UCB Word For Today

Author Dorothy Littell Greco writes: ‘For some perfectionists, the fear of making a mistake results in a sort of paralysis, causing us to agonise over every decision…To help you discern if [perfectionism] has crept into your life…consider the following questions: a) Are you comfortable asking for help or only offering it? b) Are you able to receive appropriate criticism without getting defensive? c) Do you have a nagging belief that you are falling short of some illusive standard? d) Do you harshly critique yourself? e) Are you able to experience joy? An absence of joy might be one of the best indicators [of] perfectionism. It slowly squeezes the joy out of life by reducing creativity, accentuating mistakes, and making us slaves of success.’ The truth is, no matter how hard we struggle, we can never be perfect enough to satisfy the sin debt against us. And we don’t have to be! ‘Christ gave himself…for our sins as one sacrifice for all time and then sat down in the place of highest honour at God’s right hand…For by that one offering he made forever perfect in the sight of God all those whom he is making holy’ (vv. 12, 14 TLB). Notice: when God makes you perfect, it’s going to be for forever, and once you get your head wrapped around that truth, it will change your life. Gigi Graham Tchividjian says, ‘We don’t have to be perfect to be a blessing. We are asked only to be real, trusting in His perfection to cover our imperfection, knowing that one day we will finally be all that Christ saved us for and wants us to be.’

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

A perfectionist seeks to achieve nothing less than perfection. Dorothy Littell Greco writes: ‘I’ve been a perfectionist for as long as I can remember…I had to get A’s, had to win, and had to please everyone. Every mistake or perceived failure unleashed a torrent of self-condemnation…Perfectionism often [comes from] insecurity and a faulty understanding of grace. During the first few years…parents are meant to communicate through their words and actions that we’re…lovable, even though we do nothing to earn that love…But not all of us were the beneficiaries of such parenting. Many of our needs were met with frustration or even anger, which we interpreted as, “There’s something wrong with me.” When that’s the case, over time, shame creeps in…[and] distorts our understanding of our self-worth. The voice of perfectionism increased when I started following Jesus. I feared being judged and…excluded, [which] motivated me to prove my worth to my fellow Christians. Though I believed, theoretically, that I was saved by grace, I lived as if I had purchased salvation on credit and was accruing an enormous debt. I [lived] as if Jesus would tear up our “salvation contract” the moment I made a mistake. As I began to understand that pride and a fear of mankind were driving my perfectionism, I confessed this as sin…[and] the chokehold started to loosen. Like the Samaritan woman at the well, I needed Jesus to break in and tenderly reorient me to his living water.’ Remember, you don’t have to be perfect to be a blessing to others – you just have to be real!

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

If you are a purpose-driven person, the thought of spending eternity doing little, or nothing, will have no appeal to you. But that’s not the case. When we get to heaven, God is not going to say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you can take the rest of eternity off.’ No, He will say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things’ (Matthew 25:21 NKJV). There will be ‘many things’ for us to do. We already know that we will be ruling with Christ over this restored earth during His millennial reign (see Revelation 20:6). And Revelation 22:3 says, ‘His servants shall serve Him’ (NKJV). God will not only have a place for each of us, but a plan. The reason heaven will not be boring is because God is not boring! The psalmist said, ‘In thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore’ (Psalm 16:11 KJV). Since we will be in God’s presence, everything we do will bring joy and satisfaction. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God has placed eternity in our hearts. That means that God has created within us a space that cannot be satisfied with anything but heaven. We can never comprehend all that God has prepared for us in our heavenly home. And we can’t recreate heaven on earth. But when we opt to prepare for our eternal home that is waiting for us, our earthly focus shifts towards living a life that pleases and honours God and brings others to Him.

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

Mentor Graham was so absorbed in evaluating the assignments he had given his students that he failed to notice the youthful giant who slouched into his Illinois classroom one day after school. After his eyes had adjusted to the brightness of the late afternoon sunshine, causing the husky young man to be in silhouette before him, he recognised the youth as a newcomer to the community. The lad already had a reputation for ‘whipping the living daylights’ out of all the local toughs. Graham would have been justified in thinking, ‘What does he want here? Am I in danger?’ Rather, he looked up and down the six foot, four inches of muscle and ignorance before him and offered to help the lad with his reading and studies. When the young man left the classroom an hour later, he had several books under his arm – on loan from Mentor Graham with a promise of more in the future. There is a good chance that you have never heard of Mentor Graham, right? He was a quiet man, simply willing to do his best for any student who came his way. His pupil, however, became more famous. His name? Abraham Lincoln! Graham recognised in Lincoln a hunger for knowledge and a desire to learn, and took the time to invest in him. And as a result, Lincoln helped change history. The greatest investment you can make is in people. Solomon wrote, ‘Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.’ And when you get it, don’t keep it to yourself – pass it on.

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

The three-digit emergency system has amazing capabilities. In most places in the UK, you need only dial those numbers to be instantly connected to a call handler. On a computer screen, the call handler instantly sees the caller’s telephone number, address (or approximate location if calling from a mobile phone), and the name under which the number is listed. A caller need not say anything once the call is made. Even rasping coughs and hysterical cries have brought a quick response. The call handler knows where the call is coming from, and help is sent immediately. Sometimes our situation is so urgent and desperate that we can’t put it into words, so we send up the SOS prayer, ‘Lord, I need your help!’ And help is on the way. ‘It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear’ (Isaiah 65:24 NKJV). Sometimes you feel the effects of something, but you don’t understand the cause and you can’t explain it. This is when the indwelling power of God’s Spirit comes to your aid: ‘The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them’ (Romans 8:26-28 NLT).

