a blessing in disguise. We dream of zero gravity. We imagine what life would be like without any problems or issues or challenges. But from a biological perspective, zero gravity is hazardous to your health. Astronauts who spend any length of time in zero gravity experience serious medical complications. Without any resistance, they lose muscle mass and bone density, they experience high pulse rates and heart palpitations, and they can barely walk after re-entering the earth’s atmosphere. We may dream of zero gravity, but what we really need is a healthy dose of adversity. The people God uses the most are often the people who have experienced the most adversity. This isn’t necessarily…what you want to read, but it’s true. Adversity can produce an increased capacity to serve God.’ Why? Because adversity causes us to turn to God, lean on God, seek God, and get to know God in a way we otherwise wouldn’t. Some of God’s greatest promises in Scripture begin with the words ‘to him who overcomes’. The Bible says, ‘People who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits’ (Daniel 11:32 NKJV).

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

There is a story about an American tourist’s visit to the home of a nineteenth-century Polish rabbi. The tourist was surprised to find it so sparsely and inexpensively furnished. The living area, a simple room lined with books, contained a table and a bench. When the tourist asked the rabbi, ‘Where’s all your furniture?’ he replied, ‘Where’s yours?’ The man asked, ‘What do you mean? I’m a visitor. I’m just passing through.’ ‘Me too!’ replied the rabbi. Passing through aptly applies to each of us; we’re creatures of time and children of eternity. In reality, Christians are citizens of heaven heading home via earth. ‘Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ’ (Philippians 3:20 NIV). Heaven is more than a destination or a doctrine. For the redeemed child of God, it should be a mindset; a way of thinking and living. Paul writes: ‘Since…you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For…your life is now hidden with Christ in God’ (Colossians 3:1-3 NIV). Heaven is our North Star. Let its beauty capture your imagination, its values determine your behaviour, its endlessness redeem your brief life span, its joys alleviate your sorrows, and its almighty King own your lifelong worship! To those of us who live briefly on earth, heaven should be a life-transforming truth. We’re not here to stay. We’re pilgrims on a journey, with a glorious destiny to spend eternity in our Father’s house (see John 14:2). We’re heading to our forever home!

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

Before he was put to death for his faith, Paul wrote: ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day’ (vv. 7-8 KJV). Up until the moment he was executed, Paul kept writing truths that would change the world. He could say, ‘I have finished my course,’ but never once did he say, ‘I give up!’ Did he have reasons to give up? Sure, he had been persecuted by his enemies and deserted by his friends. What kept him going? The vision that burned in his heart (see Acts 26:19). As long as you have a vision, you will never be ‘old’. To overcome the fear of ageing, you must do these: 1) Maintain an attitude of faith and expectation. As long as you believe your best days are ahead of you – they are! 2) Instead of obsessing about the good old days, seek ways to make new memories. For example, try celebrating the holidays in different ways, in different places, and with different people. If you want what you don’t have, then you must start doing what you haven’t done yet. 3) Get your financial house in order. ‘A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children’ (Proverbs 13:22 NKJV). And the greatest legacy you can leave is not money; it’s love, faithfulness, integrity, and an example of godly living. As a redeemed child of God, when you die, you go to a better place – but your goal should be to leave the world a better place.

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

‘A woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil…and poured it on His head. But there were some who were indignant…and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticised her sharply. But Jesus said, “Let her alone…She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her”’ (vv. 3-6, 8-9 NKJV). Notice two things Jesus said about this woman. 1) ‘She has done what she could’ (v. 8 NKJV). This is a rebuke to the pride in each of us, which thinks if we can’t do something great that will be noticed and celebrated by others, we won’t do anything at all. Mother Teresa is attributed with saying, ‘We cannot all do great things, but we can all do small things with great love.’ 2) ‘What this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her’ (v. 9 NKJV). Two thousand years later, we’re still talking about her legacy. What was it? Kindness! And you don’t have to be educated, sophisticated, or rich to do it. Bill Borden turned his back on a family fortune and ministered to students at Yale, orphans, widows, and alcoholics on the streets. Before he died, he wrote, ‘No reserves, no retreats, no regrets.’ No reserves: hold nothing back. No retreats: never turn back. No regrets: serve God – and others – and your reward in heaven is assured (see 2 Timothy 4:6-8).

