UCB Word For Today

If you use a computer, you know what the save button is. To save a created document, you just press the save button. Words on the screen descend into the core of the machine. As long as the words are limited to the screen, they are vulnerable to the irascible cursor. It earns its name. We curse the little monster as it gobbles up our hard work. But once we save it, it is safe. Question: are you clicking the save button on Scripture? You save truth when you deliberately allow what you’ve read or heard to become part of who you are. Jesus said, ‘You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ As you know (save) truth, the truth frees you from guilt, fear, pride, anger, etc. Saved truth has a shaping, reconfiguring impact on your heart. Only when you allow the truth of Scripture to be the authority in your life will you prove that it works. How do you do this? Begin with a prayer: ‘God, please speak to my heart today as I read Your Word.’ Then with an open heart, read until a message hits you, and you will receive great rewards. God told Joshua if he did this, He would make his way ‘prosperous’ (see Joshua 1:8). The promise of prosperity includes finances, but it also refers to a wealthy spirit, mind, and body. God prospers a leader with new skills, a worker with good sleep, a teacher with added patience, a mother with deeper affection, and an elderly person with greater hope. So click the save button!

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

If you make wise decisions now, you’ll have a better future. If you waste your time now, you’ll have regrets. That’s why you need to do the right thing when you have the opportunity to do it. Paul wrote: ‘Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us’ (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV). God is able to do great things as His power works through you. So it’s not just about God doing things for you; He also wants to do things through you. Stop wishing your life would change, and start taking action! Pray and study God’s Word. And as He speaks to your heart, step out in faith and do what He leads you to do. God created you to live on purpose, for a purpose! He hasn’t just called you to be busy – He’s also called you to bear good fruit (see John 15:16). It’s easy to get caught up in the busyness of life. But you need to take time out to think about how you’re spending your time! Before you go to sleep, reflect on the things that filled your day: which of them fulfilled God’s plan and purpose and which of them were a distraction? Ask God to reveal the things that need to change and ways you can make better choices that line up with His wisdom. Then lean on Him for the strength you need to make those changes. If you do, you’ll be fulfilled, peaceful, and excited about how God is working in your life.

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

Paul writes, ‘By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God’ (Ephesians 2:8 NKJV). Why did Paul say we are saved through grace alone? Because trying to obtain salvation by keeping the law sets you up for failure. ‘For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.’ You say, ‘That’s an impossible standard!’ You’re right! The law is like an X-ray machine; it can reveal what’s under the surface and identify the problem, but it can’t fix it. The law is also like a mirror. It can tell you that you need to apply make-up, or shave, or comb your hair, but it can’t do these things for you. In other words, the law can show you your problem but can’t solve it. But what the law could not do, Christ did on the cross (see Romans 8:3). When Jesus said, ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30 KJV), all your sins from the cradle to the grave were atoned for. And when you put your trust in Him, you are saved for time and eternity. Some people acknowledge that you are made right with God by grace, through putting your trust in Christ. But, they believe you maintain your salvation by keeping the works of the law. The problem is, even on your best day, you cannot live up to all the demands of a perfect God. The hymnist wrote, ‘Trusting as the moments fly, trusting as the days go by; trusting Him whate’er befall, trusting Jesus, that is all!’

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

Each time David saw Goliath’s armour hanging in his tent, it was a sacred reminder of God’s faithfulness to him and of God’s power that was available to him. The word remember recurs almost 250 times in Scripture. And there is a reason why. We tend to remember what we should forget and forget what we should remember. That’s why God is always telling us to build altars or make memorials. Jacob built an altar at Bethel, where God gave him a life-changing dream (see Genesis 28:18-22). The Israelites took twelve stones from the river Jordan and used them to build a miracle altar in Gilgal, reminding them of how God miraculously parted the waters for them (see Joshua 4:20-24). Samuel built a victory altar at Mizpah called ‘Ebenezer’ after God answered his prayer and marshalled the forces of nature to supernaturally defeat the Philistines (see 1 Samuel 7:12). Without sacred reminders, we could forget the spiritual lessons we have learned along the way. The Bible records the literal weight of Goliath’s armour: 125 pounds, 15 ounces. Every time David took down his tent and pitched it somewhere else, the armour went with him. Why? Because it doubled as a daily reminder of God’s faithfulness to him. It was also a great confidence builder. Whatever the future held, David knew that with God’s help he could handle it. There are two lessons here: first, if God did it for David, He will do it for you; second, if God did it before, He can do it again.