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

If you really believed God’s Word concerning your situation, how would you act differently? Saying you believe is just the beginning; activating your faith means preparing for the answer to arrive. Ask yourself, ‘If I really expected an answer to my prayers, how would I prepare for its arrival?’ In Scripture, Jesus gave His disciples this parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man…planted in his field…when it grows, it…becomes a tree’ (Matthew 13:31-32 NIV). The farmer may sincerely believe they can produce a mustard tree, but nothing happens until they choose the location, prepare the soil, plant the seed, and continually water it. Once they do all those things, they can actively watch for its appearance. So, where do you start? 1) Pray for wisdom to make the right decisions (see James 1:5-7). 2) Plan your work, and work your plan. Aimless, passive waiting for the things to materialise without thoughtful, active involvement will prove disappointing and fruitless. God uses you as His partner. ‘We are labourers together with God’ (1 Corinthians 3:9 KJV). 3) Break your plan into small, accomplishable action steps. 4) Don’t wait for the fear to go or the faith to grow. Be prepared to take calculated, productive risks. Feel the fear and do it anyhow! 5) Start thanking God even before you can see the answer. And if you should miss the bull’s-eye, remember the Revolutionary War militia’s response: ‘Ready, aim, fire! Adjust your aim – and fire again.’ ‘[Abraham’s] faith and his actions were working together.’ And that’s still the Bible formula for success.

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

James asks, ‘What good is it…if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds…Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says…“Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing…what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds’ (vv.14-18 NIV). A veritable ocean of faith without the appropriate action to follow it up is nothing more than an ocean of dead, useless faith. On the other hand, an ounce of faith that’s acted upon can produce an ocean of results (see Matthew 13:31-32). Action breathes life and power into your faith. The biblical prescription for faith is simple but potent. 1) You decide to believe in God’s promise and His power to make it happen – leaving the ‘how and when’ up to Him. 2) You choose to act in keeping with what you believe before you see any evidence of the results. 3) God responds to your faith by keeping His unbreakable promise. ‘Hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?’ (Numbers 23:19 KJV). God goes to work exercising His unlimited capacity to perform His Word. Jesus said, ‘Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours’ (Mark 11:24 NIV). Now – it’s up to you to claim and act on His promise.

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

Thank God, faith isn’t reserved for deeply spiritual people. If that was the case, we would all be in trouble! The fact is that regular people from all walks of life can be faith filled. We’re inclined to think faith belongs exclusively to people like Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Samuel, David, Daniel, Peter, and Paul. Now, without question, they were all faith heroes, but faith doesn’t belong solely to them. The Bible tells us, ‘God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.’ No one will miss out on heaven because he or she wasn’t given enough faith to ‘believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved’ (see Acts 16:31). God intended that not only should we have faith but that we should live by faith. Three times the New Testament assures us ‘the just shall live by faith’ (Hebrews 10:38 NKJV). You reply, ‘Yes, but those biblical heroes had great faith; my faith is so small!’ Did you know that the apostles felt the same way? They said to Jesus, ‘Increase our faith!’ (Luke 17:5 NIV). And Jesus replied, ‘If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it will obey you’ (v. 6 NIV). Like so many of us, the apostles thought they needed more faith. But Jesus corrected this spiritually crippling misperception by telling them you don’t need a lorry load of faith to see amazing outcomes. ‘Faith as small as a mustard seed’ can bring about awesome results. When you put the faith you already have been given into action, Jesus said it will produce results!

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

Faith has little to do with religion or what church you attend. The Greek definition of the word ‘faith’ is pistis, which means a firm persuasion, a conviction based on hearing and learning. Some other words that help to define faith are trust, confidence, and believing. And for good measure, here are a few scriptural descriptions of faith: ‘The confident assurance that something we want is going to happen…the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.’ The Bible tells us, ‘Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him’ (v. 6 NIV). It also tells us, ‘Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ’ (Romans 10:17 NIV). And the apostle James writes, ‘Faith…not accompanied by action, is dead’ (James 2:17 NIV). Faith, though it may be felt, isn’t a feeling at all. The fact is, you can have faith and feel nothing, and you can feel nothing and still have faith. Nor is it related to intellectual or theological knowledge. Your IQ and level of education have nothing to do with your capacity to exercise faith. Effective faith calls for an act of your will. It’s a choice you make to fully embrace what God says in His Word. When that happens, it creates a heart climate that motivates you to act in keeping with what you choose to believe. That’s faith in a nutshell!

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

In order to overcome your fear of investing, you must do these three things: 1) Get savvy. Before you start investing, you need to learn the language and nuances of the stock market, housing market, mutual funds, and other transactions. There is a wealth of information available on the internet. Yes, your savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and money market accounts are great ways to protect your money while earning a modicum of interest. But, if you want to make a higher return, you have to take some risk. And the higher the risk, the higher the return. 2) Get counsel. ‘Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed’ (v. 22 NIV). A good financial consultant will help you plan based on your age, risk tolerance, and investment objectives. Talk to friends and relatives who have made investments; learn from their experiences. And be sure to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He is called ‘counsellor’ because He can guide you in every area of your life (see John 14:26 AMPC). 3) Get moving. Time is money. You can go broke trying to save for big things like your kids’ university education or your retirement if you don’t take advantage of the high returns offered by the stock market and other investments over an extended period. And be sure to stand on God’s Word and trust Him: ‘Remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth’ (Deuteronomy 8:18 NIV). As long as your motive is to do God’s will and bless others, you can pray for God to bless you with success, and He will.

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