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

The value of anything is determined by its function. What problem does it solve? What need does it meet? Sand is a good example. At the beach, sand is free. But if you want to build a playground, that same sand has to be bagged and transported, so it costs more; hence its value goes up. Now what was once free on the beach costs around five pounds a bag. Once this same sand is glued to a piece of paper, making it sandpaper, its value increases again. Now it could be up to twenty pounds a roll. The value has gone up with an alteration in its purpose. An author further explains this: ‘Now, sand is silicon dioxide. When sand is taken, heated, and processed, it becomes an intricate part of a computer chip that is now worth five hundred dollars. So what was once free on the beach now has value because it is in a bag, because it is glued to a piece of paper, or because it is in a computer chip that you can hardly afford. The sand is the same, but it has found increased value in a greater purpose.’ After writing at length about the various jobs to be done and gifts to be exercised in the church, Paul writes, ‘Earnestly desire the best gifts.’ Why? So you can bring the most benefit and do the greatest good. Paul writes to the believers in Rome, ‘I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord’ (Romans 1:11 NLT). Don’t settle for less; seek God for more – you won’t be disappointed.

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

Put yourself in the other person’s shoes and try to see things from their point of view. That’s one of the great keys to working with clients, pleasing customers, sustaining a marriage, raising children, pastoring people, helping those who are less fortunate, etc. Live by this Scripture: ‘All of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tender-hearted, be courteous.’ Try to look beyond yourself, your own pursuits, and your own world. When you decide to reflect upon an issue from every possible angle, a) look at it in light of another person’s history, b) find out the interests and concerns of others, and c) lay aside your own plan and try to see what others see. That’s a powerful thing because it means you are truly connecting with them. If you join in any kind of group or team activity, you know how vital it is that each person sees the whole picture and not just their own part. Anytime a person doesn’t recognise how their work fits in with that of their teammates, then the whole team suffers. The better a team member grasps the big picture, the greater their potential to work with the team. Getting along with people and working with them requires effort: getting to know their needs, their goals, their hurts, and their struggles. That’s what Jesus does with us. The Bible says that He can ‘sympathise with our weaknesses’ (Hebrews 4:15 NKJV). To follow in His footsteps, you must endeavour to do that with others.

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

You don’t have to be a great orator; you just have to deliver the message. You don’t have to emulate any other speaker; you just have to decide to be the best ‘you’ possible. So: 1) Forget about messing up. The chances are that you will know more about your topic than 90 per cent of the audience. If you stumble, so what? It signals to the audience that you’re human – just as they are. People often connect better with your vulnerability than your strength. Besides, they’re rooting for you, and they want you to succeed. 2) Focus on imparting value to the audience rather than trying to impress them. The only question that matters is, what did the audience take away from it? John Ford, an American film director, put it this way: ‘You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart.’ 3) Practise! Practise! Practise! By first sharing your message with the person in the mirror, you will get to see and hear what others do, and you can add enhancements and make corrections accordingly. 4) When it comes to sharing God’s Word, prepare your message as though everything depends on you, and present it as though everything depends on God – because it does! Paul knew he was not a great orator, yet his words are still changing lives two thousand years later: ‘My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God’ (1 Corinthians 2:4-5 NKJV).

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

Have you been praying, and God hasn’t yet answered? Let’s look at some keys. 1) Maybe you’re expecting a lot from God but not much from yourself. Perhaps He is asking you to work harder by utilising the ingenuity He has given you. Remember, God’s promises are never an excuse for laziness. Elijah was in a devastating drought when God said, ‘Go to the brook Cherith. I will send ravens to feed you’ (see 1 Kings 17:1-4). Elijah could have replied, ‘Lord, I’m exhausted! Can’t you send them here?’ Instead, ‘he…did according to the word of the Lord’ (v. 5 NKJV). Ask God if there is something you should be doing, and when He tells you – do it. 2) Perhaps your prayers are not explicit enough. Doesn’t God already know what we need? Yes, but He wants to hear it from you. ‘You don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it’ (James 4:2 NLT). God wants us to persist in prayer: ‘Ask and keep on asking…seek and keep on seeking…knock and keep on knocking’ (Luke 11:9 AMPC). 3) We fail to realise that God wants to meet our needs – in His time. ‘But what if my problem gets worse?’ you ask. Don’t worry; it will never be too big for God to resolve! From time to time, He waits in order to do something even greater. Lazarus was sick unto death, but Jesus didn’t respond immediately. He waited so He could raise him from the dead (see John 11:1-6, 43-44). We’re inclined to think our request is God’s best answer to our need, even though His Word assures us, ‘No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly’ (Psalm 84:11 KJV).

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