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

[Matthew 7:21-29]

The Bible says: ‘Saul clothed David with his armour…and David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook…and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine”’ (vv. 38-40 NKJV). David had to make a choice; one that would determine his destiny. He could go into battle as Saul – wearing Saul’s armour, flaunting Saul’s sword, clutching Saul’s shield. Or he could engage in battle as David – a shepherd with a slingshot. David chose not to wear Saul’s armour or wield Saul’s sword for one excellent reason: he wasn’t Saul. David decided to be himself – the David God called, anointed, and equipped for the task. There comes a time in all our lives when we need to be brave enough to remove Saul’s armour. And it takes the most uncommon form of courage, the courage to be yourself. We all begin as originals, but too many of us finish up as imitators of someone else. Instead of honouring our uniqueness, and the uniqueness of others, we are too frequently intimidated by it. We abandon our uniqueness because we want to fit in. In one of his best-known essays, ‘Self-Reliance’, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, ‘There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that…imitation is suicide. He must take himself for better, for worse.’ That is what David did, and God gave him great victory. And that is what God wants you to do.

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

The Bible says: ‘The people…stood around him from morning till evening…Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone”’ (vv. 13, 17-18 NIV). You may have noticed on the back of tractor-trailer rigs a sign that communicates their load limit. Roads have weigh stations to make sure these lorries aren’t carrying too much weight. If a tractor-trailer with a huge engine has load limits, then it makes sense that we do too. Moses had exceeded his load limit. Eating on the run, running from one end of the camp of Israel to the other, scheduling meetings, hitting deadlines, and seeing everyone who asked was too much. On the inside he was dying. He had two options: collapse, or share the load. Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, told him to evaluate what only he could do, and delegate the rest. Anytime you are staring at a job that looks larger than you can handle alone, understand that God is telling you, ‘Don’t try it alone.’ But Jethro didn’t tell Moses to ditch the work and throw it on just anybody. That’s a formula for disaster. To delegate successfully, you have to do these three things: 1) Get the right people. 2) Give them the right task. 3) Trust them to do it right; don’t micromanage them. So, the word for today is – do what only you can do, delegate the rest to others, and trust God for success!

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

After his violation of Bathsheba, King David finally got honest and confessed his sin to Nathan the prophet. ‘Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However…by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme”’ (2 Samuel 12:13-14 KJV). Later, David would write in the Psalms: ‘Deliver me from all my transgressions; make me not the reproach of the foolish.’ Let’s take a moment and consider the ‘downside’ of immorality when it is found out: 1) Your partner experiences shame, rejection, betrayal, and heartache. No amount of repentance or asking forgiveness can soften the blow. Suspicion replaces trust. 2) The innocence and trust of your children are dealt a devastating blow. Their healthy outlook on life is likely to be severely damaged. 3) The heartache experienced by your parents, family, and peers is indescribable. And you are likely to be embarrassed in facing other Christians, especially those who have openly appreciated, respected, and trusted you. 4) Your fall may be perceived by others as a licence for them to do the same. 5) Your inner peace will be gone. 6) Your confidence before God will be forfeited. 7) Your enemies will have further reason to jeer and sneer, and the cause you represent will suffer harm. What a high price to pay. What’s the answer? Be filled and stay filled with the Holy Spirit. Here’s why: ‘The fruit of the Spirit is…self-control’ (Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV).

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

Because of the connection we have with those we love, when they hurt, we hurt. One of the greatest things we can do is intercede in prayer for those who need healing. God can use us as an agent of healing: ‘Pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]’ (AMPC). We see this principle throughout the Bible. A Roman centurion went to Jesus for the healing of his servant, and Christ did not disappoint him (see Matthew 8:5-7). Four people tore the roof off a house to get their sick friend into the presence of Jesus so he could be healed of palsy. And Jesus said to him, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’ (see Mark 2:1-11). A concerned father went to Jesus when his daughter was at the point of death. Because Jesus was delayed, the little girl died anyway. Jesus walked to her bedside and said: ‘“Little girl, I say to you, arise.” Immediately the girl arose and walked…And they were overcome with great amazement’ (Mark 5:41-42 NKJV). One of the last promises Jesus gave us before leaving this earth was: ‘These signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will…lay hands on the sick, and they will recover’ (Mark 16:17-18 NKJV). Confession: ‘As a believer in Christ, I have the authority to pray, to lay hands on the sick, and see them recover because the Spirit of God lives in me.’

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

Sometimes we make the mistake of placing our trust in people when we should be placing our trust in the Lord. And since God cannot fail and people can, we end up getting hurt and disappointed. The Bible says that King Asa of Judah had a perfect heart towards God. Yet when an enemy nation came against him, he panicked and purchased a military alliance with another king. And he did it with funds he took from the house of God. Upon hearing the news of Asa’s coalition, his enemy retreated. Asa had figured out the solution. His plan had worked – or so it seemed. Then God sent the prophet Hanani to rebuke King Asa. Why? ‘Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the LORD your God’ (2 Chronicles 16:7 NKJV). This is often the plight of those who are highly logical and intelligent. Their confidence is in their own ability to figure out a solution to their dilemmas. Hanani continued to rebuke Asa: ‘For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars’ (2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV). Later in life, when Asa faced a life-threatening disease, ‘he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians’ (2 Chronicles 16:12 NIV). They could not help him, so he died. So the word for today is – never give people the trust that should be placed in the Lord alone.

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